Miami Heat defeats Thunder, 104-98, in NBA Game 4

In an implausible sequence spanning only a few minutes, LeBron James went from being carried off the court to carrying his team.

And now the Miami Heat finds itself one victory from hoisting a championship trophy.

Shrugging off a leg injury that forced him to depart Game 4 of the NBA Finals midway through the fourth quarter, James returned to make the three-pointer that put the Heat ahead in an eventual 104-98 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night at AmericanAirlines Arena.

Miami holds a 3-1 advantage in a best-of-seven series it can close out here Thursday night in Game 5.

There was already a party atmosphere in South Beach after James made the go-ahead three-pointer with 2 minutes 50 seconds left, providing the Heat a 97-94 lead.

James nearly finished with a triple-double, collecting 26 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds in 44 sublime minutes.

But James remained in such discomfort that he limped to the timeout huddle with 55 seconds left and stayed on the bench as Mario Chalmers drove for a scoop layup that gave the Heat a 101-96 cushion with 44 seconds to go.

Russell Westbrook, a game-long menace to Miami, made a driving layup to bring the Thunder to within 101-98 with 44 seconds left, but a subsequent jump ball ended up in the hands of Chalmers, who made two free throws to secure the Heat's third consecutive triumph in the series.

Westbrook finished with 43 points on 20-for-32 shooting. He scored 11 consecutive points for the Thunder to start the fourth quarter amid an array of driving layups, floaters and pull-up jumpers.

It wasn't enough.

Dwyane Wade and Chalmers had 25 points apiece for Miami, more than offsetting Kevin Durant's 28 points for Oklahoma City.

James suffered his injury when he drove toward the basket and fell with 5:48 left. He rose and started to run gingerly back down the court before Wade blocked Derek Fisher's layup, triggering a possession that ended in a short jumper by James.

But James could not gut it out for long, having to be carried off the court with 5:15 remaining. He kneeled on a pad along the baseline and was replaced by James Jones.

The crowd roared shortly thereafter as James walked to the scorer's table to check back into the game with 4:05 to go and the Heat trailing, 94-92.

It was difficult to recall that Miami had trailed by as many as 17 points in the first quarter the way things veered sharply in its favor in the second.

The Heat made four three-pointers in the quarter and persevered through a frightening moment when Wade appeared to hurt his back.

Wade fell awkwardly after having his shot blocked by Serge Ibaka with 7 minutes 18 seconds before halftime. He crouched in anguish for several moments, holding his back, before dropping to his knees in along the baseline. He would stay in the game.

Heat 79, Thunder 75 (end of third quarter)

Miami could be 12 minutes from taking a commanding lead in the NBA Finals.

The Heat also could be that far away from another Game 4 meltdown.

By: Ben Bolch
Los Angeles Times

NBA GAME 2 MIAMI HEAT VS OKC THUNDER, HEAT 100, THUNDER 96

Durant drove, forearms got tangled and in the play that would define the night, Durant missed his off-balance, running seven-foot jumper from the baseline late Thursday night. James made his stand, and the Miami Heat secured their first win of the 2012 finals, a 100-96 nailbiter at Chesapeake Arena.

The series is tied at 1-1 as it head to Miami for the next three games, starting Sunday.

Durant overcame constant foul trouble to lead a furious fourth-quarter rally, as the Thunder nearly wiped out a 13-point deficit. Durant finished with 32 points, 16 in the fourth quarter. James also scored 32 points and got a healthy dose of support from his fellow stars. Dwyane Wade scored 24 points, while Chris Bosh added 16 points and 15 rebounds in his return to the starting lineup. In the 12 previous instances where the teams split the first two games, the team that started at home has won the championship eight times.

Durant picked up his fifth foul while tangling for a rebound with 10 minutes 31 seconds to play, the Thunder trailing by 11 points. There was little choice but to leave him in the game.

Undaunted, Durant promptly hit a 3-pointer, then followed with a fast-break dunk that started the Thunder on 12-3 run. Russell Westbrook's 3-point play cut the deficit to 85-81 with 6:06 to play.

The Thunder nearly completed the comeback when they forced Wade into a backcourt turnover and Durant converted a 3-pointer, making it 98-96 with 37.5 seconds left. But Durant could not convert that final basket, and James sealed the game with two free throws.

Westbrook was erratic all night, in part because of some questionable shot selection and possibly because of an injury to his left thumb, which was revealed at the morning shootaround. He shot 6 for 18 over the first three quarters.

On Tuesday, Durant had one of the best finals debuts in modern history, with 36 points. It was a difficult act to follow, even for him. He scored only 6 points in the first half , going 0 for 5 from the 3-point arc. Durant and Westbrook were a combined 5 for 19 from the field in the half, their struggles slightly offset by Harden, who scored 17 points.