By Jack Carey, USA TODAY
Updated 6h 47m ago
The Miami Heat looked like they were ready to be buried. Coming off a desultory Game 3 performance, which left observers from coast to coast questioning their character and heart, they fell behind the Indiana Pacers 9-0 at the outset of Sunday's Game 4.
Was the end near?
LeBron James and Dwyane Wade must have heard the talk and decided to put a stop to it. With Chris Bosh still sidelined, two-thirds of the Heat's Big Three combined for 70 points, including 38 consecutive Heat points spanning the second and third quarters. Miami rallied for a 101-93 victory to tie the series 2-2 and perhaps quiet the naysayers for at least a couple of days.
By Jeff Zelevansky, Getty Images
The Heat finally took the lead late in the third quarter and got a big boost from forward Udonis Haslem, who hit four field goals in the final six minutes despite playing with a bandage over his right eye after being elbowed by Indiana's Tyler Hansbrough.
The Heat might be in the fight of their lives, but out West, the San Antonio Spurs might never lose again. The Spurs closed out the Los Angeles Clippers in four and won their 18th game in a row with a 102-99 victory. They advance to the conference finals and a series with either the Oklahoma City Thunder or Los Angeles Lakers. Even when they don't dominate, as was the case Sunday, they have so many options they've been unbeatable.
Winners:
San Antonio Spurs -- Steady and strong, it was another night at the office for the league's best team. Six players scored in double figures, led by Tim Duncan's 21 points, and they also got 14 big ones off the bench from Gary Neal.
LeBron James -- 40 points, 18 rebounds, nine assists. He hasn't proven yet that he really wants the ball at the end of a tight game, but with those numbers, he helped make sure Sunday's game wasn't that tight.
Dwyane Wade -- Three days after the worst playoff game of his career, he responded with 30 points, nine rebounds, six assists and converted 12 of his last 15 field-goal attempts for the Heat. He scored 22 in the second half.
Erik Spoelstra -- Heat's off the Heat coach, at least for now, and there was no obvious sideline back talk from anybody.
Losers:
Chris Paul -- He had 23 points and 11 assists while playing hurt. But his turnover and missed shot on two critical possessions in the closing seconds sealed the Clippers' fate after they blew a six-point lead. "We'll be back," he said after the game.
Indiana Pacers -- After leading for much of the game and with a chance to take a commanding advantage in the series, they couldn't finish. You get the feeling they might regret it?
Danny Granger -- A nose-to-nose confrontation with Wade near the end of the first half resulted in a technical foul for the Pacers forward and might have been all Wade needed to get going after intermission.
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