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| James and Wade congratulate each other on a job well done as they dismantled the Pacers for 70 points, 27 rebounds and 15 assists (Photo by Ron Haskins/Getty Images) |
#Superman&Batman #MVP&MV3
Two superheroes played for the Miami Heat in Game 4 with jersey numbers 6 and 3. The two best players on the floor decided to play their hardest and give maximum efforts. James and Wade were spectacular in the second half as the Heat beat the Pacers to tie the series 2-2. The Big 2 outscored the Pacers again (just like Game 1) in the second half, 43-39. The MVP had monster numbers of 40 points, 18 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 blocks and 2 steals. No one has had that type of game in the last 25 years. This time, his superstar buddy and sidekick came along to help LeBron. D-Wade finished with great stats too, 30 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocks but they look average when compared to LeBron. At one point, the duo connected on 38 straight points for the Heat and scored 48 of the next 50. They were on fire and the Pacers were helpless to stop them. The Heat were mostly playing 2 vs 5 and they still won. LeBron can carry this Heat team but he needs help, even if the only help comes from D-Wade. In most nights, that should be enough. Still, the supporting cast needs to contribute more (Battier 3 pts, Miller 2 pts, Turiaf 0) for the Heat to be truly a contender. The series is tied but no guarantees for the Heat. The Pacers can still win this unless the Big 2 can pull off another 2 epic performances for 2 wins.
#3rdQuarter #Udonis
The third quarter has been the barometer of all 4 games. Who ever does the most damage in the 3rd, usually wins the game. The Heat (Wade and James) have outscored the Pacers in the third quarters of Games 1 and 4 (both wins) while the Pacers have trumped the Heat (14-point differential) in Games 2 and 3 (Pacers win). With both superstars scoring in bunches, the Heat could not pull away from the Pacers. The Big2 needed a lot of clutch shooting from Udonis Haslem to finish the Pacers. Haslem delivered with his best performance of the playoffs with 14 points including 8 in the fourth quarter where he hit clutch jumpers after the other. The Heat dont win this without Haslem. The big question, can UD continue his clutch performance? An even bigger question, can the Big 2 sustain their offensive and defensive efforts for 2 more wins? It helped Wade a lot that there were 2 days to rest but Game 5 will only have 1 day of rest. I believe that the Heat can win this series playing 2 vs 5 but moving on to the East Finals without Bosh, Im not sure they can beat Boston or Philly like that. And Im certain that the Heat have no chance against the Spurs or Thunder in the Finals without Bosh.
#sweep #bestTeam
The Spurs finally won a close game in 8 tries. Game 4 was the first time in the playoffs where the Spurs actually had the chance of losing. Yes, the Spurs are great and they haven't been tested too much until last night. The Spurs are still undefeated in the playoffs and they could get another extended rest if the Thunder cant finish the Lakers on Monday night. More rest for the Spurs means more trouble for their opponents as the veterans can recuperate and prepare for the young Thunder. Duncan and Parker have been terrific while their bench has been superb. Timmy delivered another vintage Duncan performance (21 and 9 with 3 blocks) while Parker had his usual game. The bench had 43 points and had stretches where it was even better than the starters of the Clippers. This is quite a deep bench that two decent players, DeJuan Blair and Patrick Mills did not even play. The Spurs are offensively clicking at all aspects of the game and I cant wait for their collision with the OKC Thunder!
#GoHome #SummerTime
The Clippers tried their best. Their stars played hurt and the bench was decent enough (31 bench points). Still, they could not get even one game from the Spurs. The Clippers were swept by the hottest and best team in the NBA. There's no shame in that. The Clippers got swept but their season was a success. Chris Paul was everything that they had hoped for. If he wasn't injured, maybe the Clippers could have won a game or two but there was no way that the Clippers were going to upset the Spurs. Paul had his best game of the series with 23 and 11 assists but he missed clutch shots at the end partly due to great Spurs defense but mainly due to his injury. Blake Griffin was a non-factor in the fourth quarter as the Spurs improved their post defense, giving Blake nothing but open jumpers which he cant make. Blake NEEDS to improve his free throw shooting and he HAS to add a jumper to his arsenal. The post moves need some work too since I can only recall Griffin going to a spin move then hook shot all the time. Lastly, his defense needs immense work too. Duncan was torching him every time they got matched up.
#Tweet/Quote of the Night
"LeBron had that look and when he has that look and Dwyane has that look, you want to run through a wall." -Shane Battier, Heat forward
"Honestly, it would be a challenge to get 40 points, 18 boards, 9 assists, 2 blocks, and 2 steals in NBA 2K" - Al Horford @Al_Horford
#Stats #news
- Heat out-rebounded the Pacers and had more points in the paint
- The only player to score in the 2nd half other than LBJ, Wade and UD was Joel Anthony
- Danny Granger has 3 technical fouls in the last 3 games
- Big 2 out-rebounded the Pacers in the second half, 19-18
- All four games played at Staples Center during the weekend ended in a loss
- Spurs Big 3 have played 130 playoff games together
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