The Miami Heat evened the NBA Finals Sunday night with a dominant win over the San Antonio Spurs, grabbing an important victory before heading to Texas to play on the Spurs' home floor for three straight games.
After dropping Game 1 despite a triple-double from LeBron James, the Heat exploded for a 33-5 run in the third quarter that turned a nail-biter into a laugher. James didn't have a triple-double this time; he merely notched 17 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. James also had three blocked shots, one of which will live forever in NBA Finals lore.
Tony Parker had the ball at the top of the 3-point line, and received a screen from center Tiago Splitter. Splitter then cut to the basket and was hit with a perfect pass from Parker. The seven-footer cocked back for a strong jam when James leapt straight up and palmed the ball, stopping Splitter dead in his tracks and initiating a fast break.
The block defined the phrase "all-ball" and was an embarrassing reminder to San Antonio of what Miami is capable of when motivated.
James struggled from the field, going just 7-of-17, but finally got help from his supporting cast. Chris Bosh had a double-double, finally getting into double digits in the rebound column (10). Mario Chalmers came up big as well, scoring 19 points on 50 percent shooting from the field.
"Honestly, for me, when I was struggling offensively, my teammates continued to keep it in range," James said. " And we even had a lead at one point, especially late in the second quarter when we made that run and I was struggling a little bit.
LeBron then signaled out Chalmers for recognition, saying, "So I think Rio more than anybody kept us aggressive, him getting into the paint, him getting those and-ones and making a couple of 3s. It allowed me to sit back and wait for my time."
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