Gloomy predictions of the Miami Heat's untimely end without Chris Bosh looked a little premature on Sunday. The Heat evened the series with a 101-93 win. LeBron James and Dwyane Wade exploded for 70 points to power the win.
David Dwork put the two super stars' performances in perspective over at Peninsula Is Mightier, SB Nation's Heat blog.
That was just the beginning of an amazing game for LeBron, who finished with 40 points, 18 rebounds and 9 assists to go with 2 blocks and 2 steals. To put that in perspective, in the last twenty years nobody has had even a 30-point, 18 rebound, 9 assist game in the playoffs. James carried the Heat for most of the first half, until Dwyane Wade finally began to look like the D-Wade we all know and love.
As for Wade, here's what Dwork said:
Wade was fresh off of the worst playoff game in his career ... He'd hit a 3-pointer and a nice slam dunk in the last two minutes of the half, and then he and LeBron absolutely went off in the 3rd quarter. Including the last 2:30 of the 2nd quarter, Wade and LeBron would score all but 2 of the Heat's next 50 points, completely carrying the team to a solid 2nd half. It also helped that Wade hit 11 consecutive shots at one point.
Game 5 takes place on Tuesday night in Miami.
For more news, analysis, and discussion on the Heat, visit Peninsula Is Mightier and andSB Nation Tampa Bay. For the opponent's perspective throughout the series, check outIndy Cornrows and SB Nation Indiana. And for all your news and notes on the playoffs matchups, visit SB Nation's dedicated NBA hub.