The Miami Heat evened the 2012 NBA Finals on Thursday night with a thrilling 100-96 Game 2 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Heat lead wire-to-wire, although Oklahoma City had a chance to tie it with ten seconds remaining but Kevin Durant missed a floater on the baseline. Some argued that LeBron James impeded Durant and fouled him. Video of the play below:
With Miami up just three, James came through in the clutch with a pretty bank shot off the window to silence the crowd. After a mad scramble and nearly blowing a seven-point lead in the final minutes, James came through with another two clutch free-throws after the Durant miss to push the lead to four with seven seconds to play. James was a perfect 12 for 12 from the line and finished with 32 points, his fifth straight game with 30 or more.
In addition to James, Dwyane Wade was back to his old self, contributing 24 points. He attacked the rim from the start and controlled the action on offense from the top of the key. It was a crucial bounce-back performance for Wade. The Heat again got a huge boost from role player Shane Battier, who scored 17 points. Battier was five for seven from the behind the arc, including a couple dagger threes that halted Oklahoma City runs.
With the series all tied up, the Finals now move to Miami for three straight. It will be incredibly difficult for Miami to win three straight against the Thunder, but with the win, they now have home-court advantage and at least the opportunity. Game 3 will be Sunday night at AmericanAirlines Arena.
Stick with this StoryStream for all your news throughout the 2012 NBA Finals. For more on the Heat, visit Peninsula Is Mightier. For the opponent's perspective throughout the series, visit Welcome To Loud City and SB Nation Kansas City. For all your Finals analysis, visit SB Nation's NBA hub.