LeBron James scores 49, leads Miami Heat to 3
LeBron James had 48 points and the game was tied and he made the right decision.
It's the unquantifiable things that have made the biggest impact for the Heat during this multi-year run of greatness, and that run continued on Monday at Brooklyn's Barclays Center. Double-teamed with time running off the shot clock, James kicked a pass to the perimeter and then another pass by Mario Chalmers found Chris Bosh wide open in the corner. Bosh swished it with 57 seconds left, the Heat won 102-96 and the two-time defending NBA champions are now one victory away from advancing to the Eastern Conference finals for the fourth year in a row.
That the ball found Bosh for the biggest basket of the game was a testament to the Heat's level of trust at this point in the journey. Bosh missed a pair of three-pointers with the score tied at 94-94, and the Heat called timeout with 1:15 remaining after Joe Johnson missed a fadeaway that would have put the Nets ahead.
Bosh had his shot at redemption and didn't miss.
LeBron James finished with 49 points, played every minute of the second half and most of the arena's fans remained in the building to see if he could get 50. James went to the foul line with less than two seconds remaining, and the building groaned with exasperation after his missed the second of two foul shots.
James was 16 of 24 from the field, 3 of 6 from three-point range and 14 of 19 from the free-throw line in his best performance of the 2014 NBA playoffs. He also had six rebounds and two assists. James missed an 18-foot step-back jumper with 17 seconds left, but Dwyane Wade came down with a key offensive rebound to extend the possession. Ray Allen then made a pair of free throws with 10 seconds left to give the Heat a five-point lead.
Wade finished the game with 15 points, going 7 of 13 from the field. Bosh had 12 points and was 2 of 6 from three-point range. Allen had 11 points and Chalmers had eight points and seven assists. The Heat shot 52.9 percent from the field and held the Nets to 43.6 percent shooting. Brooklyn was 5 of 22 from three-point range after connecting on 15 three-pointers in Game 3.
The Heat now leads the best-of-7 Eastern Conference semifinals 3-1 and close out the series with a victory on Wednesday at Miami's AmericanAirlines Arena.
Johnson led the Nets with 18 points and Paul Pierce had 16 points.
The Heat started the fourth quarter with a 79-76 lead, but a dunk by Pierce a minute into the period gave the Nets their first lead since the second period. From that point until the final minute, the game had the feel of a postseason classic.
Brooklyn went ahead 86-84 on a layup by Shaun Livingston and the Nets held the lead until Bosh knocked down a clutch three-pointer from the break to give the Heat an 89-87 lead. Barclays Center let out a loud groan after the basket, but the apprehensive arena burst to its feet with a wave of noise when Pierce went inside on Wade for a three-point play with 4:25 left.
The field goal and foul shot gave the Nets a 90-89 lead, but James drilled a three-pointer to put the Heat back ahead.
The Nets trailed 56-49 at halftime, but closed that gap with a 7-0 run midway through the third quarter. The crowd began its metronomic chant of 'Brooook-lyn, Brooook-lyn' after a three-pointer by Johnson with 6:27 left in the period. That's when James kicked it into high gear.
The four-time MVP scored 12-straight points for the Heat over a six-minute stretch, and that run included a muscular layup with 4:15 left in the third to put the Heat back ahead 72-69. It the field goal gave James 37 points on 18 shots and, perhaps to let the Nets know he was making easy work of their defenders inside the paint, James playfully skipped his feet a few times as Nets coach Jason Kidd called timeout.
James remained in the game following the timeout and made 1 of 2 free throws to extend the Heat's lead by four points. Allen made his first three-pointer of the game to give the Heat a 76-71 lead, but the Nets countered with a clutch three-pointer by feisty Alan Anderson.
Game 4: Miami Heat at Brooklyn Nets
Read live updates from Miami Herald sports writers, columnists and photographers at Game 4 of the Miami Heat's second round NBA Playoff series at the Brooklyn Nets.
Game 4 | Heat 102, Nets 96
LeBron James tied his playoff career high with 49 points, Chris Bosh made the tiebreaking three with 57 seconds left and the Heat took a 3-1 series lead Monday night to put the Nets on the brink of elimination.
In My Opinion
Practice had wrapped up Sunday at Baruch College in the Flatiron district of Manhattan, and the Heat's Big 3 left together, shoulder to shoulder. 'Let's roll, let's roll!' called LeBron James into the gymnasium's echo, designer headphones propped high.
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