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Wade re-emerges as Heat set up Spurs final
Source: Agencies |
June 5, 2013, Wednesday
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THE Miami Heat reached their third straight National Basketball Association finals with an emphatic 99-76 Game 7 win over the Indiana Pacers on Monday to set up a mouth-watering clash with the San Antonio Spurs.
A loss for the defending champions in Game 6 in Indiana had raised major questions over the form of Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh but they delivered when it mattered along with an almost inevitable game-high 32 points from league MVP LeBron James.
"You never want to take anything for granted," said Wade as Miami celebrated the Eastern Conference title after a 4-3 series win.
"Making it three years in a row to the finals is an amazing feat. Anything that happened in the other games didn't matter. It was just about tonight."
Wade's form and his fitness - there have also been question marks over his knee - were always going to be crucial in this game and he ended a run of 12 games without breaking 20 points, putting up 21.
Miami looked to get Wade involved early, a strategy that worked perfectly while Bosh was the rebound presence Miami has lacked - grabbing eight off the boards.
Pacers forward Paul George has come of age during this series but he was barely a factor at the American Airlines Arena, making just seven points on 2-9 shooting.
Not for the first time, Miami made a slow start and trailed 6-12 but it clawed its way back to lead 21-19 at the end of the first quarter - although with Bosh shooting 1-8 the Heat were still far from at their peak.
They turned on the style in the second quarter though, racing to a 15 point advantage at the break (52-37) with 12 points from James in the quarter and 10 from Ray Allen.
A loss for the defending champions in Game 6 in Indiana had raised major questions over the form of Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh but they delivered when it mattered along with an almost inevitable game-high 32 points from league MVP LeBron James.
"You never want to take anything for granted," said Wade as Miami celebrated the Eastern Conference title after a 4-3 series win.
"Making it three years in a row to the finals is an amazing feat. Anything that happened in the other games didn't matter. It was just about tonight."
Wade's form and his fitness - there have also been question marks over his knee - were always going to be crucial in this game and he ended a run of 12 games without breaking 20 points, putting up 21.
Miami looked to get Wade involved early, a strategy that worked perfectly while Bosh was the rebound presence Miami has lacked - grabbing eight off the boards.
Pacers forward Paul George has come of age during this series but he was barely a factor at the American Airlines Arena, making just seven points on 2-9 shooting.
Not for the first time, Miami made a slow start and trailed 6-12 but it clawed its way back to lead 21-19 at the end of the first quarter - although with Bosh shooting 1-8 the Heat were still far from at their peak.
They turned on the style in the second quarter though, racing to a 15 point advantage at the break (52-37) with 12 points from James in the quarter and 10 from Ray Allen.
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