By Larry Fine
MIAMI, June 15 (Reuters) – Thunder rumbled over Miami on
Friday, but it was just the meteorological variety the city is
accustomed to and not the young Oklahoma City Thunder, who have
come to town to vie with the Miami Heat for the NBA title.
A severe storm hit Miami with noisy skies flashing lightning
and bringing hail stones down but it was a welcome home show for
the Heat, now armed with home court advantage over Oklahoma City
in the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) best-of-seven
finals.
Game Three of the series will be played Sunday night at
American Airlines Arena.
LeBron James and the Heat returned to familiar surroundings
after they claimed a split of the opening two games in Oklahoma
City with a 100-96 win over Kevin Durant and the Thunder in
Thursday’s Game Two of the best-of-seven championship series.
James scored 32 points including some clutch free throws at
the end, and made a key defensive stop against three-time NBA
scoring champion Kevin Durant with 10 seconds left and the Heat
clinging to a two-point lead.
The victory enabled the Heat, who posted a regular season
home record of 28-5, to turn the series into a best-of-five with
the next three games at home.
The Miami Herald praised James for “asserting his brutish
and ridiculously unstoppable toughness” with his clutch
performance in Game Two.
The South Florida Sun-Sentinel called NBA Most Valuable
Player James the team’s “savior”, who “resurrected” the Heat
three times during this postseason with a dominant road
performance after Miami had fallen behind in a series.
Trailing the Indiana Pacers 2-1 in their second-round
series, James scored 40 points with 18 rebounds and nine assists
in a 101-93 road win.
Facing possible elimination in the Eastern Conference finals
against the Celtics, King James scored 45 points, pulled down 15
rebounds and dealt out five assists in Boston to knot the series
3-3.
James’s latest heroics meant that Miami can clinch the crown
with a sweep at home, though that figures to be a tall order
against the Thunder, who have shown they can accumulate points
in a hurry after falling far behind early in both games.
The Thunder have also shown they are not intimidated on the
road.
Durant, who has matched James in the points column so far in
averaging 34 points in the finals versus 33.6 for the Heat’s
leader, helped Oklahoma City to a 21-12 road record this season,
the third-best travel record in the league.
Miami’s supporters hope the team can ride their momentum and
clinch the title at home, while the Thunder need one win to
assure a return to Oklahoma City for the conclusion of the
series.
(Reporting By Larry Fine; Editing by Frank Pingue)
