Late rally pulls Heat even, 87-83
INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana thought it had taken control Tuesday night.
LeBron James and Dwyane Wade stole it right back.
The four-time MVP and perennial All-Star did what they always seem to — bailed out the Heat in a desperate moment. This time the two All-Stars spurred a decisive 12-2 fourth-quarter spurt that led Miami past Indiana 87-83 to tie the Eastern Conference series at 1-1.
“We're very confident coming down the stretch because we believe in our defense,” Wade said. “When our defense is the way it should be us moving around, running around, doing the things we should do offensively we got two guys that we can put the ball in their hands and they make the best play for the team. So you have confidence in that. That's why we don't break a sweat too much in those moments.”
The two mainstays sure had to work hard, especially late, Tuesday.
Wade scored 10 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter, and James scored 12 of his 22 during the same 12-minute stretch. Together, they combined for Miami's final 20 points and all but three of the Heat's 25 points in the quarter — just enough to avoid falling into a 2-0 hole for the first time since the first round of the 2010 playoffs.
Miami has won 11 straight postseason games following a loss, a span covering 40 games.
