When the game started, it looked like it might be another route by the Spurs. San Antonio seemed to pick up right where they left off near the end of the opener, as they hit 10 of their first 15 shots in the game. Early on in the 2nd quarter, the Spurs had opened up an 11 point lead on the Heat. At that point, it got most fans and observers thinking that this could be a repeat of what happened in game one. Then Lebron took over the court. James had three straight Miami baskets, and a follow shot later in the period gave the Heat their first lead at 34-33. The two teams went back and forth, leading to a 43-43 tie at halftime.
Coming out of the break, Miami and San Antonio continued to go back and forth in the third quarter. James scored 14 of his 35 points in the 3rd quarter alone. However, Patty Mills became a spark off the bench for the Spurs, hitting two three pointers late in the quarter as the Spurs took a 78-77 lead heading into the fourth quarter. The game continued to be close in the final period, going down to the wire. With the Spurs leading by 1 with about a minute and a half left to play, Chris Bosh hit the go-ahead three pointer, putting the Heat up by 2. Manu Ginóbili committed a crucial turnover on the Spurs' next possession before James hit a split on the line to put the Heat up by 3. After a Ginóbili miss on the other end, Bosh found Dwyane Wade for an open layup with 9 seconds remaining to put the Heat up by 5, essentially icing the win for the Heat.
Lebron had a solid night once again, dropping the 35 points to go along with those 10 rebounds. He personally erased a 62-56 San Antonio lead by scoring eight points in less than a minute, and his 14 points in the third quarter had Miami down only 78-77 heading to the fourth (ESPN). That's not all. Sure Lebron had the big game, as he always seems to do come this time of the year. That's what makes Lebron the best player on the planet right now. Lebron didn't do it alone, he did have his supporting cast step up and have an impact. Besides hitting the go ahead three pointer, Chris Bosch finished with 18 points on the night, to go along with three rebounds and two assists. Dwyane Wade also chipped in with 14 points four assists and seven rebounds. Lebron was the only one on the Heat to finish with more than 20 points on the night. The Heat have now won 13 straight following a loss in the postseason, something that is incredibly tough to be able to do.
The Spurs didn't really look too in sync tonight. Sure their big three were pretty productive. Tim Duncan finished with 18 points and 15 rebounds, Tony Parker managed to drop 21 points to go along with seven assists and Manu Ginobili finished with 19 points. San Antonio had been in a pretty good spot late in the game, withstanding James' assault long enough to lead by one with under 2 minutes to play. But they were shut out from there until Manu Ginobili's 3-pointer as time expired. That wasn't the only thing that did damage to the Spurs. San Antonio could have come away with the win, and the Spurs missed a chance to seize control when Parker and Duncan missed four straight free throws when they had a two-point lead. Those missed opportunities set up Bosch's three pointer near the end to ice the game away.
So now the two teams get to regroup and get ready for the next matchup. Game three takes place Wednesday night at the American Airlines Center in Miami. Game is set to tip off at 9PM on ABC!
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