Heat one win from East finals
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – The wake-up call came early Sunday for an 8 a.m. walk-through – a decidedly unusual gathering in NBA circles.
“Make no mistake,” Udonis Haslem said. “It was grueling.”
But it worked – and Dwyane Wade, Shaquille O’Neal and company are a win away from a return to the Eastern Conference finals.
Wade had 31 points, eight assists and seven rebounds, and the Miami Heat beat the New Jersey Nets 102-92 to take a 3-1 lead in their best-of-seven series.
“We’re not surprised. When we play Miami Heat basketball on both ends of the floor, we’re a tough team to beat, at home or on the road,” Wade said. “We go home to Game 5 and try to close it out at home.”
Wade was sensational as usual, but it was the play of Antoine Walker and Haslem during a key stretch of the third quarter that gave Miami the cushion it needed to hold on for its third straight victory. The Heat can now wrap it up when they host Game 5 on Tuesday night in Miami.
“I’ve said it all year,” O’Neal said. “If we do what we’re supposed to do, we’ll be fine.”
Walker scored 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting and Haslem added 20 points and 11 rebounds, shooting 8 of 11. They combined for 16 of Miami’s 22 points during the third period, when the Heat built their lead to as much as 11.
“They hit shots, they hit a lot of shots,” Nets forward Richard Jefferson said. “Udonis Haslem, I swear he didn’t miss one tonight.”
Jason Kidd tried to rally the Nets, collecting his ninth postseason triple-double and moving over to guard Wade after his hot start. But New Jersey could never regain the lead after the first quarter.
Kidd had 17 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists, tying Wilt Chamberlain for third place on the postseason career list and moving within one of Larry Bird for second.
Only eight teams in 163 series have come back from a 3-1 deficit to win a best-of-seven series; Phoenix did it this postseason against the Lakers.
“It’s tough. You want to take care of business at home,” Carter said. “We’re not going to hang our heads and say it’s over. I expect us to come out stick together, play hard.”