James, Wade, & Chalmers Lead Heat to 3-1 Lead in Finals

LeBron James is helped off the court late in the 4th quarter. (Lynne Sladky)

Trailing two games to one going into tonight's Game 4, the Oklahoma City Thunder knew how big a win would be here. There were definite things that looked like they were going to make that win a reality. First, the Thunder came out strong from the opening tip. They built a lead early, and it was a 14-point lead at the end of the first quarter. Next, Russell Westbrook had one of the greatest performances in NBA Finals history. Despite receiving so much criticism, Westbrook went off scoring 43 points, while adding seven rebounds and five assists. Lastly, LeBron James was injured late in the fourth quarter with what appeared to be a leg cramp. Shortly afterwards, the Thunder gained the lead. All signs looked good for the Thunder.

However, it wasn't over just yet. After receiving treatment, James returned to the floor with the Heat trailing 94-92. A turnover by Westbrook gave the ball back to the Heat. Dwyane Wade found Chris Bosh for the layup to tie the game up. Westbrook missed a contested jump shot the next time down the floor for the Thunder. The next Heat possession, James rose up and buried a three pointer to give the Heat the 97-94 lead. After the made shot, James hobbled down the court to play defense. A Thunder turnover by Kevin Durant lead to an easy basket for Wade. Even though the lead was only five, you could feel that it almost certainly over. Sure enough, more poor decisions by the Thunder lead to the Heat winning Game 4 104-98 and taking a 3-1 lead in the series.

If you are a Thunder fan, you have to be truly disappointed. Up until the NBA Finals, the young Thunder team would not allow their inexperience and youth to be detrimental to their play. That is no longer the case. In all three losses to the Heat, the Thunder's poor execution down the stretch has been their pitfall. Poor shot selection. Poor clock management. Not knowing whether to foul or not. These are elementary principles that the Thunder simply are not remembering. James Harden has displayed cowardice, rather than energy off the bench. As a matter fact, anyone not named Westbrook or Durant have yet to step up as needed. If the Thunder have even a miniscule chance of coming back to win this series, they must execute down the stretch immensely better.

If you are a Heat fan, you obviously have to be thrilled. LeBron James showed why he is a true star. I am not a Lebron fan at all, but his performance after the injury was impressive. He displayed grit to play through the pain and showed that he can hit a big shot with that three he nailed to give the Heat the lead for good. James finished with 26 points, 9 rebounds, and 12 assists. Dwyane Wade and Mario Chalmers each added 25 points of their own. I have said it before and I will say it again. I have to give props to Chalmers. His performance in the playoffs has been very underappreciated. I believe that the Heat would not be where they are right not if not for the efforts of Chalmers. The Heat are just one win away from being NBA Champions. If they keep doing what they have been doing, they should be in pretty good shape.