NBA Finals Game 4 blog

Are you effin' kiddin' me?

That's what Dwyane Wade must have thought when he saw Tiago Splitter guarding him at the start of Game 4. Ultimate disrespect.

One pump-fake and foul later, Splitter was headed to the bench — 47 seconds into the game — and Wade was headed to the line and a 32-point, six-steal night. The big bounce-back by Wade and LeBron, who had 33 points after playing "like sh*t" in Game 3, sparked the Heat to a 109-93 win over the Spurs Thursday night, tying the Finals 2-2.

"He was Flash tonight," James said, after Wade turned back the clock with a vintage 2006 performance, FOX Sports Florida's Chris Tomasson writes , despite "playing on a bum knee" as James acknowledged.

 

 

 

It wasn't just Wade and LeBron. Ray Allen was knocking down shots, Mario Chalmers showed up, and most importantly, Chris Bosh was contributing, though his buzzer-beating dunk at the end of the half didn't beat the buzzer.

 

 

But Bosh was big in the paint with 20 points, 13 boards, two blocks and two steals, plus he protected the rim and did the things that don't show up in the box score.

 

 

 

''The death of the Big Three was overrated,'' Heat owner Mickey Arison said. Hear from Wade and Bosh on their big games and from Coach Erik Spoelstra on the win.

The only bad note of the night came out of Miami, where three people were critically injured when the outdoor deck behind a popular sports bar collapsed, sending dozens of patrons into the waters of Biscayne Bay.

The Spurs' 3-point shooting (8 of 16) picked up where it left off in Game 3, and Tony Parker looked just fine with 15 first-half points and an acrobatic layup that almost tops his Game 1 shot. But he was scoreless in the second half, Danny Green and Gary Neal combined for just 23 points after going for 51 in Game 3, and Manu Ginobili disappeared (5 points, 26 minutes).

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, asked what's wrong with Ginobili, replied "I don't know. If I did, I would have fixed it." Hear more from Pop on the loss.

Tim Duncan said: "He's needs to be a little more aggressive, a little more selfish." Hear more from Duncan on Ginobili's struggles, and from Parker on his status after Game 4.

Just like they have for the past five months, the Heat bounced back from a loss with a victory. They are 12-0 after losses since Jan. 10, outscoring opponents by 19.8 points in the previous 11 victories.

 

 

 

The Heat didn't just win Game 4. They also won a social media award for their "Harlem Shake" video.

The Spurs' good luck charm from Game 3, El Charro De Oro, aka Sebastien De La Cruz, the 11-year-old mariachi star, did the national anthem again. He even shook off all the haters. If you didn't see him perform, just watch him turn it out:

And the Spurs dancers are almost making us forget the Heat dancers.

There was no question LeBron would be better. Just look at his pregame outfit; he looks like he's B.A. Baracus ready for war. D-Wade, however, looks like he's ready for a boat show.

''Honestly, I just have to play better,'' James said after Game 3. ''I can't have a performance like tonight and expect to win.''

The cape he wore Wednesday at practice was fitting. But nothing prepared us for the return of Wade.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.