/cdn.vox-cdn.com/photo_images/7497569/20120618_jla_ah6_367.jpg)
As Brian Windhorst points out today, the Miami Heat find themselves in a familiar position, up 2-1 in the NBA Finals with a chance to kill the will of their opponent, in this case the Oklahoma City Thunder. In Game 4 against the Dallas Mavericks last year, the Heat appeared to rise to the occasion and have the Mavericks pushed to the brink.
With 10 minutes left in Game 4 of the 2011 NBA Finals the Miami Heat walked to their bench up nine points in the game and 2-1 in the series with the Dallas Mavericks. In that moment, even though they were on the road playing against a veteran team and the series was technically far from over, it did appear as though the Heat were within sight of pulling it off and actually delivering a championship.
Going into that timeout, which Mavs coach Rick Carlisle called after the Heat completed a 10-1 run, turned out to be the last bit of euphoria the Heat would feel on the season. Frankly, they haven't felt a lot of it since, with the epic meltdown that followed casting a shadow over much of what they have accomplished this season.
This is also the point when the Heat were feeling a little to good about themselves, started show boating a bit too much and stirred up the proud Mavericks' vets to do something about it, which they did for the remainder of the series. We'll see what kind of pride the young Thunder can muster up on Tuesday night to avoid being pushed to the brink by the Heat.
Check out the links after the jump, including stories on the Finals, the NBA Draft and the Indiana Pacers.
- Player Review 2012: A.J. Price | THE OFFICIAL SITE OF THE INDIANA PACERS
- Pacers Insider: Should Paul George be in Indy working out? | Indianapolis Star | indystar.com
- How Game 4 Can Change Everything - Daily Dime - ESPN
- Miami looks to take commanding 3-1 lead in NBA Finals - Peninsula is Mightier
- NBA playoffs -- Can Miami Heat keep cool under pressure? - ESPN
- Haters of Miami Heat’s LeBron James can be quieted for good with two more wins - Greg Cote - MiamiHerald.com
- Dwyane Wade calls in trainer Tim Grover during NBA Finals | Heat Zone blog: Miami Heat & NBA news | The Palm Beach Post
- NBA Finals: Miami defense has focused on taking out James Harden | NewsOK.com
- Charlotte Bobcats hire unknown Mike Dunlap; do they know something we don’t? | CharlotteObserver.com & The Charlotte Observer Newspaper
- Mike Dunlap wins Charlotte Bobcats’ head coaching job | CharlotteObserver.com & The Charlotte Observer Newspaper
- Tony Wroten Admits Trouble Defending Retired Brandon Roy, Which Says Something - From Our Editors - SBNation.com
- NBA competition committee discusses postgame flopping penalties | Ball Don't Lie - Yahoo! Sports
- NBA Finals are The Wire: LeBron James and Kevin Durant are Avon Barksdale and Marlo Stanfield - NBA News | FOX Sports on MSN
- Erik Spoelstra will always feel the heat, but he's proven his worth in Miami - Chris Mannix - SI.com
- OKC's supposedly better role players flail as Heat's 'other guys' step up - NBA - CBSSports.com News, Scores, Stats, Fantasy Advice
- Even in Finals, these Thunder still growing into themselves | NBA.com
- When Thunder Take Off, They Need To Leave James Harden Behind - SBNation.com
- Jared Sullinger's agent downplays report of health concerns - Sam Amick - SI.com
- 2012 NBA draft -- Docs medically red flag Jared Sullinger, sources say - ESPN
- NBA weighs retroactive penalties for floppers - ESPN
- There is support out there for Bobcats new coach Dunlap | ProBasketballTalk
- Blazers GM promises "exhaustive" search for new head coach | ProBasketballTalk
- Rumors of Luol Deng being traded for a draft pick means business as usual for the Chicago Bulls | Ball Don't Lie - Yahoo! Sports
Loading comments...