AguiLeon Health Tech

In an implausible sequence spanning only a few minutes, LeBron James went from being carried off the court to carrying his team. And now the Miami Heat finds itself one victory from hoisting a championship trophy. Shrugging off a leg injury that forced him to depart Game 4 of the NBA Finals midway through the fourth quarter, James returned to make the three-pointer that put the Heat ahead in an eventual 104-98 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night at AmericanAirlines Arena. Miami holds a 3-1 advantage in a best-of-seven series it can close out here Thursday night in Game 5. There was already a party atmosphere in South Beach after James made the go-ahead three-pointer with 2 minutes 50 seconds left, providing the Heat a 97-94 lead. James nearly finished with a triple-double, collecting 26 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds in 44 sublime minutes. But James remained in such discomfort that he limped to the timeout huddle with 55 seconds left and stayed on ...

Durant drove, forearms got tangled and in the play that would define the night, Durant missed his off-balance, running seven-foot jumper from the baseline late Thursday night. James made his stand, and the Miami Heat secured their first win of the 2012 finals, a 100-96 nailbiter at Chesapeake Arena. The series is tied at 1-1 as it head to Miami for the next three games, starting Sunday. Durant overcame constant foul trouble to lead a furious fourth-quarter rally, as the Thunder nearly wiped out a 13-point deficit. Durant finished with 32 points, 16 in the fourth quarter. James also scored 32 points and got a healthy dose of support from his fellow stars. Dwyane Wade scored 24 points, while Chris Bosh added 16 points and 15 rebounds in his return to the starting lineup. In the 12 previous instances where the teams split the first two games, the team that started at home has won the championship eight times. Durant picked up his fifth foul while tangling for a rebound with 10 minut...