With LeBron James on the sidelines suffering from cramps, the Miami Heat turned to an unlikely savior Tuesday night in Mario Chalmers.
Chalmers stepped up while LeBron sat down, scoring 25 points and helping the Heat hold off the pesky Oklahoma City Thunder, 104-98.
Now the Heat have control of the series, leading 3-1 with Game 5 coming Thursday at American Airlines Arena.
Chalmers, whose 25 points were a career playoff high, said the Heat were determined to avoid another Game 4 finals loss and the ghosts of last year.
"Last year," said Chalmers. "We still got that taste in our mouth. We're all hungry and we don't want to have that feeling again."
The Heat were down by as much as 17 points in the second quarter, but edged back to within three points at the half before engaging in a seesaw battle throughout the second half.
Russell Westbrook scored 13 straight points for the Thunder, keeping the game close midway through the fourth quarter.
Westbrook, who has been criticized for shooting too much in the series, kept the Thunder alive with his playoff-best 37 points.
But the story of Game 4 ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by Lou Rom
NBA Finals 2012: Mario Chalmers Steps Up, Helps Miami Heat Take 3-1 Lead
June 19th, 2012 by Lou Rom Leave a reply »
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