Email   Print   Share By Dave Larsen, Sentinel Editor

Facebook Digg Delicious June 21, 2012 | Sports

Tuesday night, Miami turned up the heat on the Oklahoma City Thunder in the National Basketball Association championship series, dropping the Thunder, 104-98.

The victory Tuesday night gives the Heat a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven championship series. In the 30 previous times a team has been down 3-1 in the finals, none have ever won three straight to win the series.

The Thunder lost Tuesday despite going up on Miami by as much as 17 points in the first half. The Heat battled back to within three points at intermission, 49-46.

For the game, OKC point guard Russell Westbrook led all scorers with 43 points. He also chipped in seven rebounds, five assists and a steal. Westbrook’s stellar performance, which included hitting 20 of 32 field goal attempts, was marred, though, by an ill-advised foul with 17 seconds left in the game and a turnover to close out OKC’s final possession.

Miami was led by LeBron James’ 26 points, 12 assists and nine boards. He hit a crucial three-pointer in the closing minutes of the game while hobbling with a leg cramp that forced him to the bench for the final two minutes. Even on a gimpy leg, James nearly dropped a triple-double on the Thunder.

James got support from Dwayne Wade and Mario Chalmers, who both chipped in 25 points each. Eleven of Chalmers’ points came in the pivotal fourth quarter of a tight game.

The NBA’s leading scorer through the regular season, OKC’s Kevin Durant, scored 28 points in the loss, but hit only one of his five 3-point attempts.

With the win, Miami is in the driver’s seat. They can close out the series tonight at home, or if OKC steals one in Florida, they can finish off the Thunder in OKC.

I’m banking on the former result, folks.

Though it pains me to say it, Miami has shown itself to be the better of these two finalists. Oklahoma City has talent, heart and youth, but they’ve faltered often in crucial fourth-quarter moments. Westbrook and Durant have proven themselves to be among the best in the business, but James Harden, OKC’s super sub, has disappeared in this series.

Tuesday night, Harden struggled for the third time in four games. He scored just eight points in 37 minutes on the floor. His lack of production has adversely impacted his team’s chances.



Not guilty

Roger Clemens was acquitted Monday on six counts of perjury. A five-year federal investigation into Clemens’ comments to Congress ended with the across-the-board not guilty verdict.

That’s what the courts say, folks, but it doesn’t jive with the court of public opinion.

Clemens denies ever using performance-enhancing drugs while pitching in the major leagues. Many baseball fans, including me, still believe he had a little chemical assistance to extend his career.

Clemens left the Boston Red Sox following the 1996 season. In his final four seasons with Boston, the “Rocket” won 11, 9, 10 and 10 games, respectively. Once arriving north of the border where his performance-enhancing drug use allegedly began, Clemens won 21 games in 1997 and 20 more in ’98.

The question remains whether a Clemens, a Barry Bonds or a Mark McGwire, all tainted by the steroid/human growth hormone-use era, will ever see the inside of the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., other than as a paying customer.

Both Clemens and Bonds were already superstars before they visibly bulked up. Clemens was already a Cy Young Award winner and Bonds was a household name and league Most Valuable Player with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Since neither has been convicted of drug use, nor lying about it, both belong in the hall. Others, like McGwire and Manny Ramirez (recently released by the Oakland A’s farm system, by the way), will need to buy a ticket to see the hall.

I can live with that, though there are still many hall of fame voters, I’m sure, who won’t vote for any of these guys.

While we’re discussing the Baseball Hall of Fame, I think they should let in Pete Rose and Shoeless Joe Jackson, too. Jackson was banned from baseball for life, but in death, he’s one of the greatest hitters of all time. Rose shouldn’t have to wait until he’s pushing up daisies to join the all-time greats at Cooperstown.

That’s my take on it, anyway.



Final note

While Clemens’ trial concluded, another high-profile case continues in Bellefonte, Pa. Former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky is facing 51 criminal counts related to 10 victims over a 15-year span.

Wednesday, Sandusky’s lawyer said his client would not testify during the trial. Joe Amendola told ESPN.com News Services that the coach wanted to testify, but was overruled by his defense team.

That trial is expected to last for weeks. The sooner it’s over, the better for Nittany Lions football and their faithful fans.