Game 2 - LeBron Redeems Himself

Game 2 was fought at close quarters through much of the game. No teams held a lead above six during the second half. The Spurs jumped out to a fast start in their air conditioned building. Good ball movement on the perimeter and Tim Duncan cleaning up any missed shots allowed the Spurs to taker  a 26-19 lead after the first quarter and raise that lead to 11 a minute into the second period. Duncan had 11 of 18 points in the first and ended with 15 rebounds.

The Heat quickly came back on the strength of LeBron James. In the first half, LeBron scored int he paint. In the second, he hit outside jumpers. In all, James poured in 35 points on only 22 field goal attempts. He added 10 rebounds and didn't miss any of his three three point attempts.

The Spurs kept hitting timely threes and avoided the turnover issues that plagued them in Game 1. While Kawhi Leonard, Patty Mills, Marco Belinelli, Danny Green, and Boris Diaw all hit from beyond the arc, none scored double figures. Diaw contributed the most with 10 rebounds and 5 assists in 32 minutes.

By the midway point of the third quarter, the Spurs held a modest lead. That's when James helped the Heat come roaring back. Late in the third quarter, James scored 12 points as Miami went on a 13-2 run. In that span, the Spurs became three-point happy, missing four.

Chris Bosh, who hasn't been able to stop Duncan so far, opened the fourth with an and-one dunk, giving the Heat the lead. Bosh had an impressive two-handed slam, gliding through the air and getting fouled in the second, and finished with 18 points, but only 3 rebounds.

With 6:52 left in the game, Mario Chalmers swung his left elbow into Tony Parker's midsection as the Miami guard drove to the basket. Chalmers was called for a flagrant foul, but Parker came out of the incident bruised. he missed the two free throws and exited the game. It would be the last time the Spurs led in Game 2.

James led Miami and got help from a Chris Andersen lay up.and a Bosh three. Parker came back and nailed a three to finish with 21 points, but the Spurs couldn't score when it counted the most. Parker's three with 2:26 left would be the last time San Antonio scored until the final buzzer.

With just under 30 seconds left, Ginobili missed and Miami came away with the ball. Down three, the Spurs should have fouled. Instead, they played out the possession, trying to trap at the top of the key. Wade slid under and gave Miami an insurmountable five point lead with nine seconds left. Ginobili hit a three at the buzzer to make the final score 98-96.

The Heat received 14 points from Wade and Rashard Lewis and nine from ray Aleen in tying the series at one.