Spurs advance to Western finals San Antonio Spurs center Tiago Splitter makes a basket over Los Angeles Clippers power forward Reggie Evans during Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals at Staples Center in Los Angeles Sunday. — UPI LOS ANGELES — LeBron James and Dwyane Wade combined for 70 points as the Miami Heat recovered from back-to-back defeats to grind down the Indiana Pacers 101-93 Sunday and level the NBA's Eastern conference semifinal at 2-2. The Heat, who struggled in their previous games after Chris Bosh was ruled out with an abdominal injury, trailed by eight points at halftime but snatched the momentum when James and Wade took control in a dominant third quarter. “This is what the playoffs are all about. It's just survival,” said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra. James, named last week as the NBA's Most Valuable Player, scored 40 points, with 18 rebounds and nine assists. Wade, who was subdued in Game Three, responded with 30 points, nine rebounds and six assists as the Heat sparkled in a stunning return to form. “Me and ‘Bron had it going,” said Wade. “We played off of each other very well. We both were aggressive at the same time. That's beautiful basketball for the Miami Heat when we play that way.” Forward Danny Granger led Indiana with 20 points but the Pacers were powerless to curtail James and Wade in a rampant third quarter. “You get the ball out of one of those guys' hands and it just gets to the other guy's,” lamented Pacers coach Frank Vogel. The Pacers led 54-46 at halftime but James and Wade put the visitors in front when they combined to score the first 28 points for the Heat, who went on a 25-5 run. The teams return to Florida for Game Five Tuesday. The San Antonio Spurs, meanwhile, steamrolled into the NBA Western Conference finals after a 102-99 win over the Los Angeles Clippers Sunday gave them a clean sweep of their seven-game series. The West's top seeds rolled to their 18 consecutive victory going back to the regular season as the Clippers fell to the same fate as the Utah Jazz in the first round, exiting the playoffs after being swept 4-0. Sunday's game was tight, and San Antonio trailed by one with two-and-a-half minutes remaining, but Tony Parker answered with a pair of clutch baskets and the visiting Spurs showed the nerve that has seen them dominate the NBA over the past month. “We needed a game like that,” Parker told reporters. “That was a great game for our young guys to get some experience. At the end of the game we executed our plays and made big baskets.” Tim Duncan scored 21 and Parker finished with 17. The Clippers' Chris Paul recorded 23 points and 11 assists, but he committed a turnover and missed a potential game-tying shot on two of his team's final possessions. Mo Williams failed to get a final desperation shot off as the Staples Center crowd fell to hush and the Clippers saw their season come to a close. San Antonio's postseason march is in contrast to last year when they were stunned in the first round as No. 1 seeds. It also has them positioned to make a run at their first NBA title since 2007.
