The Heat fought back from a double-digit lead and forced overtime as Miami held the Spurs off just enough to get a 103-100 victory, forcing a Game 7 Thursday night.

The Heat, down 3-2, needed a major bounceback game defensively and stars LeBron James and Dwyane Wade had to finish when they got to the rim.

From the opening tip, the Heat started out attacking on the offensive end. Mike Miller and Mario Chalmers hit a couple of early three-point shots and Wade and James were moving the ball around the court well.

But the San Antonio Spurs would not lay down and between Kawhi Leonard and Tim Duncan set a breakneck pace early in the game to keep the Heat from setting its half-court defense.

Early in the first quarter, Leonard set the pace for the Spurs when he threw down a huge dunk right in the face of Mike Miller who continued to look confused on each defensive set, especially on who to cover on a pick-and-roll.

It’s not a surprise Miller had trouble as he rode the bench for much of the latter half of the season and was obviously rusty since he was reinserted into the starting lineup.

Miami had three early turnovers and each time they turned it over, the Spurs immediately pushed the ball down the court and jumped out to 20-16 after seven minutes of play.

The Heat traded baskets with San Antonio before the Heat ran off an 8-0 run to take a 27-24 lead with under a minute to go in the first quarter.

The Spurs got a questionable blocking call on Shane Battier that allowed Tiago Splitter to hit one of two free throws to narrow the lead to 27-25 which is how the quarter ended.

Spurs power forward Tim Duncan and forward Kawhi Leonard were the only offense from San Antonio as they combined to score 20 points in the first quarter with Duncan not missing a shot (6-6).

As the second quarter got underway, LeBron took a seat on the bench and behind another three-pointer from Battier and a Euro-step from Wade, the Heat opened up a four-point lead after 14 minutes of the game.

SLIDESHOW – Scenes From Game 6 At AmericanAirlines Arena

The surprise of the early part of the game was Mario Chalmers who had 10 points in the first quarter and kept it coming in the second quarter by driving to the basket and drawing Splitter’s second early foul. Chalmers extended the Heat’s lead to six 34-28 after three minutes of the second quarter.

Tim Duncan continued his hot shooting throughout the second quarter as he started 8-8 in the game and had 16 points to keep the Spurs in the game.

Duncan’s scoring helped San Antonio close the Heat lead to just three, 40-37 and just as the Heat had no answer for Danny Green in the past games, Miami had no defender capable of defending Duncan early on.

Duncan hit a pair of free throws to get the Spurs within two points at 44-42 with three minutes to go in the game. Duncan had 21 points in the first half when a television timeout hit with just under three minutes.

One thing that was obvious early on was just how much the Spurs had gotten into the head of LeBron as whenever he got the ball he spent too much time thinking about what to do instead of just reacting like he did during the regular season.

The Spurs finally regained the lead with a Duncan dunk with just more than a minute to go in the half, 46-44.

The Heat went cold to end the half and allowed the Spurs to get another run going and keep the Heat down and Kawhi Leonard put the punctuation on a 16-4 run to close out the quarter and kill the crowd’s energy.

At halftime, Duncan had 25 points and eight rebounds and was unstoppable. Leonard also contributed double-figures in the first half and San Antonio led 50-44.

Chalmers led the Heat with 14 points followed by LeBron with nine points and Wade with eight points.

The Spurs shot 58 percent from the field, mainly due to Duncan’s 11-13 shooting in the half. Miami shot just 42 percent from the field, but 50 percent from behind the three-point line.

With the teams in the locker room, the Heat’s chances of pushing the series to a Game 7 were beginning to look eerily similar to 2011 against the Dallas Mavericks, not good.

The surprise at the start of the second half was Dwyane Wade was not on the court when the third quarter began. Wade stayed in the locker room an extra amount of time and didn’t check in until two minutes had passed in the third quarter.

Both teams would go cold in the early part of the quarter and the Spurs maintained a 57-53 lead with under seven minutes to go in the third quarter.

Mike Miller hit a driving layup to close the Spurs lead to just one point, 57-56 with a little more than six minutes to go in the third quarter.

But just like every other game, the Spurs came right back and behind a Tony Parker jump shot and free throw, extended the lead back up to four.

LeBron would go on to miss another layup and with the Heat in the penalty, Boris Diaw headed to the free throw line to give the Spurs a 62-56 lead with five minutes to go in the quarter.

It was almost as if the Heat was Charlie Brown and the Spurs were Lucy letting Miami expend a ton of energy to get right back into the game and just before the Heat can take the lead, the Spurs pull the football away and Miami lands on its head again.

LeBron was especially struggling in the game as he was 3-10 after 31 minutes of the game.

The Spurs completed an 11-0 run with four minutes to go in the quarter to extend the lead to 12 points and things looked like they were quickly getting out of hand for the Heat.

Combined with the run to end the first half, the Spurs’ two runs had outscored the mighty Heat 27-4.

San Antonio continued to pour it on extending the lead to 71-58 with less than four minutes to go in the quarter. The crowd tried to rally the team but with Wade and Bosh going cold and LeBron looking disinterested on the offensive end.

The Heat continued to fall apart as the quarter went on as LeBron and Wade began to complain more about not getting calls from the referees.

On one possession late in the quarter, Wade missed a driving layup and when he didn’t get the foul call, sat back and didn’t get back on defense which led to an easy San Antonio bucket by guard Gary Neal.

At the end of the third quarter, the Heat’s season and title hopes were teetering on disaster with San Antonio leading 75-65.

The Heat came out firing to start the fourth quarter and quickly closed the lead to 77-73 and the crowd was on eggshells hoping the Heat had one last run in them and the Spurs couldn’t keep smacking the Heat back.

LeBron lost his headband with a little more than eight minutes to go in the game and was in full-fledged beast mode to help close the lead to just 82-79 after a quick left-handed hook shot.

LeBron started out the fourth quarter and continued to play like a man possessed starting out the quarter on a 10-7 run versus the entire Spurs team.

With less than six minutes to go in the game, behind LeBron’s inspired play, Miami lead the Spurs 84-82.

The clock continued to tick down and LeBron continued to keep the Heat on his shoulders and elevated the team to an 87-82 lead with just 2:57 left in the game.

As the clock wound down, the Heat couldn’t close out on two possessions and Tony Parker hit a three-point shot that pulled the Spurs even with the Heat at 89.

Parker then followed a Mario Chalmers turnover with a teardrop jumpshot in the lane to give the Spurs a 91-89 lead as the clock went under a minute to go in the game.

Then an inexplicable turnover by LeBron in the lane gave the Spurs a fast break and an easy pair of free throws from Manu Ginobli capped a 7-0 run by the Spurs to give them a four-point lead.

Another wild shot by LeBron and the Spurs got another fast break and Ginobli went back to the line again for free throws to push the game to a five point lead, 94-89.

LeBron would miss another three-point shot and then on the same possession hit a three-point shot to get the lead to 94-92 with 20.1 seconds to go in the game.

After the Spurs got one of two free throws from Kawhi Leonard, LeBron tried another three point shot and missed, but Chris Bosh grabbed a huge offensive rebound and kicked the ball out to Ray Allen who hit a three-point shot to tie the game at 92 with 5.2 seconds to go in the game.

The Spurs’ Parker tried a running layup at the end of regulation, but he couldn’t hit it and the game was sent into overtime.

After a Tim Duncan bucket started the scoring in overtime, LeBron found Bosh on a long pass and he hit a layup to tie the score at 97.

The Spurs would extend the lead to 100-99 but Tony Parker missed a long three-point shot and Miami pushed the ball back and LeBron hit a leaning jump shot to give the Heat a one point lead.

The Heat then held the Spurs to a 24-second shot clock violation and the turnover gave the Heat a chance to open a bigger lead over San Antonio.

But James couldn’t get a shot to go and the Spurs took the rebound and pushed the ball back into their half of the court before taking a timeout with 55.4 seconds left in overtime.

After the Spurs turned the ball over, LeBron tried to power to the basket, but Danny Green, who had been quiet offensively throughout the night made a huge defensive play to knock the ball off James and the Spurs took possession of the ball with 40.5 seconds left in the game.

Then, on a defensive switch on a pick and roll with Tony Parker, Bosh came out and blocked enough of the shot to get the ball into LeBron’s hands and the Spurs quickly fouled.

Dwyane Wade missed a shot and Manu Ginobli pushed the ball up the court and lost the ball on a wild running shot and Allen ended up with the ball and going to the free throw line.

Allen hit both of his free throws and gave the Heat a 103-100 lead with 1.9 seconds to go in the game.

The Spurs called a timeout and set up a screen for Danny Green to shoot a three-pointer, but Bosh once again came through with a blocked shot to seal the victory.

LeBron finished the game with a triple-double with 32 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists. Mario Chalmers was second on the team in scoring with 20 points in the game.

The Spurs were led by Duncan’s 30 points and Leonard’s 22.

Game 7 will be held at the AmericanAirlines Arena on Thursday night with a tip time just after 9 p.m.

Cyprien was a second-round pick of the Jaguars and is expected to become a starter opposite veteran safety Dwight Lowery.

The former FIU Panther was an All-Sun Belt selection in each of his four seasons at the school. By the time he finished his four years at FIU, he had 365 tackles, six forced fumbles, and seven interceptions. In his senior season, he had 93 tackles and four interceptions.

Cyprien’s stock soared in the months leading up to the draft to the point that some forecasted him to be picked as early as the first round.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed by the team.

(TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

The 20-year-old Cuban defector was on the fast track to the majors this season, but injuries forced the Marlins to call him up very early in the season. Since then, Fernandez has racked up a 4-3 record on a team that has been abysmal.

Heading into Wednesday’s start at Arizona, Fernandez ranks among the top three rookies in the majors in ERA (3.11) , strikeouts per inning (77 in 72 1-3) and opposing batting average (.210). Such statistics are all the more impressive because he doesn’t turn 21 until July 31.

Fernandez became the first pitcher under 21 to allow less than two runs and less than four hits in each of his first two career starts since 1965. And in his most recent outing, Fernandez became the first pitcher under 21 to strike out 10 or more since Felix Hernandez with Seattle in 2007.

“He’s similar to Felix when he was younger,” two-time Cy Young Award winner Roy Halladay said. “He has that presence and that kind of stuff. If he continues to develop, he could be one of those guys.”

Fernandez smiles when such praise is relayed to him, but then he smiles much of the time, mindful of how far he has come.

The 90 miles from Cuba to Florida is a long way.

“It has been pretty hard for me to get here — not to the big leagues, but to the United States,” he said. “Living in Cuba for 15 years taught me a lot. Life over there is pretty tough. I’m incredibly blessed to be in the United States.”

Fernandez’s first three attempts to defect were foiled, and the youngster spent several months in prison. Finally he escaped the island by boat with his mother, and when she fell into the Yucatan Channel, he jumped in and pulled her out.

They made it to Mexico and eventually reunited in Tampa, Fla., with his father, who had escaped from Cuba two years earlier.

At Tampa Alonso High School, Fernandez began hearing he was destined for greatness. He learned to speak fluent English while contemplating stardom and plotting a persona.

“It’s great to be humble,” he said, sounding like a country song. “People will love you more in the long run. I don’t want to be just a good pitcher. I want to be a great example on the field.”

The hype about Fernandez has been justified. He went 30-3 in three prep seasons, helped his team win two state titles and was taken by the Marlins with the 14th overall pick in the 2011 draft. He went 14-2 with a 2.02 ERA in 27 minor-league starts, none above Single-A, and cracked the Marlins’ rotation with a strong spring.

“He has the ability to execute pitches like only a handful of guys I’ve ever seen,” Miami manager Mike Redmond said.

At 6-foot-2 and 242 pounds, Fernandez is physically mature for his age, and his repertoire is also advanced. Many of his strikeouts come on a slider or curve, which he’ll throw even on a 3-2 count, and this year he added an effective changeup to go with his fastball, which is consistently in the mid-90s and peaks at 98 mph.

“He’s so polished for a young pitcher,” Redmond said. “It’s amazing how good his secondary pitches are.”

The Marlins have been careful with the youngster’s workload, and they’ll likely limit him to no more than 170 innings this year. But he wants to be a workhorse and was pleased to throw a career-high 107 pitches to beat the high-scoring Cardinals in his most recent start, especially after giving up two runs in the first inning.

“I compete my butt off,” he said. “It doesn’t matter who I’m facing. It could be the best hitter in the world; it could be my mom. I compete and compete and compete and compete, and that’s what everybody is going to get out of me every time.”

Was it a thrill to beat the Cardinals? Heck, it was a thrill just to meet them.

“One of the special moments in the game: The first time I went up to hit, Yadier Molina was catching,” Fernandez said. “I look up to that guy. When they won the World Series, I saw him catch and I said, ‘Man, I wish one day I could shake his hand.’

“So I said, ‘Man, it’s a pleasure to be playing against you.’ He said, ‘No, it’s my pleasure.’ It was great to get to pitch against him.”

And perhaps someday Molina will tell his grandkids about the first time he met Jose Fernandez.

(TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

The Dolphins cheerleaders were last seen dancing to the 2012 hit song “Call Me Maybe,” and have now followed that up with a routine dancing to the Taylor Swift song “22.”

The cheerleaders video was shot in the Dominican Republic for the girls’ 2013-2014 calendar shoot.

Since CBS4 is the official station of the Miami Dolphins, it wouldn’t be right if we didn’t have the video to go with the story. So check out the embedded video below.

Enjoy!

They have more international players on their roster than any other team in the NBA, and even their American players don’t come straight from America to the league.

It’s the hard way to build a roster, requiring patience, discipline and investment that few teams are able to muster these days. And it’s paying off in a big way for them in the NBA Finals.

There is Danny Green, who was cut three times and spent a summer in Slovenia, drilling every 3-pointer in sight and running away with the finals MVP award.

There is Gary Neal, who was undrafted out of Towson University and spent three years kicking around Turkey, Spain and Italy before being discovered by the Spurs, scoring 24 points in a Game 3 victory that put them back in control.

There is Boris Diaw, the once-promising Frenchman who was on his way out of the league before the Spurs brought him in, playing surprisingly stingy defense on LeBron James and finding Manu Ginobili cutting to the basket for easy buckets in a Game 5 win that moved the Spurs one victory away from the franchise’s fifth title.

How do they find these guys?

General manager RC Buford has assembled an unparalleled scouting staff and worked with Gregg Popovich to establish a system and culture over the last 15-plus seasons that allows them to identify the exact attributes that will allow a player to succeed in San Antonio.

“Our management staff, RC does a great job with his scouts showing us who is out there, who is available,” Popovich said earlier this season. “And we all sit down and decide who we want to bring in. Once we bring them in, we do take a lot of time trying to develop them.”

It takes communication. It takes trust. It takes commitment to do what the Spurs do. It also takes a willingness to think outside the normal parameters of team building, to consider players that don’t fit the prototypical mold.

“When you look at a basketball player and you’re trying to evaluate someone, in my opinion you’ve got to look past the typical biases and preconceived notions on what an NBA player is and should look like or should be; what their pedigree or path should be and really get down to the guy’s talent and character and work ethic,” said forward Matt Bonner, who played in Italy and was acquired in a trade from Toronto. “Is this person going to make our team better and can he play? I think when you do that you can get a more accurate portrayal of a player and what their value potentially could be.”

The commitment to drafting and developing came early for Buford and Popovich. Situated in small-market San Antonio, they knew they couldn’t afford to throw millions at the free agent market every summer to fill holes in their roster. They certainly got lucky getting the No. 1 pick in 1997 when Tim Duncan was available, but their moves to surround him with a championship-caliber supporting cast all came the hard way.

Game 6 is Tuesday night in Miami, where Duncan will have a chance to win his fifth title 14 years after his first. Along the way he has gone from the focal point to a supporting role, all thanks to the system the Spurs have in place.

“I think development is a big part of that,” Buford said. “The better prepared you can be to fill in the holes behind that success of an aging group, the smoother the transition might be.”

Tony Parker was the 28th pick out of France in 2001. And despite being well known and coveted thanks to his stellar international play for Argentina, Ginobili fell to the second round in 1999 and didn’t come to the NBA for another three seasons.

“Ginobili that was a pick that a lot of people knew was going to be good,” Timberwolves president of basketball operations Flip Saunders said. “It’s just at the time a lot of people didn’t want to wait for him.”

The Spurs were willing to wait, and it’s paid off handsomely with the left-hander helping them win three titles and then registering 24 points and 10 assists in their Game 5 victory over Miami. He has also helped other foreign players like Tiago Splitter and Nando De Colo make the transition to the United States.

“The first years I started to feel like a guide to the new guys, it felt great, because I needed that at the beginning,” Ginobili said. “Being sort of an icon or staple player on this team feels really good. I’m very lucky. And at the same time, it’s great to have so many international players that went through some of the things you went through.”

Assistant coach Chad Forcier also deserves plenty of credit. He worked hard with Green to smooth out his jumper and has spent countless hours with many of the projects the Spurs have taken on over the years. The long and winding road that many of these players have taken to get here comes through in the hunger they show on the court.

“Just dealing with the reality that I wasn’t going to get drafted, that’s like a crossroad for a lot of guys coming out of college,” Neal said. “You realize you’re not going to get drafted and there’s a great chance that you might not become an NBA player. You kind of have to make your mind up that you want to continue on professionally and take the European route and take it seriously.”

When they arrive in San Antonio, they see a lot of other players just like them. A bond is formed and a support system is fostered.

“I think there’s a lot of guys with the Spurs who didn’t have the easy way, one-and-done in college and then bam, you have a career,” Bonner said. “A lot of guys on our team have had to go through the journey of maybe all four years of college, maybe the D-league, maybe overseas. I think that builds character and it makes you appreciate playing in the NBA and playing for an organization like the Spurs that much more.”

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press

Then LeBron James got “the look” and things were never the same for the Heat.

James put the team on his shoulders and ran wild on the Boston Celtics for 45 points and 15 rebounds in Game 6. After that, James and the Heat never looked back en route to the Big Three’s first NBA championship.

This year, the Heat are once again staring elimination in the face and it will likely come down to just how far James and his fellow Big Three members Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh can carry the Heat.

LeBron has said repeatedly that he wants the majority of the responsibility for how the Heat performs in the 2013 Finals. When the team has been firing on all cylinders, Miami has looked unbeatable against the San Antonio Spurs.

But when Miami has been playing poorly, as the team did in Games 3 & 5, the Heat resembled a junior varsity squad trying to keep pace with the Spurs. The question is can James once again reach into his veritable bag of tricks and pull out more Game 6 magic.

So what can the Heat expect out of LeBron heading into Game 6? Based on his history in closeout playoff games, Miami will likely get a big output of points, but it may not be enough to put the Heat over the top.

Since he was drafted into the NBA, LeBron has played in eight games that would closeout a series. In those games, James’ teams are just 2-6 overall; but LeBron Has played well in almost every one of the games.

James averages 29 points and 9.4 rebounds per game in the closeout games while shooting an average of 43.5 percent from the field. The only question is can he once again elevate his game to another level and get the Heat to a crucial Game 7 where anything can happen?

“We look forward to the challenge,” James said. “We’re going to see if we’re a better team than we were our first year together.”

Now with their backs against the wall, James, Wade, and everyone on the Heat will have to shoot the lights out to keep up with a San Antonio Spurs team looking to close out Miami. But the road to victory and extending the series starts with converting in and around the basket.

In Game 5, the Heat’s dynamic duo couldn’t get it going on the fast break or close to the basket, but it was also a team-wide problem. The Heat shot 19-41 on shots around the basket, or 10 percent lower than the league average, according to CBS4 news partner the Miami Herald.

Wade and James were even worse combining to go 9-25 on layups, dunks, and shots with a few feet of the rim, according to the Herald.

“I think between the two of us, we probably missed 12 layups [Sunday night] — transition layups that we usually convert,” James said. “I missed a lob. I missed two layups, transition on the same possession. I know D-Wade had a few layups that we’re accustomed to making.

Part of what stopped James and Wade was San Antonio’s stingy defense. It was especially evident on two fast breaks when Danny Green shut down LeBron at the rim, which is almost unheard of in today’s NBA.

While James and Wade have said they aren’t concerned with the missed shots and said the shots will go in during Game 6, if they don’t, the hot shooting Spurs will knock the Heat out of the Finals in a hurry.

In Game 5, San Antonio hit 60 percent of its shots and many of the team’s best shots came without a Heat player in five to ten feet of the shooter. The Spurs also outscored the Heat 50-40 in the paint.

For the Heat, one player who has not been willing to stay quiet and calm during the recent Finals failures in Games 3 and 5 is Chris Bosh and he knows that what will spark a Heat win in Game 6 will be the team’s defense.

“We have to bring a lot more energy and we will have to accept the challenge playing defense one-on-one,” Chris Bosh said. “They are really coming at us one-on-one and we will have to keep the ball in front of us and force them to miss more shots.”

The Heat will have to do that and more if it wants to send the series to a deciding Game 7. Miami will take their best shot Tuesday at the AmericanAirlines Arena.

(TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Miami Herald contributed to this report.)

Allen, who is the NBA’s all-time leader in three-point shooting, hit two three-point shots in Game 5, which isn’t a surprise. But he was also fouled on both shots and converted the free throw to pull off the rare four-point play twice.

The last time a four-point play happened in the NBA Finals was last season when Oklahoma City guard Derek Fisher hit a three-point shot and was fouled by Mario Chalmers in Game 3. The Heat was also on the losing end of two four-point plays in Game 2 of the 2006 NBA Finals.

Allen’s four-point plays came thanks to fouls by Tony Parker and Danny Green. Incidentally, Green has broken Allen’s record for three-pointers made in a NBA Finals and still has time to extend the record with at least one more game to go.

Besides Allen, Stackhouse, Howard and Fisher, the other NBA players with a four-point play in a Finals game are Andrew Toney, Scott Wedman, Toni Kukoc, Hersey Hawkins, Glen Rice, Reggie Miller, Manu Ginobili, Paul Pierce and Kobe Bryant.

(TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

Three teams have gone into Game 6 of the NBA Finals on their home court down 3-2 in the series and then gone on to win the Larry O’Brien Trophy. The 2010 Los Angeles Lakers knocked off the Boston Celtics in seven games, as did the Houston Rockets in 1994 over the New York Knicks. Finally, the Lakers also pulled off the feat in 1988 by beating the Detroit Pistons.

Now, the Miami Heat will try to join this very select club and avoid what happened just two years ago when the Dallas Mavericks came to Miami and knocked out the Heat in Game 6 and celebrated a NBA championship on the home court of the Heat.

“This is the reason that you play 82 games, to get home-court,” Heat forward Chris Bosh said. “And we have to defend home-court.”

One uniting factor running through two of the teams that did win Game 6 and the series is Miami Heat president Pat Riley. The former coach was in charge of the 1994 Knicks team that lost to the Rockets and also the head coach of 1988 Lakers that knocked off the Pistons after trailing 3-2.

Riley was also president of the last Heat team to bring the Finals back to the AmericanAirlines Arena down 3-2 in 2011. In three shots, Riley is 1-2 and has a chance to even his record if his latest handiwork with the Heat can come back.

Finally, if Heat fans want one more thing to worry about heading into Game 6; in the last 25 years, only one team from Texas that made the NBA Finals lost the series. On the other hand, the only to lose was the 2006 Dallas Mavericks which went down at the hands of Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat.

(TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

According to StubHub, as of Tuesday morning, less than 2,700 tickets for Game 6 of the NBA Finals between the Heat and San Antonio Spurs were still available on the secondary market.

The least expensive tickets were standing room only and were selling for a minimum of $119 per ticket while the most expensive tickets were on the north side of the court on row 5 with a price of $6,412 per ticket.

All courtside tickets, which have carried prices in the past of over $10,000 were sold out.

If the Heat can knock off the Spurs in Game 6 and make it to Game 7 at the AmericanAirlines Arena, ticket prices go up even more. Standing room only tickets are on sale for $410 as of Tuesday morning and the most expensive tickets were going for at least $25,000.

Only 2,471 tickets were available via StubHub.com for a possible Game 7 of the NBA Finals.

That was the difference in the Marlins’ 3-2 victory on Monday night, the Diamondbacks’ fourth loss in a row.

Patrick Corbin, trying to become the first left-handed starter in 35 years to go 10-0, allowed two hits through eight innings but gave up a soaring, two-run homer to left by Stanton that tied the game at 2 in the sixth.

Stanton’s line-drive home run to right off ex-Marlin Heath Bell (2-1) in the ninth put Miami ahead for the first time. It was the 100th homer of his career, and sixth in 43 at-bats at Chase Field.

Click Here for a slideshow of the game.

“He took that thing over, didn’t he?” Marlins manager Mike Redmond said. “Yeah, that was an impressive, impressive night for him.”

Stanton, activated June 10 after six weeks on the disabled list with a right hamstring strain, said both were good pitches.

“Just help the team win, man,” Stanton said. “That’s what I didn’t do all April and obviously all May I wasn’t playing.”

Redmond said he expected an adjustment period for Stanton when he came off the DL.

“And there really wasn’t,” the manager said. “He came off the DL swinging the bat great. You could just see he was more confident. His swing was better, everything was better. He’s been lights out ever since.”

Bell pitched all of last season for Miami, and Stanton was asked if his familiarity with the reliever’s pattern helped him in the at bat.

“Yeah,” Stanton said, “for the most part.”

Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson said it’s time to reassess how to pitch to Stanton.

“The guy is swinging the bat good. We have to find a better way to get around him,” Gibson said. “You can see how strong he is. He just barreled it.”

Mike Dunn (2-1) threw a scoreless eighth inning to get the win.

Steve Cishek pitched a perfect ninth for his 10th save in 12 tries. Willie Bloomquist flied out to deep center to end the game.

Paul Goldschmidt drove in both Arizona runs with a homer and a single.

Corbin, with no decisions in his last three starts, was trying to become the first left-handed starter to begin the season 10-0 since Ron Guidry went 13-0 for the New York Yankees in 1978, according to STATS. Corbin struck out seven and walked one but the Diamondbacks lost for the first time in his 14 starts.

Gibson said Corbin deserved better.

“Patrick was great,” Gibson said. “He pitched his heart out, two runs. We scored eight runs in four games. … We should have had several runs tonight. We are in a bad spot at the plate right now. Guys are trying to do too much. `’

Arizona was 1 for 12 with runners in scoring position.

“More of the same,” Gibson said.

Goldschmidt, hitless in his previous 12 at-bats and just 3 for 33, lined Jacob Turner’s 1-0 pitch over the right-field fence to put Arizona up 1-0 in the third, his 16th home run. The Diamondbacks made it 2-0 in the fifth when Gerardo Parra singled, stole second and scored when Goldschmidt singled sharply to center.

Goldschmidt leads the NL with 61 RBIs.

Corbin, meanwhile, was cruising through five. Only two Miami batters reached during that span, Stanton on third baseman Martin Prado’s two-out error in the first and a two-out walk to Marcell Ozuna in the fourth.

In the sixth, pinch-hitter Justin Ruggiano grounded out, but Juan Pierre’s opposite-field single to left ended the no-hit bid. Ed Lucas popped out but Stanton hit a high drive on Corbin’s 2-0 pitch into the second deck above the Arizona bullpen in left and it was tied at 2.

The Diamondbacks, swept in three games at San Diego last weekend, opened a six-game homestand.

Turner allowed two runs and six hits in five innings.

(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Wedding Dumb Bells?

This week the Boston Bruins’ Shawn Thornton told a reporter he puts his two Stanley Cup Wins on the list of all-time greatest days of his life.  Missing from that list?  The day he married his wife.

Now, I often say NHL players are the toughest athletes in professional sports.  I never say they are the brightest.

Story via CBS Boston

I want to hear from you! Got a fun story sports fans may have missed? Or an obscure, silly and perhaps gossipy tale we didn’t cover? E-mail Tara Lipinsky at tara.lipinsky@cbs.com or send me a Tweet @TaraLipinsky.

The most basic things the Heat need to do to get back on the winning track is to turn up the defensive pressure, hit shots from the field, and figure out if the team can get anything out of point guards Mario Chalmers and Norris Cole.

The Heat’s defense was shredded by the Spurs in Game 5. San Antonio shot a remarkable 60 percent from the floor and 41 percent from behind the three-point line. The Heat’s problems with the Spurs’ ball movement were especially evident in the second half.

During one sequence late in the game, the Spurs moved the ball at will and eventually found a wide-open Danny Green for a three-point shot. No Heat player was within ten feet of Green when he went for the shot, which somehow he missed, a rarity in this series.

It broke down to San Antonio simply wanting it more than the Heat in Game 5, just like it was in the Game 3 blowout.

“Everything. Come on, they just absolutely outplayed us,” Heat coach Erick Spoelstra said after the game. “At times they were just picking one guy out at a time and going mano y mano. That will change.”

One player who was picked on a lot as the game went on was Mike Miller. While Miller shot the ball well the first few games of the series, San Antonio attacked Miller by forcing him to switch onto a Spur like Tony Parker and the point guard went right by the Heat forward multiple times.

It was the sign of a bigger problem the Heat had during all three games in San Antonio, no protection at the rim. After having a relative block party in Game 4, the Heat were the ones getting blocked left and right in Game 5 with San Antonio blocking 8 shots in the game.

“I think it’s pretty obvious that we didn’t give that same defensive effort that we had in Game 4 and they picked us apart,” Chris Bosh said. All night he was supposed to be the rim protector but he couldn’t do that and keep Tim Duncan off the glass.”

Bosh was one of the only players who came out with intensity throughout the game and he finished the game with 16 points and six rebounds while limiting Tim Duncan to just 17 points and 12 rebounds in the game.

Another Achilles heel for the Heat has been horrific shooting performances. The Heat shot nearly 50 percent from the field in the regular season and have seen that drop to just 46.1 percent in the Finals. While some of that is the Spurs’ defense, it’s also Miami just not hitting open shots.

“I think that’s where it starts for us, honestly, LeBron James said. “Getting into the paint. I think between the two of us, we probably missed 12-lay-ups tonight. Transition lay-ups that we usually convert. I missed a lob. I missed two lay-ups.”

James is shooting approximately 44 percent from the field during the 2013 NBA Finals which is more than 12 percent below the 56.5 percent clip he had during the regular season. James is also shooting nearly 10 percent less from behind the three-point line in the playoffs.

The one player who has been consistent for the Heat has been Dwyane Wade who is shooting 47.8 percent from the field in the Finals, which is just below his regular season average of 52.1 percent. But Wade has increased his output in the last three rounds of the playoffs, despite battling injuries.

Wade is averaging 20 points per game in the Finals and done it all without hitting a three-point shot. He has looked rejuvenated in the series and is closer to the player he was during the regular season than at any point in the postseason.

Finally, the Heat has to figure out what to do at the point guard position. Chalmers and Cole haven’t been able to hang with Spurs guards Tony Parker, Manu Ginobli, and Danny Green on a consistent basis in the Finals.

After leading all scorers in Game 2, Chalmers went into a shell during the Heat’s time in Texas. Chalmers is shooting just 31.7 percent from the field and averaging just 8 points per game. Cole has been even worse, shooting 6-22 from the field or 27.2 percent and has nearly as many personal fouls (9) as he does assists (12).

The Heat entered the NBA Finals looking like the deeper team. However, Miami has gotten nothing from Udonis Haslem, Mike Miller has been the definition of streaky, and Chalmers and Cole have been nothing but inconsistent.

If the Heat goes down to the Spurs, the Big Three era will be deemed a failure by many pundits. Still, Bosh, Wade, and James can only carry a team so far; as San Antonio proved, the role players have to step up to get over the hump.

Will any role players step up for Miami in Game 6 remains to be seen.

You can tell when he broke out that little spin move in the paint in Game 5 on Sunday night, a nimble little display of footwork that has mostly been in moth balls for the past four or five seasons.

You can tell by the elevation he got on a first-quarter dunk, one of the most emphatic he’s had in years.

And you can tell by the glimmer that can’t be hidden by the far-away look in his eyes when he talks about being one victory away from title No. 5.

“I think every one of us wants this very badly from the top on down,” Duncan said after scoring 17 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in a 114-104 victory over the Miami Heat that gave his San Antonio Spurs a 3-2 lead in the NBA Finals.

“We’re trying to play that way. We just need to put it on the floor and understand the kind of energy and the kind of aggression they’re going to come with next game.”

The 37-year-old Duncan has been asked about retirement and heard the reports of his Spurs’ demise for years now. His time, his team’s time, is supposed to be long gone.

This is LeBron’s league now. This is the Heat’s year.

Yet there he was on Sunday night, out-muscling Heat star Chris Bosh, who grew up with Duncan posters on the walls of his Dallas bedroom.

There he was walking up to Tony Parker before the opening tip to offer some quiet words that set the tone.

There he was drawing double teams that sucked in the Heat defense and allowed Danny Green to slip undetected into the corner for 3-pointer after back-breaking 3-pointer.

“We’ve been in situations like this. We’ve been together for a long time,” Duncan said. “So that definitely plays a role. I think we’re just trying to do all we can to will it to happen.”

Duncan may not be putting up the monster numbers that he used to when the Spurs were winning titles every other year in the middle of the past decade.

But if the Spurs are able to win one of the next two games in Miami — starting with Game 6 on Tuesday night — and dethrone the defending champions, it will be as much due to the unshakeable resolve and unflappable poise that Duncan has instilled in this group as anything else.

Sure, Green is the runaway favorite for finals MVP with his record-setting shooting from the outside. But Duncan is the one who draws the attention down low to give him so many clean looks.

Sure, Parker is the focal point of the Spurs offense and has been for several years. But Duncan is the one who sets those teeth-rattling screens to free him up in San Antonio’s pick-and-roll.

Sure, Gregg Popovich is the mastermind behind the schemes that have turned LeBron James from a force of nature into a flustered jump shooter.

But Duncan is the quarterback on the court, getting everyone in the right places and serving as the anchor should something break down.

“If anybody is crazy in the group, it’s me,” Popovich said. “They pretty much have an even keel. Timmy Duncan sets the tone, and he just competes. Whether he does well or whether he does poorly, game in, game out, year in, year out, he competes and people just follow that.”

That’s why the Spurs are here right now. That’s why they’re so close to doing something no one outside of this silver-and-blacked painted city thought could be done. They’ve never trailed in a finals series because Duncan has never allowed it.

Even when James and the Heat blew them out in Game 2 to tie the series, the Spurs never wavered.

Even when Miami’s three All-Stars dominated Game 4, the Spurs didn’t back down.

It’s a testament to Duncan. To his will. To his tenacity. To his refusal to let anyone bury him, bury his team.

A fifth championship is oh so close now. It would put Duncan’s name alongside other greats such as Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson and George Mikan, three titans of the game who stood on top of the NBA mountain five times.

The spotlight-shunning Duncan has rarely been mentioned with the same reverence.

Maybe this would change all that.

“With this fifth one, he dominates his generation,” Johnson said in a conference call last week. “He and Kobe would be the greatest winners during this time. And domination wise, he’ll be just as dominant as any big man that’s ever played, and also be a great winner as well.”

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press

The Marlins open a three-game set against Corbin and the slumping Arizona Diamondbacks, who try to avoid a season worst-tying fourth consecutive defeat Monday night.

Although light-hitting Miami (21-47) ranks last in the majors in several offensive categories, manager Mike Redmond’s club proved plenty formidable at the plate in taking two of three from St. Louis. The Marlins, winners in five of eight, hit .308 and scored 19 runs over the weekend.

“We didn’t see it. The team we saw is hitting the ball and making good pitches,” Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. “Regardless of what their record shows, they’ve got some talent, and they’re going about things the right way right now.”

Placido Polanco went 3 for 4 and combined with Juan Pierre and Justin Ruggiano to drive in six runs during Sunday’s 7-2 victory.

“This is a big series win,” said Pierre, batting .385 with 10 runs over a 12-game hitting streak. “To beat a team like that definitely gives you confidence.”

Miami’s improvement can partly be attributed to Giancarlo Stanton’s return from injury. The slugging right fielder has hit safely in all six games since missing six weeks due to a strained right hamstring, going 9 for 24 with two homers, three doubles and seven RBIs.

“When you have Giancarlo back in the lineup, that’s a whole different team,” Cardinals second baseman Matt Carpenter said. “Having him back is a big advantage.”

Though things are starting to go their way, the Marlins could have their hands full against Corbin (9-0, 2.28 ERA). The 23-year-old lefty, who hasn’t received a decision in his last two starts, again has a chance to become the first Diamondbacks pitcher to open 10-0. Arizona has won all 13 games when he takes the mound.

Among the NL leaders in wins and ERA, Corbin compiled a 1.44 mark over his first nine starts before posting a 4.44 ERA in his last four. He surrendered four runs and eight hits over a season-low five innings Wednesday in an 8-6, 12-inning road win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

In his only appearance against the Marlins, Corbin allowed three runs and eight hits in 5 2-3 innings in a 9-5 road win April 30, 2012.

A solid performance from Corbin could go a long way for the Diamondbacks (37-32), who have dropped six of eight. Arizona hit .181 and was limited to six runs during a three-game sweep at San Diego, falling 4-1 in Sunday’s finale. Paul Goldschmidt is hitless in his last 12 at-bats, and mired in a 4-for-39 slump.

“We got outplayed in every aspect of the game in this series,” said manager Kirk Gibson, whose club lost four straight April 29-May 3. “We have to redeem ourselves.”

Arizona will try to do just that against 22-year-old Jacob Turner (1-0, 1.80), who’s set to make his fourth start since getting called up from Triple-A New Orleans. The right-hander allowed four runs and five hits in seven innings but didn’t get a decision in Tuesday’s 5-4 win over Milwaukee.

Miami has dropped the first game during each of its five road trips.

“Obviously, with a (seven)-game road trip, you want to start it off with a win,” Turner told MLB’s official website. “It’s just a matter of me keeping the team in the game, and hopefully we can score a few runs and scratch out a win.”

The Marlins have dropped 10 of 14 to Arizona, including two of three May 17-19.

(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

After losing Game 5 of the 2013 NBA Finals to the San Antonio Spurs, the Heat return to the friendly confines of the AmericanAirlines Arena needing to win two games in a row to capture a second consecutive championship.

Compounding the problems for the Heat are San Antonio has already won one game at the AAA in the NBA Finals and Miami hasn’t been able to put together a two-game winning streak in over one month.

To fully understand how difficult what Miami faces, consider this: since 1985, the NBA Finals have had ten Game 5’s; out of those 10 games, the winner of Game 5 has won the championship seven times.

Miami hasn’t won consecutive games since the Eastern Conference Semifinals when it won four in a row against the Chicago Bulls. But, if there’s one thing Heat fans can hang their hat on it’s that Miami plays its best basketball in South Florida.

In the 2012-2013 season, the Heat ran off a 37-4 regular season record inside the friendly confines of the AmericanAirlines Arena. Plus, San Antonio put together just a 23-18 record on the road during the regular season.

Of course that was the regular season and since then the Heat is just 7-4 during the current playoff run. On the flip side, San Antonio is 7-2 on the road in the 2013 NBA playoffs and need to get just one more victory to capture the Larry O’Brien trophy.

Miami won 27 games in a row this season, but if the Heat can’t manage just a two-game winning streak to get to 82 victories this season, then the era of the Big Three will lose two of three NBA Finals.

It’s not a surprise if you haven’t heard of Green until now as he has erupted as the hottest shooter in the 2013 NBA Finals.

Green has been cut multiple times by the Spurs and by the Cavaliers. Coming out of college, he had played four years for the North Carolina Tar Heels, but only averaged 9.4 points on 45 percent shooting per game while also grabbing an average of 4.1 rebounds.

His career high in points at North Carolina was just 26 points against Division II Chaminade.

But in a feat that makes sports so grand, Green has put it altogether against arguably the best team in the league at the most critical time.

Green only averaged 10.5 points per game this season and against the Memphis Grizzlies in the Western Conference Finals he only put up 8.8 points per game. Then the Miami Heat rolled into town and Green hasn’t been able to miss.

Green is playing 34 minutes per game in the NBA Finals and any time the Spurs need a big basket to shut down a Heat run, Green has been able to put a stake in the heart of the Heat with a big three-point basket.

In the Finals, Green is averaging 18 points per game and in the Spurs’ most recent wins, he’s went for 24 points in Game 5 and 27 points in Game 6. Plus, he’s doing it all while shooting nearly 70 percent from behind the three-point line.

Even if the Heat manage to come back and win the NBA championship, barring an other-worldly performance by a Heat player in Games 6 & 7, Green has made the strongest case for Finals MVP of any player on the floor.

Green has also broken the record of most three-point shots made in an NBA Finals with one game still to go. Green, incidentally, broke the record held by Miami Heat guard Ray Allen. Green has hit 25 of his 38 three-point attempts thus far.

If Miami wants to win Game 6, the formula is simple: limit Manu Ginobli and find a way to get Green out of his comfort zone. Otherwise, Green will continue to shoot the lights out of Miami’s championship dreams.

The Heat has been playing in the playoffs for almost three months, but a strange thing started happening when the calendar turned over to June. Every time the Miami Marlins won, which has been a rarity, the Heat would go on to lose its playoff game on the same day.

The Heat played the Indiana Pacers on June 1st and was blown out 91-77. June 1st saw the Marlins play the New York Mets in Miami and the Marlins destroyed New York 8-1. Then on June 6th, the Heat lost to the San Antonio Spurs in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, 92-88; and the Marlins didn’t lose, mainly because they had an off date.

Last Tuesday, the Heat was mauled by the Spurs 113-77 in one of the most lopsided losses in NBA history. The same day, the Marlins knocked off the Milwaukee Brewers in the only win in the three-game series against the Brew crew.

Finally, Sunday the Marlins laid a beat down of the St. Louis Cardinals, 7-2 and as most of South Florida knows the Heat was beaten in Game 5 of the NBA Finals 114-104 in a game that wasn’t as close as the final score indicated.

Another interesting coincidence was that all of the Marlins’ wins came inside the confines of Marlins Park while three of the Heat’s four losses came on the road. The lone Heat loss at home in June came when the Marlins were off.

So what should Miami Heat fans be expecting in Game 6 and Game 7 based on the unique coincidence with the Marlins? Well, the Marlins will play in Arizona against the Diamondbacks on Tuesday and in San Francisco against the Giants on Thursday, but it still may not be a bad idea for Heat fans to cheer for the Diamondbacks and Giants in both games.

It’s not that the Heat hasn’t been in this situation before during the reign of the Big Three. In the trio’s first season with the Heat, Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James came back from Texas in the NBA Finals trailing 3-2 to the Dallas Mavericks.

In the next game, Dallas put away the Heat and celebrated a championship victory in the AmericanAirlines Arena. Could history be repeating itself?

“We’re going to see if we’re a better team than we were our first year together,” James said.

In the first half of Game 6 of the series against Dallas in 2011, the Heat were blown off the court early in the game and never recovered. Now the Heat must recover after getting blown out twice by the San Antonio Spurs and put it altogether in Game 6 here in Miami.

“We challenge ourselves to see if we’re a better team than we were,” Wade said. “Same position no matter how we got to it.”

Unlike that Mavericks series, the Heat understand their roles perfectly now, but outside of the second half of Game 2 and the entirety of Game 4, the Heat haven’t been able to match San Antonio’s intensity or ball movement.

“We’re in a position where it’s a must-win and everything that we’ve done all year comes to this point, and we have to win,” Heat guard Ray Allen said. “We’ve found ourselves in so many situations this year, and we’ve thrived in tough moments because this is a tough team. We will be ready for Game 6.”

But don’t think for a second the Spurs are just going to roll over in Game 6, Miami knows if they are going to extend this series they have to take the game from the Spurs.

“I’m sure this team, they’ve been here before many times. They understand winning that last game is one of the hardest things you’re going to do. And we understand it as well,” Wade said. “But you know what? It’s the game; we’ve got to play it. I like our chances, just like they like their chances, in this series and in Game 6. We’ll see. We’ll see which team, which style is going to prevail.”

If Miami can win Game 6, the series will move to a final Game 7 on Thursday at the AmericanAirlines Arena.

By Christian S. Kohl

Both Clayton Kershaw and Clay Buchholz find themselves off to absolutely electric starts in the 2013 season. Their numbers in nearly every statistical category are downright silly, each dominating their leagues with extreme precision. Every GM would donate a kidney to sign either of these young dominate aces. So begs the question, which of them is the best?

>>More Sports Verdict Here

The nod in the early going from a pure stat splits perspective is Buchholz, who is pitching totally outside of his head. He sports a 1.62 ERA, 77 strikeouts in as many innings, and has surrendered just two home runs while featuring an unblemished 8-0 record. Kershaw, almost equally impressive, has fired his way to a 1.85 ERA across 87 innings, while recording 82 K’s as he compiles a more pedestrian 5-3 record. Clearly, run support factors in heavily in such a limited sample, however.

More to the point, in a comparison of the two in terms of who better to trust long term as a franchise ace, most if not all nods go to Kershaw. Not simply because he throws left-handed, or that he is 25 and Buch is now 28. The durability of Kershaw inspires more confidence than Buch. In what is his seventh year of work in the majors, Buchholz has never recorded a 200 inning season. Kershaw sports three, including two over 225 innings. He bests Buch in career WHIP, 1.11 to 1.30. Buchholz has also surrendered more home runs lifetime despite pitching 316 fewer career innings.

For the less statistically oriented and more subjective fan, Buchholz also is more of an unanswered question than Kershaw. Buch’s injuries in 2011 led to difficulties in 2012 relocating his elite stuff. He all reported issues with his delivery and kinks in his mechanics. While he exhibits an unquestioned mental toughness, the longevity of this run he is on remains difficult to handicap. Conversely, Kershaw has displayed a pattern of workhorse dominance more or less consistently throughout his entire career. He also applies less pressure to his defense, consistently recording strikeout totals which dwarf those of Buchholz by a margin of nearly 2:1 lifetime.

Right now, Buch is the better story, as everyone enjoys a good comeback. He has always been a tough competitor who battles during every start, and his ferocious beginning to 2013 feels entirely earned after putting in the difficult work to recapture his stuff these past few years. Kershaw is every scout’s dream, the robot who fits every physical and velocity profile and simply delivers without wavering. Both of these guys are incredibly special to watch, and their futures remain bright for the next decade and possibly beyond. But the more likely to maintain this level of play by the end of 2013 and beyond is Kershaw without question. Like every GM in the world, if tasked between picking either of these hurlers to anchor my staff, I take Kershaw without hesitation and sleep without an ounce of regret. He wins this week’s showdown of elite fireballers.

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Christian S. Kohl is a sports contributor for CBS Local Digital Media.

Despite the Finals Game 5 loss to the Spurs in San Antonio, the Heat faithful showed their spirit at the last White Hot Road Rally of the season.

“We’re going to win the next two games here in Miami,” Lionel Montero shouted while motioning for the crowd to start cheering behind him.

All-star dads got some love at the arena Sunday and we’re not talking about the Big 3.

LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh may be proud poppas, but it was the fathers off the court that received some much-deserved attention on Sunday.

“He’s the best dad ever! I’m blessed to have him as a dad,” Carolina Freitas said about her father who was watching the game beside her.

The doting dads had high hopes going into Game 5, many saying a win would be the best gift for Father’s Day.

“First of all, I hope for a Heat win,” Wesley Prosper said. “Second, I hope my son (has) an amazing night.”

There was music, dancers and large cardboard cutouts of the players on display.

Some said it felt like the real thing.

“It’s like being at a game,” Gerard Hepburn told CBS 4′s Lauren Pastrana. “You’re around other fans. We love it. It’s live. It’s hype. You should all be here.”

Last year, the Miami Heat played at home on Father’s Day. This time around, they had to celebrate the special day out west.

The Miami Heat posted a photo on Instagram of Dwyane Wade spending some time with his family on the court before tip-off.

“I hope they’re playing for their kids, so they pour their hearts out,” Ricardo Lopez said.

Game 6 is Tuesday at the American Airlines Arena.

Game 7, if necessary, would be played Thursday.

Instead, the Spurs ran off another double-digit victory 114-104 over the Heat and took a 3-2 series lead needing only one victory to win another NBA Championship.

The first surprise of the night came when San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich chose to insert guard Manu Ginobli into the starting lineup to match Miami’s small-ball lineup.

Ginobli started the scoring on a three-point shot that was in reality a two-point shot that the referees miscalled in real-time. The call would be reversed at the first timeout and changed to a two-point basket.

The Heat quickly countered with Dwyane Wade hitting a jumper and the two teams were off and running. both teams started off very aggressive, taking the ball right at the basket.

After trading baskets, the Heat opened up a seven point lead only to see LeBron James get a massive alley-oop dunk in transition that closed the lead down to just three points.

Ginobli hit a three-pointer to give the Spurs a six-point lead and Bosh responded with a quick layup off a Dwyane Wade pass.

By the time the first timeout was called by Popovich, the Spurs had a four-point lead and were hanging with Miami, despite the game going up and down the floor, which typically favors the Heat.

Both teams repeatedly got to the free throw line in the first quarter, but San Antonio struggled, shooting just 60 percent from the charity strip through the games first eight minutes.

As the quarter wound down under four minutes, Spurs point guard Tony Parker got rolling to the basket against Heat backup point guard Norris Cole. Parker hit two quick baskets forcing Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra to call a timeout with 3:46 to go in the quarter and San Antonio leading by four points.

But, just as quickly as Heat fans looked up, the Spurs ran off a 12-0 run to blow the game open near the end of the quarter.

The quarter ended with a Kawhi Leonard three-point shot for the Spurs and after one quarter, Game 5 looked very much like Game 3 of the Finals.

The Spurs’ Leonard, Duncan, and Ginobli all had seven points each in the quarter while the Heat were led by Wade and James who had 15 points between the two of them.

The second quarter got started much the same way the first quarter ended with the Spurs running past the Heat’s defense.

Miami was boosted by a quick three-pointer from Shane Battier, who has missed almost every shot he’s taken in the playoffs, but the Spurs responded just as quickly and the lead was back to 12 for San Antonio.

Miami had to call a timeout after just three minutes of the quarter after Chris Bosh got an offensive rebound and when he got to the huddle, Bosh was screaming at teammates to move the ball.

The blowout seemed to be on as the Heat couldn’t hit any shot in the first half and Danny Green continued to hit three-point shot after three-point shot, most of them completely uncovered.

Coach Spoelstra decided a little more than half-way through the second quarter that it was time to bench both Norris Cole and Mario Chalmers who were both completely ineffective in the first half.

As the first half continued to wind down, the Spurs were hustling off screens and continually outhustled the Heat to every spot on the court.

But as soon as the point guards left the floor for the Heat, Wade, James, and Bosh helped run off a 10-5 spurt over San Antonio to close the lead to just 11 points with 5:45 left in the half.

Miami continued to pour it on with a four-point play from Ray Allen who hit a three-point shot while being fouled and the Heat closed the lead to 5 with a 12-0 run before Duncan hit a falling-down jump shot to push the lead back to seven points.

As time wound down in the first half, Bosh had to go to the bench after picking up his second foul with about 3 minutes to go. Bosh single-handedly kept the Heat in the game in the first half and no one played defense on Duncan better than Bosh in the first half.

The Spurs ended the first half with a quick basket by Parker and finished with a 61-52 lead over the Heat.

San Antonio had four players in double-figures led by Duncan and Green who had 13 points apiece. Miami was led by the Big Three again with James at 16, Bosh at 10, and Wade at 14.

San Antonio shot the ball at a 62 percent clip from the field in the first half compared to Miami’s difficulties at 42 percent from the floor.

Miami started the scoring in the second half with a LeBron jumper followed up by two straight turnovers by the Spurs. Mario Chalmers hit a key three-pointer and narrowed the lead to four before LeBron went to the basket on a fast break and was fouled by Ginobli.

James made two free throws and the Heat were on a 7-0 run to start the third quarter before Parker responded with a quick bucket off the glass and the lead went back to four with just under 10 minutes to go in the third quarter.

But just like the case has been with each game in the series, the Spurs turned to Danny Green who hit a three-pointer to extend the lead back to seven points with nine minutes to go in the quarter.

Green’s first three-pointer in the third quarter broke the record for most three-point baskets made in a NBA Finals. The record had been held by the Heat’s Ray Allen.

The team’s continued going back and forth with Chalmers hitting another three point shot to close the lead to five points withe 7:11 to go in the third quarter.

The Spurs’ Danny Green then stopped two straight fastbreak opportunities with Wade and James running the break for Miami.

And just as quickly as the Heat closed the lead the Spurs ran right past a completely gassed Heat team to extend the lead again with four minutes to go in the third quarter.

The problem with the Heat was no matter how many times the Heat closed the lead to 3-5 points, the Spurs responded, usually with a Danny Green three-pointer to drive a dagger into the hearts of Heat fans everywhere.

The Spurs exploited the lineup of the Heat with Shane Battier, Allen, Cole, and Udonis Haslem on the court and ran off a quick 10-0 run to push the lead to 11 with less than a minute to go in the quarter.

San Antonio’s run to close out the third quarter was the difference in the game with the Spurs leading Game 5 87-75 heading into the fourth quarter.

As the fourth quarter got rolling, Ginobli continued to hammer the Spurs and Miami had no one able to protect the rim whenever any San Antonio player got into the lane.

The lead was extended to 17 points on a Kawhi Leonard three-point shot and Miami looked ready to run out of the AT&T Center with its tail squarely between its legs in the 2013 NBA Finals.

LeBron was again struggling from the field despite having 22 points in the game. San Antonio built the 17 point lead with a 19-1 run at the end of the third quarter and into the fourth quarter.

By the time Spoelstra called a timeout, San Antonio was up 94-75 and the game looked out of reach.

All five of the Spurs’ starters were in double-figures with 10 minutes to go in the game, led by Ginobli’s 22 points in his first start of the season.

But Miami wouldn’t just quit and two three-pointers by Ray Allen and a dunk by Bosh pulled the lead down to 13 points with just less than seven-and-a-half minutes to go in the game.

And then Ginobli and Duncan continued to break the heart of Heat fans everywhere by continuing to hit shot after shot in Game 5 and just as quickly, the lead was 17 points again with five minutes to go in the game.

The Heat kept coming and closed the lead to eleven points with 3 minutes to go in the game after Ray Allen stole the ball and hit a three-point shot from the corner.

The Heat finally closed the lead under 10 points with just under two minutes to go in the game with a layup from Allen. Wade came back the next time down the court and missed one of two free throws and San Antonio led by 8 points.

But, just like every other time the Heat closed it to single digits, the Spurs got a quick two-pointer from Parker and then another three-pointer from Green and the lead went back to 13 points.

At that point, both teams emptied the bench and the game was over except for the final score.

The Spurs finished off the game with a double-digit win 114-104 and the Spurs head to Miami up 3-2 in the NBA Finals with a chance to close out Miami in Game 6.

Parker, Green, Ginobli finished with 26, 24, and 26 points respectively for the Spurs while Miami was led by Wade and James who finished with 50 points total.

Game 6 will be at the AmericanAirlines Arena on Tuesday night.

NL Central leader St. Louis lost a series for the first time since April 26-28 against Pittsburgh.

The Marlins climbed above .300 at 21-47, still baseball’s worst record. They scored 19 runs in the series against a team with the lowest ERA in the majors.

The abundance of offense was a refreshing change for Nolasco (4-7), who has endured the worst run support of any pitcher with at least 14 starts. Luxuriating in a lead, he retired 11 in a row during one stretch.

Juan Pierre drove in two runs and had two hits to extend his hitting streak to 12 games, while Justin Ruggiano and Placido Polanco each had a two-RBI hit. The Marlins have won eight of the past 14 games, their best stretch this season.

Tyler Lyons (2-3), making his fifth major-league start, lost for the third time in a row after winning his first two decisions. He gave up six runs in 5 1-3 innings.

The Cardinals managed only five hits, all singles, with NL batting leader Yadier Molina and Matt Holliday out of the lineup. Both were given a day to rest but pinch-hit in the ninth, and Holliday was called out on strikes against Steve Cishek with the bases loaded to end the game.

Cishek earned his ninth save in 11 chances.

Carlos Beltran went 0 for 4 to end the longest active hitting streak in the majors at 14 games. Matt Carpenter was also hitless and finished 7 for 38 (.184) on the Cardinals’ nine-game trip.

Jon Jay and Matt Adams drove in St. Louis’ runs. Right fielder Giancarlo Stanton made a leaping catch at the fence to rob Adams of an RBI and an extra-base hit in the seventh.

The Marlins scored twice in the first. Pierre led off with a single and took third on a double by Stanton. Ruggiano followed with a two-run single.

A bout of wildness against the bottom of the order cost Lyons in the fourth inning. He hit Jeff Mathis, who was batting .128, and then Nolasco walked for the first time this year to load the bases. Pierre followed with a two-out, two-run single for a 4-1 Miami lead.

Pierre increased his RBI total to eight in 222 at-bats this year.

Polanco had three hits starting for the first time in five games after being sidelined by back stiffness. His two-out, two-run double in the fifth made it 6-1.

(©2013 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

Last year, he was dropped by the Dolphins and got divorced.  Last week, the wide receiver was sentenced to jail for violating his probation.  Now, Johnson claims he is losing $45,000 a month, according to TMZ.

Johnson is no longer making the money he did at the peak of his NFL career.  To off set costs, he’s been fighting to lower his child support payments.

The Miami native claimed to have only made $3,000 in April, according to TMZ, but that quickly disappeared after he paid a whopping $16,525 in child support.

That’s not all.

Johnson pays $9,063.24 in monthly mortgage payments, spends $2,500 on food, $2,650 on car expenses, buys at least $3,500 worth of clothes, $250 for his personal grooming, $5,000 on his entertainment needs and $1,000 on his pets along with various other expenses that total up to $31,154.76, according to TMZ.  All together, he is in the hole at $45,982.76 a month.

Johnson still owns two houses, two cars, and a few bank accounts that put his assets at $4,720,672.57.

Last Monday, Johnson was sentenced to 30 days in jail during a court appearance to accept a plea deal for violating probation. Johnson infuriated the judge when he slapped his attorney on the behind. Although he apologized after the incident and said he meant no disrespect, in the end it was too little too late.

Johnson had been on probation since September 2012 after he cut a deal with prosecutors on charges he head-butted his then-wife, Evelyn Lozada, during an argument the month before.  The six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver and Lozada were divorced quickly thereafter.

After Johnson’s arrest, he was also cut by the Dolphins in a scene that was caught on camera by the HBO show “Hard Knocks.”

Johnson is set to appear in court on Monday to ask for a sentence reduction.

TMZ contributed material for this report.

He’s tried to do it less this season, for three reasons.

The Miami Heat guard has gotten criticized at times throughout his career over how often he complains about calls on the court, though when he saw it spilling into real life, he knew he had to make a change. The spark was when he saw one of his sons complaining to a referee during a youth-league game, a display that left Wade pointing the finger of blame at himself.

“I’m a role model for Zaire Wade and Zion Wade and Dahveon Morris,” Wade said, listing his two sons and the nephew he’s raising. “So I go to their games and I hate, I hate, to see them talking back to the ref. I hate it. It burns me up inside every time. I’m like, ‘Get back on defense.’ And then I look in the mirror and say, ‘Well, how can you tell him not to do something when you’re doing it?’ I look at that and I think that’s helped me understand.”

Sunday is Game 5 of the NBA Finals. It’s also Father’s Day, a particularly special day for Wade. His long struggle for single custody of his children was well-chronicled, and the book he wrote that was released last year revolved largely around the relationships he has with the boys in his life.

The kids, he said, are growing up fast. His oldest son started AAU travel tournaments earlier this year. And while all three kids have different personalities, they’re each picking up certain tendencies from the man of the house.

So he’s simply trying to be the best he can, on the court and off. He only picked up four technicals during this regular season, way down from his career-worst 12 from two seasons ago.

“When have the things in your life, when you feel complete in your life, you just don’t stress about a lot of stuff,” Wade said. “A lot of stuff now, I’m not angry. But besides that, I’m a role model. … I can’t tell my son to do something if I’m not leading by example. So I’m trying to be better at it.”

(©2013 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

Gainesville Police said witnesses identified Morrison as the man who argued with a bouncer outside Kava Lounge early Sunday regarding a cover charge and said: “Do you know who I am? I am a UF football player. I am Antonio!”

When the bouncer told Morrison he would have to pay full price, witnesses say Morrison punched the bouncer in the head.

Police said the bouncer and a witness identified Morrison from the school’s website. Officers say Morrison told them he got into a “scuffle,” but added “it wasn’t that big of a deal.”  He was arrested at his dormitory.

Morrison is a sophomore from Bolingbrook, Ill. He is expected to be a full-time starter this fall.

(TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

Manu Ginobili, not Chris Bosh, is mired in the slump of the moment.

Things change quickly at the NBA Finals, and with everything suddenly seeming right with the Miami Heat, it’s up to the San Antonio Spurs to change them back Sunday night in Game 5.

“It is a must-win. We don’t want to go back down there down a game with two games remaining at their house,” Spurs star Tim Duncan said Saturday.

“Obviously, we lose this game, we’re not giving up or anything, but we want to go back up with a chance to finish there. Huge pressure if we have to go back there and try to win two.”

The Heat evened the series with a 109-93 victory Thursday night, setting up what’s often the pivotal moment of the finals. Of the 27 times the series was tied at 2-2, the Game 5 winner went on to win 20 of them.

“I think that’s what everyone would like, 2-2 in the finals for Game 5,” LeBron James said. “We are excited about the opportunity. We have another opportunity to win on someone else’s floor.”

It’s the same situation Miami was in two years ago, losing Game 5 in Dallas. But the Heat also had dropped the previous game, and James was struggling through a poor series by his standards.

Everything looks good for the Heat as they arrive at this stage now. James was dominant in Game 4 with 33 points and 11 rebounds, and Wade scored 32 points, not appearing to be bothered at all by a painful right knee that had limited his effectiveness in the postseason.

With Bosh breaking out with 20 points and 13 rebounds, everything that was a problem for the Heat a few days ago no longer looks to be the case. Instead, the obstacles look to be piling up for the Spurs.

“It’s a part of the playoffs,” Wade said. “There’s always high moments. There’s always low moments. There’s moments when you have guys who are in a slump, et cetera. Guys who come out of it. Great story lines. It’s all of it.”

The teams returned to practice Saturday after taking a day off, and though Parker said his strained right hamstring was feeling better and he hoped to be close to 100 percent by the game, he later made that sound impossible.

“My hamstring can tear any time now,” he said. “So if it was the regular season, I would be resting like 10 days. But now it’s the NBA Finals. If it gets a tear, it’s life.”

Ginobili is averaging 7.5 points on 34.5 percent shooting in the series, making only three of his 16 3-point attempts. Parker said he’s still confident in his longtime teammate, and coach Gregg Popovich said he wasn’t worried about either player – about all he did say on a day when he was a man of even fewer words than usual.

During his brief responses to eight questions, he added that he wasn’t surprised by the Heat’s lineup change in Game 4, but wouldn’t say whether the Spurs would do anything different Sunday.

“I’d hate to be trite and say anything is possible. Your question demands my triteness,” he answered.

The last three games have all been blowouts, a somewhat surprising result that wasn’t so surprising to James. When their Big Three all play like they Thursday, the Heat can make even a good team like the Spurs look pretty bad.

“If we play our game, if we force turnovers, we rebound, execute offensively and don’t turn the ball over, we can win against anybody,” James said. “We’re a confident bunch. But we’re going against a great team that’s going to make adjustments as well. And that’s why it’s a 2-2 series right now.”

The Heat won only twice in San Antonio in their first 24 seasons, and now can win in back-to-back games, which would give the defending champions two chances to close out the Spurs back home. Game 6 is Tuesday night.

But the team that won 27 consecutive games during the regular season, the second-longest winning streak in NBA history, hasn’t been able to win two in a row since taking the last four games of the second round and the opener of the Eastern Conference finals.

The Spurs haven’t been any better at maintaining momentum, following their two victories in this series with turnover-filled losses by a combined 35 points, and Duncan said their focus has to be sharper.

“That’s what it’s all about right now, is that focus for a longer period of time. Taking care of the ball, understanding what you want to do and less defensive mistakes, and for whatever reason it seems like the team that’s coming off a loss has done a better job of sustaining that for a longer period of time,” Duncan said.

“I hope that’s the case for us tomorrow, but we have to find a way to alleviate that, whether it’s a win or a loss.”

The Spurs have never lost a Game 5 in the NBA Finals, including victories in 2003 and ’05 when the series were tied 2-2. Sunday’s game could be the last time Duncan, Parker and Ginobili play at home in the finals, and they want to go out a winner.

“This game is huge,” Ginobili said. “We don’t want to go to Miami knowing that we have to win both. Going there to win one of the two is a different situation. So Game 5, regardless of where you play, it’s huge for you at 2-2. We’ve seen it too many times. We really want to win this one.”

(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

When Westbrook came off the disabled list Friday, St. Louis (44-24) had to choose between keeping Lyons (2-2, 3.51 ERA) or highly regarded rookie right-hander Michael Wacha in the rotation.

Manager Mike Matheny said he gave the nod to Lyons, 25, because he’s three years older and has more professional experience than Wacha, who was optioned Friday to Triple-A Memphis.

“It’s nice having that left-hander in the rotation,” Matheny said. “It has been nice to watch Tyler do his thing. He has been very efficient and given us a chance when he has been out there. Michael did a great job, too, but right now it’s a better fit for Tyler.”

Lyons, though, hasn’t been as sharp since giving up two runs and six hits over 14 innings while winning his first two starts. He’s yielded eight runs and 14 hits over 11 2-3 innings in consecutive losses.

Although Lyons appears to have a good chance to regroup against one of the worst offensive clubs in the major leagues, the improving Marlins (20-47) have hit .293 and scored 43 runs during a 5-3 stretch at Marlins Park.

They’ve split the first two of this three-game set with St. Louis, which hasn’t lost a series since dropping two of three to Pittsburgh from April 26-28.

The Cardinals had been limited to seven runs and 24 hits while losing two of three games before matching a season high with 17 hits in a 13-7 victory Saturday. St. Louis improved to 5-3 on a nine-game road trip.

Carlos Beltran led the attack with three hits – two homers – leaving him with a .369 average and six home runs over a major league-best 14-game hitting streak.

“I feel great,” Beltran said. “I’ve been healthy, and good things are happening for me and the team.”

Giancarlo Stanton is finally healthy and also wielding a hot bat for Miami. He’s gone 8 for 20 (.400) with two homers, two doubles and seven RBIs in five games since coming off the disabled list.

“This is a good as I’ve seen him all year,” manager Mike Redmond said. “He’s going to the plate with a lot of confidence right now, and that’s fun to watch.”

Teammate Juan Pierre is 4 for 9 in this series and batting .383 during a season-high 11-game hitting streak.

The Marlins, though, could be without Logan Morrison, who has missed the past three games because of tightness in his back.

Scheduled Miami starter Ricky Nolasco (3-7, 3.80) had a 2.17 ERA over his prior four starts before yielding four runs and a season-high 10 hits over 5 1-3 innings in a 6-1 loss to Milwaukee on Monday.

The right-hander has been hurt by the team’s lack of scoring, getting seven runs of support over his last eight starts.

Nolasco is 1-4 with a 4.82 ERA in eight career starts versus the Cardinals, though he hasn’t allowed an earned run in his past 18 2-3 innings against them.

Beltran is batting .341 with a homer in 41 career at-bats against Nolasco.

Matt Holliday also has ripped Nolasco, going 11 for 24 with two homers and three doubles. David Freese, who went 3 for 4 with a homer Saturday, has five hits in six at-bats in this matchup.

(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

But Lance Lynn’s two-run single? That was unprecedented.

Both contributed offensively as the St. Louis Cardinals survived a slugfest against the lowest-scoring team in the major leagues and beat the Miami Marlins 13-7. Beltran homered twice and tripled, while Lynn (9-1) notched the victory despite allowing a career-high seven runs in five innings.

Click Here to see a slideshow of the game.

The Cardinals scored five runs in the first, then found themselves at 6-all in the second before pulling away. Even for the hitters, the game was no fun, Beltran said.

“I felt like I was out there playing defense for four hours,” he said. “It’s one of those days where you have to grind and try to find a way to stay in the game.”

Manager Mike Matheny agreed.

“It felt like a doubleheader,” he said.

Swinging left-handed, Beltran hit his 15th home run in the second inning and tripled for the first time since May 2012 in the eighth. He hit another home run from the right side in the ninth.

Beltran extended the longest active hitting streak in the NL to 14 games and raised his average to .311.

“I feel great,” he said. “I’ve been healthy, and good things are happening for me and the team.”

The Cardinals tied a season high with 17 hits. Yadier Molina singled home two runs in their big first inning, and David Freese’s fourth homer in the third inning put them ahead to stay.

It’s the fifth time this season the Cardinals have scored at least nine runs when Lynn has started, and this time he contributed himself, delivering a two-out single off Ryan Webb to make the score 9-6.

Lynn glanced over his shoulder as he stepped to the plate, unsure whether Matheny might call on a pinch-hitter.

“He looked right at me,” Matheny said. “He wanted to know what the game plan was. I told him to get a hit. Brilliant coaching, huh?”

The single raised Lynn’s lifetime average to .077. He came into the game with five hits and one RBI in 76 career at-bats.

But the right-hander’s pitching performance left him in no mood to smile about his hitting.

“It was a bad day,” he said. “I was fighting it the whole time. I only had one pitch, the fastball. When I threw it they got hits, and I wasn’t able to get other pitches over for strikes.”

Giancarlo Stanton hit a two-run homer for Miami, his fifth, while Rob Brantly had two hits and three RBIs. But the Marlins never took the lead.

Tom Koehler (0-5) allowed a career-high nine runs in 4 2-3 innings.

“It was really a case of two starters out there having a tough time plowing through the lineups,” Marlins manager Mike Redmond said.

Molina finished with three RBIs and two hits, hiking his NL-leading average to .352. Freese and Daniel Descalso had three hits each.

The Cardinals went 7 for 14 with runners in scoring position, hiking their season average in those situations to .342.

Lynn has received the best run support of any Cardinals starter this season, and they went to work for him right away, loading the bases with one out in the first before Molina singled home their first runs. Freese followed with an RBI single, Descalso doubled home a run, and Freese beat a throw home on a grounder to first.

After Juan Pierre led off Miami’s first with a triple, Ed Lucas and Adeiny Hechavarria had RBI singles, and Brantly hit a two-run single.

Stanton’s homer in the second inning made it 6-all, but Lynn stayed on the mound long enough to get the win – barely.

“It definitely wasn’t one of his better games,” Matheny said. “The offense gave him a lot of room.”

(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

They fell six games short.

These days, the Heat are looking for another streak. The most modest of all possible winning streaks, actually. And if they fall short again, their time as NBA champions is a few days away from coming to an end.

Miami has alternated wins and losses in each of its last 11 games, and if that trend continues, the Heat won’t beat the San Antonio Spurs in these NBA Finals. Somewhere along the way, the Heat will have to win two in a row to keep their crown, and get a crack at pulling off that common-yet-crucial feat on Sunday night when the Spurs host Game 5 of a title series that’s knotted at two games apiece.

“If we don’t do two, we won’t win a championship. I wasn’t that smart in school, but I do know that,” Heat guard Dwyane Wade said Saturday. “The numbers don’t add up. We have to find a way to put a string together. And hopefully our mentality and our play in Game 4 can take over to the next game or into the game after that. I think this team, we’ve always responded to a challenge, and right now this is our challenge.”

The Heat won Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals against Indiana, lost Game 2 of that series and the win-one, lose-one trend has continued for 11 games. Miami won Game 4 at San Antonio on Thursday night, meaning if this form keeps holding, it’ll be the Spurs’ turn to prevail Sunday.

At some point, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said, the cycle has to be broken.

“Enough is enough,” Spoelstra said.

A couple months ago, the mere notion of the Heat having trouble stringing even two straight wins together would have seemed ludicrous. They won 27 straight games during the regular season. They won 12 straight in April. They had a pair of stand-alone six-game winning streaks in November and December, and a five-game run earlier in these playoffs.

But the Pacers took them to the limit in the East finals, and the Spurs struck first by taking Game 1 of the championship series. The last time Miami won consecutive games in the same playoff series was a month ago, the final two games of the second-round matchup against Chicago.

“It’s not as if we have never won two in a row. So our guys understand what’s at hand and what’s at stake right now,” Spoelstra said Saturday. “Look, there’s been so much talk about it, but you do have to give credit to the competition both ways. When you get to this level, it’s tough to win two games in a row against an equal opponent. We want to make sure that we’re continuing to get better, and hopefully tomorrow we can have our best game of the series.”

Worst-case scenario for Miami in Game 5: Lose, and head back to South Florida trailing in the series but with home-court advantage.

Such is the quirk of the 2-3-2 hosting format in the NBA Finals, as opposed to the 2-2-1-1-1 system employed in all other rounds of the playoffs. If the Heat win every game in Miami for the remainder of the season, then a second straight title is there.

It’s a luxury that the Heat didn’t want to exactly think much about on Saturday.

“We’re not worried about that,” Heat forward Udonis Haslem said. “One game at a time. We’re not thinking about Miami. We’re thinking about the next game in San Antonio and that’s all we’re focused on.”

Haslem will likely come off the bench for the second straight game, with Miami expected to use its same opening lineup from Game 4, with Mike Miller starting to give the Heat an extra shooter who can help create more space for everyone else. That move by Spoelstra led to some mildly comical defensive assignments by the Spurs, like having center Tiago Splitter open the game guarding Wade, a short-lived experiment.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich was asked Saturday if he may adjust his lineup to address Miami’s move.

“I’d hate to be trite and say anything is possible,” Popovich said. “Your question demands my triteness.”

There is a certain symmetry in the to-do list for the Heat: Win two games in a row, and winning two titles in a row would figure to follow. Then again, just because they’re coming off a double-digit win on San Antonio’s floor in Game 4, that doesn’t mean Sunday will be anything but a huge test.

The last time the Spurs lost two straight at home was March 28 and 31, 2011. And one has to go even farther back than that to find the last time Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili all played in consecutive Spurs home losses — those came on May 7 and 9, 2010, in the playoffs against Phoenix.

LeBron James thinks Miami is poised for the breakthrough.

“I think it’s time,” said James, the Heat star and four-time MVP. “I think we’re well overdue when it’s time for us to win consecutive games. I think we’re at 11 or 12 straight, consecutive win-loss, win-loss, win-loss. I think it’s time. Enough is enough for our team. I’m not saying it’s going to result in us having a win, but we need to play with the same sense of urgency as if we were down 2-1 or whatever the case may be tomorrow night. And we can’t wait around.”

(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

His first two appearances, a win and a loss, both went six games. The Miami Heat needed only five to finish off Oklahoma City last year, when LeBron James won his first title.

Wade talks now as if he expects this series with the San Antonio Spurs to reach a Game 7.

“It’s going to be hard, the hardest thing we’re going to do as a group is to try to repeat,” Wade said. “And this team over here is not going to quit, no matter what. So we have to prepare for their best effort.”

With the series tied at 2-2, the Heat are in the same position as two years ago. They lost that Game 5 to the Dallas Mavericks, who eliminated them in Game 6 in Miami.

It’s often the most pivotal game of the finals, with the Game 5 winner taking 20 of the previous 27 series that were tied at 2-2. The Heat blew out the Spurs on Thursday, but their best hasn’t been carrying over from game to game, not just in this series but for a while now. So it’s anybody’s guess what happens Sunday in a finals that’s dead even, though the games haven’t been.

“I think Game 5 should be the best game of the series,” Wade said. “Both teams should come out knowing each other, knowing what each other want to do, and it should be a very good game.”

Not the way this series has been going.

Game 1 was a thriller, neither team able to build a double-digit lead over four back-and-fourth quarters before Tony Parker’s clinching basket helped the Spurs pull out a 92-88 victory.

The teams haven’t delivered a classic since. The Heat won by 19, lost by 36 and cruised by 16. The last few minutes of each have looked more like an October exhibition than a mid-June championship clash.

“You lose a game like we did in Game 2 and we come back and beat them in Game 3 and look like they looked last night, that’s what drives me crazy, because as coaches you try to prevent that,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said Friday during a conference call. Neither team practiced.

“You like to be on a little bit more of an even keel and perform the same way each night, and the only thing I can tell myself after all these years is, you’re dealing with people, with emotions and not robots,” Popovich said. “They come out and they all play hard, but there’s that little intangible, that little spark of intensity or back against the wall, or a little bit of fear that just seems to kick in when you’ve lost the previous game. And when you find teams that can get over that, those are the championship teams.”

It’s the most uneven stretch of the NBA Finals since 2005, according to STATS, when San Antonio and the Detroit Pistons swapped four straight games decided by 15 or more points to open the series.

Back then, the Spurs could depend on Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili to get them righted. But now Parker has a shaky hamstring, Ginobili’s shot and confidence are even shakier, and San Antonio might need a throwback performance from Duncan in what could be his last home game in a storied finals career.

“If they don’t get more from Tim Duncan, Sunday is the Spurs’ last stand,” Hall of Famer Charles Barkley said on NBA TV’s postgame show.

Duncan knows that what the Spurs really need is to take better care of the basketball. Their 17 turnovers led to 19 Miami points in Game 2, and they gave the Heat 23 points with their 19 turnovers Thursday.

“That’s a big problem,” Duncan said. “When we lose, that’s the big deal right there.”

A healthy Parker would help. He started strong in Game 4 while playing with a strained right hamstring but couldn’t maintain it in the second half. He’s hoping the two-day break between games will boost his stamina.

“It’s going to be huge for me,” Parker said after the game. “Obviously, definitely got fatigued in the second half. Those two days I’m going to make sure I do a lot of treatment and to get 100 percent. Tonight, I was not 100 percent. By Sunday, that’s my goal, to be good to go.”

The Spurs can only hope their Big Three look as good as Miami’s was on Thursday.

With 33 points and 11 rebounds from James, 32 points from Wade, and 20 points and 13 rebounds from Chris Bosh, the Heat rode the top-heavy balance that’s supposed to deliver multiple titles to Miami.

But the team that sustained its excellence for 27 straight victories during the regular season hasn’t even been able to do it for consecutive games lately. Double-digit victories in Games 3 and 5 of the Eastern Conference finals were followed by losses, as was their first victory in this series.

“Well, Game 5 is going to be a big game,” Bosh said. “I think we just have to stay in the place that we’re in.”

As usual, that may depend on James. After taking unusually long to get going in Games 2 and 3, he was out quick Thursday, making it clear the game was not going to be played on the Spurs’ terms.

“I gave it everything I had,” James said. “I was just playing as hard as I could until the tank was empty and that’s how it’s going to have to be for the rest of this series.”

(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Getting the best of the major league-leading St. Louis Cardinals again would boost their confidence even further.

The Marlins try for a fifth win in seven games as they host the Cardinals on Saturday.

Last in the majors in runs (199), on-base percentage (.286) and slugging percentage (.326), Miami (20-46) has picked up the pace during a 4-2 stretch. The Marlins have hit .324 and scored a combined 18 runs in their last three wins, including Friday’s 5-4 series-opening victory.

Giancarlo Stanton went 3 for 4 with two doubles and two RBIs while Juan Pierre, batting .381 during a season-high 10-game hitting streak, added two more hits and his team-leading 18th stolen base. After missing six weeks with a strained right hamstring, Stanton has hit safely in all four games since coming off the disabled list, going 6 for 16 with a homer and five RBIs.

Miami also got a big lift from rookie Jose Fernandez, who struck out a career-high 10 over seven sharp innings before Steve Cishek recorded his eighth save with a 1-2-3 ninth.

“He really was in complete control of that game,” Marlins manager Mike Redmond said of Fernandez. “He set the tone against a great team, a great lineup, and it was fun to watch him.”

Allen Craig, Yadier Molina, David Freese and Jon Jay each drove in a run for St. Louis (43-24), which dropped to 4-3 on its current nine-game trip.

Despite Friday’s loss, the Cardinals are 23-9 over their last 32 games in opposing ballparks. They are 19-7 in their last 26 road matchups versus Miami.

St. Louis will try to bounce back behind Lance Lynn (8-1, 3.00 ERA), who ranks among the NL leaders in wins, strikeouts per nine innings (9.11) and run-support average (6.67).

Lynn, though, wasn’t at his best Sunday, allowing four runs in six innings during an 11-4, 10-inning win at Cincinnati.

“It was one of those games where I felt the first batter in every inning was on, and I couldn’t get into a rhythm,” Lynn told MLB’s official website. “When you have those games, it’s just a grind.”

The Marlins counter with Tom Koehler (0-4, 3.91), who remains winless in seven career starts and 20 games overall. The right-hander has gone 0-4 with a 4.14 ERA in six starts since joining the rotation May 12.

Koehler gave up four runs and six hits over seven innings in Sunday’s 8-4, 10-inning road win over the New York Mets.

He’ll need to be cautious against Carlos Beltran, who’s batting .356 with four homers and 13 RBIs during a 13-game hitting streak. Craig has also been locked in of late, going 27 for 71 (.380) with three homers and 15 RBIs over a 17-game stretch.

The Marlins, meanwhile, could again be without Logan Morrison, who was scratched prior to Friday’s win with tightness in his back. Morrison, who missed the first two months of the season while recovering from knee surgery, is 4 for 9 in three games since debuting Sunday.

“Usually, back things are more than just a day,” Redmond said. “I would assume he’d be out for a couple of days. We’ll see. Hopefully not.”

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So, the Heat did what they have done so many times the last three years, rode the Big Three to victory.

The Heat’s Big Three, consisting of LeBron James, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade, said they had to play together and play a complete game if they were to avoid a 3-1 deficit and near-certain defeat in the NBA Finals.

Some said the Heat’s Big Three didn’t have it in them anymore, but by the time the final horn sounded for Game 4, the rumors of the Big Three’s decline had been overstated.

LeBron had 33 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocked shots while Wade had 32 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 6 steals, and one blocked shot. Bosh also came up big on both ends of the floor with improved defense and 20 points, 13 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, and 2 blocks.

Combined, the Big Three set a new playoff record for the group scoring with 85 combined points while also gathering in 30 rebounds, 10 steals, and 9 assists in the victory. Perhaps just as importantly, combined the Heat stars had just two turnovers in the entire game.

On the other side of the court, the Spurs’ Big Three of Tony Parker, Tim Duncan, and Manu Ginobli faltered in the second half of Game 4. The trio finished with 40 points, 11 rebounds, and 12 assists, but combined to commit seven turnovers in the game.

Miami turned up the defensive pressure and rode the Big Three for everything they could in Game 4 and it paid off with a 109-93 victory to tie up the series. All three know that for the Heat to hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy for a second straight year, it’s going to take that kind of effort for the next three games.

“I was going to play until the tank is empty,” LeBron said of Game 4. “That’s the way it’s going to have to be in the rest of the series.”

According to Public Policy Polling, 32 percent of those surveyed wanted the Spurs to win the Finals while 20 percent selected the Heat. The polling came as part of a larger poll dealing with other political issues of the day.

PPP broke the numbers down further and found that among voters who supported Barack Obama, the Spurs were favored by a 28-25 percent margin, while Mitt Romney voters supported San Antonio by a 37-15 percent margin.

The PPP poll found across all political ideologies, the Spurs were the preferred winners over the Heat with “very conservative” voters picking San Antonio by the largest margin, 42-15 percent.

Breaking the numbers down by race, Hispanic voters picked the Heat by a 31-28 percent margin while African-American’s picked the Heat by a 44-28 percent margin. White voters favored the Spurs by 17 percent, 32-15 percent.

And if you’re really curious, PPP broke the poll down by vegetarian versus meat eaters with vegans preferring the Spurs by a 47-10 percent gap and omnivores picking the Spurs by a 31-21 percent margin.

He promised he would play better in Game 4 and just like the mailman, he delivered.

LeBron led the Heat in scoring dropping 33 points on the Spurs and grabbing 11 rebounds. It was LeBron’s first game scoring at least 20 points in the Finals after being held to the teens in the first three games of the series.

“It was on our shoulders,” James said. “We had to figure out how to win the game for us and play at the highest level. When all three of us are clicking we’re very tough to beat.”

LeBron took the brunt of the criticism for Game 3’s debacle and welcomed that criticism as much as any player would. James was very candid with the media on Wednesday saying in Game 3, “I played like *expletive*.”

It was a very candid admission in a time when players rarely share what they’re really thinking. But in Game 4, James reminded fans why he was the MVP and the best player in the game.

LeBron played more than 41 minutes of the game and shot 15-25 and 1-2 from behind the three-point line. He also pulled down 11 rebounds, dished out four assist, had two steals, and blocked two shots in the game.

“When Bosh, Wade and James score the way they did tonight and shoot it the way they did tonight, a team is going to have a difficult time if you help them like we did,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “When those guys are playing like that, you better be playing a perfect game.”

No team had ever overcome a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals to win the Larry O’Brien trophy. Thanks to the Heat’s Big Three stepping up and dominating the Spurs in San Antonio, Miami won’t have to try to overcome that historical hurdle.

Bosh came through when the Heat needed him the most with 20 points, 13 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocked shots to help Miami even the series at 2-2. The outburst came with Bosh going into the lane and forcing the issue with the Spurs rather than settling for nothing but outside jump shots.

Miami’s center also failed to take a three-point shot, which he had grown accustomed to doing in the past few rounds of the playoffs. Bosh finished shooting 8-14 from the field and 4-4 from the free throw line with much of his damage being done on both ends of the floor.

Through Bosh’s career, he had posted the numbers he posted in Game 4 just five times and only once with the Heat and never in the postseason.

Through the first four games of the NBA Finals, Bosh is averaging 14.3 points on 24-50 shooting from the field and is 9-12 from the free throw line. Bosh is also pulling down an average of 9.5 rebounds, dishing out 2 assists, and blocking 1.8 shots per game.

Bosh’s play in Game 4 slowed the criticism he’s received as the perceived weak link in the Big Three and could pay big dividends in Game 5. If San Antonio has to collapse its defense, or extend its defense, to deal with Bosh as well as Dwyane Wade and LeBron James, it could open up Miami’s shooters.

It’s exactly what Heat president Pat Riley and head coach Erik Spoelstra envisioned when they put the Big Three together. Now all the group has to do is produce at the same high level for two more victories over San Antonio and the Heat will join an elite group in NBA history to ever repeat as NBA champions.

Wade, who has been bothered by an injured knee throughout the playoffs, played nearly 40 minutes in Game 4 and scored 32 points, pulled down 6 rebounds, had 4 assists, and six steals, plus one blocked shot.

Wade did it all while also committing his fourth foul early in the third quarter. But head coach Erik Spoelstra didn’t waiver on keeping Wade in the game, despite the foul problems.

“We’re not going to win this series if myself, Chris and LeBron don’t show up to play on a consistent basis,” Wade said. “So tonight was kind of one of the best performances that we all had in the playoffs together at the same time, just being aggressive from start to finish, and hopefully that’s what we can see for the next three games.”

Wade’s performance, along with great games from his fellow Big Three members Chris Bosh and LeBron James, propelled the Heat to victory and had Heat owner Micky Arison joking about what the media was saying just before the start of Game 4.

“The death of the Big Three was overrated,” Arison said as he walked toward the winning locker room.

It also helped that San Antonio was playing uncharacteristically sloppy basketball, committing 19 turnovers that led to 23 Heat points.

And just like they have for the past five months, the Heat bounced back from a loss with a victory. They are 12-0 after defeats since Jan. 10, outscoring opponents by an average of nearly 20 points in the previous 11 victories.

“It was all about myself, Chris and LeBron coming out and leading this team to a victory,” Wade said. “The thing we talked about is we all have to make an impact in this game, somehow, some way.”

If Miami goes on to win the series, Wade could make a significant argument for most valuable player when all is said and done. His game lifted his teammates and allowed Bosh and James to come through and score almost at will against the Spurs’ vaunted defense.

Behind the Big Three and good numbers from guard Ray Allen, the Heat evened the series at two games apiece and guaranteed at least one more game at the AmericanAirlines Arena. The trio also proved once again that rumors of their demise may have been greatly exaggerated.

(TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

The Heat began selling tickets for Game 6 at 10 a.m. Friday and expect the inventory to sell out quickly. Tickets can be bought online at Heat.com, Ticketmaster.com or by calling 1-800-4NBA-TIX. Tickets will be limited to eight per household.

Game 6 tickets will not be made available at the AmericanAirlines ticket office on Friday and instead will go on sale there on Monday, June 17 at 10 a.m.

The Heat and Spurs will play Game 6 at the AmericanAirlines Arena on June 18 with a tip-time set for shortly after 9 p.m.

The pressure the Heat were under, from a historical perspective, came from the fact that 31 teams in NBA history had gone down 3-1 and none had ever won a series.

But the Heat’s Big Three responded like the three All-Stars that they are, combining for 82 points and lead Miami to a 109-93.

From the opening tip, the Spurs were in complete attack mode in the half-court game. San Antonio was in an offensive rhythm the Heat couldn’t match at the beginning of the game.

The Spurs came out shooting 75 percent on their first eight shots and opened up a 15-5 lead over Miami after just five minutes of play.

The Heat’s LeBron James started out getting to the free throw line and promptly missed his first free throw. James didn’t take a shot for six minutes in the first quarter.

LeBron would come back on the fast break and narrow the lead to just six after point guard Norris Cole was inserted into the lineup.

As has been typical in the NBA Finals, Dwyane Wade came out firing and scored eight of the Heat’s first 11 points.

Wade’s leaning layup with roughly five minutes to go in the first quarter caused San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich to use his first timeout to try to rally his team.

Miam’s biggest problem early in the first quarter was once again poor shooting from the field. Chris Bosh had good looks at the basket, but started 0-3 and looked out of rhythm to start the game.

Miami continued to chip away at the Spurs’ lead and LeBron pushed the game into a tie at 19 with a powerful layup on a fast break.

The Heat tied the game thanks to an 8-0 run that was finally stopped by a pair of Spurs’ free throws that gave San Antonio a lead of just two points that was quickly erased by a Ray Allen jumper.

LeBron started to hit mid-range jumpers and was continuing to attack the basket as the minutes ticked away in the first quarter and finished with 11 points on 5-6 shooting.

Wade joined James in double-figures by hitting a teardrop floater in the lane to close out the first quarter scoring for both teams.

At the end of the first quarter, Miami was shooting better than 60 percent from the field, but hadn’t made a 3-pointer in the game, and still lead 29-26.

The game got rolling in the second quarter with Wade continuing his great play on both ends and helped the Heat flip the script by 17 points after the Spurs went up by 10 points early in the first quarter.

After the Heat’s defense locked down the Spurs’ offense, Miami continued running and Wade continued shooting as the Spurs continued to back off of him on defense.

Miami opened up a nine point lead after a little more than 3 minutes of the second quarter when James hit a layup after an assist from Wade.

Slideshow: Scenes from Game 4

The Heat’s big two of James & Wade scored 25 of the Heat’s first 37 points after 15 minutes of the game.

As the game progressed, both teams began to flop on fouls, with Bosh committing what appeared to be an egregious flop with a little more than six minutes to go in the quarter.

The flopping by both teams will come with fines from the NBA, which has made a point of trying to get rid of flopping in the game.

The Spurs responded to Miami’s lead with a quick run to narrow the lead to 41-36 after 19 minutes of the first half.

Chris Bosh of the Heat was continuing to struggle from the outside with his jump shot and was shooting just 33 percent on his first six shots.

Overal, despite Miami going with a smaller lineup in the first half of Game 4, the Heat missed their first three three-point shots and didn’t hit a three-pointer after 19 minutes of the half.

Miami started to slow down as the second quarter wound down and the ball quit moving around the floor with quick passes, which stopped the offensive flow for the the Heat.

The Spurs quickly went on an 11-2 run at the end of the second quarter, which erased the Heat’s lead and the game was tied at 49 as the clock neared zero.

The Heat’s Chris Bosh tried to throw down a dunk at the end of the first half, but didn’t get the shot off in time.

At halftime, the game was tied up at 49 as both teams shot 50 percent from the field, although the Heat had hit zero three-point shots in the first half.

Miami was led by the combination of James and Wade which had 29 points between them,while Ray Allen had 8 big points off the bench.

The Spurs were led by Tony Parker who had 15 points in the first half with Tim Duncan and Boris Diaw had seven points apiece.

The second half began with both teams exchanging baskets as LeBron got the Heat’s scoring started and Kawhi Leonard reciprocated for the Spurs.

But, when the clock went below nine minutes to go in the game, Wade picked up his fourth foul and the Spurs quickly capitalized to take the lead.

Bosh then took over with a block party on two straight Spurs possessions and both teams continued to go at each other like a pair of heavyweight boxers.

Miami responded with a 7-0 run to build the lead back to 67-61 and Mario Chalmers hit the team’s first three point shot after 31 minutes of gametime.

As the two teams traded baskets for the rest of the third quarter, Gary Neal of the Spurs hit a big three-pointer with under two minutes in the quarter to draw the Spurs within three with the score 76-73.

But LeBron and Wade came right back and attacked the Spurs defense with a pick and roll and Wade hit a running shot, got fouled, and hit a free throw.

Danny Green of the Spurs responded right back with another crucial three-pointer for San Antonio to bring the Spurs back within three points.

The third quarter scoring ended with LeBron putting back a missed shot by the Heat to extend the Heat’s lead to 81-76 heading into the fourth quarter.

After some quick passes by the Heat at the beginning of the fourth quarter, Ray Allen hit a three-pointer to give the heat an 84-76 lead and just as quickly, Gary Neal hit another three-pointer to bring the Spurs back to within five points.

One of the moves that got the most attention during the game was Heat Head Coach Erik Spoelstra’s decision to not play center Chris Andersen, who has been a catalyst for the team through much of the year.

Andersen was seen running back to the locker room just before game time and didn’t get any playing time through the first three quarters of Game 4.

Wade scored a quick four points, accentuated by a fast-break dunk to give the Heat a 90-81 lead with just more than eight minutes to go in the game.

Wade had 30 points in the game with just more than 7 minutes to go in the contest and a Bosh jump shot extended Mimai’s lead to 96-85 as the Heat entered the home stretch.

As the clock continued to wind down in the fourth quarter, the Spurs’ Parker went to the bench after shooting 0-4 in the second half and the Spurs began to throw up the white flag.

The Heat had the lead 102-88 with three minutes to go in the game and Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich began to empty his bench.

Miami finished off the Spurs and with the series tied at 2-2, the Finals are guaranteed to return to South Beach for at least one more game.

LeBron James and Dwyane Wade each had over 30 points and combined, the Big Three’s numbers were 85 points, 30 rebounds, nine assists, and five blocks.