The Oklahoma Court Advantage Disappears - Wall Street Journal (blog)

By Jeremy Gordon

It was bound to happen sooner or later: Reigning MVP LeBron James repudiating his critics and those tossed-off nicknames of “LeBrick” and “LeBad” and “LeBlowingTheGame” to deliver two immensely clutch free throws to seal victory in Game 2 of the NBA Finals. That leaves the Miami Heat and Oklahoma City Thunder tied 1-1, with at least three more games scheduled for a series already on the road to classic status. The game witnessed a controversial ending and more controversial calls, but they could almost be forgotten in the afterglow of realizing that these are the NBA Finals we’ve been waiting for.

European Pressphoto Agency

The decision LeBron James made in driving on Serge Ibaka was second-guessed by no one.

Thunder fans might not forget those calls so easily. But a 16-2 Miami run to open the game couldn’t be easily overcome as the Heat refused to slow down the way they did in Game 1. “The Heat won this game in the first six minutes,” Michael Sherman writes for the Oklahoman. “Dwyane Wade, who looked like he needed to spend the day off after Game 1 checking out assisted-living facilities, was back to dunking like it was the summer of 2006. Shane Battier was shooting like he’s back at Duke.” That was another big difference for the Heat: The complete resurgence of their supporting cast. Battier provided his typical hustle and sharpshooting, including one “Did He Really?” bank shot to stretch the fourth-quarter lead. (Though sadly enough, he’ll mostly be remembered for being in the way of this monstrous Kevin Durant throwdown.) Returning to the starting lineup, Chris Bosh collected more rebounds than he did in any game this season, while Wade showed up with a well-rounded effort and much of the athleticism he lacked in Game 1.

But the story will be LeBron, and for good reason: It was the most important game of his Finals career, especially as Miami became the first team to break Oklahoma City’s undefeated playoff home record. “It’s still early, and there will be many more fourth quarters to be dueled against Durant, but this was the kind of result James had been seeking on the biggest stage, and it was the kind of leadership that made his teammates want to sign up with him,” Ian Thomsen writes for Sports Illustrated. “They have been in this together for two years of vilification and second-guessing, and neither Wade nor Bosh has ever publicly regretted having attached his good name to the nasty carnival that has been created around LeBron. They’ve had faith that a night like this would come.”

Even as Russell Westbrook’s more problematic tendencies came out, the Thunder remained in fine form. James Harden came alive, and despite Durant’s missed shot to tie the game, he was as automatic in the second half as almost any player could be. Really, that’s the ideal outcome: Both teams playing their minds out, with the result up in the air until the final seconds. “Slowly, surely, James is discovering fresh Finals successes, crossing into new dimensions,” writes Yahoo’s Adrian Wojnarowski. “Ball in his hands, clock ticking down and Durant will forever live with the consequences of makes and misses. Kevin Durant had a chance to take an opposing superstar out on Thursday, and he’ll long rue the day he let the Miami Heat into the NBA Finals, and most of all, let LeBron James live to beat him another day.” We’ll see if that happens when the series shifts to Miami for Sunday’s game â€" we’ll be there wearing our live blogging hats, of course.

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It’s an admitted long shot, and one that may not change the existing perspective that R.A. Dickey pitched a very impressive one-hitter on Wednesday night against Tampa Bay. The New York Mets now wait to see whether their odd appeal to Major League Baseball will result in Dickey’s performance magically becoming a post-game no-hitter. They’re doing this even as the knuckleballer admits he’s not really sure how he’d feel about the amended and sure to be asterisked accomplishment. But a decision must be reached, whether it will save David Wright from goat status â€" it was his shaky play that was ruled a first-inning hit for the Rays â€" or hang the hat of shame even tighter around his head.

“Without those two Wright errors? Well, you could get all Michael Kay on me and talk about the fallacy of the predetermined outcome, that there’s no way to know what might have happened in the remainder of the game if Wright had made the play on Upton since we’d be dealing with an entirely different timeline,” Shane Ryan writes for Grantland. “But I scoff at your amateur philosophy. The fact is, we could have had two perfect games in the same night if Wright could field his position. Dickey was robbed, once by a scorekeeper and once by his own teammate.” The Mets expect to hear back from the league today.

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As the opening round of Euro 2012 heads toward its conclusion, a sense of desperation is getting quite real for a few teams. Coming off a draw against Croatia, Italy finds itself at risk of early elimination, with the fate of the Azzurri resting largely on how Croatia and Spain finish their final match. “It means that if the two sides draw on Monday, and Italy also defeats Ireland, all three sides will be tied with five points. In that case only the results between these three would be taken into consideration. If that doesn’t separate the cluster, goal differential will come into play. And if that doesn’t work, goals scored against one another will be used,” writes Sports Illustrated’s Georgina Turner. “The craziest scenario would occur if Croatia and Spain draw 2-2. In that event, Italy could beat Ireland 36-0 and still go home.” A similar thing happened at Euro 2004.

Italy can blame its tentative playing style, but Ireland must consider something else altogether. After expecting to make a dent in the tournament, the Irish were officially eliminated from advancing following a 4-0 defeat to Spain. “Elimination. Humiliation. The rocky road to Poland was a smooth passageway compared to this,” Daniel McDonnell writes for the Belfast Times. “And, while the superb Irish support stood to applaud at the final whistle, this experience will have scarred the professional pride of a squad and a strategy that was thoroughly exposed.” The Irish can still play spoiler against Italy, and salvage their competitive pride. Sometimes, the best way to alleviate misery is to make sure you’re not the only one feeling down in the dumps. The Journal is all over Euro 2012 as well, live blogging today’s England-Sweden tilt at 2:45 p.m. ET and providing plenty more coverage all weekend.

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Clemson, while far from the dregs, isn’t the most glamorous college football program. But top recruit Robert Nkemdiche certainly treated it like the top of the A-list when he committed to the Tigers, giving them their most impressive get of the recruiting season. “Clemson certainly did their best to land the five-star, getting commitments from his good friends and teammates Wayne Gallman and cornerback David Kamara,” Bryan Fischer writes for CBS Sports, later adding, “It’s big news for the ACC too, which landed the No. 1 recruit for the first time since 2003.” That’s certainly one way for a team to recover from a 70-33 shellacking by West Virginia at this year’s Orange Bowl.

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