The Philadelphia 76ers jumped to an early lead, keeping the Miami Heat at bay for much of Game 3.
And then the Heat said enough of that already and rallied their way to a 100-94 comeback win to take a commanding 3-0 series lead.
The Heat should know that, although we fans like it when they win, we're not too fired up about their fall-behind-early-turn-it-on-late shenanigans.
Much like Game 1, Miami found themselves in an early hole, as the 76ers proved to be a pain in the ass by jumping to a quick 9-0 lead to start the game.
Philly would keep extending that lead throughout the first half, at one point holding a 10-point advantage. And it helped them that Erik Spoelstra insisted on keeping Zydrunas Ilgauskas and his uncanny impression of the Frankenstein monster on the floor through most of the first half.
Philly's interior offense took advantage of Big Z's complete lack of being able to turn 180 degrees, as Elton Brand went 9-for-15 for 21 points while center Spencer Hawes added 12 points of his own on 6-for-11 shooting.
But the Heat managed to stick around and chipped away at Philadelphia's lead with tough defensive stops and trips to the free throw line. Miami went 24 for 30 from the charity stripe, and was able to hold Philly's best player, Andre Iguodala, to just 3-of-10 shooting on the night.
As is always the case when the Heat is pounding an opponent's dick into the ground good and proper, Dwyane Wade and his amazing feats of awesome was smack in the middle of it.
D-Wade face blasted the 76ers defense to the tune of 32 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists. Wade also went 12-for-12 from the free throw line, took the 76ers lunch money and drank their chocolate milk right out of the carton.
Wade had plenty of help from LeBron James, who pulled down a whopping 15 rebounds in addition to his 24 points. Chris Bosh, who apparently thought the first half was a walk-through, finished the game strong with 19 points.
The Heat have now won 10-straight against Philadelphia and are primed to sweep the series when the two teams face off again for Game 4 on Sunday. Basically, the only chance the 76ers have of winning this series is if they turn the lights off in the arena and fill the basketball court with strobe lights and snakes.
