LeBron James' 37 Points Carries Miami Heat to Victory Against Nets

The New Jersey Nets might not be going to the playoffs, but they certainly still have a lot of fight left in them, holding their own against the Miami Heat on April 16. However, the Heat proved to be the better team at the end of the day, walking away with the 101-98 victory.

The Nets came out firing against the Heat, scoring 34 points in the first quarter of the game. The Heat reduced New Jersey's lead to three points heading into the halftime break. But a poor third quarter performance almost cost Miami the game. Luckily for them, LeBron James stepped up big in the final quarter, leading the Heat to the three-point victory. Even the Nets' fans were impressed by LeBron's final quarter heroics, chanting "M-V-P!" as the Heat forward scored basket after basket.

"We were able to grind away and not let it go mentally, and that guy, No. 6, he was pretty good going down the stretch," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters after the game. "He was sensational. Obviously, he made every big play offensively. I believe it was 17 straight to close the game. That's what an MVP does and we needed it at both ends. But also on a night like this, you can come up with a lot of excuses to not bring that type of performance, but that's not the type of DNA he has inside of him. The Nets played well but we found a way at the end."

LeBron led the Heat with his 37 points against the Nets. Chris Bosh was right behind him, putting up 22 points and 15 rebounds. Dwyane Wade wasn't able to suit up against the Nets - due to a sprained ankle, but it really didn't matter thanks to LeBron's impressive play.

The Heat's bench put up a mediocre performance against the Nets, but everyone on the team did find a way to put a few points on the basket. Obviously, Spoelstra still has some work left to do before the playoffs start.

With the Heat's win, they move a little closer to the top spot in the Eastern Conference standings, currently trailing the first place Chicago Bulls by two and a half games. With a little luck - and one more game left against the Bulls, they just might end up stealing the top spot in the East.

David is a Miami Heat fan that has followed the team for 16 years. Follow him on twitter @davidkingwriter and check out his blog.
 
Sources:
Associated Press, "LeBron James scores Miami's final 17 points to carry Heat"