SAN ANTONIO — After the Heat were humiliated by the Spurs in Game 3, Dwyane Wade declared that Miami’s Big Three would respond in Game 4.
“We have to do a better job of being that “Big Three” and leading our team,” Wade said Wednesday.
“If us three don’t lead the charge, we’re not going to be NBA champions. Our teammates count on us, so we have to step up.”
Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh then went out Thursday night in Game 4 and did just that.
The trio, with Wade erupting for 32 points, combined to score 85 points and lead Miami to a 109-93 victory over San Antonio in front of a sellout crowd inside AT&T Center, knotting the NBA Finals at two games apiece and guaranteeing it will head back to South Beach next week.
Miami blew the game out in the fourth, outscoring San Antonio 19-9 to open the quarter and put the game out of reach.
After spending much of the playoffs being questioned about the health of his right knee and his diminished play on the floor, Wade turned in a vintage performance just when his team needed it.
Wade cracked the 30-point barrier for the first time since March 4, to go along with six rebounds and four assists. James had 33 points, 11 rebounds and four assists and Bosh added a 20-point, 13-rebound double-double, in addition to playing excellent defense at the rim.
Tim Duncan led the Spurs with 20 points, but San Antonio missed plenty of opportunities in close, and got no help from a woeful Tiago Splitter and Manu Ginobili.
Splitter finished with four points, had three turnovers, saw his shot get blocked twice and was minus-11 while on the floor. Ginobili, meanwhile, was even worse, going 1-for-5 from the field and 0-for-3 from 3-point range to finish with five points, while finishing minus 18.
The Spurs opened the game picking up right where they left off in Game 3, immediately jumping out to a 15-5 lead, thanks to a quick barrage of early 3-pointers.
But then James and Wade decided to take over. The Heat proceeded to go on a 32-13 run, powered almost exclusively by the two stars, as they combined to score 25 points on 11-for-16 shooting during the surge, one that handed Miami a 37-28 lead early in the second quarter.
The game then slowly swung back the other way, as the Spurs closed the half on a 17-8 run. The score was tied at 49 at the half, thanks to four points and four assists from Tony Parker, as well as an unlikely five late points from Boris Diaw, who came in with 3:15 remaining in the half, his first action since Game 2 in Miami Sunday.
After Diaw’s fast break layup tied the game with 12.9 seconds in the half, the game remained that way after a Chris Bosh dunk came after the clock had expired.
After the two teams traded baskets early in the third quarter, it looked like the Heat were in trouble early in the third when Wade headed to the bench with his fourth foul with 6:46 to go in the quarter and the game tied at 58. But the Heat then proceeded to rip off a 16-8 run over the next three minutes that was capped by a Mario Chalmers 3-pointer — Miami’s first of the game — with 3:23 to go in the third to give the Heat a 74-68 lead.
The Spurs made yet another run to close the gap, cutting it to 79-76 on Long Island native Danny Green’s third 3-pointer of the night late in the quarter before an impressive offensive rebound and putback by James sent the Heat into the fourth quarter with a 81-76 lead.
tbontemps@nypost.com
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