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TORCHED
Miami routs Indiana 99-76 in Game 7 to advance to NBA Finals
spt ap Heat Wade
Indiana Pacers power forward David West (21) looks to move the ball as Miami Heat shooting guard Dwyane Wade defends. - photo by The Associated Press
MIAMI — Their season, their legacy, their reign atop the NBA was all at stake, and the Miami Heat responded in a manner befitting defending champions — with a blowout.LeBron James scored 32 points and grabbed eight rebounds, ailing Dwyane Wade matched his postseason high with 21 points, and the Heat ran away from the Indiana Pacers 99-76 in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals on Monday night.The Heat will play the San Antonio Spurs for the NBA title in a series that starts Thursday in Miami.Miami led by as many as 28 points, a shocking amount for a series that had an aggregate score of Heat 569, Pacers 564 entering Monday night. The Heat actually trailed by six in the early going, were still down 21-19 after the first quarter and it was starting to look like it was going to be one of those down-to-the-wire nights.Not even close.James exited with 5:08 left, shaking retired soccer star David Beckham’s hand as he made his way to the Heat bench for a relatively subdued celebration. Not long afterward, security personnel started what’s become a familiar task in Miami — surrounding the court and stretching out a yellow rope, preparing to hold people at bay for the looming on-court trophy presentation.More than a few people didn’t stick around to see the East title formally presented.