NEW YORK, N.Y. - His opponent couldnt stop him, and LeBron James didnt quite know what to think when his coach tried. Erik Spoelstra asked James about taking a fourth-quarter rest, but the game was too important to sit. So the answer was no — just not said so politely. "He asked me and I didnt know if he was serious or not, and what I told him I cannot say again," James said. "So I wanted to finish out the game. I felt like it was a must-win for us." James tied his playoff career high with 49 points, Chris Bosh made the tiebreaking 3-pointer with 57 seconds left, and the Miami Heat beat the Brooklyn Nets 102-96 Monday night for a 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals. James carried the Heat nearly the entire way until Bosh hit the basket that put Miami ahead for good — a play where James resisted the temptation to force a shot, instead passing to Mario Chalmers, who swung it to a wide-open Bosh. Ray Allen followed with four free throws and James finished it off with one more, putting the Heat in position to wrap it up at home Wednesday in Game 5. James was 16 of 24 from the field and 14 of 19 from the free throw line in matching the 49 points he scored for Cleveland against Orlando in the 2009 Eastern Conference finals. He missed his second free throw with 1.1 seconds left, muttering to himself after. "Thats the first time Ive been disappointed in myself in a win," James said before smiling, realizing his performance left nothing to complain about. "He was what was needed on the road and thats what makes him the best player in the game," Spoelstra said. Joe Johnson scored 18 points for the Nets, who were 15 of 25 from 3-point range in their Game 3 victory but only 5 of 22 in this one. Paul Pierce added 16 points. "This is very difficult to swallow," Nets centre Kevin Garnett said. "Hard to take, but its what it is. Coulda, shoulda, woulda doesnt help us at this point." Dwyane Wade scored 15 points on the night his Heat post-season record of 46 points was shattered. Bosh finished with 12. Miami pulled out a thrilling victory in a game in which neither team led by double digits and has won at least one road game in 14 straight series, breaking the record set by the Chicago Bulls from 1991-94. Garnetts two free throws tied it with 2:30 remaining. Bosh then missed a pair of 3-pointers before getting a third crack at it in the corner in front of the Brooklyn bench for a 97-94 lead. Johnson then missed a jumper while trying to draw James sixth foul — Johnson said afterward James "flopped" — and Allens free throws put it away. "Obviously the series is not over but we really have to have some urgency going to Miami and weve got to come out of there with one," Johnson said. Wade scored 46 points against Boston in the 2010 playoffs, and James best in a Heat uniform had also come against the Celtics, his memorable 45-point performance that saved Miamis season in Game 6 of the 2012 Eastern Conference finals. Pierce, who asked to guard James after Game 1, was on the wrong end of this LeBron masterpiece. James and the Heat had shrugged off a couple days of chatter from Pierce, who said the Nets werent afraid of them. But things were testy at the start, with first-quarter technical fouls for James, Pierce, Shane Battier and Alan Anderson. Miami started quickly again and led 27-22 after one behind 12 points from James. He opened the second on the bench and Brooklyn started with a 9-2 spurt to take its first lead at 31-29. James was a force once he returned — especially after a second foul against him seemed to get James more annoyed than any of Pierces talking did. James gave Pierce a glare after a thunderous slam later in the period, when he had 13 points in 7 1/2 minutes, and the Heat led 56-49. James had 13 straight Miami points in the third, but Brooklyn cut it to one on a few occasions before he made a pair of free throws to give Miami a 79-76 lead. NOTES: Mirza Teletovic was held to four points and missed all three 3-point attempts. He had been 11 of 19 in the series, Wade saying before the game it was "red alert" when he entered. ... As they have during post-season home games, the Nets had a Brooklyn-based entertainer announce their starting lineups. On Monday it was Mike D of the Beastie Boys. Denzel Washington, Spike Lee and Floyd Mayweather Jr. were also in the crowd. Joe Crede Jersey . On paper, it looks a little like Andre the Giant taking on a midget wrestler. It has all the makings of a rout with the Americans adding an eighth win in nine outings of this biennial event. The Yanks have eight players in the top 15 in the world while the Internationals have just one. Yolmer Sanchez Jersey . He still wanted out. "It just seemed like the direction they were going didnt fit what I thought my career was going to be," Kesler said. "At the end of the day I want to win a championship and I want to win it now, and four years is a little too long for me. http://www.whitesoxteamshop.com/White-So...on-Kids-Jersey/. on the 15-day disabled Monday list because of a strained right hamstring. Nellie Fox Jersey .com) - The Carolina Panthers won for the first time in seven games last week, were without Cam Newton due to a car accident this week, but somehow sit atop the much-maligned NFC South. Robin Ventura Jersey .Kessy tried to show what he can do playing left wing for the Oilers in 5-0 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday in pre-season action.BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The Buffalo Sabres are moving on without the longtime face of their franchise. And they know the experience will be anything but ordinary. "When a guy like Ryan Miller gets traded, thats not a normal player getting traded," interim head coach Ted Nolan said. "He was the face of the organization for a long, long time. To lose a player like him, its tough." Tough, yes, but perhaps good practice for a team that could be offloading several more veterans before Wednesdays trade deadline, as general manager Tim Murray continues efforts to fix the NHLs worst team. Murray traded Miller and captain Steve Ott to St. Louis on Friday. Buffalo acquired goaltender Jaroslav Halak, right wing Chris Stewart, prospect William Carrier, a 2015 first-round draft pick and a conditional pick. Its unlikely to end there. Christian Ehrhoff said Friday that he recently complied with the Sabres request to submit a list of eight teams that would make up the no-trade clause of his contract. Soon-to-be unrestricted free agents Matt Moulson and Henrik Tallinder could also move, and Murray has said contract status doesnt dictate availability. Even Halak or Stewart could be traded. "Theyre pieces that will be Buffalo Sabres when they pass their physicals and after that its the same as everybody else," Murray said. "And what I said, if it makes sense it makes sense. ... If theyre Buffalo Sabres, they play here and were happy with them." The overhaul began under Murrays predecessor, Darcy Regier, who was fired in November. The Sabres traded numerous high-priced veterans last season, including captain Jason Pominville. It continued into October, when Thomas Vanek was traded to the New York Islanders for Moulson and two high draft picks. The Sabres, as a result, have stockpiled picks. They could have as many as two first-round and three second-round selections in this years draft, with 10 total picks over the first two rounds of the next two drafts. Buffalo also has a solid group of prospeccts in its farm system, including defencemen Rasmus Ristolainen and Nikita Zadorov, who were both drafted in the first round in June.dddddddddddd Murrays objective is to add more draft picks or young prospects, and hes been clear about his intentions to make the team better regardless of cost. "Theres no untouchables," Murray said before the Miller trade. "Its a rebuild." And for the players remaining on the team, its a big opportunity to take a leadership role. In the case of Enroth, its a chance to become a teams No. 1 goaltender for the first time in his career. "If you dont call this a chance, I dont know what a chance is," Enroth said, later adding, "I truly believe I can be a No. 1 guy here." Nolan noticed changes almost immediately after the trade was announced, as Ott and Miller said their goodbyes to teammates. "You could really see it on Drew Staffords face the most," Nolan said Friday. "Him and Matt Moulson really took over the leadership tonight with this young group." Stafford is now the longest-tenured Sabre and the only player left from the 2006-07 team that won the Presidents Trophy, though Tallinder left as a free agent before being reacquired this summer. The general managers goals arent lost on the players in the room, and Tyler Myers has expressed confidence in the direction of the team in general. "You have to look at what we got, too," Myers said. "I think its good for both sides. Im happy for Ott and Miller." Murray said the timing of the deal was not ideal for his roster, but the 22-year-old Marcus Foligno and other young teammates almost immediately recognized the bittersweet chance to drive the team into the future. "I looked around with (Brian) Flynn and (Zemgus) Girgensons, and we just said we gotta step up," Foligno said. "This is a game where we have to play well and this is something where we lost them and now hopefully were here for the long run and were players that they count on." ' ' '