"Dwyane Wade wasn't Dwyane Wade until the waning minutes. That was a significant concern Tuesday night.

But Mike Miller wasn't Mike Miller, at least the version that had been on display in recent weeks. And that represented a significant gain.

Mostly, though, LeBron James was LeBron James, and sometimes that's seemingly all it takes.

With Miller compensating for what Wade was unable to provide, and James taking control on both ends, the Miami Heat moved within one win of the franchise's second appearance in the NBA Finals with a 101-93 overtime victory at AmericanAirlines Arena.

"This series is an absolute bloodbath," coach Erik Spoelstra said when the three-hour marathon was over, "and that game tonight was a total grind. It is very challenging for either team to get into any kind of fluid offensive flow. It is about as competitive and physical as it could be."

With Miller scoring 12 points on a night Wade was limited to 14 on 5-of-16 shooting, the Heat rode the 35 points of James and 22 more from forward Chris Bosh to a 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference finals, with the best-of-seven series continuing Thursday at the United Center.

"If you're a fan of the game," Wade said, "this is a great basketball game. This is will, and both teams showed that. We made the plays at the end to eventually pull away."

The Heat closed out the game by converting their final 24 free throws."