SAN ANTONIO -- Trying to guard Dwyane Wade proved impossible for Tiago Splitter. Same goes for Boris Diaw. Of course, thats to be expected. Both are big men who, well, wont be confused for nine-time All-Stars anytime soon. What proved to be one of the biggest keys for the Miami Heat in Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night was that it wasnt just Splitter or Diaw who couldnt guard Wade -- but that no one else wearing San Antonio uniforms could, either. The finals is now a best-of-three matchup that will be decided next week in Miami, thanks largely to Wade, who came up with his best game in months as the Heat knotted the series. Wade had 32 points, six rebounds, six steals and four assists, and the Heat shook off an early 10-point deficit to beat the Spurs 109-93 on Thursday night. "He was Flash tonight," LeBron James said. "Flash was back," Mike Miller added. Flash is the Shaquille ONeal-given moniker that Wade went by when he carried the Heat to the 2006 title. He hasnt been called that often in recent years, but it seemed more than appropriate Thursday night. "It felt good to have a performance like this in this game when we really needed it," Wade said. "If we go down 3-1 tonight, its tough to climb back out that hole. So to respond, thats kind of what youre going to be judged by as a man. You are judged by how you respond. I thought my team responded well, and I thought I responded well." He made 14 of 25 shots, significant in both terms of success ratio and amount, since its the second-highest shot total hes taken this season. He also scored 18 points in the second half, just the sixth time this season thats happened and perhaps ending the trend of Wade -- who has been slowed by a sore right knee for three months, though James said its been an "all year" problem -- losing his offensive game in second halves. "No matter how great you are, no matter what your resume is, to have a game like this, it lets you know that youre still one bad ... you know the next two words. I cant say, my kids may be watching," James said. "That dude was amazing. Like I said, he was 06 Flash tonight. And we needed every bit of him." The biggest adjustment for Wade came hours before Game 4. It was when Miami coach Erik Spoelstra made the decision to start Miller over Udonis Haslem, with the thinking that it would help thwart San Antonios defensive schemes against James. Instead, it served as a time machine of sorts for Wade -- who found his form again, on a night when the Heat absolutely needed it most. "Yeah, I needed a game like this, but my teammates needed a game like this from me," Wade said. "Needed me to be aggressive. Needed me to play the way that Im capable of. Most important, they needed the "Big Three" to play the way were capable of. They depend on us a lot. We love our teammates, and we cant win without them. Were not going to win this series if myself, Chris and LeBron dont show up to play on a consistent basis." Oh, they showed up in Game 4. Wade had 32. James had 33 points and 11 rebounds. Bosh had 20 points and 13 rebounds. And no Spur had more than 20 points. Voila. Series tied, and no one looked more relieved than Wade. "His floor game was there from the beginning," Spoelstra said. "The six steals, the deflections, his activity around the rim when he was there. We obviously have so much more versatility when our wings cover that type of ground. But he was extremely aggressive tonight." Wades post-season has been highly un-Wade-like, with him averaging only 14.2 points in the playoffs entering Thursday. His right knee has been an issue for more than three months -- not coincidentally, thats also when his last 30-point outing before Game 4 was. And by the time fourth quarters roll around, hes typically been finished, getting an average of 2.3 points in the final 12 minutes of games in these playoffs. He is not the 2006 version anymore, without question. "Except for tonight," Miller said. "Tonight, he was." And what the Spurs did against him defensively Thursday had to strike a nerve. Because the Heat started Miller, the Spurs had no choice but to open the game with Splitter -- their centre -- guarding Wade. That experiment ended after 47 seconds. And in the second half, the Spurs went to Diaw -- another person who its difficult to envision guarding a former Finals MVP whos quicker and smaller -- to open against Wade. Both stints were brief. Nonetheless, something got Wade going. "How are you going to respond?" Wade asked his teammates before the game. He apparently took those words to heart as well. 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Jace Sternberger Packers Jersey .Y. -- Canadas Kaillie Humphries and Heather Moyse have another World Cup gold medal after winning the two-women bobsled race on Saturday in Lake Placid, N. WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Establishing consistency is at the core of the new-look Purdue football program under enthusiastic interim coach Gerad Parker.An inability to play with any consistency led to athletic director Mike Bobinskis decision on Oct. 16 to fire fourth-year head coach Darrell Hazell, who was 9-33, and replace him with 35-year-old Parker, who has a riverboat gamblers approach to facing No. 24 Penn State on Saturday in Ross-Ade Stadium.The Boilermakers (3-4, 1/3 Big Ten) played with energy and passion last Saturday in a 27-14 loss at No. 7 Nebraska, leading the Cornhuskers 14-10 at halftime. They will need to do it again against red-hot Penn State (5-2, 3-1), which upset then-No. 2 Ohio State 24-21 last weekend.Parker is eager to show fans and the rest of the Big Ten that Purdue is capable of back-to-back efforts that feature consistent play.I told somebody the other day that (football) is a very emotional game, and guys and teams that play at a high level are able to find that emotion each and every week, said Parker, who is also Purdues receivers coach. Thats something that weve got to understand here and do better here to get where we need to go. We did expend a lot of energy at Nebraska, and so did Penn State (against Ohio State). We will find a way. Thats my job.It wont be easy for a Purdue team that has not won consecutive games since November 2012, when Danny Hope was coach.This season, Purdue was beaten by 18 points by Cincinnati, by 43 points by Maryland and by 14 points by Iowa in games following its three victories.Purdue quuarterback David Blough said Parker is making it clear that a poor performance following a good effort no longer will be tolerated.dddddddddddd.He tells us to just let it ride, which is the best way to put it, Blough said. He is one heck of a dude. I think anybody on this team would take a bullet for him. Adversity can pull the coward out of you or show the man that is inside. Something like this can make you bitter, or it can make you better. A lot of guys have chosen to make themselves better.Linebacker JaWhaun Bentley anticipates an even better effort against Penn State.Its no secret that there was a lot that went on last week, Bentley said. We definitely were into it and ready to play at Nebraska. We have to continue to lay it on the line. There is no such thing as a moral victory. I am not a believer in that.Our practices are a lot faster now, and our technique is better, too. Were not going to decrease it. We are going to increase it. Were looking to come out and win.Game notes Parker said Tuesday that senior defensive tackle Jake Replogle, who has missed two consecutive games because of headaches, likely will return against Penn Sta