LeBron James and Dwyane Wade must take over or find themselves watching the NBA Finals from home./AP

60.

That’s the magic number.

With Chris Bosh out with an abdominal injury that will take 2 1/2 to 6 1/2 weeks to heal depending on who you believe, the Miami Heat need their two superstars – LeBron James and Dwyane Wade – to average at least 60 points in order for the Heat to get past the Indiana Pacers and win it all.

Right now, James and Wade are averaging a combined 46.6 points in this Eastern Conference semifinals series that the Heat are trailing 2-1 heading into Sunday’s Game 4 in Indianapolis.

James is at 27.3 a game. Wade 19.3.

That’s not enough.

In desperate times, the superstars get it done.

Ten years ago, Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant showed us all how.

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If Oklahoma City can't find an answer for Memphis PF Zach Randolph, it will fall to the eighth-seeded Grizzlies in Sunday's Game 7./AP Photo

1-2 so far. Not good.

Chicago over Atlanta is the only conference semifinal prediction I’ve gotten right in this year’s NBA Playoffs.

Picked Boston in six games. The Celtics lost in five to the Miami Heat.

Picked the Los Angeles Lakers in six games. The two-time defending NBA champions were swept by the Dallas Mavericks.

I could see the Miami one, coming because age was going to catch Boston sooner or later, but Dallas sweeping the Lakers? The only people who picked that besides Charles Barkley (He’s been on during these playoffs) are Dallas owner Mark Cuban and his closest family members.

Everyone else went with the Lakers.

Now I picked Oklahoma City to take down Memphis in six games, but we’re going to have a deciding Game 7 today to determine who will face the Mavericks in the Western Conference finals.

Can’t see Kevin Durant having two bad games in a row so I’m pretty confident in my Thunder pick, but Memphis won’t go down easily. Got too many tough guys. The Grizzlies are more than capable of winning today.

But they won’t.

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Can NBA veteran Chauncey Billups hit big shots in the Big Apple? The New York Knicks sure hope so. /AP Photo

The New York Knicks are getting more than just NBA superstar Carmelo Anthony in this three-team, multi-player trade that went down today.

They’re getting Mr. Big Shot – NBA vet point guard Chauncey Billups – from the Denver Nuggets.

The Knicks gave up some good players, but everyone on their team other than Amare Stoudemire was fair game.

What the Knicks are besides one of the game’s best in Anthony is a guy who can hit big shots in Billups. In the playoffs, the game slows down to execution in the half court and that’s more up Billups’ alley. He’s not the complete pick-and-roll player for Stoudemire like Steve Nash was, but Billups can play off the pick-and-roll, catch a pass on the wing and nail the deep jump shot.

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The Hawks were a tad more physical with LeBron James, but he still scored 27 points.

Final score: Cleveland Cavaliers 84, Atlanta Hawks 74

Analysis: Atlanta waited until Game 4 to play hard for most of the game, but when you’re down 3-0 in a playoff series, even that isn’t enough. The Hawks forced LeBron James to give up the ball, but since the Cavaliers can defend and have deadly shooters, they were still able to prevail.

The go-getter: Once again, LeBron James (Cleveland) put his imprint on another playoff win for the Cavaliers. He had 27 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.
The brick-layer: Mike Bibby (Atlanta) shot 1-of-6 from the field for three points. Bibby has lost a step from his Sacramento days, but for him to come up so short really hurt the Hawks.
The stunning stats: The Hawks shot 31.5 percent from the field, going 2-of-13 from 3-point range.
The play: Up five late, Cleveland got key offensive rebounds to keep a possession that eventually ended with Mo Williams hitting a 3-pointer to put Cleveland up, 82-74, with 52.1 seconds left.

What’s next: After sweeping this semifinal series, the Cavaliers will play the Boston-Orlando winner in the conference finals. The Magic and Celtics are tied 2-2 (Game 5 Tuesday in Boston).
What to expect: The Magic would give Cleveland a tougher series, but the Celtics are the defending world champions. Even without Kevin Garnett, Boston is still formidable.

Final score: Cleveland Cavaliers 105, Atlanta Hawks 85

LeBron James finished a drive around reserve Solomon Jones with a two-handed reverse dunk Thursday night.

Analysis: The Hawks were completely destroyed in this one. They were were already without Al Horford and Marvin Williams, whom are both injured, but they just tanked it tonight. The Cavaliers simply imposed their will on the Hawks from start to finish.

The go-getter: LeBron James (Cleveland) had a game-high 27 points, five assists, four steals, three rebounds and a block. Like in the Detroit series, James is simply a man among boys against the Hawks.
The brick-layer: Josh Smith (Atlanta) shot 2-of-13 from the field for eight points. He’s not polished offensively, but his athleticism can create match-up problems for the Cavaliers if he can stay on the floor. Tonight, Smith got in early foul trouble and was a non factor.
The stunning stats: The Cavaliers won despite shooting 6-of-19 from 3-point range and committing 17 turnovers. They made up for that by shooting 53.5 percent from the field overall and blocking 11 shots.
The play: On final play in the first half, James causally dribbled to the left across half court and hit a 36-foot shot at the buzzer using his regular form to give Cleveland a 59-35 halftime lead.

What’s next: Game 3 Saturday at Atlanta, 8 p.m.
What to expect: Counting last season, the Hawks are 6-1 at home in the playoffs. They are sure to play better in Atlanta, but here’s the problem. Cleveland has won with such ease so far that if it gets ahead of Atlanta big early, you wonder if the Hawks will respond. If Atlanta is going to win a game in this series, Game 3 is the one because if they lose Saturday, get the brooms out the closet for Game 4. If Atlanta All-Star Joe Johnson can’t play in Game 3 after injuring his ankle in Game 2, declare this series a sweep for the Cavaliers right now.