Last night, the Miami Heat did what no other team has done in these NBA playoffs: they beat the Oklahoma City Thunder in OKC.  And, again, they did so due in large part to LeBron James.

James led the way for the Heat with 32/8/5, thanks primarily to his ability to knock down his free throws (12-12).

The Heat opened up a big first quarter lead that the Thunder ultimately could not overcome, falling 100-96.

Much of the blame, so to speak, has fallen on Thunder guard Russell Westbrook and for good reason. The Thunder “point guard” was 10-26 from the field. Those are not exactly ideal numbers for a point guard.

The Thunder and Heat will play Game 3 in Miami on Sunday night.

The Spanish national team showed yesterday why they’re the Spanish national team, beating Ireland 4-0 in a match they could have won 10-0. Spain abandoned their “no strikers” approach from their weekend draw with the Italians and were rewarded with 2 goals from Fernando “Major Disappointment” Torres.

Elsewhere in Group C, Croatia and Italy drew 1-1.

This weekend marks a major point in the history of the Washington Nationals franchise. On the schedule, it’s just 3 games. It’s also 3 games in June. However, the Nationals are welcoming the New York Yankees into the Park for a weekend set, with two games on national TV. The Yankees are in first place in the AL East. The Nats are in first place in the NL East and coming off of a 6-0 road trip. Bryce Harper, the best teenager since Alex Rodriguez, will play on the same field as Alex Rodriguez. The national media will get a high profile look at Gio Gonzalez. It’s a landmark moment for the Nationals. Every day seems to bring a new slew of national profiles of the team. Last week, thisran in the Boston Globe. And if I read Canadian journalism, I’d check out what they were saying. Point is, we could be looking at a glowing New York Times piece about the Nats on Monday morning. And with it, perhaps, a new dawn in baseball.

Pitching matchups:

Friday: Phillip Hughes v. Gio Gonzalez (7:05/MLB Network)

Saturday: Andy Pettitte v. Jordan Zimmermann (1:05/Local Coverage)

Sunday: Ivan Nova v. Edwin Jackson (1:35/TBS)

NBA: Thunder @ Heat (Tied 1-1)/Sunday at 9:00 p.m.

Euro 2012:

Friday: England v. Sweden (2:45/ESPN2)

Saturday: Czech Republic v. Poland (2:45/ESPN)

Sunday: Netherlands v. Portugal (2:45/ESPN)

Enjoy your weekend!