EDITORIAL: SALE OF JOE GRANT CAY
The Interim Administration continues to try to have its cake and eat it as well as to operate in a very non-transparent way. When you take into consideration the premise on which they took over the country from the duly elected local representatives, the actions so far have not been to show you how best to get the job done, but how best to carry on the process by which cronyism is the hallmark of the day and picking winners of your own choosing is the best was in which to do business.
The British Government, FOC, DFID, SIPT and the Civil Recovery team declared that the original sale of land by the TCI government to Platinum was a corrupt transaction and as such should be recovered and redound to the benefit of the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands. Steps were taken through the Court system to have the land returned to the Crown and the court agreed that the land should be returned. No sooner than this exercise was completed (Platinum seem not to take an interest in appealing the court’s decision), there seems to be a concerted effort being made to now ensure that the Turks and Caicos Islands’ people do not benefit effective from the return of that land.
The first part of the deception and deceit started with the decision to sell the land to satisfy a mortgage that had been placed on the property by Temple as a result of Platinum borrowing some $2M and using the property as collateral. My understanding of the legal system is that if a leaf of the fig tree is tainted, then the whole tree is tainted. As it relates to this particular transaction, if it was corrupt for Platinum to obtain the land in the first instance, then any subsequent transaction had to be corrupt also.
So why was there a rush on behalf of the Interim Administration to satisfy Temple Mortgage? There can be one inference to be drawn and that is that someone in the Administration or very close to the Administration had something to be gained by the sale of the land by the government to satisfy the debt to Temple!
According to all previous pronouncements by the Interim Administration, all of the land that had been reacquired as a result of some fraudulent activity would be kept in the land bank for future generations to benefit from. So what is the real rush to dispose of this land at this time? Something smells fishy here.
Now in the proper scheme of things, if the Interim Administration had a real reason to dispose of the land for the benefit of the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands, the first thing it should have done was to specifically say so. Following on from that, it should have issued a Request for Proposals. If as they like to claim they are operating in an open and transparent manner, and they want to get the best value for money, that is what would have happen. But they have decided to pick winners from “their side of the ledger”. What is that called? Is it Insider trading? Or is it nepotism? I thought those were the common faults and flaws identified by Sir Robin Auld as being part of the systemic weakness and corruption in the previous political administration that had to be rooted out. But like Courtney Missick likes to say, corruption has only changed its colour, from black to white!
Now let us look at the local firm that got to market and sell the 200 acres of land on Joe Grant Cay. It is Sotherby’s and its local affiliate is Connolly-Zahm! Is it just coincidental that one of the principals of Connolly-Zahm if Mrs. Josephine Connolly, the wife of Advisory Council member Joseph (Joe) Connolly? As Ernie Clarke likes to say “I have the documents”. I will definitely like to see the documents showing that there is no nexus at all!
The old Finance and Audit Ordinance and Financial Instructions, followed by the now brand new Public Finance Management Ordinance, all speak to a transparent process with respect to the procurement of services by government. As I have indicated before, ther should have been a tendering process set up and the firm with the best proposal selected to carry out the work. The worst case scenario would have been to short-list say six of the local real estate firm that have international connections and ask them to submit proposals, I could live with that. I would have thought that that would have given me some piece of mind that I would have been getting value for money.
What I still cannot fathom is how the governor fixed his mouth to call the initial land transaction of Joe Grant cay corrupt and it had to be returned to the people, but no sooner was that done, he is out there secretly trying to sell that asset. Something untoward must be afoot here. I just cannot for the life of me understand the amount of double standard that is being used by this Interim Administration, save to say that a concerted effort is being made dispose of everything of value that belong to us, in a manner that they feel and say that it is in our best interest so to do.
I have never seen so many thing done in my best interest, that am totally opposed to as is happening with these bumbling idiots at the helm. As time progresses, everyone is seeing that the Emperor has on no clothes and is operating in a clueless manner.
How the Interim Administration hopes to be able to get away with such blatant disregards for the rules that they say they came here specifically to enforce and demonstrate the ethics of doing things in the proper manner? However, what they have and are demonstrating to us is that what we were doing was child’s play and they are certainly showing us how bad business should operate. That does not give us faith and comfort in these operators. That is why on the streets there is now total skepticism as to the real reason the intervention took place.
We must by now be in a position to determine for ourselves that what is currently being done to us is neither right nor fair! The reset button has now been pushed by the setting of the date for elections. We should all go out and get registered so that we can send a clear and unambiguous message to the Interim Administration that business as usual will not be the order of the day. Joe Grant Cay has not been sold as yet and it is not too late to restart the process on a proper footing. There cannot be a rush as there is a surplus budget proposed, so the money from the sale is not critical to our financial position except that the Interim Administration is hell bent of getting from under the loan guarantee as quickly as possible and to hell with whatever adverse consequence to the Turks and Caicos Islands people!
--R.Robinson
The views expressed are those of the contributor and not of the management and staff of RTC FM.
STATEMENT OF GOVERNANCE PRINCIPLES BY HENRY BELLINGHAM
During his news conference earlier this week, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Henry Bellingham MP, stated that he would publish a set of Governance Principles for the Interim Administration to work to between now and the elections on 9 November 2012.
Indeed, it is stated in the new Constitution that all future incoming administrations must also agree their own statements of Governance Principles with the House of Assembly and the UK Foreign Secretary within 28 days of taking office.
“Minister Bellingham thought it extremely important that the people of the TCI know that the Interim Administration is working to the highest standards of Corporate Governance,” said His Excellency Governor Ric Todd. “Further, he felt that it would be useful to allow the people to see the sorts of behaviours and ways of doing business that they should expect of their future Governments too.”
The statement in full:
Statement of Governance Principles for the Interim Administration
In the exercise of their functions, all organs of government in the Turks and Caicos Islands have a duty to give effect to the following principles.
1. All Government action shall be taken in a manner designed to safeguard the fundamental rights and freedoms of every person in the Islands, as set out in the Constitution.
2. The government of the Islands should involve the participation of the people. The Government shall serve and take account of the interests of all the people in the Islands. In particular, any process of consultation shall be accessible and meaningful.
3. All ordinances, regulations, policies and actions must be fair, proportionate, and capable of being implemented impartially. In particular, decision-making required by law shall be objective, and the granting of discretionary powers shall be limited to those that are necessary for good government.
4. The Government shall ensure that its decisions and acts and those of public officials are lawful, rational, proportionate and procedurally fair.
5. The Government shall maintain a broad and long-term perspective on the sustainable development of the Islands, and shall encourage lawful business and economic activity.
6. The Government shall take steps to protect the environment in accordance with the Constitution, and shall promote the protection thereof.
7. The Government shall ensure that the TCI Public Service implements policy in accordance with the rule of law and internationally accepted standards. The Government shall respect the integrity and impartiality of the Public Service and the Public Service shall be protected from partisan interference.
8. All public appointments shall be based on merit, and all public officials shall be treated fairly. The Government shall ensure compliance with the Code of Conduct for Persons in Public Life.
9. All government bodies shall, in order to build confidence in their operations and effectiveness, be accountable and transparent to the public and accessible to the media.
10. Government processes, institutions and information shall be directly accessible and transparent to those concerned with them as provided by law, and enough information provided to understand and monitor them. The Government shall keep and use information in line with applicable law. Decision-makers shall provide written reasons for decisions and advise applicants of their procedural rights.
11. The Government shall act in an accountable manner, especially in relation to those who will be affected by its decisions and actions. The Government shall cooperate with and support the work of constitutional institutions protecting good governance and other oversight, regulatory and investigatory institutions, while respecting and preserving their independence.
12. The Government shall act in good faith and a fair manner that is non-discriminatory, for the benefit of all people in the Islands irrespective of race, national or social origin, political or other opinion, colour, religion, language, creed, association with a national minority, property, sex, sexual orientation, birth or other status. Services shall be made available on an equal basis, free of preference based on family ties, political allegiance, friendship or personal gain.
13. The Government shall at all times respect the rule of law, the independence of the judiciary and the impartial administration of justice.
14. The Government shall ensure compliance with international obligations applicable to the Turks and Caicos Islands.
15. The Government shall administer Crown Land and other Government assets in a lawful, transparent and equitable manner.
16. The Government shall manage public finances according to established principles of value for money, affordability, propriety and regularity and in the interests of securing the sustained long term prosperity of the people of the Islands. In doing so, the Government shall also observe the principles set out in any framework document on public financial management made in accordance with the Constitution.
17. The Government shall ensure that financial decisions are made within the context of a medium-term plan which aims to achieve and sustain an annual budget surplus. The Government shall take action to mitigate fiscal risks, and ensure that liabilities, including debts, are sustainable and fully taken into account when setting and implementing budgets.
18. The Government shall ensure that a budget is approved which secures the effective operation of Government and which is in accordance with all relevant laws and standards.
GRAND TURK WATER PLANT BACK UP AND RUNNING
The main Grand Turk reverse osmosis plant was repaired overnight and is now working normally following testing today, Thu, 14 Jun 2012.
Producing 140 gallons of water per minute, some 250,000 gallons per day, this plant is currently filling a 100,000 gallon storage tank which is requires a minimum level to ensure adequate water pressure and to operate efficiently.
Water supplies will again be available from the South Issue Point from tomorrow morning, with sufficient pressure and supply to be reconnected to the mains early next week.
Parts have arrived for a second reverse osmosis plant capable of producing an additional 75,000 gallons per day and this should also be repaired and out back on line early next week.
Finally, parts will arrive for the third plant capable of producing 150,000 gallons per day on 18 June. This machinery will be repaired and put back on line as soon as possible.
“I would like to apologise for the continued disruption to residents’ water supplies,” said Patrick Boyle, Chief Executive, TCI Government. “The Government has set aside $1.3m to replace this out of date machinery later in 2012, following years of neglect and a distinct lack of investment. That these three ancient machines have broken down at the same time is extremely unfortunate.
“Water engineer Zaheer Mohamed and his colleagues deserve our special thanks for working around the clock to identify problems, solve them and keeping this obsolete machinery going.”
The Water Undertaking would like to request that people continue to try and conserve water in order to help supplies return to normal as soon as possible by:
1. Checking for water leaks in their plumbing system.
2. Only using washing machines for full loads.
3. Using dishwasher if possible as they use less water than hand washing.
4. Not running the tap while wet shaving; rinsing the razor in the sink.
5. Using salt water flush if accessible.
6. When brushing not to leave the water running, you would waste about 3 gallons in 90 seconds.
7. If you put one litre bottle of water in your toilette tank it saves 2 pints of water per flush.
8. Not washing vehicles.
9. Turning off the shower while soaping your skin.
CHAIR OF FORUM RESPONDS TO BELLINGHAM
Thank you Minister Bellingham.
Let me take this opportunity to welcome you on behalf of the entire population of the TCI back to our beautiful shores.
Minister Bellingham, I defer to your assessment of our progress in meeting the Milestones and for fulfilling the timetable you set out. We on the Consultative Forum have done all we could to assist you in meeting these Milestones. In this regard, I cite the very collaborative efforts that produced the Constitution Order 2011, the Crown Land ordinance, the Pathway to Citizenship Bill, the Public Finance Management Ordinance, The National Audit Ordinance, and the very controversial CFO Ordinance – all critical to the Milestones set.
I would like to commend you Minister for the leadership you showed in setting these Milestones to be met not just for elections but, more importantly, to return sound management of our public finances and good governance to our country.
His Excellency Ric Todd and his team have only been here for a short while but they deserve credit and thanks for the seamless way they took the baton from Governor Wetherell and his team to bring us to this happy day.
It would be remiss of me though if I do not state that while we have succeeded in meeting the Milestones sufficiently to allow for a return to elected government, I do not believe we can claim the same level of success in meeting your stated objective of developing a relationship between our two countries that is defined by mutual respect, mutual trust and mutual cooperation. This concerns me greatly, and my plaintive pleas in this regard throughout this interim period are a matter of public record.
I was indeed heartened Minister when you demonstrated your commitment to your objective by inviting members of these two bodies to join Governor Todd as delegates at a conference in London last year, which was aimed at redefining the UK’s relationship with its Overseas Territories. Unfortunately, however, that objective seems to have been sacrificed on the altar of fiscal austerity.
I do not believe that we (Turks and Caicos Islanders) have been sufficiently engaged as mentors and partners to become empowered to govern ourselves and follow your blueprint to ensure good governance; I do not believe that you have done enough to nurture your stated objective, and this is clearly reflected in the disconnect at so many levels between the UK and the TCI, and the visceral distrust our people have developed for the British.
That is not to say however that we do not welcome a return to elected government. What looms is the kind of relationship that will exist between our two countries post election. It seems clear to me that far too little consideration on both sides has been given to this.
I understand and I believe all of us in here know that Britain will retain even greater control over the TCI – this is codified in our Constitution. Based on the Budget, we will meet our financial obligations and we will pay back the loan.
Therefore, given that we will be connected at the hip for some time to come, it behooves us to do all we can to inspire and retain the confidence of Turks and Caicos Islanders to ensure that a relationship based on mutual respect, mutual trust, and mutual cooperation can be developed. Thank you again!
Rodney King Death Details Emerge: He Had Been Drugging and Drinking
Details began to emerge Sunday about the death of Rodney King, a key figure in the 1992 Los Angeles riots.
As we reported earlier, King was 47 and died of an apparent drowning at his Rialto, California home.
Here’s an update from the LA Times:
King’s fiancée called 911 about 5:25 a.m. and said she found King at the bottom of his pool, Sgt. Paul Stella said.
A short time earlier, Cynthia Kelley had talked to King, who was outside, through a sliding-glass door, said Rialto Police Capt. Randy DeAnda. She then heard a splash and ran out, DeAnda said. She saw King at the bottom of the pool at the deep end, he said.
Kelley is “not a great swimmer,” DeAnda said, explaining why she did not jump in. Police arrived moments later and an officer jumped in the pool and pulled King’s body onto the deck.
“There were no signs of life,” DeAnda said.
Next-door neighbor Sandra Gardea, 31, said she heard commotion in King’s backyard early Sunday morning. Gardea said about 3 or 3:30 a.m. she heard someone sobbing.
“It just sounded like someone was really sad,” she said. “There was a lot of moaning and crying. Another person was trying to console that person.”
King became a symbol for police brutality and the troubled relations between the LAPD and minority residents. He was eventually awarded a $3.8-million settlement, but the money and fame brought him little solace. He had repeated run-ins with the law and as of April said he was broke.
“I sometimes feel like I’m caught in a vise. Some people feel like I’m some kind of hero,” he told The Times earlier this year. “Others hate me. They say I deserved it. Other people, I can hear them mocking me for when I called for an end to the destruction, like I’m a fool for believing in peace.”
Meanwhile, Rodney King’s fiancée is telling friends King had been drinking all day Saturday … and had been smoking marijuana in the hours leading up to his death, reports TMZ.
According to our sources, King’s fiancée, Cynthia Kelley, is telling friends King was at the house all day drinking, and he smoked marijuana at some point, before she went to went to bed at 2:00 AM.
According to both the LA Times and TMZ reports, officers at the scene attempted CPR on King, which was continued when paramedics arrived.
King was taken to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton where he was pronounced dead at 6:11 AM.
Drake To Be Charged Over Brawl With Chris Brown
Hip-Hop star Drake will be charged with reckless endangerment over a brawl that left five people injured, including singer Chris Brown.
According to the New York Post, if Drake does not agree to surrender by next week, police are considering arresting him at his concert at Jones Beach tonight (June 16).
A Lawyer for Chris Brown labeled Drake and his posse “thugs.”
Brown is being represented by high-powered attorney Mark Geragos, who has represented clients like ask Michael Jackson, murderer Scott Peterson, Roger Clinton Jr. and others.
“I believe the police are building a case against Drake and his thugs,” Geragos told the New York Post. “Clearly, Drake was the instigator, and there is evidence he threw glassware.”
Meanwhile, the fall out continues over the brawl at W.i.P., which left one concertgoer with 16 stitches in her head.
NBA star Tony Parker was injured in the incident, as well as Chris Brown bodyguard Big Pat
One injured attendee has said that she already plans on filing a lawsuit against both parties, due to injuries she sustained in the massive fight.
Chris Brown is not out of the clear as of yet either.
Authorities are investigating if one of the men in his entourage was a Crip gang member.
If so, Brown would have violated his probation, as he is barred from associating with gang members.
Police are also investigating if a gunshot was fired in the club during the brawl.
Ninja Man returns to Sumfest
After two years behind bars, one of dancehall's more controversial figures, Ninja Man, has found himself among a line-up of stars for Reggae Sumfest's dancehall night.
The event's organisers, who are celebrating Sumfest's 20th year, have finalised a dynamic line-up for Thursday, July 19th's Dancehall Night in Catherine Hall, Montego Bay.
This year's tagline 'Looking Back, Moving Forward', suggests the night will have a mix of veterans and younger artistes. Patrons can decide where Ninja Man lies.
Ninja Man will join Beenie Man, I-Octane, Cham, Konshens, Popcaan, Assassin, Aidonia, KipRich, Tommy Lee, Spice, Khago, Tifa, Jahvinci, Baby Tash, Specialist, Potential Kid and Zamunda.
Tremendous hit
Cham, who also represents older artistes has spent much of the last few years of his career overseas and is only now making a return to the marketplace that brought him success. His presence is highly anticipated.
Last Sumfest, Dancehall Night proved to be a tremendous hit and the 2012 line-up suggests it could hit again.
The show dubbed, 'The Greatest Reggae Show on Earth', will celebrate Jamaica's 50th year of Independence with a musical journey through the decades.
Apart from that, Sumfest's two other nights, International Night 1 (Friday, July 20) and International Night II (Saturday, July 21) also have much in store.
On the first of the international nights, Shabba Ranks makes a long-awaited return to a Jamaican stage. Another headliner, Trey Songz, also promises much on the night.
International Night II is just as interesting, as R Kelly, who was to have made the trip to Reggae Sumfest last year but fell ill, will be attempting to make amends.
Sumfest activities actually begin as early as the Sunday before with a beach party, which is usually well attended by Montegonians. This year, the beach party will be followed by a Sound Clash night on Tuesday, July 17.
Reggae Sumfest is sponsored by Digicel, Red Stripe, Iberostar, Jamaica Tourist Board, The Gleaner Company Ltd and Pepsi.
Radiohead stage collapse victim named as Scott Johnson
A man killed when a stage collapsed ahead of a Radiohead concert in Toronto, Canada, has been named as 33-year-old Scott Johnson, a drum technician from South Yorkshire.
A relative confirmed the death of Mr Johnson, from Doncaster, who worked for other British bands, including Keane.
Police in Toronto said the stage was being set up on Saturday when the top part of it collapsed on top of him.
The Foreign Office confirmed that Mr Johnson's family had been notified.
Three other people were injured, one seriously, in the incident at Downsview Park, medical officials said.
The band, from Oxfordshire, south-east England, were not on stage at the time and the sell-out concert was cancelled. A message on the band's website said the gig had been cancelled due to "unforeseen circumstances".
An investigation into the cause of the incident is under way.
'Big shock'
Fellow musicians have been paying tribute to the drum technician on Twitter.
Jack Lawrence Brown, drummer with White Lies, tweeted: "Devastated to learn that the man killed in the Radiohead stage collapse was drum tech Scott Johnson.
"Scott worked with White Lies on a show earlier in the year as my drum tech. A very talented man and a lovely guy all round. Glad to have known him. A big loss. RIP Scott."
Ian West, Mr Johnson's drum teacher in Doncaster, said his former pupil toured the world with famous bands, and described him as "a fantastic guy".
"It was a very, very big shock. He was a great student and a great drummer. He got a lucky break and made the most of it, he never looked back," he said.
"The list of bands he worked with was endless, his CV had every band worth their salt on it, a lot of British bands and world class bands."
The collapse happened an hour before the gates were due to open for the concert, with queues already beginning to form outside.
'Like a car accident'
Toronto police said the stage collapsed at 16:00 local time (20:00).
Those injured were all part of a team involved with setting up the stage, officials said.
Tony Bellavance, Fire Services Platoon Chief in Toronto, said officials were alerted to a person trapped under the rubble and crews assisted in extracting the victim.
He said: "It was a crushing injury that killed the man."
Toronto police later tweeted that once the structure was deemed safe to work around, forensic officers would begin a joint investigation with the coroner and the Ministry of Labour.
Alexandra Halbert, who was working in a beer tent at the show, said she was about 200-300 yards away from the stage, with her back to it, when she heard "something that sounded like fireworks".
"I turned around and the whole top part of the stage had collapsed, as well as the scaffolding," she told the BBC.
"It seemed like there were a couple of minutes of hesitation and no one knew quite what to do. It was only afterwards that we all realised how serious it was."
Jason Ip, a food vendor, said there was "chaos" as people waited for the emergency services to arrive.
"A few people started running towards the stage. No one knew exactly what had happened, but it was clear that people were underneath the stage," he said.
"It was like witnessing a car accident. In a situation like that, you just aren't sure how to react."
Some 40,000 people were expected for the sold-out gig, which was also due to feature Canadian musician Caribou.
Jack Osbourne diagnosed with MS, Ozzy and Sharon reveal
The Osbournes have revealed that son Jack has multiple sclerosis (MS).
The TV and music star family said Jack was diagnosed from tests taken when he lost 60% vision in his right eye earlier this year.
He told Hello! that after first feeling angry and upset he has now taken an attitude of "adapt and overcome".
MS is an incurable neurological condition that damages the nerves and affects the transfer of messages around the body.
Jack Osbourne, 26, said he had chosen to speak out in order to raise awareness of the condition. He added that the support of his fiancee Lisa Stelly was helping him to stay positive.
MS can have a wide range of symptoms, including tiredness, temporary blindness, loss of co-ordination and speech difficulties.
It is unpredictable and affects everyone differently. One in five sufferers has a benign form with mild attacks and no permanent disability, while another 15% have a progressive disease that steadily worsens.
Jack Osbourne was diagnosed with the condition three weeks after the birth of daughter Pearl, now two months old.
"The timing was so bad," he said. "I'd just had a baby, work was going great - I kept thinking: 'Why now?'"
Parents Ozzy and Sharon said they were still trying to come to terms with their son's condition.
Former X Factor judge Sharon said she had been asking herself if she was to blame.
"I kept thinking: 'What did I do wrong, what did I eat or drink when I was pregnant?' I feel like it's somehow my fault."
Former Black Sabbath star Ozzy said: "If it was me, you'd think: 'Ozzy had a reputation and it caught up with him', but Jack is such a good guy."
Jack Osbourne - known as an extreme sports enthusiast - will use a combination of daily drug treatments, holistic therapies and lifestyle changes.
The family were the subject of a worldwide hit reality TV show, The Osbournes, which originally aired on MTV between 2002 and 2005.
The programme, also featuring the Osbournes' daughter Kelly, won an Emmy award in 2002.
LeBron James leads way with 29 points, 14 boards as Heat go up 2-1
Halfway to a title, LeBron James shows no sign of letting this one get away.
James had 29 points and 14 rebounds, and the Miami Heat took a 2-1 lead in the NBA Finals with a 91-85 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday night.
Dwyane Wade had 25 points, seven rebounds and seven assists for the Heat, who were in this same position through three games last year, then didn't win again against the Dallas Mavericks.
James' poor performance was part of the problem then, but he seems on top of his game this time. His 3-pointer sent the Heat to the fourth quarter with the lead, and he scored five straight Miami points when the Heat were building just enough cushion to hold off another late flurry by the Thunder.
Game 4 is Tuesday night.
Kevin Durant had 25 points for the Thunder, but picked up his fourth foul in the third quarter and had to go to the bench when they had seemed to have control of the game. Russell Westbrook finished with 19 points.
The Heat survived their own fourth-quarter sloppiness by getting enough big plays from their Big Three.
James scored 30 and 32 points in the first two games, his two best finals performances. He fell just shy of another 30-point effort but reached his 20 points for the 20th time this postseason, two shy of Wade's franchise record set in 2006.
"It's all about chemistry," James said. "We understand where we like to get the ball, what we like to do in close situations, and it's good to see us execute down the stretch. But more importantly it was great to see we were able to get stops. That's where the game is won and we did that."
Chris Bosh had 10 points and 11 rebounds for the Heat, who can win a second title by winning the next two games at home.
They seemed out of it when Oklahoma City opened a 10-point lead midway through the third. But Durant went out, Thunder coach Scott Brooks decided to sit Westbrook with him, and the Heat charged into the lead by the end of the period.
The Thunder had grabbed their last lead at 77-76 on James Harden's basket with 7:32 left. James answered with two free throws about 20 seconds later, and the teams would trade turnovers and stops over the next couple of tense minutes.
Wade then converted a three-point play, and another minute went by before James powered to the basket, Durant trying to get in position to draw a charge but watching helplessly as he picked up his fifth foul. James made the free throw for an 84-77 advantage with 3:47 to play.
After another basket by James, the Thunder had one last burst -- haven't they always in this series? -- ripping off six straight points to get within one before Bosh made a pair of free throws with 1:19 to play. Durant missed badly on a wild shot attempt, and the Thunder missed another chance when Westbrook was off from behind the arc.
James hit a free throw for a four-point lead with 16 seconds to go and Wade added two to close it out.
"It's very hard," James said. "Both teams are very active defensively and both teams make it hard on one another in the half court so when you get stops you try to get early offense, it always helps and we were able to do that a little bit."
The series made its way from Oklahoma City, where fans in blue shirts filled every seat, to Miami, where white shirts hung on empty chairs just minutes before the tip. The late arrivals in Oklahoma City had been the Thunder players, who fell into big early deficits and acknowledged some first-time finals jitters in Game 1. Brooks said he heard the cries to change his starting lineup but said it never crossed his mind.
The Thunder quickly fell behind 10-4 in this one after spotting the Heat a 13-point lead in Game 1 and getting clubbed into an 18-2 hole in the opening minutes of Game 2. They didn't let things get any worse this time, playing the Heat even from there and trailing 26-20 after one. James, Wade and Bosh combined for Miami's first 18 points.
James and Wade had some dazzling drives in the second and Shane Battier got free for a pair of 3-pointers in the final 2 minutes, but the Thunder stayed with them the entire way, briefly holding a three-point lead. Westbrook's 3-pointer with 2.3 seconds left cut Miami's lead to 47-46.
Oklahoma City started to take control with a 14-2 run early in the third. Durant had the first four points, Westbrook fooled the Heat with a fake behind the back pass before in for a layup, then Durant leaped over James for a follow dunk before nailing a jumper for a 60-51 lead with 6:55 left in the period.
But it was barely a minute later when he drew his fourth foul, though he appeared to make little or no contract on Wade's baseline drive, and had to go to the bench. The Thunder pushed the lead to 10 on Derek Fisher's four-point play, but the Heat got right back in it when Battier and then James Jones made all six free throws after being fouled behind the arc.
Brooks also pulled Westbrook with 5 minutes left and left him out the remainder of the period, leaving the Thunder without their two best players as they tried to hang onto the lead.
They couldn't.
The Heat scored the final seven of the period, Wade making a turnaround jumper and two free throws before setting up James for a 3-pointer that made it 69-67 headed to the final quarter.
ESPN