Boston Celtics hit back; Crush Miami Heat 97-81 to pull one back – Part 2
Boston Celtics took the game away from the Miami Heat in the third quarter. Boston came out firing on all cylinders after the interval and their hustle completely shuttered Miami’s offense. The Heat only scored 15 in the third.
Dwyane Wade had 5 of them while LeBron James could only manage a single point all quarter.
Boston went on a 9 – 1 run to start off the quarter and never looked back from then on. Kevin Garnett was on fire for the Celtics. He had 14 points in the third period as he dominated inside, also grabbing 5 rebounds. Paul Pierce
played the second lead with 9 as Boston stretched their gap to as much as 14 points at one point. They ended the third period with an eleven point lead at 61 – 72.
Rajon Rondo dislocated his shoulder in the third quarter after a tangle with Dwyane Wade. His game seemed to be over and he was helped to the locker room. However, he patched up his arm to comeback in the fourth and inspired Boston
to the win. Rondo basically played with just his right arm and still managed to score a dunk and a layup.
Rondo’s courage charged up the team and the TD Garden crowd as Boston romped through the final period.
"He showed he's a really tough young individual," said Kevin Garnett after the game. "I don't know what he's going to be like when he's 35, but right now he's playing pretty well.
Boston were never troubled by Miami in the fourth quarter. They stretched the gap to 18 and cruised through the final period. The Big Three of the Celtics scored the team’s last 12 points, including too huge three pointers by Paul
Pierce. Pierce was hot from downtown throughout the game and hit 5-of-7 three pointers.
The win has brought the C’s right back into the series after they had lost the first two games in Miami. Boston had a strong shooting night, hitting exactly half of their shots from the field and from beyond the arc. Miami on the
other hand, managed only 42.5 percent from the field and also disappointed with 21.7 from three point range. They also lost out on the boards 36 – 39 and had 14 turnovers.
The Celtics out hustled Miami in the game and played with a lot of heart. They went hard all game and did not care about the physical duress, as shown by Rondo. Delonte West also got a bruised left shoulder but after the game he
said the Celtics didn’t mind as long as they won,
"The playoffs are here. This is what it's about: Bruises, whatever, you've got to keep on going," West said. "I think that light clicked on for us today."
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