Boston Celtics secure overtime victory against Miami Heat to level the Eastern Conference Finals – NBA Recap Part 2
The Celtics put up a strong defence in overtime, allowing Miami to score only two points. It didn’t help Miami’s case that James was charged with an offensive foul which was his 6th for the night and he was ejected from the game. Miami scored the first and only points of overtime with a driving dunk by Udonis Haslem.
Marquis Daniels was fouled by Shane Battier but scored on one of two free throw attempts. Rondo then came up with the big layup to put the Celtics up 92-91. He was later fouled while on the break and made 1 of 2 free throws. Miami had a chance to win the game with a three point attempt by Wade but he missed and Boston won 93-91.
“Our execution in the first half was flawless. It was as good as maybe we've had. And then we just got away from it” said Celtics coach Doc Rivers after the game.
Rondo finished with 15 points and 15 assists, going 7 of 14 from the field. Paul Pierce had a team high 23 points and 6 rebounds, but was fouled out in the 4th quarter. Kevin Garnett had 17 points and 14 rebounds, going 8 of 20 from the field. Garnett’s hustle under the rim allowed him to grab 11 defensive rebounds.
Brandon Bass added 11 points and 7 rebounds while Ray Allen also got into scoring rhythm with 16 points, going 4 of 11 from beyond the arc. Keyon Dooling had a big night coming off the bench, going 3 of 4 from the distance to score 10 points in 16 minutes of playing time.
Miami was led by James with a game high 29 points. However, he was missed in the final few minutes of overtime when he was fouled out. Wade had 20 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists but had a slow start to the game. Mario Chalmers added 12 points and 4 assists while Udonis Haslem finished with 12 points and 17 rebounds, even though he played off the bench as Miami started with Joel Anthony as their center.
Boston shot 41.2% from the field and 33.3% from the distance. Miami was 42.5% from the field and 31.6% from beyond the arc. The Heat managed 24 free throws in the game, after managing 47 in game 2. They scored 17 of those 24 free throws. Both teams were quite balanced as far as statistics were concerned. No team had an outright advantage in any area over the other.
Boston now travels to Miami for game 5 where the Heat are one of the best teams in the NBA. An away victory could tilt the series in their favour, while the Heat will be looking to bounce back after two straight losses.
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