LeBron James leads as Miami Heat back to South Florida for game 7 of Eastern Conference Finals – NBA Recap Part 1
LeBron James avoided having his dream of an NBA championship being shattered once again by the Boston Celtics when he led the Miami Heat to a blowout 98-79 victory over the Celtics in game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Miami were staring at a shock elimination when they entered the TD Garden tonight but James single handedly won the match for Miami, scoring 45 points and grabbing 15 rebounds with 5 assists. The 45 points were just 4 points shy
of his career playoff best.
With the win, Miami forced game 7 back at the American Airlines Arena, where they will look to close the series and advance to the NBA Finals. James was denied a chance to the NBA Finals in 2008 when his Cleveland Cavaliers were
defeated by the Boston Celtics. Then again in 2010, Boston defeated the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Semi Finals in six games. This year however , James looks to turn the tide and his performance in game 6 was testament to that.
“He was absolutely fearless tonight, and it was contagious. The way he approached the last 48 hours, and not only LeBron, but everybody else. Nobody likes getting dirt thrown on your face before you're even dead. He showed great
resolve” said Miami coach Erik Spoelstra.
With the scores tied at 12 in the 1st period, James got it going early for Miami, scoring 8 straight points that helped the Heat build a 14-4 lead which lasted till the end of the 1st period. James finished
with 14 points in the first period alone as the Heat took a 26-16 lead to go into the 2nd quarter. A three pointer by Ray Allen had the Celtics within 7 of Miami as they looked to build momentum, but James came back with 4 straight points followed
by a jump shot by Udonis Haslem to cap off a 6-0 run by Miami that had them up by 13 with 8:31 left in the first half.
Boston played catch up with Miami through the rest of the half as they were unable to slow down Miami’s offense, led by James. Miami closed the 1st half with 5 straight points to gain a commanding 55-42 lead going into
half time and keep the momentum on their side. James added 16 points in the second period alone, taking his game tally to 30 by the end of the 1st half.
11 more points by James in the 3rd period had Miami up 74-61 going into the final quarter. Each time the Celtics made a run at the lead, James replied with unreal shots to prevent the momentum being shifted in the game.
He played like a man on a mission and controlled the game throughout.
Tags: