LeBron James roars as the Miami Heat beat the Boston Celtics again - Part 2
The third quarter started with the Boston Celtics looking to cut into Miami’s 5 point lead early on. They overtook Miami with a 9-2 run, with 5:42 remaining in the quarter, only to lose the lead to LeBron James 3-pointer a minute later. In an even half the lead changed hands 4 times. However, the quarter ended in the same way as it began; Miami leading by 5 points. The third period was fast paced and at times looked like duel between Garnett and LeBron, with LeBron coming out on top with 12 points against Garnett’s 10.
The last quarter started nervously for Miami as the Celtics were still lurking within striking distance. The Celtics slowly started to chip away at Miami’s lead and tied the scores at 80-all with 7 minutes left to play. However, Miami hit back strongly with a 14-0 run as the Boston Celtics crumbled under their relentless attacks.
Mario Chalmers ignited the frenzy with a three, after being picked out by Wade, who flowed with two free throws on the next possession. James then took over; hitting eight consecutive points that quelled any resistance that Boston had to offer. The C’s were also responsible for their demise. They struggled with their shooting down the stretch, missing 6 shots on the bounce.
Boston finally ended the slump when Garnett sank a jumper. But, with 3:20 remaining in the game and a deficit of 12, they knew the game was over. Boston never got close in the last 3 minutes and Dwyane Wade closed it out for Miami with two points from the stripe.
The Boston Celtics had a shout until late in the game, when Miami went on a devastating 14-0 run. Their bench weighed in with 27 points as compared to 12 from Miami; however the big guns let them down on the night. Boston’s Big Three were no match for Miami’s Big Three, as they were outscored 80-to-36. Boston also lost out on the boards with a 44-38 margin.
LeBron James was understandably pleased with the effort but warned against complacency in the next game, "Feel good about it," James said. "Series is far - far, far, far - away from over. It's really just beginning for us."
Boston had injury concerns to deal with as Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo all picked up niggles. However, Allen said the team were confident they could turn it around in the next game, "Being down 2-0 doesn't scare any of us, doesn't make us nervous," Allen said. "It's just an opportunity to come out shining."
On a day when LeBron James lost his MVP crown to Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls, he and teammate Wade reminded the voters of the quality they had overlooked. Dwyane though maintained after the game that the two were looking for a shared glory rather than individual accolades, "At the end of the day, we don't really play this game for individual awards," Wade said. "He has two MVP trophies, which is awesome. I have a finals MVP trophy. Our body of work speaks for itself. What we've done in this game speaks for itself."
The next game in the series is scheduled for Saturday at the TD Garden in Boston.
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