Miami Heat knock out the Boston Celtics; Advance to the Conference Finals with a 97 – 87 (Part 2)
LeBron James found his rhythm after the interval and led all scorers in the third quarter with 10 points. The teams however, evened each other out. In a balanced period, the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat drew level on 3 occasions,
with the lead changing hands four times.
The story of the period was epitomized in 40 seconds late in the quarter. With 2:52 left, Ray Allen gave Boston a 2 point advantage. However, James hit one from beyond the arc on the resulting possession to put Miami ahead. He
was answered by a three from Jeff Green that restored the status quo. The quarter ended as it began, with a 2 point lead for the Celtics.
The final period started with Boston playing aggressively, determined to take the series back to the TD Garden. They hit Miami with a flurry of shots and extended the gap to 7 points with 9:21 remaining. They looked comfortable
after that and led by 6 with just 4:29 left to play. However James Jones nailed a 3-pointer at that point which changed everything. It was followed by a dunk from Chris Bosh and the scores were level all of a sudden. Sensing a kill, LeBron James decided to
step up from there on.
Ridiculed by the Celtics the previous year and with question marks over his ability as a clutch performer, James decided to put things in order as he went on a one man crusade against Boston. LeBron made two huge shots from beyond
the arc, turning and posing for the frenzied crowd after the second, as Boston faded away.
Trying to rub it in further, James stole the ball on the next possession and dunked it with both hands - a move that brought the sell-out crowd to its feet. He scored the last 10 points in a 16 – 0 rush as Boston looked on in horror,
ending up on the wrong side of a 97 – 87 score line.
There were emotional scenes after the game as Miami celebrated the win over bitter rivals. LeBron James was seen kneeling on the floor, after which he got up to embrace Dwyane Wade. The win meant a lot to him personally and he
was almost at a loss to describe the final moments,
"Everything went through my mind at that point," James said. "Finally getting over this hump against this team. Everything I went through this summer”
Heat forward and the third figure in Miami’s Big Three, Chris Bosh, heaped praised on Dwyane Wade and LeBron for leading Miami to the win and pointed out the importance of playing as a team, "I play with the two best players in
the league," Bosh said. "And we do this together."
The Boston Celtics also identified Wade and James as the two guys that ended their championship quest. "D-Wade, he made it real difficult," Celtics forward Glen Davis said. "He came through. He carried the team. He willed them
to win. He carried them just long enough for LeBron to knock us out."
The win for the Miami Heat, the manner of it and its significance cannot be down played. The Heat trailed for much of the game, but were huge in the final quarter, where they effectively beat Boston.
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