Pierce scored 33 points on 13-of-23 shooting and his driving layup as time expired gave the Celtics a thrilling 84-83 victory over the reeling Heat.
Pierce took an inbounds pass from Eric Williams at the foul line, drove past Eddie Jones and sank a layup before Alonzo Mourning could come over and defend him.
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from Celtics-Heat: 56k | 300k  Paul Pierce hits the game-winning layup as the clock winds down. Fernando Medina/NBAE/Getty Images |
"Nobody stepped up and so I kept going. It surprised me a lot that they didn't collapse on me, especially in the last possession with only three seconds to go. I thought they would have somebody running at me. I can't believe they let me get to the hole."
The victory ended Boston's four-game skid and helped coach Jim O'Brien avoid his first five-game losing streak since replacing Rick Pitino last January.
"Tonight was a really hard-fought basketball game between two teams that needed a win," O'Brien said. "It was a great ending, obviously, for us and a very difficult loss for Miami."
As usual, Pierce and Walker brought the offense for the Celtics. The duo combined for 61 points on 50 percent (23-of-56) shooting. The rest of the team had 23 points and was 8-of-27 from the field.
Boston finished at 42.5 percent (31-of-73), going 10-of-23 from 3-point range.
"Paul had a great game for us and he obviously made some very tough shots," O'Brien said. "Paul has become a much, much better defensive player and has gotten better in rebounding the ball."
Ironically, a game in Miami signaled the end of the Pitino regime. He stepped down last January 6 following a 112-86 loss. The Celtics were 24-24 under O'Brien and just missed the playoffs.
It looked like Miami was on the verge of snapping its eight-game losing skid after Eddie House made two free throws to open an 83-82 lead with three seconds to play.
But after the Celtics called a timeout, Pierce took the inbounds pass and drove past two defenders before time ran out.
"He got to the hoop quick," Miami coach Pat Riley said. "He made a hell of a shot. I thought Zo came and just missed it. You have to finish, you have to win. We were getting shots, we just have guys who aren't making shots."
The Heat have lost nine in a row for the first time since a 10-game slide from December 1-21, 1990.
"I'm very surprised we're 2-11," Riley said. "This is an early-season bad start. My first season here we started 11-3 and then we went 12-26, but we wound up getting into the playoffs. One thing my teams have always had is early-season success. We have no cushion this year. We got off to a horrible start."
Jones again carried Miami's scoring load with 27 points on 8-of-19 shooting. He has led the Heat in scoring seven times during the losing streak and eight times this season.
But Jones was 1-of-5 from the field in the fourth quarter, when Miami shot just 3-of-18.
The Heat got off to a fast start, taking a nine-point lead midway through the first quarter. But the Celtics answered with a 15-0 run that gave them a 24-16 lead after one quarter.
Miami shot under 39 percent (27-of-70), including 6-of-19 from the arc.