Celtics secure 'great win' while spoiling D-Wade's big night

By Chris Perkins, for NBA.com
Posted Thursday January 7, 2010 12:23AM

MIAMI (NBA.com exclusive) -- Boston trailed Miami by 11 points with 7:34 left in regulation Wednesday. The Celtics trailed by two with :00.6 left in regulation.

But Boston, showing the mettle of a championship contender, overcame both deficits to record a dramatic 112-105 overtime victory at AmericanAirlines Arena.

"What a great win," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said.

Heat guard Dwyane Wade, who ended with a season-high 44 points, was all set to be the hero. After hitting a pair of free throws with 5.5 seconds to tie the game at 99-99, Wade stole the ball from Ray Allen, raced downcourt and converted a two-handed dunk to give Miami a 101-99 lead with 0.6 left.

Then came the play of the game. Paul Pierce inbounded the ball from the side, throwing an alley-oop lob pass to Rajon Rondo, who caught the ball and completed the improbable game-tying layup at the buzzer.

From there, all Boston (25-8) had to do was be its normal veteran self, which it did by outscoring Miami (17-16) in overtime 11-5.

"They scored with 0.6 seconds," said Heat forward Quentin Richardson. "That's tough to swallow."

The Celtics, the NBA's best road team with a 14-4 record (.778), were playing their third game without All-Star forward Kevin Garnett (knee). However, Rondo (hamstring) and Pierce returned to the lineup.

All five Boston starters scored in double figures, led by Rondo (25 points, eight assists), Allen (22 points), center Kendrick Perkins (20 points, 10 rebounds), Pierce (17 points) and forward Rasheed Wallace (16 points, nine rebounds).

Although the Celtics wanted to watch Pierce's minutes -- he was returning from a five-game absence due to arthroscopic surgery on his right knee -- that became less likely with Allen, who picked up his fourth foul in the third quarter, on the bench in foul trouble. Pierce played 44 minutes but said he felt fine afterward.

"I was just a little off on my timing and stiff," said Pierce, who was 4-for-12 from the field.

Miami, which entered with an unimpressive 11-9 home record, took an 85-77 lead on a jumper by Udonis Haslem (19 points, nine rebounds) early in the fourth. The Heat's lead eventually grew to a game-high 11 at 89-78.

But that was when Boston went to work. First were the 3-pointers by Allen and Wallace. Then came the inside game. Rondo converted a layup with 59.4 seconds left to give Boston a 106-103 lead, continuing a trend in which the Celtics made an all-out assault at the rim. The Celtics ended with 54 points in the paint, many on layups.

"Our thought going into the game was if we could attack the paint and draw help and make interior passes, then we can get to the basket," Rivers said.

Wade was 2-for-5 for five points in overtime as Boston crowded the superstar guard and dared anyone else for Miami to score.

"To me it looked like no one else wanted to take those shots," Wallace said.

Wade, whose team overcame Lakers guard Kobe Bryant hitting a last-second game-winning shot one month ago, said the Heat will try not to let this loss linger.

"It really gets no tougher than this one," Wade said. "All you can do is bounce back from it."

Notes

• Heat forward Michael Beasley, who was having an off night (2-for-8 for five points) picked up his fifth foul with 8:51 left in regulation, went to the bench about a minute later and didn't return, continuing a practice in which he doesn't play the closing minutes of close games because he's unable to make defensive adjustments on the fly.

• Miami is rumored to be a day from signing guard Rafer Alston, who was bought out of his contract with New Jersey and waived Tuesday. Alston clears waivers Thursday afternoon and it's widely believed he'll sign with the Heat, a team for which he played during the 2003-04 season.

• Alston, a veteran floor leader despite being a bit of a journeyman, runs the pick-and-roll and can hit the open jumper. He eventually figures to become Miami's third starting point guard this year, succeeding Mario Chalmers and Carlos Arroyo.

• Alston's signing is a positive from the standpoint he could become the third starter Miami has acquired since the summer for almost nothing, joining Arroyo (free agent signee) and forward Quentin Richardson (acquired in trade with Minnesota for center Mark Blount).

• On the other hand, Alston's signing represents more change for a team that has constantly shuffled its starting lineup, rotation, and game-ending lineup through the season's first 33 games.

• Celtics: Daniels, Garnett, House
• Heat: Diawara

• Celtics: --
• Heat: Richardson

• Lead Changes: 16
• Times Tied: 14

• Arena: American Airlines Arena, Miami, FL
• Officials: #17 Joe Crawford, #61 Courtney Kirkland, #40 Leon Wood
• Attendance: 19600
• Duration: 2:52