Heat-Celtics Preview

By JIMMY GOLEN
Posted Jun 06 2012 5:57PM

BOSTON (AP) LeBron James saw his share of disappointment in Boston when he was with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Then he joined the Miami Heat, and things only got worse.

Miami has lost seven of eight on the parquet floor since James arrived to form a superteam modeled after the new Big Three that hung the Celtics' unprecedented 17th NBA championship banner.

The Heat will need a victory here in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals on Thursday night to avoid a fourth straight loss to the Celtics, a fifth straight loss in Boston and a second straight year of failed promise from the trio of James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh.

"We plan to win the ballgame. We've got to win. That's all we've got to do," Wade said Wednesday before the Heat boarded a plane to return to Boston. "Can't listen to the noise. I'm not. I'm sure our team is not. We're just focused on winning this ballgame."

It was in Boston that James said goodbye to Cleveland, ripping off his jersey as he left the court after Game 6 of the 2010 Eastern Conference semifinals after the Celtics spoiled the two-time defending NBA MVP's best chance to win a title with his hometown team.

But Miami has had even bigger struggles in Boston, winning just once on the parquet since Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen joined forces. The Celtics knocked the Heat out of the playoffs in the first round of the 2010 playoffs, one series before eliminating James' Cavaliers. (The Heat did eliminate the Celtics from the playoffs last year, but they needed just one win in Boston.)

In all, Miami has lost 15 of its last 16 regular-season games in Boston.

"Why would you think about that? What does it do for you? Is it going to change anything? No," Wade said. "You've got to go out and try to play - each game is its own. You can't say, `Oh, well, we're down one point and we've lost 15 out of 16 here. We're not going to win.'

"It doesn't work that way."

Miami finished seven games ahead of the Celtics in the lockout-shortened regular season to earn home-court advantage, then gave it back on Tuesday night when Boston beat the Heat 94-90 to win Game 5.

That means the Celtics just need to win at home on Thursday to advance to the NBA finals for the third time in five years.

"I know how much pain this team has given me over the years," James said. "I think I guess it's only right that we will be going up there in an elimination game. In order for us to keep our season going, we have to win in their building."

That would force the series back to Miami for a decisive seventh game, giving the Celtics a fallback if they should falter at home.

But they're not interested in that.

"We have one home game left, and that's it in this series," coach Doc Rivers said Wednesday. "We have to understand that, and we have to come with that sense of urgency. Our guys understand that, and I think so does Miami."

The Celtics would also like to avoid a Game 7 so they can rest their banged-up regulars, including thirtysomethings Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett.

Allen, who missed the first two games of the postseason because of bone spurs in his right ankle, left Game 5 in the third quarter when his ankle stiffened but returned in the fourth and sank two free throws with 14 seconds left to give Boston a four-point lead.

"He just said it's locked on him again," Rivers said. "That's happened a couple of times. He needed our doctor to maneuver it ... so he can run again."

Rondo dislocated his left elbow in last year's second-round playoff series against the Heat. He appeared to injure the same arm early in Tuesday's game, adjusting the sleeve he wears on it and seeking assistance from the Celtics' trainer.

But he finished with seven points, 13 assists and six rebounds - one of them when he slapped a loose ball away from James to Mickael Pietrus for a 3-pointer.

Rivers said he didn't know what was wrong with Rondo's elbow - and didn't want to know.

Bosh returned after missing the nine playoff games with a lower abdominal strain from the opener of the conference semifinals against Indiana. He had nine points and seven rebounds in 14-plus minutes but was not on the floor down the stretch when the Celtics came back to win 94-90.

Bosh said Wednesday that he is "99 percent" and that he did not ask to be held out in the fourth last night.

"I think he'll be able to handle a bigger load of minutes," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "It'll be based more on how he feels during the game."

James scores 45, sends East finals to Game 7

By BRIAN MAHONEY
Posted Jun 08 2012 5:30AM

BOSTON (AP) LeBron James has walked off the court here too many times with nowhere to go except summer vacation.

The destination this time: Game 7 in Miami, with a spot in the NBA finals on the line.

James had 45 points and 15 rebounds, overwhelming the Boston Celtics and leading the Heat to a 98-79 victory Thursday night that forced a decisive game in the Eastern Conference finals.

After two days of questions about the Heat's future and his own history, James provided his response in resounding fashion in a building where Miami had lost 15 of its previous 16 games, and where his season had twice come to an end.

"In an environment like this, you want to have a big game," he said. "I wanted to be there for my teammates, no matter what was going on throughout the course of the game.

"This was a gut check for us, and it's good to see we were able to bounce back after that loss, after that Game 5 loss at home."

James shot 19 of 26 from the field and finished four points shy of his playoff career-high while playing 45 minutes, not sitting down until the victory was long secured.

"He was absolutely fearless tonight, and it was contagious," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "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."

Dwyane Wade added 17 points for the Heat, who need a victory at home Saturday night to return to the NBA finals. And if James plays like this again, Miami should have no problem getting it.

"He played amazing. He was locked in from the beginning of the game like I've never seen him before," Wade said.

Rajon Rondo had 21 points and 10 assists for Boston. Kevin Garnett and Brandon Bass each scored 12 points, but Paul Pierce had only nine on 4-of-18 shooting.

"That was tough," Pierce said. "You got an opportunity to close out a series on your home floor. For us to come out and play the way we did, it was very tough. You got to take your hats off to them. They had a really great game plan. LeBron really got hot, played like the MVP tonight."

In the site of some of James' biggest disappointments, the only disappointed ones Thursday were the thousands of fans who hoped to see a celebration but instead filed out of the TD Garden midway through the fourth quarter, just before the league MVP called it a night.

"He was comfortable all night," Rondo said. "We didn't get into his air space."

Miami barely won Game 2 before dropping the next three games, but this one was never in doubt. James was a one-man force on what's supposed to be a Big Three, carrying the Heat in the first half while Wade made only 1 of 6 shots.

The Celtics were hoping to complete a comeback from a 2-0 deficit, as Oklahoma City did in the Western Conference, and advance to face the Thunder in the NBA finals. But they missed 13 of 14 3-point attempts and will have to win a second straight game in Miami to play for the title.

James' season was twice ended in Boston while playing for Cleveland, the Celtics emerging as the winner in a Pierce-James duel in Game 7 of the 2008 East semifinals, then beating the Cavs in Game 6 of the second round two years later.

That was James' last game with Cleveland, leaving that summer for Miami and the All-Star help that Wade and Chris Bosh could provide.

He needed none of it Thursday.

He had 30 points by halftime and spent the night silencing the Celtics crowd and perhaps some of the doubters he somehow still has. He set the tone for the game by making 6 of 7 shots and scoring 14 points in the first quarter, and he made sure the Heat were never challenged from there.

"I hope now you guys can stop talking about LeBron and he doesn't play in big games," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "He was pretty good tonight. So we can put that to bed and go play Game 7."

Meanwhile, Pierce, whose 3-pointer over James was the biggest basket of Boston's Game 5 victory, missed 13 of 16 shots through three quarters, including all six 3-point attempts.

The Heat obviously weren't deflated by that loss and came to fight, scoring 10 straight points to build a 10-point lead shortly after Mario Chalmers was called for a technical foul after getting mixed up with Ray Allen. They extended it to 12 points later in the period, taking a 26-16 lead into the second after shooting 58 percent in the period.

Wade finally got on the board with a jumper to open the second, but he seemed strangely passive even with Miami trying to save its season.

No matter. James didn't need the help.

He had consecutive baskets for a 15-point lead and came up with a basket every time the Celtics tried to get any rhythm. He soared high above the rim - and any other player - for a follow dunk after the Celtics had crept within eight in the final 2 minutes of the half. Miami led 55-42 at the break.

James made 12 of his first 13 shots before missing from the perimeter on his final attempt of the half.

Only Rondo kept it from being a blowout, scoring 19 points and adding five assists in the half. Relishing the challenge, he even emulated Garnett by doing a couple of knuckle pushups after being knocked to the court while drawing a foul, but he couldn't keep up with James and needed some help that never arrived.

The Celtics, trying desperately for one last championship before the expected breakup of their Big Three, hope this one doesn't get added to recent series losses against Orlando in 2009 and the Lakers in the NBA finals in 2010, when they lost Game 6s with chances to win series and then fell in Game 7.

James' first basket of the third quarter increased the lead to 17 points, and from there it was just a matter of coming up with another score any time the Celtics tried to make a run.

Boston never came close, and when a 3-pointer by Shane Battier made it 81-63 with 10:19 to play, Rivers spent part of a timeout standing alone on the court with his arms folded, leaving it to the players to try to come up with an answer that wasn't there.

Bosh entered with 5 1/2 minutes left in the first quarter of his second game back after missing nine with a lower abdominal strain, finishing with seven points and six rebounds.

Notes: James is the first player to score at least 25 points against the Celtics in eight consecutive postseason games since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar from April 28, 1974, to May 27, 1984. ...The NBA playoff record for points in a half is 39, set by Golden State's Eric "Sleepy" Floyd on May 10, 1987, against the Lakers. Floyd finished with 51 points. ... The Heat switched to their red road jerseys after losing in the black here earlier in the series.

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Follow Brian Mahoney on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Briancmahoney

Notebook: Heat 98, Celtics 79

Posted Friday June 8, 2012 1:09AM

By Brian Robb, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: LeBron James nearly matched his playoff career high with 45 points, as the Miami Heat ran away from the Boston Celtics with a 98-79 win in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals. With the victory, Miami has forced a winner-take-all Game 7 back in Miami on Saturday night, with a trip to the NBA Finals on the line. The reigning league MVP made sure of there would be a Game 7, playing at another level against Boston by scoring 30 of his 45 points in the first half on an array of tough baskets from all over the floor. The sensational start helped Miami sprint out to an early double-digit lead and they never looked back from there. James also grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds. Rajon Rondo had 21 points and 10 assists for Boston in the setback, as the Celtics dropped just their second game of this postseason at home.

QUOTABLE: "In an environment like this, you want to have a big game. I wanted to be there for my teammates, no matter what was going on throughout the course of the game. This was a gut-check for us."
-- James on his historic performance

THE STAT: James had 12 of Miami's 21 field goals in the first half, scoring 30 of his team's 55 points in the opening 24 minutes.

TURNING POINT: After Boston got within 10 points midway through the third quarter with a 6-0 run, the Heat did not allow the hosts to sustain the momentum, responding instead with four quick points. With the outburst, Boston had their comeback stall, as Miami maintained their double-digit lead for the remainder of the contest.

QUOTABLE II: "Nothing's been easy up until this point. You know, you can't expect it now. It is what it is. We're going take these cards and play them, and we're going to fight. A bunch of fighters in this locker room."
-- Kevin Garnett on having to play Game 7

HOT: James -- The 27-year-old came out of the gate red-hot Thursday night, hitting 12 of his first 14 shots from all over the floor, on his way to a postseason career-high 30 points in the first half. James is only the second player in NBA playoff history (Wilt Chamberlain being the other) to put up a 45-15-5 stat line in a single game.

NOT: Paul Pierce -- Boston's captain continued to struggle in his head-to-head battle against James, shooting just 4-of-18 on the night. Through the entire series, Pierce has hit just 33.6 percent of his shots, despite leading his team in field goal attempts, while playing with a sprained left MCL.

QUOTABLE III: "He played amazing. He was locked in from the beginning of the game like I've never seen him before. The shots he was making was unbelievable. He really put on an MVP performance tonight."
-- Dwyane Wade on James' performance

INSIDE THE ARENA: New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, along with head coach Bill Belichick watched from courtside at the Garden and received a rousing ovation from the crowd when they were shown on the Jumbotron.

QUOTABLE IV: "Now we get to play for all the marbles. This team has not done it the easy way this year. Maybe this is justified for us, go in there and do it."
-- Doc Rivers on playing Game 7 in Miami

NOTABLE: Boston had won 21 of their past 23 home games at TD Garden this season prior to the defeat. ... With the loss, Boston dropped to 11-14 in postseason closeout games during the past five years. ... The Celtics shot just 1-of-14 from 3-point range and have hit just 29.1 percent of their shots from beyond the arc during the series. ... Chris Bosh came off the bench for the second straight game since his return from a strained abdominal. He scored seven points and grabbed six rebounds in 28 minutes. ... Udonis Haslem got his second straight start at center. ... Miami wore their red alternate uniforms.

UP NEXT: Game 7: Saturday June 9th Boston @ Miami 8:30 p.m. ET

• Heat: Curry, Harris
• Celtics: Bradley, Johnson

• Heat: Chalmers, James
• Celtics: Garnett

• Lead Changes: 3
• Times Tied: 2

• Arena: TD Garden, Boston, MA
• Officials: #43 Dan Crawford, #25 Tony Brothers, #49 Tom Washington
• Attendance: 18624
• Duration: 2:27