HEAT DOWN CELTICS IN 5
(Image taken from NBA.com)
The 2011 NBA Eastern Conference semi final matchup between the Heat and the Celtics was always going to be a tasty one. The series started in Miami with the Heat winning Game 1 99-90. The home side then went on to win Game 2 102-91. So far so good for the "Heatles" but the games in Boston would surely be another matter entirely. Sure enough, the Celtics came out on top in Game 3, winning 97-81 to slow their rivals down a bit. Yet the Heat then won Game 4 99-90 to make this series look a lot easier than it was supposed to be. Still, Game 5 in Miami had to be played and though the Heat choking on their home court was unlikely, you couldn't quite count chickens.
Well the Heat opened the scoring and went on to lead 4-2 with 10:01 left in the opener and the Celtics took a bit of a while to level the game. They certainly did so though and then started to take over, proving once and for all that they had every intention of taking their rivals back to their place. After that, the Heat were just treading water which can't have been part of coach Erik Spoelstra's plan but there didn't seem to be anything he could do about it. Fact is, the Celtics pretty much cruised their way through the rest of the quarter. Kevin Garnett led the men in green with 12 points. The Celtics led 24-16. The series was clearly nowhere near over yet.
Well the Celtics first order of business in the 2nd quarter was to extend their lead to double digits but the Heat went on a run to but the visitors under pressure again. They cut the gap further and the period went on before the Celtics managed to pull away again. The Heat were again rduced to treading water for a bit but the Celtics weren't able to cruise for long and the home side re-entered the picture for one last charge before halftime. The Heat pushed the Celtics half in the closing stages of the half and with just over a minute left cut the gap to one but the Celtics held on with Garnett now on 13 points and Ray Allen backing him up with 11. Celtics led 49-47 at half time.
Well the Heat opened the 3rd quarter by tying the game but then the Celtics built up another lead and so the home side were back to square one. The Heat kept things tight as the period went on but the Celtics were still able to hold on to their lead. The game then went into a slow period but the Celtics certainly weren't able to get rid of the Heat and the home side managed to first tie the game and then finally retake the lead. That led to a duel for the lead in the final stages of the quarter and the Heat led 69-68 with 2:33 left in the period. However the Celtics still won that duel. Allen was now running the show on 18 points, Garnett was still on 13 with Paul Pierce providing further backup on 12 points. Celtics led 73-71.
The Celtics opened the 4th quarter strongly and it looked as though this series would continue as they held a 81-74 lead with 9:21 left in the game. The Heat then started to soak the Cs up though and gradually cut down the deficit though there was still work to be done going into the midway point of the quarter. If anything the home side seemed to have fallen back into treading water territory after that though, surely there would be a Game 6. Then finally the Heat's bench came alive in the clutch period and the the home side ended with a 12-0 run! Dwayne Wade finished with 34 points. The Heat won the game 97-87 and the series 4-1 - that'll keep the haters quiet for a while.
Elsewhere, the Bulls beat the Haweks 95-83 in Chicago. Derrick Rose grabbed himself 33 points with Luol proving some solid backup in what is turning into a great postseason for the GB star. The Bulls lead that series 3-2 with the hope of finishing it off in Atlanta. Out West the Thunder beat the Grizzlies 99-72 in Oklahoma City with Kevin Durant grabbing 19 points to give his team a 3-2 series lead and that show heads back to Memphis. So, two conference finals spots are settled. The only question now is who will the victors match up against? One thing is for certain. Some very interesting matchups are in the making for the next round.
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