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Celtics cut series deficit with home win over Heat
Source: AFP |
June 3, 2012, Sunday
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THE Boston Celtics, buoyed by a return to their home floor, jumped to a big lead and held on to beat Miami 101-91 in Boston on Friday and narrow the gap on the Heat in the National Basketball Association Eastern Conference Finals.
Kevin Garnett scored 24 points with 11 rebounds, Paul Pierce added 23 and Rajon Rondo chipped in with 21 as the Celtics cut the deficit in the best-of-seven series to 1-2 after dropping the first two games in Miami.
The winners of the series advance to the NBA finals, where they will battle either San Antonio or Oklahoma City for the league championship.
Rondo, whose career-high 44 points on Wednesday couldn't prevent an overtime loss, also added 10 assists and six rebounds in another sparkling performance. He scored eight points in the fourth quarter, helping beat back a Heat rally.
Miami had eaten into a 24-point final-period deficit and pulled within eight points with less than two minutes remaining when Ray Allen grabbed a Dwyane Wade miss and passed to Rondo, who took the ball the length of the court for a layup that stretched Boston's lead to 99-89.
"He stabilized us, really," said Celtics coach Doc Rivers, who admitted he was concerned by his team's defense as Miami mounted its late challenge.
"We couldn't score and they scored every time," Rivers said, adding that his players "were concerned about not scoring, and I was more concerned about Miami scoring."
NBA Most Valuable Player LeBron James collected 34 points, eight rebounds and five assists for Miami, which also got 18 points from Wade.
Wade shot just 9-of-20 from the field and didn't attempt a free-throw as James received little help from his teammates.
James's 16 first-quarter points were more than the 14 mustered by the Heat in the second period.
Mike Miller gave the Heat a boost with nine of his 11 points in the fourth quarter. Mario Chalmers silenced the Boston faithful with a three-point play that made it 95-87, but they couldn't close the gap and Garnett drained a 20-foot jump shot in the final minute to seal the win.
"This is a championship team," James said of Boston. "They have a lot of guys that won championship rings."
The Celtics will try to knot the series when they host Game 4 tomorrow.
Kevin Garnett scored 24 points with 11 rebounds, Paul Pierce added 23 and Rajon Rondo chipped in with 21 as the Celtics cut the deficit in the best-of-seven series to 1-2 after dropping the first two games in Miami.
The winners of the series advance to the NBA finals, where they will battle either San Antonio or Oklahoma City for the league championship.
Rondo, whose career-high 44 points on Wednesday couldn't prevent an overtime loss, also added 10 assists and six rebounds in another sparkling performance. He scored eight points in the fourth quarter, helping beat back a Heat rally.
Miami had eaten into a 24-point final-period deficit and pulled within eight points with less than two minutes remaining when Ray Allen grabbed a Dwyane Wade miss and passed to Rondo, who took the ball the length of the court for a layup that stretched Boston's lead to 99-89.
"He stabilized us, really," said Celtics coach Doc Rivers, who admitted he was concerned by his team's defense as Miami mounted its late challenge.
"We couldn't score and they scored every time," Rivers said, adding that his players "were concerned about not scoring, and I was more concerned about Miami scoring."
NBA Most Valuable Player LeBron James collected 34 points, eight rebounds and five assists for Miami, which also got 18 points from Wade.
Wade shot just 9-of-20 from the field and didn't attempt a free-throw as James received little help from his teammates.
James's 16 first-quarter points were more than the 14 mustered by the Heat in the second period.
Mike Miller gave the Heat a boost with nine of his 11 points in the fourth quarter. Mario Chalmers silenced the Boston faithful with a three-point play that made it 95-87, but they couldn't close the gap and Garnett drained a 20-foot jump shot in the final minute to seal the win.
"This is a championship team," James said of Boston. "They have a lot of guys that won championship rings."
The Celtics will try to knot the series when they host Game 4 tomorrow.
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