The Boston Celtics sealed their first round victory over the Miami heat 4–1 with a 96–86 win at the TD Garden in Boston on Tuesday night.
Boston turned to their starting lineup for most of Game 5, with the exception of Glen Davis, playing 24 minutes as a sub for starting center Kendrick Perkins.
The starters delivered a total team effort, running a patient offense with excellent ball movement, pushing the ball up the court in transition.
“It feels good to finally close out a team earlier. Wish we could have done it in four but maybe we needed a bump in the road to wake us up,” Paul Pierce said on the Celtics Twitter account (http:// twitter.com/Celtics).
Ray Allen led the way with 24 points including going 4–5 in 3-pointers, all in the second half. Paul Pierce scored 21 points and Rajon Rondo scored 16 points and had 12 assists and 8 rebounds.
“You’ve got to give Boston credit,” Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said in the postgame interview.
“They are a veteran team, well coached, and they make you pay. They have so many guys that can make plays and, more importantly, they are unselfish.”
Boston’s defense also effectively did what they needed to do in order to close the series—shut down Miami’s superstar Dwyane Wade.
Wade has single-handedly carried the Heat throughout the series, with an exceptional performance that reached its peak last Sunday with 46 points.
But Miami’s over reliance on Wade was apparent again on Tuesday, and Pierce and Rondo did well to limit his scoring.
Wade had only 11 points at the half and finished the night with 31 after a third quarter surge. No other Heat player, except reserve point guard Mario Chalmers, scored above 10 points. Chalmers finished the night with 20 points.
Boston quickly established their dominance despite a sloppy opening with several turnovers in the early minutes. The team maintained their lead in the first quarter and pulled ahead by as much as 12 points in the first half.
Rajon and the big three (Pierce, Allen, and Kevin Garnett) were in sync offensively and defensively as they have been for most of the first round, and big man Perkins was a formidable presence in the paint.
Miami didn’t go away though. After being down by 21 points midway through the third quarter, Wade and Chalmers turned up the tempo and combined for 21 points to cut Boston’s lead to six points.
Miami was right there with Boston early in the fourth quarter but a turning point occurred when Ray Allen hit a key 3-pointer that energized the team and the crowd.
The ball started falling for Pierce and Garnett again after Allen’s shot, and Allen led the way down the stretch, finishing the quarter with 11 points.
Boston now faces off against LeBron James and the No. 1 seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in round 2, who knocked off the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday.
With Allen, Pierce, and Garnett playing like they were in their 2008 championship year, this will prove to be an excellent matchup.
“We just have to come out with a defensive mindset, keep LeBron from getting on fire,” Perkins said after Tuesday’s game.
As for Dwyane Wade, he will now have a chance to test a very hot free agent market this summer. Although he has evaded questions on his future prospects with the Miami Heat, it is unlikely that he will stay with Miami.
Boston turned to their starting lineup for most of Game 5, with the exception of Glen Davis, playing 24 minutes as a sub for starting center Kendrick Perkins.
The starters delivered a total team effort, running a patient offense with excellent ball movement, pushing the ball up the court in transition.
“It feels good to finally close out a team earlier. Wish we could have done it in four but maybe we needed a bump in the road to wake us up,” Paul Pierce said on the Celtics Twitter account (http:// twitter.com/Celtics).
Ray Allen led the way with 24 points including going 4–5 in 3-pointers, all in the second half. Paul Pierce scored 21 points and Rajon Rondo scored 16 points and had 12 assists and 8 rebounds.
“You’ve got to give Boston credit,” Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said in the postgame interview.
“They are a veteran team, well coached, and they make you pay. They have so many guys that can make plays and, more importantly, they are unselfish.”
Boston’s defense also effectively did what they needed to do in order to close the series—shut down Miami’s superstar Dwyane Wade.
Wade has single-handedly carried the Heat throughout the series, with an exceptional performance that reached its peak last Sunday with 46 points.
But Miami’s over reliance on Wade was apparent again on Tuesday, and Pierce and Rondo did well to limit his scoring.
Wade had only 11 points at the half and finished the night with 31 after a third quarter surge. No other Heat player, except reserve point guard Mario Chalmers, scored above 10 points. Chalmers finished the night with 20 points.
Boston quickly established their dominance despite a sloppy opening with several turnovers in the early minutes. The team maintained their lead in the first quarter and pulled ahead by as much as 12 points in the first half.
Rajon and the big three (Pierce, Allen, and Kevin Garnett) were in sync offensively and defensively as they have been for most of the first round, and big man Perkins was a formidable presence in the paint.
Miami didn’t go away though. After being down by 21 points midway through the third quarter, Wade and Chalmers turned up the tempo and combined for 21 points to cut Boston’s lead to six points.
Miami was right there with Boston early in the fourth quarter but a turning point occurred when Ray Allen hit a key 3-pointer that energized the team and the crowd.
The ball started falling for Pierce and Garnett again after Allen’s shot, and Allen led the way down the stretch, finishing the quarter with 11 points.
Next Up
Boston now faces off against LeBron James and the No. 1 seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in round 2, who knocked off the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday.
With Allen, Pierce, and Garnett playing like they were in their 2008 championship year, this will prove to be an excellent matchup.
“We just have to come out with a defensive mindset, keep LeBron from getting on fire,” Perkins said after Tuesday’s game.
As for Dwyane Wade, he will now have a chance to test a very hot free agent market this summer. Although he has evaded questions on his future prospects with the Miami Heat, it is unlikely that he will stay with Miami.
