LeBron, Miami Crush Celtics In Game 6
Friday, June 08, 2012
The city of Boston was awfully cocky heading into game 6 of the NBA’s Eastern Conference Finals. Celtics fans, beat writers and sports talk show hosts were already declaring the series over and contemplating an NBA Finals match-up against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Not so fast!
NBA MVP LeBron James and the Miami Heat had other ideas Thursday night. With their backs to the wall and on the brink of elimination, James and the Heat rose up and delivered their finest performance of the series by beating the Boston Celtics at the TD Garden. The two teams now head back to Miami for a seventh-and-deciding game to be played Saturday night at 8:30pm.
Miami took control of the game early thanks to James who scored 14 first quarter points. The Heat shot 58% from the field in the opening 12 minutes including a perfect 3 for 3 from three point range. That helped Miami to a 26-16 lead after one.
James continued his dominance in the second quarter and managed to get Paul Pierce to pick up his 3rd foul of the game with 5:40 to go in the half. James added 16 more points in the second quarter for a Miami Heat playoff record 30 first half points. James was a sizzling 12 of 14 shooting from the field with his only weakness being a 5 for 9 performance from the free throw line.
Miami led 54-42 at halftime and it could have been worse for Boston were it not for Rajon Rondo. The Celtics’ point guard had 19 points, 5 assists and 3 steals in the first 24 minutes of the game. However, he did commit 5 of the team’s 9 turnovers in the half which didn’t help the cause.
A steely-eyed James told ESPN’s Doris Burke at halftime that he planned on playing the entire second half as he did the first with Miami facing a win or go home scenario. It was very clear by his demeanor in that interview and from the very start that James meant business.
Miami extended their lead to 17 points early in the third quarter before things started to get a bit interesting. A 7-0 Boston run cut the deficit to 10 but the Heat stayed the course. They upped the lead back to 16 before Boston energized the Garden crowd again by trimming Miami’s lead to 10 with less than 3 minutes to go in the quarter. However, James came up big again nailing a three to put Miami up 72-59. They maintained that 13-point lead after three quarters, 74-61.
They would not be challenged in the 4th as they cruised to the 98-79 win.
NOTES:
-A big story in the game was what both teams did from beyond the arc. Miami went (7-16 ) while the Celtics managed to shoot just 7% from three (1-14).
-Paul Pierce had a tough night shooting just (4 of 18) from the field. Even worse, Pierce only attempted 2 free throws. ESPN analyst Jeff Van Gundy explained Pierce’s struggles by saying, “when you get in early foul trouble, it can disrupt your rhythm and prevent you from getting into a flow.”
-Brandon Bass had arguably his best game of the series scoring 12 points and pulling down 7 rebounds. He also did a decent job defending LeBron James in the third quarter as they tried to protect Pierce from picking up a fourth foul.
-Thursday night’s game may have been the final game for Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett at the Garden as a member of the Celtics. Both players are free agents this offseason and should Boston lose game 7 in Miami, it could mean the end of Boston’s “Big Three.”
-Conversely, should Boston beat Miami in game 7, there has been much speculation in Miami that ,ajor changes will be made by the Heat during the offseason. Some believe that the first move would be the firing of head coach Erik Spoelstra. Others feel that Pat Riley may break up Miami’s “Big Three” by trading Dwayne Wade or Chris Bosh or maybe both.
-Rondo finished with a double-double scoring 21 points while dishing out 10 assists.
-LeBron James scored a 2012 NBA Playoffs-high 45 points Thursday night. He also had 15 rebounds and 5 assists.
-If the Celtics are to pull off the upset in Miami Saturday night, they will have to make sure that they keep the game close. Miami is a great front-running team. When they get up by double figures, they can often ride that wave of confidence to a blowout win as they did in game 6. However, get Miami in a close game down the stretch and they may wilt under the pressure of the moment whereas Boston seems to flourish in those types of situations.
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