Wednesday, June 6th, 2012 at 9:00 am  |  95 responses

Boston Celtics Push Miami Heat to the Brink of Elimination


by Marcel Mutoni / @marcel_mutoni

Quite simply, the Boston Celtics refuse to stick to the generally-accepted script. They refuse to die.

Most observers — from the casual to the hardcore — figured that the Miami Heat would have a fight on their hands during these Eastern Conference Finals, but that they would eventually, and comfortably dispatch the Celtics on their way back to the NBA Finals. And after the first two games, things sure looked like they would turn out that way.

Boston has roared back, of course, and stunned the Heat by taking a 3-2 series lead back to Beantown last night, with a golden opportunity to extinguish the Heat’s season.

From the Sun-Sentinel:

“We normally respond real well to desperation,” Dwyane Wade said after a 27-point night. “They have what you call ‘momentum,’ but you still have to play the game. We’re a confident team.” Even in Boston, where the Celtics climbed back into this series with a pair of wins over the weekend? “We haven’t won much in that arena,” Wade allowed, “but we won one last year to give us that confidence that we can go up there and get a win. We’ve got to play a great game, as close to perfection as possible, and try to get that win.”

“Thought we played hard,” Shane Battier said. “I don’t think effort was the issue. We just didn’t play intelligent for long stretches of the game. That’s one of the smartest teams in the NBA. That’s just a killer.” LeBron James, who made just four of his last 14 shots after a sizzling start, wasn’t as hard on his team. “I think we played good enough to give ourselves a chance to win,” he said after his 30-point, 13-rebound effort. “That’s all you can ask for.” [...] “We have no choice,” LeBron said. “It’s either win or go home.”

Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra threw out a bunch of nonsensical psycho-babble during his postgame remarks, in an effort to motivate his team and calm the rising waters, which absolutely no one was buying. And there was talk of yelling between LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem in the Heat locker room.

The walls are closing in on the Miami Heat and their season. Can they fight back and force a decisive Game 7 back on their home floor?

The Boston Celtics — these prideful, relentless Celtics — will have a major say in that.

  • Add a Comment
  • Share
  • RSS

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

← Older Comments
  • Ldub

    @JL in a way it does describe Bosh. But he has never really been a true low post banger. He is a finesse player and plays away from the basket more than he does in the post. Plus he is thin (even though he gained some weight)…he is a PF. I was referring to a center than can do all of that. Because what it would do is open the court for Wade and James to slash and make plays as well.

  • Da-Meat-Hook

    Whoever is using my name to falsely misrepresent my statements, please use your own name. You’re being rude.

  • Da-Meat-Hook

    Knock yourself out signing in and posting comments as other people, that ish got old a long time ago, and was pitiful from the start.

  • Da-Meat-Hook

    You steal my name and try to lecture me? The arrogance.

  • Ldub

    @cizzo….They are good because they were 2nd in the East. They have 2 of the best players on the world. And even with just a year and some change on their belt, they are fighting for their 2nd straight finals appearance. You would be foolish to not see this team as “good”! Clutch doesnt make a team good. Their great defense, high basketball IQ, ability to smash through any team (when they are all clicking), are just a few things that make them GOOD! And again…them being 2nd in the East for 2 years straight and possibly going to the finals 2 years straight should be reason enough for you to see them as being good. With a couple more pieces (starting caliber PG and a solid C) they would be great. Love chalmers but he is a backup PG, Battier is now a backup SF, same with anyone else on the team not named WADE JAMES OR BOSH! Those 3 dudes alone make the team good. If the role players like Chalmers, Haslem, Miller, Jones, Turiaf, Anthony and whomever else would actually produce….no doubt they would be a GREAT team! GTFOH! Your reasons for them not being good is because of a lack of clutch and their coach looking funny? Thats a joke. Learn basketball and dont comment with off the wall biased opinions. They dont fly on here.

  • bike

    Obviously, the masseuse dying was an omen.

  • nofkksgiven

    @ldub – i think cizzo meant “soo good” as in seen as nearly unbeatable in the eyes of analysts/ESPN. I mean if you go on there now, not one single analyst selected the Celtics to win this series (not that they know the future). You already acknowledged the heat are good, but not great. They are indeed missing a solid PG and Center which are KEY ingredients to having a GREAT team, they are a GOOD team because of two monster players who don’t play all that well together and an MVP with no killer instincts. Role players are role players and used correctly the Miami role players aren’t terrible so yes, Spoelstra looks suspect.

  • http://slamonline Brion

    People might laugh but honestly,when the Heat were clicking on all cylinders and had a winning streak going this year they were playing awesome defense, when Joel Anthony was at the 5. I realise hes not Hakeem but when hes in, hes been the only one who gets blocks (protects the rim) and hustles for offensive rebounds. Spo, start Wade,Bosh,Bron,Chalmers, and Anthony. and Haslem off the bench. Go with the line up that got you there.

  • Heals

    No sweat real DMH, most know your style and those comments don’t fit it…

  • Ldub

    Every team has their ups and downs. The Heat have extreme highs and extreme lows. It sucks that it seems that are hitting a rough patch in the playoffs. And yes because of the talent they have, they were considered the favorite in the east and overall. With the squad they have, they should be unbeatable. I see that Wade and James arent playing together how people expected. But neither of them are spot up shooters. So it makes it hard. Just standing around doing nothing. I do feel LBJ should be the passer of the duo and get Wade involved first. It seems James can get going whenever he needs to and I dnt see that in Wade anymore. Well not as frequent. They have shown (very rarely) that they can co-exist. But its hard when you have two very unselfish people. Someone has got to be Batman…and neither one of them seem to have stepped up and said this is my team. Regardless of what Wade said about a week ago.

  • mike

    @what that rihanna comment was funny. As long as KG plays decent the celtics can beat anybody. I hope boston plays the spurs. KG vs TD for a ring.

  • mike

    @Ldub lebron should carry the heat for three quarters with help from bosh. I think Wade needs to be the closer in the fourth.

  • http://slamonline.com nbk

    Slam, honestly, you know i appreciate everything y’all do. But your comment section/system is broken. And you’ve been giving away people’s info for years. It’s getting ridiculous. Fix the issue.

  • http://slamonline.com Nella

    @ DMH: I might be a Bulls fan, but I’m sure not Bryan Crawford. As for the Bulls, they’re done this season so I’m not living in the past. I’m actually rooting for Boston for the same reason many are – veterans winning the ‘right way’, I grew up in the 90s so I like seeing guys like KG extend their run as long as they can, and Miami is a bunch of front-running head cases. That being said, it’s been a great conference finals to watch (both East/West). End of story.

  • BostonBaller

    The series is not over …

  • Ldub

    @MIKE I think they all need to pull their own weight from start to finish. Too many times we see team rely on a single player to be the hero from start to finish. That gets tiring. And it also doesnt allow the entire team to enter a flow. Point example. Look at Kobe vs OKC. Dude came out and dropped like 30 in the first half/first 3 qtrs. Then he got tired and started pulling jumpers. He shot so much and dominated so much that it pulled the other players out of the flow of the game. Wade is a player that can get it started but IDK if I would rely on him to be the closer after a 2-11 first 3 qtrs when Bron has gone 12-20 with 33 points. I definitely understand your argument, but IMO its gotta be a total TEAM effort. From the 12th spot to the 1st. There should not be one game that Wade and James dont combine for 50 and with post at least 65/70. Then you add the bench dropping 20-30 and you got your 90 close to 100 points a night. And that doesnt include the really good nights when they are getting turnovers and the non star players play above the norm. If you look at the past games with LBJ and Wade….Bron has done a better job than Wade in the 4th qtr. What it boils down to is the last shot….and again if its a total team effort, you can damn near count on anyone to hit a shot. Look at what Haslem did in game 2? i believe….had like 16 pts? They need the bench to do stuff like that and take some of the pressure off Bron and Wade to do everything. See how the C’s shut them down from games 1-2? More options bro!

  • Ldub

    post=Bosh*

  • http://slamonline.com Mars

    First off these are two of the best overall teams in the last 5 years. Name the teams that have represented the Eastern Conference in the Finals in the last 5 years.Yup, Boston and Miami. weird. So just because media hypes up the Bulls and the Lakers, does not mean either of these teams are not worthy of competing for a Chip. And LeBron unfortunately will soon outlive his expectations. He cant do it alone. But he is the greatest ever…(with or without rings). And KG used to hold that crown. He is now outliving his hype, and succeeding, so let the haters hate.

  • http://slamonline.com Mars

    and people who know nothing about sports blame “coaches” for games lost. Not never, in the history of sports, has a coach ever coached his team to a championship. The only stats coaches collect are W’s and L’s. True story.

  • http://yahoo.com Kevin

    is it football season yet??? cause alot these comments about hoops are annoying. Most of these bloggers dont know anything about basketball.

  • riggs

    @nbk: I’ve been posting that slam seriously need to look into either Disqus or Hotfyre. Its getting ridiculous that they’re so far behind the curve with this.

  • Ldub

    well said MARS, well said! IDK about Lebron being the greatest ever but I co sign everything else!

  • http://Roosterteeth.com Caboose

    Honestly, a log in system isn’t difficult. Pay some college kid $15 an hour to code it and they’re good.

  • Da-Meat-Hook

    Thank you Heals. You guys already know how impostors do around here. Nella is a prime example. Crawford must have been tired of getting blasted on here, then picked up a new tag. I hope you guys know Jukai is behind all this trolling.

  • http://www.kb24.com The Seed

    Like I stated Celtics in 6. Call me Seedtradamus.

  • Da-Meat-Hook

    Wow, I come back to the site 7 hours later and dude is STILL posting under my name. What’s the reasoning behind this attention-seeking cry for help? Basketball heads come to the site to discuss basketball related matters, it seems as though your sole purpose is to get back at this Crawford or Nella person by trolling…that’s just sad.

  • Da-Meat-Hook

    You really have no shame, huh? You steal my handle and then you have the nerve to say I’m posting under your name? Shame on you. Shame on your soul sir. May Concord have mercy on you.

  • http://Roosterteeth.com Caboose

    I have to say this somewhere: this Thunder/Spurs game is the worst officiated game of the playoffs, Heat/Celts Game 2 included. Someone wants the Thunder to win.

  • markorsomething

    F*ck the Celtics. Over the last 2 years, they’ve only been able to play good basketball against the Heat. They’ll it up the butt from the Thunder if they play on the finals. Heat, please play right. Lebron and Wade are too good too be playing that sh*tty.

  • http://slamonline.com The Philosopher

    Earlier, I stated how the Thunder weren’t ready. How this is a “learning experience”.
    Well, they’ve learned. They are ready.

  • DukeFromDeep

    @Mars… Orlando???

  • http://Roosterteeth.com Caboose

    DfD, lol.

  • O

    Caboose, wait till you see the Miami vs. Boston game tomorrow and Saturday night. You’ll see some bad officiating then too. Heat vs. Thunder finals! (Bart Scott voice) “Can’t Wait!!”

  • mike

    @ldub, yeah its a team game but players need thier roles. Kobe can either get 10 assists or 40 points. I’m just sayin lebron should be point forward to start the game playin either team ball or scoring. Wade can score 25 a game win 10 coming in the 4th. Yeah teams win but great pkayers put teams in position to win.

  • http://dodgers.com Joey E.

    check out this shirt. http://skreened.com/jeaze/good-job-good-effort-1228809 spread the word if you dont want to buy. someone will, right?

  • ubestnotmiss

    only the c’s and ok c have them rafters themed playoff ads. anybody notice that?

  • http://slamonline.com Nella

    What I’d actually like to know is why this Meat Hook dude is obsessed with pairing me up with Crawford. One, I barely post. Two, I really don’t post anything controversial or get in arguments with dudes. I mostly just come on here for the Post-up, and to see what the more insightful cats (Allenp, JTaylor, EBoy, Ben, Enigmatic, Crawford, Caboose, Philo, ,etc.) have to say. I guess there can only be 2 dudes on here from Chicago that are Bulls fans, and they are the same person.

  • http://slamonline.com Caboose

    Bryan’s gmail was paired with your name. Coincidence? I think not!

  • Ldub

    I get the possibilty of it all. But you have to think about the mentality. Sure it sounds good on paper, but whats the likely hood of it happening? Basketball is a game of momentum. And we have all witnessed how it may take 3 qtrs for Wade to get some. He has started off poorly and then found the rhythm. IDK if Im reading you wrong, but IMO he has to be involved from jump that way he has some momentum. When Wade tries to force the game, its..well…a bad sight to see. Thats why I push for everyone to chip in. I do agree Lebron should do all that in the first 3 qtrs (which he actually has been doing). But if they wanna win these next 2 games and see the Thunder in the finals…they need everyone to step up. The issue is, Wade hasnt been near the consistency level he once was at. IDK if that is because of LBJ and Bosh, but Wade has only shown flares of the old Wade here and there. If he can increase the consistency then I will be all on board for Wade being the 4th qtr go to guy. Is he the creator or the finisher? To me Lebron is better at both! Either way. LETS GO HEAT!

  • http://www.newyorkshockexchange.com Shock Exchange

    The Heat is uber-talented by not very deep. Without Bosh, their low post game is virtually non-existent. When the game tightens in the 4th quarter, they have to work hard for every shot and are unable to get easy baskets in the post. It’s a testament to Lebron and Wade that they’ve gotten this far.

    That said, if I had to choose someone to climb a mountain, I would pick the guy who has done it before. The Celtics have climbed that mountain and know what it takes. I’m not surprised by how the series has gone. Without Bosh, I can’t see Miami advancing unless Lebron tries to takeover like he did in Cleveland. If the Celtics advance, expect them to win it all.

  • Riggs

    Just remember that the celtics are bad at closing series, so im not really optimistic.

  • Tempest

    Miami’s taking this in 7! Common HEAT

  • http://slamonline.com Nella

    Guess what Caboose? Coincidence? Yes, most definitely. Full disclosure: I never look at what populates in these fields, and I think we can all agree the comment system is beyond broken. So, I just changed the email field to a new gmail address. One that doesn’t even exist. Does that make me Bryan? No, it makes me a dude who doesn’t want spam in his inbox. Man, the maturity and quality of some of the commenters around here is really taking a turn. Find a single comment I’ve ever made that makes me sound controversial, or gives Bryan a reason to pick up an alias. I’m kind of flattered, but at the same time so confused. Stop obsessing over who I am – a 28 year old Bulls fan in Chicago, and start chilling out.

  • bdogg

    as long as stern does not fix this game so it goes 7 for ratings i will be cool with it. if miami can get up for this game..props to them..i see KG beasting thou…this is it for boston ..i expect them to put forth the effort..come on C’s!!

  • http://www.slamonline.com Yvonne Jeter-Abdullah

    Hi! This is your biggest fan again Yvonne Jeter-Abdullah. I am so sad to hear that at such a pivotal time you guys can find time to have a heated exchange about defensive breakdowns. You need to direct that energy to the game and come out with the intensity needed for the full 48 minutes to pull off this victory tonight. Be sure to talk with one another with respect and represent “God” in a way that he would want to see his children do. Even in a situation that presents adversity and controversy be calm with each other. Be aware that with dissension amongst yourselves you are only giving your opponent an edge. And I am certain that through proper communication those defensive breakdowns will decrease. You are going to make mistakes no one is perfect it’s what you do after that matters. Make sure to get everybody involved early and when a player is having trouble go to them on more than one occasion successively in order to get them off. A layup or a dunk makes the basket look bigger and also gives the player the confidence they need when they are struggling. I am a die hard Miami Heat fan and I believe in you. Now you just need to believe in yourselves and go out and get it done. GO HEAT!!! Sincerely, Yvonne Jeter-Abdullah

← Older Comments
Advertisement