The Miami Heat suffered a heartbreaking loss to the Boston Celtics on June 5, losing 94-90 at the American Airlines Arena. With the win, the Celtics now have a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference finals, and they'll have a chance to send the Heat packing when the two teams meet for Game 6 on June 7.
"We wouldn't want to be in this situation but we never get too high or too low in a series," LeBron James told reporters after the game. "We had an opportunity to come home and take a lead, but we didn't. So we have to go up to Boston and win a game."
The Heat started off strong in Game 5, building up an eight point lead by the end of the first quarter. They started fading a bit in the second quarter, allowing Boston to get back within two points. The Celtics took over the game in the third quarter, holding the Heat to only 18 points.
The Heat did fight their way back during the fourth quarter, but they just didn't do enough to contain the Celtics - who shot the ball pretty well from beyond the arc.
The Heat shot the ball poorly in Game 5, with everyone besides Shane Battier shooting below 50 percent from the field.
LeBron led the pack with his 30 points, while Dwyane Wade came second with 27 points. Chris Bosh made his long awaited return to the Heat's lineup, and he didn't really show any signs of rust, walking away with 9 points and 7 rebounds in 14 minutes.
With their season on the line, the Heat will need to dig deep when they face the Celtics on Thursday. Given the talent on Miami's roster, anything less than a title will be considered a failure. While Miami's superstars have played pretty well in the last two games, they'll need to turn it up a notch in Game 6, or risk the ridicule of the entire basketball community.
"It's going to be an extremely difficult time," Bosh told reporters. "But that's what the playoffs are about. In order to get to where we want to go, we're going to have to face huge challenges. And I think we're in the biggest challenge of our lives right now, of our professional careers. We just have to overcome it. It's going to be very, very difficult. But that's how it's supposed to be."
David is a Miami Heat fan that has followed the team for 16 years. Follow him on twitter @davidkingwriter and check out his blog.
Sources:
Associated Press, "Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce boost Celtics to 3-2 lead over Heat"
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