On May 11, the Miami Heat eliminated the so-called best team in the NBA Eastern Conference, defeating the Boston Celtics 97-87 at the American Airlines Arena. While the Celtics dominated the Heat during the 2010/11 NBA season, the defending eastern conference champions looked old, slow and desperate during their short playoff series against the Heat.
LeBron James showed NBA fans around the world why so many teams in the league desperately tried to acquire his talents during the off-season. Against the Celtics in Game 5, LeBron was on fire shooting 55 percent from the field. From three point range, LeBron was even more impressive converting on five of his seven attempts. In the closing minutes of the game, LeBron was simply unstoppable, scoring at will and securing the win for the Miami Heat. James finished the game with 33 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists.
Dwyane Wade played well for the Heat as usual, converting on 13 of his 19 field goal attempts. Wade finished the game with 34 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals. Chris Bosh also had a good outing in Game 5. Bosh finished the game with 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Heat.
With such a solid performance by Miami's "big three", it's no surprise the Celtics weren't able to keep up with the Heat's young superstars. After the Heat's emotional fourth quarter performance in Game 5, LeBron knelt on the court, taking in the moment. James later told reporters:
"Everything went through my mind at that point, finally getting over this hump against this team. Everything I went through this summer, with 'The Decision' and deciding to come down here to be a part of this team ... because I knew how important team is to this sport ... and all the backlash I got from it. I'd be up here for two hours if I tell you exactly everything that went through my head. Very emotional at that point, you know, and happy we got through it as a team."
It's understandable LeBron feels so emotional, given all the crap he has had to deal with for simply switching jobs. With the way things are going for the Heat right now, he'll probably have a ring to make him feel better really soon.
David is a Miami Heat fan that has followed the team for 15 years.
Sources:
Associated Press, "Dwyane Wade, LeBron James lead Heat past Celtics into East finals"
Player and game information from espn.com
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