With the Miami Heat facing elimination from the NBA playoffs, LeBron James unleashed one of his greatest performances to force a one-game showdown today for an NBA Finals berth.
James scored 45 points and grabbed 15 rebounds to power the Miami Heat over Boston 98-79 on Thursday and even the best-of-seven Eastern Conference final at 3-3, routing the host Celtics when they had a chance to advance with a victory.
“It was a matter of too much LeBron,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. “He was sensational. He made every shot, set the tone. I thought he gave them comfort.”
Photo: Reuters
The Heat forced a deciding game today in Miami, with the winner booking a spot against the Western Conference champion, Oklahoma City Thunder, in the NBA Finals starting on Tuesday.
“We had to win this game,” James said. “It’s a good win for us. It’s a one-game series now and it’s in our building. We’re looking forward to the challenge.”
NBA Most Valuable Player James kept alive his hopes of capturing his first NBA title, his main goal when he departed the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2010 to join fellow superstars Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami.
The Heat reached last year’s NBA Finals in the first season for James in Miami, but lost to the Dallas Mavericks.
Wade, who added 17 points, said James produced the best game he has played since joining the Heat.
“He played amazingly,” Wade said. “He was locked in from the beginning of the game like I have never seen him before. Some of the shots he made were incredible. It really was an MVP performance. We just gave him the ball and got out of the way.”
James scored 30 first-half points on 12-of-14 shooting to lead Miami to a 55-42 half-time lead.
“I just wanted to try to lead my team the best way I could,” James said. “I was aggressive from the opening tip and the guys continued to find me. It is a great feeling to be in. You feel like everything you put up is going to go in.”
The Celtics made runs at the Heat in the third and fourth quarters, but could not produce nearly enough points to threaten the visitors, in part because of the hammering James gave them in the first half.
Rajon Rondo led Boston with 21 points and a game-high 10 assists, while Kevin Garnett managed only 12 points on 6-of-14 shooting. Ray Allen had 10 points on 3-of-7 shooting and Paul Pierce produced only nine points on 4-of-18 shooting.
Every other Heat player had only a supporting role compared to James, who finished four points shy of his NBA playoff career high of 49 points scored against Orlando in 2009.
Rivers said his players should take their inability to stop James “very personally” and noted that in the locker room after the game, he looked at his players and “you could see their resolve.”
“We left a huge opportunity on the floor,” Rivers said. “But we have another opportunity.”
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra marveled at how well James used his playmaking skills in a must-win situation.
“He was absolutely fearless and it was contagious,” Spoelstra said. “He showed great resolve. He was fearless and everybody followed.”
“He came out with an attack mentality right from the get-go and that gave the team a lot of confidence. He has maybe the most talent in the league and he showcased it tonight, and we needed every bit of it,” he said.
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