Heat Advance: Eastern Conference Finals



Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade, LeBron James

LeBron James and Dwayne Wade have finally gotten the Boston Celtics monkey off their backs. Wade and the Miami Heat were defeated by the Celtics 4-1 in the first round of the 2010 playoffs, and the Celtics defeated James’s Cleveland Cavaliers 4-2 in the Conference Semifinals. This postseason, things turned out differently.

The Heat dismissed the Celtics from the 2011 playoffs in game five with an epic performance by James. Tied at 87-87 with 2:30 left in the fourth quarter, James scored the Heat’s final 10 points by sinking two three’s and converting two dunks to put the Heat up 97-87.



James with the dunk

With 4:29 remaining the Celtics had a six point lead 87-81, but they couldn’t hold on to force a game six back in Boston. Ray Allen had the hot hand for the Celtics as he shot 5-10 from behind the arc, Kevin Garnett chipped in with 15 points and 11 rebounds, but Paul Pierce struggled with foul trouble and only contributed 12 points.

Many analysts believe that this dismissal is the end of the Celtics era as an elite team because of their age and injuries. After their all-star point guard Rajon Rondo suffered a dislocated left elbow in game three, the Celtics could not run their offense smoothly and effectively in games four and five. Though Rondo played in the final two games, he was not able to participate in the fourth quarters. 

By defeating the Celtics, and with the sweep of the Lakers by the Dallas Mavericks, the Heat are now the favorite to win the NBA Finals. Their “big three” has been playing very well and their offense has been phenomenal in this playoffs. James is averaging 26 points, nine rebounds, and four assists per game, Wade is pouring in 26 ppg, seven boards, and five assists per game, while Chris Bosh is putting up 16 ppg and nine rebounds per game.

Wade celebrating Heat's win

James admitted before game five that their trio was inspired by the Celtics to form a “super team,” as the Celtics did in the summer of 2007 when they added Garnett and Allen. Some critics also believe that the rumor of relations between James’s former teammate, Delonte West, now a member of the Celtics, and James’s mother, Gloria James, played a role in his decision to “take his talents to South Beach.”

Thus, with the Heat’s trio playing this well, it will be hard for their opponents to defeat them.

The next challenger for the Heat will either be the Chicago Bulls, who are led by the league’s MVP Derrick Rose, or the Atlanta Hawks. The Bulls and Hawks will face off in game six tonight at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.