BOSTON (Reuters) – The Boston Celtics ramped up on defence to re-energise their playoff ambitions with a 101-91 victory over the Miami Heat on Friday, their first win in the NBA Eastern Conference finals series.
A win at home was critical for Boston, especially after losing in overtime to Miami on Wednesday. The Celtics still trail 2-1 in the best-of-seven series but could now tie it up in Boston today. The raucous crowd energized the Celtics, who surged to a 13-point lead by halftime and a 22-point margin by the end of the third quarter. Center Kevin Garnett top scored with 24 points and captain Paul Pierce had 23 points.
“Kevin does so many little things. He does so many intangibles, he’s our best communicator. I could go on and on,” Boston guard Rajon Rondo said of his team mate.
Rondo, who played all 53 minutes of Wednesday’s overtime loss, chipped in with 21 points and 10 assists, steadying the team in the fourth quarter when Miami mounted an aggressive comeback against the tiring Celtics.
“He stayed with us, stabilized us really,” Boston coach Doc Rivers said of Rondo.
The Celtics’ tough defence – the decisive factor in their run past Philadelphia and Atlanta to the conference final – was back on track in the win.
“The difference was our defensive energy, which allowed us to run,” said Rivers. “We had terrific ball movement for three quarters … our rebounding was terrific in stretches.”
Rivers praised the “phenomenal” effort of his team’s second string players, including Marquis Daniels and Keyon Dooling, who each got significant playing time.