Posted Saturday April 24, 2010 12:20AM
MIAMI (NBA.com exclusive) -- The Heat wasn't winning this playoff game, and there's almost no way it wins this series. Boston is too good, too confident and too far in Miami's head.
And now the Celtics, whose own players raised doubts about the team a few months ago, seem to be approaching the form that won them a title just two years ago.
"The Celtics are starting to play well," Boston center Kendrick Perkins said.
The fact that Celtics forward Paul Pierce hit a 21-foot jumper as time expired to deliver a dramatic 100-98 Game 3 victory at AmericanAirlines Arena Friday only tells part of the story of how Boston has taken a commanding 3-0 lead in this first-round playoff series.
"We're a veteran team," said Pierce, whose step-back jumper over Miami's Dorell Wright was good as soon as it left his hand, "and we don't get rattled, especially in crucial situations."
The full story of this best-of-seven series is Boston began preparing to win this game, and likely this series, years ago with demoralizing regular season victories against Miami. The Celtics, after all have won 14 of their last 15 games against the Heat.
You want snapshots? In November, Boston closed the game on a 14-3 run to defeat Miami, 92-85. In January, Boston tied the game with six-tenths of a second left and won it, 112-106, in overtime. In February, Boston simply won, 107-102. In Game 1, it went on a 21-0 run in the first half and closed the game on a 34-10 run.
Those losses have stuck with the Heat; the victories have resonated with the Celtics.
That brings things back around to Friday and the suddenly resurgent Celtics. Boston, which lost seven of its final 10 regular-season games and seemed headed for playoff normalcy, has re-gained its championship-contending swagger.
Miami even sounds defeated.
"Their team is good," said Heat guard Dwyane Wade, who left the game for good with a left leg cramp with 11.7 seconds left and the score tied at 98. "They have a lot of veteran guys that step up to the billing."
Wade ended with a game-high 34 points and eight assists, and he got help from forwards Michael Beasley (16 points), Dorell Wright (15 points) and Udonis Haslem (10 points, eight rebounds) and guard Mario Chalmers (10 points).
But Wade didn't get any help from center Jermaine O'Neal (two points on 1-for-7 shooting), who is now 5-for-31 (.161) in the series.
Plus, Wade, who was dazzling, was fighting leg cramps. They started with about five minutes left in the game and left Wade almost powerless down the stretch.
"I had nothing," he said. "I was trying to fight through it and pass to my teammates."
While that was going on Boston was hitting the Heat from all sides. Pierce torched Miami with 32 points. Guard Ray Allen, who had 25 points in Game 2, had 25 again in Game 3. Guard Rajon Rondo had 17 points and eight assists. Even Perkins, who was 0-for-4 from the field, contributed a game-high 12 rebounds. Although the Celtics only shot .468 from the field they seemed to control the game all night, taking an 80-72 lead into the fourth quarter.
Once in the final period the Celtics made all the right plays. Garnett had a sweet turnaround jumper on the baseline. Pierce hit a three-pointer. Rondo had a driving layup.
But even with all that, Wade kept Miami in the game. And then came the leg cramp. Wade had just attempted a jumper when the cramp sent him to the floor in agony with 11.7 seconds left and the game tied at 98.
"I kind of knew once I was on the floor that cramp was not going away," said Wade, who was assisted off the court by teammates.
That's when Pierce took center stage. He took the inbounds pass got to the right elbow and took his step-back jumper. There was no doubt. Game over, and, most likely, series over. There was no way the Heat was winning.
"That's The Truth," Perkins said of Pierce. "He lives for games like this
Pierce's buzzer-beater gives C's comfortable 3-0 series lead
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