The Boston Celtics pulled off a stunning 94-90 upset over league MVP LeBron James and his Miami Heat in game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals Tuesday night in Miami.
The defeat was the Heat’s 2nd loss on their home court during the post-season. Miami jumped out to a quick 13 point lead over the struggling Shamrocks in the first quarter. But the Heat couldn’t hold on to the lead despite the much-anticipated return of forward Chris Bosh, who suffered a groin sprain in the 1st round.
Bosh was sorely missed after sitting out 9 games in the post season. His return to the court was expected to help Miami solve the Kevin Garnett problem in the paint. But Bosh saw limited action, playing only 14 points, scoring 9 points and grabbing 7 rebounds.
Game 6 in Boston on Thursday is a must win game for Miami. They need a Herculean effort from their Big 3 if they expect to win game 6 in front of Boston’s loud and hostile home crowd. If Miami loses game 6 — and Boston advances to the NBA finals — the high scoring Oklahoma City Thunder will destroy the struggling Shamrocks.
Everyone loses out if Miami doesn’t take game 6: an OKC vs Boston Finals is expected to be one of the least watched finals in NBA history.
In the post game interviews, Miami Coach Spoelstra said it wouldn’t have been fair to insert Bosh in the last few minutes of the game — when the team needed him most. Miami fans were outraged over the team’s lack of effort which they attributed to poor coaching.
The disappointed fans renewed their calls for General Manager Pat Riley to fire Spoelstra.
And with no cap room next season to sign a veteran point guard or a real center, it looks like LeBron’s dream of winning his first NBA championship ring will have to wait a few more years.
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Graphics: NBA.com
