The Boston Celtics have tied the series up at 2-2 in Game 4. Both teams played a sloppy overtime, but in the end Boston defeated the Miami Heat, 93-91.
Rajon Rondo was once again a hero in this one as he was responsible for giving the Celtics a 92-91 lead with over two minutes left to play in OT. He drove into the lane and sank a floater. Minutes later, Rondo then hit one of two free throw attempts, giving the Celtics a definitive 93-91 lead they would not surrender.
Rondo, who finished the night with 15 assists, also had 15 points and was one of six Celtics who scored in double figures.
Dwyane Wade had a chance to give his Heat a victory in the final seconds as he spotted up from three. He got Marquis Daniels in the air but decided to slide over for the open look, which he missed.
The Celtics quick start dictated the flow for most of the game. They continued to play unselfish basketball, patiently share the ball, taking time to find the open shooter and began the night on fire shooting 59 percent from the floor in the first quarter.
Their three-point shot was falling early as they made seven threes in the first half. Keyon Dooling, who had 11 points, went 3-4 from three-point range. Ray Allen finished with 16, going 4-11 from three.
By the end of the first half the Celtics were up big 61-47.
The Miami Heat were lucky to only be down by 14 points with the weak defensive game that they played.
They had 10 turnovers in the first two quarters, were outscored in second-chance points 11-4 as the Celtics had eight offensive rebounds compared to their three.
Magically, in the second half the Heat found their stroke on the offense and decided to play defense, holding the Celtics to just 12 points in the quarter. Dwyane Wade showed up in the third quarter, scoring nine points and finished the night with 20.
Lebron James was keeping his team close throughout the night scoring 23 points through the first three quarters. He hit a game-tying three that sent the game into overtime, but could not make a play in the final seconds to seal the victory.
The Heat lost this one because of one key fact; they could not find a way to score in the half-court. They did not have a specific gameplan on how to attack the basket in the final seconds.
Lebron was triple-teamed and was forced to pass the ball to Udonis Haslem as he was fading away from the basket. Haslem airballed the shot and regulation was over.
The overtime looked very similar to the final seconds of the fourth quarter as the Heat failed to execute on offense. Boston had opportunities to run with the game, but credit the Heat defense for holding them and giving their offense a chance to win.
With the series tied, both teams will look to take a commanding 3-2 lead in Game 5. The conference finals have lived up to expectations as the Heat and Celtics have both had their flashes of greatness in this matchup.
Game 5 will be in Miami where the Heat look to take advantage of the home court advantage. In the eight NBA conference games played so far, the home team has won every single game. Boston will look to put an end to the streak in hopes of closing out Game 6 in TD Garden.
