The Boston Celtics have taken a 3 games to 2 lead over the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals of the NBA playoffs. The Celtics took game 5 in Miami, by a score of 94-90. Kevin Garnett lead the way with 26 points and 11 rebounds for Boston. Paul Pierce added 19 points including a clutch 3 pointer late in the game. The Heat were chipping away at the Boston lead, and even had a lead of their own, but couldn’t maintain it in the end. LeBron James had 30 points and 13 rebounds, but went scoreless for 8 minutes in the fourth quarter. Dwyane Wade added 27 points, and kept the Heat in the game in the final quarter. Chris Bosh made his return to the Heat, and had 9 points and 7 rebounds in limited game action. The series now resumes in Boston for game 6, where the Heat must fight off possible elimination. Apparently the old guys, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen, still have some gas left in the tank.
In the Western Conference, the Oklahoma City Thunder has also taken a 3 games to 2 lead, after losing the first 2 games on the road. They defeated the San Antonio Spurs 108-103 on Monday night. The Spurs had won 20 straight games before they lost games 3, 4 and 5 to the Thunder. Now the Spurs win or go home on Wednesday night. It’s hard to believe the dramatic shift in this series. If the Thunder and the Celtics do finish off their prospective series with a win, the NBA Finals will feature an interesting match-up of the well seasoned former champion Boston Celtics against the young promising upstart Oklahoma City Thunder.
