| 25 April 2010
(Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images)
Miami Heat 101, Boston Celtics 92
Conventional wisdom says that one player can't win a game on his own. Of course, the odds were stacked against a player from Marquette becoming a top five player in the NBA. Dwyane Wade is the Miami Heat version of Han Solo. Never tell him the odds.
Facing elimination, Wade took the Miami Heat on his back and scored a franchise playoff record 46 points on the way to a 101-92 win against Boston. Wade literally outplayed the entire Celtics team in the fourth quarter, scoring 19 points to Boston's 15.
Playoff basketball is when the stars of the NBA turn into superheroes. The day after Dwight Howard did his best Superman impersonation, "Flash" ran the Celtics out of the gym.
"Sometimes, you know, he puts on the cape, man," Heat forward Quentin Richardson said. "There's not a lot of things you can do when he's playing that way."
It wasn't just Wade who came out fighting for Miami. Quentin Richardson offered an image of his L.A. Clippers self, finishing with 20 points. He and Michael Beasley will have to rise to the occasion if they want to stay in the series.
The Celtics didn't play poorly. Miami just refused to lose. They did it with a few unexpected moments from Ray Allen. We've almost come to expect greatness from players like Wade and Boston's "Big Three," which is why it was so surprising to see Ray Allen miss three free throws in the fourth quarter. To watch one of the greatest all-time free throw shooters miss at the line was honestly more shocking than to see Wade drop 46. I'm going to put money down that Allen won't let that happen again this series.
Why the Heat Won
The Heat displayed an unexpected amount of desire to start the game. I say it was unexpected because they laid an egg in Game 2, a game that was ripe with opportunity. One quarter away from elimination, Wade dug the Heat out of the grave. We're going to have to create a new adjective to describe Dwyane Wade at some point. Is there a player in the playoffs with a lesser supporting cast around him? Maybe Derrick Rose? Wade finally got some help from Michael Beasley and Q-Rich. We've been dogging them all series so we offer congrats to both for showing up. Now that we've got that out of the way, their +/- were both still in the negative. But who are we to rain on Miami's parade. They rode the wave of the crowd's energy to stay alive. Now if someone can please locate the body of Jermaine O'Neal we would appreciate it.
Why the Celtics Lost
Boston expended a lot of energy chipping away at the eighteen-point lead Miami had in the first half. Rajon Rondo, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Allen all came to play. The rest of the Celtics did not. Rasheed Wallace is sucking up minutes like a vacuum and can't be relied on. Glen Davis and Tony Allen were ineffective, which put the pressure on the four Boston stars to will the team to a win. They came within fifteen minutes from getting a much needed reast but couldn't collectively stop Wade. They have to just give big ups to a great performance and shake the game off their shoulders. They are still in control. Both Boston and Miami know this.
Looking Ahead to Game 5
The series now heads back to Boston, where the Celtics will be eager to end it. They have to realize that Cleveland is about to close out their series against Chicago. To have a chance against the Cavs Boston must put Miami down down for the count. They can gain some confidence in how they responded to Miami's run in Game 4. Now they just have to finish. For Miami, Dwyane Wade will have to continue to show his superhuman strength. The law of averages says that Miami isn't going to run off another three consecutive victories. If they do that it will be time to build a shrine to Wade in South Beach.
Prediction: Boston wins a close Game 5
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