Miami put heat on Celtics, Thunder level series

(Reuters) - The Miami Heat piled the pressure on bruised and battered Boston by taking a 2-0 lead in their NBA playoff series with a 102-91 victory on Tuesday.

Quicker and more athletic than the veteran Celtics, who were hampered by a series of nagging injuries, the Heat again met the challenge of the defending Eastern Conference champions and have a commanding lead in the best-of-seven second-round series with Game Three set for Saturday in Boston.

In the Western Conference, the Oklahoma City Thunder slowed the inside force of the Memphis Grizzlies in a 111-102 victory that leveled their series 1-1.

Kevin Durant scored 26 points and the Thunder held red-hot Zach Randolph to 2-for-13 shooting as Oklahoma City bounced back from their series-opening loss to the giant-killing Grizzlies.

In Miami, LeBron James took his turn to carry the load with 24 of his game-high 35 points coming in the second half, while Game One standout Dwyane Wade added 28.

"This is a great team we're going against right now," James told reporters. "We're playing as hard as we can defensively and just trying to wear them down throughout the course of the game."

"They made a run but we stuck to our principles and finally wore them down."

With the game tied 80-80 midway through the fourth, the Heat exploded with a 14-0 burst to put the contest out of reach.

Boston's Paul Pierce, who was ejected from the contentious series-opener with two technical fouls in the fourth quarter, returned from a strained left foot but the injury forced him off the court briefly in the first quarter.

Ray Allen also played with a bruised chest following a collision with James in the third.

Rajon Rondo led the way with 20 points and 12 assists for Boston who trailed by five points after both the second and third quarters.

The Celtics will have to regroup at home if they are to take down Miami's "Big Three," who were brought together in the off-season to challenge Boston's supremacy.

Chris Bosh, the Heat's final member of the triumvirate, finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds.

Having allowed 34 points from Memphis's Zach Randolph in Game One, the Thunder restricted him to just 15 points, as they charged to a 28-17 lead after the first quarter and stretched it to 97-76 in the fourth.

Russell Westbrook had 24 points and James Harden put in 21 for the Thunder.

Mike Conley led the way with 24 points for Memphis who will host Game Three on Saturday.

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Heat and Thunder win opening playoff rounds

(Reuters) - The Miami supporting cast helped the Heat survive one final run from the Philadelphia 76ers to hold on for a 97-91 victory on Wednesday that advanced them to the next round of the NBA's playoffs.

In the Western Conference, the Oklahoma City Thunder also advanced after a 100-97 victory over the Denver Nuggets while the San Antonio Spurs escaped elimination with a 110-103 overtime win against the Memphis Grizzlies.

Reserve Joel Anthony made two free throws to put Miami up by three with 16 seconds left as the Heat narrowly avoided another fourth-quarter meltdown -- Philadelphia went on a 10-0 run in the final 82 seconds to win Game Four -- to wrap up their best-of-seven series 4-1.

The Heat had allowed a 10-point fourth-quarter lead to be cut to just one on Wednesday but they made nine of their 10 free throws in the final three minutes to ensure they advanced to a second round clash with the Boston Celtics.

"It was very difficult (to finish the series)," Dwyane Wade told reporters after scoring 12 of his game-high 26 points in the fourth quarter. "That team (Philadelphia) is resilient.

"We knew it was going to be that way. That team got us ready for the next round."

Chris Bosh finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds while LeBron James had 16 points, but it was the 20 points the home team got off the bench from Mario Chalmers that proved vital.

Philadelphia's starting lineup had dominated their Miami counterparts throughout the series, outscoring them 78-46 before either side made their first substitutions, which continued on Wednesday as they opened an 11-point lead in the first quarter.

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra changed tactics and started the second half with reserves Chalmers and Anthony, with Chalmers' contribution proving invaluable.

The guard made two of this six three-pointers in the third quarter, one of which began a 7-0 run that helped Miami to a 72-67 lead heading into the final period.

Elton Brand and Andre Iguodala scored 22 points each for the 76ers.

In Oklahoma City, Kevin Durant carried his team with 41 points as the Thunder erased a nine-point deficit in the final four minutes to clinch the series 4-1 and advance to the next round.

The Thunder went on a 9-0 run to tie the game with 1:50 left, then Durant, the NBA's leading scorer during the regular season, made two free throws to put his team on top 98-97 before adding the clinching jumper.

Denver's Arron Afflalo missed a three-point attempt as time expired. Afflalo finished with a team-high 15 points and Kenyon Martin added 14 and 10 rebounds for the Nuggets.

The Thunder will meet the Spurs or Grizzlies in the next round after San Antonio's Gary Neal made a last-second three-point shot to send their game into overtime.

The Spurs then saved their season by scoring the final seven points of the game to prevail 110-103 and reduce their series deficit to 3-2.

Manu Ginobili scored 33 points and Tony Parker added 24 and nine assists.

The Grizzlies, who had shocked the NBA by putting the WestWesternen Conference top-seeds on the brink of elimination, held a 97-94 lead with less than two seconds to go in regulation when Neal made his shot.

Zach Randolph had 26 points and Mike Conley finished with 20 for Memphis.

Game Six is on Friday in Memphis.

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Bosh, Wade push Heat past Spurs

(AP)  MIAMI – Chris Bosh scored 30 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, and Dwyane Wade scored 29 as the Miami Heat avenged their worst loss of the season by rolling past the NBA-leading Spurs 110-80 on Monday.

LeBron James finished with 21 points, eight assists and six rebounds for the Heat, who have won three straight and moved within two games of Eastern Conference front-runners Boston and Chicago. Miami lost 125-95 in San Antonio on March 4, the midpoint of a five-game slide that now seems all but forgotten after wins over the Los Angeles Lakers, Memphis Grizzlies and now the Spurs.

Tony Parker scored 18 points and Tim Duncan added 14 for the Spurs, who had won 15 of their last 18 against Miami.  

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Miami Heat trio wins a new with win over the struggling Charlotte Bobcats

(NBA) Team USA's Olympic Champion stars Lebron, D-Wade and Chris Bosh are making the Heat look like the best team in the Eastern Conference.

The early season struggles of the new-look Miami Heat are well and truly behind them with the club thrashing the struggling Bobcats in Charlotte 96-82 for their ninth triumph in 10 games.

James had 38 points and nine rebounds against Charlotte and Wade contributed 31 points and 11 boards.

"We're having a blast," James said.

"We're having a good time. We're playing good basketball."

Bosh added 11 points and four rebounds as Miami improved to 27-9 and dropped Charlotte to 11-21.

Charlotte, who recently replaced Larry Brown with former Charlotte Hornets coach Paul Silas, lost their Senegalese center DeSagana Diop for the season because of a ruptured right Achilles tendon in their recent defeat to Golden State.

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Miami Heat rout Orlando Magic as "Big Three" inspire big win

MIAMI (Reuters) - The much anticipated home debut of the Heat's "Big Three" exceeded expectations as Miami routed their interstate and divisional rival Orlando Magic 96-70.

The Heat dominated the second half defensively, limiting the Magic to just 25 points to turn a narrow six point halftime lead into a comfortable victory.
"The guys now can't go back on this," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "They've showed me defensively what they're capable of."
Dwyane Wade led all scorers with 26 points, including 12 in the third quarter as the Heat took command of the game.
LeBron James had 15 points and seven assists and Chris Bosh had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Forward Udonis Haslem had a double-double coming off the bench with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
"When me and Chris (Bosh) decided to join him (Wade), and even the rest of the guys, this is what we envisioned," said James.
"Is it going to be a 26-point win every night? No, it's the NBA and we know that, but the fans, they came out and the least we could do is play hard for them."
Dwight Howard scored 19 first half points for Orlando but fouled out midway through the fourth quarter without scoring in the second half to lead the Magic. The Magic starters combined for a meager 37 points, and just seven in the second half.
"I think their defense was very good," Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said.
"I think that their length and the way that they got into the passing lanes made it tough for us to get good ball movement. Passing's a major problem with our team. It really is."

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Boston Celtics beat the Heat to spoil LeBron's Miami debut

BOSTON (Reuters) - The Boston Celtics spoiled the opening act of LeBron James's latest quest for an elusive NBA title by defeating the Miami Heat 88-80 on Tuesday in a highly anticipated showdown of Eastern Conference powerhouses.
James, the two-time MVP who signed with the Heat as a free agent in the off-season after seven seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers, scored 31 points but had eight turnovers in the season-opener for both teams.
"We all know Rome wasn't built in one day, so it's going to take time, and we understand that," said James, who hit 10 of 21 shots but had trouble finding his rhythm from the outside.
"We have to keep on making progress every day and just continue to get better."
Boston held a comfortable 60-45 lead with three minutes left in the third quarter but James scored nine points during a 12-3 Miami run that cut the Celtics' lead to 63-57.
Miami trimmed their deficit to 68-64 but a lay-in by Glen Davis and a three-pointer by Paul Pierce hiked the lead to 73-64.
James made a driving lay-up with 1:10 left to cut the Heat's deficit to 83-80 but Ray Allen responded with a three-pointer from the corner to hike the lead to 86-80 with 49 seconds remaining and send the crowd into a frenzy.
Miami guard Dwyane Wade, who missed most of the preseason with a hamstring injury, had an awful game, scoring 13 points on four of 16 shots with six turnovers.
Wade admitted he was "a little bit out of rhythm, of course" and appeared undaunted the Heat's season opened with a loss.
"This is one of 82," said Wade. "Sorry if everyone thought we were going to go 82-0. It just ain't happening."

The Celtics, who shot better and played with greater energy, were led by Allen, who finished with 20 points, and Pierce, who had 19.
"It was a fun game," said Celtics coach Doc Rivers. "They're going to be a lot better when we see them again, and hopefully we are, as well."
James and Chris Bosh, a free agent who also signed in the off-season with Miami, joined Wade with the hope of leading the franchise to its first title since 2006.
While James played well in spots, Wade and Bosh were nothing short of awful at a raucous, sold-out Boston Garden, shooting a combined seven of 27 from the floor.

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