Boston wins game 4 in OT to even series at 2-2

The Boston Celtics defeated the Miami Heat 93-91 in overtime to tie the Eastern Conference Finals at 2-2.  
The Celtics raced out to a 61-47 halftime lead and made 6 of their first 8 3-pointers, paced by Paul Pierce who had 18 of his 23 points in the first half and Rajon Rondo who had 10 of his 15 dazzling assists in the opening half.  During a half-time interview with Doris Burke, Rondo fired a shot at the Heat, claiming that what allowed Boston to achieve the commanding half-time lead was the Heat "complaining and crying to the referees in transition."
In the second half the Heat, playing the same small lineup that allowed them to almost come back from a 24 point deficit in game 3, furiously chipped away at the Celtics' lead, eventually tying the game in the 4th quarter.  With a chance to win the game Lebron James, who finished with 29 points and had just made a 3-pointer to tie the game at 89, drove into the teeth of the swarming Celtics' defense and was forced to throw an errant pass to Udonis Haslem who threw up an off balance shot that fell well short of the rim.
Both Pierce and James fouled out early in the overtime period.  Rondo scored the Celtics' last 3 points in the period to give the team a 2 point lead.  In the final possession of the game the Heat ran an isolation play for Dwyane Wade, who shot poorly throughout the game yet finished with 20 points.  Wade pump faked beyond the 3-point line, causing Marquis Daniels to leap into the air, but instead of jumping into Daniels to draw a foul and a trip to the free throw line with a chance to win the game, Wade regained his balance and took a 3-pointer that rattled off the rim.
Six Celtics had double digit points in the game, including Keyon Dooling whose infectious energy off the bench has been a huge factor all series long.

Celtics win game 3 and cut series deficit to 2-1

The Boston Celtics cut the Miami Heat's series lead in the Eastern Conference Finals to 2-1 with a crucial 101-91 victory in game 3, despite coming off an exhausting and heartbreaking overtime loss to the Heat in game 2.  Boston withstood a first quarter offensive onslaught by Lebron James who had 16 points in the opening quarter and finished the game 34 points on 16-26 shooting.  After allowing the Heat to score several easy baskets in transition off of made field goals by the Celtics, Boston clamped down defensively, allowing the Heat to score only 35 points in the two subsequent quarters and building a 22 point lead.  Kevin Garnett scored 24 points and added 11 rebounds and helped the Celtics impose their will on the Heat in the paint.  Garnett showed off his legendary intensity in the second quarter after a hard foul in which he painfully landed on his back, by doing pushups on his knuckles.

Boston out rebounded Miami 44-32 despite being the worst rebounding team in the NBA in the regular season.  Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo set the tone for the Celtics offensively scoring 23 and 21 points respectively.  Rondo, who added 10 assists, did a tremendous job dictating the pace of the game, setting up teammates like Marquis Daniels who gave the Celtics a boost off the bench, and craftily making shots, including a beautiful layup off of his signature fake-behind the back pass.
The Heat made a comeback in the 4th quarter, cutting a 24 point deficit down to 8, while playing a small lineup featuring Lebron James at center.  Ultimately the Celtics were able to close out the game, boosting their confidence and setting up highly anticipated game 4 Sunday night.