Times wires
Monday, May 9, 2011
BOSTON — LeBron James scored 35 and had 14 rebounds to lead the Heat to a 98-90 overtime win over the Celtics on Monday for a 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Dwyane Wade scored 28 with nine rebounds and Chris Bosh had 20 points and 12 rebounds for the Heat, which could eliminate the defending conference champions and advance to the East final with a win in Game 5 on Wednesday in Miami.
James, Wade and Bosh scored 83 of Miami's 98 and had 35 of its 45 rebounds.
Paul Pierce scored 27, Ray Allen had 17 and Kevin Garnett had seven points and 10 rebounds for the Celtics.
James made up for a turnover at the end of regulation with a jumper to start overtime to give the Heat the lead for good.
The Celtics scored just four in overtime, shooting 1-of-6.
Point guard Rajon Rondo, who dislocated his left elbow Saturday, played 39 minutes with a padded sleeve covering what appeared to be a brace on his left arm, scoring 10 with five assists.
Boston took an 84-81 lead with 2:28 left after 3-pointers by Delonte West and Allen, but James hit a 3 to tie it then made a left-handed lay-in with 48 seconds to play for an 86-84 lead. Pierce drove to the basket to tie it, but James lost control of the ball while he was dribbling down the clock.
Allen went for it and was bumped by James Jones, giving the Celtics the ball out of bounds with 19.5 seconds left. Pierce got the ball, waited out the clock then took a fallaway jumper in the final seconds that bounced off the rim as time expired.
Former Florida standout Udonis Haslem was activated for the first time since foot surgery in November. He made one appearance in the first three quarters, playing three minutes and picking up an offensive foul, a loose-ball foul and a technical foul.
Heat 98, Celtics 90 OT
MIAMI (98): James 12-28 9-9 35, Bosh 8-17 4-5 20, Anthony 2-2 0-0 4, Bibby 2-6 0-0 4, Wade 8-18 12-14 28, Chalmers 1-2 0-0 3, Jones 1-1 0-0 2, Ilgauskas 1-1 0-0 2, House 0-1 0-0 0, Miller 0-2 0-0 0, Haslem 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 35-79 25-28 98.
BOSTON (90): Pierce 10-20 6-7 27, Garnett 1-10 5-6 7, J.O'Neal 3-6 2-2 8, Rondo 4-7 2-2 10, Allen 5-12 5-6 17, West 4-7 1-2 10, S.O'Neal 0-0 0-0 0, Green 2-4 2-2 7, Davis 1-4 2-2 4. Totals 30-70 25-29 90.
Miami 28 22 19 17 12— 98
Boston 31 22 20 13 4— 90
3-Point Goals—Miami 3-13 (James 2-6, Chalmers 1-2, Miller 0-2, Bibby 0-3), Boston 5-16 (Allen 2-5, Green 1-2, West 1-3, Pierce 1-6). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—Miami 52 (James 14), Boston 39 (Garnett 10). Assists—Miami 10 (Wade 4), Boston 15 (Rondo 5). Total Fouls—Miami 24, Boston 23. Technicals—Haslem, Miami defensive three second. Flagrant Fouls—J.O'Neal. A—18,624 (18,624).
Lakers GM: Jackson really done this time
DALLAS — Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak believes Phil Jackson this time.
Although Jackson hasn't given a definitive answer on whether Sunday's loss to the Mavericks in the Western Conference semifinals was his last game, Kupchak said he believes Jackson's decision to retire is final.
"I think this is it," Kupchak told ESPNLosAngeles. "We'll sit down and talk, but I've gotten no indication that he won't retire.
"We just talked briefly, and I thanked him for what he's done for the organization. It was a pleasure to work with him."
After 11 titles in 20 seasons, Jackson said Sunday that he is finished with coaching.
"All my hopes and aspirations are, this is the final game that I'll coach," said Jackson, 65, who has retired twice before. "This has been a wonderful run."
As for the team's plans to replace Jackson, Kupchak didn't go into detail.
Defensive honors: Magic center Dwight Howard, who has won the past three defensive player of the year awards, received the most points for the all-defensive first team, and Celtics forward Kevin Garnett and Lakers guard Kobe Bryant were selected for a record-tying ninth time — joining former stars Michael Jordan and Gary Payton. Heat forward LeBron James and Celtics guard Rajon Rondo rounded out the first team chosen by the league's coaches. Bulls forward-center Joakim Noah, a former Florida standout, made the second team.
Taking Bulls to task: Guard Derrick Rose wants his top-seeded Bulls to pick it up after their 100-88 loss to the Hawks on Sunday left their Eastern Conference semifinal tied 2-2.
"They just played harder, getting to loose balls, second effort, chasing balls down," Rose said of the Hawks. Game 5 is tonight in Chicago, and another effort like that could put the Bulls on the brink of elimination.
But Rose insisted there's no pressure on them.
"If anything, I think that all of us are mad with the effort that we put in the last game. It wasn't good enough."
Hawk healing: Guard Kirk Hinrich said his right hamstring is improving, but Hawks coach Larry Drew doesn't expect him to play against the Bulls in their Eastern Conference semifinal, which is tied 2-2 heading into Game 5 tonight. Hinrich was hurt late in the series-clinching win over the Magic.