Clutch: Pierce, KG lead C's to Game 5 win

Paul Pierce drilled a huge 3-pointer with 52.9 seconds remaining and Kevin Garnett poured in 26 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead the Celtics to a 94-90 win over the Heat in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals Tuesday night at American Airlines Arena in Miami. Pierce, who was just 5-for-18 before his clutch shot, finished with 19 points for the Celtics, who won their third straight in the series and now are on the brink of the NBA finals for the third time in five years. They can advance there with a win on their home court Thursday night in Game 6. 

LeBron James had 30 points and Dwyane Wade added 27 for the Heat, who are now on the verge of elimination. 

James led an early onslaught as the Heat built their lead to as many as 11 in the first quarter, 24-13. James and Wade each had seven points while Chris Bosh returned from an eight-game absence due to an abdominal strain and scored five off the bench. 

The Heat built their lead up to 13, 31-18, but the Celtics managed to weather the storm. The biggest factor was Boston forcing 11 Miami turnovers in the first half as the Celtics went on an 8-0 run. Boston closed out the first half on a 22-11 run to draw within two, 42-40, at the half. James had 18 points and nine rebounds at the half to lead the way for the Heat. 

The Celtics were hanging tight despite shooting just 33 percent in the first 24 minutes. The trio of Rondo, Pierce and Allen were a combined 4-for-22 from the field. 

The Celtics continued their momentum from the second quarter as Pierce completed a three-point play midway through to tie the game, 48-48. After the Heat reclaimed the lead briefly, Kevin Garnett came right back with a 15-foot jumber to tie the game again. But then the Heat managed a 9-0 run that featured a bizarre backcourt violation when Rondo thought Ray Allen was coming into the forecourt much sooner than he was. The turnover led to a 3-pointer from Shane Battier that put Miami up, 57-50. 

Allen hit a reverse layup to end the run, as Boston responded with a 15-1 run to end the quarter, including 11 straight to close the quarter. Mickael Pietrus drilled a long two-pointer with 48.6 seconds left to give the Celtics their first lead of the night. Keyon Dooling nailed a baseline three with two seconds left in the quarter to give Boston a 65-60 lead heading into the fourth. 

A Pierce three built the Celtics' lead up to 68-62. But Miami answered by with a run led by James. His three with 8:12 left put the Heat back up, 74-72. The Heat built the lead up to six, 78-72, capping a 9-0 run. But the Celtics came back with a 9-2 run of their own, featuring a mid-range jumper from Garnett with 2:54 left to put Boston up, 81-80. After a technical foul called on Mario Chalmers, the Celtics went up two. But Chalmers drilled a three to give Miami its final lead. Mickael Pietrus hit his second three of the quarter with 2:11 left to give Boston the lead, 85-83.

Wade drove to the basket to tie the game with a layup but Pierce hit a pair of free throws with 1:34 left to give Boston the lead for good, 87-85. After Udonis Haslem hit one of two free throws, Pierce drained a spot-up three with 52.9 seconds remaining to put the Celtics up, 90-86. The Celtics hit their last nine free throws to ice the game. 

For complete coverage of Game 5 from Paul Flannery in Miami, visit the Celtics team page at weei.com/celtics and the Green Street blog.