Kevin Garnett finished with 26 points and 11 rebounds and Paul Pierce hit a 3-pointer over LeBron James with under a minute left as the Boston Celtics moved one win away from an Eastern Conference title by beating the Miami Heat 94-90 on Tuesday night. Pierce scored 19 points for the Celtics,who have won three straight games for a 3-2 series lead. Game 6 is Thursday night in Boston. Weve done nothing, Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. Were playing a heck of a basketball team. So just because were going to Boston,I told them,we have to play. Theyre not going to give it to us. We have to go get it. James finished with 30 points and 13 rebounds for Miami,though he went 8 minutes without scoring in the final quarter. Dwyane Wade scored 27 for the Heat,who got no more than nine from anyone else. Pierces 3 put Boston up 90-86. Miami got within two points twice,and argued that it should have had a steal with 8.8 seconds left. Instead,a foul was called on Udonis Haslem,Garnett made two free throws,and the Celtics knew they had just stolen one on Miamis home floor. Now all they need is one home win of their own to clinch a trip to either Oklahoma City or San Antonio for Game 1 of the NBA finals. The title series starts June 12. Right now, Celtics guard Ray Allen said,the next game is Game 7. The Celtics were down by 13 points in the second quarter,then down nine in the third,and answered both times prevailing on a night where they shot just 41 percent,and got outrebounded 49-39. Allen and Mickael Pietrus scored 13 apiece for the Celtics,who got 10 from Brandon Bass. Pietrus hit two huge 3-pointers in the fourth quarter for Boston,which remained perfect with this core when facing maybe the most pivotal situation a best-of-seven can offer a Game 5 with a series tied 2-2. Pierce,Garnett,Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen are now 9-0 in that scenario. We came in with the right focus, Pierce said. That was key for us. The Celtics did what Miami did to them in Games 3 and 4 at Boston. They started chipping away. Miami missed 15 of its final 17 shots of the first half,with four turnovers thrown in there as well,and the Celtics took advantage. Heat lead was down to 42-40 by intermission. That was the way Game 5 went. And the series has gone the same way.
