Celtics Eliminate Heat, Move On To Face Cavaliers

The Boston Celtics left the Miami Heat behind in the first round of the NBA playoffs - and left them wondering if superstar Dwyane Wade will be doing the same.

Ray Allen scored 24 points to help Boston beat Miami 96-86 on Tuesday night and eliminate the Heat in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series. It could be the last game in Miami for Wade, or it could be the beginning of a new era there if he returns and recruits LeBron James to join him.

"This will be my last first-round exit for a while, I can tell you that," Wade said. "I'm looking forward to continuing to build, and being with some great players next year, continuing to beef up our roster.

"I think I put myself in a great situation three years ago, to sign this deal, to make sure my team stayed competitive. We've got some work to do, the front office has (work) to do. You just have to see things being done, being accomplished. If we see that," he told a Miami-area reporter, "we'll be talking again."

Rajon Rondo had 16 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds for the Celtics, who will play James and the Cavaliers in a seven-game Eastern Conference semifinal series that will open Saturday in Cleveland.

The Celtics and Cavs hooked up for seven games in the conference semis in 2008 on the way to Boston's unprecedented 17th NBA championship. But Cleveland has since surpassed Boston in the standings and earned home-court advantage through the NBA finals.

"I think it's a great matchup. It's great for basketball - such a classic series," said Paul Pierce, who scored 21 points. "They're the team to beat right now. They showed it through the course of the season the way they played. We know this is going to be a tough series, another really, really tough series."

Wade scored 31 points, far short of the franchise postseason-record 46 he had Sunday in Miami to help the Heat stave off elimination in Game 4. Now that the Heat are done, he can become a free agent - the No. 2 prize in one of the hottest offseason markets in memory.

"I can't predict the future," Wade said, his mood somber but his outfit resplendent. "It's going to be a very important summer. It's going to be a busy summer. But right now I've still got to get this out of my system first. I'm a good sportsman, but I don't take losing well."

Boston opened a 21-point lead and then held on after Miami cut the deficit to three, 73-70, with 10:14 to play. Allen drove and drew a foul and goaltending call on Joel Anthony to make it six points, then hit a 3-pointer 90 seconds later to extend the lead to eight.

Kevin Garnett made a pair of outside shots and Pierce made one from inside to make it a 12-point game with 6 minutes left. With 1:18 remaining and Boston leading by 10, the scoreboard showed the disco-dancing "Gino" video the Celtics has been using to celebrate victories since the championship run in '08.

"It's never too early to play 'Gino' in this building," Garnett said.

The Cavaliers beat Chicago 96-94 later Tuesday to clinch their first-round series in five games. But even before it was over, the Celtics were already thinking about James.

"We just have to come out with a defensive mindset, keep LeBron from getting on fire," center Kendrick Perkins said in the on-court, postgame scoreboard interview while the Cavaliers and Bulls were early in the third quarter.

Asked directly if the Celtics can beat Cleveland - the Cavs and Bulls were tied in the fourth quarter at the time - Celtics coach Doc Rivers said, "Well, I'll let you know."

The Celtics led by as many as 21 points in the third before Miami scored 16 of the next 18 points to make it 69-62. Wade scored 13 in what turned into a 24-6 run that cut the deficit to 73-70 on his three-point play with 10:14 left in the game.

Wade scored 20 in the second half and also finished with 10 assists and eight rebounds. But he was just 10 for 24 shooting and 2 for 7 from 3-point range in the game. He missed all three of his 3-point tries in the fourth quarter as the Heat tried to eat away at the remainder of the Celtics' big lead.