While most of the media will look to Dwayne Wade's ridiculous 4th quarter (19 of his 46 points), the real reason the Celtics lost to the Heat this afternoon was missed free throws.
With the Celtics trailing 96-92 with 1:50 left in the game, Ray Allen missed consecutive free throws. He made 1-of-2 during a trip to the line 30 seconds earlier.
Down 98-92 with 1:10 left, Kevin Garnett missed two more free throws. Ball game.
Wade's red hot shooting turned a 6 points Celtics lead after 3 into an 11 point Heat lead with 5+ minutes remaining. But the Celtics withstood the barrage, made the proper defensive adjustments and started to claw their way back. The Heat could feel the noose tightening around their collective necks, until the Cs let them off the hook with the missed FTs.
I give the Celtics team a lot of credit. They could have mailed this game in after falling behind by 18 points early in the 2nd quarter. They showed plenty of fight throughout the entire game.
Rondo led the Celtics with 23 points and 9 assists. KG had 18 points and 9 rebounds.
This series ends Tuesday night without a doubt.