NBA Playoffs Results

vs(From the Associated Press) - Dwyane Wade watched the 3-pointer drop perfectly through the net, then turned upcourt and extended the fingers on his right hand.

And he screamed.

“In kid-friendly terms,” Wade would say later, “I was telling him he was hot.”

That hand—that player—had never been hotter in a postseason game, either. And that’s why Miami’s season isn’t over.

Playing what might have been his final game in Miami, Wade scored 46 points, 30 in the second half—both franchise records—and the Heat beat the Boston Celtics 101-92 on Sunday in Game 4 of their Eastern Conference first-round series. He made 16-of-24 shots, 5 of 7 from 3-point range, and outscored the Celtics 19-15 in the fourth quarter.

“Phenomenal,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said.

“Greatness,” offered Heat coach Erik Spoelstra.

Heat forward Quentin Richardson went even further, likening his teammate to a superhero.

“Sometimes, you know, he puts on the cape, man,” Richardson said. “There’s not a lot of things you can do when he’s playing that way.”

Boston would concur.

The Celtics still lead the best-of-seven 3-1, and get a chance to close it out in Boston on Tuesday night. But their worst fear came true Sunday.

Miami has hope.

“They did what they were supposed to do, which is defend the home court,” Celtics forward Kevin Garnett said. “And now we’re thinking the same thing going back home.”

Richardson scored 20 points and Michael Beasley added 15 for the Heat, who wasted an 18-point, first-half lead before digging deep to extend the season.

Rajon Rondo led the Celtics with 23 points. Garnett had 18 points and 12 rebounds, Paul Pierce scored 16 and Ray Allen added 15 for Boston, which was bidding for its first 4-0 sweep of a series since 1986.

“It’s not a big deal,” Rondo said. “We just have to close it out now in five. We’re confident.”

So is Miami.

Especially Wade.

Leg cramps kept him off the court for the deciding moment of Game 3, the jumper that Pierce hit at the buzzer to give the Celtics a 100-98 win. So he spent Saturday getting his body right, chugging fluids, jumping into the cold tank, hanging out in the pool with his mother Jolinda, visiting from Chicago.

On Sunday, it showed, never more than down the stretch.

He shot 5 for 6 in the fourth quarter and made all four 3-pointers, all coming in a 5-minute stretch and the last putting Miami up 93-82 with 6:12 remaining.

“I just thought, time to be aggressive,” Wade said. “Very aggressive. So I was shooting all those shots, no matter what was going to happen. And I started to make a couple, so I got hot at the right time. Just wanted to will my team to this victory.”

Of course, it’s never easy for Miami against Boston.

The Celtics were 6-0 against Miami this season, and had won 14 of the last 15 between the clubs since April 2007. And yes, Boston made a big run, getting within 96-92 on a free throw by Allen with 2:36 left.

Then a funny thing happened.

Or, more precisely, three funny things.

Not only did Allen—a 91 percent foul shooter this season—miss the second, he missed two more with 1:50 left, keeping it a two-possession game. And when Dorell Wright missed a jumper with 1:29 left, Beasley swooped in, got the rebound and scored, making it 98-92.

Exhale, Miami. The season will go until at least Tuesday.

Wade will opt to become a free agent after the season, and on the slim chance that this was his final home game in Miami, it was nothing short of scintillating.

“He just put it all on his shoulders,” Pierce said. “And did a good job of it.”

Trailing by six entering the final quarter and needing a rally to keep the season alive, Miami opened the fourth on a 25-8 run, fueled mostly by Wade. He hit a pair of 3-pointers about a minute apart, stopping after the second one to scream at his right hand, giving Miami an 85-80 lead.

“When his back is against the wall,” Spoelstra said, “it’s an utter defiance.”

Miami played that way pretty much all day.

Garnett scored the opening basket, only to have Miami reel off the next 12 points. Richardson made his first four shots, three of them from 3-point range, staking Miami to a 15-5 lead.

Wade scored 14 in the first, Richardson ended up with 13, and the Heat seemed well on their way, up 31-14 late in the opening quarter.

That duo combined for two in the second quarter, though, and Boston began chipping away.

Thanks in large part to Glen Davis tripping over his own feet and tumbling to the court in a green heap, Beasley had an alley-oop dunk with 8 minutes left until halftime, putting Miami up 42-24.

The rest of the half was all Boston, which quickly turned the arena mood from celebratory to concerned. The Celtics outscored Miami 19-7 to close the second quarter, with the Heat making six turnovers and missing eight of their next nine shots after the Beasley dunk, and the lead was down to only 49-43 at the break.

“They played how they were supposed to play,” Allen said.

In the third, Wade did the spectacular. Boston did the steady, which worked better.

Wade drove past Allen down the middle of the lane, dunked over the outstretched arm of Garnett and walked into the second row of seats, tying the game at 64 as the crowd roared.

But Garnett, Pierce, Allen and Rondo all had big baskets late in the third, and the Celtics took a 77-71 edge into the final 12 minutes.

But the fourth, thanks to Wade, was all Miami.

“I’m a rhythm player,” Wade said. “And once I get in that rhythm, I think I can make any shot.”

Each Heat player had a sheet of paper at his locker when he arrived Sunday, the words “Easy vs. Hard” typed across the top.

“Making everyone go to Boston,” the sheet said, “is hard.”

And it was.

Getting the Celtics to fly back to Miami will be even tougher.

vs(From the Associated Press) - LeBron James insisted there was nothing unusual about the shot, that he’s perfectly comfortable taking it.

Never mind that he unleashed it from nearly halfcourt.

James’ jumper—from a spot that requires a heave for many players—was just part of the show on a day when he delivered his fifth career postseason triple-double with 37 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists. That led the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 121-98 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Sunday and a 3-1 lead in their first-round series.

“I’ve done some great things in the past, I’ll do some great things in the future,” he said. “But we’re in the present now, and I’m feeling pretty good.”

The Cavaliers led by 10 at halftime after scoring 38 in the second quarter and broke it open with a 37-point third, putting them in position to close it out at home on Tuesday.

James was at it again after scoring 40 and 39 the previous two games, connecting whenever he wanted and from wherever he wanted. He was 6 of 9 on 3-pointers, including a jumper from just inside midcourt at the end of the third that made it 99-76.

“I can comfortably shoot that shot,” James said. “It was a regular jump shot for me. Comfortably, I can walk and dribble into a halfcourt 3.”

James certainly made it look easy against the Bulls.

“He was extremely active all over the place,” coach Mike Brown said. “He really set the tone defensively. He was terrific for us on the weakside. He was great for us on the ball, and he talked defense the whole game.”

He had plenty of help from Antawn Jamison, who scored 12 of his 24 in the third quarter, not to mention Mo Williams (19 points).

Chicago got 21 apiece from Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah, who also pulled down 20 rebounds, but the Bulls settled for jump shots once they fell behind. Now, they are on the verge of their second straight first-round exit after a thorough beating by the Eastern Conference’s top seed.

“I just think we weren’t very tough mentally today,” Noah said. “We were playing good ball and then just collapsed. We’re a young team and have to learn from this.”

The Cavaliers were simply locked in after a two-point loss in Game 3. They shot 53 percent and outscored Chicago 40-34 in the paint after being dominated there 94-70 the previous two games.

The Bulls were leading 43-40 after Luol Deng hit a 17-footer with just over five minutes left in the half. Then, Cleveland took over.

“When we had the lead, we should have run some more effective plays, run some pick-and-rolls and attacked the basket,” Rose said. “And even if you couldn’t make the shot, you could dump it off to a big and maybe they could get to the line.”

James scored nine as the Cavaliers ended the half on a 22-9 run, hitting a 3-pointer that put Cleveland ahead 47-45 with 3:36 left, and they continued to build on it.

James nailed a 22-foot fadeaway from up top just before the halftime buzzer, right after a short bank shot by Rose, to make it 62-52. Cleveland quickly put it away after returning from the locker room, scoring the first seven of the third, with James’ floater making it 69-52. But it was his shot at the end of the quarter that left everyone else in awe.

“Seeing him do that is always fun to watch,” Williams said. “It takes a lot out of a team. We’re already up 20 and he’s hitting shots like that. You just sit back like an opponent and wonder what can we do.”

If the Bulls are demoralized, they weren’t about to let on.

“I know that we have to play another game,” Rose said. “My confidence level is high and my team will follow me.”



vs(From the Associated Press) - George Hill sank yet another big shot from the corner, this time right in front of the Dallas Mavericks bench, and ran back upcourt flashing three fingers.

He probably meant 3-pointer.

Or maybe it was three down, one to go.

While Tim Duncan had a miserable 34th birthday and Manu Ginobili looked as rough at times as his bandaged-up broken nose, Hill scored 29 points to help the Spurs push the second-seeded Mavericks to the brink of elimination with a 92-89 victory on Sunday night.

“From the day they drafted me, I knew I belonged,” said Hill, found by the Spurs late in the first round two years ago.

Hill’s playoff performance was, in the Duncan era of the Spurs, virtually unprecedented.

The 23-year-old guard became the first player other than Duncan, Ginobili or Tony Parker to lead the Spurs in scoring in a playoff game since the first round in 2007. That’s a span of 41 playoff games.

Put in even more remarkable context, one of the Big Three has been the top scorer for San Antonio in all but two postseason games since the Spurs won their second championship in 2003.

Michael Finley was the first in 2007. Hill became the other after Duncan, Parker and Ginobili combined for just 31 points in a physical Game 4 that left tempers flaring.

“If you tell me before the game we hold the Big Three to those numbers, we figure we win the game,” Mavs forward Dirk Nowitzki said.

Heading home to Game 5 on Tuesday night, the Mavs have other numbers to worry about.

One is being on the verge of their third first-round playoff exit in four years. Considered one of the deepest teams in the West while claiming the No. 2 seed, Dallas is now tasked with trying to become just the ninth team in NBA history to rally from a 3-1 deficit in a best-of-seven playoff series.

It was three years ago that the top-seeded Mavericks were shocked in the playoffs by eighth-seeded Golden State. Dallas is now in danger of getting ousted by the No. 7 Spurs.

After the game, Nowitzki climbed up a dais in the media room, took the microphone off the stand and slouched back in his chair with a heavy sigh.

He scanned a copy of the box score: Duncan getting four points on 1-of-9 shooting. Ginobili getting a modest 17. Parker scoring just 10.

“It’s tough. I’m not going to sit here and lie,” said Nowitzki, who was held to 17 points, his worst outing in the series. “In Game 2 we should have had it at home and we feel we should have had one here. We didn’t and it’s frustrating, but we have to keep fighting until it’s over.”

If Game 4 was any indication, Tuesday could be a rough-and-tumble elimination game. Officials rang up three flagrant fouls, pouring more fuel on an already intense Texas rivalry.

Tempers flared as the Mavs threw away a 14-point lead in the third quarter, none more so than when Eduardo Najera was ejected after hooking a hand around Ginobili’s head and sending him belly flopping to the floor.

A livid Popovich leaped from his chair and began stomping toward the basket before being slowed down by his assistants. Minutes earlier, Richard Jefferson and Jason Terry had to be separated when words escalated in the third quarter.

“We’re not going to back (down), we’re not going to take hits and let them keep doing it,” Hill said. “Our guys stepped up and we can deliver a blow, too.”

The Mavs can no longer count on shutting down the Big Three as enough. Duncan has scored at least 25 points in the first three games of the series. Ginobili, meanwhile, made just 4-of-16 shots while wearing a bandage across his broken nose that went from cheek-to-cheek, forgoing the discomfort of a face mask.

But he was bailed out by Hill, who was held scoreless in the series opener while battling a sore ankle.

“He really earned our trust all season long and he’s responding in the playoffs in a tough situation,” Ginobili said. “He started in front of Tony, which is not easy at all, coming from an injury and zero-point first game. It was not easy. The way he stepped up today and lead us was impressive.”

Caron Butler had 17 points for Dallas, the NBA’s best road team during the regular season. But the Mavs couldn’t leave San Antonio with a win, and they have to push the series to a Game 6 to earn another shot.

Butler and Shawn Marion seemed to get the message after getting benched in the second half of Game 3. Marion had 14 points and helped push Dallas to a 51-37 lead early in the third quarter. It was reminiscent of Game 3, when Dallas went on a 17-0 run to get back in the game.

But then the Mavs’ meltdown began.

Dallas missed its last 11 shots of the third and did not hit a field goal over the final 7:47 of the quarter. The Mavs turned the ball over eight times, struggling so much that even a simple inbound play was difficult.

Still, the Mavs weren’t done. They pulled off a 13-2 run in the final five minutes to get within 86-84 with 2:13 left. But Ginobili came back down and connected on his first 3-pointer in seven tries, and the Mavs watched their chances disappear on back-to-back misses by Nowitzki and Jason Kidd in the final 28.9 seconds.

“We’re not looking at three straight,” Kidd said. “We’re just looking at Game 5 and that’s as far as we can look.”

vs(From the Associated Press) - The Utah Jazz slowed down the rest of the Denver Nuggets enough for the first three quarters that they could withstand Carmelo Anthony’s surge in the fourth.

The Jazz held off the Nuggets 117-106 on Sunday night, surviving the late scare when Anthony scored 12 of his 39 points in the fourth quarter, as Utah took a 3-1 series lead in the Western Conference playoffs.

“It looked like we were going to run out of gas before we finished the game, but I thought we ended up having a good finish,” Utah coach Jerry Sloan said.

Denver was down by 19 in the fourth quarter before Anthony got the Nuggets within range to make the finish interesting. They got within seven points three times, but Utah stopped each run before it got any worse and the Jazz sealed the game by making 11 of 14 from the foul line in the final period.

Carlos Boozer had 31 points and 13 rebounds, Deron Williams added 24 points and 13 assists for the Jazz, who can close the series with a win Wednesday night at Denver in Game 5.

“We’re putting ourselves in a good position to win the series,” Williams said.

The Jazz controlled the first three quarters, seeming quicker and more determined than Denver while chasing down loose balls and firing up the fans with every hustle play. The frustrated Nuggets battled foul trouble, losing Chauncey Billups while trying to rally in the fourth quarter.

C.J. Miles scored 21 and Wesley Matthews added 18 points for Utah. The Jazz led by as much as 20 and had the Nuggets off balance until Anthony led a surge early in the fourth.

“The energy and intensity is not there at times,” Anthony said. “We start out the game well and then for some odd reason, we turn around and we are down 10 or 11 points.”

Anthony converted a three-point play, then hit a 3-pointer to cut Utah’s lead to 90-79, but he was called for his fifth foul with 8:45 left to play when he got tangled up with Williams while going for a rebound. Anthony pleaded to the officials while still on his back outside the lane, but there was no changing the call and he was carrying five fouls for the third straight game.

Anthony sat for a couple of minutes and the Nuggets were down 98-85 when he returned. Denver put together a few more runs that got it close enough for Jazz fans to get quiet and worry, but Utah was able to hang on.

Kenyon Martin and Chauncey Billups scored 14 apiece for the Nuggets. Nene and J.R. Smith both had 10.

Anthony and Billups were the only players for Denver to score in double figures in a loss in Game 3, so there was some improvement.

“I’m trying to do everything I can in my power to beat the Jazz, but at the end of the day I need some help,” Anthony said. “I’m not sitting here pointing fingers at anybody, but as a unit we’ve got to do it together.”

Boozer converted a three-point play to cap a 13-3 run and put Utah up 74-54 with 5:40 left in the third. Anthony got in a layup just before the buzzer to get Denver within 86-68 entering the fourth quarter, then hit three 3s during the fourth to make it close down the stretch.

“You know they’re going to make runs,” Williams said. “They’re a team that can score in bunches.”

Williams had 11 points and six assists at halftime and led a 10-2 run in the second quarter after Denver had pulled within three. He converted a three-point play during the spurt, driving the length of the court and drawing a foul on a layup while the Nuggets scrambled to get back, then hit a 3-pointer when Denver’s defense failed again.

Nene bit hard on a head fake when Williams made a half step toward the basket, then Williams backed off behind the arc for a 3-pointer that put the Jazz up 54-43 with 2:30 left in the second quarter.