Heat beat Celtics for 2-0 series lead

Miami’s talented twosome put the heat on the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night. LeBron James poured in 24 of his 35 points in the second half, and Dwyane Wade added 28, carrying the Heat past the visiting Celtics, 102-91 for a 2-0 lead in their Eastern Conference semifinal playoff series. “I feel good about what we’ve done,” James said. “We wanted to win the first two games and protect home court, but the series is far, far, far from over. Now, it starts for us in a very hostile environment on Saturday and we look forward to the challenge.” “They were terrific and used every bit of their talent to help us win,” Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said of his dynamic duo. “LeBron was physically, emotionally and mentally tough tonight. That set the tone, and D-Wade was a two-way player.” Chris Bosh had 17 points with 11 rebounds for second-seeded Miami, which went on late game-breaking 14-0 run after the contest game was deadlocked. “They’re going to make runs, and the game is going to be tied but it’s how you react,” Bosh said. “Just move on to the next play, execute and move forward.” After the Celtics squared the game at 80-apiece midway through the fourth quarter, the Heat took charge at both ends of the court to the delight of the wildly-cheering white-clad fans at sold out AmericanAirlines Arena. Mario Chalmers hit a three-pointer and after Wade made two free throws, James scored the next seven points, opening up a 92-80 cushion with 4:36 left. Two free throws apiece by Wade and Bosh capped the rally as the Heat coasted home. “We know the only way for us to win games, especially in the playoffs, is to play defence,” James said. “We just kept grinding, kept playing our principles, and we finally wore them down.” “We’re at 80-80, a perfect place to be in the road, then they go on a 14-0 run,” said Celtics Kevin Garnett, who scored 16 points.