DPA/Los Angeles


Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat dunks against the Boston Celtics in Game Three of the Eastern Conference Finals at TD Garden in Boston on Friday
The old-timers gave the Boston Celtics new life.
Kevin Garnett collected 24 points with 11 rebounds, Paul Pierce scored 23 and the Celtics held off a late charge to beat the visiting Miami Heat, 101-91, on Friday night in game three of the Eastern Conference finals.
“(It was a) desperation game, to be honest,” said Garnett, who turned 36 years old last month. “And we played like it too. You don’t want to be down 3-0 to a team like this.” The Celtics now trail 2-1, with game four of the best-of-seven series slated for tonight in Boston.
“It’s a new series but we’re not satisfied with one win,” said Celtics dynamic floor leader Rajon Rondo, who finished with 21 points and 10 assists. “They defended their home court and a couple of days we’ll do the same.”
Ray Allen had 10 points while seldom-used Marquis Daniels added nine off the bench for the Celtics, who look to become just the 15th team in NBA history to win a playoff series after falling behind 2-0.
“You just have to stay ready for when your number gets called,” Daniels said, “whenever that it is.”
League MVP LeBron James scored 34 points while Dwyane Wade finished with 18 for the Heat, who outscored their guests 28-16 in the fourth quarter but couldn’t dig themselves out of a 24-point hole.
“You’re trying to fight back the whole time,” said James, who scored just four fourth quarter points. “We made a good run but we were in too much of a hole.”
Determined to bounce back from two road losses, including Wednesday’s 115-111 overtime thriller, the Celtics played with great energy and led 55-42 at halftime.
Normally, the third quarter has belonged to the Heat in the last five victories. The Celtics, however, outscored their guests, 30-21, in the pivotal period and carried an 85-63 advantage into the fourth frame. Ahead, 87-63, the Heat went on a 19-4 run, sparked by trio of three-pointers from Mike Miller and drew to within 91-82 with seven minutes left. Garnett answered with a basket and Rondo banked in a runner. But Miami’s Mario Chalmers countered with five straight points, making it 95-87 with 3:09 left.
The Heat closed to 97-89 on a basket by Wade with 2:23 to go but he missed a jumper the next time down. Allen grabbed the rebound and sent the ball to Rondo, who drove the length of the floor for a fast break layup with 99 seconds remaining and a 10-point lead. James threw the ball away under the basket, then misfired a three-point attempt on the Heat’s next possession. Pierce then found Garnett for a 20-foot jumper from the right side to nail down the much-needed victory as the more than 18,000 fans roared with delight at sold out TD Garden.