“The Heatles” huge S&D effort boosts Miami into Eastern finals

When LeBron James took less money from Miami than other suitors to leave his home area, he envisioned a night like Wednesday’s series-ending victory over Boston.

It’s why James knelt on the court after the Heat’s 97-87 victory over the Celtics in an emotional, unforgettable response to the end of the game.

James scored eight consecutive points during a pivotal late-game run that primed the Heat’s victory, giving them a 4-1 edge in the best-of-seven series.

“Everything went through my mind at that point,” James told reporters after the game. “Finally getting over this hump against this team. Everything I went through this summer, with ‘The Decision’ and deciding to come down here to be a part of this team … because I knew how important team is to this sport … and all the backlash I got from it.

“I’d be up here for two hours if I tell you exactly everything that went through my head. Very emotional at that point, you know, and happy we got through it as a team.”

James’ big effort supported Dwyane Wade, who produced 34 points, 10  rebounds and five assists in the victory.

“It took a 5 1/2-month season for us to get to this point … to exorcise these demons,” Miami coach Erik Spoelstra told NBA.com. “It was a series all of us wanted since training camp.”

In the process, James and Wade led Wednesday’s Studs and Duds by catapulting the Heat into the Eastern Conference Finals against Chicago. The first game is Sunday night.

“The Heatles” can hardly wait.

STUDS

Miami G Dwyane Wade: Tallied 34 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, four steals and was plus-8 in the Heat’s series-ending 97-87 Game 6 victory over Boston.

Miami F LeBron James: Notched 33 points — including eight consecutive points in a pivotal late-game run — and added seven rebounds, four assists and was plus-14 in the Heat’s triumph over the Celtics.

Oklahoma City F Kevin Durant: Produced 19 points, seven rebounds, two blocked shots and was plus-19 in the Thunder’s convincing 99-72 Game 5 triumph over Memphis.

Oklahoma City G Daequan Cook: Came off  the bench for 18 points, including four 3-pointers, and was plus-9 in the Thunder’s victory over the Grizzlies.

Miami F Chris Bosh: Notched 14 points, 11 rebounds and was plus-14 in the Heat’s victory over Boston.

Boston G Ray Allen: Hit 5-for-10 from 3-point range en route to a team-high 18 points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals in the Celtics’ loss to Miami.

Boston F Kevin Garnett: Filled the stat sheet for 15 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, two steals and a blocked  shot in the Celtics’ season-ending loss to Miami.

DUDS

Memphis’ offense: The Grizzlies shot a season-worst 35.9 percent from the field, matched their season-worst scoring total and were outrebounded 50-33 in the Grizzlies’ loss at the Thunder.

Memphis G Mike Conley: Went 4-for-16 from the field with three turnovers and was minus-22 in the Grizzlies’ loss at Oklahoma City.

Memphis G Tony Allen: Struggled in a 4-for-13 shooting effort with three turnovers and was minus-17 in the Grizzlies’ loss to the Thunder.  

Boston F Paul Pierce: Clanked through a 5-for-12 shooting effort with four turnovers and was a team-worst minus-15 in the Celtics’ loss to the Heat.

Miami G Mario Chalmers: Went 1-for-6 from the field, missing all four 3-point attempts in a two-point effort in the Heat’s victory over Boston.

Memphis G O.J. Mayo: Hit only 2-for-9 from the field and was minus-24 in the Grizzlies’ loss to the Thunder.

Memphis F Zach Randolph: Limited to a playoff-low nine points on 3-for-9 shooting and was minus-12 in the Grizzlies’ loss to Oklahoma City.

Eastern finals matchups, keys to victory

Express-News NBA writer Mike Monroe profiles the key players and matchups in the Eastern Conference finals between the top-seeded Bulls and No. 2 seed Heat, who lost all three meetings to Chicago this season by a combined eight points.

POINT GUARD

Heat: (0) Mike Bibby 6-2, 13th yr – The worst defender among all starters left in playoffs, and he’s about to face the MVP … He’d better shoot better from long range (23.5 percent) than he did in first two rounds.

Bulls: (1) Derrick Rose 6-3, 4th yr – Playoffs production (28.8 ppg, 8.2 apg) better than the regular season (25.0, 7.7) that earned MVP Award … Shooting, however, is down (44.5/33.2 on 3-pointers in season vs. 40.0/25.4 in playoffs).

Edge: Bulls

SHOOTING GUARD

Heat: (3) Dwyane Wade 6-4, 8th yr – He’s had some problems with migraines in playoff run, but he’s been a headache for opponents, averaging 26.2 points, 7.6 rebounds and 5.0 assists … 3-point shooting has dropped in playoffs to 25.0.

Bulls: (6) Keith Bogans 6-5, 8th yr – He’s picking his spots to shoot playoff 3-pointers and has been so accurate (48.7 percent) that the Heat will have to game plan to limit his open opportunities. This fact alone makes him a factor.

Edge: Heat

SMALL FORWARD

Heat: (6) LeBron James 6-8,8th yr – His strong finish in close-out game against Celtics answered questions about his crunch-time edge. … After averaging 24.2 points in first round, scoring jumped to 28.0 in five games against Celtics.

Bulls: (9) Luol Deng 6-9, 7th yr – No Bulls player has logged more playoff court time than Deng, 43.2 minutes per game. … Solid playoff scorer (16.7 points) and rebounder (6.5), it’s his defensive excellence that keeps him out there.

Edge: Heat

POWER FORWARD

Heat: (1) Chris Bosh 6-11, 8th yr – After averaging 19.8 points in first round, he slipped to 12.8 against Celtics’ stiffer defense but was Heat’s top rebounder against Boston. … Solid pick-and-roll defender will be vital at defensive end.

Bulls: (5) Carlos Boozer 6-9, 9th yr – Bothered some by “turf toe” during conference semifinals. … Playoff scoring (11.8 points per game) way off from regular season (17.5), but rebounding virtually the same (9.5 per game).

Edge: Heat

CENTER

Heat: (50) Joel Anthony 6-9, 4th yr – A very athletic defender and quick to get on the boards, which is precisely what is needed against Noah. … Averaged 6.2 rebounds in conference semis against Boston, making himself a significant factor.

Bulls: (13) Joakim Noah 6-11, 4th yr – Bulls’ emotional leader also is their top rebounder (10.4 per game in regular season and playoffs) and an outstanding outlet passer. Always looking to lead Rose on the way to the basket.

Edge: Bulls

BENCH

Heat: G Mario Chalmers’ ability to defend Kyle Korver and Bogans, even Rose, makes him most important reserve … Bench bigs provide little, though Zydrunas Ilgauskas looms as an X-factor if Anthony still starts … James Jones is a 3-point threat.

Bulls: F Kyle Korver keeps foes from doubling Rose by demanding a defender at the arc. … Omer Asik’s toughness has made him a surprise factor … Ronnie Brewer’s defense and Taj Gibson’s rebounding make them X-factors.

Edge: Bulls

COACH

Heat: Erik Spoelstra 3rd yr – He’s already beaten Tom Thibodeau’s mentor, Doc Rivers, but this is a big series for a guy who is going to take a lot of heat (pardon the pun) if he can’t get the team and its talents into the NBA Finals.

Bulls: Tom Thibodeau 1st yr – The guy won the Coach of the Year award and has his team playing lock-down playoff defense. … His use of bench has been masterful, and he’s smart enough to know Rose is a great closer.

PREDICTION

Heat in six?

* * *

HEAT VS. BULLS KEYS TO VICTORY

M-V-P vs. M-V-We: This series should probably be sponsored by the True Value Hardware chain. Of the five remaining playoff teams, none relies more on one player than the Bulls, who lean heavily on MVP Derrick Rose to generate offense, especially in crunch time. Though two-time MVP LeBron James finished third in this year’s voting, many believe 2006 Finals MVP Dwyane Wade has just as much impact.

Roll that pick: The Bulls rely heavily on pick-and-roll action, especially with Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah. The Heat’s big men, Joel Anthony and Chris Bosh, are adept at defending the pick-and-roll, “showing” out to force the dribbler — usually Rose — farther from the basket than he wants. How this action plays out will go a long way towards determining the series winner.

Ex-Spurs, X-Factors: Spurs fans often averted their eyes when Keith Bogans launched 3-pointers during his days as a rotation player in 2009-10. Now he’s a starter for the Bulls and was a positive factor from long range in a few playoff games leading to this series. Then there’s Kurt “Big Sexy” Thomas. In what should be a defensive series, he has a chance to be a factor on the interior.

– Mike Monroe

Monday: Spurs (54-12) at Heat (45-21)

Time: 7 p.m.
TV: FSNSW, ESPN
Radio: WOAI-AM 1200, KCOR-AM 1350

STARTING LINEUPS

Point guard
Spurs: 9 Tony Parker (6-2, 10th yr)
Heat: 15 Mario Chalmers (6-2, 3rd yr)
For Parker, March has been a good month so far (20 ppg, 6 apg).

Shooting guard
Spurs: 20 Manu Ginobili (6-6, 9th yr)
Heat: 3 Dwyane Wade (6-4, 8th yr)
In career, Ginobili scores more vs. Heat (17.7 pts.) than any other team.

Small forward
Spurs: 24 Richard Jefferson (6-7, 10th yr)
Heat: 6 LeBron James (6-8, 8th yr)
James had 26 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists in Spurs’ March 4 victory.

Power forward
Spurs: 21 Tim Duncan (6-11, 14th yr)
Heat: 1 Chris Bosh (6-11, 8th yr)
Bosh produced 17 points, 14 rebounds in previous meeting with Spurs.

Center
Spurs: 34 Antonio McDyess (6-9, 15th yr)
Heat: 25 Erick Dampier (6-11, 15th yr)
McDyess’ 12 points, 12 boards vs. HOU was 4th double-double of season.

SPURS RESERVES
25 James Anderson, G, 6-6, 1st yr
45 DeJuan Blair, C, 6-7, 2nd yr
15 Matt Bonner, C/F, 6-10, 7th yr
3 George Hill, G, 6-2, 3rd yr
14 Gary Neal, G, 6-4, 1st yr
23 Steve Novak, F, 6-10, 5th yr
22 Tiago Splitter, C, 6-11, 1st yr

HEAT RESERVES
50 Joel Anthony, C, 6-9, 4th yr
0 Mike Bibby, G, 6-2, 13th yr
55 Eddie House, G, 6-1, 11th yr
5 Juwan Howard, F, 6-9, 17th yr
11 Z. Ilgauskas, C, 7-3, 13th yr
22 James Jones, F, 6-8, 8th yr
13 Mike Miller, F, 6-8, 11th yr

COACHES
Spurs: Gregg Popovich
Heat: Erik Spoelstra

INJURIES
Spurs: None.
Heat: Udonis Haslem (left foot), Ilgauskas (foot), and Dexter Pittman (right knee) are out.

PROJECTED INACTIVE PLAYERS
Spurs: Chris Quinn, Othyus Jeffers.
Heat: Pittman, Jamal Magloire, Haslem.

NOTABLE
Ten days after handing Heat most lopsided defeat of season, 125-95 at the ATT Center, Spurs look to finish season sweep. … Spurs had eight players in double figures in that game, including Bonner, who scored 18 points and made 6 of 7 on 3-pointers. … Miami is 16-19 against teams .500 or better and 2-8 in games decided by three points or less. … James (26.2 ppg) and Wade (25.5) rank third and fourth in scoring. … Heat are first in NBA in average scoring margin (6.86). Spurs are second at 6.79.

– Jeff McDonald