LeBron James takes Heat to Game 7 with Celtics

LeBron James had 45 points and 15 rebounds, overwhelming the Boston Celtics in 98-79 victory for the Miami Heat. Celtics-Heat Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals to be played Saturday night in Miami.?

By Brian Mahoney,?Associated Press / June 8, 2012

Miami Heat forward LeBron James (6) elevates for a dunk past Boston Celtics' Brandon Bass (30), Paul Pierce (34), Kevin Garnett (5) during the first half in Game 6 of the NBA basketball Eastern Conference finals, Thursday, June 7, 2012, in Boston. Lebron scored 45 points in the game.

(AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

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LeBron James has walked off the court here too many times with nowhere to go except summer vacation.

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The destination this time: Game 7 in Miami, with a spot in the NBA finals on the line.

James had 45 points and 15 rebounds, overwhelming the Boston Celtics and leading the Heat to a 98-79 victory Thursday night that forced a decisive game in the Eastern Conference finals.

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After two days of questions about the Heat's future and his own history, James provided his response in resounding fashion in a building where Miami had lost 15 of its previous 16 games, and where his season had twice come to an end.

"In an environment like this, you want to have a big game," he said. "I wanted to be there for my teammates, no matter what was going on throughout the course of the game.

"This was a gut check for us, and it's good to see we were able to bounce back after that loss, after that Game 5 loss at home."

James shot 19 of 26 from the field and finished four points shy of his playoff career-high while playing 45 minutes, not sitting down until the victory was long secured.

"He was absolutely fearless tonight, and it was contagious," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "The way he approached the last 48 hours, and not only LeBron, but everybody else. Nobody likes getting dirt thrown on your face before you're even dead. He showed great resolve."

Dwyane Wade added 17 points for the Heat, who need a victory at home Saturday night to return to the NBA finals. And if James plays like this again, Miami should have no problem getting it.

"He played amazing. He was locked in from the beginning of the game like I've never seen him before," Wade said.

Rajon Rondo had 21 points and 10 assists for Boston. Kevin Garnett and Brandon Bass each scored 12 points, but Paul Pierce had only nine on 4-of-18 shooting.

"That was tough," Pierce said. "You got an opportunity to close out a series on your home floor. For us to come out and play the way we did, it was very tough. You got to take your hats off to them. They had a really great game plan. LeBron really got hot, played like the MVP tonight."

In the site of some of James' biggest disappointments, the only disappointed ones Thursday were the thousands of fans who hoped to see a celebration but instead filed out of the TD Garden midway through the fourth quarter, just before the league MVP called it a night.

"He was comfortable all night," Rondo said. "We didn't get into his air space."

Miami barely won Game 2 before dropping the next three games, but this one was never in doubt. James was a one-man force on what's supposed to be a Big Three, carrying the Heat in the first half while Wade made only 1 of 6 shots.

The Celtics were hoping to complete a comeback from a 2-0 deficit, as Oklahoma City did in the Western Conference, and advance to face the Thunder in the NBA finals. But they missed 13 of 14 3-point attempts and will have to win a second straight game in Miami to play for the title.

James' season was twice ended in Boston while playing for Cleveland, the Celtics emerging as the winner in a Pierce-James duel in Game 7 of the 2008 East semifinals, then beating the Cavs in Game 6 of the second round two years later.

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