Top Five Moments In Miami Heat Versus Boston Celtics Rivalry
In the 1990s and early 2000s, the Miami Heat's biggest rival were the New York Knicks.
That has changed in recent years, with the Heat now having a bigger history with the Boston Celtics. The teams have played in the Eastern Conference finals three times since 2012, with the Heat winning twice.
From LeBron James to Kevin Garnett to Dwyane Wade to Rajon Rondo, the series has produced its share of moments. With the Heat and Celtics set to play twice this week, here's a look at some of the best moments (in no particular order) from rivalry:
BEGINNING OF THE BIG THREE ERA IN MIAMI
In April of 2010, the Heat lost to the Celtics in the first round of the playoffs. After the game, Wade made a point to say he needed help if they were going to compete for a championship.
"I can't predict the future," Wade told reporters at the time. "It's going to be a very important summer. It's going to be a busy summer. But right now I've still got to get this out of my system first. I'm a good sportsman, but I don't take losing well."
A few months later, the Heat signed James and Chris Bosh. It led to two championships in four straight NBA Finals appearances. So, in a sense, the Celtics created the Big Three era.
LEBRON GOES CRAZY IN GAME 6 IN BOSTON
The Heat's Big Three experiment was one loss from being considered a bust. They trailed the Celtics 3-2 in the 2012 Eastern Conference finals and were playing host to Game 6.
A Heat loss and the team was almost certainly to be deconstructed. And then James had the game of all games. He had 45 points, 15 rebounds and five assists to lead the Heat to victory. They won Game 7 in Miami and then defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Finals, capturing the second title in franchise history.
RAY ALLEN JUMPS SHIP BEFORE IT SINKS
A few months after the Heat eliminated the Celtics, they picked up another win in the rivalry. Ray Allen chose to leave Boston so he could join Miami.
The signing was so significant it temporarily broke the friendship between his former teammates, Garnett and Paul Pierce. Allen played a big role in the Heat winning a second straight title, hitting the epic 3-pointer in Game 6 of the Finals against the San Antonio Spurs.
BAM ADEBAYO DENIES JAYSON TATUM AT THE RIM
In what was perhaps one of the greatest moments in playoffs history, Adebayo With the Heat holding a two-point lead late in Game 1 of the conference finals, Celtics forward Jayson Tatum drove to the basket with hopes of forcing overtime.
Instead, he was met at the rim by Adebayo, who blocked the dunk attempt. The Heat eventually defeated the Celtics in six games on the way to the Finals where they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers.
JIMMY BUTLER'S 3-POINTER FALLS SHORT
The Heat fell one shot shy of defeating the Celtics once again in the conference finals when Butler's late 3-pointer was off the mark. They trailed by only two but Butler decided to go for the victory. No one criticized him because he was in the middle of one of the greatest postseasons in NBA history.
In hindsight, it may been better for Butler to take a better shot and perhaps force overtime.
(HONORABLE MENTION) LEBRON DUNKS OVER JASON TERRY
The Miami Heat rallied from a 17-point deficit to defeat the Celtics and keep alive what turned out to be a 28-game winning streak.
The victory was hardly the highlight. That came when James caught an alley-oop from Mario Chalmers and dunked over Terry. the dunk is considered one of the best in Heat history,
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Shandel Richardson covers the Miami Heat for Inside The Heat.
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