Celtics Outlast Wade and the Heat, 107-102

Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat came into Wednesday night’s game looking to seek revenge on the Celts, after losing last month’s close game in overtime. But the Celtics weathered the storm, winning 107-102.

As expected, Wade carried his team with 30 points. And even when he wasn’t scoring, he was setting up his teammates with shots. His quick drives to the hoop and extraordinary vision left him with 13 assists on the night.

But team basketball will always beat a one-man team. At the post-game press conference, Rajon Rondo said of Boston’s team effort, “It was contagious… When guys are moving the ball, we are a great team.”

The C’s spread out their offense, with Ray Allen finishing with 23 points. Rondo wasn’t too far behind with another all-star performance, putting up 22 points and 14 assists. Eddie House was a huge asset off the bench, scoring 16 points.

The Celtics defense did the best they could do defending D-Wade, but they didn’t do a great job containing him. Doubl-teaming Wade and playing help defense allowed Miami to put up a lot of points and stay in the game. But in the home stretch, the guys in green buckled down and hit key free throws to seal the deal.

The Heat played without their promising young point guard, Mario Chalmers, who sat out with a thumb injury. Celtics captain Paul Pierce sat out his second game with a foot injury, and still is listed as day-to-day.

The next game for the C’s (31-16) will be at home against the best D-League team, the New Jersey Nets. Their next test comes on Sunday when Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic (33-16) come into town. The Celtics lost in the final seconds on Jan. 28 the last time they met.