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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
BOSTON (AP) -- Miami coach Pat Riley didn't have time to pity the
Boston Celtics after helping eliminate them from playoff
contention.
"We're fighting for something, too," Riley said Wednesday
night after the Heat beat Boston 102-97 and pulled to a game of idle Milwaukee in the Eastern Conference standings.
|  | | Miami's Alonzo Mourning slams down a pair against Boston on his way to 21 points in 28 minutes, his longest stint this season.
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"We're just as hungry to catch Milwaukee. So it isn't as though
they're the only ones fighting for something."
Miami extended its lead over the New York Knicks to two games,
but the Heat had their sights set on home-court advantage over the
Bucks in a possible second-round matchup. Boston's defeat, combined
with Indiana's 100-93 victory over the Knicks, eliminated any
chance the Celtics had of making the playoffs.
"Obviously, our goal was to make the playoffs," Celtics
forward Antoine Walker said even before the Pacers' victory. "I'm
very disappointed. I felt we were good enough to make the playoffs
and we just fell short."
Alonzo Mourning had 21 points and nine rebounds, and Tim
Hardaway hit a pair of 3-pointers in the final minutes as Miami,
which blew a 19-point first-half lead, rallied to hold off the
Celtics at the end.
"I think it's good to be pushed," Riley said. "The last
couple of years, we were in the playoffs with everything clinched
and kind of lost the momentum. This year, we don't want to do
that."
Paul Pierce scored 41 points, and Walker had 29 and nine
rebounds for Boston.
Anthony Mason had 23 points for the Heat, who improved to 6-3 -- including five consecutive victories -- since Mourning returned from a
kidney ailment. Mourning played 28 minutes as a reserve, the most
since he returned from a 69-game layoff.
After the game, Mourning sat with his left foot in a mop bucket
filled with icy water, with bags of ice taped to each knee.
Asked how he felt, he said, "I'm tired."
Asked if it was getting better with each game, he said, "I
would like to think so."
The Celtics have not made the playoffs since 1995. They were
headed for another also-ran finish this season before the firing of
coach Rick Pitino energized the team for a late run.
With a strong stretch run, they briefly moved into eighth place.
But they have since lost six of eight games to fall out of
contention.
"This is the toughest one. This is a game we had to win,"
Pierce said before the Indiana game was over. "A couple weeks ago,
we gave ourselves a chance. Now it's pretty much over."
The Heat led by 19 in the second quarter and 15 in the third
before the Celtics cut the deficit to six points heading into the
final quarter.
Boston cut it to 83-81 on Walker's 3-pointer with 7:35 left, but
Brian Grant hit a jumper, then Bruce Bowen stripped the ball from
Pierce and hit a layup at the other end. Pierce hit a 3-pointer
from the left side to make it 87-84.
Walker hit a baby hook, and after Grant's miss Pierce made two
free throws to tie it 88-all with 5:35 to play, but the Celtics
couldn't score in their next five possessions. Dan Majerle hit a
3-pointer, and after Pierce made two of three free throws, Hardaway
made a pair of 3s to give the Heat a 97-90 lead with 1:50 left.
Miami went on a 12-0 run to take a 31-13 lead on the first
basket of the second quarter, a 3-pointer by Majerle.
Game notes
Bryant Stith was given the Sixth Man Award by a vote of the
fans. ... Walker and Pierce had 31 of Boston's 39 first-half points
and 50 of their 66 going into the fourth quarter. ... Heavyweight
champion John Ruiz, who's from nearby Chelsea, was in attendance.
He received a standing ovation when he was introduced to the crowd
in the third quarter. ... Pierce, who has struggled from the line
recently, was 15-for-16, making his first 14. ... Charlestown High
School, the 2001 Massachusetts state champions, attended the game.
... Eddie Jones hit a fourth-quarter 3-pointer, his only points in
two games since returning from a 15-game absence for a dislocated
shoulder.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Miami Clubhouse
Boston Clubhouse
With an inspired Miller, Pacers grab playoff spot
O'Brien gets a vote of confidence from Celtics brass
RECAPS
Miami 102
Boston 97
Chicago 113
Washington 109
Atlanta 107
Cleveland 102
Detroit 99
Toronto 87
Indiana 100
New York 93
Phoenix 111
Dallas 106
Seattle 107
Golden State 101
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Paul Pierce is disappointed the Celtics didn't make the playoffs. (Courtesy NECN)
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Antoine Walker thought the Celtics had a team that could make the playoffs, but they fell short. (Courtesy NECN)
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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