In Game 2, the Heat started strong, at one point taking a 9-point lead. This led to the second overtime game of the series. This was the first playoff meeting between the Clippers and the Spurs.Much like the Spurs-Clippers series, the series featured a team that swept their first round opponents and another team that were coming off a tough seven-game series. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat defeating the Western Conference champion Oklahoma City Thunder 4 games to 1 in the NBA Finals. 2012 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals 76ers vs. Celtics League Champion: Miami Heat. It was soon followed by Bosh's third three-pointer of the night (a career-high three 3 pointers) that gave the Heat the lead for good. The Celtics never recovered as the Heat booked a return trip to the Finals with a 101–88 Game 7 win in Miami. He was locked in from the beginning of the game like I've never seen him before," Wade said.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.
The Thunder would try to climb back in the fourth quarter, eventually cutting the lead to 6 in the fourth quarter. Game 1 was a very close affair, with both teams going back and forth in the final minutes of the fourth quarter. As such, the Thunder had the advantage in Game 1. The Lakers still had one last chance to tie but Kobe Bryant's three missed, with Harden hitting two free-throws to effectively seal the deal.
However, James fouled out with 1:51 left. Game 2 saw the visitors lead for most of the game. In Game 7, the Celtics started strong. However, the Spurs quickly took control in the 2nd and 3rd quarters as they defeated the Clippers, 108–92, and took a 1–0 series lead.
Game 1 would be close, with the Thunder taking a 9-point lead going to the fourth, looking poised to give the Spurs their first loss of the postseason. Boston answered back, holding a 3-point lead in the final minute before James hit a 3 to tie it with 36 seconds left. The Bulls came into the playoffs as the first overall seed for the second straight year. In Game 3, the Celtics got strong performances from Rondo, Garnett, and Pierce. The Boston Celtics can look back at this series and realize that this was a missed golden opportunity. The Heat would come back, taking a 72–71 lead with 4:11 to go.
"The way he approached the last 48 hours, and not only LeBron, but everybody else. User account menu . The Heat defeated the Knicks in Game 1 by 33 points. The Heat in The 6 division winners and 10 other teams with the most wins from each conference qualified for the playoffs. Notably, before Game 4 had even been played, Jazz forward Al Jefferson commented that he didn't think any team would defeat the SpursThis was the fifth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Jazz winning three of the first four meetings. The Hawks won Game 1 by nine points, but the Celtics took the next three games, pushing the Hawks to the brink of elimination. Game 2 was very different, with the Celtics starting very strong. The Celtics would still have a 7-point lead at halftime. Without Granger and West, the Pacers were unable to stop the Heat, as the Heat won 115–83 to take a 3–2 series lead, putting them a win away from the Eastern Conference Finals. "I wanted to be there for my teammates, no matter what was going on throughout the course of the game.
Both the Celtics and the Sixers clinched their first round series on the same day. The Eastern Conference finals, and his chase of an NBA championship, are headed back to Miami for a Game 7. However, out of timeouts, the Clippers were forced to take a long inbound pass. "I hope now you guys can stop talking about LeBron and he doesn't play in big games," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. In Game 3, the Sixers held their last lead with 9:09 left in the second quarter as the Celtics took over the rest of the game to lead them to a 2–1 series advantage. Midway through the second quarter, a Rondo jumper extended their lead to 15. Game 5 in Atlanta was a close one. Not many people looked at them as a championship-contending team but yet they were probably a few plays away from going to the NBA Finals. The last without one was the The Spurs became the fourth team and first from the West to go 8–0 through the playoffs' first two rounds following the 2003 change in the first round format to 7 games.