The Heat were outscored 21-10 in the fourth quarter Saturday night, squandering a 14-point lead and losing their playoffs opener to Boson, 85-76.
The game was punctuated by a scuffle near the Miami bench with 40 seconds left, for which Boston's Kevin Garnett was ejected with two technical fouls for elbowing the Heat's Quentin Richardson. Celtics guard Paul Pierce had fallen to the ground clutching his shoulder after minimal contact with Richardson, who jawed at Garnett when he came over to check on Pierce.
Garnett threw an elbow, and in the ensuing shoving match Richardson, Udonis Haslem, and the Celtic's Glen Davis also received technicals.
"Two actresses over there," Q-Rich said of Garnett and Pierce, whose shoulder was miraculously healed. "That's what they are...They're good basketball players, but nothin' other than that. I don't like them, and they know it."
The delay merely drew out the Heat's collapse, which followed two quarters of solid play from Miami and seemingly unanswerable momentum.
But all good things came to an end, with the Celtics' defense smothering the Heat's offense -- which wasn't much to speak of, aside from Wade's 26 points. Miami had 22 turnovers, 7 of those from Flash.
The best-of-seven series resumes Tuesday night at 8 in Boston, which is about as soon as any Heat fans will be steeled to watch again. The team, however, is anxious to put the performance behind them.
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"They won. We didn't," said Haslem. "Next game."
