Where there's a will, there's a Wade.

And there was no doubt about it. It was in Dwyane Wade's will that the Heat lives to fight at least another day in the playoffs.

Setting all kind of franchise playoff records, Wade scored a season-high 46 points, including 30 in the second half, to spark the Heat to a 101-92 victory over the Celtics at AmericanAirlines Arena. The Heat staved off elimination and pulled to within 3-1 in the best-of-7 series.

Miami squandered all of an 18-point lead in the first half and ended up using a 25-7 run of its own to rally back in the fourth quarter to overcome the Celtics and force Game 5 in Boston on Tuesday.

Before the game, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra challenged his team to reveal its character. The Heat showed that it was in no mood to get swept this time and relive the feelings fans felt three years ago when the Chicago Bulls completed that four-game sweep in Miami.

There's another fight in this feisty Heat team.

"We got one down," guard Mario Chalmers said. "Now, we've got three more to go."

D. WADE'S DOINGS: What didn't Wade do? Perhaps sell concessions. Maybe sweep the floor and lock the gym up after the game. Then again, with his postgame workout habits, there's a good chance Wade crept back into AmericanAirlines Arena to take a few more shots. He was that hot. Why stop at 46 points? Wade set franchise playoff records for points (46), points in a half (30 in the second) and field goals made (16) on the way to delivering another of his magical postseason performances. Whatever happened to that dehydration he was supposed to be battling after Game 3? He showed no signs of that Sunday. He was simply on fire. Wade was 16 of 24 from the field, 5 of 7 from three-point range and 9 of 14 from the line. At one point late in the third quarter, he went on a streak and scored 11 consecutive Heat points. That set the tone for Miami to pull ahead by as many as 11 points late in the fourth. This, is what it's going to take from Wade in Game 5 on Tuesday to bring this series back to Miami on Thursday.

TURNING POINT: After trailing by seven late in the third quarter, Miami used a 25-7 run that began in the third and carried it to an 11-point lead in the fourth. That was enough cushion, barely, to hold off the Celtics. Wade wasn't a one-man show during that stretch. He got a significant boost from a group of reserves that included Mario Chalmers, Udonis Haslem, Dorell Wright and Joel Anthony. Still, I'd argue that Michael Beasley's putback to extend the lead to 98-92 with 1:27 left might have been as big as any single bucket of the game.

WINNING/LOSING EDGE: The Heat turned the tide on the Celtics this time. Miami outrebounded Boston 43-35 and also scored 28 points off 16 Celtics turnovers. This time, Miami was the team capitalizing off the miscues instead of committing them.

HEAD-SCRATCHER: As strange as it sounds, Miami could be up 3-1 in this series. The Heat should at least be 2-2. But it just couldn't handle the prosperity of a 14-point second-half lead in Game 1. It also lost on a buzzer-beater at home in Game 3. Miami had had its opportunities in this series. The Game 1 loss in Boston might ultimately come back to haunt the Heat in this series. That single game changed the course of this series. One half of bad basketball, in a sense. The Heat faces a tremendous uphill climb against these Celtics, who are deeper, more experiences and have been mentally stronger to this point. It's not out of the realm of possibility that Miami can steal Game 5 in Boston. Do that, and history is within its grasp, as unlikely as it seems, with the series coming back to Miami for Game 6. At the end of the day, Miami is in this position because it squandered a couple of opportunities along the way. But credit the Heat for fighting through adversity and avoiding what would have been an embarrassing sweep on its home court.

KEY CONTRIBUTION: Quentin Richardson did his thing on both ends of the court when he got his minutes. His start was huge. He scored 20 points, the second-high playoff total of his career. He knocked down four three-pointers to tie his postseason career high. Most importantly, he scored the first eight points of the game for Miami en route to a 13-point first quarter, his highest scoring quarter since he joined the Heat. His seven made field goals also tied his postseason career high. Richardson's mouth has made a bigger impact on this series than his game. He started to change that with Sunday's performance. Richardson emerged from Sunday's game with a split on the ring finger of his left hand. The team called it a hand contusion. Richardson said the injury wouldn't keep him out of Game 5.

NEXT UP: Heat at Boston Celtics, 7 p.m. Tuesday - TD Garden.

(For live news, notes and updates on the Heat, follow me on Twitter @ twitter.com/wallacesports. To post a question or join our live Heat chat each Thursday from 1-2 p.m., click here.)

If the Heat can't find a way to stave off playoff elimination in Game 4 on Sunday, the Boston Celtics will advance to the second round of the playoffs and commence the offseason of all offseason in Miami.

For those in attendance at AmericanAirlines Arena on Sunday, you might want to keep a copy of the game program. By Sunday evening, it could very well become a souvenir.

Down 0-3 to the Celtics, this could very well be the last stand for this version of the Miami Heat. There will be plenty of offseason changes. So why put off the inevitable. Let's play the percentages now.

No, not those. We already know that no team in NBA history has come back from an 0-3 deficit to win a playoff series. I'm talking about playing the other percentages - the ones with far greater value. The return-of-the-roster percentages.

It's an unscientific take, one based more on common sense and dollars-and-cents.

RAFER ALSTON - 0%: A desperate reach for mid-season point guard depth had disastrous results. Skip quit on the Heat long before Miami had a chance to dispose of him.

JOEL ANTHONY - 90%: Not sure there's much of a market for Joel should he opt out his contract. The Heat would welcome back the shot-blocking franchise-made prospect as relatively cheap labor.

CARLOS ARROYO - 50%: Arroyo has two things going for him here. Owner Micky Arison is fond of him and his Hispanic ties, and he'd be open to taking a reserve role at a spot the Heat will certainly look to upgrade.

MICHAEL BEASLEY - 55%: If trading Michael Beasley opens the door to land Amare, Bosh, LeBron or even an unrestricted free agent such as Rudy Gay, Pat Riley will cut bait and make it happen. Otherwise, with Beasley still on his rookie-scale deal, it'll be cheaper to keep him and give him one last shot to shine here.

MARIO CHALMERS - 40%: After two years in the league and two years of so-called development, Rio still doesn't have a natural position. I can't see Miami bringing Rio and Arroyo back as backups. Chalmers has another year on his deal. But it's a low-cost expense.

DAEQUAN COOK - 18%: His time is up here. The former 3-point champion has run out shots at a rotation role. Look for Cook to be packaged with another player or draft picks to create cap space.

YAKHOUBA DIAWARA - 2%: Nice guy. Great attitude. His contract is up. Never became the defensive stopper/perimeter shooter off the bench Riley envisioned.

KENNY HASBROUCK - 10%: His chances to stick took a big hit when that DUI emerged from February, weeks before he was signed by the team as a developmental project. Hasbrouck better have a hell of a summer in his quest for the third PG spot.

UDONIS HASLEM - 67%: Projections of additional cap space cleared the way for Haslem to be brought back. It might take a while, because he certainly wants to see his value around the league. There's mutual respect there, even though both sides will look into upgrades.

JAMES JONES - 20%: Much like with Diawara, Riley is going to have to admit he made a mistake here. The Heat have to look into buying out Jones and creating about $2.5 million in the transaction. Perhaps Jones even re-signs for the vet's minimum late in the summer to stay with his hometown team. Maybe not.

JAMAAL MAGLOIRE - 63%: The league will be short on available centers. With Bosh or Stoudemire in a featured role at power forward, Anthony's shot-blocking, Magloire's rebounding and banging and their minimum salary slots might have to be enough.

JERMAINE O'NEAL - 5%: A mutual parting will be best for both. Despite his struggles in the playoffs, J.O. will benefit from a light crop of free agent centers, where his competition on the market doesn't extend beyond Shaq, Big Z, Brendan Haywood and Brad Miller. Even at mid-level prices, the Heat won't bite.

SHAVLIK RANDOLPH - 58%: A low-budget big man with some NBA experience. His chances increase if the Heat isn't forced to take back filler in some sort of summer blockbuster trade.

QUENTIN RICHARDSON - 15%: Richardson served his purpose. No other team would have given him a starting job. And he delivered at times when the Heat had nowhere else to turn. His contract is up, and unless he takes a massive, massive pay cut, he's gone - unless his guy Dwyane Wade says otherwise.

DWYANE WADE: - 99.3%: Despite the 50-50 act he's playing by publicly leaving his options open and doing everything but outright committing to the Heat, Wade will be back. But Riley better be aggressive in getting Bosh or Stoudemire here in a hurry. Riley won the public power play last summer. Wade is in total control this time around.

DORELL WRIGHT: 20%: Say what you will about Dorell, but he's 24 years old coming off his most productive season and would only be looking for a slight raise on that near $3 million salary. Yet, that will be too steep for the Heat, unless Miami slips to free-agency Plans D, E or F.

COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: 89%: Unless LeBron James demands Riley return to the bench, or owner Micky Arison starts asking questions or Spoelstra senses uneasiness in the front-office and steps aside, he will be back next season. Still, the last time Riley had this much on the line, Stan Van Gundy suddenly felt homesick. In other words, Spoelstra is safe.

(For live news, notes and updates on the Heat, follow me on Twitter @ twitter.com/wallacesports. To post a question or join our live Heat chat each Thursday from 1-2 p.m., click here.)

For the Heat, it became painfully obvious Friday night.

Boston is just better. Much better. Some teams simply have your number. That number reached 15 for Boston, as in 14 victories the last 15 times it faced the Heat.

Paul Pierce delivered a dagger as time expired in Friday's 100-98 victory to take a commanding 3-0 lead over the Heat in the best-of-7 first-round series that could very well be over on Sunday.

It's a case of Boston having too much firepower, too many options and too much mental toughness to withstand anything the Heat has thrown their way this season.

Miami fought this time. But it wasn't enough. The Heat ran out of gas at the finish and Wade lost his legs. Now, the Heat is in an overwhelming position. No team in NBA history has come back from an 0-3 deficit to win a series.

At this point, if Miami can somehow avoid being swept, it would be a major accomplishment. Pierce had 32 points, Ray Allen added 25, Rajon Rondo chipped in 17 points and eight assists and Kevin Garnett returned from suspension to deliver 16 points and eight rebounds.

D. WADE'S DOINGS: Question his decision to pull up for that long jumper with 13 seconds left in a tie game. But Wade was trying to make one last shot to get the Heat over the hump. He didn't have the legs to do it. Wade missed that jumper and then was overwhelmed by a severe cramp in his left calf, the same calf he strained a few months back. He was ailing for the final four minutes of the fourth quarter. He was basically playing on one leg. Still, Wade pushed the Heat with 34 points, eight assists, five rebounds, two steals and two blocks. He was 14 of 26 from the field, but 3 of 11 from three-point range. He settled for that jumper one too many times. But it's hard to question Wade's shot selection, because he's made too many difficult ones to rescue the Heat. Wade insists he'll have enough left to play Sunday. But there was a defeated look in his eyes as well as those of his teammates.

TURNING POINT: There were plenty of twists and turns in this one. In fact, there were 14 ties and 14 lead changes. Then, Paul Pierce got the ball at the top of the key, waited for 10 of the final 11 seconds to tick off the clock and then launched his three over Dorell Wright. Swish. Game. And, barring a miracle, series. The question, at the time, was whether Miami should have fouled to force Boston to reset with as little time as possible. But ask yourself this: How much would that have really mattered the way Boston has played?

WINNING/LOSING EDGE: The Heat had another game in which careless mistakes cost it dearly. The Heat, which finished the season ranked fourth in the league in limiting turnovers, had 18 on Friday that led to 24 points for the Celtics. Through three games in this series, Miami has committed 55 turnovers that has led to a combined 77 points for the Celtics.

HEAD-SCRATCHER: What started off as a concern has become an outright disappearing act for the Heat. Jermaine O'Neal has become milk carton material. He's missing. He's lost. He's fallen and can't get up. O'Neal benched for the duration of the fourth quarter, and is in the midst of the worst three-game stretch of his career. O'Neal is 5 of 31 in this series. You expected the Heat to lose the battle at point guard. You expected Dwyane Wade to do enough, with a small contribution from Quentin Richardson or Dorell Wright, to offset Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. But you knew this series was going to be determined by the team that won the power forward/center matchup. Kevin Garnett, Glen Davis and Kendrick Perkins have thoroughly dominated Michael Beasley, Udonis Haslem and Jermaine O'Neal. Simple as that. Haslem and Beasley have at least shown a pulse in this series. O'Neal, for whatever reason, has been next to comatose. And it was all good with J.O. just a few weeks ago. Perhaps those knee and ankle injuries took more out of him than anyone thought.

KEY CONTRIBUTION: Dorell Wright and Michael Beasley combined for 31 points on 11 of 15 shooting from the field in the loss. Miami needed this type of production from those guys earlier in this series. For the first time, Beasley stepped up and did his part. Also for the first time, Wright led a nice all-around effort from the Heat's bench. Still, it wasn't enough. When this is over, Miami will look back and realize it lost this series in Game 1. Miami had everything going its way in that game through most of the first three quarters. And then the collapse began. But Wright and Beasley played Friday like a pair of young, athletic and talented forwards who would make it tough for anyone to give up on those guys too soon. The problem is these type of performances haven't come often enough for either one of them this season. 

NEXT UP: Boston Celtics at Heat, Sunday 1 p.m. AmericanAirlines Arena

(For live news, notes and updates on the Heat, follow me on Twitter @ twitter.com/wallacesports. To post a question or join our live Heat chat each Thursday from 1-2 p.m., click here.)

Every now and then, the schedule, the wife or just plain common sense forces us to take a break from the intensity of covering this beat and realize how blessed we truly are in this job.

Thursday was one of those days. It was "Take Your Kid to Work" day. So not only did I step back and watch in amazement as my boys, Charlesson and Kori (pictured right) take over the weekly Heat Q&A online chat, they also wanted a piece of the blog. 

Full disclosure: Charlesson (left) is a Celtics fan. Kori (right) likes the Heat, but has a beef right now because he doesn't think it's fair that Daequan Cook can't get into the game. And Heat staffer Nick (above middle) couldn't give Kori the answers he demanded.

For the hard-core fans looking for a nuts-and-bolts blog that examines yet another facet of this Heat-Celtics series that resumes with Game 3 Friday, check back after the game for the usual breakdown.

But today was about giving thanks. And giving back. First, the thanks. I'm giving a shout out to the Heat's media relations staff - Tim, Rob, Nick and Mike - for giving several of us media types the opportunity to take our kids to practice Thursday. It was a joy to see how the room was filled with reporters and their kids.

It wasn't necessarily a Martin Luther King Jr. moment. But my boys and Ira Winderman's boy shook hands in harmony, caring nothing at all about the newspaper competition their dopes for dads endure daily to bring you Heat news and analysis.

ESPN's Mark Jones brought his beautiful family. And so did members of the Heat TV staff. And the players seemed to soak up the extra attention. I had never seen Dwyane Wade, Jamaal Magloire or Jermaine O'Neal so happy to see a pack of reporters. 

Or maybe it was the kids. This I know for certain: If the Heat wins Game 3 on Friday, at least a few cub reporter sources I know are going to take credit and demand to quit school and cover this team on a full-time basis.

Now, to the giving back. Charlesson, 14, was geared up from the moment he knew he'd be skipping school for the chance to cover the Heat for a day.

"While we were still on the road (going to practice) thoughts came out of my head out of nowhere as if I were an author," Charlesson wrote in his one-page report about the day's doings. "One of the things I was thinking about was how my reaction would be once I stepped foot in the same room as the Miami Heat players."

Charlesson immediately went into photographer mode with his cell phone to provide the pictures for this blog.

Meanwhile, Kori, 10, took my recorder and did the dirty work of fighting into the crowd to get quotes from Dwyane Wade, Michael Beasley and Mario Chalmers for the story that will appear in Friday's paper about the Heat's need to step up its game at the point guard position.

Kori's take?

"As I interviewed, I got information on how Dwyane Wade feels the next game will be. He says, 'We all know that I'll be handling the ball a lot, but the team needs to mix it up."

Then, Kori approached Michael Beasley.

"Michael Beasley said, 'There is definitely something I can do better to help the team win."

After practice, I took the boys to lunch and we pored through some of the questions on the Heat Q&A on the Miami Herald's website. They took turns giving their answers. And that's when they really took over.

"There were some wild questions on short notice that had to be answered," Kori wrote in his report. "I noticed that lots of these questions were on Michael Beasley and Erik Spoelstra (coach) being traded or fired. After this was finished, I finally got a chance to take a break."

I cover this team every day and still learned plenty on Thursday. Two things that stood out?

1. I'm blessed to have a great job

2. I might be out of work soon if these kids keep this up, considering they'll work right now for only Gatorade and video games.

(For live news, notes and updates on the Heat, follow me on Twitter @ twitter.com/wallacesports. To post a question or join our live Heat chat each Thursday from 1-2 p.m., click here.)

BOSTON - Okay, so now what? 

With this best-of-7 series shifting to Miami for the next two games, the Heat clearly has two choices at this point. Fight and get into this series.

Or fold and head into free agency.

With the way things went down in Tuesday's 106-77 loss to the Celtics at TD Garden in Game 2, I'm not sure too many folks out there would be too offended if Miami took the latter choice. But that hasn't been the Heat all season. There is a bit of pride with this team, even if it didn't show up Tuesday night.

Miami is now down 0-2 in this first-round series. It has only rallied from that type of playoff deficit one time in franchise history. And that was in the 2006 Finals to defeat the Dallas Mavericks.

But those Mavericks were fragile. These Celtics are serious. The elbow that got Kevin Garnett suspended for Game 2 had nothing on the blow Boston delivered in the second quarter Tuesday. A 21-0 spurt was the difference in this game. It was over by the half.

And now, the Heat is halfway out of this playoff series.

"In both games, there was a point of really being tested," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "And in both games, we failed that mental test."

So what now?

D. WADE'S DOINGS: Dwyane Wade begged for help from his teammates between Games 1 and 2. They didn't deliver. As it has been pretty much all season against Boston, there was plenty from Wade and very little from anyone else. Wade got off to a slow start, but had 29 points on 11 of 18 shooting from the field for the second consecutive game. His supporting cast? It was a collective 18 of 58 from the field. Boston is just fine with that sort of trade-off. If things continue down this path, all this series is going to prove is just how much help Wade needs in free agency to get back into serious contention in the East. Michael Beasley let Wade down with another sub-par performance. Jermaine O'Neal has yet to show up in the playoffs. Carlos Arroyo and Mario Chalmers can't penetrate, and that's a problem when they're both point guards. Quentin Richardson's mouth was quiet Tuesday. So was his game. Something's gotta give so Wade can get some help. Or else, the Heat is gone from the postseason.

TURNING POINT: The Heat was up 29-25 with 10:10 left in the second quarter. Then, boom. Michael  Finley nailed a three-pointer and opened the floodgates. Finley's trey sparked a 21-0 run that pushed the Celtics ahead 46-29. Amazingly, with all of that net-splashing, the Heat managed to remain in its drought. Four Celtics players contributed to the run that ran the Heat out of Boston.

WINNING/LOSING EDGE: The Celtics not only pounded the Heat on the boards for a 50-33 edge, Boston outscored Miami 22-10 from the free-throw line. The Heat also shot a painful 38 percent from the field. You know it's bad when Sheldon Williams, Ray Allen, Glen Davis and Michael Finley are working you over during the most critical stages of the game.

HEAD-SCRATCHER: Before the game, Wade was asked whether Garnett's absence might have opened the door for Beasley to have a breakout performance in the playoffs. Wade cut to the chase. He said that sort of door has always been open. "Mike's just gotta walk through it." It's one thing to get schooled by Garnett. It's another to allow Big Baby Davis - or the Ticket Stub, as Davis called himself Tuesday - to put up an All-Star effort against you. It's easy to pull for Beasley. I'd like to see the kid succeed, and we're not even supposed to have much of a rooting interest at all for people we cover. But reporters are human, too. And Mike is from my hometown. I know his people. And this is not a shot at Davis, who has worked his way into earning a steady NBA role in Haslem-like fashion. But you're talking about the No. 2 overall pick here struggling and getting beat up and down the court by a second-round pick in Davis, who also has outworked Haslem in this series. This was a time when Beasley really needed to step up and really didn't. He talked about the arguing and fighting that took place on the court with teammates over blown defensive assignments. O'Neal hasn't been himself in a month. As it stands now, the Heat has big men who won't stop shooting jumpers. Boston has post players who are aggressive and attacking in the post. That's gotta change for the Heat to get back into this series. And change quickly.

KEY CONTRIBUTION: Let's pass on this distinction for this game. There were no key contributions. Wade was a one-man show for the  most part. Everyone else in Heat uniforms had much in common with the 18,624 fans in attendance. They were all spectators. Spoelstra called the showing an "embarrassment." Wade said the team "sucked" defensively. As playoff lows go, it doesn't get much worse than this for the Heat. The good news: Tuesday was just one loss. The Heat is down 0-2. Boston held serve. The Heat has a chance to regroup at home.

NEXT UP: Boston Celtics at Heat, 7 p.m. Friday - AmericanAirlines Arena

(For live news, notes and updates on the Heat, follow me on Twitter @ twitter.com/wallacesports. To post a question or join our live Heat chat each Thursday from 1-2 p.m., click here.)

It might not prove to be the blow that changes the course of this series.

But Kevin Garnett's elbow to Quentin Richardson's chin may very well provide the shot in the arm Miami needed to draw even in this series. Or else it would be another opportunity missed against the Celtics.

Garnett was suspended by the league for Game 2 for elbowing Richardson during a scrum at the end of Boston's 85-76 victory in Game 1 Saturday at TD Garden. Richardson was hit with a $25,000 fine for his role in instigating the altercation that eventually led to players from both teams jawing and shoving.

The incident happened with 40 seconds left in the game, at a time when the Celtics were poking out their chests to celebrate their comeback from a 14-point deficit to dismiss the Heat.

But KG's blow wasn't the biggest one the Heat absorbed in Game 1. Miami's self-inflicted wounds did far more damage and cost the Heat a legitimate chance to seize control of this series and steal homecourt advantage right off the bat.

On a day designed for the Heat to move forward and prepare for Game 2 on Tuesday, several Miami players were still stung Sunday by the one that got away in Game 1. Miami's 22 turnovers that led to 38 Boston points contributed to the Heat squandering that double-digit lead.

For the third time in four losses to Boston this season, prosperity proved to be too painful for the Heat. Miami led in the fourth quarter on the way to three of those four losses. And Saturday's was the worst yet.

"You definitely want to take one of these games here at their place," Heat forward Udonis Haslem said after Sunday's practice at Emerson College. "But you don't know if you're going to get too many more chances like we had last night. You don't know if you're going to get up 14 points against the Celtics again. Definitely, it was a missed opportunity."

So what does the Heat have to do to finish off the Celtics for a change?

"If I knew that answer, our record wouldn't be what it is," Wade said of losing 12 of the last 13 overall against the Celtics. "It's a lot of things we did wrong. We had a lot of turnovers. A lot of guys weren't aggressive. I though we relied on me too much to get in the paint when they weren't allowing me."

Having said that, the Heat knows that it shouldn't require too many adjustments to turn things around in Game 2.

"We controlled the game, for the most part," center Jermaine O'Neal said.

Limit mistakes, knock down an open shot every now and then and block out the emotional B.S. Boston loves to bait teams into are about the only adjustments Miami needs.

And, of course, finish.

"You can talk about a lot of things," Heat coach Erik Spoelsta said, referring to the latest late-game breakdowns. "But we never had a chance to win a game like that. At some point, they'll turn the pressure up Tuesday night. And we have to respond."

The Heat won't have to fool around with Garnett's madness in Game 2. In fact, they won't have to see him again until the series shifts to Miami for Game 3 on Friday. That should be a big bonus.

Unless, of course, Miami finds a way to drive itself crazy again down the stretch.

(For live news, notes and updates on the Heat, follow me on Twitter @ twitter.com/wallacesports. To post a question or join our live Heat chat each Thursday from 1-2 p.m., click here.)

BOSTON - There are essentially only two things that matter from the opening game of this playoff series  between the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics.

Boston bullied the Heat to snatch an 85-76 victory after coming back from a 14-point deficit. And the Celtics also took advantage of an opportunity to try to punk the Heat in the process late in the game.

It's on now. If there's one thing this Heat team has proved throughout the course of the season is that it responds to this type of adversity. As Dwyane Wade made it clear after the game.

"They try to bully you," Wade said. "They try to push you to the limit. We're not going to back down."

The real shame of the matter for the Heat is that it had this game won. For the third time in four meetings with the Celtics this season, Miami allowed a game it seemed to be in control of slip right through its fingers. And considering the 22 turnovers Miami committed, that might be the perfect analogy.

Put it this way. Boston doesn't need Miami's help to beat the Heat. Yet Miami assisted the Celtics anyway. I don't think Game 1 did anything to disrupt the Heat's confidence. Miami knows it is capable of beating this Celtics team. But knowing you can do it and actually getting it done are two different things.

The Celtics carry a 1-0 lead into Game 2 on Tuesday night. So expect the Heat to spend the next two days kicking itself in the rear for allowing Saturday's golden opportunity to slip away.

D. WADE'S DOINGS: There have been plenty of nights when Wade's overall play was good enough to overshadow his high-turnover outings. But this is the playoffs. That doesn't often happen at this stage of the season, when every possession is magnified, especially down the stretch. Wade had 26 points on an effIcient 11-of-18 shooting from the field. He also had eight rebounds and six assists. But the seven turnovers were crucial. This wasn't necessarily a case of Wade being reckless. His teammates let him down on numerous occasions by dropping passes or fumbling the ball away or failing to be in a spot where they should have been. On the other hand, Wade was clearly in the wrong for tossing that alley-oop well beyond Udonis Haslem's reach at one stage late in the game. Even against Boston's nagging defense, Wade was still able to get to the basket just about any time he wanted. It appears the Celtics are fine with Wade going off for big numbers. But the Heat's supporting cast must command Boston's respect.

TURNING POINT: The Celtics used a 34-10 spurt at one point, a run that started midway through third quarter once Paul Pierce found his offense. But just about every Celtics player contributed to the game-changing rally. Tony Allen was scoring, Glen Davis rebounded and kept balls alive. Boston's bench outperformed the Heat's. And then the cagey vets took over from there.

WINNING/LOSING EDGE: This one's easy. Really easy. Miami, which had been one of the best teams in the league at protecting the ball, committed 22 turnovers that led to 38 points for Boston. Nothing hurt the Heat more than its generosity Saturday night. The 22 turnovers were the most by the Heat in a game since 2008. And the 38 points surrendered off turnovers were Miami's most in the Pat Riley era with the team, which dates to 1995.

HEAD-SCRATCHER: It's going to be interesting whether the league takes any sort of punitive stance on the semi-skirmish that broke out with 40 seconds left in the game. Neither team backed down during the incident that involved Quentin Richardson, Kevin Garnett, Jermaine O'Neal, Glen Davis and several others after Pierce fell into the front row near the Heat's bench. Replay not only showed what appeared to be a right-handed shove-punch from Richardson that appeared to catch Davis, it also showed a blatant elbow thrown into the crowd as Garnett was trying to separate himself from the mix. Beyond that, you have to wonder what Richardson was thinking with some of the postgame comments he made. There was this: "(Pierce) was on the ground crying. I don't know what was going on, two (Pierce/Garnett) actresses over there, that's what they are." Referee Joe DeRosa determined that Garnett's elbow contacted Richardson and warranted the ejection. Richardson then launched into Garnett and Pierce again after the game. "I don't like them and they know it." Richardson also suggested Pierce was playing the diva role with the injury. "Sometimes he falls like he's about to be out for the season and then he gets right up. Is he taking another break like he does so many times?" Wow. And I mean, wow. I haven't heard this sort of lyrical battle since Pac took out Biggie and Bad Boy Records in Hit 'em Up. Quentin is going to be a marked man from here on out in this series. He's got the gift of gab. But he better bring his game, too.

KEY CONTRIBUTION: Might as well stay with Richardson here. He was the only other Heat player in  double figures. Richardson was 5 of 10 from the field, including 3 of 6 from three-point range for 15 points. he also had four rebounds, three assists and a steal in 30 minutes. But his most productive moments came during the altercation and in the post-game locker room. Wade is going to need help to offset Boston's Big 4. The Heat caught a break because Ray Allen was far less than his usual dagger-delivering self. Q is going to have to not only defend, but also knock down threes and, just as importantly, drive to the basket and try to get defenders into foul trouble. 

NEXT UP: Heat at Celtics (Game 2), Tuesday 8 p.m. - TD Garden

(For live news, notes and updates on the Heat, follow me on Twitter @ twitter.com/wallacesports. To post a question or join our live Heat chat each Thursday from 1-2 p.m., click here.)

Mercy. It's over. It's finally over. 

Of all the people on all of the rosters in the league, it took Yakhouba Diawara to deliver the Heat from going to a third overtime against the New Jersey Nets in the final game of the regular season.

Instead, Frenchie stepped up and knocked down a three-pointer midway through the second overtime that stretched the Heat's lead to five and gave it enough cushion to hold on for a 94-86 double-overtime victory against the Nets on Wednesday at AmericanAirlines Arena.

Needless to say, it was Khouba's first three-pointer of the season. The fact that he was on the floor at that point in the game tells you all you need to know about Wednesday night. The Heat tried to do all it could to give itself as little chance as possible to win.

And it failed by succeeding. In a crazy sort of way.

With the victory, Miami (47-35) secured the No. 5 seed in the East and a first-round playoff matchup with No. 4 seed Boston in a best-of-seven series that will open Saturday in Beantown.

The Heat is 0-3 against Boston this season, with all three games decided by seven or fewer points. Would Miami have preferred to lose Wednesday and land into the No. 6 spot and face No. 3 seed Atlanta in the opening round? Probably so.

It didn't work out that way.

D. WADE'S DOINGS: Wade was busy before the game meeting with his biggest little fan, two-year old YouTube sensation Chad Sher, who made a name for himself shouting Wade's version of "This is My House." Wade met with Sher's family before the game. He sat out to rest an assortment of bumps and bruises that included his knee, calf and wrist. But Wade insisted he was not injured and would be ready to go once the series against Boston starts. Wade wraps up his seventh season having averaged 26.6 points, 6.5 assists and 4.8 rebounds. After opening the season ice cold, Wade finished the year shooting a respectable 47.6 percent from the field. He had 142 steals and 82 blocks. But the most important factor with Wade right now is that he ended the regular season playing his best ball of the season. He's truly in playoff form. And the Heat is going to need everything it can get from Wade to get past Boston.

TURNING POINT: It all goes back to Khouba. The Heat could have taken care of matters in regulation, but decided it needed to make things interesting by blowing a 13-point lead in the fourth quarter. Miami also didn't want to win in overtime. So Khouba shook off the dust, checked in during the second overtime and went to work. Dry as a bone, he banked in a three from the right wing. He insists he called "bank" and later said something might have gotten lost in translation. At any rate, his shot extended Miami's lead to 89-84. That was all the cushion Miami needed. But not even new Dolphins receiver Brandon Marshall stuck around to stomach the finish.

WINNING/LOSING EDGE: The Heat scored 25 points off 20 New Jersey turnovers. Pretty much everything else was a wash. Both teams shot below 40 percent from the field and below 31 percent on threes.

HEAD-SCRATCHER: For all of you who wanted Atlanta in the first round, consider this: Miami would be a lot more confident and - perhaps - a bit complacent going into a first-round matchup with the Hawks. Yes, the Heat was 3-1 against Atlanta this season. And yes, falling to the No. 6 seed would have given the Heat a playoff path through Atlanta and Orlando, a pair of Southeast Division rivals the Heat is a combined 5-3 against this season. But this is the playoffs. One thing about a Heat-Celtics series is that Boston will get and keep the Heat's undivided attention from Game 1. There will be an edge to Miami. There should be a passion in the series. There better be a focus from jump. And on another level, this Boston team is reeling right now, having dropped seven of its last 10 to end the regular season. Miami has won 12 of 13. In a lot of ways, this Boston team reminds me a lot of the Heat team the season Miami defended its NBA title. A lot of pride. A lot of big names. A lot of talk. But the moment Miami was smacked in that series against Chicago, it faded fast. This Celtics team just might be ripe for the downing of the Big 3 Dynasty.

KEY CONTRIBUTION: Michael Beasley certainly filled the stat sheet if nothing else. He had 25 points, 13 rebounds, six fouls, five turnovers, three blocks, two steals and two assists in 35 minutes before he fouled out. Beasley was 10 of 24 from the field. For the Heat's sake, Beasley should have worked out his kinks. He says he's ready for the challenge of facing Kevin Garnett and the Celtics. That matchup could decide the outcome of the series. 

NEXT UP: Heat at Boston Celtics, Saturday, 8 p.m. (Game 1) TD Garden - Boston

(For live news, notes and updates on the Heat, follow me on Twitter @ twitter.com/wallacesports. To post a question or join our live Heat chat each Thursday from 1-2 p.m., click here.)

The slippage had been subtle, but quietly serious.

It was enough of a concern to leave Heat coach Erik Spoelstra on edge. Close calls. Defensive lapses. Slow starts. All the signs were there, despite the Heat pushing its winning streak to nine games.

Those warning signs eventually caught up to the Heat in Friday's 106-99 loss to the Pistons at AmericanAirlines Arena. Miami saw its nine-game winning streak come to a crashing halt.

Longtime nemesis Ben Gordon buried the Heat, going off for 39 points, including 26 in the second half. Gordon, who used to do his damage as a member of the Bulls, made 7 of 11 treys and had an answer every time the Heat even thought about trying to rally.

The Heat had been rolling, and this might prove to simply be a bump in the road to get the team refocused heading into the playoffs. At least that's the way it sounded in the locker room afterward.

"It's going to hurt us and we're going to regret this one," forward Michael Beasley said. "We're just going to have to move on."

Said Dwyane Wade: "We won nine in a row. We lost one. We'll bounce back."

D. WADE'S DOINGS: There were some sloppy plays from the outset. But for every failed wrap-around-two-defenders pass Wade tried to execute, there was a sweet drive to the basket that was capped by a foul and conversion. Wade got off to a solid start, making three of his first four shots and hitting his first six free throws for 13 points in the first half. But there was something that kept Wade from being aggressive on the offensive end. It wasn't necessarily Detroit's defense. Perhaps it was just an off night. Wade was just 5 of 8 from the field for 19 points and nine assists. This time his five turnovers were costly, considering the Heat coughed it up 16 times.

TURNING POINT: When Udonis Haslem's jumper put the Heat ahead 86-85, Ben Gordon hit the overdrive   button. He fired off consecutive three-pointers at one point and scored 12 in the fourth quarter. He keyed a 12-4 run that allowed the Pistons to pull ahead 97-90.

WINNING/LOSING EDGE: Miami had done a solid job at holding teams under 50 percent from the field, under 100 points on the scoreboard and below 35 percent from three-point range. Detroit simply blew those trends out of the water. The Pistons scored 106 after Miami had held 15 of its last 16 under 100. Detroit shot 50 percent from the field and 44 from three-point range against one of the league's stingiest defenses.

HEAD-SCRATCHER: Heat president Pat Riley spent the entire third quarter of Friday's game as a guest broadcaster on the Sun Sports TV broadcast. He repeated a lot of what he's been saying lately. He believes Wade will re-sign and that owner Micky Arison is committed to surrounding Wade this summer with talent that will have the Heat competing for titles for a long time. He also said Michael Beasley walks around with a backpack and needs to take some things "out of the backpack" to lighten his load. "He's putting too much pressure on himself," Riley said. Another statement of note was that the Heat doesn't plan to let Udonis Haslem get away in free agency. That might be difficult to do with the way Haslem is playing lately. I can't imagine Haslem wanting to leave. But with his value at an all-time high at this point in his career, I can't see him offering too deep of a discount on what could be his last major contract. Riley's holding all the cards, and even has a few more up his sleeve. The good thing is that this team has played well enough for some guys to be invited back if plans A, B, C and maybe D, don't work out in free agency.

KEY CONTRIBUTION: Haslem is simply clutch these days. He doesn't miss in the fourth quarter. And he's rebounding like a man possessed. He finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds to notch his fifth double-double in seven games. He also grabbed at least 10 rebounds for the fifth consecutive game, which ties his career high. Haslem was 8 of 10 from the field. He's been as consistent as any Heat player over the past six weeks since the team got rolling.

NEXT UP: Heat at New York Knicks, 6 p.m. Sunday - Madison Square Garden

(For live news, notes and updates on the Heat, follow me on Twitter @ twitter.com/wallacesports. To post a question or join our live Heat chat each Thursday from 1-2 p.m., click here.)

The Heat flirted with disaster. But when the time came to put up or shut up, Miami remained committed to its winning ways of late.

For three and a half quarters, the Philadelphia 76ers did everything in their power to end the Heat's longest winning streak of the season and douse the hottest team in the league. That plan backfired when Dwyane Wade finally woke up, when Dorell Wright refused to cool off and when the Heat's bench didn't bow down.

Sure, there were quite a few questionable calls that went in the Heat's favor. But that's what happens when things are going your way, especially at home. After sputtering for most of the game, the Heat managed to get rolling just in time to escape with a 99-95 victory against the Sixers at AmericanAirlines Arena.

Wade and the starters were off. But the bench provided a major boost to extend the Heat's winning streak to nine games. That streak matches the nine-game run the Heat went on during the 2006-07 season. It was a tough, tough victory. But, as Wade said afterward, this team is finding a way to win even when it doesn't exactly play at its best level.

"As much as we would all love for it to be pretty all the time, it's not going to be that way," Wade said. "We struggled. But the important thing is we found a way to win."

D. WADE'S DOINGS: This wasn't going to be another of those 30 or 40-point nights for Wade. That was evident almost from the start. Wade missed his first four shots, was scoreless in the first quarter and was limited to eight points into the third quarter. His layups were rolling off the rim, his jumper wasn't with him, his rhythm was left in Minnesota. But then he summoned enough with his aggressive play to help push the Heat to victory. Had it not been for Dorell Wright's steady play, I'm not sure if Wade would have had enough in him to completely overcome the Sixers. But there was enough of a spark in the fourth to get it done. Wade had 16 of his 22 points in the second half, including eight in the fourth quarter. He made up for two crucial missed free throws in the final minutes by making two in the final seconds. Wade was 8 of 18 from the field and 6 of 11 from the foul line. Still, Miami survived.

TURNING POINT: That came in the fourth quarter, when Wright drilled his third three-pointer of the period to pull the Heat to within 89-88 with 4:35 left. Wade then scored six straight points to put Miami ahead 94-91 with 2:24 left. The Sixers still had a few more answers. But it was during that two-minute spurt when it was obvious the Heat would muster enough strength to finish strong.

WINNING/LOSING EDGE: Another opponent held below 100 points by the Heat. Miami has now gone nine straight games without giving up triple figures, which is the longest streak in the league. In fact, the Heat has held 15 of its last 16 foes below the century mark, which seems to be the magic number for Miami. Miami outscored Philly 21-11 from the free-throw line. That was a huge difference in this game, considering how some of the calls went in the second half.

HEAD-SCRATCHER: For a while in second half, when the Sixers were charging ahead of the Heat, a good chunk of the damage was done by players who used to be members of the Heat, who were traded by the Heat or who the Heat bypassed in the draft for other options. It started with Jason Kapono, who somehow found the foot speed to beat Wade off the dribble to score a layup off the glass. Then, rookie guard Jodie Meeks, who the Heat passed up with its second-round pick last summer, drove for a layup to put Philly ahead 84-82. Center Jason Smith, a player the Heat actually picked in the first round of the 2007 draft and traded for Daequan Cook (picked one spot later by Philly), slammed home an alley oop to increase the lead to six. Kapono then nailed consecutive jumpers, and the Sixers were ahead 91-90. This also comes a day after Heat cast-off Earl Barron goes off for 17 points and 18 rebounds in New York's win over Boston. Did the Heat give up on some of these guys too soon after spending money and time grooming some of these guys? Or did they simply develop after leaving Miami?

KEY CONTRIBUTION: It's a good thing the Heat held onto Wright after Pat Riley seriously thought about trading him so the team could eliminate its luxury-tax debt. Aside from a couple of off the court issues, Wright has done his part on the court to show that it was a good decision for the Heat. His versatility, improved shooting and defense were all on point Wednesday. Wright had 19 points off the bench, including nine in the fourth quarter on three three-pointers. He also had four rebounds and a steal.

UP NEXT: Detroit Pistons at Heat, 7:30 p.m. Friday - AmericanAirlines Arena.