After one half at AmericanAirlines Arena, the Miami Heat lead the Boston Celtics 42-40 in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Miami started quick out of the gates, jumping to a 7-0 lead with the crowd worked into a full lather. But as they've done all series, Boston hung in there and cut what was once a 13-point lead down to two as the teams hit the locker room.
Both teams are not shooting particularly well, but it was Miami that went cold down the stretch and could not get the offense going, save for LeBron James. The 2012 MVP has 18 of Miami's 42 points, as he hit an array of runners and jumpers in the first 24 minutes. But as a team, Miami is shooting just 36.6 percent from the floor. Dwyane Wade started hot, playing a big role in the early run but he's quieted since, picking up two early fouls, including a bad reach on a Kevin Garnett rebound.
Erik Spoelstra got a huge boost from Chris Bosh off the bench. The power forward added nine points and grabbed six boards -- five on the offensive glass. But despite the Celtics woes on the offense, Boston made it just a two-point game at half. Miami committed 11 turnovers to keep things even.
Stick with this StoryStream for news and updates throughout the Eastern Conference Finals. For more analysis and discussion on the Heat, visit Peninsula Is Mightier. VisitCelticsBlog and SB Nation Boston for the opponent's perspective during the series. For all your Conference Finals analysis, visit SB Nation's NBA hub.