For the final 10 days of 2011, WEEI.com will count down the top 10 stories of the year in Boston sports. Our next entry in the countdown is No. 8: The Celtics’ playoff loss to the Heat.

Check out our previous entries:
No. 10: NBA lockout
No. 9: NFL lockout

Ray Allen and the Celtics tried to hang around against the Heat in the playoffs but were eliminated in five games. (AP)

Even before the start of the 2010-11 NBA season, Doc Rivers knew that there was one team the Celtics were going to have to face if they were to put together another championship run. When the Heat formed their own Big Three with Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh, it was evident that Boston and the new superteam on South Beach would end up in a postseason showdown at some point.

So it was no surprise that after sweeping the Knicks in the first round of the playoffs, the Celtics were preparing to face the Heat win what many called the most anticipated second-round matchup in NBA history.

“We assumed when they put this team together, at some point if we want to put another banner up then we’ll probably have to go through them,” Rivers said of the Heat days before the series began.

The Celtics were 3-1 against Miami in the regular season, but all three wins came before the All-Star break, when Boston was 40-14, tied with the Heat atop the Eastern conference standings. After the All-Star break, the Celtics were just 16-12, dropping to third in the Eastern conference, while the Bulls and Heat rose to the top to secure the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds, respectively.

Many attributed Boston’s poor play in the second half the season to the trade of Kendrick Perkins. The menacing center was traded to the Thunder along with guard Nate Robinson on Feb. 24 in exchange for center Nenad Kristic, young forward Jeff Green and a 2012 first-round pick.

But Boston appeared to be back on track after dismantling the Knicks in the first round of the playoffs, while the Heat easily beat the Sixers, 4-1, in their first-round matchup. If there was one concern for the Celtics with their own team, it was the the health of Shaquille O’Neal. The veteran center missed the first round with an Achilles injury and Danny Ainge said prior to the Heat series that O’Neal “could not give us 12 minutes” of playing time.

Nonetheless, the starting five of Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Jermaine O’Neal had played well against New York. Rondo in particular had played well against the Knicks and figured to be the Celtics’ primary advantage over the Heat.

Game 1 was chippy from the start, as Pierce got tangled with James Jones and appeared to lightly butt his head against Jones in the opening minutes of the game. Pierce got a technical for his actions. Later in the game, Pierce was called for a moving screen on Wade and the two were separated by official Ed Malloy. Pierce did not appear to do much except put his hands up in the air, but Malloy ejected Pierce. Wade went on to score 38 points, while Jones scored 25 off the bench, and the Heat took a 1-0 series lead with a 99-90 win.

In Game 2, it was James’ turn to lead the Heat. He scored 35 points and helped lead a 14-0 run for Miami in the fourth quarter. The Heat won 102-91, despite Rondo breaking out to the tune of 20 points, 12 assists and six rebounds. Pierce (11 points) and Allen (7) struggled for the Celtics, while the Heat’s Big Three of James, Wade and Bosh combined for 80 points. With the series shifting to Boston for two games, the Heat had a 2-0 lead.

Before Game 3, the Celtics talked about being the team to control the game, rather than the other way around.

“It’s matter of driving with force and playing with force,” Rivers said. “It’s not just the word ‘hustle.’ It’s a lot deeper than that, but we have to do it.”

Added Allen: “We’re still down two games, and give them credit for doing what they did but now, we have to assert ourselves.”

The Celtics followed through on those statements, jumping out to a 27-21 first-quarter lead in Game 3. The Heat battled back, though, and took a 46-44 lead into halftime. Boston responded with a run of its own and quickly came back to establish a 60-50 lead five minutes into the third quarter.

But during a stoppage of play with 7:02 left in the third quarter, Wade and Rondo got tangled up and both fell to the floor. While Wade got up unhurt, Rondo stayed on the floor, writhing in pain. Replays showed Rondo’s elbow bending the wrong way as he attempted to brace himself for the fall with his left arm. It was soon learned that Rondo had dislocated the elbow, which may have sucked any remaining hope Celtics fans had for a series comeback as the point guard limbered back to the locker room.

But to the surprise of the Celtics faithful, Rondo returned from the locker room with three minutes remaining in the third quarter with a hefty pad on his left arm. The crowd gave him a standing ovation as he made his way to the bench. Rondo returned to the game for much of the fourth quarter, inspiring the team with his effort and even scoring a few points in the process. Behind Rondo’s heroics, and a vintage KG performance of 28 points and 18 rebounds, the Celtics won, 97-81.

In addition to the victory, Game 3 featured the return of Shaq to the lineup. The Big Shamrock played 8:29, scoring two points while hauling in four rebounds. But Shaq only played 3:31 in the following game and sat on the bench for the rest of the series. As it turns out, Game 3 was not just the most playing time for Shaq in the series, but it was also a high point for the Celtics.

While Rondo may have inspired the Celtics with his play in the game before, it soon became obvious in Game 4 that he was not the same player with the injured elbow. Rondo was essentially playing with one arm, and while he went on to play 39 minutes, he had a minimal effect on the game.

Still, Boston was competitive behind 27 points from Pierce. But the Celtics captain missed at a chance to win the game on a buzzer-beater at the end of regulation and the Heat dominated in overtime on their way to a 98-90 win. James was fantastic, scoring 35 points to go along with 14 rebounds. Once again, the Heat’s Big Three as a whole was excellent, as Bosh had 20 points and 12 rebounds, while Wade scored 28 points.

With the loss, the Celtics were on the brink of elimination, while the Heat were in the comfortable position of having three games to win one. But while most considered the Celtics to be finished, the Heat players were not ready to admit victory yet.

“We know a good team like this, they’re going to keep competing, and it’s not over until the last game is won,” Bosh said after Game 4.

Much like their crowd, it seemed as if the Heat arrived late to Game 5. The Celtics jumped out to a 24-16 lead at the end of the first quarter, led by strong play from Garnett, who had 12 points and five rebounds in the period. Miami responded with a 31-point second quarter to cut Boston’s lead to 49-47 going into the half.

The Celtics maintained that two-point lead throughout the third quarter and were in position to force a Game 6. But the stars on the Heat were not ready to let that happen, one in particular.

With the score knotted at 87 and less than 2½ minutes left in the game, James engineered a personal 10-0 run to take command of the game for the Heat. Back-to-back 3-pointers from James sunk a dagger in the collective heart of the Celtics, while a fast break dunk and a driving layup cemented the series-clinching victory. The Heat won 97-87 to advance to the Eastern Conference finals.

So, how did the Celtics, who had made it to Game 7 of the NBA finals before losing to the Lakers a year before, fold so easily against the Heat in five games in the Eastern Conference semifinals? Injuries played a large part in the Celtics’ demise. Despite his age, Shaq would have been a force in the paint had he been able to give Boston 15-20 minutes per game.

And Rondo’s elbow injury essentially sealed the Celtics’ fate in Game 3. Clearly Boston’s biggest (and perhaps only) advantage against the Heat was at the point guard position. When Rondo dislocated his elbow, however, that advantage was all but eliminated for the rest of the series, as the normally dynamic point guard was not even close to 100 percent.

It also didn’t help that Boston’s bench of Krstic, Green, Glen Davis, Carlos Arroyo and Von Wafer was largely nonexistent for most of the series.

But overall, the Heat’s athleticism overwhelmed Boston’s aging lineup. James and Wade played like two of the best players in the world, while Bosh did not retreat in the spotlight of the playoffs, like many expected him to, and was an excellent third option for Miami. A limping and injured Boston had simply run into a Heat train that would not be derailed until the NBA finals.

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