I bet a lot of people didn't this this was possible after the Celtics lost game 2 in overtime after one of the best post season performances in recent memory by Rajon Rondo.  Well the 2012 Boston Celtics keep defying the odds and have won 2 straight to force a game 5 where the winner will be 1 win away from the NBA Finals.

The Boston Celtics held home court with two impressive performances but now its back to South Beach where they lost a heart breaker in game 2.  the Miami Heat are 7-1 at home in these playoffs so the Celtics will have their hands full.  The great thing going for the Celtics is they are 8-0 in game 5's since 2008 (The Big 3 Era).  Something has to give tonight so let's take a look at some of the keys.

First for the Heat Chris Bosh is a game time decision.  Should Bosh suit up and play I don't expect him to be the all-star caliber player that he can be but he will certrainly help stretch the defense and help a tremendous amount on the defensive side of the ball.  Kevin Garnett has been able to do whatever he wants in this series averaging 19.9 points and 10.8 rebounds a game.  If Bosh is there you can bet Garnett will have a tougher time getting position on the low blocks and Bosh is a better perimeter defender.

As far as Bosh goes on the offensive side of the ball; he can hit jump shots from almost anywhere on the court and he will draw Garnett away from the basket which can open up lanes for LeBron and Wade.  Bosh will also give the Heat the threat of another option in the pick and roll which the Celtics have had trouble with so far in this series. I think he will suit up tonight because the magnitude of this game is too big and both teams need to lay everything they have on the court.

I also think somebody other than LeBron and Wade needs to come up with a big game.  If you look at the first two wins for the Heat they had big performances from guys like Shane Battier, Mike Miller, and especially Mario Chalmers.  If Chalmers can get you 15-20 points the Heat are in good shape.

From the Celtics side of things I think Rondo is the key as he has been all year.  When Rondo attacks and gets to the basket he brings so much energy to the Celtics.  Rondo is a triple double waiting to happen and if he can have that type of performance you can bet the Celtics are going to be in the game in the final 2 minutes.  The Heat have given him a few different looks so he might see Chalmer, Wade and LeBron cover him at some point tonight.  He needs to read that and find the open players because he has to be involved in the offense for the Celtics to be effective.

Ray Allen has found his shot the last 3 games and that is huge for the Celtics.  He hit the game tying three pointer late in game 2 and continued his good shooting in the Celtics wins.  A confident Ray Allen is bad news for the Heat because he gives them that extra option and also doesn't allow defenders to help out on Rondo.

As much as I hate to bring officiating into the picture I think that will have a huge impact on tonights game especially with the series shifting back to Miami.  Miami had a signifcant free throw advantage in game 2 and it seemed like no matter how much the Celtics attacked they couldnt get to the foul line. The fouls seemed to even out in Boston and it seemed to be called evenly.  Paul Pierce has already fouled out in 2 of the 4 games. LeBron James also fouled out in game 4 which was the first time he did that in his Heat career.  I think that the refs need to let these teams play a little bit because nobody wants to see a game 5 finsihed with the best players already disqualified.

I can't pick against the Celtics because it isn't in my blood. I think this is going to be a great game with both teams giving it all they have.  I wouldnt not be surprised if it went to overtime again.  At the end I see the Celtics heading back to Boston 1 win away from an NBA Finals appearance.  

Boston 98, Heat 97