Boston, MA

LeBron James recorded 45 points and 15 rebounds to almost single-handedly power the Miami Heat to a 98-79 victory against the Boston Celtics in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals at TD Garden.

Miami forced a winner-take-all Game 7 showdown.

The epic Eastern Conference Finals series between the Celtics and the Heat will end in Game 7 as James came through with a playoff performance for all the ages before a raucous crowd in Boston.

James shot a staggering 19-for-26 from the field and 5-for-9 from the charity stripe to help the Heat overcome their first elimination game since he arrived in South Beach.

LeBron assaulted the Celtics defense with an array of shots to finish with 30 points in the first half alone, giving the Heat a 55-42 advantage at the break.

Dwyane Wade also began to find his spots in the second half while James kept firing from all cylinders to keep the Celtics at bay.

The Celtics came close at 60-50 on Paul Pierce's layup at the 8:12 mark of the third but after that it was complete domination for the Heat, who built a 25-point lead on the last field goal by James with still 7:15 minutes left.

Wade finished with 17 points and Chris Bosh recorded 7 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 blocks in his second game coming off an abdominal strain injury.

Rajon Rondo led the way for the Celtics with 21 points and 10 dimes while Brandon Bass and Kevin Garnett chipped in 12 in the blowout loss.

With the series tied at 3-3, the Heat and Celtics are expected to go all-out as Game 7 awaits at American Airlines Arena in Miami.

LeBron James scored 45 points to lead the Miami Heat to a 98-79 victory over the Boston Celtics. The two teams are tied at three wins each and play a final game 7 on Saturday

Fans love to root against LeBron James, except in Miami of course. He's everyone's favorite sports villain and the scapegoat when the Miami Heat fall short of a NBA championship. But Len Berman wonders if all that "hate" is fair?

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