MIAMI, Florida, May 10 – LeBron James scored 29 points and Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh had 19 each as the Miami Heat eliminated the under-manned New York Knicks with a 106-94 win in game five of their Eastern Conference series.
“We came out with a lot of intensity,” James said after Wednesday’s win. “We tried to get as many stops as possible and we were able to do that.”
James went 13-of-15 from the free throw line and had eight rebounds and seven assists for the second-seeded Heat, which booked a second round berth against the Indiana Pacers that ousted Orlando in five games on Tuesday.
“They are very well coached,” James said of the Pacers. “They play inside out. They control the paint and have some great perimeter players.
“We will savor this win tonight and get ready to go back to work tomorrow.”
Mario Chalmers chipped in 10 points for the Heat, who are trying to reach the NBA finals for the second consecutive year.
Carmelo Anthony had 35 points, but J.R. Smith shot just three-of-15 from the field for seventh seeded New York. Star forward Amare Stoudemire ended with 14 points, but he became frustrated near the end of the game and fouled out.
Stoudemire was playing with an injured left hand. He cut it badly punching a fire extinguisher after a game two loss.
“It’s really a shame the injuries they went through,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “Nobody wants to see it. We want to play teams at their best. We were able to persevere.”
The Knicks were without veteran guard Baron Davis and rising star Jeremy Lin. Davis, who was starting in place of Lin, dislocated his patella in his right knee on a drive to the basket in a game four victory.
Lin has been sidelined for just over a month after undergoing late-season knee surgery.
“They made plays coming back the other way,” Knicks coach Mike Woodson said. “That’s what great teams do.”
The Heat led 81-67 at the end of the third quarter and then never let the Knicks get within single digits in the fourth.
