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Celtics-Heat: 56k | 300k 
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Miami lost its first seven games and 15 of its first 20 this season as it looked more like the team that missed the playoffs the last two years. Since falling a season-low 11 games under .500 in early March, the Heat have won 14 of 17 to move to 39-39, the first time they have been at the break-even mark since November 6, 2001.
"Going into January and with a tough road trip, the season was on the line right there," Heat guard Eddie Jones said. "But we kept playing hard and things have worked out beyond our expectations.
"It's incredible to be at .500, but I'm not going to get overly excited until next Wednesday (the end of the season). It's still pretty unbelievable to think about where we were at the start of the season and now to be battling for home-court advantage is unreal."
Teammate Brian Grant also understood the significance of Miami's second-half surge.
"This is the most meaningful .500 I've experienced in my career because of where we've been and where we are now," he said. "We've just stayed with it and stayed with it. We've learned how to win and stay focused regardless of the situation."
The Heat have not lost at American Airlines Arena since March 2 against Toronto but almost gave away this one, blowing a 14-point third-quarter lead and trailing, 94-87, midway through the final period.
Wade scored six of his 16 points in a 15-2 run that provided a 102-96 bulge with 1:13 to play. Miami survived potential winning and tying 3-pointers by Paul Pierce and Chucky Atkins in the final seconds.
"This is a confident team with a desire to win every time we take the court," said Wade, who wasn't having a particularly good game until coming alive down the stretch. "When we get down, we never worry about it."
Pierce scored 31 points but twisted his right ankle late in the game for Boston (35-43), which is two games ahead of Philadelphia for the final Eastern Conference playoff berth.
"Paul will be looked at (Thursday) but we expect he'll be fine," Celtics coach John Carroll said. "I don't see a problem there. Obviously, he's a big part of this team but it's not a concern at this point."
Pierce had a 3-pointer, hook shot and jumper to help Boston open a 94-87 lead with 6:46 to go. Rookie Udonis Haslem and Rafer Alston each made two free throws before Wade's layup made it a one-point game.
After another jumper by Pierce, Lamar Odom scored inside and Wade sank two free throws and a floater in the lane for a 99-96 edge. Haslem hit a short jumper and Jones made a free throw to cap the surge.
Jones split two free throws with 12 seconds remaining, leaving Miami with a 103-101 lead before Pierce missed a deep 3-pointer. Wade split a pair from the line with 6.3 seconds to go, but Atkins missed a rushed 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Odom scored 24 points, sinking 14-of-14 free throws, and added 10 rebounds. Jones and Haslem scored 14 points each and Grant and Alston added 12 apiece.
"I don't think our guys have ever quit; they showed that again," Heat coach Stan Van Gundy said. "We've come back and won a lot of games. We've learned how to battle through games like this."
Former Heat Ricky Davis scored 22 points and Atkins had 12 of his 16 in the third quarter, when the Celtics came storming back to forge an 80-80 tie entering the final period.
"It was a tough game to swallow, especially with how hard we fought back to take the lead," Pierce said.