In Miami, a belated apology to Cleveland

And how’s this for a twist?

After his players were done trying to play defense against the Heat in Game 5, Celtics coach Doc Rivers took a turn defending them.

Literally.

“You know, I’ve never seen a team more criticized in my life, and a guy in LeBron more criticized for doing what was legal,” Rivers said. “He didn’t break a law. He didn’t do anything wrong. You know, the preseason parade might have been a little bit much, but other than that … I just told him ‘Good luck and keep going’ out there. He was very emotional. Good for him.”

Wade scored 34 points in Game 5, while James added 33 — including the final 10 of the game.

He at least dampened the he-can’t-finish notion.

“Big players make big plays,” said Heat center Joel Anthony. “When he was in the moment, the moment was there. He definitely played huge for us.”

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