An inspired LeBron James delivered the decisive blow with the last 10 points as the host Miami Heat stopped the Boston Celtics 97-87 yesterday to book their place in the Eastern Conference finals.

The Celtics were suppose to represent a major hurdle for the Heat but it was one they cleared with relative ease by taking the best-of-seven series 4-1.

Miami will now sit back and await the winner between the Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks, who are locked in a tight series with the Bulls holding a 3-2 edge.

Facing elimination, the Celtics battled hard from the tipoff but in the final quarter they had no answer to the Heat's Big Three of James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

After Bosh had tied the game at 87-87 with a thundering dunk, James put his stamp on the contest by dropping two three-pointers from the arc.

The twice NBA MVP then added a dunk on a Boston turnover and a layup that touched off a wild celebrations at the American Airlines Arena.