Behind Boston much of the season. Behind Boston much of the game.

No more.

Not only has the Miami Heat caught the Celtics – they officially have gone past them, and into the Eastern Conference finals.

Vanquishing the team they couldn’t beat for so long with a 16-0 run to end the game, Dwyane Wade scored 34 points, LeBron James put the Heat up for good with a three-pointer with 2:10 left on the way to a 33-point effort, and host Miami topped Boston 97-87 to win their East semifinal series Wednesday night in five games.

James added a game-sealing – more aptly, a series-sealing – three-pointer with 40.4 seconds left, then turned and posed for some fans who screamed in delight.

“They make you fight for everything,” James said. “You can never take the foot off the gas. You can never take a second off against that team.”

So he kept playing, all the way to the final second.

A steal and two-handed slam six seconds later for good measure, followed by a Celtics turnover, got the party started. It was over, the Heat and Celtics knew it, and Boston coach Doc Rivers stood silently near the bench, his arms folded across his chest as James ran down the clock on Miami’s final offensive possession of the series.

Of course, he scored.

Boston was done, thoroughly worn down by a younger, more athletic opponent. The Celtics won the first three meetings between the clubs this season, then lost five of the final six.

Thunder 99, Grizzlies 72:

Kevin Durant scored 19 points, reserve Daequan Cook added 18 and host Oklahoma City followed its triple-overtime triumph with a blowout of Memphis to take its first series lead in the Western Conference semifinals.

The Thunder lead 3-2 heading into Game 6 on Friday night in Memphis. They got there with ease considering what happened two nights earlier.

Marc Gasol had 16 points to lead the Grizzlies.