MIAMI — Dwyane Wade watched the 3-pointer drop perfectly through the net, then turned upcourt and extended the fingers on his right hand.

And he screamed.

"In kid-friendly terms," Wade would say later, "I was telling him he was hot."

That hand — that player — had never been hotter in a postseason game, either. And that's why Miami's season isn't over.

Playing what might have been his final game in Miami, Wade scored 46 points, 30 in the second half — both franchise records — and the Heat beat the Boston Celtics, 101-92, yesterday in Game 4 of their Eastern Conference first-round series. He made 16 of 24 shots, including 5 of 7 from 3-point range, and outscored the Celtics 19-15 in the fourth quarter.

"Phenomenal," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said.

Heat forward Quentin Richardson went even further.

"Sometimes, you know, he puts on the cape, man," Richardson said. "There's not a lot of things you can do when he's playing that way."

The Celtics still lead the best-of-seven series 3-1, and get a chance to close it out in Boston tomorrow night. But their worst fear came true yesterday.

Miami has hope.

"They did what they were supposed to do, which is defend the home court," Celtics forward Kevin Garnett said. "And now we're thinking the same thing going back home."

Richardson scored 20 points and Michael Beasley added 15 for the Heat, who wasted an 18-point, first-half lead before digging deep to extend the season.

Rajon Rondo led the Celtics with 23 points. Garnett had 18 points and 12 rebounds, Paul Pierce scored 16 and Ray Allen added 15 for Boston, which was bidding for its first 4-0 sweep of a series since 1986.

Leg cramps kept Wade off the court for the deciding moment of Game 3, the jumper that Pierce hit at the buzzer to give the Celtics a 100-98 win. So he spent Saturday getting his body right, chugging fluids, jumping into the cold tank, and hanging out in the pool.

Yesterday, it showed, never more than down the stretch.

Wade shot 5 for 6 in the fourth quarter and made all four 3-pointers, all coming in a 5-minute stretch and the last putting Miami up 93-82 with 6:12 remaining.

"I just thought, time to be aggressive," Wade said. "Very aggressive. So I was shooting all those shots, no matter what was going to happen. And I started to make a couple, so I got hot at the right time."

BOSTON 18 25 34 15— 92

MIAMI 31 18 22 30—101

BOSTON–Pierce 6-14 2-3 16, Garnett 9-13 0-2 18, Perkins 0-1 0-2 0, Rondo 9-17 3-4 23, R.Allen 5-10 2-5 15, Davis 0-0 2-2 2, T.Allen 2-3 2-3 6, Wallace 1-5 3-4 5, Finley 2-5 2-2 7, Robinson 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 34-69 16-27 92.

MIAMI–Richardson 7-14 2-3 20, Beasley 6-13 3-4 15, O'Neal 1-3 0-2 2, Arroyo 3-7 0-0 6, Wade 16-24 9-14 46, Anthony 0-0 1-2 1, Chalmers 3-7 0-0 7, Haslem 0-3 0-0 0, Wright 2-5 0-0 4. Totals 38-76 15-25 101.

3-Point Goals—Boston 8-21 (R.Allen 3-6, Rondo 2-3, Pierce 2-8, Finley 1-3, Wallace 0-1), Miami 10-18 (Wade 5-7, Richardson 4-6, Chalmers 1-3, Wright 0-1, Arroyo 0-1). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—Boston 42 (Garnett 12), Miami 52 (Haslem 11). Assists—Boston 19 (Rondo 9), Miami 16 (Wade, Chalmers 5). Total Fouls—Boston 22, Miami 22. Technicals—Rondo, Arroyo, Miami defensive three second. A—19,520 (19,600).