MIAMI — For LeBron James, Game 5 last season against Boston was horrific.

A year later, Game 5 was humbling.

And he and the Miami Heat are halfway to an NBA championship, having finally found a way to vanquish the Celtics.

Dwyane Wade scored 34 points, James added 33 – including the game’s last 10 in a spectacular closing flourish, part of Miami’s 16-0 run over the final 4:15 – and the Heat beat the Celtics 97-87 on Wednesday night to win their Eastern Conference semifinal series in five games.

When it was over, James knelt on the court, oblivious to the photographers who quickly surrounded him in Miami’s celebration.

“Everything went through my mind at that point,” James said. “Finally getting over this hump against this team. Everything I went through this summer, with ‘The Decision’ and deciding to come down here to be a part of this team … because I knew how important team is to this sport … and all the backlash I got from it.