Tonight was a great game and culminated in a great season for both teams. Miami came in with the expectation of championship or fail mentality, while Boston was proving they’re still capable of being elite and both teams accomplished that. Miami proved that 3 superstars can play elite basketball and be championship contenders by virtue of talent more-so than fit, while Celtics proved that the playoffs matter and they’re still capable of playing great basketball. Ultimately, the game was won by superstars and that’s why the game was so interesting and why Miami won the game. Here’s what we learned in tonight’s game though:

1) Playing under pressure and the value of experience. Both teams have been to the finals before, but this year Miami remained composed while the Celtics didn’t. The Celtics couldn’t score in the 4th quarter and their bench didn’t step up the same way Miami’s did and that was one of the keys in this match-up. Amazing role players like Battier, Haslem, Chalmers stepped up for Miami with their big 3 of Bosh, Wade, and LeBron. Only Brendan Bass showed up for Boston as no one on their bench scored besides one basket from Ryan Hollins.

2) The advantage of home court in a series. The value of home court in a series is of tremendous importance  in a game 7 or eliminate game atmosphere. The crowd kept Miami motivated despite Miami’s early deficit in the 1st half. This helped keep younger players composed and not over-anxious or eager and therefore mistake prone in the match-up. The comfort level of playing in your own arena, sleeping in your own bed, cannot be measured by stats but it definitely helps relax players to remain focused on the game and perform better.

3) Having strong role players who are talented in more than one area. Battier is a great 3pt shooter and defensive specialist, Haslem is a tough grit and grind player who does dirty work but is still potent in inside scoring, and Chalmers, who’s a defensive minded quick point guard, who slashes well and shoots 3 pointers very well. This was the difference tonight as Boston’s role players, besides Bass (Pietrus, Stiemsma, Daniels) didn’t play well or have a meaningful impact in the game the same way Miami’s players did. Specialist players who are only talented in one area (3pt shooting, defense, scoring etc) don’t tend to play well in high pressure situations. The anxiety of the environment and stress of the game, affects their specialist talents. If they can’t contribute in other ways, then those players become a burden on their team because they have nothing else meaningful they can do so the value of two way players who are versatile is extremely valuable.

4) Playing as a team. The Celtics continually accomplish this task well, but tonight Miami did it. 3 Superstars playing in sync as a team is very difficult for any team to beat. Tonight the Celtics generally played in sync and as a team, but they couldn’t balance that effort with their bench and got worn out as the game wore on. Miscommunication, lack of hustle/energy, and great defense by Miami contributed to several scoring droughts by Boston despite brilliant play-making from Rondo.

5) Taking care of the ball. Turnovers hurt any game, and in this game, that proved the difference as Miami and Boston are two great teams with great open court players in Rondo, Wade, and LeBron so both teams could not afford turnovers, yet alone those resulting from sloppy passing. Miami was horrible in this aspect tonight as they gave out several bad passes from all their players, while the Celtics mostly had Garnett lose the ball on bad passes out of double teams.

LeBron getting ready to drive against Rondo

In the first quarter, both teams started out fast and displayed their uptempo and transition game slashing and driving for easy dunks and open 3′s. In a span of 3 minutes, Miami and Boston scored on inside outside play, with Miami getting a 10-8 lead after 3 minutes behind two quick 3′s from Battier while Boston had a balanced team effort. After that, both teams took a timeout and increased their defensive intensity, especially Boston who clamped down and prevented Miami’s slashing game. This worked miraculously as the Celtics then went on a 15-4 run, taking a 23-14 lead behind the brilliance of Rondo’s playmaking. He got easy open shots for Ray Allen who curled off several staggered picks and then was hit by Rondo as he’d cut to the top of they key for great shots. Rondo finished the period with 5 assists and 4 points while LeBron and Wade had 8 and 6 points respectively. Miami however, did a poor job taking care of the ball, finishing with 5 turnovers and allowing the Celtics to take the lead, finishing the quarter up 27-23 after a 9-4 run by Miami.

In the second, more of the same occurred, Miami kept turning the ball over, while Boston capitalized on their mistakes. However, Bosh started by scoring 7 quick Miami points including a rare 3 pointer as well on some nice jump shots in pick and pop situations. The Celtics defense tightened up, while Miami’s loosened up, as they kept trying to recover from costly turnovers. Bosh carried Miami as they struggled to score while Wade kept forcing shots, and LeBron had difficulty getting good looks and refused to force shots. Miami also had difficulty taking care of the ball as the C’s built a quick lead behind clutch 3pointers from Pierce, easy dunks and open jump shots from Bass, and excellent playmaking from Rondo. The Celtics also took great care of the ball, managing only 4 turnovers, all by bigs (3 Garnett and 1 by Greg Stiemsma) as opposed to Miami who had 10. The Celtics built a 11 pt lead, going up, 49-38. Late in the second half, Miami tightened up, with Wade finally getting some shots to go in, and getting their transition game with an amazing fast break off a Celtics turnover which resulted in a highlight play from Wade and LeBron. The Celtics lost the ball, which lead to a two on one play, with LeBron and wade passing it to each other several times to confuse Rondo, which resulted in a great dunk by Lebron. The mini-run by Miami cut the lead down to 5 before Boston called timeout. Emotions also got high as Rondo and Wade got called for a double technical, for bumping into each other, which would be horrible for both teams if either player is ejected for not controlling their emotions. Thankfully though, that bump fueled the Celtics as Boston finished the half up 53-46, with Brandon Bass leading Boston with 14 points, 10 for Pierce, and 12 for Allen, while Rondo had 10 assists and 0 turnovers. Miami fared worse as LeBron had 14 points, Wade and Bosh each had 9 points, and Miami had 10 turnovers. The Celtics as a team only had 6 but had 8 steals to compensate. LeBron however did his best to be aggressive without forcing turnovers, as he went 8-10 at the free throw line, and the Heat only had 7 fouls, as opposed to 13 for Boston with 3 on Garnett as well.

Starting the 3rd, Miami came out more aggressive and with more hustle as well fighting harder for second chance points, and offensive rebounds. Miami played smarter and was more selective in when to push the tempo and play slow which resulted in a slower pace of game, but allowed Battier to hit two 3pointers and varying the offense with Haslem, Wade, and LeBron scoring to free up Battier as well. This let Miami tie the game up at 59 forcing Boston to call a timeout to slow down the game. It didn’t work out, as Miami shortly afterward took the lead for the first time since the 1st quarter as Wade’s shots started to fall and gave Miami a boost offensively. Wade’s scoring is of utmost importance for Miami as well, as it helps free up their slashers (LeBron, Chalmers) and forces the defense to stay closer to the paint or midrange area, giving some extra time for quick 3point shooters, like Chalmers, Battier, Miller and James Jones for easy spot up opportunities. This helped Miami get back in the game with a balanced effort Pierce got into foul trouble. Wade who was blocked on an easy layup by Ryan Hollins complained that he was fouled and jogged back on defense before LeBron swatted the shot allowing Wade to draw the foul on Pierce forcing him to the bench early. This had some consequences as it limited the Celtic’s offensive options and eliminated Garnett’s resting period which may keep him exhausted for the final quarter. Late in the quarter, Miami started to trap Boston’s bigs preventing them from scoring easy baskets. This led to Rondo shooting a 3, which he surpisingly made before Bosh tied the game at 73-73 ending the quarter.

LeBron drives against Pierce

Celtics opened the quarter with Rondo scoring on a layup, before Bosh made his second 3. Garnett, Pierce, and Allen then exchanged dunks, 3pointers, and and1′s with Wade and LeBron as the superstars tried to leave their imprint on the game and play to close out the series. A timeout then occured and after the timeout, LeBron came thundering in with a powerful dunk to rally Miami before another timeout as wellwith the heat up 83-82. After returning, Bosh scored his 3rd 3pointer and Lebron scored another basket forcing Doc to call another timeout to slow down the Heat. Bass then scored again after being quiet since his big first half. LeBron then hit a clutch 3 giving Miami a 94-81 lead. Wade and Bosh scored again afterwards giving Miami a 9pt lead, 95-86 with 3 minutes and 30 seconds left in the quarter. Boston called timeout to slow down this amazing quarter, highlighted by superstar plays. Besides Bass’ basket, only All-Stars have scored for either team thus far in the quarter with everyone playing to their utmost best in this final match-up between both teams. After the timeout, Miami continued their run as Miami finally won 101-88 behind Wade, and LeBron closing the game in the final minutes. All in all, this was a great game that was extremely close until the last few minutes when LeBron was able to get into a groove and Bass couldn’t stop LeBron when LeBron drove from the perimeter.

Stats of the night:

Rondo 22 points (10-22 shooting, 1-2 3pt, 1-2 ft) 10 rebounds, 14 assists, 1 steal, 3 turnover, 2 fouls
Bass 16 points (6-8 shooting, 4-4 ft) 5 rebounds, 4 steals, 1 turnover, 4 fouls
Pierce 19 points (7-18 shooting, 2-6 3pt, 3-5 ft) 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block, 2 turnover, 5 fouls

LeBron 31 points (9-21 shooting, 1-5 3pt, 12-17 ft) 12 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 3 turnover
Wade 23 points (8-17 shooting, 0-2 3pt, 7-8 ft) 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, 4 blocks, 4 turnovers
Bosh 19 pints (8-10 shooting, 3-4 3pt) 8 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block, 2 turnovers, 1 foul

Highlight plays of the game: Several clutch 3pters from Battier and highlight reel dunks from LeBron to liven up the crowd in the 3rd and 4th quarter.

Here’s a video recap of tonight’s game

Interesting notes of the night: In the 4th quarter, Shane Battier was the only Miami player other than LeBron, Wade, and Bosh who attempted a shot. This is also the 3rd Finals appearance for Miami, for Wade, and LeBron, and 2nd for Bosh. LeBron now averaged 34.3 ppg for a Game 7 (min 3 games) This is the highest in NBA history for game 7 scoring. This was also very difficult for Boston, as they scored only 6 points in a span of 8:49. This was also Udonis Haslem’s 32nd birthday. Manny Pacquiao was in attendance for the game, and delayed his fight so he could watch the game, as he is a Celtics fan. Rondo is now the Celtic’s all time leader in triple doubles in the playoffs as well.

This was a great game for anyone who watched it. The Celtics, who have abused LeBron James when he was with the Cavs, eliminating him from the playoffs several times, finally got a taste of their own medicine. LeBron had a dominant performance, being only the 2nd player in NBA history (with Wilt Chamberlain) to score 45-15-5 in the playoffs, during a conference or division final since 1964. The game was essentially a beatdown but Rondo did his best to prevent it from being a blowout. Without further ado here’s what we learned in tonight’s game:

1) First half scoring. For anyone who watched this game, it was evident that Miami would not go down without a fight. Despite that Boston tried their best to close out the game, with Rondo scoring at will against Miami constantly driving in the paint against Miami. This was to compensate LeBron’s scoring who had 30 points on 12-14 shooting in the first half scoring 16 and 14 points in the 1st and 2nd respectively. Rondo compensated with 19 points on 7-10 shooting while setting up his teammates to get them involved. Simply put, this was LeBron Vs Rondo as all other star players (Wade, Bosh, Pierce, Allen, Garnett) were non-factors in the 1st half.

2) The value of balanced bench scoring. Without Avery Bradley it’s tougher to get balanced scoring from Boston’s scorers, despite Rodno’s best efforts. Having someone to come off the bench as a 6th man and put up points quickly is important for both teams. As proven by successful teams like the Spurs, Thunder, Lakers having someone off the bench to bring you 14-20 points and stay within the flow of the game is of utmost importance. The Celtics need to balance their bench better and consequently have been playing Rondo and Garnett more with the 2nd unit but it has not been helping their bench as they scored only 15 points off the bench today, which didn’t occur until late in the 3rd and then garbage points in the 4th.

3) Not giving up on possessions. Too many times we’ve seen both teams, Celtics and Heat miss a shot, and unexpected players come back to secure a block, or 2nd steal after turning the ball over, or an offensive rebound, only to lose it again. On those 2nd and 3rd chances, everyone has to hustle and box out or keep playing hard to win that possession because every possession counts. This is the semi finals, and the Celtics with their lack of athleticism can’t afford to be outworked by the Heat.

4) The importance of minimizing mistakes. In this game, both teams minimized their turnovers and fouls, but Boston especially needs to lower it. Turnovers, fouls, missed defensive rotations etc will cost any team a game so for Boston to win, they need to minimize their mistakes even more, avoiding foul trouble, keeping Miami off the line and no technicals or frustration fouls.

5) Defensive activity. Smart defense always wins over athleticism and the Celtics did not demonstrate that tonight. They were out rebounded by the Heat and did not close out on Miami well. They gave up too many 2nd chance points and open 3′s trying to contain LeBron. Not only did they fail to contain LeBron, but they allowed Miami to shoot nearly 44% and connect on seven 3 pointers (They had 50% until late in the game during garbage time when the game was already decided).

LeBron scoring on Paul Pierce

In the 1st, Miami started the game with two quick 3 pointers by Chalmers and Battier while Boston took their time swinging the ball and making smart plays. Boston tried to slow down the game to take Miami’s transition game away from them, working the shot clock down to get good shots. It worked for some time until 4 minutes remained in the 1st. Then LeBron had took over and capitalized on Boston’s willingness to play uptempo against Miami and a 14-12 lead for Miami quickly changed to 26-16 as Miami went on a 12-4 run with Lebron scoring 10 of those 12 points to end the 1st. Miami scored mostly on tough contested jump shots from LeBron who simply abused everyone guarding him, whether it was Pietrus, Pierce, Garnett, Allen or 2 on 1 defenses LeBron just dominated. A technical foul was also called on Chalmers in the 1st quarter. Boston had difficulty scoring the ball as only their big 4 had any points in the 1st quarter with Rondo scoring 8, Garnett, 4, and Pierce and Allen both with 2. Miami’s defense, particularly Wade LeBron and Battier’s were responsible for Boston’s poor shooting and scoring.

Heading into the 2nd, more of the same occurred. LeBron was unstoppable, cutting, penetrating, and abusing everyone who guarded him. Miami started the quarter getting Wade involved before LeBron took over. Rondo tried to keep Boston in it as well, but essentially the game turned into a back and forth of runs by both teams. Miami would go on a run, spearheaded by LeBron, then Boston would have a balanced run. Miami would call timeout, and get someone else to score to get some attention off LeBron, especially open 3′s and cuts to the rim. Boston then went on their own run by Rondo who scored 9 of 11 points and Boston finished the period down 55-42.

Just after halftime, Miami’s lead quickly grew to 17, with Wade and LeBron scoring on two mid range jump shots. During that time, one of the worst reffing calls of the playoffs (which have been plentiful occurred) Garnett got a horrible technical foul, for passing the ball to Miami’s inbound players after scoring, earning a taunting technical foul. However that seemed to energize Boston as they quickly went on a 8-0 run forcing Miami to call timeout leading 60-50, with 4 minutes left in the 4th. Boston’s run was energized by Rondo’s penetration. Unfortunately, Rondo also was caught on a horrible switch, trying to guard LeBron, who besides being a better overall player than Rondo, also has a 7 inch height advantage and 85 pound weight advantage over Rondo. This infuriated Garnett who was seen shouting that they can’t allow horrendous defensive mismatches like that if they want to close out the series. That easy basket allowed Miami to get into a groove scoring on open kick outs allowing them to maintain a comfortable 15 point lead with 6 minutes remaining. At the 3 minute mark, Boston had Pietrus score on a tip-in giving Boston their first 2 points from the bench as they went through a mini-drought unable to score for 3 minutes prior to Pierce’s tip in. However Boston then scored 7 quick points in a span of 1 minute forcing Miami to call a timeout allowing them to keep their 9 pt lead at 72-61 with 2 minutes remaining. In the last 2 minutes, both teams played uptempo and had several turnovers, with intercepted passes or steals. Miami turned the ball over while Boston turned it over twice as well. Both teams were unable to keep control of the ball as one intercepted pass lead to a steal then another intercepted pass and out of bounds plays that won’t show up in the box score or play by play. Boston missed on their last four shots, allowing Miami to finish the quarter scoring once more, and lead by 13 with a 74-61 lead. James finished with 41 points, scoring 11 in the quarter. Rondo had 5 assists in the quarter giving him 10 for the game, while Miami as a team only had 9 assists at this point. Rondo, like LeBron, also has played the entire game thus far, without taking a rest.

Starting the 4th Wade hit two quick shots getting the lead back up to 17 before Pierce hit a shot for his 8th point of the game. Battier then hit a quick 3 pointer, Miami’s 7th of the game before Boston called timeout giving Miami an 18pt lead. After the timeout, Boston got an open shot for Garnett who missed but Pierce had the offensive rebound getting fouled, and finally going to the free throw line for the first time in the game, with 10 minutes remaining, and getting his 9th point at the line. Miami then switched Battier to guard Pierce, to help conserve his energy for the game, instead guarding Brandon Bass. LeBron scored again for his 43rd point before a tv highlight showed LeBron’s career playoff high was 49 points. Dooling stole the ball off a poor pass from LeBron to Chalmers. The turnover didn’t make a difference for Boston though, as Pierce lost the ball after great defense from Chalmers knocked him off balance, while Wade and Battier dived to Pierce and forced a jump ball. Miami’s lead quickly grew to 25, the largest lead of the game, going on a 15-5 run with Wade scoring 8 points, assisting 2 baskets, and LeBron making 2 baskets as well assisting on 2 baskets also. A timeout mercifully occurred as Doc Rivers took Rondo and Pierce out of the game with 7 minutes remaining. Miami however, chose to keep LeBron in the game to keep them sharp and dominant. The announcers also made an interesting comment, stating that if LeBron who has played very well, played as poorly as Pierce did tonight (4-18 shooting) the amount of criticism he would receive would be unimaginable. Analyst and former coach, Jeff Van Gundy quickly pointed out that Pierce is playing poorly in the series, because he has to score, playmake, and guard LeBron which is difficult enough on it’s own, even for defensive specialists. LeBron finally rested with 3 minutes left, and Miami with a comfortable lead before winning the game 98-79

Stats of the night:

LeBron James: 45 points (19-26 shooting, 2-4 3pt, 5-9 free throw) 15 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 turnovers, 3 fouls
Dwayne Wade: 17 points (6-17 shooting, 5-5 free throws) 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 turnovers, 2 fouls, 3 steals
Chris Bosh: 7 points (3-8 shooting, 1-2 free throws) 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 3 blocks

Paul Pierce: 9 points (4-18 shooting, 0-6 3pt, 1-2 free throws) 5 rebounds, 1 assists, 3 turnovers, 3 fouls, 3 steals, 1 block
Rajon Rondo: 21 points (8-14 shooting, 5-7 free throws) 4 rebounds, 10 assists, 7 turnovers, 2 fouls, 3 steals
Brandon Bass: 12 points (5-8 shooting, 2-3 free throws) 7 rebounds, 2 fouls
Kevin Garnett: 12 points (6-14 shooting) 5 rebounds, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 1 block

Play of the game: LeBron flying in for a 1handed putback dunk after a Bosh miss late in the 2nd quarter. Here’s a videorecap of it LeBron James’ highlight dunk

Moving forward: This was a horrible game for Boston in all cases. They never led in the game after the first 2 minutes and didn’t stick to their game plan or adapt to Miami. Rondo scored 19 points in the 1st half and was shooting efficiently, but only had 2 points in the 2nd half. He was turning the ball over too much in the first half (5 turnovers) but he was their consistent scorer, since everyone else on Boston had difficulty scoring, particularly Pierce. Garnett and Allen never got into a rhythm and Bass only got garbage points. Another scary thought is Bosh played off the bench and Boston didn’t capitalize on it. For Boston to have a chance, they need to use Garnett as a help defender against LeBron with Pietrus guarding him since Pierce and Bass are too slow. When LeBron is trapped on the perimeter, Rondo can help double team as well and deflect passes and finishing with smart plays and taking care of the ball better. As far as it seems though, a Miami vs OKC finals looks more and more realistic because the Celtics aren’t showing any heart or desire to win one last time.

Here’s a video recap of tonight’s game

Interesting notes of the night: LeBron’s career scoring high in the playoffs is 49 points, rebounding high is 19 (Whom he had against Boston) while he had 45 points and 14 rebounds tonight. The last game 7 for the Eastern conference finals was 7 years ago, with Detroit beating Miami 4-3 in the 2005 finals when San Antonio won their championship. LeBron’s 30 1st half points is a new career high for him as well. During an out of bounds play early in the 1st quarter Wade was hit in the head by a fan passing the basketball back to him. LeBron’s stats are multiples of 5 (45, 15, 5), last person to have a stat line like that, was 1964 by Wilt Chamberlain. After the game Doc Rivers said LeBron is a great player, especially in the clutch and his performance validated that so fans need to lay off LeBron and not motivate him further so the Celtics have a better chance to win.

Many players were expecting this series to be very competitive and closely matched up, but were they expecting it this close? The Celtics started the game down and clawed their way back with great late game execustion to get a 1 point win, beating the 76ers 92-91.

Here’s what we learned in tonight’s game:

1) The value of energy guys and bench scoring. This series will be much closer than people expect it to, and that’s because of the production from Philadelphia’s bench mob of Lavoy Allen, Thaddeus Young, and Lou Williams who leads the 76ers in scoring despite being a bench player (Last player to do that was Dell Curry)

2) Injuries, due to the compressed schedule, many of the players on both sides are injured and battling fatigue to play. Igoudala, Hawes, Ray Allen, Pierce, Bradley, Rondo, Garnett, Pietrus. This series may come down to whoever’s healthise will win the games, but Philly’s youth gives them the advantage to recover quicker and prevent an injury.

3) Doug Collins may not have as many coaching accoloades as Doc Rivers does, but he’s been broadcasting and coaching for several years and has a career winning percentage of 53.2% whereas Doc is 55.8% so the coaching matchup will be muh closer than everyone anticipates. Even Doug Collins seems to be maximizing the most talent out of his roster than Doc is.

4) Rebounding will be a key to this matchup as the hustle and 2nd chance points may define an expected grind it out game where the stingy defense of both teams will be on display. Philly has the advantage in this regard as the Celtics are notoriously horrible rebounding the ball since thet traded Perkins away.

5) 3 Point shooting will be big for this series. Philly isn’t known for shooting several 3′s, but they do make them at a respectable rate, and lately, Pietrus and Ray Allen have been unable to make their 3′s leaving the Celtics shorthanded with one of their strengths due to their injuries. Whoever wins the 3pt matchup is likely to win the series.

To start the 1st q the Celtics are passing the ball deep  into the post to Garnett to start their offensive game. Celtics preferring to play inside outside against the stinging defense of the 76ers and it seems to  be working so far. Despite the 76ers defensive speed and athleticism, their  interior defenders cannot handle Garnett’s footwork in the post. On the defensive side, the Celtics are unable to keep up with the speed of the 76ers, due to their youth. They’re able to get many slashes to the rim for open layups and dunks especially because Bass’s defense is atrocious. In one particular sequence he was pumped fake easy and didn’t hustle back on defense. It seems that the 76ers realize Bass’s poor defense attacking him several times in the post and pushing the tempo and the lack of help D from the rest of the Celtics. Philly getting a great balanced effort from the team, particularly Igoudala, Hawes, and Turner who are working primarily out of the post and finding incoming cutters.

Over a 9 and 1/2 minute span Kevin Garnett is the only Celtic to make any basket, scoring the first 6 points of the game before Ray Allen makes a basket. To combat the hustle and energy from the76ers, the Celtics are slowing the game down to get better looks at the quick defense of Philadelphia. Philadelphia is also showing great discipline with their shot selection, playing inside very well and selectively shooting 3pters at opportune times. Rondo did  his best to keep the Celtics in the game including setting up an alley oop that was botched and appeared to injure Ryan Hollins as he got up slowly. The Celtics finish the period down 28-18 with only 2 Celtics who made baskets in the period, going a combined 2-14 excluding Garnett. The Celtics are still losing the rebound game as well due to lack of lift and hustle against the young, athletic, and energized Philly squad. The 76ers finished the period with a balanced effort getting scoring from every player and getting Greg Stiemsma in foul trouble to help offset the early foul trouble of Evan Turner.

Starting the 2nd, it’s more of the same as Philly continues to get all the hustle points as they quickly go on a 9-0 run and 8-0 run before the Celtics started to claw back. The Celtics were finally able to pierce through the defense of Philly with Garnett and Rondo playing a drive and kick game or passing out of the post. Ray Allen, despite his injury is still able to play productively allowing Boston to go on 10-2 run to claw back into the game. The Celtics finished the period down 47-42. Philly was getting great scoring from Turner and Igoudala who combined for 24 points to finish the half. Ray Allen finishes the half making the only 3pters for Boston going 2-4, with the rest of the team 0-5. Also Garnett  finishes the half with 14 points, Ray Allen 8 points, and Rondo 8 assists , along with 3 steals. The majority  of C’s are still  struggling heavily to make shots but scoring on free throws . Garnett and Allen combined are 9-14, whereas the rest of team is 7-26 struggling mightily against the stinging defense of the 76ers.  The 76ers are showing great playmaking and poise from Turner, Jrue Holiday, Igoudala, and Spencer Hawes giving them balanced contributions to go with great rebounding and hustle.

Kevin Garnett going for a block on Elton Brand

In the 3rd Avery Bradley scores on 2 quick baskets with Garnett to start a 6-0 run that lets the Celtics take the lead for the first time this game, up 48-47 with 9 minutes left in the 3rd. Bradley showing some courage driving against Philly despite his shoulder injury which is still affecting his play and hustle. Rondo also nearly stretches his groin again nearly doing the splits but stays in the game appearing to be fine. The 2nd unit of Philly with Lou Williams, Lavoy Allen, and Thaddeus Young using their scoring ability and speed to keep Philadelphia in the game scoring on several 2nd chance points from driving to the rim and boxing out to get easy putbacks and dunk opportunities. Halfway through the 3rd, the 76ers force Doc Rivers to take a time out and find a plan that can work to prevent Philly from exploiting their speed advantage against Boston. Unsurprisingly it’s not working for Boston as they can’t match the effort and hustle from this young Philly squad but somehow Bass becomes energized scoring on a few quick possessions and getting some clutch rebounds to keep Boston in this match. Scary moment for Boston when Ray Allen lands awkwardly on his ankle after hitting the foot of another player, but luckily doesn’t re-injure himself and scores on a clutch up and under basket. The C’s finish the 3rd with much more balanced scoring from their players and using Pietrus to help slow down Evan Turner and Andre Igoudala who have been torching the Celtics, especially on the boards. Celtics finish the period down 71-67 but with some momentum and a better plan on how to slow down Philly, most likely by preventing the passing lanes with Rondo, Pietrus, and Garnett disrupting any interior passing from the perimeter and fighting for position better.

In the 4th, the 2nd unit for Philly start the game and wearing out the Celtics with their non-stop motor and effort scoring 6 quick baskets in a 1 minute span. Lavoy Allen is doing a phenomenal job along with Lou Williams to provide energy for this well disciplined Doug Collins coached squad, stretching the lead to 10 points, up 77-67.  Quickly after that, Bradley and the rest of the Celtics go on a 18-5 run over a 7 minute stretch to get back into the game trailing 82-81. In one sequence the Celtics  had 2 2nd chance opportunities with a new 24 second clock before they botched the show and Hawes went for an easy layup. On the next possession Rondo hit a big uncontested jumpshot to give Boston the lead 83-82 before a quick timeout. That basket also gave Rondo he’s 8th triple double of his playoff career,Philadelphia then regroups on a Hawes jumper and a back and forth ensues with Garnett making an And 1 putting the Celtics up 86-84 with 3 minutes to go. the next few minutes proved for the most exciting basketball of the match as the Celtics executed amazingly with 2 very clutch baskets from Garnett and Pierce to build a 90-84 lead. Igoudala then hit a great 3pt shot to make it 90-87 Celtics, which was followed by a Rondo basket for a 92-87 lead. Miraculously the 76ers were able to get 2 stops and scored 4 points to get a 92-91 lead with 3.4 seconds left after 2 J Holiday free throws. On the final play, Celtics inbounded the ball to Rondo, whom the 76ers had to foul, but was too fast for Lou Williams who was unable to foul him giving Boston the miraculous comeback win.

Stats of the night

Rondo 13 points, 17 assists, 12 rebounds, 4 steals, 7 turnovers
Garnett: 29 points, 1 assists, 11 rebounds, 1 steal, 3 blocks, 1 turnover
Pierce: 14 points, 6 assists, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 turnovers

Turner: 16 points, 3 assists, 10 rebounds, 4 steals, 1 block, 4 turnovers
Igoudala: 19 points, 6 assists, 6 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 turnovers
Hawes: 15 points, 3 assists, 8 rebounds, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 1 turnover

Video recap of the game

Interesting stats for the night: Boston led for less than 5 minutes for the entire game. Rondo is the leading Celtic player with the most triple doubles in playoff history with 8,  tying him with Oscar Roberston but trailing Jason Kidd and Magic Johnson who have 11, and 30 respectively. Philadelphia coach was a former #1 overall NBA draft pick for Philadelphia and even averaged 20 points in a season being a 4x all star and coaching the all star game in 1997. The series win against Chicago was the first for Philadelphia since 2003 during the Iverson Era. Collins retired with nearly a 18 ppg average along with 3 rebounds and 3 assists for his career. He also coached Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen but was fired and replaced by his assistant, the great Phil Jackson. During the postgame interview, one of the reporters mentioned to Rondo it’s sometimes difficult for an older team to win, whom Rondo interrupted mid-sentence stating they aren’t old, and they’ll win the series because they’ll be fine and experienced. Garnett’s 29 points tonight were a season high.

Pierce drives against the Hawks

It was tough, it was gritty, it was exciting, it was disappointing, but it was playoff basketball. Tonight the Celtics ended any dreams the Hawks had of advancing to the 2nd round as Boston will advance and face the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference Semi-finals. The hawks fought valliantly and despite the big leads and defecits, this was a one possession game, and one possession series as several games have been decided by one possesion throughout this series. Let’s take a look at what we learned in tonight’s series clinching win against the Hawks.

1) The Celtics may be old, but they’re still experienced and effective. They got vintage performances from Garnett and Pierce tonight who contributed beyond just the typical rebounds points and assists.

2) The Celtics are master mainupaltors, able to bait many teams into frustaration technicals and charging calls, as the Celtics used their experience to their advantage in the win.

3) The Celtics are still injured as Pierce, Ray Allen and Greg Stiemsma were all visibly limited with their injuries but still played and contributed despite it.

4) The Celtics are utilizing their bench going 10 deep with their Rotation to help their stars get some rest for their injuries without sacraficing too much of a lead. It may hurt the Celtics that Garnett and Pierce have been playing heavy minutes this series.

5) The bench has not been producing well for the Celtics despite playing a good amount of minutes. The increased minutes isn’t leading to valuable contributions and this could be a concern for the Celtics going forward facing the 76ers.

Here’s how the Celtics won the game, with a quarter by quarter breakdown.

In the 1st quarter the Celtics went to Garnett and Pierce early with Rondo trying to facilitate both. The Celtics also tried to get Ray Allen involved and he made his only shot in the 1st quarter, going 1 for 7 for the rest of the game. The increased defensive pressure with Horford and Smith in the lineup affected Rondo, Bass, and Bradley’s ability to score in the game so the C’s relied on Garnett and Pierce to keep them throughout the game. The Hawks took the lead early going on short runs to keep them ahead while the Celtics would rally and stay afloat and competitive with their trusted scorers and ability to score from the high post and off of drives. Celtics trailed 23-20 at the end of the first but getting a relatively balanced effort despite Pierce scoring 7 in a row.

In the 2nd quarter, the Celtics cranked up their defense picking off bad passes and baiting the Hawks into several blocking, charging, and loose ball fouls forcing the Hawks to switch out some of their players into frustaration fouls and forced shots. Jeff Teague was especially frustarated and thrown off his game with Rondo and Garnett hounding him into several bad passes and rushed shots trying to get back at the Celtics. It backfired as the Celtics capialized on it going on a 16-0 run in a span of 4 minutes. Garnett scored 10 points in the quarter, while Rondo and Pierce combined for 13 points and the Celtics finished up 47-41. Garnett finished the half with 3 steals and one block as well with 7 rebounds and 1 assist along with 13 points to end the half.

After halftime the Hawks came back energized and were active offensively and defensively chipping away at the Celtics lead. The Celtics then used their experience to bait the Hawks into many frustaration fouls with Rondo baiting Teague into a technical and Pierce baiting 3 Hawks into 3 fouls in a span of 10 seconds, while Garnett drew 2 fouls in a span of 30 seconds. That helped deflate the momentum the Hawks were building and allowed the Celtics to maintain their lead, this time from their defense and balanced scoring. Pierce became more active this quarter as well taking on a playmaking role getting 3 assists in the quarter and facilitating several other baskets with Garnett as well playing out of the high post. Garnett’s defense also set the tone as he blocked two shots and kept up his strong play throughout the quarter altering several other shots helping the Celtics maintain a lead of 67-63 since trailing 31-30 halfway through the 2nd quarter.

In the 4th the Celtics lost their momentum as the Hawks opened up with a quick basket making it a 2 pt game, before Garnett scored 6 points during a 9-0 run that put the Celtics ahead comfortable 74-65. The Hawks then proved the saying that basketball is a game of runs, as they went on their own run, going 14-2 and gaining the lead 79-76 with 2:30 minutes left to play. The game was then decided on tough defense as the Celtics grinded it out, getting some clutch baskets by Ray Allen, Garnett and Pierce to stop an exciting back and forth game that culminated when Horford got fouled, and missed a game tying free throw. Allen also missed a free throw but Pierce iced the game with 2 late free throws after Horford missed and Rondo played great defensive to prevent the Hawks from getting a 3pter off in time, allowing the Celtics to win 83-80

Highlight plays of the game: Any of Garnett’s 5 blocks in the game. All came at opportune times and were emphatic rejections that kept theBoston crowd on their feet in this back and forth game. Also Josh Smith barreled down the lane for an emphatic dunk to energize the Hawks faithful, but it wasn’t enough to help them win.

What this means going forward: Hollins is getting more time than Greg Stiemsma which means Doc still think’s he’s limited in his playtime. Stiemsma is gonna have a big role in the next series against Philadelphia as they are young, athletic and relatively injury free. The benefit of home court advantage will alow the Celtics an extra day of rest until they play again. Stiemsma will be relied upon to help shut down Spencer Hawes and Thad Young as well off the bench. Igoudala’s injury is good news for Pierce as he also injured, along with Bradley and Allen so the Celtics need to rest up as much as they can to swing the momentum in their favour against the gritty athletic 76ers. Scoring shouldn’t nessecarily be difficult for the Celtics, but keeping the 76ers off the boards and preventing them picking off passes in the passing lanes and scoring in the post will be a priority for them. Looking forward, rest, good health, taking care of the ball, and rebounding are the only things preventing the Celtics from advancing into the Eastern Conference Finals.

Interesting notes of the night: Ray Allen, the NBA’s all-time leader in 3pters made, went 1-7 on 3′s, Rondo broke his double digit assist streak which started on March 9th. Doc is 3rd all time with 50 playoff victories for the Celtics, trailing Red Auerbach (90) and KC Jones (65). This is the third time since Garnett got 5 blocks in a game with the Celtics. Tracy McGrady still doesn’t advance past the first round of the playoffs. Kevin Garnett also addressed Hawks co-owner Michael Gearon Jr. who said “They are old. I know what happens when you play basketball: Old guys foul. Garnett is the dirtiest guy in the league.” which Garnett responded with: “I just found that comment to be a little rude and a little out of hand, and I wanted to address it. Just because you’ve got a lot of money doesn’t mean you can open your mouth.” The Hawks are 1-11 all time against the Celtics in playoff series, winning in 1958. Last time the Celtic played the Hawks in the playoffs was in 2008, when Boston won the championship.

Notable stats of the night:

Rondo 14 points, 8 assists, 5 turnovers, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block
Pierce 18 points, 7 assists, 3 turnovers, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block
Garnett 28 points, 2 assists, 1 turnover, 14 rebounds, 3 steals, 5 blocks

Josh Smith 18 points, 4 assists, 1 tunover, 9 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block
Al Horford 15 points, 4 assists, 7 turnovers, 9 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block
Marvin Williams 16 points, 3 assists, 8 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block
Joe Johnson 17 points. 2 assists, 2 turnovers, 1 rebound, 1 steal

Video highlights of the game

Ray  Allen came back for game 3 tonight and played effectively for the Celtics but one wonders how it’ll effect the Celtics long term. Bone spurs don’t go away over time, they go away with surgery. Do the Celtics need Allen to win? What happens if he gets hurt and has to miss a 2nd round series? These are questions everyone should be asking after this game and hopefully Doc and the rest of the Celtics can find a way to help keep him healthy and availble for future games while getting adequate rest to fight through the bone spurs until he gets surgery. Check back later tonight for game 3 analysis. In the mean time comment below and leave your opinion on what you would do as a coach and one of your core players needs surgery/rest but you need him for playoff action too. All the best and Go Celtics!!

The Spurs may be old, but they’re the older brother who’s
been consistently beating you for the past 13 years. The Celtics found that out
the hard way tonight as they fell to the Spurs and now sit at 2 and 1/2 behind
Indiana for 3rd place in the Eastern conference while the Spurs creep on the
Thunder and are only 1 game behind the Thunder for 1st in the Western
conference. Here’s what we learned in tonight’s 1pt loss for the Celtics as
they fell to San Antonio, 87-86.

1) The Spurs are still championship contenders. Since
signing Stephen Jackson and Boris Diaw, the Spurs now have 12 legit impact
players in the league. The most in the league by far while also giving them
depth and playoff experience at every position. They still have a excellent
bench as well, since Popovich is still developing them. Definite Coach of the
Year and championship potential for the Spurs.

2) The Celtics defense is still alive and well, just not always consistent. The
Celtics held the Spurs to a season low 9 points in the 3rd quarter.

3) Avery Bradley’s improvement is not a result of just extra minutes, it’s the
result of hard work and experience. Bradley led the Celtics tonight with 19
points off the bench.

4) The Celtics are still a horrible rebounding team.

5) Pavlovic’s defense on perimeter is great against
penetrating point guards, like Tony Parker. This tactic was first used by
Phoenix in 05/06 -06/07 when Diaw would guard Tony Parker during the epic
SA-PHX playoff rivalries.

Tonight was an important positive for the Celtics despite the loss. They are
still in 4th place in the league and inching closer to securing the 3rd seed.
They also received Ray Allen back after missing several games. Last but not
least, they proved they can still get reliable production from Garnett, Pierce,
Rondo, but now Avery Bradley as well too. Despite the 1pt loss. This is great
news for the Celtics.

Tim Duncan blocks a layup by Ray Allen

Here’s how the Celtics lost the game. In the first quarter, fresh off his
player of the month trophy, Paul Pierce was scoring easily against the Spurs
due to Danny Green and Kawhi Leonard unable to defend him. But then The Celtics
started missing shots for a 4 minute strech, and in the last 6 minutes, made
only one shot in their past 11 shots. The make was a Rondo jumpshot. This had the
Celtics trailing behind 27-20 at the end of the first, and a stark contrast
from the Spurs, who had 23 points. Of those 23 points, 20 points were scored in
the paint, mostly on layups, dunks, and jump hooks. The other 7 points, were 4
free throws (all produced by driving to the paint) and one 3pt shot. The Spurs
got to the paint at will against the Celtics, with Bass Allen and Pierce unable
to prevent their matchups (Blair, Green, Jackson) from getting to the rim at
will. This is all without Duncan or Ginobli scoring any point in the 1st as
well, bad news for the Celtics.

In the 2nd,  the C’s offense didn’t
stutter as they were quickly able to score getting reliable production from
Pavlovic and Bradley who combined to score 18 points in the 2nd. Bradley scored
11 points straight in a span of 4 minutes, as well as hitting the last shot for
the Celtics in the period. The problem though, was the Spurs kept getting
several shots as well, mostly on layups and wide open 3′s and the Spurs 7pt
led, quickly grew to 15 before finishing off at 59-48. During that stretch for
the Spurs, Bonner and Gary Neal combined to hit two 3′s each, and a layup, with
Neal making 2 layups. Green also scored on a 3pter, giving the Spurs 5 3pters
made in the 2nd quarter, going 5-8 on 3′s after going 1-4 in the 1st. The Spurs
finished 6-12 on 3′s at halftime and led 59-48. The Celtics bench was unable to
contain the offense of the Spurs , while Spurs could not contain Bradley
either, and the match turned into a run and gun affair.

Then the worst 3rd quarter of basketball ever played, began.
The Spurs had only 9 points, going 0-8 on 3′s and making only 4-19 shots. They
also had 4 turnovers as Ginobli and Duncan could not take care of the ball.
Unfortunately for the Celtics, they were equally as bad, scoring only 16 points
on 6-18 shooting accompanied with 8 turnovers including offensive goaltending,
offensive fouls, shot clock violations, and horrible passes. The ugliest 3rd
quarter finished with the Spurs leading 68-64 despite a 6 minute stretch
without Boston scoring, and two 5 minute stretches without San Antonio scoring
either.

In the 4th, both teams still shot poorly, but they were getting to the line
more and making the game semi-competitive. The Spurs had the game won, building
a 7pt lead in the 4th before they went cold for a 7 minute stretch allowing the
Celtics to lead by two. The Celtics built the lead primarily off Rondo and
Garnett who contributed for 15 of the Celtics points in the quarter with playmaking and scoring.

The Celtics built a two pt lead 83-81 and the fans got back into the game cheering for the
lifeless C’s who suddenly became focus and entertaining again. The Spurs wouldn’t give up,
as a back and forth exchange occurred with both teams trading baskets,
including a brilliant 3pter by Ray Allen out of an inbounds play to bring the
Celtics within 87-86 after their lead quickly disappeared. Pierce got the final
shot against Duncan, a mismatch, and Pierce missed the step back jumper as the
Celtics ultimately lost 87-86 in this not so close matchup. For those of you
who managed to avoid watching the 3nd half, save for the last 3 minutes of the
4th quarter, you have impeccable timing.

Interesting observations for the game:

The Spurs are now 31-2 when leading at halftime, while the Celtics are now 20-4
in games where they lead at half. Greg Stiemsma was a no-show today, playing 8
earnest minutes and altering some shots, but ultimately had a low impact on the
game. Stephen Jackson, Gary Neal, and Matt Bonner all played amazingly for the
Spurs, with tough D, playmaking, and spreading the floor for a night that
allowed Popovich to still improve his bench in preparation for the playoffs.
Jackson’s defense and contributions to the Spurs can easily make them a #1 seed
and finals favourite along with the Thunder, for a championship this year. The
Celtics are still struggling to develop their bench, outside of Bradley,
Stiemsma, and Pavlovic.  Most of the
turnovers by both teams, were a result of hesitation jump passes that were
easily predictable and more importantly avoidable as well.

Plays of the night:

1A) Ray Allen scores on a clutch 3pter within 7 seconds of an inbounds play.
1B) Ginobli hits an insanely difficult floating bank shot off the rim, after
pivoting several times away from defenders before attacking the basket.
1C) Tim Duncan and Kawhi Leonard did a double block on Paul Pierce

The Celtics win with the luck of the Irish while the Jazz sing the blues. Here’s what we learned in tonight’s game as the Celtics outplayed the Jazz to win.

1) The Celtics are a horrible rebounding team now.

2) The Celtic players are some of the most disciplined players ever. No centres shooting 3pters like that LA team.

3) The Celtics greatest strength in the league, is playmaking. Whether it be drive and kick, or inside-outside, when the Celtics execute they do it flawlessly.

4) Greg Stiemsma is the best defensive centre coming off the bench in the league. Nobody outworked or outhustled him while he played. If only he could stay out of foul trouble, he’d be perfect.

Throughout the course of the game, especially in the 2nd and 4th, the Celtics absolutely dismantled the Jazz. Rondo, Garnett, Bass, and Greg Stiemsma thoroughly outworked, outsmarted, and outhustled the Jazz getting to the basket at will, easy layups and dunks, and extreme activity on the defensive end. The Celtics led by as much as 18 at one point during the game. The Jazz didn’t have an answer for Boston as early in the first and especially in the 2nd, the Celtics lived in the paint getting easy looks and alley oops for Ryan Hollins, Brendan Bass, and Kevin Garnett.

At halftime, the Celtics lead 45-38, while Garnett harassed Jefferson into a 1-8 shooting. Every time any of Utah’s bigs entered the paint, Garnett, and either Bass or Stiemsma was there along with Pierce or Rondo suffocating any of Utah’s bigs from passing out, or from scoring easily in the paint, taking Utah’s greatest strengths from them. Surprisingly Boston had the lead despite being outrebounded 28-16 at halftime, thanks in part to forcing 11 turnovers for Utah, as opposed to 4 for Boston, and holding Utah to 38% shooting while the C’s finished with 45% shooting.

Then the 3rd quarter happened and things seemingly looked like a blowout for Boston. Garnett had 10 points in the 3rd and 3 assists, and acted as a facilitator/scorer from the high post. Boston quickly went on a scoring binge and lead by 18 with 7 minutes remaining in the 3rd and up 61-43. Coach Ty Corbin quickly called a timeout and then the Jazz came back. Boston became complacent as Gordon Hayward and Al Jefferson contributed in scoring or playmaking to lead a 17-5 run for Utah as they got to within 4 until Paul Pierce, “the Truth” hit some clutch free throws to extend the lead to 6 ending the 3rd quarter. The collapse happened because Boston started settling for too many midrange jumpshots and Utah became aggressive behind Hayward and Jefferson attacking the rim scoring on 1 jumpshot, but 6 dunks/layups during that stretch while Boston had 0 in the final 7 minutes of the 3rd.

In the 4th Utah quickly tied the game at 66 behind the playmaking of Earl Watson and scoring of Alec Burks and Enes Kanter. That’s when Boston’s bench became alive as Keyon Dooling and Sasha Pavlovic hit two clutch 3’s and a clutch jumpshot to allow the Celtic starters to rest. Stiemsma and Dooling played excellent defense keeping Utah at bay until Rondo Bass and Garnett came back to finish the game off as Garnett facilitated several shots for his teammates by playing off the high post allowing an inside outside game. This allowed Bass to get easy open looks from Rondo, Pierce to drive and finish, and Garnett to find shooters like Dooling and Pavlovic open looks for 3’s. Rondo finished the game off with only 2 assists in the 4th, despite having 12 finishing the 3rd quarter. Boston then came back and used their aggressiveness with the Jazz when Utah became tired and complacent to finish the game winning 94-82 in a closer than expected romp.

The score signified a frustrating game for the Jazz that ended with technicals for Garnett and Jefferson as Garnett baited Jefferson into some fouls, and Jefferson reacted, while also making contact with Paul Millsap and getting him bloodied up. This was an aggressive matchup highlighted by the animosity between Jefferson and Garnett who were traded for each other years ago. Going forward the Celtics have to be concerned about their lack of effort in maintaining leads. However, for now, the Celtics are now tied with Philly for 1st in Atlantic division which could mean the difference between a 4th seed, or 7th seed.

Stats of the night

Boston

Garnett 10-16 shooting, 3-3 free throws, 23 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 1 turnover, 2 fouls in 34 minutes of playtime.
Pierce 6-16 shooting, 1-6 for 3pt shooting, 7-7 Free throws, 20 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals 1 block, 2 turnovers, 2 fouls in 36 minutes.
Brandon Bass, 7-17 shooting, 5-6 Free throws, 19 points, 4 rebounds, 1 turnover, 3 fouls in 35 minutes
Rondo, 3-7 shooting, 0-1 for 3pt, 0-1 Free throws, 6 points, 4 rebounds, 14 assists, 3 turnovers in 36 minutes
Greg Stiemsma, 1-2 free throws, 1 point, 4 rebounds, 1 steal, 4 blocks, and 5 fouls in 19 productive minutes

Team: 94 points, 47% shooting (36-77) , 86% free throw (18-21), 27% 3pt (4-15), 38 (4 off) rebounds, 24 assists, 6 steals, 7 blocks, 11 turnovers, 20 fouls.

Utah

Al Jefferson, 34 minutes, 7-19 shooting 4-4 free throws, 18 points, 12 rebounds 3 assists, 3 blocks, 5 fouls.
Gordon Hayward 37 minutes 8-14 shooting, 2-3 free throw, 1-1 3pt shot, 19 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks, 1 turnover
Paul Millsap, 27 minutes, 6-10 shooting, 4-5 free throw, 16 points, 7 rebounds 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 4 turnovers, 3 fouls.
Derrick Favors, 3-9 shooting, 6 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal 1 turnover, 3 fouls.
Team: 82 points 32-82 shooting (39%) 30% 3pt shooting (3-10), 63% free throw (15-24) 49 rebounds (16 off)23 assists, 8 steals, 7 blocks, 14 turnovers, 20 fouls.

Interesting notes of the night

Avery Bradley played 43 minutes, the most of any Celtic and Jazz player. He spent most of his time guarding Gordon Hayward and was thoroughly outplayed. Garnett and Doc Rivers in post game conferences awarded the win to the bench and stated that Basketball is a game of runs, and no need of concern for other teams to make a run. Austin Rivers, the son of coach Doc Rivers is declaring the draft and coach Rivers is supporting it. This is the 7th straight home win for the Celtics, and they are now 13-5 since the allstar break.

Play of the game: Rajon Rondo cradles the ball going over his head and back down to his waist in one hand from right to left, then finding Bass under the basket for the easy unopposed dunk. Boston – Utah Highlights including Rondo’s play of the game