Eastern Conference Finals - Celtics/Heat - Game 7

Celtics handily defeat Heat?

Not quite, but Boston did lead by 20 at halftime due to a scoring drought by Miami, despite contentious 1st quarter action. Boston would pay, however, as they relaxed on defense and Ray Allen heated up.

Before long, Miami had cut the lead to 8 by the 4th quarter. To start it, a 7-0 run made the crowd in Beantown gasp in fear of their team choking against adversity. Yet Miami would never take the lead, remaining deadlocked with Boston until a shot by LeBron James from deep inside the lane rattled out to Miami's chagrin.

Afterward, Boston regained their footing and it was cemented once D-Wade missed a wide open 3 pointer-- something Eddie House never did all night, nailing 6 long balls for Boston -- a shot by Ray Allen did the same on the Heat's next possession and even a late jumper by "the King" missed.

Boston dribbled out the ball, outlasting the improved Miami Heat, 115-123. Last year, they were outed in 5 games, but this year they came to win. But so did Boston, who have an NBA Finals rematch with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Eastern Conference Finals - Celtics/Heat - Game 6

Unlike Game 5, tonight's contest was neck-and-neck in the final two minutes. Ties were broken and remade, but in the end, it was D-Wade's jumper that gave Miami a 2 point advantage.

Despite Paul Pierce nailing a layup for one of those tie-making plays, "The Truth" failed to do it again in response to Wade's shot. Boston was forced to foul the Miami star, who made one of two free throws, leaving a three-pointer for Rajon Rondo to miss.

The Heat win Game 6, 108-111, much to the pleasure of south beach, as they turned in a retaliatory effort after being crushed in Game 5. They were faster, hungrier than Boston tonight, dominating them on the boards and scoring highly with second chance opportunities because of it.

In the loss, Richard Jefferson had 23 points; KG had 22pts/12rebs; Eddie House had 20pts on 6 three pointers; Paul Pierce had 14pts; Rondo had another modest game with 12pts/9asts and so did Michael Beasley with just 11pts.

D-Wade abused Boston's defense the most, surging his way to 39 points (much like Rondo did in Game 4) along with dishing out 8 assists, altogether to LBJ (14pts/8rebs/7asts, poor shooting), Chris Bosh (22pts/20rebs), Rashard Lewis (14pts), Udonis Haslem (8pts/12rebs) and Ray Allen (12pts, also on poor shooting).

Early on, it seemed like Boston would be celebrating a return to the NBA Finals, but Miami clearly thought otherwise. Game 7 will be in Boston. If memory serves, Miami will remember to play harder than in Game 5.

Eastern Conference - Celtics/Heat - Game 5

In an absolute blowout, the Boston Celtics dominated the Miami Heat tonight. They led by 50 at one point, winning 110-135 at home in front of an ecstatic crowd.

The defending champions shot above 50% for most of the game, performed much better at the free throw line, missing only 3 attempts, were extremely active on defense, swatting away 13 shots by Miami, ripping away 9 steals and stressing the Heat into committing 22 turnovers.

Off his huge night, Rajon Rondo didn't have much of a task tonight once the lead got rolling, as the star finished with just 10 points & 4 assists. Meanwhile, Michael Beasley had 23 points, KG had 19pts/15rebs, Shane Battier gave 18pts/8rebs, along with Roy Hibbert (17pts/9rebs) and Richard Jefferson's 15pts/7rebs.

Eddie House made it rain from three-point land for 12 points, Jordan Farmar had 7pts/4asts, two better than Caron Butler's 6pts/3asts as Boston routed Miami in this dominant showcase.

Eastern Conference Finals - Celtics/Heat - Game 4

The Boston Celtics haven't been themselves lately, suffering through shooting woes and team chemistry on the floor in their last series against the New York Knicks and now against the Miami Heat.

Tonight, Rajon Rondo provided (at least) a temporary cure. The fierce point guard came out with one mission: Beat Miami, or die trying. Countless times, Boston's wily leader collided into the paint against Miami's defense that brutalized him throughout the game.

But by the 3rd quarter, Rajon Rondo had 40 points, drawing plenty of fouls which prevented Miami from sizzling to a 3-1 series lead while the rest of the Celtics continued to struggle to make baskets.

Along with scoring, Rondo passed the ball off to his teammates, most notably Eddie House, Michael Beasley and Kevin Garnett-- all three of them hitting huge shots that were equally miraculous, including a 3 by House and a put-back by KG to somehow take the lead in the 4th, after falling down by 14 due to a plethora of dunks by LeBron James, effortless shots by Ray Allen and fast-break throwdowns by D-Wade.

A victory seemed unlikely, and had those precious shots missed, Miami would be dancing with a 3-1 lead, having forced Rajon Rondo's Celtics to win three straight games in response. Luckily, a huge 3 by Rondo in the final minute capped off a 5 point swing.

To their credit, Boston cracked down on defense and simply prayed that each shot Miami fired would miss. Most of them did, and with Rondo's passion, Boston clawed their way to a 2-2 split, winning 121-118, despite Rondo missing two clutch free throws with less than 3 seconds left in the game. A full-court heave by Miami wasn't answered, and the anxiousness of the crowd for their team to beat Boston died away.

Rajon Rondo peaked at 53 points, and Boston will somehow return home.

Eastern Conference Finals - Celtics/Heat - Game 3

Miami, Boston, South Beach, a roaring crowd.

That roaring crowd eventually roared even louder at Boston's sluggish defense and dreary offense, as the Miami Heat advanced to 2-1 against the defending champions, making shots while Boston couldn't, winning 104-111.

Chris Bosh scored 30+ and Miami's speed sapped the scarce hope Boston had for a comeback after surviving until the 3rd quarter on their meager shooting percentage. Most of the Celtics finished with 10 points and change, but Paul Pierce and Richard Jefferson were especially atrocious tonight, shooting the ball into a deep abyss instead of the basket.

When Michael Beasley fouled out, the gig was up for Boston.

Eastern Conference Finals - Celtics/Heat - Game 2

After a humbling loss in game one, Paul Pierce (31 points) and the Boston Celtics roared back with a 83-108 blowout victory in game two.

They double teamed Dwayne Wade early, limiting his ability to create plays for Miami. He battled his way to 22 points, and so did LeBron James, but the rest of the Heat were left out of the mix, especially Ray Allen who had anything but 26 points tonight like he did in game one.

In game one, Miami was more energetic than Boston but the Celtics repaired their focus and shot better than their bitter enemies tonight. Roy Hibbert powered his way to 16 points and 12 rebounds while Michael Beasley (25 points, 11 rebounds) challenged Boston's leader for the high score.

Tonight was a major win for Boston as the series shifts to south beach.

Eastern Conference Finals - Celtics/Heat - Game 1

The Boston Celtics did everything they could--everything to catch up against a powerful Miami lead, and everything they could do to lose it all.

They were slow to get the rebound, terrible at finishing easy shots, and even more terrible at making an easier shot after they managed to get the rebound again!

Focus was not part of Boston's strategy tonight. Somehow, they miraculously caught up in the 4th quarter, despite a 12 point lead by Miami and repetitive failures to tie the game by Boston. Eventually, a crazy scramble for the ball led to Michael Beasley (25 points, on 50% shooting) hammering the ball through the net, giving Boston the lead for the first time in quite a while.

But Boston couldn't save the deal. A confused play with 8.8 seconds left in the 4th quarter led to a rushed shot by Richard Jefferson (17 points/9 rebounds) and a dreaded OVERTIME period against a Miami Heat team that Boston wanted no part of tonight.

Despite Miami breaking out to a 5 point lead, Boston called a timeout and turned to Paul Pierce, who had been cold all night on 1-11 shooting. Despite the hit/miss ratio, "The Truth" nailed a 3 pointer and a stop by Boston on the other end led to a second shot dropping courtesy of Pierce as the pro-Celtics crowd cheered, a momentary break from the hervous silence that had overtaken the TD Garden.

But Chris Bosh (24 points/18 rebounds) nailed a tough shot over Kevin Garnett, who made a myriad of mistakes all night, giving Miami a 2 point lead all over again. With only 4 seconds to get the ball up the court and fire a reasonable shot, the Celtics only achieved half to the challenge. Rajon Rondo (17 points/11 assists), who had been brutalized all night by Miami's defense, wasn't able to wow his way into the paint, getting blocked before the crowd could hold their breath and pray that a shot (had there been one) gone up in the air in hope of the ball falling into the basket.

The clock expired after Roy Hibbert fumbled the loose ball and Boston's ineptitude was finalized, losing 117-115 in OT on their own court. Not even the hit-and-miss three pointer show by Eddie House (5-11 from downtown) could change that. Boston shot 36% in the 1st quarter, 34% in the 3rd and missed 8 free throws. While Miami missed 9 of their own, coming up short at the line of mercy is unacceptable for Boston.

To make matters worse, Miami's x-factor, Ray Allen, splashed his way to 26 points against his former team, who would've killed to score some easy shots of their own. LeBron James had 23 points and 11 assists, tying Rondo, Udonis Haslem had 12 points & 19 rebounds and D-Wade had the same as LBJ plus a point. Clearly, Boston should've double-teamed him sooner. The Celtics will have to improve and quit making mindless mistakes if they stand a chance in winning Game 2.