0 @ 1
Eastern Conference Finals, Game 2
Thursday, May 22, 2008 – 8:30 pm ET
TD BankNorth Garden (Boston, MA)
Game aired on ESPN

Game 1 couldn’t have gone much better for the Celtics. They came out with energy, attacked the basket, moved the ball well, forced turnovers, knocked down big shots, and played suffocating defense. The 88-79 victory may have been Boston’s most impressive win of the postseason.That’s all fine and dandy, but this series is far from over. Detroit has been in worse situations than this before, and they’ve proven that they can win on the road on any given night. It may be cliché to call a playoff game a “must-win,” but Detroit knows that they need to take care of business tonight in Game 2 and head back home with a split series.

Likewise, Boston needs to make sure they clean up their homecourt and head into Detroit with a 2-0 lead. With the way they’ve played on the road thus far in the postseason (0-6), it’s imperative that they don’t leave the possibility open for Detroit take a 3-1 lead heading into Game 5.

The Celtics threw the first punch, but the battle is not over. Detroit hasn’t even swung back yet.

Projected Starters

C Rasheed Wallace / Kendrick Perkins
PF Antonio McDyess / Kevin Garnett
SF Tayshaun Prince / Paul Pierce
SG Rip Hamilton / Ray Allen
PG Chauncey Billups / Rajon Rondo

Key Matchup: Tayshaun Prince vs. Paul Pierce

In Game 1, Pierce murdered Detroit’s defense in pick n’ roll situations. You have to expect the Pistons to make adjustments to make life tougher for Pierce tonight in Game 2, so it will be crucial for the captain to maintain his current flow and improvise when they counter defensively.

Celtics X-Factor: Rajon Rondo

Something tells me that Chauncey Billups is going to take more than six shots tonight, and something tells me that he’s going to look a lot better out there. As Paul Pierce said, Chauncey is a gamer. He’s gonna come out and gradually get better physically each game. Rondo “won” the point guard battle in Game 1; he needs to make sure he doesn’t let Chauncey loose in this one either.

Injury Report
BOS – Scot Pollard (torn tendon in left ankle – out for season)

Celtics Keys to the Game

• Defensive Rotations
• Rebounding
• Attack
• Sense of Urgency
• Ball Movement
• Ball Control

79 88

Game 1 of the 2008 Eastern Conference Finals was everything a Celtics fan could hope for, and then some. This was hands down the best team performance from the Celtics since Game 7 of the Atlanta series in the first round of these playoffs. Tonight’s effort gave flashbacks of the Boston Celtics team we witnessed win 66 games throughout the regular season… the team we’ve only seen a few teams throughout their 15 postseason outings.

First and foremost, the Celtics came out of the gate with a far superior level of intensity than the Detroit Pistons. The men in green threw the first punch, and Detroit never punched back harder. Overall, the pace of the first half of this game was in Detroit’s favor, but it was a completely different story following intermission. Doc Rivers’ club began the second half similarly to the first few minutes of the ballgame, and put together a 28-17 third quarter advantage to shift the tempo more to their liking. Detroit gave the C’s a minor scare throughout the middle segment of the final frame, but Boston rose to the ocassion by knocking down the clutch shots to seal the deal. Rajon Rondo, specifically, knocked down back-to-back jump shots (one of them coming from outside the arc) to put a stamp on his 11-point, seven assist, five-steal effort.

On the defensive end, where Boston’s attack always starts, they scrapped. They denied position, they played the passing lanes, they closed off penetration, and Rajon Rondo was the catalyst of the defensive effort by coming away with multiple pokes and steals. Kendrick Perkins and Kevin Garnett controlled the defensive glass, as well, as the frontcourt duo combined for 16 defensive rebounds. P.J. Brown provided a lift with the second unit as well, as the 38-year-old veteran gave Doc Rivers over 17 minutes of solid defensive play.

Offensively, the Celtics absolutely demoralized Detroit’s defense with their pick n’ roll sets in the high post with Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett. Pierce used his body to his advantage when rubbing off, and got to the spots he wanted to get to at will. When the defense collapsed on him in the paint, he made the necessary kickout passes to open shooters, who made the most of their opportunities. “The Truth” may have very well played one of his most complete games of the 2007-2008 season in Game 1, and his defensive effort was just as impressive as his 22-6-6 line.

Kevin Garnett was the beneficiary of a bundle of those kickout dishes, but that’s not all the 32-year-old stud did. On post isolations, “The Big Ticket” lived up to his name and played the role of the aggressor with the ball in his hands. Garnett put together a terrific balance between his mid-range game and his interior presence on the offensive end, and connected on 11 of his 17 shot attempts to tally and efficient 26 points.

The near-forgotten member of Boston’s illustrious trio, Ray Allen, was not able to follow up on Pierce and Garnett’s stellar performances. Allen struggled from the field for the ninth straight game, and continued his streak of offensive putridity by shooting just 3-10. Luckily, he was aggressive on the defensive end of the floor, where his one-on-one opponent “Rip” Hamilton hit just five of his 13 attempts from the field.

All of the credit is not warranted towards the Boston Celtics, however. The C’s absolutely put together one of their better postseason efforts, but this also was not a replica of “Deeetroit basketball.” Their offensive attack was as stagnant as ever and lacked a sense of urgency, which could be attributed to their seven-day layover from their Semi-Finals series. Another issue was undoubtedly the health of guard Chauncey Billups (six points on 3-6 shooting), who claimed to be 100% during an ESPN TV interview on Monday, but was blatantly proven otherwise in Game 1 of this Eastern Conference Finals series. Billups’ sore right hamstring disallowed him to penetrate to his comfort zone going left, and that may have tied up their entire offensive gameplan. Detroit was unable to get to the spots they wanted to reach in the painted area, where Boston held a convincing 44-22 advantage. Additionally, when contact was indeed initiated on Detroit’s end of the floor, the Pistons were unable to capitalize at the charity stripe by missing eight free throws as a team.

It’s virtually inevitable that the Pistons will put together better efforts as this series goes on. As convincingly dominant Boston may have been at the TD BankNorth Garden, Detroit may have a chance to end their 9-0 postseason home streak if they can make the proper adjustments necessary to put a better product on the floor.

It was exciting to see the C’s come out and play this way, but don’t get too excited yet, Boston fans. A 1-0 lead is terrific, but bigger goals are on the horizon and this series has yet to truly begin.

Box Score

Player of the Game

Paul Pierce
22 PTS, 6 REBS, 6 ASTS, 5 TO, 9-18 FG, 0-4 3FG, 4-6 FT

Series Standings: Boston leads series 1-0
Game 2: Thursday (5/22/08) at 8:30 pm ET.

0  @ 0
Eastern Conference Finals, Game 1
Tuesday, May 20, 2008 – 8:30 pm ET
TD BankNorth Garden (Boston, MA)
Game aired on ESPN

For the first time since 2002, the Boston Celtics are back in the Eastern Conference Finals. It may have taken two long, grueling seven-game series’ in order to do so, but at the end of the day, “the green is back on.”Boston’s opponent is no surprise, the Detroit Pistons, who have reached the Conference Finals for the sixth straight year. Throughout the regular season’s three-game series with Detroit, the Celtics held a 2-1 advantage, winning one at The Palace. One of the biggest reasons for the Celtics’ regular season success against Flip Saunders’ crew was the rebounding column, in which the men in green virtually dominated. In those three games, Boston held a combined +29 difference in their favor, and managed to reach the 50-rebound mark in two of those contests.

Regardless of the regular season results, the Pistons will be ready, and well-rested too. While the Celtics have been playing playoff basketball every other day since April 26, Detroit has gotten a full week of rest since closing out the Orlando Magic last Tuesday. That rest may have benefited Pistons guard Chauncey Billups the most, who sat out the final two games of the Semi-Finals due to a strained right hamstring. The question remains: does that mean Detroit will come out with a great deal of energy and outwork the C’s, or does it mean that they will be a bit rusty and off-base due to not playing in seven days?

All in all, isn’t it ironic that one year ago, we were scrapping for a victory in the 2007 NBA Draft Lottery, yet here we are on the night of this year’s lottery preparing for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. My, what a difference a year makes.

Projected Starters

C Rasheed Wallace / Kendrick Perkins
PF Antonio McDyess / Kevin Garnett
SF Tayshaun Prince / Paul Pierce
SG Rip Hamilton / Ray Allen
PG Chauncey Billups / Rajon Rondo

Key Matchup: Tayshaun Prince vs. Paul Pierce

Tayshaun Prince is amongst the class of long, athletic small forwards that has given Paul Pierce some problems in the past, along with Chicago’s Luol Deng and Philadelphia’s Andre Iguodala. The plus side for Pierce, however, is that he doesn’t have to worry about carrying the scoring load as well as containing a 6’8’’, 250-pound monster like LeBron James in this series. “The Truth,” who willed his team to victory in Game 7 of the Semi-Finals with 41 points, may be more inclined to focus on his offensive game rather than using up the bulk of his energy on defense. Let’s hope he can find his niche somehow, some way, because Prince surely will not make life easy for him.

Celtics X-Factor: Rajon Rondo

For Celtics fans, the scariest matchup of these playoffs for Rajon Rondo is undoubtedly Chauncey Billups. “Mr. Big Shot,” as they like to call him in Detroit, has a chance to have one of his most dominant playoff series’ he has ever had. December nineteenth’s initial 2007-2008 Boston-Detroit matchup told the whole story: Rondo came out of the gate going full-blast and attacking the rim at will, but once the second half came, it was a completely different story. Billups absolutely took over from there on out, and it carried through to the final possession of the game, where he nailed two free throws to give Detroit the one-point victory in Boston. Let’s hope Billups isn’t as close to 100% as he publicly proclaims, because this truly is one of those series’ where our young point guard has a chance to be exposed.

Injury Report
BOS – Scot Pollard (torn tendon in left ankle – out for season)

Celtics Keys to the Game

• Defensive Rotations
• Rebounding
• Attack
• Sense of Urgency
• Ball Movement
• Ball Control

By: Dustin Chapman

The “other Allen” has tallied just 40 combined minutes throughout Boston’s first 14 postseason outings, and has not hit the floor since Game 3 of the Semi-Finals series vs. Cleveland (May 10). Even then, “TA” played just over three minutes of “garbage time” in that game due to blowout circumstances.

With all of that said, there may be room for Allen to make a slight impact on this Eastern Conference Finals matchup with Detroit. One could present a strong case that the erratic fourth-year guard may be the best option to defend each of Detroit’s top three backcourt players in a limited role.

First and foremost, “Rip” Hamilton is well-known as one of the better conditioned athletes in the NBA, who has an extraordinary level of stamina while running his opponent ragged. To begin each game, Ray Allen will get the initial look at attempting to check his fellow Uconn Husky. Needless to say, he is not Jesus Shuttlesworth any longer, and likely does not have the legs to stick with Hamilton cutting and running around screens. Paul Pierce will be matched up with Tayshaun Prince more often than not, and does not possess the lateral quickness to contain Hamilton either.

That leaves James Posey and our buried friend Tony Allen. Posey will get his share of looks at the masked man wearing 32, but the question of lateral quickness stands for him as well. Tony Allen, however, is built for defending guys such as Hamilton. He’s quick, rugged, strong, and possesses terrific defensive anticipation skills - the ingredients needed when dealing with Rip Hamilton.

Next in line is promising rookie combo guard Rodney Stuckey, who did a marvelous job filling in for the injured Chauncey Billups in Games 4 and 5 of Detroit’s Semi-Finals matchup with Orlando. Sam Cassell certainly is not quick enough to guard him, and Eddie House is simply too small to legitimately bother him. When Rajon Rondo is taking a breather, Tony Allen may be the next best option to close out a quarter defending Stuckey.

And finally, Chauncey Billups. Yes, we saw what happened on December 19 when “TA” fell for a nation-wide anticipated up-fake. Yes, Billups sank both free throws to give Detroit the one-point victory at the TD BankNorth Garden. Regardless, if Rondo finds himself in a situation where he is continually getting abused by “Mr. Big Shot,” then Doc Rivers needs to turn to another direction. Once again, Tony Allen could be a wise option to turn to (assuming he learned from his previous mistakes).

At the end of the day, it is likely that Allen will be left on the bench for the majority of this series, and it is probable that Rivers will turn to James Posey for most defensive assignment adjustments. But for short stints to close out quarters, isn’t it worth a shot? Isn’t it time for Tony Allen to get one last shot to contribute?

It will be interesting to see how Rivers shakes the perimeter rotation out. God knows we rarely ever know what to expect with his rotations.

92 97

For the first time since 2002, the Boston Celtics have advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals.

This afternoon’s Game 7 showdown between Paul Pierce and LeBron James will go down as one of the most exhilarating head-to-head matchups in playoff history. Celtics history, at the very least.

James led all scorers with 45 points on 14-29 shooting to go along with six assists, five rebounds, and two steals. However, the so-called “King” was unable to make the big plays his team needed down the stretch. His shot selection was more than questionable, as number 23 shot just 3-11 from beyond the arc and got too trigger-happy once he buried a pair of jumpers. In addition, James missed five free throws throughout the game, some coming in the closing minutes.

Paul Pierce, however, did not fold in crunch time. “The Truth” lived up to his name in this one, and was feeling so good that he got an extraordinarily lucky bounce at the free throw line to make it a two-possession game with under eight seconds to go. The Celtics captain put up an efficient 41 points (13-23 from the field, 4-6 from 3, 11-12 from the line), five assists, and four rebounds to will his Celtics to the Conference Finals.

Next in line for the Celtics comes their biggest test yet: the Detroit Pistons, who have reached the Eastern Conference Finals six straight years. Rest will not be rewarded to the C’s, however, as Game 1 will take place on Tuesday night back at the TD BankNorth Garden.

Enjoy it, Celtics fans, but also realize that the job has not yet been completed.

Box Score

Player of the Game

Paul Pierce
41 PTS, 4 REBS, 5 ASTS, 2 STLS, 13-23 FG, 4-6 3FG, 11-12 FT

Series Standings: Boston wins series 4-3

Game 1 vs. Detroit: Tuesday (5/20/08) at 8:30 pm ET.

3  @ 3
Round 2, Game 7
Sunday, May 18, 2008 – 3:30 pm ET
TD BankNorth Garden (Boston, MA)
Game aired on ABC

Here we go again - Game 7, version 2.0.

A Kevin Garnett quote from 2004 should sum up the current feelings from both sides:

“This is it,” he responded. “It’s for all the marbles. I’m sitting in the house loading up the pump, I’m loading up the Uzis, I’ve got a couple of M-16s, couple of nines, couple of joints with some silencers on them, couple of grenades, got a missile launcher. I’m ready for war.”

Needless to say, following those quotes, Garnett tallied 32 points and 21 rebounds to lead his Timberwolves to the Western Conference Finals.  Similar results today would be nice.

69 74

Once again, there isn’t much more you can say, other than “it happened again.” You can blame Boston’s lack of offensive execution, you can blame Doc Rivers, you can blame the officials, and you can blame anything else that comes to mind. Regardless of who/what you feel shoulders the burden, the Celtics did not get it done for the sixth straight time on the road.

Game 7 of this series, scheduled to kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET this Sunday (5/18/08) afternoon, is a do-or-die situation for both clubs.

Box Score

Player of the Game

LeBron James
32 PTS, 12 REBS, 6 ASTS, 2 STLS, 8 TO, 9-23 FG, 13-15 FT

Series Standings: Series tied 3-3

Game 7: Sunday (5/18/08) at 3:30 pm ET.

89 96

Random notes:

• Rajon Rondo was remarkable. His line of 20 points (9-15 FG), 13 assists, two steals, two blocks, and just one turnover is outstanding, but that also doesn’t measure the constant energy he brought for all 42 minutes he was on the floor. Heck, he even hit back-to-back three’s in the waning moments of the second quarter to shift the momentum our way when we were down.

• The Celtics were down by as many as 14 in the first half, but were able to cut Cleveland’s lead to three by intermission. The Celtics, with that momentum, came out with fire in the third quarter, where they held a 29-17 advantage.

• LeBron James looked as though he was going to put an individual stamp on this game in the first half, where he scored 23 of his 35 total points. James Posey, who played face-to-face on LeBron rather than backing off, got the worst of it. Boston’s defense throughout the second half of the game, however, refused to allow LeBron to get to where he wanted to go. By the middle of the fourth quarter, he grew visibly frustrated.

• The Celtics got extremely sloppy near the end of the game, and virtually begged Cleveland to capitalize and make a late run. The Cavaliers failed to do so, and especially went ice cold from the free throw line late in the game. Ray Allen, following a crucial turnover, came away with a huge tip rebound at the 19-second mark that helped seal the deal. Paul Pierce, who led the Celtics in scoring with 29 points, then proceeded to connect on four of five free throw attempts in the closing seconds to finish the job.

• Kevin Garnett’s night may be overshadowed by Rondo’s excellence, but “The Big Ticket” may very well have had his most complete game of the series. His 26 points, 16 rebounds, four assists, and three blocks filled the stat sheet, and he was especially unconscious from mid-range territory in the third quarter. Living up to his Defensive Player of the Year title, as usual, he anchored a suffocating second-half defense that aggravated LeBron James and made tight rotations.

• As a whole, the bench was nothing to write home about. Posey struggled on both ends, Sam Cassell had nothing going for himself in the 5:29 he played (kudos to Doc Rivers for sitting him the entire second half - kudos for Rondo to allow him to), Leon Powe missed defensive rotations early on, and P.J. Brown played limited minutes as well. Glen “Big Baby” Davis, however, provided a spark in the second half with his relentless hustle and soft touch around the basket. He even managed to leap-frog over Wally Szczerbiak standing vertically, which may very well have been the funniest moment of the 2008 NBA Playoffs.

• Ray Allen struggled, once again, as he shot 4-11 and made numerous mental mistakes. Luckily, Wally Szczerbiak didn’t make him look bad in this one. The former Celtic started off hot, but ended with just 10 points on 3-8 shooting. Delonte West put together another solid outing, though, by putting up 21 points and four steals. Unfortunately for him, there was nothing he could do to contain Rajon Rondo in this one, no matter how hard he worked.

• The Celtics attacked the basket more throughout this game than they did on the road, which was a positive sign. Let’s hope they bring Game 5’s second half mindset to Cleveland for Game 6, where they’ll have a chance to close out the series and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2002.

Box Score

Player of the Game

Rajon Rondo
20 PTS, 13 ASTS, 2 REBS, 2 STLS, 2 BLKS, 9-15 FG, 2-3 3FG

Game 6: Friday (5/16/08) at 8:00 pm ET (last game aired on CSN this season).

Adding to Boston’s 2007-2008 award shrine, Celtics General Manager and President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge has won the NBA’s Executive of the Year award.

ST. LOUIS - Sporting News has named Boston Celtics Executive Director, Basketball Operations and General Manager, the 2007-08 NBA Executive of the Year.Sporting News polled general managers and other executives from all 30 teams, and Ainge received 18 of the 47 votes cast. He beat out Los Angeles Lakers general manager, Mitch Kupchak, who had 14 votes, and New Orleans Hornets general manager Jeff Bower who had 12.

“He orchestrated a stunning and record setting turnaround of a struggling team with two great trades and various other roster acquisitions.” said Brian Colangelo, President and General Manager of the Toronto Raptors and the 2005 Executive of the Year.

Pat Williams, Senior Vice President of the Orlando Magic added, “Ainge was the architect of the most dramatic NBA turnaround ever.”

Danny Ainge is the first member of the Boston Celtics to receive the Executive of the Year award since its inception in the 1972-73 season.

Stan McNeal, Sporting News NBA writer, will present the Executive of the Year award to Danny Ainge prior to Wednesday’s game 5 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals between the Celtics and Cavaliers.

2 @ 2
Round 2, Game 5
Wednesday, May 14, 2008 – 8:00 pm ET
TD BankNorth Garden (Boston, MA)
Game aired on TNT

Here we are, heading into Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals, winless on the road. Both Boston and Cleveland did their job of taking care of their home court throughout the first four games, knotting this series at 2-2. It is virtually a three-game series at this point, with two of those games (should this series go seven) in Boston.

Every playoff game is a must-win, but tonight’s game is absolutely the most important of the season for the Celtics. Should they allow Cleveland to steal tonight’s game at the TD BankNorth Garden, they would head into Cleveland for Game 6 with the possibility of elimination dawning upon them. That is not the situation the Celtics need to be in, as they, along with every other second-round team not named the Detroit Pistons, are winless on the road in the Semi-Finals.

Let’s go, boys.

.

Projected Starters

C Zydrunas Ilgauskas / Kendrick Perkins
PF Ben Wallace / Kevin Garnett
SF LeBron James / Paul Pierce
SG Wally Szczerbiak / Ray Allen
PG Delonte West / Rajon Rondo

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Key Matchup: LeBron James vs. Paul Pierce

It’s a legitimate concern for a Celtics fan to be cautious about LeBron James, for the simple fact that this series is tied and he has yet to go off. James is due, and the Paul Pierce and company need to make sure they don’t allow him to single-handedly steal this game from them.

.

Celtics X-Factor: James Posey

As previously mentioned, the Celtics need to make sure LeBron doesn’t take over this game. One of the guys individually responsible for defending “King James” is James Posey, who has done a respectable job throughout the series. Let’s hope he can keep it up.

.

Injury Report
CLE – Eric Snow (sore left knee – out for season)
BOS – Scot Pollard (torn tendon in left ankle – out for season)

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Celtics Keys to the Game

• Defensive Rotations
• Rebounding
• Attack
• Sense of Urgency
• Ball Control