Bring on L.A. — or Phoenix. Whoever it is, the Celtics will be ready. They’ve got six days to relax, and come next Thursday, they’ll be headed West for Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
The captain, Paul Pierce, finishes with a double-double, 31 points and 13 rebounds. Ray Allen adds 20 points, Rajon Rondo has 14, and Nate Robinson comes off the bench for a surprising 13.
The C’s are moving on. Believe it.
Fourth quarter, 3:19, Celtics 92-76: Dwight Howard, Jameer Nelson and J.J. Redick are all giving the Magic timely buckets, trying to make a game of this yet. But it looks like too little, too late.
Rajon Rondo gets off the schneid with his first bucket since the first quarter. Every time the Magic look like they’re still alive, the Celtics answer back. They’re ready to put this thing out of reach.
Fourth quarter, 5:56, Celtics 88-71: You knew it would happen eventually: The “Beat L.A.” chants are underway at the TD Garden.
The fans in Boston are ready for the NBA Finals. With the collapse of the Bruins, the ups and downs of the Red Sox, and the scary week the Celtics have had since going up 3-0, the Hub needs this.
And now it’s only six minutes away.
Fourth quarter, 8:40, Celtics 85-65: This one’s turning into a defensive struggle. And with the Celtics up by 20 in the fourth quarter, they’ll take it.
Lots of settling for jumpers, lots of misses. Even a shot-clock violation for the Celtics. The offense isn’t flowing for either side right now.
The C’s have always said that they’re a defensive team. And that being the case, they’ll just have to ride their defense from here to the NBA Finals.
End of third quarter, Celtics 82-61: Doc Rivers has always said that Paul Pierce is at his best when he’s rebounding. How’s 11 for you then, Doc?
The Celtics’ captain is the only man on the floor with a double-double, 23 points and 11 boards. He’s carrying the Celtics in this second half.
The C’s are within 12 minutes of the NBA Finals. You can all climb down from that ledge, Boston fans — this choke’s not happening.
Third quarter, 3:08, Celtics 74-56: Not to panic or anything, but the Celtics haven’t made a field goal in the last three-plus minutes. The Magic have made three.
The C’s need to maintain their solid ball movement and keep taking smart shots. A double-digit lead is nice, but it can still vanish if they stop playing smart basketball.
You know Dwight Howard isn’t letting his season end without a fight.
Third quarter, 6:17, Celtics 68-49: The only two Orlando players to score so far in this second half are Dwight Howard and Jameer Nelson. Sure, the Magic need those two going strong to have a chance. But what about the rest of them?
Rashard Lewis has five points. J.J. Redick has two. Matt Barnes has just a single free throw.
If you want to come back from down 20, you’ve got to have a complete team effort. And right now, they’re not getting it.
The Celtics can almost taste the Finals.
Third quarter, 9:56, Celtics 63-44: Just when you think the Magic still have a little bit of life left in them, there goes Ray Allen with back-to-back 3-pointers to say otherwise.
Ray pushes the Boston lead from 13 back to 19 in the blink of an eye. The Celtics just have too many weapons to be stopped right now.
Already four C’s — Ray, Nate, Pierce and Rondo — are in double figures. There’s a whole lot of game left.
If the Magic can’t string together a whole bunch of stops, and soon, their season will be over.
Halftime, Celtics 55-42: Momentum? What momentum?
The Magic may have made some big steps forward by winning the last two games of this series, but they look completely lost at sea in this one.
Their two best players are in foul trouble, their shooters have gone cold, and they have absolutely no answer for Nate Robinson, of all people.
The Celtics are dominating. Nate has 13 points off the bench, starters Rajon Rondo and Paul Pierce have 12 each, and the C’s have taken a double-digit lead and kept it.
If the C’s can stay focused for 24 minutes more, the Finals aren’t far off.
Second quarter, 3:43, Celtics 51-32: The Celtics are on Easy Street. Doc Rivers have let Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen both take long breathers, and it hasn’t mattered one bit. They just keep cruising.
Nate Robinson — yes, Nate Robinson! — has 13 points. That’s a game high.
And not only that, but Nate singlehandedly draws the third personal foul from each of Jameer Nelson and Dwight Howard. Both have been relegated to the bench, presumably for the rest of the half. Without their two captains, it’s hard to see the Magic put a dent in this 19-point lead.
Second quarter, 7:13, Celtics 42-25: The collision, and subsequent tumble into the front row, of Kevin Garnett and J.J. Redick makes for an entertaining diversion. But as for the game at hand…
Keep this in mind. The Celtics have three reserves on the floor: one with a twisted ankle, one with back spasms, and one, Nate Robinson, that’s hardly played the past two months.
They may have a healthy lead in this game, but they can’t take anything for granted. More so than anyone in the NBA, the Magic are capable of erasing a first-half lead by hitting a bunch of shots in short succession.
Things look great for the Celtics right now, and the Finals aren’t far off. But it ain’t over ’til it’s over.
Second quarter, 9:42, Celtics 35-23: Now introducing: Nate Robinson, official X-factor of the Boston Celtics.
The Magic already weren’t feeling too hot with Rondo and Pierce running wild, staking the Celtics to a first-quarter lead. But with Nate jumping into the fracas in the second quarter and knocking down a 3, Orlando’s troubles only get worse.
Doc Rivers was talking before tonight’s game about Orlando having too many weapons. Maybe he should look in the mirror — his own guys are on fire.
End of first quarter, Celtics 30-19: I don’t know how many times we’ve seen Rajon Rondo tumble to the TD Garden floor in pain, pummeled by a guy twice his size. Lost count a long time ago. But every single time, he gets up and plays through the pain.
Rondo takes a hell of a hard foul from Jason Williams in the final minute of the first quarter, landing on his arm in pain, but what does he do? He gets up, he hits two free throws, and he gives his team an 11-point lead.
Rondo now has 12 points, three assists and two boards. Paul Pierce has eight points of his own. Together, those two guys are outscoring the entire Magic team.
First quarter, 3:03, Celtics 23-16: Rajon Rondo has been an absolute machine early.
Rondo has 10 points and two assists early. All the questions about his health can be thrown out the window — the kid is running, he’s gunning, and he’s dishing when he needs to.
We all knew the Celtics would need an extra dose of athleticism to halt the Orlando momentum and finish this series. Rondo’s brought a double-dose tonight.
He’s just got to keep it up, and the Celtics are golden.
First quarter, 6:01, Celtics 17-14: For the second game in a row, Kevin Garnett has picked up two early personal fouls. And for the second game in a row, he’s really not happy about it.
The Celtics will have to dip into their bench early in this one. Good thing they’ve got Glen Davis, cleared to play tonight after his concussion 48 hours ago in Orlando. Big Baby is already on the floor, and the C’s will need him.
First quarter, 9:25, Celtics 7-4: Surprise! Rajon Rondo has a jump shot.
The Celtics are out to an early lead in Game 6, thanks in no small part to five early points from their young point guard. First a driving layup, which is his bread and butter, then a wing 3-pointer, which is a little something new.
It used to be that Rondo was a horrendous outside shooter, and his only attempts were desperate ones at the tail end of the shot clock. Rondo still isn’t exactly Ray Allen from downtown, but you can tell he’s improving. It’s an interesting development, to be sure.
It’s also the reason the Celtics are out in front early.
8:25 p.m.: Time for tipoff at the TD Garden, and almost everyone on the Celtics’ roster is ready to take the floor and play.
Everyone, that is, except for Marquis Daniels, who is out for the foreseeable future with a concussion. Glen Davis, who suffered a milder concussion, is good to go, while Rasheed Wallace has fought through back spasms and is prepared to take the floor tonight.
A few other guys are banged up as well, but this time of year, they’ve got to fight through it.
“If they have a uniform on,” coach Doc Rivers said, “they’re gonna play.”
8 a.m.: The Celtics took a whole lot of punches on Wednesday night, but the Orlando Magic haven’t been able to knock them out yet.
We’ve seen two concussions, a shoulder stinger, a tweaked back, a twisted ankle and a few muscle spasms take their toll on the Celtics this week. Add it all up, throw in a spectacular shooting night for the host Magic, and you’ve got an embarrassing 113-92 loss in Game 5 for the Celtics.
So how will they respond?
We’ll be able to determine a lot in the first quarter. If the Celtics come out sluggish and unable to match Orlando’s intensity on Friday, this series might go longer still. But if they quell all doubts by starting strong on their home floor, the Celtics might be headed to the NBA Finals. We’ll have to wait and see.
