Celtics Live Blog: C’s Eliminate Cleveland Cavaliers, Advance to Eastern Conference Finals

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May 13, 2010


Celtics Live Blog: C's Eliminate Cleveland Cavaliers, Advance to Eastern Conference Finals
Final: Celtics 94, Cavaliers 85. 
It's over. The Celtics have done it.

The Celtics have done the unthinkable and knocked off the Cleveland Cavaliers, advancing to the Eastern Conference finals for the second time in two years. Come Sunday afternoon, they're headed to Orlando for Game 1.

Rajon Rondo finishes with a double-double, 21 points and 12 assists. Kevin Garnett has one of his own, 20 points and 10 rebounds.

For LeBron James in a Cleveland Cavaliers uniform, this could be the end of the road.

Fourth quarter, 1:36, Celtics 92-85: Kevin Garnett just fights his heart out for every single rebound. He's now got 10, and the Celtics have the ball and a timeout with 1:36 to play.

They're on the verge of finishing this thing.

We could be watching the final minute and a half that LeBron James ever plays in a Cleveland uniform.

Fourth quarter, 2:55, Celtics 91-83: The Cavaliers aren't done yet. LeBron James says so.

LBJ finds an open Anthony Parker on the wing for a 3, and the Cavaliers cut the Boston lead back to single digits, at eight.

The assist gives King James a total of 25 points, 18 rebounds and 10 assists in the game. If the Cavs don't come back in this thing, you're looking at the most disappointing triple-double in NBA history.

Fourth quarter, 4:21, Celtics 90-76: The Cavaliers are getting desperate and forcing bad shots. The Celtics look composed, collected and ready to close this series out.

It's going to take a miraculous push from LeBron James to make a game out of this. King James is just one assist shy of a triple-double, but his supporting cast has looked completely dead.

Fourth quarter, 5:50, Celtics 88-74: The Celtics have rattled off a 10-0 lead in the blink of an eye. They've pushed the Cavaliers to the brink of elimination.

Rajon Rondo continues to dominate this game by pushing the ball in transition, but it's more than just that. The old-timers are hitting their shots. Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, even Rasheed Wallace. Everyone's getting in on the act, and the Celtics have a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter.

The Celtics are less than six minutes away from doing the unthinkable and eliminating the Cavaliers.

Fourth quarter, 8:03, Celtics 83-74: The Celtics are making another push to win this thing. A Rondo transition bucket, followed by a Cavs turnover and a Pierce 3, pushes the lead back to nine for Boston.

Doc Rivers just has to stress the same thing he's stressed all season: Playing hard, playing smart and playing together. The Celtics need to keep their composure and finish this win off.

LeBron is playing for his season, for his reputation and for his legacy. He's not going to give up easily — the Celtics will have to earn this.

Fourth quarter, 9:34, Celtics 78-74: Lots of hard "playoff fouls" early in this fourth quarter. The Cavs don't want to die quietly, and the Celtics don't want to give up any ground.

Also lots of clutch shots for LeBron James. The King has hit back to back 3s to keep his team in the game, erasing a 10-point Celtic lead in a hurry. It's back to four, and the Celtics will have to fight for this thing after all.

End of third quarter, Celtics 76-67: It's raining 3s in Boston. The Cavaliers are in big trouble.

Paul Pierce knocks down one trey; Rasheed Wallace hits one next, and then Pierce nails another. The Celtics open a lead as big as 12 points toward the end of the quarter, and they appear firmly in control now with 12 minutes to play.

The one problem for the Celtics down the stretch could be foul trouble. Pierce, Perkins and Wallace have four each. Something to watch for.

Third quarter, 3:31, Celtics 67-58: It's been a slow night — and a slow series, for that matter — for Paul Pierce. But he's starting to turn it on now.

The captain first hits two free throws; then he gets an open look from the top of the key and drains a 3. A minute ago, he had just two points tonight; now he's got seven.

KG adds a jumper. This game was tied a second ago, it seems. While you blinked, the Celtics were rattling off a 10-1 run.

If they can keep piling it on, summer vacation is on the horizon for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Third quarter, 6:29, Celtics 58-57: This game has slowed down considerably. It's also turned a little bit ugly.

You've got Mo Williams crashing into Rajon Rondo. You've got Shaquille O'Neal and Kendrick Perkins exchanging hard fouls and taking double technicals. You've got a drag-down, grind-out physical third quarter in which no one's scoring anything on anyone.

The Celtics have a lead, ever so slightly. If they stay tough, they can hold onto it.

Third quarter, 9:06, 55-55: Kevin Garnett is going to have to stay aggressive offensively for the Celtics to win this game.

Tonight, the formula's been simple: When KG gets inside and scores, the Celtics control the game. When he's passive, the Cavs strike back.

The Big Ticket is 7-of-9 in this game for 14 points. That's a good start, but the Celtics will need even more out of him to pull this one out.

Halftime, Celtics 51-49: It says a lot about the Celtics that they can maintain a two-point halftime lead despite a massive 20-point half from Mo Williams.

The Celtics expected LeBron to come out ready to take over in this critical Game 6 — but instead, they got Mo.

The Cavs' point guard is an impressive 7-of-10 from the field and 5-of-5 from the free-throw line.

The opposing point guard, Boston's Rajon Rondo, has 12 points and seven assists. He's a big reason that the Celtics remain out in front, ever so slightly.

Second quarter, 2:48, Cavs 43-42: Mo Williams, from out of nowhere, as turned it on in this series, shooting 6-of-9 for 18 points in the first half of Game 6.

This is really the first time in the series that Rajon Rondo has had to focus intently on stopping Mo one-on-one. For a lot of this series, he's been roving defensively and gambling for steals and long defensive rebounds. But when Mo is feeling it, you've got to work hard against him and contest every shot. This changes the game dramatically. 

Second quarter, 6:31, Celtics 39-33: It's a game of runs, we all know that. These two teams are making it clear.

The Cavs answer Boston's 8-0 run with an 8-0 streak of their own, getting back to within two. But Rondo gets the Celtics running again, and they quickly go 6-2 to push the Boston lead back to six.

The ebb and flow of this game have been a thrill to watch. Boston's led for the entire game, but Cleveland has been within striking distance from wire to wire. Even if this is only a Game 6, both teams are fighting for their lives. 

Second quarter, 10:42, Celtics 33-23: The Celtics pound out a very quick 8-0 run early in the second quarter, forcing a timeout from a frustrated Mike Brown. The C's are in control now.

It's pretty clear why Brown is so unhappy — his Cavs are letting the Celtics capitalize on their mistakes, with Rajon Rondo getting going in transition. He's creating beautiful looks for the Allens, both Ray and Tony, and the Cavs just can't keep up.

Every Cleveland turnover or long rebound ends up in Rondo's hands, and it ends up as two points for the C's. The Boston point guard already has eight points, five assists, three steals and a rebound to show for it. 

End of first quarter, Celtics 25-22: The Cavaliers have their Big Two working, which tells you they'll have a chance in this one.

LeBron finishes the first quarter with nine points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals. Mo Williams is 4-of-7 from the floor for a game-high 10 points. Finally, LeBron's got a second banana in this series — if he and Mo can both sustain their strong play, the Celtics are going to have their hands full. 

First quarter, 3:09, Celtics 20-15: Kevin Garnett still knows how to rise to the occasion, giving a big performance in a big game. He's got eight points and four boards early.

Both teams appear to have a no-layup rule. Everyone's a jump shooter tonight, from KG to LeBron and everyone in between. And for KG, it's working. The Big Ticket is 4-for-4 from the field.

LeBron is doing everything he can to make sure this isn't his final game of the season. But he's trying to do too much, and he's shooting 2-for-7.

First quarter, 6:21, Celtics 16-9: The Celtics have the momentum to start the game, no doubt about that. And once again, it's starting with Rajon Rondo.

Four points and three assists for the little man early. The C's are eating the Cleveland defense alive — 8-of-12 shooting early, and it's not just lucky bounces. It's because they're getting wide-open looks.

Forget LeBron's last game — this could be Mike Brown's last game manning the Cleveland sidelines if he can't get his guys to focus defensively in a game of this magnitude. 

First quarter, 9:16, Celtics 8-4: You can tell the Celtics are going into this one with a close-out mindset. Their fans are too.

In front of a rocking TD Garden crowd, Kevin Garnett has knocked down his first two jump shots, and he's killing himself for every rebound and every defensive stop.

This is an intense game from the very start, a fast-paced yet physical contest on both sides. KG and LeBron are both fired up — which leader can lead his team to the win? 

7:15 p.m.: Forty-five minutes to game time, and both teams are relaxed and ready.

The Celtics are calm and collected in their locker room, intently focused on what they've collectively deemed a do-or-die Game 6.

The Cavs, despite being down 3-2, and loose and enjoying the moment. They don't feel frustrated or desperate — the locker room atmosphere is cheerful and ready for basketball.

LeBron James is out on the floor taking jumpers, preparing himself for what could be his final game in a Cavaliers uniform. No doubt, the pressure is getting to him. Tonight, he'll have to do everything he can to play through it. 

8:55 a.m.: Few were picking the Celtics at the start of this series to knock off the mighty Cleveland Cavaliers. That bandwagon is overflowing now.

The Celtics now have a 3-2 series lead over LeBron James and the Cavs, and they need just one more win to finish the deal and move on to the Eastern Conference finals.

They've done it with teamwork on both ends of the floor. They've done it with intelligence, poise and heart. They'll look to do it one more time.

The C's are home at the TD Garden with a chance to close things out. If they lose, they're headed back to Cleveland for a seventh game; but if they win, they're headed to Orlando to vie for a trip to the NBA Finals.

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