The Celtics led this game 82-61 after three quarters and they outrebounded the Magic 45-35 which are the reasons why they won this game and are headed back to the NBA Finals. Paul Pierce was on fire as he finished up with 31 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals. Ray Allen pitched in with 20 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 steals in this game. Rajon Rondo was so-so with 14 points, 3 rebounds and 6 assists tonight. Nate Robinson was instant electricity off the bench in this game as he finished up with 13 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists in only 13 mintues off the bench. The Celtics put the Magic away 4-2 in this series to advance to the NBA Finals and maybe a classic matchup with the Lakers.

The Celtics didn’t play and D last night as the Magic shot 52.2% from the floor and they were outrebounded 42-26 which explains the scoreboard. Rasheed Wallace came to play for the Celtics last night as he finished up with 21 points, 2 rebounds, 1 steal and 2 blocked shots in only 18 minutes. Rajon Rondo pitched in with 19 points, 3 rebounds and 6 assists last night. Paul Pierce finished up with 18 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists. The Celtics are up 3-2 in this series with Game #6 coming up in Boston.

The Celtics couldn’t put the Magic away in Boston last night. Paul Pierce led the way for the Celtics last night stuffing the stat sheet with 32 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 1 blocked shot. Ray Allen also stuffed the stat sheet with 22 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals and 1 blocked shot last night. Kevin Garnett was tough around the basket as usual with 14 points and 12 rebounds in this game. The Celtics are still up 3-1 in this game as the series shifts to Orlando for Game #5.

The Celtics won this game with defense as they held the Magic to 36.9% shooting from the floor and they outrebounded them 43-36. The Celtics were leading this game 75-47 after three quarters before calling off the dogs. Glen Davis led the way for the Celtics in this game with 17 points and 6 rebounds in 27 minutes. Paul Pierce backed up his tough talk with 15 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. Ray Allen was solid but not spectacular as he finished up with 14 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. Rajon Rondo only shot 4 of 14 from the floor but he still finished up with 11 points, 3 rebounds, 12 assists and 4 steals. Rasheed Wallace (10 points in 17 minutes) and Kevin Garnett (10 points, 6 rebounds and 3 steals in only 24 minutes) also helped out the Celtics’ cause last night. The Celtics now hold a commanding 3-0 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Paul Pierce did not play his best in the first round against the Miami Heat, averaging only 19.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 3.2 assists while hitting 46% of his shots.  In round two against the Cleveland Cavaliers he was even worse, putting up only 13.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game, while shooting only 35% from the field.  Thanks to Rajon Rondo’s great overall play in the first two rounds, along with Ray Allen’s shooting, the Celtics were able to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals against an Orlando Magic team that had not even been challenged yet in the playoffs.  Pierce and the Celtics knew coming into this series that it would take more than Rondo filling up the stat sheet for the Celtics to knock off the defending Eastern Conference Champions.  The Celtics needed Pierce to step up his play in this series, and so far so good.  In the first two games (both Boston wins), Pierce is averaging 25.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and is hitting 58% of his shots on a very efficient 14-24 shooting.  He is also doing a good job of drawing fouls and getting to the free throw line, where he has hit 17-21 (81%) in the two games.  Pierce and the Celtics have a commanding 2-0 lead in the series, but that doesn’t mean they can let up.  Dwight Howard the rest of the Magic are hungry to get back to the NBA Finals, so Pierce and company need to continue to play like they have in the first two games and finish off the Magic in as few games as possible.

The Celtics played great defense last night holding the Magic to 39.4% shooting from the floor which was the biggest reason for the win. Paul Pierce had another outstanding game last night before fouling out as he finished up with 28 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Rajon Rondo was outstanding running the offense for the Celtics with 25 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists and 2 steals. Kevin Garnett filled up the stat sheet with 10 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocked shots despite only shooting 5 of 15 from the floor. Kendrick Perkins did his part before fouling out in only 15 minutes as he had 10 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocked shots. The Celtics are now up 2-0 in this series.

The Celtics took it to the Magic on Sunday in the opener of this series. They led by 17 at one point in the 4th quarter but they had to hold on for dear life in the 4th quarter to put the Magic away for good. Ray Allen led the way for the Celtics in this game with 25 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists. Paul Pierce stuffed the stat sheet with 22 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 1 blocked shot. Rasheed Wallace pitched in with 13 points, 2 rebounds and 1 blocked shot in 20 minutes off the bench. The Celtics are looking good as they are up 1-0 on the Magic.

This is not the matchup most “experts” including myself thought would happen. Most of us had the Magic playing the Cavs but the Celtics deserve to be here as they proved to be a better team than Cleveland. This is actually a very even matched series and don’t forget that the Celtics won two games on the road to beat the Cavs which means they aren’t too worried about the Magic having home court advantage. Here is a close look at the matchups in this series:

POINT GUARD: Rajon Rondo has stepped up his game as he has been the best player on the court for the Celtics this post season. That’s really saying something seeing how he’s playing with three future Hall of Famers. Rondo has played in 11 games (all starts) this post season and he is averaging 41.9 minutes, 18.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, 11.1 assists and 2.1 steals per game. He excels on both ends of the basketball court and I don’t think that will change in this series.

Jameer Nelson has been the guy that has made the Magic go this post season but he hasn’t played against a guy like Rondo who will be in his face this whole series. Nelson is a shoot first point guard. He has played in 8 games (all starts) this post season and he is averaging 33.4 minutes, 20.5 points, 2.6 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.6 steals per game.

EDGE: CELTICS

SHOOTING GUARD: This should be a exciting matchup at both Ray Allen and Vince Carter are offensive players first. Ray Allen is a sharp shooter so the Celtics hope they will be able to get him some open looks in this series. Allen has played in 11 games (all starts) for the Celtics this post season and he is averaging 37.1 minutes, 17.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.0 steal per game. The Celtics need him to average at least 15 points per game in this series if they are going to win it.

Vince Carter will have to step up his game in this series because I have a problem in believing that Jameer Nelson is going to do well against Rondo. Carter has played in 8 games (all starts) in the post season so far and he is averaging 35.3 minutes, 16.9 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. Carter is not known for playing his best in the playoffs but the Magic can’t afford to have him lay an egg in this series.

EDGE: EVEN

CENTER: Kendrick Perkins does the dirty work for the Celtics and he is going to be a big key to this series. Perkins is a tough guy who will try to battle Dwight Howard inside in this series. Perkins has started all 11 games this post season and he is averaging 26.7 minutes, 6.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 2.3 blocked shots per game.

Dwight Howard is without a doubt the best player on the court in this series. But he will need to stay out of foul trouble and that could be hard as he will have to help guard Kevin Garnett inside as there is no way Rashard Lewis will be able to stop him. Howard has started 8 games this post season for the Magic and he is averaging 31.9 minutes, 15.4 points, 11.3 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game.

EDGE: MAGIC

POWER FORWARD: Kevin Garnett is too tall for Rashard Lewis to defend. This puts the Magic in a bind as Garnett has been playing very well in the playoffs. If the Magic try to guard K.G. with Howard then the Celtics would have a huge advantage inside with Perkins over Lewis. Garnett has played in 10 games (all starts) this post season and he is averaging 34.8 minutes, 17.6 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.0 steal per game.

Rashard Lewis is a pretty soft power forward as he likes to shoot a lot from the outside. This will force Kevin Garnett away from the basket making things easier on D for Dwight Howard. Lewis has played in 8 games (all starts) for the Magic in the post season and he is averaging 36.9 minutes, 16.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. They need Lewis to be on his game offensively if the Magic hope to win this series.

EDGE: CELTICS

SMALL FORWARD: Paul Pierce has had a rough go in the post season so far as he is only shooting 39.6% from the floor. But he won’t have LeBron James in his face in this series so he should do much better against the Magic. Pierce has played in 11 games (all starts) during the playoffs and he is averaging 36.5 minutes, 16.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. I look for Pierce to put up better numbers than that in this series.

Matt Barnes is allegedly a defensive stopper so we will see if he lives up to that reputation in this series. Barnes has played in 8 games (all starts) for the Magic in the playoffs in which he is averaging 24.8 minutes, 7.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.0 steal per game. The Magic are going to need Barnes to get a little more involved offensively in an attempt to slow down Paul Pierce by making him work on defense.

EDGE: CELTICS

BENCH: The Celtics won’t likely go too deep on the bench in this series. Tony Allen was the main man off the bench against the Cavs for the Celtics and he will likely be really active in this series. Allen has played in 11 games (0 starts) in the playoffs and he is averaging 18.5 minutes, 7.5 points, 2.4 rebounds, 0.7 assists and 1.5 steals per game. Glen “Big Baby” Davis has also been pretty solid for the Celtics in the playoffs. Davis has played in 11 games (1 start) for the Celtics during the post season in which he is averaging 18.6 minutes, 7.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game. Rasheed Wallace hasn’t done much in the playoffs yet but he knows how to win the big game and he could make a couple of big plays in this series. Wallace has played in 11 games (0 starts) in the playoffs in which he is averaging 15.3 minutes, 5.1 points, 2.2 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game. Michael Finley has played in every game in the post season (11) for the Celtics but he isn’t getting much P.T. averaging 6.5 minutes, 1.4 points, 0.7 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game.

The Magic will likely use their bench more than the Celtics in this series. SG/SF Mickael Pietrus has been hot all through the playoffs for the Magic so far. He has played in 8 games (0 starts) for the Magic in the playoffs and he is averaging 22.1 minutes, 10.3 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game. C/PF Marcin Gortat could be a huge factor in this series based on the sheer size of the Celtics’ front line as he might team with Dwight Howard on the front line more than usual. Gortat has played in 8 games (0 starts) for the Magic during the playoffs and he is averaging 16.4 minutes, 3.9 points, 4.5 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game. J.J. Redick and Jason Williams will likely share the minutes behind Jameer Nelson and Vince Carter. Redick has played in 8 games (0 starts) in which he is averaging 14.0 minutes, 4.8 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.1 assists in the playoffs. Williams has played in 8 games (0 starts) for the Magic in the playoffs and he is averaging 14.1 minutes, 1.8 points, 0.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. Ryan Anderson will provide some relief at small forward in this series. He has played in 8 games (0 starts) in which he is averaging 9.8 minutes, 2.9 points, 3.6 rebounds and 0.4 assists in the playoffs so far.

EDGE: EVEN

COACHING: Doc Rivers easily outcoached Mike Brown of the Cavs but that’s not saying much. Matching X’s and O’s with Stan Van Gundy is a completely different animal. Still, Rivers is battle tested in the playoffs as the Celtics are 34-24 (58.6%) under him and he has a NBA Championship Ring on his finger as a coach in Boston. He will have his team ready to play.

Stan Van Gundy is a solid basketball coach. Even though some of the players whine about him, Van Gundy always has them ready to play. The Magic are 26-16 (61.9%) under Van Gundy in his career with them.

EDGE: EVEN

PREDICTION: As I looked at the matchups in this series I have come to the conclusion that the Celtics will win this series in 7 games. They just have more good basketball players than the Magic do and that will be a huge factor in this series.

The Celtics turned up the D in this game as they held the Cavs to 38.4% shooting from the floor and it was a big reason for this win tonight. Kevin Garnett was outstanding as he led the way for the Celtics in this game with 22 points, 12 rebounds and 3 assists. Rajon Rondo was electric at both ends of the court again tonight with 21 points, 3 rebounds, 12 assists and 5 steals. Paul Pierce only shot 4 of 13 from the floor finishing with 13 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists but he hit a couple of big shots in the 4th quarter. Rasheed Wallace pitched in with 13 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 blocked shot in only 23 minutes on the floor. Tony Allen also was solid off the bench with 10 points, 2 rebounds and 3 steals in 26 minutes off the bench. The Celtics win this series 4-2 and they will travel to Orlando to play the Magic starting on Sunday.

In Rajon Rondo’s short career with the Boston Celtics so far, he seems to always step up when it matters most.  Rondo, who has to be considered one of the top point guards in the game, brings out his best game every postseason.  He was a key reason the Celtics won the 2008 NBA Championship, although the “Big 3″ get most of the credit.  Remember, however, that many doubted the Celtics could win a title with the then inexperienced Rondo running the point.  He shut his critics up then, and he has continued to do so since.  He already puts up some great numbers in the regular season, but in each of the last three year’s Rondo has significantly improved his numbers in the playoffs.  This year he is having a monster postseason, averaging 17.7 points, 11.0 assists, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.8 steals.  He is shooting 48% from the field and has added the three-pointer to his arsenal by hitting 43% (6/14) behind the arc.  During the regular season Rondo only averaged 13.7 points, 9.8 assists, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.3 steals.  Rondo’s 29 points, 18 rebounds, 13 assists, ans 2 steals in game four against the Cavaliers was one of the best postseason performances by a point guard ever.  It helped the Celtics tie the series 2-2 and it gave them the momentum leading into their game five blowout win over the Cavs on Tuesday night.  Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen may still be the “Big 3″, but if the Celtics make it back to the NBA Finals this season Rondo deserves most of the credit.