The Celtics shot 55% from the floor last night and they outrebounded the Cavs 41-31. But, the Celtics dominated the second half in Cleveland last night outscoring them 70-44 as it seemed like the Cavs just waved a White Flag after they came out of the locker room in the 3rd quarter. Ray Allen led the way for the Celtics last night with 25 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists. Paul Pierce finally woke up and he finished up with 21 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 steals. Kevin Garnett also had a good game with 18 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 blocked shots. Rajon Rondo (16 points, 2 rebounds and 7 assists) and Glen Davis (15 points, 4 rebounds and 1 assist in 21 minutes) also pitched in for the Celtics last night. The Celtics now have the Cavaliers on the ropes as they are now up 3-2 in this series.

The Boston Celtics outrebounded the Cavs 47-33 yesterday but it wasn’t until they outscored the Cavs 23-15 in the 4th quarter that they finally put them away. Rajon Rondo was the star of the game for the Celtics yesterday as he finished up with 29 points, 18 rebounds, 13 assists and 2 steals. Kevin Garnett (18 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists) and Ray Allen (18 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist) each pitched in offensively to help the Celtics’ cause yesterday. Tony Allen was a sparkplug off the bench as he finished up with 15 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals and 1 blocked shot in only 26 minutes on the floor. The Celtics have tied up this series at 2 games apiece as they head to Cleveland for Game #5 tomorrow night.

The Celtics never had a chance tonight againts the Cavaliers. The Cavs outscored the Celtics in every quarter tonight including a disaster of a 1st quarter for the Celts in which they were outscored 36-17! The Celtics didn’t play ANY defense as the Cavs shot 59.5% from the floor and the Celts were outrebounded 45-30 which helps explain the scoreboard. Kevin Garnett led the way for the Celtics in this game with 19 points, 4 rebounds and 1 assist. Rajon Rondo had a pretty solid game for the Celts tonight with 18 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists. Paul Pierce had another poor game as he was only 4 of 15 shooting the ball as he finished up with 11 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists. Tony Allen (10 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists in 18 minutes) and Nate Robinson (11 points in 13 minutes) helped out in garbage time for the Celtics. The Celtics are now down 2-1 in this series.

The Celtics punched the Cavs in the nose last night as they dominated this game. The Celtics outrebounded the Cavs 41-32 and the Celtics shot 53.2% which were big reasons for the win last night. The Celtics outscored the Cavs 31-12 in the third quarter and they were leading this game 91-66 at one point. Ray Allen led the way for the Celtics last night with 22 points and 7 rebounds. Kevin Garnett was outstanding near the paint as he had 18 points, 10 rebounds and 2 assists. Rasheed Wallace pitched in with 17 points and 2 rebounds in only 18 minutes on the floor as he was incredible. Rajon Rondo kept the offense purring last night with 13 points, 4 rebounds, 19 assists and 2 steals. Paul Pierce (14 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists) and Kendrick Perkins (10 points, 9 rebounds and 2 assists) pitched in for the Celtics last night. The Celtics have now tied this series 1-1 as it heads to Boston for the weekend.

This was a game of two halves last night in Cleveland. In the first half the Celtics could do no wrong as they led the Cavs 54-43 at the break. But in the second half it appears that the Cavaliers made some adjustments as they throttled the Celtics 58-39 to pull away for the win. Rajon Rondo led the way for the Celtics in this game with 27 points, 6 rebounds and 12 assists. He did most of his damage in the first half as the Cavs kept fouling him hard in the second half of the game. Kevin Garnett had a huge game as he filled up the stat sheet with 19 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 3 blocked shots. Ray Allen didn’t help out much finishing with 14 points and 2 rebounds last night. Paul Pierce really had a off night against the Cavs as he only shot 5 of 17 from the floor and he finished up with 13 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals. The Celtics are down 1-0 in this series.

This could be a epic series as both of these teams have deep rosters and they don’t like each other. Remember it was Glen “Big Baby” Davis who slapped Shaquille O’Neal’s thumb which caused him to miss the last two months of the regular season. Here is a closer look at the matchups in this series:

POINT GUARD: Mo Williams is one of the best outside shooters the Cavs have on the roster but he might have a hard time getting open shots against Rajon Rondo who is a elite defender. Williams played in 5 games (all starts) against the Bulls in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 37.2 minutes, 15.6 points, 2.6 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game.

Rajon Rondo is the guy who makes the Celtics go both offensively and defensively. He will be right in Mo Williams’ face most of this series. Rondo played in 5 games (all starts) against the Heat in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 42.0 minutes, 14.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, 10.2 assists and 2.4 steals per game.

EDGE: CELTICS

SHOOTING GUARD: Anthony Parker was signed last summer to play defense for the Cavaliers and he did a pretty good job on Kirk Hinrich in the first round. Ray Allen is a different animal though as Parker will have to play him tight because of his shooting prowess. Parker played in 5 games (all starts) against the Bulls in the first round of the playoffs in which he averaged 26.4 minutes, 8.2 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game.

Ray Allen still can shoot the lights out as he hit 52.4% from the floor and 52.8% from the three point line against the Heat in the first round of the playoffs. The Cavaliers usually like to double the basketball but I don’t see them doing that in this series because of Allen’s shooting. Allen played in 5 games (all starts) against the Heat in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 35.4 minutes, 19.4 points, 2.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.0 steal per game.

EDGE: CELTICS

CENTER: Shaquille O’Neal might be getting old and he has problems with some of the better athletes at center like Joakim Noah. He won’t have that problem in this series as Kendrick Perkins is a bruiser just like him. O’Neal played in 5 games (all starts) against the Bulls in which he averaged 20.6 minutes, 9.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.4 blocked shots per game. Shaq can still dominate in short spurts for the Cavs.

Kendrick Perkins has really improved this season but going against the Cavs’ big men is quite a different animal than what the Heat sent out. That’s because the Cavaliers are really deep in the frontcourt. Perkins played in 5 games (all starts) for the Celtics against the Heat and he averaged 27.4 minutes, 5.8 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 2.2 blocked shots per game.

EDGE: CAVALIERS

POWER FORWARD: Antwan Jamison gave the Cavs a needed shot in the arm since coming over at the trade deadline from the Wizards. He gives the Cavs a second top scorer to go along with LeBron James. Jamison played in 5 games (all starts) against the Bulls in which he averaged 35.0 minutes, 19.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.2 blocked shots per game on 50.7% shooting from the floor. He might be giving up a little size against Kevin Garnett but he hustles more than him which will even things out a bit.

Kevin Garnett is a Hall of Fame player but he’s definitely starting to slow down on the basketball court. He did seem to find a second wind against the Heat and the Celtics hope he can keep up the good work. Garnett played in 4 games (all starts) against the Heat in the first round of the playoffs in which he averaged 35.5 minutes, 15.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.8 blocked shots on 57.8% shooting from the floor.

EDGE: EVEN

SMALL FORWARD: LeBron James is quite simply the best player on the Planet Earth right now. He was showing off against the overmatched Bulls as he shot 56.7% from the floor and 54.2% from three point range. If he keeps shooting like he is right now the Celtics are going to be in deep, deep trouble. James played in 5 games (all starts) against the Bulls in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged an amazing 31.8 points, 9.2 rebounds, 8.2 assists, 1.2 steals and 2.4 blocked shots per game!

Paul Pierce is the Celtics’ go to man whenever they need a big shot. But in this series he will have to deal with LeBron James who is a outstanding defensive player. Pierce will have to make James work on both ends of the floor in a attempt to get him tired. Pierce played in 5 games (all starts) against the Heat and he averaged 38.6 minutes, 19.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. He also shot 40.7% from three point range which is pretty darn solid.

EDGE: CAVALIERS

BENCH: The Cleveland Cavaliers have a very deep and talented bench. Look for ex-Celtic Delonte West to be inspired playing against his old team. He played in 5 games (0 starts) against the Bulls in which he averaged 8.0 points, 2.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.0 steal per game. The Cavs have awesome depth on the front line as Anderson Varejao, J.J. Hickson, Jamario Moon and Zydrunas Ilgauskas bring muscle in waves. And don’t forget sharpshooter Daniel Gibson who is the best pure shooter on the Cavs.

The Celtics have a talented bench but they don’t use them much. Glen “Big Baby” Davis will likely get the most P.T. of the bench bunch in this series. He played in 5 games (1 start) against the Heat in the first round of the playoffs in which he averaged 22.4 minutes, 8.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 1.2 steals per game. Rasheed Wallace will also likely be needed a lot in this series to help the Celtics combat the depth of the Cavs front line. Tony Allen will likely be the first guard off the bench as he deserves that honor based on seniority. Michael Finley, Nate Robinson, Marquis Daniels and Shelden Williams all could help the cause if needed by the Celtics.

EDGE: CAVALIERS

COACH: Mike Brown generally dominates the first two rounds of the playoffs but that is because the Cavs usually don’t play a team the quality of the Celtics. He has a bad habit of double teaming the basketball which leaves opponents witih open three point shots. Still, the Cavs do have a 40-25 (61.5%) record under Mike Brown in the post season.

Doc Rivers knows how to win the big game. He is a outstanding motivator and he will have the Celtics ready for this series. The Celtics have a record in the post season of 30-22 (57.7%) under Rivers.

EDGE: CELTICS

PREDICTION: With the Celtics getting old I think they will falter late in this series plus the Cavaliers look pretty hungry. I like the Cavaliers in six hard fought games in this series.