The Celtics got outrebounded 42-31 last night and they fell behind 84-64 in the first three quarters which were the two biggest reasons for the loss last night. Paul Pierce led the way for the Celtics last night with 24 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocked shots. Kevin Garnett finished up with 16 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals and 1 blocked shot. He needs to do better on the boards and defensively if the Celtics are going to win this series as Pau Gasol outplayed him. Rajon Rondo pitched in with 13 points, 6 rebounds and 8 assists last night. Ray Allen had 12 points in 27 minutes but that was all he contributed to this game. The Celtics are down 1-0 in this series.

This is a rematch of the 2007-08 NBA Finals won by the Celtics in six games. This time around the Lakers seem to be a little bit better than the 2008 version due to the arrival of Ron Artest who will have to deal with Paul Pierce who was MVP of the Finals in 2008. Here is a closer look at the matchups in this series:

POINT GUARD: Rajon Rondo is banged up right now but he won’t have to work as hard as usual on defense as Derek Fisher and Jordan Farmar are not big time offensive players. Rondo has started 17 games this post season and he has averaged 41.4 minutes, 16.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 10.0 assists and 2.1 steals per game. The Celtics need him to be healthy enough to play his usual game or they could be in for some trouble.

Derek Fisher will have his hands full in this series as Rondo is both faster and stronger than him. Fisher has started 16 games this post season and he is averaging 33.8 minutes, 11.1 points, 2.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Fisher makes some big time shots when the games get big so Rondo will have to stay on him tight.

EDGE: CELTICS

SHOOTING GUARD: Ray Allen might be playing his last series as a member of the Boston Celtics so he will be very motivated on both ends of the court and he will have to be as he will be dealing directly with Kobe Bryant. Allen has started 17 games for the Celtics this post season and he is averaging 38.2 minutes, 16.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.0 steal per game. He will have to keep Bryant busy at both ends of the court or the Celtics could be in some trouble in this series.

Kobe Bryant has been banged up all season long for the Lakers this year. But he is still playing at a very high level in the playoffs for the Lakers. Bryant has started 16 games for the Lakers this post season and he is averaging 39.6 minutes, 29.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 1.0 steal per game. The Lakers hope that Bryant has one more big series in him and their is no reason to think he won’t.

EDGE: LAKERS

SMALL FORWARD: The last time these two teams played in the NBA Finals Paul Pierce was the MVP but this time he will have to deal with Ron Artest. Pierce has started 17 games in the playoffs this year and he is averaging 38.3 minutes, 19.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.1 steals per game. The Celtics need Pierce to play well or they are not going to win this series.

Ron Artest was brought in specifically for a series like this one as he is still a good defensive player. But with Andrew Bynum ailing a bit they could use more offense out of him in this series. Artest has started 16 games in the playoffs this year and he is averaging 36.8 minutes, 11.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.6 steals per game.

EDGE: CELTICS

POWER FORWARD: Kevin Garnett has been playing dirty in the post season but he has been very effective. He will try to get into Pau Gasol’s head early and often in this series. Garnett has started 16 games in the playoffs this year and he is averaging 34.0 minutes, 14.9 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.0 steal per game. He no doubt will be throwing a lot of elbows in this series.

Pau Gasol is by far the second best player on the Lakers. He becomes even more important in this series due to Andrew Bynum being a tad gimpy. Gasol has started 16 games in the playoffs this year and he is averaging 38.8 minutes, 20.0 points, 10.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.9 blocked shots per game. Gasol is the better player at this point in his career but K.G. could also rise up to the challenge.

EDGE: LAKERS

CENTER: Kendrick Perkins provides a lot of muscle on the boards and he’s a solid defender. He has started 17 games for the Celtics this post season and he is averaging 25.5 minutes, 5.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 1.9 blocked shots per game. The Celtics will need him to bang away on a gimpy Andrew Bynum in this series.

Andrew Bynum’s knees are really bothering him but he’s going to try to fight through the pain and play. Bynum has started 16 games in the playoffs for the Lakers this year and he is averaging 24.2 minutes, 9.1 points, 7.7 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 1.7 blocked shots per game. Those type of numbers are not going to be good enough for the Lakers to win this series as Gasol and Bryant won’t be able to beat the Celtics alone.

EDGE: EVEN

BENCH: The Celtics will likely use their bench more than the Lakers in this series. Glen Davis and Rasheed Wallace will be the top interior backups for the Celtics and they are both very physical basketball players. Davis has played in 17 games (1 start) in the playoffs so far and he is averaging 19.9 minutes, 7.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game. Wallace has played in 17 games (0 starts) in the playoffs for the Celtics and he is averaging 15.6 minutes, 6.5 points, 2.3 rebounds, 0.2 assists per game. His best asset is getting into the heads of his opponents. Tony Allen is the top reserve in the backcourt for the Celtics. He has played in 17 games (0 starts) for the Celtics in the playoffs and he is averaging 16.9 minutes, 5.9 points, 2.0 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 1.1 steals per game. Nate Robinson and Michael Finley could also provide a spark offensively if they get into any games for the Celtics.

Lamar Odom is one of the best sixth men in all of basketball as he can play all over the front line. He has played in 16 games (0 starts) this post season for the Lakers and he is averaging 29.7 minutes, 10.6 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 blocked shots per game. He could have an even bigger role than usual if Andrew Bynum can’t make it through this series. Shannon Brown backs up Kobe and Artest and he’s good at it. Brown has played in 16 games (0 starts) for the Lakers in the playoffs and he is averaging 15.0 minutes, 5.8 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. Backup point guard Jordan Farmar is Derek Fisher’s caddy at the point. Farmar has played in 16 games (0 starts) for the Lakers this year and he is averaging 13.3 minutes, 5.3 points, 1.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. Luke Walton and Josh Powell could step in if needed but neither of them have been used much in the playoffs.

EDGE: EVEN

COACH: Doc Rivers always seems to say the right thing to his team to motivate it. He has a career record of 38-26 (59.4%) in the post season with the Celtics. He also outcoached Phil Jackson just two years ago in the NBA Finals.

Phil Jackson, the Zen Master, has been trying to get into the Celtics’ heads through the media. I think it will only rile them up a little bit and the Lakers didn’t need to do that. Jackson has led the Lakers to a 110-54 (67.1%) record in the post season.

EDGE: LAKERS

PREDICTION: The Celtics are going to rise to the challenge. Being on the road hasn’t stopped them against the Magic or the Cavs and it won’t against the Lakers either. I’m going with the Celtics in 7 games.

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.