Little Nate Robinson may only stand 5 foot 7 inches, but he saved the city of Boston from a humiliating loss.
Nate Robinson scored 13 points in 8 minutes of the first half as the Boston Celtics eliminated the Orlando Magic in the pivotal game six of the Eastern Conference Finals. The former New York Knickerbocker energized the aging Celtics off the bench, scoring in bunches. The veterans, most notably Paul Pierce, followed suit and bombed the Orlando Magic who failed on their attempt to become the only team in NBA history to win a 7-game series after going down 3-0.
Instant offense is exactly what is expected of Nate Robinson. Like Jamal Crawford in Atlanta or Vinny Johnson of the Pistons years back, Nate is there to do one thing: score. Tonight, on the biggest stage of his career, Nate delivered. The Celtics had all the pressure on them going into Game 6. A comfortable 3-0 series lead had been swept away by aggressive play from the Magic. Dwight Howard looked like a new man and the Celtics were having trouble containing the spritely Jameer Nelson. A loss tonight and all the momentum would be with Orlando, and the deciding game would be on their court.
The Celtics took no chances and came out aggressive. Early foul trouble on Jameer and Dwight, horrific three point shooting, and a renewed commitment to defense by the Celtics gave the Magic very little hope of winning this game. Credit the Celtics for regrouping and delivering a championship-caliber performance, even though Rondo still hasn’t found his groove since Game 3.
No team in the history of the NBA has ever lost a 7-game series when leading 3-0. But the pressure is on the Boston Celtics to win tonight at home, or risk failing in historic fashion.
Blown out by the Orlando Magic in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Wednesday, the Boston Celtics return to Beantown and try to regroup. What was once a laughable series dominated by Boston, Wednesday’s impressive victory by the Orlando Magic has made this series a near coin flip. Vince Carter and Rashard Lewis have yet to earn 10% of their bloated salaries, but the performances of All-Star Dwight Howard and the resurgent Jameer Nelson are driving the Magic back into the form they enjoyed during the regular season.
Dwight Howard was a man among boys in Game 5: hammer dunking, fly-swatting shots, running the break and even hitting a few free throws. Boston lost its best big man, Kendrick Perkins, after two dubious technical fouls in the 2nd quarter. His backup, Big Baby Glen Davis, was leveled by an errant Howard elbow, dropping him like a stone. As Davis stumbled and faltered about the court, suffering the effects of a concussion, he was a the perfect image of the Celtics last two games: unbalanced and unable to execute the most basic of plays.
The good news, if there is any, from yesterday is the Kendrick Perkins had a technical rescinded, so he will be able to match up against Dwight. The key for the Celtics is Rondo. His tentative play has taken them from world beaters to rec center backups. He must improve and energize the Boston crowd. The pressure is squarely on the Celtics tonight in Game 6. Lose and they must travel back to Orlando, where despite losing twice in this series, the Magic are normally very difficult to beat. Add to the Celtics woes that no team has ever lost a 7-game series after leading 3-0 and any Game 7 scenario may be too much.
The Atlanta Hawks dominated the LA Lakers thanks in part to major contribution from the bench. As the playoffs near, solid bench play is key for a long post-season run.
Joe Johnson led the Hawks in scoring with 25 points (including 5 three pointers) as the Atlanta Hawks dropped the Lakers 109-92 in Atlanta. JoJo has been the teams leading scorer all year long and will be counted on to hit some big shots in the playoffs. But on Wednesday night, it was the play of the Atlanta bench that secured an easy victory. Leading sixth man of the year candidate, Jamal Crawford finished the game with 14 points which is 3 points below his average. The real difference was the contribution of Maurice Evans (18 points) and Zaza Pachulia (10 points, 10 rebounds). If the Hawks get production beyond Crawford off the bench, they can be dangerous.
Despite 28 points from Kobe Bryant, the Lakers were never that close in the second half. The lose was only the fourth time the Lakers have dropped back-to-back games this season. With Boston losing to Oklahoma City, the Hawks moved into third place in the Eastern Conference. The victory over the Lakers continued a nine game win streak at home, though still a far cry from 20 games won at the Omni in the 1996-97 season.
Kevin Garnett hit a big shot at the buzzer to lift the Celtics over the Knicks 107-105 in OT on Sunday. A win is a win but the Celtics should not feel good about this one.
The Boston Celtics may have beaten the New York Knicks on the road on Sunday, but it took overtime and a heroic buzzer beater from Kevin Garnett to do it.
Great shot by KG. Another big time basket for the big fella. But you’ll excuse the Celtics if they are not celebrating the victory over the New York Knicks.
The much-anticipated debut pairing of LeBron & Shaq had fans in Cleveland thinking NBA Championship. But the veteran-laden Celtics team had other plans, winning the first contest between two of the Eastern powers 95-89.
The story in this game was one of balance, or lack thereof. The Cavaliers have 2 superstars — LeBron & Shaq — and then a bunch of decent players. I know, Mo Williams was an All-Star last year, but I would take Rajon Rondo over him any day of the week. Troubled wing player, Delonte West, is sorely missed for his on-ball defense and outside shooting. The new energy guy, Jamario Moon, has yet to takeoff, and Anthony Parker was more or less held in check. The Celtics, however, have quality at every position. The Big 3 might be the Big 4 with the addition of Rasheed Wallace…and I think Rondo deserves a ton of credit for driving this offense. If it weren’t for a dumb decision by Big Baby Davis, this team would be stacked.
LeBron James did little to quiet any talk of a second straight MVP, as his stat line looked like an all-you-can-eat buffet at Morrison’s cafeteria: 38 pts, 4 3s, 4 rebs, 8 asts, 2 stls, 4 blks. Shaq did his part but was not as effective in the low post as you would like. But it was Paul Pierce down the stretch that kept hitting big shot after big shot. He paced the Celtics with 23 pts & 11 rebs.
It may have only been the first game of the NBA season, but the Celtics getting a victory in Cleveland sent a clear message to the rest of the league: we are back!
Paul Pierce’s nickname is “The Truth”. But can you believe him when he says the Celtics are going to win the NBA title this year?
Here is what Paul Pierce had to say as reported by Yahoo! Sports:
“Before the season even started last year, I was asked, ‘What is going to stop y’all from winning it all?’ ” Pierce said in a phone interview on Thursday. “The first thing I said was, ‘If we’re healthy, we’re going to win it all.’ And I’m going to say it again: ‘If we are healthy, we are going to win it all.’
Looking at their roster top to bottom, it is hard to find any team in the NBA packed with this much talent. Despite losing a hugely undervalued piece in Leon Powe to the Cavs, the addition of Rasheed Wallace makes the Celtics a better team. Also, factor in the ascendancy of Rajon Rondo and the Big Baby Davis, coupled with the Big 3 All-Stars of Pierce, Garnett, and Allen, and you have to think they are the odds on favorites to win.
