Boston advances to the NBA Finals for the second time in the last three seasons

Led by the electric point guard play of Nate Robinson–yes, Nate Robinson–Boston silenced the doubters after game 4 and 5 losses, closing out the series 96-84 on their home court in Game 6.

Robinson has been used sparingly in the playoffs, averaging just 5 minutes per game, but when Rondo was shaken up at the end of the first quarter, Nate Robinson started the second quarter.

And what a quarter it was.

Robinson forced Jameer Nelson out of his game with chest-to-chest pressure defense and sparked the offense with 13 second quarter points. Robinson opened the quarter with a three-pointer at 9:49, then followed with another three with 8:21 remaining. The Celtics stretched the lead to 21 points during the second quarter, before a late surge by Vince Carter (13 second quarter points) cut the halftime lead to 13, 55-42.

After losses in Games 4 and 5, the Boston Celtics heard all the comparisons to the Boston Bruins–who lost a 3-0 playoff lead to the Philadelphia Flyers. But the Celtics proved–once and for all- that they are NOT the Bruins.

Boston opened the game shooting very well, but for the first six minutes, their defense was lacking. Howard had three dunks in the first five minutes of play and the Orlando Magic took advantage of open driving lanes.

In the last six minutes of the first quarter, however, Boston locked in defensively, allowing just five Magic points, extending the lead from 17-14 to 30-19. Rondo led Boston with 12 first quarter points, before being hurt with 32.7 seconds left in the quarter. Rondo was injured on one of his many forays into the lane, when he made contact in the air with Dwight Howard, and fell hard on his hip and back.

As Rondo lay on his back, The Garden chanted “Rondo! Rondo!” but it was Nasty Nate Robinson–not Rondo– who answered the call.

To start the second half, Ray Allen hit back-to-back three-pointers , followed closely by a Paul Pierce three–stretching the lead to 22 points– and the rout was on. Ray Allen nailed three three-pointers and scored 20 points. Celtic captain Paul Pierce hit timely shots all night, finishing with 31 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 assists.

The second half was a glorified victory lap for the Boston Celtics, who were heartily cheered on by the faithful fans of the TD Garden. Late in the fourth quarter, as the win became inevitable, “Beat LA” chants echoed throughout the Garden.

Though the game was in hand for Boston, credit to Dwight Howard for playing all-out until the final horn sounded. While the rest of the Magic appeared defeated sometime in the middle of the third quarter, Howard continued to play with passion and energy. Howard finished the game with 28 points and 12 rebounds.

Now, the Boston Celtics await their next and final challenge, either the Los Angeles Lakers, or the Phoenix Suns, whomever emerges from the Western Conference Finals. Most Celtics fans would welcome a rematch of the 2008 Celtics-Lakers Finals, but it’s hard to root against Phoenix Suns fan favorite, Steve Nash.

Boston split the season series with Los Angeles, 1-1. Boston lost both games they played against the Phoenix Suns this season.

After Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Boston was in control and most every analyst and sportwriter expected a sweep. Then, Orlando won Game 4 in overtime and routed Boston 113-92 in Game 5 at Amway Arena.

Now, those same writers who proclaimed Orlando’s season dead and halfway buried are writing about the resurrection of the Magic. Some Orlando Sentinel writers–George Diaz and Mike Bianchi– have gone so far as to predict the greatest comeback in NBA playoff history and  a Finals berth for Orlando.

George Diaz wrote:

This time, the accountants have added up all the misery of NBA teams trying to crawl out of an 0-3 hole in a 7-game series, and they say the Orlando Magic have no prayer. The other 93 teams that came before them all failed.

But as coach Stan Van Gundy keeps reminding everyone, somebody has to be first.

It will be his team.

It will be his team because the Celtics are suddenly old, beaten and battered. Even though Kendrick Perkins will play tonight after having one of his technical fouls rescinded, he is no longer the smooth veteran frustrating big man Dwight Howard.

I don’t have a promise with optimism for the home team, but declaring the Celtics “suddenly old” after just two losses and one poor game (Game 5)? Diaz certainly wasn’t calling the Celtics “old” after they took a 3-0 series lead. It’s funny, when the Celtics are winning they are called a “veteran team” but when they start losing they are “suddenly old.” What hypocrisy.

But at least Diaz didn’t go so far as to stupidly compare the Boston Celtics to the Boston Bruins, who collapsed with a 3-0 series lead against the Philadelphia Flyers.

His colleague Mike Bianchi, however, thought the comparison was a good one:

Teams can absolutely feed on the synergy and psyche of another team in town. Especially when that other team — the Bruins in this case — own and play in the same arena you play in.
The seats in Boston’s TD Garden are painted Bruins gold and black, not Celtics green and white. The ushers and concessionaires in the arena are employed by the Bruins. And up in the rafters, the Bruins banners hang side by side with the Celtics banners.

I’m sorry Bianchi–and all the other idiots comparing the Celtics to the Bruins– but one sport has NOTHING to do with the other.

The Boston Bruins were an overachieving team who rode a hot goalie and good team play as far as the wave would take them. The Boston Celtics are former champions who almost beat Orlando Magic last year without Kevin Garnett–and if you happened to forget–still hold a 3-2 series lead with Game 6 being played in the TD Garden in BOSTON.

So for everyone out there, relax with the hyperbole and disaster warnings about the Boston Celtics. Home court advantage tonight is a big edge. The Celtics are still in the driver’s seat.

Boston took another small step toward disaster with a bizarre 113-92 loss that featured five technical fouls, two concussions, and Rasheed Wallace as the Celtics’ leading scorer.

Here’s how it happened:

The first quarter was one Dr. James Naismith would be proud of;  the ball was moving, the players’ energy was palpable, and if you closed your eyes, you could hear the squeaking of shoes–the sound of basketball played the right way.

Ray Allen opened up the game’s scoring with a three-pointer, which would soon be followed by three more threes–one from Paul Pierce and one each from Jameer Nelson and Rashard Lewis. Lewis who has battled the flu, finally produced, scoring 14 points and grabbing 7 rebounds in just 24 minutes.

The Orlando Magic felt right at home in Amway Arena–sinking nine first half threes and  shooting 13–25 on threes for the game. Meanwhile, Clarke Kent (Dwight Howard) had two thunder dunks in the first quarter, then immediately emerged from the phone booth as Superman.

In the second quarter, Orlando continued to play with high intensity and execute well, while Boston looked tired, old, and sluggish. Boston continuously walked the ball up the court into stagnant offensive sets, but, on the other end, Orlando was pushing the pace, moving with and without the ball and attacking gaps in the Celtics defense. Howard, who had 5 blocks in the first half, made sure any gaps in the Magic defense were quickly clogged by his incredibly long arms.

Halfway through the second quarter a three-point barrage–led by two J.J. Redick threes–extended the Magic lead to double-digits. Despite playing poorly on both ends, Boston somehow found a way to keep the game close until halftime, when the score was 57-49, Magic.

But it was the last two minutes of the half, not the three-point barrage, that had the biggest impact on the outcome of the game.

With 2:15 left in the half, Kendrick Perkins and Marcin Gortat were called for offsetting technical fouls. Perkins was trying to help Paul Pierce off the floor after a hard foul, when his hand slipped off Pierce’s and his elbow inadvertently bumped into Gortat. Gortat, thinking Perkins had just elbowed him, quickly poked the ball out of hands before the referees stunned everyone–fans, players, announcers– by calling double-technicals.

Then, with just 36.1 seconds left in the first half, Perkins received his second technical foul, earning him an early trip to the locker room. Perkins’ second technical foul came after he was called for a bogus reach-in foul on Dwight Howard. Perkins looked incredulously at the referee before turning his back and venting his frustrations to no one in particular.

Unfortunately, the ref kept a close eye on Perkins and when he jumped up animatedly, he was whistled for his second technical. With the two technical fouls, Perkins now has seven for the post-season, which will earn him a one-game suspension if the technicals are upheld. Each technical or flagrant foul is reviewed by the league office, and it seems likely that one–if not both– of Perkins’ technical fouls will be rescinded.

In spite of Perkins’ ejection, Boston played Orlando to a stand-still in the third quarter behind the strong play of reserves Rasheed Wallace and Glen Davis. Wallace finished the game with 21 points, while Davis finished it with a concussion and a missing tooth. Davis and Wallace manned the defensive interior, while guard Rajon Rondo handled the offense, scoring 10 third-quarter points.

At the end of the third-quarter, however, as little-used backup Nate Robinson blocked Howard’s shot, Davis took an elbow to the face from Howard and suffered a concussion. Davis was down on the ground for a few seconds, then tried to rise to his feet. Davis’ legs wobbled like a dizzy drunk and he caromed off balance before being held up first by referee Joe Crawford and then–when that became too much for Crawford– by Wallace.

Without either Davis or Perkins–the two primary Dwight Howard defenders–Boston quietly fell apart in the fourth quarter. A desperation  small-ball lineup of Rondo, Robinson, Wallace, Pierce, and Ray Allen did nothing to change Boston’s fortune as the game turned sour with about 9 minutes left in the fourth.

Reserve forward Marquis Daniels also received a concussion when he drove into a double-team, and bumped his head into the oncoming chest of Gortat.

Rajon Rondo finished with 19 points and 6 assists, but was not probing the defense in his typical, breathtaking fashion. Paul Pierce finished with 18 points, 16 of them coming in the first half.

Jameer Nelson led Orlando with 24 points, followed by Howard, who finished with 21 points, 10 rebounds and 5 blocks. J.J. Redick had another productive game with 14 points off the bench, and two key three-pointers in the second quarter surge.

Orlando out-rebounded Boston 43 to 26, including  10 offensive rebounds.

Boston now leads Orlando just 3-2, with Game 6 coming up Friday on ESPN at 8:30 ET.

Rashard Lewis said he wouldn’t play tonight’s game if it was regular season game, according to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. Lewis has been battling a stomach virus all series long and will likely receive IV fluids before Game 5.

Robbins writes:

But the illness also has taken a toll. Lewis revealed today that he missed the Magic’s shootaround prior to Game 2 because he had to go to a doctor and receive an IV. He also acknowledged that the virus affected him in Game 3.

Lewis said, “I feel like my body shut down on me in Game 3 out there in Boston and [was] a little bit better in Game 4 just because of the fact that I was able to get some IVs right before the game.”

When asked if he would’ve played in the regular season with the illness, Lewis responded, “In the regular season, I probably would’ve sat out. But not to make no excuses, it is the playoffs, and you’ve got to just go out there and give it 100 percent. It’s the playoffs, so I’ve got to get out there and drag myself out there at some point.”

Lewis’ illness seems plausible considering how poorly he has played in the series. At the same time, Lewis seems to be using the flu as an excuse for his poor play. Lewis is a former All-Star who is currently under contract for $126 million. At this stage of the playoffs, almost everybody is banged up. Michael Jordan certainly never used the flu as an excuse. In the playoffs, players just have to suck it up and continue to play as hard they can, for as long as they can.

After playing through muscle spasm in Monday night’s overtime loss to the Orlando Magic, Rajon Rondo assured everybody he’d be ready to play his best tonight.

According to Chris Forsberg of ESPN Boston, Rondo told reporters after practice:

“I’m feeling better, I’m fine,” Rondo said at the Celtics’ shootaround Wednesday morning at Amway Arena. “Nothing to worry about, I’ll be playing.”

Good news for Celtics town. The Boston Celtics will need Rajon Rondo at 100% if they want to slow down the pick-and-roll offense the Magic used so effectively in Game 4. Rondo left for the locker room with 1:16 left in the first half to treat his muscle spasms, and did not play well in the second half, finishing the game with just 9 points and 8 assists.

The Phoenix Suns bench, led by Slovenian point guard Goran Dragic, secured a Game 4 victory for the Suns, evening the series at 2-2. The Suns bench combined to score 54 points, culminating with this spin move on–who else–Derek Fisher by Dragic, who scored the lay-up to give the Suns their biggest lead of the night, 103-90, with four minutes left in the game. Phoenix won 115-106.