Celtics team play too much for Heat to handleThe Boston Celtics and Miami Heat have played each other three times already this season. The margain in these games has been 7 points or less every time these teams are very evenly matched. The Celtics won the first two battles and the Heat won the most recent battle right before the All-Star break. The key difference in all the games is how well the teams play as one unit. The first two games the Celtics played as a team and had many contributors but still had key performances from many individuals. The Third time it was the Heat led by LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh who outperformed Boston's Big Three. This time it would be the Celtics team who outperformed Miami. Led by Ray Allen's 26 points and 9 rebounds the Celtics were too hot for the Heat. They shot 50 percent from the field and this was thanks to smooth offense that was run by Rajon Rondo. But it wasn't just that the Celtics defense was good on the night even though the Heat scored 103 points. The Heat had to work hard for every basket nothing came easy. The Celtics had good performances from Paul Pierce 19 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, Kevin Garnett 14 points and 6 boards and Rajon Rondo 14 points, 10 boards and 5 steals. Jeff Green contributed off the bench with 13 points as did Glen Davis who put in 9 points and pulled down 5 rebounds. Coach Doc Rivers was happy with the teams efforts "I thought we played great every time the Heat challenged us we went right back at them. Any time we get contributions from lots of players we are very hard to beat. I thought our teamwork was excellent on both ends of the floor." Jeff Green also liked the teams efforts "It showed that our team is deep and we have a number of players who can step up and make plays." The Heat didn't have much chance of winning when Dwyane Wade went 5-16 from the field to finish with 13 points and 7 assists. LeBron James had 30 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists but he didn't get enough support. Chris Bosh had a double double with 20 points and 11 rebounds but didn't play good defense allowing the Celtics bigs easy buckets. The Celtics will now travel to Washington to take on the Wizards tomorrow night before wrapping up the regular season back in Boston against the Knicks.
via BasedWorld Sports
Rivers: Starters to be rested in last two games ESPN Boston
Celtics coach Doc Rivers announced today that Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Shaquille O'Neal will sit out the last two games of the season. He also mentioned that Paul Pierce and Ray Allen might play a minute or two if they are needed.
Jermaine's big game leads Celtics to win Jermaine O'Neal played his best game of the season tonight putting in 22 points, grabbing 9 rebounds and blocking 3 shots. He was 9-15 from the field and was a key reason for the Celtics win with four starters being rested. Delonte West also had a good game with 20 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists. But Delonte West could be injured during the playoffs after dislocating his right index finger in the fourth quarter. "We'll get X-Rays tomorrow to see if any major damage has been done, I think I'll be good to go though," Scans the next morning revealed that no major damage had been done and Delonte would be fine to play. Jeff Green had a good game with 15 points and 6 rebounds. Rookie Luke Harangody put in 12 points and grabbed 6 boards. New Celtics point guard Jannero Pargo had 7 points on the night. Javale McGee was the best Wizard on the night he had 16 points and 11 boards. Josh Howard had 15 points as did Andray Blatche. The Celtics won 99-92 and will take on the Knicks in Boston on Wednesday night.
via BasedWorld Sports
Green and J.O'Neal lead Celtics to win 91-100Once again Jermaine O'Neal and Jeff Green had big games which helped the Celtics to win another game without 4 of their starters. Green had 25 points and 2 steals and O'Neal had 16 points and 15 rebounds as well as 3 blocks. Glen Davis also had a good night scoring 17 points and grabbing 7 boards. Von Wafer had 15 points and hit two threes in the win. Amar'e Stoudemire led the way for the Knicks with 32 points and 7 boards but cost his team points with his four turnovers. Raymond Felton had 11 points and 11 assists on the night but he also had 8 turnovers. The Knicks had 20 turnovers on the night which was a key reason for the loss. Celtics coach Doc Rivers after the game was happy with the play of Jermaine O'Neal and Jeff Green "I thought they were both great for these last two games. It's going to make splitting the minutes real tough when you've got so many players doing well. Jermaine when healthy has been good for us this season and Jeff looks like he's finding his rhythm." The Celtics will now have to wait and see the results of the other games before finding out who they'll play in the first round of the playoffs.
via BasedWorld Sports
Celtics to face Atlanta in Round OneESPN Boston
The Atlanta Hawks defeated the Charlotte Bobcats 96-77 which means the Hawks will face the Celtics in the first round of the 2011 NBA Playoffs. The Celtics and Hawks faced each other in the first round in 2008 where the Celtics won the series in seven after failing to win a game on the road.
via BasedWorld Sports
First Round Playoff Matchups
East:
(1)Boston Celtics vs (8) Atlanta Hawks
(2) Miami Heat vs (7) Charlotte Bobcats
(3) Chicago Bulls vs (6) New York Knicks
(4) Orlando Magic vs (5) Indiana Pacers
West:
(1) Los Angeles Lakers vs (8) Portland Trail Blazers
(2) San Antonio Spurs vs (7) New Orleans Hornets
(3) Dallas Mavericks vs (6) Utah Jazz
(4) Denver Nuggets vs (5) Houston RocketsReport: Kobe named MVP
ESPN.com
According to numerous media outlets Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers has been named League MVP. This is the second time Kobe has won the award. Kobe led his Lakers to the best record in the NBA 64-18. Kobe averaged 31ppg, 4.1 rpg, 4.4 apg, 2.5 spg and 2.8 topg.