The Celtics are once again up 3-2 in a playoff series. In the first series, the Celtics were expected to sweep the lowly Hawks and they appeared to be doing just that as they won the first two games at home by an average of 21 points. Then, they went on the road and inexplicably the Celtics went flat, allowing the Hawks to gain confidence and tie the game at 2 apiece. In Game 5, the Celtics once again were dominant and we all thought they had turned the corner and would go back to Atlanta and close out the series but again, the Celtics couldn't win on the road. It took a 7th game at home where they blew out the Hawks by over 30 points to get tot he second round.

Bring on the Cavs. Once again in the second round, the Celtics won the first two games at home. The first game was way too close for Celtics' fans liking, but the second game they went back to being dominant. Then came the road and again, in game 3, the Celtics were blown out. In game 4, the Celtics had a chance to win, but seemed to stop playing in the 4th quarter, allowing the Cavs to bring the series back to Boston tied 2-2. Once again, the home court allowed the Celtics to win big in game 5 with impressive defense.

We have been here before. We are going into game 6 with the Celtics up 3-2 and a chance to close out the series. We all expected them to break out of their road slump in their game 6 against the Hawks but it didn't happen. There are a lot of people now doubting this team. Great teams win on the road. The Pistons did it in this round and are just sitting around and getting rested before the start of the EC finals. Can the Celtics break out and finally win on the road and close this series out now? I think they can and will.

The Celtics certainly know how to win on the road. They won big playoff like games on the road in the regular season. They won a big game in Detroit giving them the season series against the Pistons. They won the 3 big games on the road in Texas. The Rockets game was especially a tough one to win and the home team was on a 22 game win streak and the Celtics were playing the 4th game of a 5 game road trip. The were one of only 4 teams to beat the Jazz on their home court all season. They won on the Lakers' home court. And they won all those games with their stifling defense and effective ball movement, the same defense and ball movement we have seen them play at home in the playoffs. Yet, so far in the playoffs, that defense and ball movement has not been seen on the road.

The bottom line is that it comes down to focus and mental toughness. They know what to do and are fully capable of doing it. They have been questioned as a team and although the 4 teams in the second round are a combined 20-1 on the road, it is the Celtics that have faced the most criticism because they are the only team that failed to win on the road in the first round. The fact is that the Celtics don't have to win on the road. They can win a championship without ever winning a road game, thanks to the fact that they played every game in the regular season like it was the playoffs.

Even though they could win the championship without a road win, they need to win one on the road simply to put the questions about their heart and toughness to rest. If they don't win a road game, there will always be an asterisk on this team because of it. Hopefully, the Celtics will forget that they don't need to win on the road and come out and play tonight like it is game 7 and finally put to rest all the questions. I do know one thing, if the Celtics play their game with the tough defense they have played all season and the ball movement that makes them so hard to defend against, they will get a win tonight. The ball is in their court, so to speak.

Once again for the second series in a row, the Celtics will try to close out an opponent in a game 6 on the road. The Celtics have yet to win on the road in 5 tries and hopefully the 6th time is a charm. The momentum is in the Celtics favor as they are coming off of one of their best efforts in the playoff in game 5.

The Celtics can win on the road. They were the best road team in the regular season. They won big pressure games in Detroit, LA, and the Texas Triangle and so we know they are capable of winning under pressure on the road. Why they haven't been able to get it done in the playoffs is anyone's guess. Hopefully they will build on the rebounding and defensive effort from game 5 to get a win in this game as well.

Rondo's play was key to game 5 and will once again be needed if the Celtics want to win this game on the road. Unfortunately, in past games on the road, Rondo has struggled. Hopefully he has turned the corner and will come out with a strong game in this one as well. Hopefully, Doc will either play Eddie House or play Sam Cassell sparingly when Rondo is resting as Sam has struggled in this series.

The Celtics need to close this series out tonight as the Pistons are just sitting at home and resting and getting healthy as they wait for the winner of this series. The Pistons are the only team in the second round to win on the road and although the Celtics could win the championship without winning on the road, the great teams do win on the road and the Celtics need to prove that they are one of the great teams with a win here.

Probable Starting Matchups

PG: Rajon Rondo vs Delonte West

SG: Ray Allen vs Wally Szczerbiak

SF: Paul Pierce vs LeBron James

PF: Kevin Garnett vs Ben Wallace

C: Kendrick Perkins vs Zydrunas Ilgauskas

Sixth Man: James Posey vs Anderson Varejao

Injuries:

Celtics

Scott Pollard, Ankle, out

Cavaliers

Eric Snow, ankle, out

Daniel Gibson, shoulder, out

Key Matchups

Rajon Rondo vs Delonte West

In game 5, Rondo played circles around Delonte and was a big reason for the Celtics win. They will need him to come out just as aggressively in this game and Doc should stick with Rondo for most of the game.

Paul Pierce vs LeBron James

LeBron broke out in the first half in game 5 for 23 but scored just 12 in the second half. The Celtics did a good job of defending him while still not ignoring his teammates. The Celtics will need to try to keep LeBron from taking over the game but also they will need to pay attention to his teammates who have proven that they also can beat them. Expect to see Pierce on LeBron with single coverage at times and at other times, they may double him, depending who is hot.

Honorable Mention

Ray Allen vs Wally Szczerbiak

Ray still hasn't broken out of his shooting slump but has done other things to help the team such as that rebound late in game 5 to preserve the win. He also did a better job of defending Wally and keeping him from getting his shot off. It would be nice to see Ray go off offensively to make Wally have to expend some energy on defense. We will need points from Ray to pull this one out on the road.

Keys to the Game

Play 48 minutes The Celtics have stumbled out of the gate in the last couple of games. At home they were able to get back into it and pull away, but on the road, they haven't been able to overcome the pit that they found themselves in. Also, the Celtics have stumbled in the 4th quarter, allowing the Cavs to get back in games. They need to come out strong and play aggressively for 48 minutes if they want to win this.

Rebound When the Celtics out rebound the Cavs, they win. It is as simple as that. Because rebounding is an indication of effort, When the Celtics are putting out the effort they need to win, they will also be going after the rebounds. They can not allow the Cavs to get 2nd and 3rd chance baskets if they want to win this.

Ball Movement When the Celtics move the ball and find the open man, their offense is hard to stop. When they bog down with each player looking for his shot, then the offense literally stops and they can't score. The way to beat the Cavs defense is to move the ball as they did in the 3rd quarter of game 5. Rondo did an excellent job of keeping the ball moving and setting up the offense in game 5 and he needs to continue to play that way in this game.

Be Aggressive The Celtics can't settle for quick jumpers. They have to be aggressive and take the ball to the hoop to either get a high percentage shot or to draw the foul. The Cavs have been shooting twice as many free throws as the Celtics and it is hard to win in that situation. The Celtics need to be more aggressive on offense and get the Cavs in foul trouble. They also have to be aggressive in going after loose balls and rebounds. In games 3 and 4, it seemed as though the Celtics were sluggish and letting the Cavs beat them to loose balls and rebounds. They have to be more aggressive in this one if they want to win this.

Defense At home, the Celtics play a suffocating team defense but on the road, they have allowed the Cavs to shoot close to 50% and the defense hasn't been anywhere to be seen on the road. The Celtics have to focus and play the same kind of defense on the road as they do at home.

X-Factor

Focus and Intensity

The Celtics need to maintain their focus on both ends of the court to close this series out here. They need to keep their defensive focus to get stops and they have to keep their offensive focus to move the ball and find the open man. They also have to come out with intensity and play with intensity throughout the game. If they lose focus, they will have to play a game 7 while the Pistons are resting up.

It was a good omen right from the start of this game as Perk won the tip although the first minute was sloppy on both sides with a 24 second violation on each team and a defensive 3 second violation on KG. The Cavs came out strong to begin the game rushing out to an 18-9 lead in the first 8 minutes. The Cavs held a 23-18 lead at the end of the first quarter. It seemed like more of the same from games 3 and 4 with the Celtics shooting 35% and the Cavs shooting 50%. The Cavs also beat the Celtics on the boards 10-7 in the first quarter.

The Cavs continued their run in the second quarter as they ran the lead up to 43-29 with 3:35 left in the half. Doc put Rondo back in for Sam and it paid dividends right away as Rondo hit 2 3 pointers in a row to cut the lead to 43-37 Cavs. That started a 14-3 run by the Celtics to cut the lead to 46-43 at the half. LeBron scored 23 points in the half but the Cavs role players didn't get the job done.

The Celtics came out ready to play in the 3rd quarter as Ray hit a jumper to cut the lead to 1. Rondo then got a steal and a layup to take the lead at 47-46. The lead then went back and forth until Boston took the lead for good at 58-55 with 5:15 left in the third. The play of the game came with 3:51 left in the 3rd quarter when Rondo skied for a block on a layup by Delonte West. The lead at the end of 3 was Celtics 72 and Cavaliers 63.

The Celtics got a little sloppy down the stretch as Delonte got a couple of steals and took them in for easy layups and the Cavs were able to cut the Celtics 12 point lead down to 4 points with just 12.2 seconds left in the game. Pierce scored the Celtics last 8 points from the free throw line to seal the 96-89 win.

Rondo was the player of the game as he took over the game on both ends of the floor and finished with 20 points, 2 rebounds, 13 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks and just 1 turnover. Kevin Garnett was also huge in the game with 26 points, 16 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 3 blocks. Paul Pierce was much more aggressive in taking the ball to the hoop while still doing a good job of defending LeBron in the second half. After 23 first half points, James scored just 12 in the second half. Pierce finished with 29 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists.

Ray Allen still struggled with his shot, going only 4-11 from the field for 11 points, but he did a good job of fronting Wally and holding him to just 10 points on 3-8 shooting. Ray also made a big play with 15.6 seconds left and the Celtics leading 93-87. KG missed a jumper and Ray tipped the rebound out to Pierce who was fouled and he hit both free throws to give the Celtics some breathing room. Big Baby gave the Celtics a boost of energy off the bench as he scored 6 points in 11 minutes. At one point he landed full force on Wally which couldn't have been too pleasant for Wally. Sam Cassell once again struggled and went scoreless in 5 minutes of play.

All of the starters except Perk, who was in foul trouble much of the game, played over 40 minutes. It was nice to have Rondo on the floor to start the 4th quarter so that we had momentum right from the beginning. The Celtics ended the game shooting 48% and they held the Cavs to 45%. The Celtics also out rebounded the Cavs 38-30. The Celtics ball movement was excellent in this game as they had 25 assists on 37 field goals. The Cavs had only 11 assists. This game still had a huge disparity in free throws as the Celtics shot 17-23 and the Cavs shot 23-41 from the line. This may have had a different result if the Cavs hit their free throws.

The series shifts back to Cleveland for game 6. Can the Celtics finally get a win on the road? I certainly hope so. The Celtics seem to have found their defensive intensity once again and their ball movement was back. Hopefully they can carry those things over to game 6 and finally pull out a win on the road.

Well, the Pistons have finished off the Magic in 5 games. They won on the road and they did it without Chauncey Billups. That should concern the Celtics in that they haven't been able to get it done on the road in 5 tries at full strength. Another thing that is concerning is that the Pistons are now sitting back and resting while the Celtics are going to have to go at least 6 games and possibly 7 if the Celtics can find some heart somewhere. This is assuming that the Celtics can come back and win 2 more games. I used to think that the Celtics were a lock for the Eastern Conference finals but the way they have been playing I don't know any more.

My thoughts on what went wrong in game 4. First, the players deserve blame because they didn't play defense. They weren't aggressive. They forgot all about the defensive rotations that made them so effective all season. Second, the players forgot about playing the team offense. Every one was trying to do it all by themselves. Pierce pulling up for quick 3's killed the offensive momentum. They completely forgot how to move the ball against an aggressive defense to find the open man and they have completely abandoned the idea of taking the ball to the basket. You go to the basket and you either get a high percentage shot or get fouled but yet, the Celtics have not been doing that. They have been settling for outside shots.

Much of rebounding is effort and desire. Players have to be aggressive in going after rebounds. They can't just wait for rebounds to come to them. This is how Rajon Rondo or Leon Powe can out rebound the bigger players around them. They simply want them more. Rebounding is crucial to winning games. There is an old adage that "Offense sells tickets, Defense wins games, rebounding wins championships." The reason for this is that when a team wants it more and plays harder they will be getting the rebounds. It's all about effort. The Celtics have been out rebounded on the road almost every time. This speaks to their effort. It just hasn't been there. Second and third chance baskets will kill a team and the Celtics have been allowing it to happen.

And, aside from the players, Doc's substitutions and game management have been head scratching at best. Doc did a good job in the regular season, but in the playoffs when coaching now becomes so much more important and from game to game it becomes a chess match between coaches, Doc hasn't gotten it done. Starting Big Baby in the 4th when he hadn't played at all in the game and playing him for over 5 minutes when he clearly struggled from the first minute was puzzling. Why did Leon play only 6 minutes when he has given the team a lift and has played well throughout the playoffs so far? Why is Sam getting so many ineffective minutes? Rondo was playing great in game 4 and yet he sat way too long. Eddie House is clearly a better shooter than Cassell and he was the one who got us here and he did a very good job of running the team so why is he not getting any minutes? When Sam is in, the ball movement stops and it becomes Sam's shooting gallery. Why had Doc gone so far away from the rotations that won this team 66 games and got them here? I say play Eddie House.

Yesterday's Globe had a quote that caught my attention:

Coach Doc Rivers said his team needed to play better "under stress" during the final stretch of games. Pierce and Garnett begged to differ.

"I wouldn't say we're lacking poise," Garnett said. "In a situation like ours, we are trying to do everything that Doc wants us to do. He makes all the calls. He gives us direction. For the most part, we pretty much try to do what he wants."

Said Pierce, "I don't know what he means. I'm stressed every game. Stressed to get a win."

KG saying that the team is doing just what Doc wants is a pretty big indictment on Doc's coaching since they have been failing pretty miserably in the past two games. This looks like Doc putting the blame on the players and the players turning around and putting it right back on Doc. They don't need discord right now. They need Ubuntu. Let's hope they find it quickly. Tonight is a must win for them.

This team has been terrible in the 4th quarter of games. In the fourth quarter of their last 5 road games the Celtics have scored 19, 18, 17, 21, and 12 points respectively. 12 points in the fourth quarter of a game that is a 1 possession game going into the quarter? That is inexcusable. KG being 0-2 in that quarter? That is even worse. How could KG not get more than 2 shots? How can they not score more than 12 points? The Cavs have LeBron to take over in the 4th quarter. The '86 Celtics had Bird who would take over in crunch time. But, the Celtics don't seem to have anyone who is willing to step up in the 4th quarter and take over the game. KG becomes invisible. Pierce resorts to quick 3 point hero shots. Ray Allen has been invisible this whole series other than a spurt in the 3rd quarter of game 4. This team's mental toughness has been questioned. Now is the time for them to step up and close this series out in 6 games and show that they have mental toughness or every one will have a long summer to think about why they didn't.

Ian Thomsen on SI.com had this to say about the Celtics:

To state the obvious: These Boston Celtics are not a championship team. It's a huge surprise after their dominance of the regular season, but under the defensive pressure of the playoffs their three stars have lost all feeling for how to play off one another. They are a numb offensive team that doesn't feed off strengths or mismatches, that doesn't develop a go-to scorer during the game and doesn't exhibit poise when mandatory. Over the closing minutes of tight games the Celtics look as if they have no idea where to go with the ball or which of them should take over. This is why no overhauled team has ever won a title in its first year together: It takes years for a championship team to learn to play together and barring some kind of heavenly revelation the No. 1 seed isn't going to achieve that unity this postseason.

I still think this is a championship caliber team. You don't win 66 games at home and then dominate teams on your home court the way the Celtics have without being a championship caliber team. Are they playing like one now? Absolutely not. But I think the problems are fixable with a bit more effort from each player to play the way they did to get them here and with a little better coaching from Doc.

All that being said, the Celtics aren't alone in their struggles on the road in this round. Only the Pistons have won a game on the road in this round. The Spurs, Hornets, Lakers and Jazz haven't been able to do it either. But, they all won a road game in the first round while the Celtics weren't able to get it done then either. I am just hoping they can get it together at home and that it was the road that threw them off. After watching their lack of heart and lack of effort in games 3 and 4, I just don't know any more. The Celtics almost lost game 1 and now the Cavs are coming in with confidence. They have been here before and won games 5 and 6 against the Pistons last season and with that behind them, they know they can do it again, especially the way the Celtics have been playing. I am plenty nervous going into this game.

I had to chuckle over LeBron's mom coming to his aide in game 4. I remember one time when my son was fouled hard in a game and I was down there ready to take the kid on and he was lucky cooler heads around me held me back. It is a mother's instinct to proctect your kids, plain and simple. There have been several times where I would give players an earful in a game. Thankfully, my son never told me to sit my a** down. I raised him better than that.

Game 4 started out much better than game 3, but the end result was the same as the Celtics lost to the Cavaliers 88-77. The Celtics are going back to Boston with their series tied at 2 games apiece once again. In 5 tries, they inexplicably have not been able to win on the road. After a blow out in game 3, they came out more aggressively in this one and kept it close until the final 2 minutes when the Cavaliers pulled away.

Perk got into quick foul trouble and went to the bench with 4:10 left in the first. Perk returned in the second quarter only to pick up his third foul a little over a minute later. He finished with 2 points and 3 rebounds in just 18 minutes of play. PJ Brown benefited the most from Perk's foul problems as he had his best game as a Celtic with 8 points, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks in 22 minutes. It was very puzzling that Leon Powe played only 6 minutes after playing very well in the post season so far. In another puzzling move, Big Baby started the fourth quarter and played 4 minutes with only 1 missed jumper and a foul to show for his efforts.

KG was very active in this game, diving for loose balls and forcing 2 jump balls. He had 13 points in the first half but scored just 2 points in the second half to finish with 15 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 block in 40 minutes. At times, Paul Pierce was aggressive in taking the ball to the hoop and it seemed as though he would take over the game but then, he would stop driving and settle for quick outside jumpers. He had 13 points on 6-17 shooting to go with 5 rebounds and 3 assists. Ray Allen seemed to come alive in the second half, finally breaking out of his shooting slump and scoring 9 of his 15 points in the 3rd quarter. He also pulled down 6 rebounds and dished out 3 assists.

Rajon Rondo did a good job of pushing the pace of the game and he also was more aggressive on offense. He finished with 15 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals in 33 minutes. Sam Cassell struggled In this game as he was 0-5 from the field in 14 minutes of play and defensively he was burned by Daniel Gibson almost every time down. Doc may have left Sam in too long as the offense seemed to stall when Sam was running the point.

Through 3 quarters, the Celtics controlled the boards with a 31-28 advantage at the end of 3. They were out rebounded 6-1 in the fourth quarter however. Much of rebounding is effort and the Celtics clearly didn't put the effort out in the final period. Once again, the Celtics gave up too many easy shots as they allowed the Cavs to shoot 46% from the field. On the other end, the Celtics struggled with their offense, shooting just 39%. Unlike the other road games, the Celtics held the edge in free throws as they shot 20-26 to just 12-18 for the Cavs.

There was one moment in the game that was laughable. With 4:13 left in the half, Pierce wrapped up LeBron to prevent a break away dunk. Their momentum took both of them into the crowd where LeBron's mother happened to be sitting. His mother, Gloria, was up and ready to take on the Celtics. To this, LeBron clearly told his mother: "Sit your a** down." It was pretty funny.

The Celtics were within 4 with 2:43 left in the game but they allowed the Cavs to go on a 9-2 run to end the game as the Cavs scored on a variety of dunks and 3 pointers to close out the game. They just seemed tired and a step slow and allowed the Cavs to run away in the final minutes. The Cavaliers' bench came up big with 36 points and 19 rebounds while the Celtics bench struggled with just 17 points and 11 rebounds. No Celtics' subs were in double figures while on the other side Gibson had 14 points and Varejao had 12.

The series now shifts back to Boston for game 5 and hopefully the struggles they have had on the road won't follow them home. The Celtics are still the only team who hasn't won on the road in the post season and their Jekyll and Hyde persona between home and the road has gotten more and more puzzling and more than a little worrisome. Hopefully they can find a solution to their poor play on both ends of the court, or their dream season may end considerably short of the goal.

I am at a complete loss as to how a team can be so dominant on defense during the regular season both at home and on the road and can be totally dominant on defense at home in the playoffs and then go on the road and completely forget how to play defense. It just doesn't make sense. Bucks Diary has a theory as to what is happening and they may have a point.

During the regular season, both at home and on the road, Celtic opponents shot free throws at a rate equal to about 45% of their two point baskets attempted. That's high, but given the Celtics physical style, not out of proportion.

Likewise during the home portion of the Celtics' postseason, Celtic opponents have shot throws at about the same rate, 45% of their 2Pt FGA.

However, since the Celtics lost Game 3 of their Opening Round series to the Hawks in Atlanta, Celtic road opponents have shot free throws at the astounding rate of nearly 70% of their 2 point field goals attempts. No one, not one team in the NBA, gave up free throws at that rate during the regular season... not even the Bucks... and the refs gave the Bucks no quarter on the road. So a leap to 70% by a top-flight defensive unit like the Celtics is an astounding turn of fortune, and it could be the reason the Celtics are suddenly an ineffectual road defensive team. It seems they've been neutered by a band of Zebras.

The free throw discrepancy on the road has been a problem. When the Celtics drive, they get beat up and don't get the foul or even worse, get called for a bogus offensive foul. It is a shame that the officiating is so bad that it can change the whole complexion of a series.

I don't believe that the Cavs won game 3. I think that the Celtics lost it. There is a big difference. A lot of media pointed to how well the Cavs shot but if Boston was playing defense like they did in Boston, I guarantee that Cleveland would not be shooting as well. Most players can hit wide open shots with no one guarding them. The Celtics lost that game. They have to get back to playing their game including the team defense that they play at home. The Globe reports that the Celtics had a very intense practice on Sunday.

Forward Paul Pierce said he is confident the Celtics will win tomorrow's Game 5 because of the hard practice they had today. He said the key is tough defense.

Yes, tough defense is the key. It is the key to winning games and to winning championships but you have to actually play it to get the win. Hopefully Pierce is right and the Celtics will get the win.

The Pistons have figured out how to win on the road, even without Chauncey Billups. The Lakers lost games 3 and 4 on the road. The Hornets lost games 3 and 4 on the road, but the Pistons won game 4. The Celtics have to do the same. A loss in this game will cast a shadow over this team. We could still win the championship without winning a game on the road as long as we win every game at home, but there would always be an asterisk on the team. Great teams find a way to win on the road. The Pistons have done it. The Lakers won on the road in game in Round 1. The Celtics are the only team still in the playoffs that haven't won on the road. They have to win game 4 to get this monkey off their backs.

In an unreal move, the Celtics petitioned the league to allow them to wear their white jerseys tonight and even more unreal, Stern said yes. The Globe has an article on the lengths to which the Celtics owners are going to try to get the Celtics to mentally feel like they are in Boston for tonight's game. Come on guys, these guys are vererans. They should be able to win regardless of where they are. It is all a matter of focus, effort and desire, not white or green jerseys or clam chowder from room service. The Pistons didn't need to play mental games to win on the road. The Celtics need to look inside to figure out the problems, not a bunch of gimmicks. They simply haven't brought their intensity and effort on the road. They know how to play tough defense and they know how to win on the road. They just aren't doing it. If being the subject of ridicule for being the only team not to win on the road in the playoffs doesn't give them incentive enough to come out and win, a change in jerseys won't do it either. Maybe Wyc should try heart transplants next.

I don't think I have ever seen a worse crybaby than LeBron. He is truly a drama queen. I half expect him to fall on the ground and check his mouth for blood every time a whistle blows even if no one is anywhere near him. Rondo gets knocked silly just about every trip to the basket and he just picks himself up and goes on without any added drama. I am amazed at how tough this kid is. LeBron gets a touch foul and he is wincing and checking his mouth for blood and looking like a truck just hit him. All those acting lessons he took to do the commercials is paying off. Green Bandwagon compares Posey's take down of James to McHales take down of Rambis many years ago. I leave you with the video from their article that compares the two. Great read.

After losing 3 games on the road to the Atlanta Hawks and having their character questioned as that series went to 7 games, most expected the Celtics to learn from their mistakes and come out strong in this game to finally get a road win. But, it was more of the same as the Celtics' defense once again did not show up and they didn't move the ball or take the ball inside near enough.

The Cavs came out with much more energy than the Celtics and after a 4-0 lead by the Celtics, the Cavs poured it on and ran off 14 straight points to make it 14-4 when Doc called his first time out with just under 6 minutes to play in the first. By the end of the first quarter, the Cavs had pushed the lead to 32-13 on 65% shooting.

The Cavs led 52-35 at the half with the Cavs still shooting the lights out at 66%. There was a huge free throw discrepancy at the half as the Cavs shot 10 more free throws than the Celtics. The Cavs finished the game with 9 more free throws than the Celtics. A call that was typical of the way things went all night came in the first quarter when West tripped over his own feet and KG was called for a foul on the play. It was a terrible call and Doc was irate over it and was given a technical. Even the ABC announcers were commenting throughout the game about the bad calls by the officials.

The Celtics showed some life in the second quarter and cut the lead to 12 at one point, but the Cavs always had an answer. They got to the hoop at will and seemed to be open for jumpers every time down. To show how bad the Celtics defense was, on one play, Ilgauskas got the ball just past the free throw line and he drove all the way to the hoop without one Celtic challenging him. As slow as Ilgauskas is, that should never happen.

Ray Allen still struggled with his shot going 4-12 from the field for 10 points, Pierce hit only 3-8 shots for 14 points. Rondo was only 3-10 for 7 points and struggled somewhat, but in the second half he came out more aggressive and took the ball to the basket and that is when the Celtics cut into the lead. KG had 17 points and 9 rebounds. Perk finished with 12 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks. Posey was big off the bench once again with 11 points and 2 rebounds. Cassell went 0-6 and finished with just 1 point. Powe had 6 points and 2 rebounds. On the other side, Wallace wasn't expected to play but started and set the tone for the game with 9 points and 9 rebounds and a lot of energy to start the game. James again struggled with his shot going 5-16 for 21 points, but he got his teammates involved. Delonte had a great game with 21 points (7-11), 5 rebounds, and 7 assists. Wally had 16 points and Joe Smith had 17.

The Cavs shot 54% from the field while the Celtics shot only 41%. I am just at a loss as to how the Celtics can hold the Cavs to 32% at home and then allow them to shoot 54% on the road. The Celtics also allowed the Cavs to out-rebound them 37-33 and the Cavs turned those rebounds into second chance points. The Cavs wanted this game more and it was obvious from the beginning. The Celtics were never really in this game as they came out with poor energy and simply didn't play defense. They also weren't aggressive going after rebounds, loose balls, or taking the ball to the hoop.

The constants in these road losses have been poor rebounding, failure to play defense, and poor officiating. The next game is Monday night and the Celtics will once again try to get their first road win in the playoffs. Great teams win on the road and there is no logical reason why the Celtics haven't been able to play on the road as they do in the Garden. Hopefully they can remedy that on Monday, but they will need to come out with a better effort than they showed in this one.

Both the Celtics and the Cavaliers are in a familiar place going into game 3. In round 1, the Celtics were up 2-0 on the Hawks. Most fans and writers were predicting a sweep after the Celtics dominated the Hawks by an average of 21 points per game in their first two home games. But, the Celtics played very un-Celticlike in Atlanta. Their trademark defense was nowhere to be found and ubuntu went out the window as it seemed to be each man for himself.

Game 3 loss could have been blamed on the bizarreness of playing the third quarter and half of the fourth with no shot clocks and everyone expected the Celtics to bounce right back and take game 4. But, the Celtics didn't play much better in game 4 as their defense failed to show up for the second game in a row. It is very puzzling how the Celtics could play so well at home and so poorly on the road. They went on to win game 5 but once again, in game 6, they lost on the road.

So, here the Celtics sit in round 2, up 2-0 on another opponent and We don't know which team will show up for game 3. Will it be the team that we have seen at home? The team that plays tough in your face team defense and that moves the ball to find the open man and the team that attacks the basket. Or will it be the team we saw in Atlanta? The team that couldn't play any defense and who settled for outside shots without any thought of going to the basket and that had players all trying to do it on their own instead of as a team. I for one am hoping for the former.

The Celtics were the best road team in the league in the regular season with a 32-10 record. They conquered the Texas Triangle. They were only one of 4 teams to beat the Utah Jazz in Utah. They know how to win on the road and it will come down to focus and desire to play defense.

The Cavaliers have also been here. Last season they were down 0-2 to the Pistons in the Eastern Conference finals. They went on to beat the Pistons in 6 games before being swept in the finals by the Spurs. The Cavs know how to bounce back and win with their backs against the wall. Game 3 is the toughest game to get on the road but if the Celtics play their game, they can beat any team, anywhere.

Before the game, no one felt that Pierce, Ray Allen and LeBron would all shoot sa poorly as they did in game one and they were partly right. Ray Allen and Paul Pierce bounced back with good games while LeBron played almost as poorly as he did in the first game. Pierce ended the game with 19 points on 7-13 shooting to go with 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. Pierce left the game with a finger injury in the first half but came back and seemed to be fine. Ray Allen struggled early but came out strong to start the third and finished with 16 points (4-10), 1 rebound, 3 assists and 2 steals. LeBron had 21 points but 9 of those came on the free throw line where he was 9-13. He shot 6-24 from the field and had 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 7 turnovers.

The Cavs got off to a fast start putting the Celtics down 12 in the first quarter. The Celtics made a run with Sam Cassell, PJ Brown, Leon Powe, James Posey and Ray Allen on the court. They cut the lead to 24-17 at the end of the first quarter. They took the lead on a Posey dunk in the second quarter and never looked back. They clamped down on defense in the second quarter and turned a 7 point deficit to start the quarter into an 8 point lead at the half. They began the third quarter on a 10-0 run before Ilgauskas finally hit a jumper. Ilguaskas kept them in the game hitting 9-12 shots for 19 points. The score at the end of 3 quarters was 70-51 in the Celtics favor.

Leon Powe, James Posey and Sam Cassell all brought great energy off the bench and were key to turning this game around. Powe finished with 11 points and 7 rebounds in 28 minutes. Posey did a little bit of everything as he scored 7 points, pulled down 6 rebounds, dished out 1 assists and made 3 very big steals. Rondo played only 22 minutes and once again, Doc played Sam in the 4th quarter. Rondo finished with 7 points, all from the free throw line, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals. Sam had 9 points and 4 assists in 25 minutes. The Celtics bench out scored the Cavs bench 34-17.

KG, who was so big in game 1, scored only 13 points in this game, but then again, he didn't need to score with 3 other players in double figures and the defense keeping the Cavs from scoring. KG concentrated more on defense and finding the open man. He pulled down 12 rebounds and dished out 4 assists. Ben Wallace left the game Perk had an off game and went scoreless in 20 minutes but still played good defense and pulled down 4 rebounds. He left the game in the first quarter after getting hit in the nose as it started to bleed again. Ben Wallace left the game in the first quarter with extreme dizziness and didn't return.

The Celtics were a bit sluggish to start the game and allowed the Cavs to shoot 55% in the first quarter. They then clamped down on defense and completely shut down the Cavs offense. The Cavs shot only 36% for the game while the Celtics shot 40%. The Celtics were also out rebounded in the first quarter but they ended up with a 45-39 edge for the game. The Celtics energy in this game was incredible. Even when they were up 20, the Celtics were still diving on the floor for loose balls and defending as though they were down 20. They moved the ball on offense and played great team defense. Now, the challenge is to get that first win on the road. I wouldn't bet on LeBron having 3 bad games in a row, especially at home, so the Celtics better bring that defensive energy and team mindset with them on Saturday.

This was a very strange game from start to finish. It was highlighted by 38 turnovers: 21 for the Celtics and 17 for the Cavs. The stars of the game, other than Kevin Garnett couldn't score and it was a defensive struggle on both sides. The Cavs shot 31% while the Celtics shot 43%. It was ugly, but it should answer the questions about whether the Celtics could win a close game.

With just 4 minutes gone by in the first, Pierce picked up his 2nd foul and went to the bench. He played very good defense on LeBron but never got on track offensively, shooting just 2-14 from the floor and finishing with 4 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 6 turnovers. Ray Allen also couldn't get on track as he went scoreless and took just 4 shots in 37 minutes and finished with 4 rebounds, 1 assist and 4 turnovers.

Rondo came out strong, scoring 8 of the first 12 points and assisting on the other 4. He out played Delonte as he did Mike Bibby in the previous series. Kevin Garnett was the player of the game as he scored 28 points to go with 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals. Perk once again was huge as he pulled down 12 rebounds to go with 7 points, 2 assists, 2 blocks and some excellent defense.

James Posey came in for Pierce when he went out with the 2 fouls and played excellent defense on LeBron. He came up very big at the end of the game on both ends of the court. With the Celtics up 74-72 and 21 seconds left. The Celtics had a foul to give and Posey was trying to catch LeBron to foul him but couldn't catch him as LeBron missed a layup. Posey grabbed the rebound and wrapped it up and was fouled. He hit two clutch free throws to seal the 76-72 victory as LeBron missed a 3 on the next possession and Rondo came away with the rebound and dribbled out the clock. Between Pierce and Posey, LeBron was held to just 12 points on 2-18 shooting but did pull down 9 rebounds, dish out 9 assists and turn the ball over 10 times.

As for the former Celtics, Delonte finished with 4 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals, but couldn't stop Rondo and he shot just 2-10. Wally hit a couple of big three pointers but was just 5-14 and finished with 13 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists. Ilgauskas was the Cavs high scorer with 22 points to go with 12 rebounds. He also got away with a couple of hits on Perk's nose and kicking Sam when he was on the floor. Kudos to Perk for wrapping up Sam and keeping him from doing something stupid when he wanted to go after Ilgauskas after the kick. Sam got his offense going in the 4th and finished with 13 points and 2 rebounds. Rondo played just 30 minutes and it seemed that he sat on the bench a little too long in the 4th quarter.

Team defense was the story in this game. Ray and Pierce won't shoot this poorly in the next game, but then neither will LeBron. One concern after this game is that James Posey was shaken up quite a bit on one play and he was holding his side after the game. Hopefully he will be ok because the Celtics are going to need his defense in this series more than ever. Next game will be Thursday at 7:00PM.

Here is a look at the Celtics 2nd round opponent, the Cleveland Cavaliers. This is a team that is much different from the very athletic Hawks. They are a team that leans heavily on their superstar but also have other talented players on the team. There is a subplot to this series in that two of the Cavaliers' starters were starting for the Celtics last season. Another player, Dwayne Jones, who comes off the bench is also is a former Celtic. Here is a look at the Cleveland Cavaliers and what we can expect from them.

Starters:

Point Guard Delonte West PPG 10.2 RPG 2.80 APG 5.0 EFF + 12.67

A left-handed guard with decent quickness and a soft perimeter touch, West is a classic combo guard He can be a potent long-range threat as well as being able to pull up and shoot from mid range. West is one of the best shot-blocking guards in basketball, ranking fourth among shooting guards in blocks per minute despite being shorter than most of his contemporaries. However, he's not really a good defensive player. The blocks often are desperation plays after a man has beaten him off the dribble, and at the shooting guard spot he's undersized. When he was with Boston last season, they gave up 3.0 points more per 48 minutes when he was on the court. Having played against Rondo in practice for a year, he knows Rondo's tendencies and vice versa. This should be a very good matchup between former teamates. PER 12.13

Shooting Guard Wally Szczerbiak PPG 10.8 RPG 1.80 APG 1.5 EFF + 7.67

When ankle and knee problems aren't swallowing up his career, Szczerbiak is one of the best shooters in the game. (Who can forget the "bone on bone" hoopla when he was a Celtic?) He seems to prefer the 15- to 17-foot range, but he's a fantastic spot-up shooter who is at 40.4 percent on 3-pointers for his career. Szczerbiak is also quite strong and can abuse smaller guards in the midpost with turnaround jumpers, or overpower them going toward the rim. Those chances get him to the line (where he hits 86.2 percent for his career) much more than most jump shooters. He doesn't get much done off the dribble, however, so defenders crowd him and try to take away the jumper. Szczerbiak is a willing help defender who takes charges, but one-on-one his lateral movement was never good. This should be an interesting matchup between Ray Allen and Wally as both are among the best shooters in the league and neither is known for blazing speed. It should definitely be an easier matchup for Ray than Joe Johnson was. PER 13.99

Small Forward LeBron James PPG 29.8 RPG 9.50 APG 7.7 EFF + 32.67

One reason James often ends up trying to make a heroic shot at the end of the clock is because there is so little going on up until that point. James tends to be far too methodical when attacking defenses, often waiting several seconds to read the defense before he attacks. That tends to bring the offense to a halt and makes it easier for help defenders to collapse on him. His habit of retreating when double-teamed on the pick-and-roll makes this problem worse. James is an amazingly good ball handler for his size, acting as the Cavs' de facto point guard and ranking 12th among small forwards in assist ratio. He's almost impossible to stop once he gets some momentum toward the basket and, though a streaky shooter, can get his shot off over anyone. James is also a devastating finisher in transition and Delonte should help him in pushing the tempo. Pierce has done a good job of playing LeBron in the past and this may be one of the best matchups in the league. PER 29.23

Power Forward Ben Wallace PPG 3.2 RPG 7.20 APG 1.3 EFF + 10.33 Wallace is not a threat on offense. Anything that isn't a dunk is pretty much a no-hoper, and even the dunks aren't a sure thing because the ball slips out of his small hands so often. He has never hit half his free throws in an NBA season and is at 41.7 percent for his career; some opponents have tried to take advantage of this weakness by fouling him intentionally. Among the league's 62 centers, Wallace ranked 60th in true shooting percentage. One thing Wallace can do is pass. Wallace had the second-best assist ratio at his position last season. He also had a low turnover ratio, which is pretty remarkable for a big man who rarely shoots -- most of these guys will have a high mark by virtue of setting illegal screens, but Wallace is almost never called for illegal picks. Although Wallace isn't a threat on offense, he is a very good defender and will make things difficult in the paint for the Celtics. I expect to see Perk matched up against Wallace more than KG since Perk and Wallace both like to play inside while Ilgauskas and KG would rather play farther from the basket. PER 11.98

Center Zydrunas Ilgauskas PPG 14.5 RPG 7.30 APG 1.5 EFF + 16.6

Ilgauskas is a very good shooter and can hit the inside shot as well as his favorite move which is a sweeping hook shot in the lane. Ilgauskas is also very dangerous on the offensive boards, where despite not much elevation, he has a knack for tipping the ball multiple times before either grabbing it or tipping it in. His height (7'3") makes him able to get a shot off over most defenders. Defensively, Ilgauskas has the size to be a factor around the basket, but struggles on defense when he is pulled farther from the basket. Teams try to attack him in screen-and-roll plays, where he struggles to help on the guard and still get back to his man. For that reason, Anderson Varejao often finished games in the middle instead of Ilgauskas. As stated above, I expect to see Ilgauskas matched up with KG much of the time. PER 18.76

Bench:

Anderson Varejao PPG 3.2 RPG 5.80 APG 1.0 EFF + 6.00

A high-energy player who is a good defende. Varejao can defend guards in the screen and roll but is tough enough to guard many centers and power forwards inside. He can be overpowered by bigger centers but otherwise holds his own. He is very good at drawing charges. He will sometimes be in the game at the end instead of Wallace due to his problems at the line. PER 12.02

Devin Brown PPG 5.2 RPG 3.00 APG 1.2 EFF + 3.50

Brown is a 6-5 wingman who handles the ball fairly well for his size and does a little of everything but is not exceptional at anything. He's a decent outside shooter who doesn't shoot very well off the dribble. He can defend both the 2 and 3 spots. PER 11.35

Daniel Gibson PPG 11.8 RPG 1.80 APG 3.2 EFF + 10.67

Gibson is 6'2 and has a deadly outside shot that is able to spread the floor a bit for LeBron. He has decent athleticism and speed. He plays close to 30 minutes per game and so is a big part of the Cavs rotation. Defensively, Gibson seems to do better against bigger point guards, especially in the playoffs. He seemed to have a much easier time defending bigger points like Chauncey Billups and Jason Kidd than he did chasing around Tony Parker and so Rondo could give him a lot more trouble than Sam would. PER 11.77

Joe Smith PPG 5.5 RPG 4.80 APG 0.3 EFF + 7.00

Joe Smith was the #1 pick in the 1995 draft and has never lived up to expectations but has had a solid career. Smith has a reliable midrange jump shot that he likes to shoot from the elbow on pick-and-pop plays, and also has a jump hook shot he can use on the occasional post-up. Smith is very active on the boards and will get points off second shots if the Celtics don't box him out. Because Smith is thin, he can be pushed out of position by bigger players near the basket. He is a good weak side defender and will often step in to take a charge in spite of his size. PER 16.22

Damon Jones PPG 1.0 RPG 0.00 APG 0.3 EFF -0.33

Jones will look to spot up for outside shots to spread the floor but that is about the end of his abilities. He doesn't rebound or set up teammates and doesn't look to penetrate. He isn't a very good free throw shooter. He is a defensive liability in that he can't stay with quicker guards and can be pushed around by stronger guards.

PER 11.31

Sasha Pavlovic PPG 0.0 RPG 0.00 APG 0.0 EFF -1.00

Pavlovic is athletic and can defend both wing positions and is a good finisher in transition. He is a very good defender and the Cavs have used him as their stopper against high-scoring wings, similar to Posey's role on the Celtics. Pavlovic is a poor ball handler and so won't often try to take players off the dribble. PER 7.28

Dwayne Jones PPG 0.7 RPG 1.00 APG 0.0 EFF + 1.33

Jones is the third Cavalier who formerly played for the Celtics. He is a good rebounder and a good defender in the paint. He is very strong and can get position in the post for rebounds and put backs.

A fourth former Celtic is on the inactive list in Lance Allred who played for the Celtics summer league team this past summer.

The Celtics made a statement in this game as they won by 34 points, 99-65. The Hawks were never in this game as the Celtics bolted out to a 27-16 first quarter lead behind the superior play of Kendrick Perkins. He set the tone for the team right from the beginning, crashing the boards, blocking shots and playing lock down defense on anyone entering the paint. He had 8 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 blocks in the first quarter and finished the game with 10 points, 10 rebounds and 5 blocks in just 26 minutes.

The Celtics didn't let up any in the second quarter and finished the half with a 44-26 lead. 26 points is the fewest allowed by a team in the playoffs. The refs in this game let the teams play rather than calling a foul on the Celtics every time down the floor. The free throws in this game were much more fairly distributed with the Celtics shooting 19 and the Hawks shooting 16. If the first 6 games were called this way, the Celtics would have won in 5 or 6 games at the most.

The Celtics continued where they left off in the second half and ran the lead up to 79-43 at the end of 3. Doc pulled the starters at the end of 3 and the bench held the lead until the end for a 99-65 final score. The fact that no starter played more than 32 minutes is good for Tuesday's game 1 versus Cleveland. The scoring was spread out with 5 players in double figures. Ray Allen was the only starter who didn't hit double figures as struggled from the field shooting 3-12 and finishing with 7 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal. Pierce meant business right from the beginning and was the game's high scorer with 22 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. KG had a double double (18 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 block) and along with Perk, keyed the defense.

Rondo had a good game and finished with 10 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists and 1 steal. He set the tone for the game. After a steal, he was ahead of everyone on a break and was grabbed around the neck and thrown to the ground by Marvin Williams. It looked as though he landed on his tail bone and could have been seriously injured. He stayed on the floor for a long time while the Celtics' nation collectively held it's breath. Williams was assessed a flagrant 2 and ejected. Ray Allen ran over after the foul and instead of picking a fight as some might have, he bent over to check on Rondo and there were no problems between the teams. Rondo got up eventually and calmly hit both free throws. He played well after the foul and so hopefully he is fine. What a tough kid.

Leon Powe once again played well and finished with 12 points and 4 rebounds. James Posey is showing why he was such an important factor in Miami's championship and why he will be key in this playoff run with 6 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks. PJ Brown played some very good defense and finished with 2 points, 1 rebound and 2 blocks in 13 minutes. Sam played just 7 minutes in this game but also provided some good defense with 2 points and 2 steals. Tony, Big Baby and Eddie House all played in the 4th quarter after the game was already decided.

The Celtics were dominant from start to finish. They out scored the Hawks 60 to 30 in the paint. They had 12 fast break points to just 2 for the Hawks. The Celtics shot 48% from the field while holding the Hawks to just 29%. The Celtics did a very good job of taking care of the ball with just 8 turnovers in this game.

As for the KG and ZaZa skirmish in game 4, I have to say KG got the last word. With just over 2 minutes to play in the 3rd, KG set a great pick and dropped Pachulia to the ground, allowing Rondo to run past. It was great. KG didn't take the bait this time when Pachulia came after him and just kept his arms across his chest. Doc wisely took KG out of the game at that point giving him that last play to savor as he prepares for the Cavs. Game 1 is Tuesday night at 8:00 PM ET.

As for the KG and ZaZa skirmish in game 4, I have to say KG got the last word. With just over 2 minutes to play in the 3rd, KG set a great pick and dropped Pachulia to the ground, allowing Rondo to run past. It was great. KG didn't take the bait this time when Pachulia came after him and just kept his arms across his chest. Doc wisely took KG out of the game at that point giving him that last play to savor as he prepares for the Cavs.