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.
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.
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