Celtics Pull Out Improbable Game 1 Win Over Sixers In Eastern Conference Semifinals

For three quarters last night, the Celtics looked and played like an old, worn out team. Luckily for them, there are still four quarters in NBA games as they used a 23-7 run in the fourth to steal a 92-91 win against the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals at TD Garden.

Kevin Garnett (29 points, 11 rebounds) eclipsed his season-high in points, which he set in Game 6 against the Hawks and Rajon Rondo (13 points, 17 assists, 12 rebounds, 4 steals) notched his eighth career postseason triple-double. Paul Pierce had another quiet game (I guess the knee is really bothering him) with 14 points, six rebounds and six assists. Brandon Bass scored 10 points, Avery Bradley had eight points while Ray Allen notched 12 points off the bench.

Andre Iguodala led the Sixers with 19 points, six rebounds and six assists. Evan Turner had 16 points, 10 rebounds and four steals, Spencer Hawes put up 15 points and eight rebounds while Lavoy Allen (12 points) and Lou Williams (9 points) made things happen off the bench.

Philly jumped out to a 28-18 lead after the first quarter so from then on, Boston was trying to catch up. After going down by as much as 13 (45-32) in the second quarter, the Celts rallied to make it a manageable 5-point deficit (47-42) at halftime. The C's actually outscored the Sixers in each of the last three quarters, including 25-24 in the third and 25-20 in the fourth.

This became exactly the type of grimy, ugly contest that the Celtics excel in the most. The Sixers kept taking and missing jump shots in the fourth and the combination of Rondo penetrating and KG making plays (jumpers, a great And-1) were enough to get it done. Also, Pierce hit a clutch mid-range jumper.

It was only Game 1 but picking up this victory was vital since Boston didn't want to lose its home-court advantage already. It shouldn't come down to it but this ensured that if they keep winning all their games at the Garden, they'll advance to the Eastern Conference finals.

I've never seen what happened in this one: both the Celtics & Sixers had the exact same amount of shots taken (82) and hit (36) from the floor. Philly made three more 3-pointers (5-2), two more steals (9-7) and one more block (8-7). The Celtics hit four more free throws (18-14), grabbed four more rebounds (45-41) and handed out nine more assists (28-19).

Game 2 is tomorrow night (7 p.m., TNT) at the Garden, Boston could really do themselves a big favor by winning that one too.

Tweet


Follow @RichSlate