Was Andre Iguodala Really That Important? Because The 76ers Are A Mess Without Him

Remember when the Celtics and Sixers went seven games in the Eastern Conference semifinals last spring? Boston could certainly get back there this season but Philadelphia won't even sniff the playoffs. Apparently Andre Iguodala is the best player in the NBA since the Sixers (23-36, 17-16 home) are lost with him in Denver now.

Boston (32-27, 11-18) won their third consecutive game, 109-101 at the Wells Fargo Center tonight, to go a season-high five games over .500. After losing the first two games of the season series, Boston won the final two to finish 2-2 vs. Philly.

Avery Bradley had a season-high 22 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Paul Pierce flirted with a triple-double (18 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists) and Kevin Garnett added 18 points, six rebounds and two blocks. Boston's bench outscored Philadelphia's 41-22. Jeff Green put up 16 points and five assists, Jordan Crawford scored 12 and Jason Terry notched nine points and six assists.

Thaddeus Young led the Sixers with 19 points, 10 rebounds and two steals. Evan Turner almost had a triple-double (18 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals),
Jrue Holiday notched 18 points, 10 assists and four steals while Royal Ivey had 10 points. Dorell Wright (7 rebounds, 2 steals) and Arnett Moultrie both tossed in 10 points off the bench.

The C's led the whole way and this should have been decided by more but the Sixers made it somewhat interesting with some garbage time heroics. Boston was up 26-23 after the first quarter and 53-46 at halftime. The Sixers outscored the Celts 28-26 in the third quarter but Boston wrapped it up in the fourth (30-27).

Boston shot 9.6% better than Philadelphia (50.6%-41%), they hit six more 3-pointers (11-5), grabbed four more rebounds (49-45) and handed out 10 more assists (34-24). So how was this close? Well the Sixers had seven more steals (14-7), 26 more points in the paint (64-38) and 11 more points off turnovers (30-19).

If the playoffs started tomorrow, Boston (No. 7) would meet Indiana (No. 2). Wouldn't you know that the Celtics travel to meet the Pacers (38-22, 1st in Central Division) tomorrow night (7 p.m., CSN) at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. In their previous meeting, Boston rolled to a 94-75 win on January 4 at TD Garden. Looking back, that is easily one of their best wins of the season. I highly doubt that they can duplicate a blowout like that tomorrow but I guess that we shall see.

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I Bet That Rajon Rondo Would Trade His Triple-Double For A Game-Winning Shot

We were all treated to the full Rajon Rondo (16 points, 14 assists, 13 rebounds, 3 steals, 3 blocks) experience tonight since he was easily the best player on the Wells Fargo Center's court. Of course, what everyone will remember most is that he not only missed a jumper at the end of regulation but also slipped and airballed another shot to close out overtime as the Celtics (10-9, 4-5 away) lost 95-94 to the 76ers (11-8, 7-5 home).

The two most frustrating aspects of Rondo's final miss are that Kevin Garnett (17 points, 10 rebounds) passed up a decent look in the post and truthfully, Rondo would have been best served driving to the basket for a layup since the lane appeared open. Every game of basketball needs a winner and loser so Philadelphia's Evan Turner (26 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists) was the hero as he hit the last shot-a midrange jumper.

Great stat courtesy of Celtics radio announcer Sean Grande on Twitter (@SeanGrandePBP): In Rondo's first 22 triple-doubles, the Celts were 21-1. Now they've lost the last two of them-Game 7 vs. Miami in the Eastern Conference Finals and tonight.

I don't know what it is about Turner, Thaddeus Young (17 points, 12 rebounds), Jrue Holiday (15 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals) or the Sixers but they always seem to push the Celtics to the limit. It must be their young legs, they are morphing into the Atlanta Hawks 2.0 when they see Boston. Jason Richardson added 13 points and five steals while Spencer Hawes and his beautiful mullet notched 10 points and six rebounds off the bench.

By losing, Boston wasted a great effort by Paul Pierce (27 points, 5 assists) and his eventual replacement-Jeff Green (19 points, 8 rebounds off the bench). Not to pin the loss on two guys since basketball is a team game but Brandon Bass (2 points on 0 for 1 shooting) and Jason Terry (4 points on 1 for 12 shooting) picked a bad time to both have their worst performances of the season since they are both starters at the moment.

The Celtics shot better (43.2%-37.4%) than the Sixers from the floor and hit four more 3-pointers (6-2) along with five more assists (24-19) and three more blocks (7-4). Boston had seven more fast break points (16-9) but Philadelphia had eight more points in the paint (40-32). This game was lost by the C's since they had 10 more team turnovers (19-9) and the Sixers converted those into a 12-point advantage (21-9).

After losing the first two meetings of the 2012-13 regular season, Boston gets another shot at Philadelphia tomorrow night (7:30 p.m., CSN) at TD Garden. If they can cut down on the turnovers and not leave the most important shots to Rondo, I like their chances. However, I can almost guarantee that it'll be another close contest since that is how it goes when they meet the 76ers and it's the second night of a back-to-back against an Atlantic Division rival.

UPDATE 12/8: The Celtics assigned rookie forward Kris Joseph to the Maine Red Claws.

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Unlike Game 1, Celtics Can't Close Out Sixers, Philly Wins Game 2 82-81

We can all agree that making it a habit of partaking in one-point playoff games is not a recipe for success in the long run.

The Boston Celtics were lucky enough to win Game 1 (92-91) of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Saturday night but the Philadelphia 76ers got what they came for-the split-as they took Game 2 82-81 this evening at TD Garden.

The truth of the matter is that Boston could easily be up 2-0 in this series or also down 0-2 so it is fair that both teams captured one game since they've been virtually even through the first two contests.

Let's be honest as well that this wasn't your garden variety one-point win, it was basically a four or five-point win since Ray Allen (17 points) hit a 3-pointer with three seconds left and Kevin Garnett (15 points, 12 rebounds) hit a 3-pointer as time expired. Give Philly credit as Evan Turner (10 points, 6 rebounds), Lou Williams (8 points, 7 rebounds) and Jodie Meeks all made a pair of free throws with 12 seconds or less remaining in regulation. For that alone, Philly already proved to be superior to the Hawks.

Boston lost Game 2 in the second and third quarters where they combined for 24 points (13 in the second, 11 in the third). Philadelphia had 36 in that time frame (15 in the second, 21 in the third) which by comparison looks like a Harlem Globetrotters type output. It's astonishing that the C's made it that close, particularly when they hit seven free throws for the entire game and turned the ball over 19 times. Did I mention that the Sixers grabbed 11 more rebounds (47-36)? Weirdest and ugliest Celtics playoff game in a long time.

Jrue Holiday led Philadelphia with a game-high 18 points. Andre Iguodala had 13 points, seven assists and six rebounds while Spencer Hawes notched eight points and 10 rebounds plus Lavoy Allen scored 10 points with eight rebounds off the bench.

Brandon Bass scored 12 points but Rajon Rondo (8 points, 13 assists, 7 rebounds) had a quiet night. The only real positive development offensively for the Celts is that Mickael Pietrus (8 points) woke up from his playoffs-long no-show to hit a pair of huge 3-pointers. Avery Bradley also scored eight points in only 20 minutes as his shoulder popped out again so his time on the court was limited.

One thing we can always count on with the C's is that they'll never make it easy on themselves or their fans. This loss ensured that there will be a Game 5 next Monday in Boston. First things first, the series shifts to Philadelphia for Games 3 & 4. Game 3 is Wednesday night (7:00 p.m., TNT) and I have a feeling that the Celtics will have more energy and better offensive execution. At least that is my hope since they really need to win that game and not fall behind 2-1.

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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.

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Pietrus' Injury Overshadows Boston's Loss In Philadelphia

A serious injury in any sport always puts a damper on a game, no matter how important it is.

The Boston Celtics (25-22, 9-14 road) concluded their grueling eight-game road trip (4-4) with a 99-86 loss tonight to the Philadelphia 76ers (27-21, 17-10) at the Wells Fargo Center.

If they had won, the Celts would have moved into first-place in the Atlantic Division for the first time this season. However, for the second time, they were no match for the Sixers who now lead by 1.5 games but the Celts have a game in hand.

All of that seems insignificant though since Celtics swingman Mickael Pietrus suffered a serious injury late in the first half when he fell awkwardly on the court and his neck went back quickly. He had to be taken off on a stretcher and Boston released a statement that he had a "closed head injury" after the game.

At the time, the Celtics were leading but it is completely understandable that they ran out of energy and enthusiasm after seeing their teammate go down like that.

Plus, Ray Allen was already sitting out with an ankle injury and Avery Bradley suffered a similar injury (ankle) in the first half and he didn't return. He's hoping to return on Sunday, I'm not sure about Ray's status.

Elton Brand paced the Sixers with 20 points. Spencer Hawes had a double-double (12 points, 10 rebounds), Andre Iguodala (14 points, 8 assists, 6 rebounds) filled the stat sheet like always and Jrue Holiday scored 15 points.

Philadelphia is deep too since Lou Williams (19 points) and Thaddeus Young (12 points, 9 rebounds) are arguably their two most skilled offensive players and they both come off the bench.

Paul Pierce (9 rebounds) and Kevin Garnett (8 rebounds) both scored 20 points for the C's. Brandon Bass added 18 points and Rajon Rondo handed out a quiet 17 assists, if that's possible.

These teams will meet one more time in the regular season: Sunday, April 8 (Easter) at TD Garden. I just found out yesterday that I will be there with front row seats behind the Celtics' bench, something I've never experienced so I'm hoping for a better result then.

After almost two full weeks on the road, mostly very far away, Boston returns home to face the Washington Wizards on Sunday. The Celtics beat the Wizards three times in January but they were all pretty close (8 points, 8 points, 6 points) so if they're not careful, Washington could possibly steal a win.

Most importantly, let's hope that Pietrus is o.k. and that wasn't as bad as it looked.

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I really don't want to see the Sixers in the first round

I would much rather see the Boston Celtics face either the Indiana Pacers or Charlotte Bobcats in the first round of the playoffs this season. It's not that the Philadelphia 76ers would beat them but their athleticism and depth would take a lot more out of the Celts than the other two teams.

It seems like the Sixers (34-31) always give Boston (46-17) a game and last night, they ended up winning one, 89-86 at the Wells Fargo Center.

The Big Three combined to shoot 11-for-31, as bad a shooting performance as I can remember from those three future Hall of Famers.

Jeff Green led the Celts with 18 points while Nenad Krstic added 16 points and 15 rebounds. Kevin Garnett had 14 points and Paul Pierce scored 12 while Ray Allen was held to just five points. Rajon Rondo had a quiet 12 points.

Spencer Hawes led Philadelphia with 14 points and 10 rebounds while Elton Brand added 14 points. Andre Iguodala had 13 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. Jodie Meeks scored 12 points and Thaddeus Young had 12 points off the bench.

Boston looks to bounce back from its two straight losses as they host the Milwaukee Bucks tomorrow night at TD Garden. Glen Davis is expected back in the lineup.