Some have dismissed the Boston Celtics as too old, too brittle, way past their prime.
Well, such comment may have somehow psyched up the actually older or some say, fast-aging Celtics led by Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen.
So when they trooped the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio today, the Celtics played a youthful, active brand of playoff basketball–up and down on both offense and defense en route to a methodical 120-88 manhandling of Lebron James and the Cavaliers to take a 3-2 series lead in their Eastern Conference semifinal match up.
While the Big Three was all business–Allen scored 25 points, Pierce 21 and Garnett 18–it was still point guard Rajon Rondo who served as the key factor for the Celtics’ resurgence in Game 5. He finished with 16 points, which he scored all in the second half, aside from adding six assists.
Anyway, I wrote on my April 28 sports blog that even though the Celtics are old to play in the playoffs (they’ve got 6 players age 30 and beyond), they are still a dangerous bunch to play against.
And the Game 5 result is a proof of how dangerous they can be, especially as they push for another NBA championship in three seasons.
Rondo will surely play a pivotal role in the Celtics’ bid to end the Cavaliers’ championship dream season. He played the hero’s role for the Celtics when he powered Boston to a 97-87 victory in Game 4 at the TD Garden to even the best-of-seven series at two games. He finished with 29 points, 13 assists and 18 rebounds.
Only Oscar Robertson (32 points, 19 rebounds, 13 assists) and Wilt Chamberlain (29 points, 36 rebounds, 13 assists) ever put up those sort of point, rebound and assist totals in an NBA playoff game.
Though injuries have hit Boston’s Big Three throughout the regular season, the Celtics refused to roll and die. They showed the exit door to Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat during the first round of their playoff series, 4-1. And they are determined to prove that they can do the same thing against Lebron and Co.
Game 6, a critical and the most important game ever in Cleveland franchise history, will be a no-tomorrow and probably no-more-Lebron-James-in the future should they lose again.
Since Lebron will be a free agent officially starting July 1, the Cavs better get back on the winning track. Otherwise, we all would probably have seen Lebron wearing the Cleveland jersey for the last time.
Will the Cavs stay alive with a Game 6 win to force a rubber match up?
Photo Source: http://blog.cleveland.com