Boston Sports Then and Now

Doc River's coaching future is in question after a second-round exit

For the last time in the 2011 NBA season, the Boston Celtics failed to close out a game they had in their grasps.

Lebron James and Dwayne Wade finally conquered their biggest test from the heavily stacked Eastern Conference Wednesday night in a 97-87 win over the Celtics to move forward to the Eastern Conference Finals series.

Lebron scored the final 10 points of the fourth quarter on his way to sending the veteran Boston team packing for the summer. While playing against the struggling Paul Pierce, five fouls entering the fourth quarter, James had space he normally wouldn’t to attack the rim and change direction at will. Pierce was forced to play off the athletic big man and allowed James to control the pace on the offensive end of the court en route to two consecutive dagger threes in the final minutes. Without their attacking captain, the C’s went scoreless for the last 4:15 of regulation as the Heat went on a 16-0 run to finish the original Boston Big 3 that has controlled the East for the last three years.

James had 33 points, seven boards, and four assists while Wade dropped in 34 points, 10 rebounds, and four steals to lead the team in scoring. Bosh finished the heavy scoring production for the Miami Big 3 with 14 points and 11 boards. Throughout the series the South Beach superstars accounted for just over 84 percent of the scoring, a phenomenal number for three players in a series.

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Rondo did everything he could with one arm Monday night

The Boston Celtics rode an emotional high from the now infamous “Rondo Elbow Game,” but ran out of steam when game four rolled into overtime.

The veteran Celtics now trail the Miami Heat in the best-of-seven series, 3-1 after a 98-90 overtime loss. With 24 second remaining in overtime and C’s trailing by 3, Lebron James missed an elbow jumper, but Chris Bosh was under the rim to tip in the miss and put the dagger in Boston’s hopes of evening up the series.

The C’s survived the Heat’s best punches throughout regulation and Paul Pierce’s stifling defense on Lebron James with the clock running down caused a key turnover, giving the men in green the last possession with 19.6 seconds remaining in the fourth. The Heat have been criticized all season for their inability to close out games, but in this instance, Boston looked like the team that hadn’t been in that position before. What was drawn up to be a high pick-and-roll involving Pierce rolling off a Kevin Garnett screen, ended up being Garnett and Ray Allen standing around the paint, running circles, as Pierce was left on an island against the bigger, stronger Lebron James. Pierce moved to his left, stepped back, and got the shot off as time expired and the ball rolled gently around the basket before clanging out. Overtime was just too much for the older Celtics as Miami rolled through the five-minute period as if it were the first quarter. Their energy outmatched whatever Boston could muster, and the C’s were only able to produce four points as Miami willed their way to another victory.

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Rondo's gruesome elbow injury ignited the veteran Celtics

Rajon Rondo, and his elastic elbow, brought a toughness back to the TD Garden that the Boston faithful haven’t witnessed since the Bird Era.

The Celtics dominated the parquet floor for their first win in the best-of-seven series Saturday night against the Miami Heat, 97-81.

Rondo displayed one of the toughest performances in Celtics history after he got tangled with Dwayne Wade and attempted to brace his fall with his left arm, in the same motion injuring his left elbow. Rondo would leave with seven minutes left in the third before returning to the floor to a booming ovation in the Garden for the start of the fourth quarter  while suffering from what is being called a dislocated left elbow. After a forgettable first half of eight assists and five turnovers, the fiery fourth-year point guard finished the game with six points, 11 assists and most importantly zero second-half turnovers. Read the rest of this entry →