Rajon Rondo did everything. He scored, he passed, he rebounded. He attacked, barely coughed up the ball and he even hit his jumpers. All of this, and he never sat down once.

Unfortunately, Rondo can't do it alone. A tremendous game from Rondo, highlighted by a career high 44 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds, was for all naught as the Miami Heat outlasted the Boston Celtics, 115-111, in overtime to win Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Wednesday evening at AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami, Florida.

"It was great. He was absolutely phenomenal." Celtics head coach Doc Rivers said about Rondo's night. "It was tough to have him play that way and not win the game, honestly. He did basically everything right, and we had a lot of opportunities to win the game."

Four of the Celtics' five starters reached double-digit scoring, with Paul Pierce scoring 21, Kevin Garnett amassing 18 points and eight rebounds and Ray Allen scoring 13 while grabbing five rebounds. Brandon Bass had eight points and 10 rebounds for Boston.

LeBron James scored 34, Dwyane Wade added 23 and Mario Chalmers stepped up and scored 22. Udonis Haslem hit several key shots down the stretch and finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Miami shot 44.6 percent (37-for-83) and made 10-of-26 threes.

The Celtics made 40-of-81 shots (49.4 percent) and turned the ball over just eight times. Both teams had 42 rebounds, but the story (aside from a poor third quarter for Boston) was the foul differential. Boston was whistled for 33 fouls while 18 harms were called on Miami.

Boston avoided the slow start that buried it in the opening game of the series, taking a 24-18 lead after one quarter. Pierce scored eight and Rondo had eight points on 4-of-8 shooting from the stripe in the frame, during which Boston shot 55.6 percent (10-for-18). James scored six for Miami in the frame, but the Heat made just 6-of-22 shots in the period.

Miami played much better in the second quarter, but a 29-28 advantage in the quarter still gave Boston a 53-46 edge at halftime. Rondo scored 14 in the quarter on 5-of-7 shooting (4-of-4 from free throw line). Boston was equally effective from the field in the second, making 10-of-19 buckets. Rondo led all scorers at the break with 22 points in 24 minutes.

Rondo cooled off in the third, as did the entire Celtics team. Rondo had four points and only one assist and the team went 8-for-18 and got to the line six times. Miami, meanwhile, scored 35 in the frame and was led by 12 points from Wade and 11 points from James.

Boston again outscored Miami, 24-18, in the fourth quarter, this time receiving a charge from Garnett, who scored 10 points -- six from the line -- but it was Allen who came up with the three points that mattered most. Down by three with 34.3 seconds remaining, Allen sank a wide-open three after a kick out pass from Keyon Dooling, tying the game at 99. After a Heat timeout, James missed a layup and Miami reset its offense, ultimately getting the ball back to James, who missed a 22-foot jumper with 1.9 seconds left, forcing overtime.

Rondo was again magnificent in the extra period, scoring all 12 of Boston's points. Still, Miami would overcome thanks to eight points from Wade and four each from James and Haslem to outscored the Celtics, 16-12. The Heat made 6-of-10 free throws in overtime while Boston got to the line just twice, and Rondo made both free throws.

The series transitions back to Boston for Games 3 and 4, with Game 3 taking place Friday.

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Without taking the avenue of referee bashing, the officials in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals -- Ed Malloy, Jason Phillips, Dan Crawford -- were, shall we say, a tad bid too whistle happy. Perhaps the best example of the referee's quick whistles came late in the second quarter, when Boston Celtics head coach Doc Rivers received a technical foul from Malloy after he said three words. Those technical-worthy words? "Come on, Ed."

"I know mine wasn't [deserved]," Rivers said. "I don't know how long I've been in the league, but that has to rank as the worst I've ever had. I would have liked to have earned it."

"We should never get them, I told our guys," Rivers said, before adding, "Everybody has to keep their composure, not just just the players and coaches." (via WEEI)

Doc should probably be expecting a phone call from the league and have his checkbook ready. But, he was right. In total, the Celtics received four technical fouls, only one of which was deserved (Rajon Rondo throwing an arm at Shane Battier in the second half).

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Celtics Overtime is a postgame feature providing analysis. Boston was defeated by the Miami Heat, 93-79, on Monday evening in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Play time is over. The real basketball has begun, and it doesn't look good for the Celtics.

LeBron James and the Miami Heat are not the Atlanta Hawks, and they certainly aren't the Philadelphia 76ers. They're a real basketball team with real talent (at least, James and Dwyane Wade) and championship aspirations that are actually on par with their talent.

After playing two rounds against mediocre opponents in Atlanta and Philly, it's starting to look like Boston has met its match in South Beach. James scored 32 and Wade added 22 points as the Heat smothered the Celtics, 93-79, to take a 1-0 lead in the East Finals.

Boston started the game about as poorly as possible, mustering only 11 points on 25 percent shooting (5-for-20) while giving up 13 points to James alone and 21 to the Heat as a team. The second quarter was a different story, though, and the Celtics put up a playoff best 35 second-quarter points to knot the score at 46 heading into the intermission.

James and Wade put the Heat on their backs, scoring 10 and six in the third quarter respectively to lead a 55.6 percent scoring attack that put Miami up 72-61 through three. The fourth quarter wasn't much different, with Wade scoring 10 and James scoring five.

Kevin Garnett finished with good numbers (23 points, 10 rebounds), but just like the Celtics' offense, he had plenty of misses, going 9-for-16 from the field. Boston was limited to 39.5 percent shooting (32-for-81). On the boards, Miami had a dominant 48-33 advantage, which given the Celtics' nature isn't surprising, and shot 50 percent (36-for-72).

This was a case of Boston being thoroughly dominated by a team that is simply better than it. Even in losing, the Celtics had their chances, and they likely will have plenty more opportunities this series. Unfortunately, the end result will likely be the same each time. Regardless of its starters' talent level, the Celtics do not have the bench that can carry the load while the stars are catching their breath. It looked as if the Celtics were already gassed midway through the second quarter. That simply won't do. As for stopping James and Wade, that is still the primary focus, and it's something they will absolutely need to do a better job of if they plan on winning some quarters, let alone entire games and the series.

However, if this keeps up, the Celtics have three very, very long games ahead of them.

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You're hot then you're cold, you're yes then you're no, you're in then you're out, you're up then you're down. Unbeknownst to Katy Perry, she succinctly summed up the Boston Celtics' night in the opening game of the Eastern Conference Finals on Monday evening.

Boston was all over the map in Game 1 against the Miami Heat, and the end result was a 93-79 win for the residents of South Beach, sending Miami one step closer to the Finals.

"I thought they were ready to play," Celtics coach Doc Rivers told reporters after the game.

LeBron James scored 32 points to lead all scorers and Dwyane Wade had 22 points. Shane Battier was the only other Heat player to score in double digits, dropping 10 points while scooping up eight rebounds. Mario Chalmers scored nine points and Mike Miller had eight points on 2-of-2 shooting from three-point range off the bench for the red-hot Heat.

Kevin Garnett powered the Celtics offensive attack, as expected, pouring in 23 points in 31 minutes while grabbing 10 boards. Paul Pierce shot 5-of-18 from the floor and finished with 12 points while Rajon Rondo had 16 points on 8-of-20 shooting, seven assists and four turnovers. Boston shot 37.5 percent (24-for-64) and was 11-for-21 from the free-throw line.

After the Celtics put up their worst offensive quarter of the postseason in the first period, in which they scored 11 points while giving up 21, the Celts notched their best, outscoring the Heat 35-25 in the second to miraculously tie the game at 46 heading into halftime. James had 13 points alone in the first quarter, outscoring the entire Celtics team, and finished the half with 17. Garnett, meanwhile, scored 13 on 6-of-8 shooting in the opening 24 minutes.

"I thought we kind of joined the game," Rivers said. "First quarter, we gave them a cushion, gave them a lot of confidence. I thought in the second quarter we executed our stuff offensively. The ball started moving, I thought we started competing."

Miami answered with its strongest quarter in the third, outscoring Boston 26-15. James scored 10 on 4-of-7 shooting in the frame and Wade scored six to lead the Heat to a simmering 55.6 shooting percentage in the quarter. Boston got seven points from Garnett in the third, but overall shot 27.3 percent in the third, missing 16 shots. Wade added 10 in the fourth and Miami outpaced Boston with a 21-18 quarter to grab the series-opening win.

"In the third quarter, the game just got away from us," said Rivers. "I thought we rushed. I thought our offense was rushed. I never thought we ever got into our rhythm as far as getting from one side of the floor to the other, and they made some shots."

Game 2 tips off at 8:30 p.m. EST on Wednesday evening at AmericanAirlines Arena, and Boston will try to avoid an 0-2 hole before the series shifts to Boston for Games 3 and 4.

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It's not often that the wife of an NFL player makes more than he does, and that's not a slight on women. Simply put, football players get a lot of money, especially guys like New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. Still, even though Brady made a cool $27 million, his wife earned more money. A lot more money, $18 million to be specific.

Oh, right, did we mention his wife was a supermodel?

Gisele Bundchen brought home $45 million in 2011, according to Forbes (relayed by CNBC's Darren Rovell). Between the two, that's (pulls up calculator on Mac ... hey, I'm a writer, not a math teacher) $63 million. A wild guess, but I think everyone got what they wanted for Christmas last year, and then some.

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Boston Red Sox starting second baseman Dustin Pedroia came out of Monday afternoon's game in the top of the sixth inning after suffering an apparent wrist injury on a diving inning-ending play in the bottom of the fifth. Pedroia was replaced by Nick Punto, and no official word has been released by the team on Pedroia's condition.

Pedroia was 1-for-3 with an RBI before being pulled from the game. Pedroia slapped an infield single to second in the second inning, allowing Daniel Nava to score, giving Boston a 4-1 lead at the time. Pedroia would then advance to second base on a bad throw. At the time of Pedroia's injury, the Red Sox were leading the Detroit Tigers, 5-2.

Pedroia is batting .295 with five home runs and 21 RBI in 48 games played this season.

For more Boston Red Sox coverage, visit our team page and blog, Over The Monster.

It might surprise you what the closest thing to a rivalry is for Miami Heat superstar LeBron James. It's not Kobe Bryant, it's not Kevin Durant and it isn't Derrick Rose. Of all people, it's our very own Paul Pierce of the Boston Celtics, who James will meet in the East Finals.

Of course, this makes a lot of sense. Prior to last season, the demon that James was unable to overcome in the playoffs had been Pierce and his Celtics. Their rivalry really took form back in the 2004 preseason, but it has since grown to become a sort of mutual respect. Brian Windhorst of ESPN wrote a great piece about the Pierce-LeBron rivalry.

When asked about the rivalry, Pierce had the following to say about his battle with James.

"I don't think it is like or dislike, it is what it is," Pierce said. "He's been on some great teams, I've been on some great teams and we've had to face one another. After awhile it became a mutual respect for the things he's done in this league and the things I've done in this league."

"He's one of the best at his position and I've been considered one of the best at my position," Pierce said. "It's been a very competitive battle."

James returned the favor, talking up his storied history with the Celtics captain.

"Oh, we know each other," James said. "More than any other matchup in the league. We know each other's likes and dislikes."

"We understand how competitive each other are," James said. "It's always fun to go up against the best, and he's one of them."

Excerpts don't tell the full story. If you can, check out Windhorst's piece. It's worth it.

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Paul Pierce and the Boston Celtics continue their pursuit of an 18th championship as they face the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals on Monday night in South Beach.

Event: Celtics (8-5) vs. Heat (8-3) - NBA Playoffs 2012, Eastern Conference Finals, Game 1.

Date/Time: Monday, May 28, 2012 - 8:30 p.m. EST

Location: AmericanAirlines Arena (Capacity: 19,600), Miami, FL.

Broadcast Info: Monday night's game between the Celtics and Heat will be televised nationally on ESPN. In addition, the game can be heard locally on the radio on the WEEI Sports Radio Network (93.7 FM/850 AM).

Odds: Miami is an 8 1/2-point favorite over Boston on Monday night (per Bovada).

Celtics Roster 2011-2012: Ray Allen, Brandon Bass, Avery Bradley, Marquis Daniels, Keyon Dooling, Kevin Garnett, Ryan Hollins, JaJuan Johnson, E'Twaun Moore, Sasha Pavlovic, Paul Pierce, Mickael Pietrus, Rajon Rondo, Greg Stiemsma, Sean Williams. Head Coach: Doc Rivers.

Heat Roster 2011-2012: Joel Anthony, Shane Battier, Chris Bosh, Mario Chalmers, Norris Cole, Eddy Curry, Terrel Harris, Udonis Haslem, Juwan Howard, LeBron James, James Jones, Mike Miller, Dexter Pittman, Ronny Turiaf, Dwyane Wade. Head Coach: Erik Spoelstra.

Injury Report: Boston - Paul Pierce (knee), Ray Allen (ankle), Avery Bradley (shoulder - out for season). Miami - Chris Bosh (abdominal injury).

Regular Season Series: Boston won the regular-season series, 3-1. Miami won the first game against Boston, 115-107, but the Celtics would respond with three straight wins against the Heat, all in the month of April. Boston posted a statement 91-72 win on April 1 and closed out the season series with a 115-107 win and a 78-66 win later in the month.

Celtics In First Two Rounds: Boston defeated the Atlanta Hawks in six games in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals and survived a seven-game series against the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Heat In First Two Rounds: Miami defeated the New York Knicks in five games in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals before eliminating the Indiana Pacers in six games in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Playoff Stats: Paul Pierce is Boston's leading scorer this postseason, averaging 19.3 points. Kevin Garnett (19.2 PPG) leads the team in rebounding (10.8 RPG) and blocks (1.5 BPG). Rajon Rondo leads the team in assists (12.3 APG) and steals (2.7 SPG).

LeBron James leads the Heat in scoring, averaging 29.0 points in 11 games, and also leads the team in rebounding (8.7 RPG), assists (5.9 APG) and steals (2.5 SPG). Dwyane Wade averages 23.8 points and leads the team in blocks this postseason, averaging 1.3 swats.

Storyline: Two rounds down, two to go. Boston and Miami will meet once again, this time for a chance to represent the Eastern Conference in the 2012 NBA Finals. Both teams are coming off lengthy second-round series, with the Celtics beating the 76ers in seven games and the Heat topping the Pacers in six games. Miami wrapped up its series last Thursday while Boston finished on Saturday, giving the weary Celtics little rest, which may come back to bite them. While both sides have their injuries, it seems as if Miami is in much better shape heading into Game 1, which most expect the Heat will win. However, the Celtics live to prove everyone wrong, and you can never count them out. It will be interesting to see how the lengthy semifinal series might hinder both teams early in the series, specifically on Monday night.

Players To Watch: Ever heard of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade? Yeah, well, they are always worthy of your attention. Boston's, too. The Celtics will need to focus all of their defensive energy on the Heat's dynamic duo. Meanwhile, for the Celtics, Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo will have to bear the brunt of the scoring load with the nagging injuries of Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. Boston will need players to step up on its bench, such as Mickael Pietrus and Keyon Dooling.

Prediction: All signs point to Miami, which has a little extra rest, winning the first game of the series, possibly in convincing fashion. Final Score: Heat 104, Celtics 86.

For 2012 NBA Playoffs coverage, visit our stream. For Celtics coverage, visit our team page and blog, CelticsBlog. For Heat coverage, visit SB Nation Tampa Bay and Peninsula Is Mightier.

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We here at SB Nation Boston would like to wish all of you a Happy Memorial Day. Today, we honor the brave men and women who gave their lives to keep our nation free. We would like to extend our thanks to all of the brave soliders, past and present, as well as issue our condolences to those who have lost a loved one in combat. It is through their actions that we are able to devote our time and energy to sports. Thank you for your sacrifices, and for putting your country before yourselves. We will never forget you.

Celtics Overtime is a postgame feature providing analysis. Boston beat the Philadelphia 76ers, 85-75, on Saturday evening in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Quite a few hearts sank when Paul Pierce picked up his sixth foul with 4:16 remaining.

Pierce was whistled for a charge with Boston leading 71-68. He walked slowly to the bench, and you couldn't help but wonder if he was making that walk for the last time in his career.

"I was very disappointed," said Pierce, who finished with 15 points and nine rebounds in 37 minutes. "You know no one goes out there and tries to foul out, especially when its clear our team needs me. You know I was put into situations where the previous two fouls before that, where I felt like I had to take fouls, and I didn't want to give up any easy buckets."

The game was far from over. A three-point lead with four minutes to go is rarely a safe one.

It could have gone either way, and the Big Three Era could have come to a screeching halt.

Of course, Rajon Rondo wasn't going to let that happen, and the performance he turned in over the final 3:39 was simply Rondominant. Or was it Rondiculous? Or Rondonkulous?

Whichever Rondo pun you'd like to use, his play was spectacular, as he carried the Celtics to an 85-75 win in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, eliminating the not-your-average-eighth-seeded 76ers after a hideous (severe understatement) seven game series.

Rondo scored 11 points after Pierce fouled out and recorded his twenty second career triple-double, and his ninth in the postseason, with 18 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds.

"I felt I was part of the reason [Pierce] fouled out," said Rondo, who only had seven points entering the fourth. "I had two bad turnovers. I felt somewhat responsible for it. My night wasn't going well. I just figured stay with it, stay positive and something will happen."

Well, something happened alright. Rondo was motivated, and we all know what happens then. So he pocketed the flashy passes for a little while and put on his scoring hat.

"Well he had no choice, too" said Celtics coach Doc Rivers. "That's what makes him good. Rondo wants to run the team, and he's a great quarterback. But tonight, with obviously Paul fouling out he had to take charge of the team, and that's good to see as well."

Rondo bailed out quite a few people with his late game heroics, Pierce in particular.

"I was thankful," said Pierce. "He was able to step up, be aggressive, knock down a couple big threes, got to the bucket. ... You know he felt a sense of urgency, he smelled it. He was able to take over the game with his scoring, and it was just phenomenal to watch."

We all know by now that as Rondo goes, so do the Celtics. That fact was clear on Saturday night, but it will be even more evident in the Celtics' next series against the Miami Heat. Boston was taken out by Miami last season in the second round of the playoff. Rondo was hurt for most of the series, and that severely limited the Celtics, but that's behind them now.

"Last year is in the past. This year we are a totally different team," said the clearly confident Rondo. "We feel we can beat Miami. Obviously we got to this point. There's no doubt in my mind that we can, so we've got to go down there and take care of business."

Boston won't have time for rest, as the East Finals begin on Monday. Alas, they'll be ready.

"We'll be ready on Monday," said Rivers. "We've got the long flight. As a staff, the good thing about the three-hour flight is three hour film for us. So we can look at that. I've already packed, so I can watch film tonight. We'll be ready. It's going to be a tough turnaround, but listen, we're not an excuse team. We'll be ready on Monday."

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BOSTON - Rajon Rondo stepped up when his team needed him most and delivered another memorable playoff performance, finishing with a triple-double (18 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists) to lead the Boston Celtics past the Philadelphia 76ers, 85-75, in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals on Saturday evening at TD Garden.

"He was terrific," said Celtics coach Doc Rivers. "Rondo down the stretch was huge."

Boston will now face the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals, marking the third time since the 2007-08 season that the Celtics have reached the conference finals. The first two games of the series will be played in South Beach, with Game 1 on Monday evening.

"We feel we can beat Miami," said Rondo. "Obviously we got to this point. There's no doubt in my mind that we can, so we've got to go down there and take care of business."

Rondo scored nine straight points down the stretch in the fourth and finished the frame with 11 points. Kevin Garnett had 18 points and 13 rebounds, Brandon Bass scored 16 and Paul Pierce, who fouled out late in the fourth quarter, amassed 15 points and nine boards. Ray Allen finished with 11 points, six of which came in the form of clutch threes in the fourth. Boston shot 42 percent and made 3-of-17 shots from three-point range.

"It was a challenge," Pierce said about winning the series. "You know how Philly played in the series I really got to take my hat off for them. You know it sure did seem like they were an 'A' team the way they played, they way they came out and fought every night."

Andre Iguodala scored 18 to lead Philadelphia, which was held to 35 percent shooting. Jrue Holiday and Elton Brand each scored 15 points and were the only other Sixers to reach double-digit scoring. Lou Williams had seven points to lead the Philly's bench scoring.

"We struggled to score," said Sixers coach Doug Collins, whose team averaged 85.4 points in seven games against Boston. "We're fighting, clawing, and staying in the game."

Boston got the start it desperately needed, opening up a 10-2 lead and forcing Philadelphia to call an early timeout. The Celtics opened the game making 4-of-7 baskets while the Sixers only made one of their first 10 shots and two of their first 12. Philly would battle back, using a strong period from Brand (eight points) to knot the score at 20 through one quarter.

Philly was held to two points for just over five minutes to open the second quarter, during which time Boston took advantage and built its lead to five points, 27-22. The Sixers brought themselves within two points, 32-30 at 4:22, and again at the 1:50 mark (34-32), but the Celtics closed out the quarter on a 7-1 run to take a 41-33 advantage into halftime. Bass led the C's with 10 points at the break, six of which he scored in the first quarter. Brand was held scoreless in the second, but still led Philadelphia with eight points. Both teams shot under 40 percent from the field in the half, with the Celtics shooting 37.5 percent (15-for-40) and the Sixers shooting a dismal 28.2 percent (11-for-39) in the opening half.

A strong start to the second half pushed the C's lead to 11 points, the first double-digit lead of the game, at 49-38 with 8:04 to go in the third. Philly wouldn't go away, though, bringing the game within a point, 53-52, with 34.5 ticks left and trailed 55-52, after three quarters. Turner had six points while Iguodala and Holiday each scored five to pace the Sixers.

Rondo's strong performance to end the fourth was more than enough for Boston to prevail.

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Rajon Rondo and the Boston Celtics continue their pursuit of an 18th championship against the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round of the 2012 NBA Playoffs on Saturday.

Event: Celtics (7-6) vs. 76ers (7-6) - NBA Playoffs 2012, Second Round, Game 7.

Date/Time: Saturday, May 26, 2012 - 8:00 p.m. EST.

Location: TD Garden (Capacity: 18,624), Boston, MA.

Broadcast Info: Saturday's game between the Celtics and 76ers will be televised nationally on ESPN. In addition, the game will be broadcast on the radio on WEEI 93.7 FM.

Celtics Roster 2011-2012: Ray Allen, Brandon Bass, Avery Bradley, Marquis Daniels,Keyon Dooling, Kevin Garnett, Ryan Hollins, JaJuan Johnson, E'Twaun Moore, Sasha Pavlovic, Paul Pierce, Mickael Pietrus, Rajon Rondo, Greg Stiemsma, Sean Williams. Head Coach: Doc Rivers.

76ers Roster 2011-2012: Lavoy Allen, Tony Battie, Craig Brackins, Elton Brand, Spencer Hawes, Jrue Holiday, Andre Iguodala, Jodie Meeks, Xavier Silas, Evan Turner, Nikola Vucevic, Louis Williams, Sam Young, Thaddeus Young. Head Coach: Doug Collins.

Injury Report: Boston - Paul Pierce (knee), Ray Allen (ankle), Mickael Pietrus (knee), Greg Stiemsma (foot), Keyon Dooling (sick), Avery Bradley (shoulder - out for season).

Regular Season Series: Boston and Philadelphia met three times in the regular season, with the Sixers winning twice. Philly won by a combined 45 points in its two victories. On March 7, the Celtics were blown away, 103-71, thanks to a career game from Evan Turner (26 points). Philly also beat Boston, 99-86, in the next meeting on March 23. Boston won the season series finale, 103-79, on April 8 behind a 20 point game from Kevin Garnett.

Celtics-76ers In First Round: Both the No. 4 seeded Celtics and No. 8 seeded 76ers won their Eastern Conference Quarterfinals series. Boston defeated the No. 5 seeded Atlanta Hawks, 4-2, and Philadelphia defeated the No. 1 seeded Chicago Bulls, 4-2.

First Round Playoff Stats: Paul Pierce is the Celtics' leading postseason scorer, averaging 21.2 points. Kevin Garnett is the team's leading rebounder (10.5 RPG) and shot blocker (1.8 BPG) and Rajon Rondo is averaging a team-high 11.8 assists and 3.4 steals in six games. Jrue Holiday is the Sixers' leading scorer, averaging 18.2 points, and leads the team, averaging 4.7 assists. Spencer Hawes is averaging 8.0 rebounds, Andre Iguodala averages 1.8 steals and Elton Brand is averaging 2.5 blocks through the opening round.

Celtics Vs. 76ers, Game 1: Boston rode Kevin Garnett (29 points, 11 rebounds) and Rajon Rondo (13 points, 12 rebounds, 17 assits) to a comeback 92-91 win over Philadelphia in Game 1 of the series on Saturday night at TD Garden. Paul Pierce scored 14 and Ray Allen scored 12. Andre Iguodala finished with 19 points, six rebounds and six assists for Philly.

Celtics Vs. 76ers, Game 2: Boston again struggled through parts of the first three quarters, but got hot at the right time in the fourth. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough as the Sixers fended off the green team to even the series at 1-1. Jrue Holiday scored a game-high 18 while Kevin Garnett scored 11 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter and had 12 rebounds.

Celtics Vs. 76ers, Game 3: Kevin Garnett (27 points, 13 rebounds), Paul Pierce (24 points, 12 rebounds, three steals) and Rajon Rondo (23 points, 14 assists) carried the Celtics to a statement 107-91 win and a 2-1 series lead. Thaddeus Young scored 22 points for Philly.

Celtics Vs. 76ers, Game 4: All the momentum the Celtics earned in Game 3 was wiped away after Boston built a 14-0 lead and later led by 18 points in the second half, only to see the 76ers climb all the way back and post a 92-83 win in Game 4 to even the series at two games. Andre Iguodala and Evan Turner each scored 16. Paul Pierce scored 24 for Boston.

Celtics Vs. Sixers, Game 5: Boston trailed by three, 50-47, at halftime before Brandon Bass had the game of his career, scoring 18 of his game-high 27 points in the decisive third quarter as the Celtics rallied past the Sixers for a 101-85 win in Game 5 of the series, giving Boston a 3-2 series lead. Elton Brand scored 19 and Lavoy Allen added 12 points for Philly.

Celtics Vs. Sixers, Game 6: Never comfortable on the offensive end, the Celtics struggled to shoot 33.3 percent on the way to an ugly 82-75 loss to the Sixers in Game 6, evening the series at three games a piece. Jrue Holiday scored 20 and Paul Pierce had 24 points.

Storyline: Well, here we are. Six games have been played, and each side has three wins. Now, forty eight minutes sit between the Celtics, Sixers and the Eastern Conference Finals. Experience favors Boston, but youth and athleticism favor Philadelphia. Oh, and have we mentioned the injuries? Boston lost its defensive captain, Avery Bradley, to a season-ending shoulder injury, for which he underwent surgery on Friday. Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Mickael Pietrus and Greg Stiemsma are also banged up, meaning the Celtics will need others to step up to get the job done. The problem is, they are pretty weak in the depth department. All of these problems could mean big, big trouble for Boston. Then again, in these win or go home situation, it seems like the Celtics always find that extra gear. Nothing is a given, of course. This game will likely come down to whoever has one final run in them.

Players To Watch: Avery Bradley is out. Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Mickael Pietrus and Greg Stiemsma are pretty banged up, too. That means that the Celtics will need others to answer the call. Naturally, the top two candidates are playoff MVP Kevin Garnett and the triple-double machine, Rajon Rondo. In order for Boston to move on, Garnett and Rondo will almost certainly need to have have big games, and the Celtics will need some production from Pierce, too. On the other bench, Jrue Holiday, Lou Williams and Andre Iguodala will set the pace, and if they go off, they'll be tough, if not impossible, to stop.

Prediction: Simply put, you can't. Predicting a Game 7 is tough. It's a toss up. Buckle up.

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Forty eight minutes before the teacher says, "Pencils down, turn in your test." Six games are in the books, and the decisive seventh game is all that's standing between the Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers and the Eastern Conference Finals. Who makes the grade?

Philadelphia forced Boston's hand with a hearty 82-75 win in Game 6, bringing the series back to Boston for Game 7, which tips off at 8 p.m. EST on Saturday night at TD Garden.

Jrue Holiday stepped up to bat and delivered for the Sixers, scoring 20 points and dishing out six assists to outlast the Celtics in the series' sixth game on Wednesday night. Paul Pierce scored 24 and grabbed 10 rebounds and Kevin Garnett totaled 20 points and 11 rebounds, but Boston received little to no production from anyone else on the roster in the agonizing defeat. Going into the game, Philly had just one goal: survive until Saturday.

"That's all we wanted was to win tonight and give ourselves a chance to go into Boston and see what happens on Saturday in Game 7," said second-year Sixers coach Doug Collins.

That being said, Collins doesn't want his squad to ease up. While reaching the second round of the playoffs is beyond expectation for this group, Collins wants them to get greedy.

"I'm not going to give them that out," Collins said. "I want more. I want more. We're going to get greedy, and we want more. We've fought, we've worked, and we've gone through a lot as a team. ... We're competitors. I love what our guys did [in Game 6]."

By now, Doc Rivers and the Celtics are certainly aware of the threat Philadelphia poses.

"They're athletic," said Rivers, the Celtics' coach. "They're young and they are very fast. They play with a lot of energy and it's very difficult for our guys. The regular season against them was hard, and that's why the playoffs have been hard. We knew this match-up coming in would be hard because they have a quickness advantage and we understand that."

But throw all of the stats and past performances out the door, because in Game 7, anything goes. Boston has a clear advantage in the experience department, with the current Big Four having played in five Game 7's together already, but Philadelphia's youth has served them well while Boston's core is banged up. Even with odds against them, the Sixers are ready.

"We know we have to battle," said Elton Brand. "We’re going to have to try to find a way."

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Celtics Overtime is a postgame feature providing analysis. Boston lost to the Philadelphia 76ers, 82-75, on Wendesday evening in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Doc Rivers sounded like a broken record after the Boston Celtics' loss Wednesday night.

Philadelphia, which won 82-75 in Game 6 to force a seventh game, had more energy, outplayed the Celtics, and the team never established Kevin Garnett, said Rivers.

Sound familiar? It should, because that's what Rivers has said after each loss this series.

Once again, the Sixers did what they needed to do to ensure victory, and Rivers gave them plenty of credit. Still, the Celtics did not do anything to help their cause. All night long, Boston looked miserably out of sync on the offensive end, and the statistics showed it -- the Celtics shot 33.3 percent on 26-of-78 shooting and 3-of-14 from three-point range.

"Offensively, we were challenged tonight," said Paul Pierce, who scored 24 on 5-of-11 shooting and 13 free throws. "We didn't get the ball movement we got in Game 5."

There are plenty of ugly stats from Wednesday's game, but one in particular is especially putrid: the Celtics managed only 14 assists in the game. To put that in perspective, Rajon Rondo recorded 14 or more assists by himself five times this postseason and 18 times in the 2011-12 regular season. Philadelphia, on the other hand, racked up 22 assists.

"I think he wanted to play well," Rivers said about Rondo, who neared a triple-double (a weak one, at that) with nine points, nine rebounds and six assists while turning the ball over four times. "I thought he attacked early and missed some shots. He probably got caught in between himself. He saw the offense wasn't working, so I thought he was kind of trying to orchestrate the offense and try to [attack], and he probably got caught in the middle."

Garnett, meanwhile, wound up with good numbers -- 20 points, 11 rebounds -- but they weren't the kind of numbers that Boston needed on the offensive end, according to Rivers.

"We really never established Kevin," said Rivers. "Even though Kevin had points, it wasn't the points that we needed -- the type of points. We have to do a better job there."

Yet again, the Celtics wasted a chance to get some extra rest, and the series is knotted at three games apiece. This time around, though, the Celtics won't be able to afford a loss. Still, confidence won't be an issue for Boston in Game 7. They've been through this before.

"[It's] win or go home," Garnett said, who will be playing in his sixth Game 7 with Boston. "Confidence is very high. We've been here before, very experienced. All out, nothing less."

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Jrue Holiday scored 20 points and the Philadelphia 76ers forced a seventh game in the Eastern Conference Semifinals with an 82-75 win over the Boston Celtics in Game 6 on Wednesday night at Wells Fargo Center. Game 7 will be played Saturday night in Boston.

"They played with a lot of energy tonight," said Celtics head coach Doc Rivers. "I really just thought they outplayed us tonight. ... We have to do a better job offensively, I thought we had a lot of empty possessions offensively. We played in random a lot tonight."

Philly featured a balanced offensive attack, with six players scoring nine or more points. Elton Brand scored 13, Andre Iguodala and Evan Turner each had 12 points and Lou Williams had 11 points off the bench for the Sixers, who finished the game having made 32-of-70 field goals to shoot 45.7 percent after shooting under 40 percent in the first half.

Paul Pierce led all scorers with 24 points for Boston, which had one of its worst offensive performances in recent memory, shooting 33.3 percent on 26-of-78 shooting. Kevin Garnett had 20 points and 11 rebounds, Rajon Rondo had nine points, nine rebounds and six assists, Ray Allen scored nine and Brandon Bass scored eight. Boston had 16 turnovers and only had 14 assists to Philly's 22, but it did win the rebounding battle, 48-37.

"Offensively, we were challenged tonight," said Pierce, who was only 5-of-11 from the field but made 13-of-13 free throws. "We didn't get the ball movement we got in Game 5."

Boston's first half was painful to watch, but then again, so was Philadelphia's. Thanks to a Mickael Pietrus' quarter-ending three, the Celtics led 36-33 at the intermission. Both teams shot a combined 35.5 percent in the half, with the Celtics making only 13 of 41 baskets in the half. Pierce led the Celts with 11 points despite making only 3-of-5 field goals. Garnett was 3-for-10 from the field with eight points and Bass had seven points in 2-of-10 shooting.

Iguodala scored six and Williams had four of Philly's final seven points in the third quarter, helping the Sixers build a 60-54 advantage late in the period, and Rondo's 14-footer brought the Celtics within four through three. Philadelphia pushed its lead to double-digits -- the first such lead for either team -- 70-59 with 7:15 to play. However, the Sixers left the door open for a final Celtics run, and a three from Allen with 1:40 left pulled Boston within six, 78-72, and a much-needed three from Pierce made it a five-point contest, 80-75, with 32 ticks left. Philly wrapped up the game with a pair of baskets at the free throw line.

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Can you smell the fear? Well, if you say you can, you're lying. What we've learned from the first five games of the Eastern Conference Semifinal series between the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers is that the once "sensitive" and "fragile" Sixers are a very formidable foe for the time-tested Celtics. Nevertheless, Philly will have its back to the wall as it faces elimination in Game 6 at 8 p.m. EST on Wednesday night at Wells Fargo Center (ESPN).

"It's not going to be easy," said Celtics coach Doc Rivers about knocking out the Sixers after a Game 5 victory on Monday. "Listen, this series is hard. They're a good team, they're an athletic team. Every minute you think, like, we're leaking oil, physically. So we've got a quick turnaround here and we're going to have to be ready. But I just want us to play the right way every minute, and if we do that, I don't know if we'll win or not but we'll be good."

Boston wasn't exactly good (at least not in Rivers' eyes) for the majority of the first half in Game 5, trailing 50-47 heading into halftime. Alas, a huge third quarter from Brandon Bass -- he scored 18 of his game-high 27 points in the period and led the Celtics on a 15-4 run -- turned the tables and powered the Celts to a 101-85 win, giving Boston a 3-2 series lead.

Now one win away from their third Eastern Conference Finals since 2008, Boston is ready to strike for the final time. Still, as Rivers said, it will be difficult, and the Celtics know that.

"We know how tough the playoffs are, there's nothing easy about the playoffs," said Paul Pierce, who is averaging 19.6 points this postseason. "We know there's a long journey to get to where we need to go. We understand how difficult it is, nothing's easy. You got a very resilient Philadelphia group who just won't go away. I take my hat off to them, they are one of the better teams we even played in the last few years because of their fight, and they got great coaches and their players are mentally tough. We know they're not going to go away, so we've got to have our hard hats on for the next game, Game 6, to try to put them away."

Of course, the last time Boston visited Philadelphia, Pierce and company learned that lesson the hard way. Boston jumped out to a 14-0 lead and led by 18 points early in the second half, all while looking like they were on the verge of a quick five games series. Then, as Rivers later said, the Celtics lost their composure and Philly displayed its true grit, using a furious comeback to notch a 92-83 win in Game 4 and even the series at two games.

Boston can afford another loss in the series, but not Philly. For the Sixers, the options are clear: win two straight games or make vacation plans. No question, that is a very tall order.

"It will definitely be tough against this team," said Andre Iguodala. "We got to believe in ourselves and focus in and try to get done and try to clean up some of the mistakes."

Sixers coach Doug Collins has singled out one area where his team will need to succeed during Game 6 if they want to save their season and prolong the series: toughness.

"I told my guys that to win game six we've got to be mentally and physically tougher [than] what we were [in Game 5], the last eighteen minutes of the game," Collins said. "They knocked us on our heels and we had that one little segment that we tried to get back into it. But for the most part they were the more forceful team to finish the game."

And as it often does, the game will come down to one question: who wants it more?

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Celtics Overtime is a postgame feature providing analysis from each game. Boston beat the Philadelphia 76ers, 101-85, Monday in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Ever heard of the K-I-S-S principle, meaning "Keep It Simple Stupid?" Brandon Bass has.

Bass had by far his best game of the postseason, scoring a game-leading 27 points while scooping up six rebounds in the Celtics' 101-85 win over the Sixers in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference Semifinal series Monday night at TD Garden. Bass did most of his damage in the third quarter, torching Philly for 18 points to lead Boston's turnaround.

While the numbers he put up in the third were flashy, Bass' game plan wasn't. It was simple.

"I just thought he kept the game simple in the second half," Celtics head coach Doc Rivers said. "Didn't try to do too much, he let the game come to him. And he trusted his teammates, by throwing an extra pass to (Rajon) Rondo, Rondo throwing it back. But again, like I always say, it's a make-miss league. He made shots and that was great."

Boston trailed by six points, 53-47, with 11:06 to play in the third before Bass hit two free throws, kicking off a furious 15-4 run the put the Celtics on top by six, 63-57, with 4:56 left. During the run, Bass scored 10 points and finished the quarter with eight more points.

"It was big," said Paul Pierce, who scored nine first-half points and finished the contest with 16, of Bass' third quarter. "We were swinging the ball, getting it to the open guy. Brandon just stayed aggressive, he took the shots that were there, he was aggressive and mixing it up, going to the hole, finishing, taking the mid-range shot and that's what we need."

Added Bass on his dominant third quarter: "It was a blessing for me. It's just hard work. I've been working at it for a long time and I'm just grateful it was able to pay off."

Bass hadn't scored more than 15 points in a playoff game this postseason, and he did that in Game 4 against the Sixers last Friday night. Prior to Game 4, Bass' high for points was 14, which he notched in Game 5 against the Atlanta Hawks. Bass is now averaging 14.8 points in the series -- the third-highest mark on the team behind Kevin Garnett and Pierce.

"With me more than anything it's hard work," said Bass when asked about staying positive. "So after missing some shots in the game, I just reverted back to what got me here and that's spending time in the gym getting up a bunch of shots."

Closing out his press conference, Bass was asked if this was his first time on the postgame podium, which it was, and he shared the motto that had helped him reach this stage.

"My motto is 'God, grind, greatness,'" a very humble Bass said. "And grinding is what got me, you know, to this point and that's what I'm [going to] continue to do."

AUDIO: Brandon Bass Postgame Interview, Celtics Vs. 76ers, Game 5 (5-21-12)

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BOSTON - Brandon Bass made his presence felt when it counted most, rebounding from a mediocre first half to score 18 of his game-leading 27 points in the third quarter and help the Boston Celtics turn the tables en route to a 101-85 win over the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals on Monday evening inside TD Garden.

"It was just me taking advantage of my opportunity," said Bass, who is averaging 14.8 points this series. "We got a few good players on the team that they've got to focus on so they left me open tonight and I was able to hit the shots."

Boston, which now only needs one win to finish off the Sixers, lagged behind Philly for nearly all of the first half before Bass made his move in the third quarter. The Celtics finished 36-of-69 from the field (52 percent) and improved dramatically at the free throw line, making 26-of-33 shots after going 16-for-19 in their Game 4 loss last Friday night.

Kevin Garnett had a strong first half, scoring 14, and finished with 20 points and six rebounds. Paul Pierce scored 16 and Rajon Rondo amassed 13 points and 14 assists while Ray Allen, who started in place of an injured Avery Bradley, finished with five points.

"I didn't have to do anything any differently," Allen said. "He's an extraordinary defensive player, but I tried to do what I'm capable of and be a part of the defensive unit. Any time you have a player down you never take on that person's role, you just try to go out and do your job."

Elton Brand has his best game of the series, scoring 12 of his 19 points in the first half for Philadelphia. Lavoy Allen scored 12, Jrue Holiday added 10 points, Evan Turner had 11 points and 10 rebounds and Andre Igoudala totaled eight points. Philly shot 47 percent (36-for-77) and won the rebounding battle, 37-31, and turned the ball over 15 times.

"We played great, phenomenal in the first half, but only a three point lead showed for it," Brand said. "And once we got out a little bit in the second half, we couldn't stop their run. We brought it up to 6, seemed like we could get some separation but our turnovers hurt."

Rondo scored six of the Celtics' first nine points, leading them to an early 9-8 lead. After the first stoppage in play, Greg Stiemsma (10 points) checked in for Garnett and chipped in with some instant offense, scoring six straight, but Boston still trailed 18-17 behind a balanced Philadelphia scoring attack. Philly led 27-23 after twelve minutes.

Philly controlled the tempo throughout most of the second quarter, in which it led nearly all the way. The game was tied twice in the frame -- 33-33 at 8:24 and 35-35 at 7:43 -- and the Sixers built their lead up to as many as six points once and five points four times. However, the Celtics still outscored the opposition, 24-23, in the quarter and trailed 50-47 at the break. Iguodala and Brand (12 first-half points) each scored six in the quarter, but Garnett (14 first-half points) came alive for Boston, scoring 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting in the frame, and Pierce scored all nine of his first-half points in the quarter to pace the Celtics.

Boston made its move in the third quarter, with Bass and Garnett fueling a 15-4 run the took the Celts from five down to seven up, 63-57. Bass scored 10 points during the run -- four at the free throw line and four via dunk. Bass would finish the quarter with 18 points and had a game-leading 23 points for the game, putting the Celtics on top 75-66 entering the fourth.

"We defended, we changed everything we did with our energy," Pierce said about the third quarter. "I think we picked it up, got into them a little bit more, made it a little tougher for them to get to their spots, denied the ball a little bit, rebounded better and we got on transition. Once we were able to run and get some easy baskets, just open it up, we fed off the crowd and never looked back."

By the start of the fourth, the damage had already been done, and the Celtics built their lead up to 81-66 with 8:14 left and never looked back, winning the all-important fifth game in a tied series. Boston heads back to Philly for Game 6 on Wednesday, when they will try to eliminate the Sixers and reach their third Eastern Conference Finals since 2008.

AUDIO: Doc Rivers Postgame (5-21-12) | AUDIO: Doug Collins Postgame (5-21-12)

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Paul Rabil of the Boston Cannons is pretty good at what he does, and as the owner of the fastest shot in lacrosse, he was deservedly featured on one of the latest installments of ESPN's Sport Science.

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BOSTON - The news isn't getting any better regarding Avery Bradley, the Boston Celtics' starting point guard who will miss his first playoff game due to injuries to both shoulders in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday at TD Garden. There's even a chance Bradley may not return for the rest of the season.

Source with knowledge of situation says it's also probable Bradley is done for season but Doc did say 'He'll play games I think'#Celtics

— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) May 21, 2012

Bradley's left shoulder has popped out multiple times this year, but Celtics head coach Doc Rivers said before Game 5 that both shoulders are bothering the second-year guard.

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BOSTON - Avery Bradley will miss his first playoff game after playing in the Boston Celtics' first ten postseason contests, as both shoulders are bother the Celtics' second-year guard.

"He's out," said coach Doc Rivers, who called Bradley the Celtics' defensive captain.

Bradley has been dealing with a shoulder injury all season, but Rivers said for the first time that both of Bradley's shoulders have been problematic. Bradley's left shoulder injury has been the more prominent one, as it has popped out multiple times in the playoffs. Ray Allen will return to the starting lineup. Rivers said Bradley will be "day to day" going forward.

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BOSTON - Avery Bradley, who has been dealing with a left shoulder injury, won't play for the Boston Celtics against the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference Semifinals Series on Monday night at TD Garden, coach Doc Rivers confirmed.

"He's out," said Rivers, who called Bradley the Celtics' defensive captain and anchor.

Bradley was held out of practice on Sunday after his left shoulder popped out for the fourth time this postseason in Boston's disheartening 92-83 loss to Philadelphia in Game 4 on Friday night, but the Celtics' guard was on the court for shootaround Monday morning.

"It's just tough. It really is," said Rivers (via WEEI). "I swear a lot of people would not be playing, and the only reason he is is because he wants to," Doc Rivers said on Sunday before the team conducted practice. "I am concerned at some point that he may not be able to anymore. We don't know what game that is, we don't know what day he can finish it. We can keep going all the way and he can play [or] tomorrow could be his last game."

Bradley hasn't missed a postseason game for the Celtics this season, and is averaging 6.7 points, 2.0 rebounds in 10 games. Against the Sixers, Bradley is averaging 6.0 points.

Rivers also confirmed that Paul Pierce (knee) and Ray Allen (ankle) would play in Game 5.

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Paul Pierce and the Boston Celtics continue their pursuit of an 18th championship against the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round of the 2012 NBA Playoffs on Monday night.

Event: Celtics (6-4) vs. 76ers (6-4) - NBA Playoffs 2012, Second Round, Game 5.

Date/Time: Monday, May 21, 2012 - 7:00 p.m. EST.

Location: TD Garden (Capacity: 18,624), Boston, MA.

Broadcast Info: Monday night's game between the Celtics and 76ers will be televised nationally on TNT. In addition, the game will be broadcast on the radio on WEEI 93.7 FM.

Celtics Roster 2011-2012: Ray Allen, Brandon Bass, Avery Bradley, Marquis Daniels,Keyon Dooling, Kevin Garnett, Ryan Hollins, JaJuan Johnson, E'Twaun Moore, Sasha Pavlovic, Paul Pierce, Mickael Pietrus, Rajon Rondo, Greg Stiemsma,Sean Williams.Head Coach: Doc Rivers.

76ers Roster 2011-2012: Lavoy Allen, Tony Battie, Craig Brackins, Elton Brand,Spencer Hawes, Jrue Holiday, Andre Iguodala, Jodie Meeks, Xavier Silas, Evan Turner, Nikola Vucevic, Louis Williams, Sam Young, Thaddeus Young. Head Coach:Doug Collins.

Injury Report: Boston - Paul Pierce (knee), Ray Allen (ankle), Avery Bradley (shoulder).

Regular Season Series: Boston and Philadelphia met three times in the regular season, with the Sixers winning twice. Philly won by a combined 45 points in its two victories. On March 7, the Celtics were blown away, 103-71, thanks to a career game from Evan Turner (26 points). Philly also beat Boston, 99-86, in the next meeting on March 23. Boston won the season series finale, 103-79, on April 8 behind a 20 point game from Kevin Garnett.

Celtics-76ers In First Round: Both the No. 4 seeded Celtics and No. 8 seeded 76ers won their Eastern Conference Quarterfinals series. Boston defeated the No. 5 seeded Atlanta Hawks, 4-2, and Philadelphia defeated the No. 1 seeded Chicago Bulls, 4-2.

First Round Playoff Stats: Paul Pierce is the Celtics' leading postseason scorer, averaging 21.2 points. Kevin Garnett is the team's leading rebounder (10.5 RPG) and shot blocker (1.8 BPG) and Rajon Rondo is averaging a team-high 11.8 assists and 3.4 steals in six games. Jrue Holiday is the Sixers' leading scorer, averaging 18.2 points, and leads the team, averaging 4.7 assists. Spencer Hawes is averaging 8.0 rebounds, Andre Iguodala averages 1.8 steals and Elton Brand is averaging 2.5 blocks through the opening round.

Celtics Vs. 76ers, Game 1: Boston rode Kevin Garnett (29 points, 11 rebounds) and Rajon Rondo (13 points, 12 rebounds, 17 assits) to a comeback 92-91 win over Philadelphia in Game 1 of the series on Saturday night at TD Garden. Paul Pierce scored 14 and Ray Allen scored 12. Andre Iguodala finished with 19 points, six rebounds and six assists for Philly.

Celtics Vs. 76ers, Game 2: Boston again struggled through parts of the first three quarters, but got hot at the right time in the fourth. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough as the Sixers fended off the green team to even the series at 1-1. Jrue Holiday scored a game-high 18 while Kevin Garnett scored 11 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter and had 12 rebounds.

Celtics Vs. 76ers, Game 3: Kevin Garnett (27 points, 13 rebounds), Paul Pierce (24 points, 12 rebounds, three steals) and Rajon Rondo (23 points, 14 assists) carried the Celtics to a statement 107-91 win and a 2-1 series lead. Thaddeus Young scored 22 points for Philly.

Celtics Vs. 76ers, Game 4: All the momentum the Celtics earned in Game 3 was wiped away after Boston built a 14-0 lead and later led by 18 points in the second half, only to see the 76ers climb all the way back and post a 92-83 win in Game 4 to even the series at two games. Andre Iguodala and Evan Turner each scored 16. Paul Pierce scored 24 for Boston.

Storyline: Well, that was a letdown. Boston had a tremendous opportunity to suck the life out of Philadelphia and put them in an insurmountable 3-1 series hole. The Celtics even opened the game on a 20-5 run and led by 18 points in the second half. Nevertheless, they lost, and we have a series again. Now, the Celtics -- instead of being able to wrap things up in Game 5 on Monday night and get some much needed rest for the Eastern Conference Finals -- have a best-of-three series against a newly determined Sixers team. Not the best scenario in the world, is it? Still, the Celtics have a strong chance to win the series, with two of the potential three games being played in Boston, including Game 5. However, Game 5 is a virtual must-win for the Celts, who can ill afford to return to Philly facing elimination. You better believe that the green team knows this, and that's why you'll probably see a performance like that in Game 4. Still, it's the playoffs, and you can't guarantee anything.

Players To Watch: The Sixers were able to limit Kevin Garnett, and the rest of the Celtics for that matter, in the paint for most of their Game 4 win. Garnett will need to return to his playoff MVP self, the same version that has shown up for most of the Celtics' postseason. Paul Pierce played well in Game 4 despite his knee injury, leading all scorers with 24, and should be counted on to have a strong offensive game. Rajon Rondo's performance will, as always, go a long way in deciding the outcome of Game 5. For Philly, Andre Iguodala needs to play as well as he did down the stretch in Game 4, and the likes of Jrue Holiday and Lou Williams will all but certainly be thorns in the Celtics' side.

Prediction: It's not over yet, but if the Celtics lose Game 5, there's a pretty good chance they could be eliminated in Game 6 back in Philadelphia. Boston, playing on its home court, needs to take care of business. Now. Final Score: Celtics 98, Sixers 87.

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David Ortiz hit a two-run homer and Jon Lester gave up four earned in his third win of the season to lead the Boston Red Sox past the Philadelphia Phillies, 7-5, in the middle game of a three-game weekend set on Saturday evening at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.

Ortiz's two-run shot came in the fifth inning, extending the Red Sox' lead to 7-4 while providing the eventual game-winning run. Ortiz was 2-for-4 in the game and raised his batting average to .344. Lester, meanwhile, tossed six innings and allowed four earned runs on eight hits and had one walk and three strikeouts as Boston avenged its 6-4 loss Friday.

Boston received four home runs on the night, as Mike Aviles, Will Middlebrooks and Jarrod Saltalamacchia all joined Oritz with long balls. Middlebrooks and Saltalamacchia hit their homers back-to-back in the fourth inning. Aviles hit his home run in the first.

The series finale takes place on Sunday afternoon in Philly. First pitch is at 1:35 p.m. ET.

For more Boston Red Sox coverage, visit our team page and blog, Over The Monster.

I'll Have Another is now in position to become the first horse since Affirmed in 1978 to win the Triple Crown, after rallying to upset favorite Bodemeister and win the 137th running of the Preakness Stakes on Saturday night at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, MD. I'll Have Another finished the 1 3/16 mile track in 1:55.94.

"We're thinking Triple Crown, baby," said Doug O'Neill, trainer of I'll Have Another (via ESPN). "He's a special horse. We'll see how he comes out of it, and if he comes out of it in good shape, we're heading to New York, baby."

Bodemeister led nearly the entire way before being neck-in-neck with I'll Have Another down the stretch. Bodemeister came into the race as a 3-2 favorite while I'll Have Another entered with 3-1 odds.

I'll Have Another will look to win the Triple Crown at the 2012 Belmont Stakes, which take place on June 9 at 6:35 p.m. EST at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York.

For more on the Preakness, visit our racing blog, And Down The Stretch They Come.

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Ah, now that's more like it. After sitting David Ortiz in the Boston Red Sox' series opener against the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday night -- a 6-4 loss -- Big Papi will return to the lineup and play first base for the second game of the series at 7:15 p.m. EST Saturday in Philly. Adrian Gonzalez, meanwhile, will play right field. Here are the lineups and pitchers.

Boston Red Sox (18-21)

1. Mike Aviles, SS
2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
3. David Ortiz, 1B
4. Adrian Gonzalez, RF
5. Will Middlebrooks, 3B
6. Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
7. Ryan Sweeney, CF
8. Daniel Nava, LF
9. Jon Lester, P

For more Boston Red Sox coverage, visit our team page and blog, Over The Monster.

Celtics Overtime is a postgame feature providing analysis from each game. Boston lost to the Philadelphia 76ers, 92-83, Friday in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

You're at a fork in the road. Two paths lie ahead, and you can see what's on the other end. On one, it's a straight path with just one curve in the middle, and that's all. On the other, it's windy and complicated and ... well, it looks a lot like Lombard Street in San Francisco.

That's an easy decision, right? Well, not if you're the Celtics, because they chose Lombard.

Boston had a great opportunity to put the Philadelphia 76ers in a condemning 3-1 series hole heading back to Boston for Game 5, and they led 14-0 and 20-5 in the first quarter. They even led by 18 -- eighteen -- in the third quarter. And guess what? They lost, 92-83.

"It's frustrating," said Kevin Garnett. "We had a team down and didn't finish them off."

Garnett, the Celtics' postseason MVP, didn't do much to help the cause, finishing with a near triple-double (the bad kind) of nine points, 11 rebounds and seven turnovers (yes, seven) in 40 minutes while going 3-for-12 from the field and just 1-for-2 in the paint.

"I never thought we established him," Celtics head coach Doc Rivers said about Garnett's offense. "I thought he was a passer tonight a lot. We've got to get him back in the middle of the paint and being more aggressive. So that's on us, we have to figure that out again."

Philly was able to limit more than just Garnett in the post, holding a 34-26 advantage as a team over the Celtics in the paint. While the Sixers played a role in limiting Boston's offense in the paint, it was more about the Celtics' inability to get themselves going near the basket.

"We took it away ourselves," said Rivers. "They took it away too, but we had a lot to do with it. We did more than settle, we lost our composure. We stopped running our stuff."

Aside from the lack of production in the paint, free throws played a role in the loss. Boston only took 19 free throws, making 16, but Philadelphia drained 25-of-36 shots from the line.

"The free throw line tells the story," said Rivers (via WEEI). "Thirty six attempts to nineteen. That's tough to win that way. Everything we did was the prescription that you don't do to beat them. 17-5 offensive rebounds, 17 turnovers, 36 free throws. You would have thought that we were down the whole game if you looked at those numbers, yet we had the lead."

Now, the Celtics head back home for a best-of-three series with the Sixers, instead of needing just one more win to return to the Eastern Conference Finals. The good news is that two of the potential three games would be played at TD Garden, where the Celtics have only lost once this postseason. The bad news is that Philly played them to a draw in the first two games of the series in Boston, with each team earning a split. Instead of getting the rest they so desperately needed before the next round, the Celtics are in for a fight.

It's an opportunity wasted, for sure. In order to win, they need to play hard for 48 minutes.

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