Celtics in 6

Kevin Garnett had 22 points, starting out the game with 5 of 5 shooting. Garnett made poor old Shaq look poor and old every time a shot arced over the Big Aristotle's head. Does anyone else love the fact that the Celtics were supposed to be the aging team? If Paul Pierce is old at 31, what does that make Shaq at 38?

 King James has got to abdicate his throne. He will leave Cleveland and remake his image in New Jersey. There, he might change LeBron to Earl, or maybe Duke. That's about as loyal as fans will see him ever again. Wait, did I say loyal? I meant royal. He'll never be seen as Loyal to any fanbase again. People will see LeBron, and see hype. They will see a version of Sir Charles Barkley doing deodorant commercials. Funny, Sir Charles was presumptious enough to proclaim himself of noble birth, but he doesn't have any rings, either.

 James looked tired in this series. He looked upset that ref's weren't giving him every whistle that he happened to brush up against someone. His elbow might have been hurting. It might not have been. All I know is that in the 4th James was hitting threes and almost seemed to be bringing the Cav's back. Then he lost his dribble, had the ball stripped by Tony Allen, and Rondo finishes at the other end with 20 points.

 I think my favorite part of the night was the taunting cheers of the Garden faithful while James attempted free throws, "New York Knicks... New York Knicks"...I can tell you right now, it's the only time you'll hear Boston fans chanting something besides New York Sucks in the Garden. But Please LeBron, do me the favor of going to the Knicks or the Nets. As if I need any new reason to loathe those teams.

 Paul Pierce, thank you for your post-game press conference. A Championship should be your only goal. Conviction will carry a team. James obviously has a lot to learn. Pierce wanted the ball. His three's answered those of the Absentee King, and you could tell that as the game neared its end, Pierce Wanted the ball.

 Rondo had a good game. Garnett had a great game. Tony Allen had a great game. Hell, even 'Sheed made a 3. He also played some fairly good defense, except for that one foul...nevermind, it's 'Sheed.

 Really, the only pedestrian night was Kendrick Perkins. 6 points, 7 rebounds, a couple of blocks... He could have been in double digits on points. He had early opportunities that he seemed to hesitate on as he more often than not is like to do. By the time he realizes he should put the ball on the court and drive to the basket, help defense arrives and he ends up getting himself trapped, making a bad pass for a worse shot. It wasn't a bad game, it was just a mediocre game, and in the play offs, the last thing anyone wants to see is mediocre. Ask Cleveland fans.

 So now the C's advance to the Conference Finals against the Magic. That is actually going to be a more difficult match-up for the C's. Vince Carter has always given them problems, and Orlando has very good perimeter shooters. The Celtics are great at locking up the paint, but they're going to have to limit the Magic's 3 point shots to around 35% to make sure we don't end up in a three point dual where Ray Allen and Paul Pierce both need to be hot for the C's to really stay in the game. Otherwise there's going to be a lot of inside out movement that gives the shooters beyond the arc a good step and a half on Celtic defenders. Howard's decoy presence can be just as big of a problem as Howard actually scoring. Really, Howard's rebounding is more likely to be a factor in this series. Rondo is going to find it a lot more difficult to get a triple double with Howard on the boards.

Make no mistake, the Magic are actually a stronger opponent than the Cav's were. The Cav's might have had the league's Most Valuable Player, but they also had a disjointed team that didn't gell after its injuries and acquisitions nearly as well as the Celtics managed to overcome their own regular season trials and tribulations. The Magic have. 

 With that said, I'll ask this... Does a Celtics vs. Lakers Finals ever get old?

 Banner 18 is going to be my favorite.