FOULEDOUT!

The Celtics played in Beantown today and naturally, they won against Cleveland Cavaliers 96-89. The series heads back to Cleveland for game 6 and we all know how the Celts play on the road. The Celtics, 66-16 in the regular season, won an NBA-best 31 road games this season but so far, in the playoffs, they are 0-5 on the road. From the start of the season, I’ve have been doubting this Celtics team. I just don’t think they are a championship material team. Sure they are a playoff material team, but I just don’t think they have enough to compete for the title. For a team to be a championship contender, they must have poise in and out of their comfort zones. Of course, a team must always take advantage of the home-court court, but you must also find ways to win on the road especially deep in the playoffs.

When asked why they keep on losing road games in the playoffs, the Celts were plain clueless:

“If I knew that, man, I don’t think we’d be having these conversations or these problems on the road.” -Kevin Garnett

“I wish I could really answer that.” -James Posey

“It’s hard to say. I have no answer for it. I have no answer.” -Ray Allen

The Celts are up 3-2 in the series against the Cavs and I’m thinking this will go all the way to game 7 because the Celtics will probably lose again in Cleveland.

-fouledout

Boston Celtics‘ road game woes continued when the were beaten by Cleveland Cavaliers 88-77 in game 4 of their second round series. The series is tied at 2-2.

Though struggling, LeBron James’s stats were still across the board. He finished with 21 points (7-20 shooting), 6 rebounds and 13 assists. He also had 3 steals and 2 blocks in 44 minutes of action. James also jammed a thunderous dunk on Garnett in the final two minutes of the game, which became the highlight of the game.

Cavs sharpshooters Wally Szczerbiak and Daniel Gibson added 14 points each while reserve big man Andy Varejao chipped in 12 points and 6 rebounds. Zydrunas Ilgauskas struggled in the game and only had 9 points (3-10 shooting) and 7 rebounds.

The Celts had a balanced offensive output. Ray Allen, Rajon Rondo and Kevin Garnett all finished with 15 points. Garnett, who was selected as NBA All-Defensive First Team, also grabbed 10 boards. Paul Pierce, who missed all his 3-point attempts, added 13 points on 6-17 shooting.

The game was an up-and-down battle for the first three quarter, but the Cavs clamped on the Celtics in the fourth and held them to just 12 points.

The Celtics haven’t won a single game away from home this post-season and clearly they suck on the road when it really matters. It’ll will be a relief for the Boston squad when the series heads back to Beantown for game 5 on May 14^th.

-fouledout

It was a night of horror in Beantown when the Boston Celtics hosted the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers for the opening game of their series. Celtics won 76-72 after LeBron James was held down to 12 points on 2-18 shooting and made 10 errors in 39 minutes of action. James also had 9 rebounds and 9 assists.

The Celtics also had their share of dry spell. Paul Pierce made only 4 points on 2-14 shooting and Ray Allen went scoreless (0-4) in 37 minutes of action. But the Boston squad was fortunate to have Kevin Garnett in their team. Garnett, who finished third in MVP voting, stepped up and tallied 28 points and 8 rebounds. The starting and back-up point guards of the Celtics also did their part in trying to offset the offensive woes of their team. Rajon Rondo finished with 15 points and Sam Cassell added 13.

The Cavs were clearly in deep trouble with James unable to find his touch. Zydrunas Ilgauskas played with big effort and finished with 22 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks, but got little help from the rest of team. Wally Szczerbiak missed his first five shots and just managed to make 13 points. Delonte West and Ben Wallace chipped in only 4 points each.

* I thought this game was going to be intense with LeBron James going against Kevin Garnett. The Cavs would be doing everything they can to defend their Eastern Conference Title against the hungry Celtics, but as it turned out, the game was just okay (actually, almost boring). The shots just would not go in for both teams.

I hope to see more intensity, excitement and passion as LeBron and Co. defend their Eastern Conference crown. LeBron James as well as Ray Allen and Paul Pierce will surely be looking to bounce back after their horrible performances so I expect the series to pick up intensity as the series goes on.

-fouledout