Celtics Cruise Past Magic

Unlike the series coming into Game 6, Game 6 was never actually in question. Boston was up 11 after the first quarter and never looked back. Paul Pierce was dominant with 31 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 assists. It's amazing what Pierce can do when he doesn't have to check LeBron, huh?

The common thinking was that the winner of this game would end up as the Eastern Conference representative in the Finals. Obviously because Boston would finish out the series, but also because if Orlando won it would have been 3 straight wins for defending Conference Champions heading into a deciding Game 7 in Orlando.

There were a few question marks on Boston's bench coming into tonight's game. Glen "Big Baby" Davis and Marquis Daniels both suffered concussions during Game 5 and Rasheed Wallace was suffering from severe back pains that accompany his AARP status. While Daniels did not play, Wallace played 12 ineffective minutes with no points and Davis played 17 minutes while scoring 6 points and grabbing 7 boards.

The big story, however, off the bench was little bitty Nate Robinson who, on the day of Gary Coleman's death, showed up for little people everywhere and provided the spark the Celtics needed. The 5'9" Robinson scored 13 points in only 13 minutes and kept the crowd energized while Rajon Rondo was on the bench after taking a hard fall.

This marks the end to a disappointing series for the Magic. Both the Cavaliers and Magic spent their entire offseasons building a roster built for beating each other. They just forgot one minor thing: Boston is now healthy. Of course, no one thought Rondo would turn into the player he has, and Boston doesn't get past Cleveland.

Celtics coach Doc Rivers brought up a very good point during the post game celebration when he told the crowd that this starting five (Rondo, Allen, Pierce, Garnett, Perkins) had never lost a postseason series. Last postseason's struggles can be attributed to Garnett's injury and absence. They have one more series to win.