Spurs Defense Lassos Celtics

What was a competitive affair through 2 1/2 quarters turned into a difference of shooting efficiency. Boston's poor efficiency tonight stonewalled any chance of keeping up with the more effective Spurs, whose shooting was far more consistently productive.

Fresh off his 54 point explosion in Charlotte, Rajon Rondo fizzled to only 15 points on an icky 5 of 18 shooting. But all the major players of Boston struggled to shoot the ball, something they can do with ease other nights, but not on this one. When Paul Pierce is the lead scorer but still hurling up bricks, the outcome is obvious.

Meanwhile, San Antonio's suffocating defense made the road for Boston all the more perilous as Tony Parker (20 points, 10 assists) and Tim Duncan (19 points, 21 rebounds) took care of the rest, outplaying their defensive counterparts by a decisive margin.