ECF - Boston Celtics (2-0) @ Miami Heat (0-2) - Game 3

After two sub-par games, Rajon Rondo came alive in South Beach, scoring 32 monster points and leading his team to a dominant victory in Miami. Kevin Garnett turned in a powerful performance as well, and while Miami only trailed by 2 late in the 4th quarter, a corner 3 by Kevin Martin sealed the victory for the Boston Celtics who have shocked the world by forcing the defending champions into a corner that demands 4 straight victories.

ECF - Miami Heat (0-1) @ Boston Celtics (1-0) - Game 2

The Boston Celtics had no flow, and tried everything they could to lose the game. Miami certainly appreciated it, taking the lead early on and playing much better, but lacking the offensive consistency to maintain the lead later. Ray Allen was cold again as he was in Game 1, but the big 3 of South Beach scored plenty to make up for it, with Chris Bosh on fire with 36 points and 17 rebounds.

But a diligent effort, despite giving up offensive rebounds and countless turnovers, ultimately came to fruition for the Boston Celtics. The Celtics barely escaped with the stunning win, courtesy of Kenyon Martin, who made two huge plays down the stretch. The first was an unlikely basket as the power forward drove to the rim after a tip-in by LeBron James claimed the lead for Miami with only 14 seconds left to play. Martin's gutsy drive to the rim tipped the lead back into Boston's favor, only for Miami to score again with only 4.5 seconds to spare.

Paul Pierce, who was forced to play spectacularly in light of Rondo's terrible performance (full of unsuccessful drives to the rim), had 28 points but missed a step-back jumper. Life deflated inside of the TD Garden, as it looked like Boston was going to come up short with only 2 seconds left on the clock, but Kenyon Martin was there for the offensive rebound.

LeBron James was pinned beneath the rim as he was boxed out by Martin, and with no time to spare, Martin elevated and sought to throw the ball down through the hoop with a crowd-erupting dunk. "King James" frantically tried to contest the shot, but his hand got stuck somewhere in between, grazing the net and causing a deathly goal-tending violation for Miami as the ball was blocked from inside the hoop.

While Boston played terribly throughout the game, they did manage to make quite a comeback; and while Miami dominated the rebounding department, Boston (thanks to Kenyon Martin) pulled down the most important one. With only .4 left on the clock, D-Wade fired up a prayer that came up short, sealing a seemingly impossible 101-100 victory for Boston. The Celtics will be going down to South Beach with an unexpected 2-0 lead. While the pressure is all on Miami, Boston simply can't afford to play this horribly again.

ECF - Miami Heat @ Boston Celtics - Game 1

Shooting wasn't "hot" until the 2nd half, including a 3rd quarter that belonged to LeBron James (24 points) as he led a furious 12 point run to square the game against Boston, whose star players, Rajon Rondo & Paul Pierce, failed to find a rhythm all night.

After catching up, the Miami Heat played hot potato with Boston, both teams losing and reclaiming the lead multiple times until the 4th quarter got underway.

Despite Chris Bosh's big game of 26 points, the Heat started to miss shots down the stretch and whatever damage had been done to Boston quickly vanished as its two "Kevins", Kevin Martin (24 points) and Kevin Garnett (26 points, 12 rebounds), along with a surprise offensive turnaround by Josh Howard (who hit huge three pointers in the 4th after being cold beforehand) put the game out of reach for Miami, despite the shocking efforts of D-Wade and LBJ.

Rajon Rondo, even on an off night, had 14 points but it was Boston's eager effort to take the first game that granted their wish tonight as their defense stayed strong, holding Miami back at 90 points compared to their 103.

ESF - Boston (3-0) @ Chicago (0-3) - Game 4

The Chicago Bulls have played hard since the outset of this hellish series against the Boston Celtics, who were simply more consistent and frankly hungrier by comparison, and it blatantly showed tonight.

While both teams were weary, Boston still proved they could knock down shots. Chicago looked more haggard; no longer were they bustling up and down the court. While Rip Hamilton hit a three to start the game, such brilliant play was only a tease of something greater, something that would never come as the stars of Chicago had their lowest numbers of the series, as did Boston, who simply came to win against a "winded" Bulls team.

Despite some heroics by Derrick Rose, and only losing by 4 when the final buzzer sounded, the Bulls simply couldn't overcome a seemingly perpetual 10 point lead and cerebral play by Boston as a whole. The Celtics were collectively patient and defensive mistakes by Chicago provided Kevin Martin (25 points) with too many open three pointers.

With the lead, Boston retired their stars in the 3rd quarter, trusting the bench could finish off the beleaguered Bulls, who had nothing but incomplete drives to the rim and flat shots to offer. A few less mistakes, and maybe the series would be 3-1, but beating the Celtics (or any team) four straight times is a tough task to achieve. Losing Game 3 by blowing a 20+ point lead was the poison that has ended Chicago's hopes for a championship.

ESF - Boston (2-0) @ Chicago (0-2) - Game 3

The facts would tell you that Boston's shooting efficiency finally hit a brick wall in the Windy City tonight as the Celtics were busy staring at an 18 point hole to start the 2nd half, meaning at least a 5 game series against the Chicago Bulls, who came out firing away with accuracy and out-hustling Boston on the boards. Why? Because Kevin Garnett's shot refused to fall and Rajon Rondo was being clobbered in the paint, leading to thunderous blocks and clear path dunks for Chicago.

"The Truth", however, would tell you that Paul Pierce would play savior to his one and only team, the Boston Celtics, knock down several three-pointers, while big men KG and Roy Hibbert would corral the necessary rebounds for an 8-0 run, a miraculous effort that saw Boston defiantly tie the game with no time to spare in the 3rd quarter.

The 4th quarter was a circus. Kevin Garnett had 5 fouls, a scary spot for Boston, who despite KG's shooting troubles, needed the size in the paint to stop Derrick Rose from silencing Boston's comeback hopes. But in a gritty, pie-facing showdown, the Celtics somehow, aided by Paul Pierce's leadership, a 3 by Kevin Martin and more than one offensive put-backs gave Boston a 6 point lead as the final minute of regulation ticked down.

Yet, Chicago's energy level was off the charts tonight. They charged down the court, stampeding over Boston's measly 6 point lead and taking a 1 point lead with little time to spare. So what did Kevin Martin choose to do off the inbound? He charged back at Chicago, taking on two Bulls in the paint with a gutsy drive to the rim as the ball floated into the hoop.

With only 4.7 seconds left on the clock, a defensive lapse gave Joakim Noah a perfect drive to the basket, but Roy Hibbert and Charlie Villanueva were there to respond to the threat. The ball went up, rattled, spun, bounced, but finally failed to fall in, freezing the Bulls inspiring series-changing effort with a 108-107 victory for Boston instead.

ESF - Bulls (0-1) @ Celtics (1-0) - Game 2

The shooting efficiency that kept the Bulls in striking distance for Game 1 didn't stick around for Game 2, as Chicago missed too many shots to stay close against the fiery Celtics, whose shooting fared better but lacked the magic from Game 1.

Less than magnificent shooting aside, the Bulls stayed on Boston's heels in the 3rd quarter, tying the game after trailing through the first half. But turnovers and those same missed shots saw Boston's lead climb back up to 10 as the Garden went wild, courtesy of Kevin Martin (21 points) and Paul Pierce (17 points).

Rajon Rondo made some dazzling plays as well (16 points, 8 assists), along with Kevin Garnett (14 points, before resting in the 4th), Josh Howard (15 points) and big man Roy Hibbert (10 points, 7 rebounds).

Chicago's energy level noticeably dropped. Did they put all their eggs into one basket, i.e. Game 1? Derrick Rose might've powered his team with 33 points and 9 assists, but Carlos Boozer had an off night after a huge showing in Game 1, along with Rip Hamilton (only 9 points).

While Luol Deng played well again (23 points), and Joakim Noah found his spots on the boards (21 rebounds, 18 points), Chicago heads home to the Windy City with a 0-2 deficit poking at their horns, courtesy of the seemingly impervious Boston Celtics.

ESF: Bulls @ Celtics - Game 1

An instant showdown for supremacy erupted in Beantown! The Celtics crashed in their first 9 shots and Chicago nearly did the same. Who would be the first to miss, or lose an edge in just the 1st period? It was to be Chicago, who missed some free throws while Boston continued to pour on the offensive flurry, scoring 40 points before the 2nd quarter began.

This meant a daunting challenge for the Bulls, who were forced to come back, ever slowly, throughout the rest of the highly competitive game. They would trim Boston's lead, only for it to increase again. They cut the lead down to 7 to start the 2nd half, but then let it rise back up to 18. But Chicago wasn't going down without a fight.

Brilliantly, the Bulls went on an 8-0 run late in the nervous 4th quarter that had the Boston crowd cheering in approval of their team's excellent play while also worrying once reasonable but inaccurate shots began to miss from their stars. Luckily, a shot by Paul Pierce stretched Boston's lead back up to 6, until Chicago sliced it down to 2, only to watch Rajon Rondo sink a pair of successful free throws.

The worst part about Chicago's resilient effort tonight was when they practically handed the ball to backup center, Roy Hibbert, after Rondo made his free throws, the ball passing right into the big man's hands, before he made the Bulls pay with 2 more free throws. A missed 3 by Rip Hamilton, then a missed 3 by Derrick Rose sealed the victory for Boston by a 4 point margin after Carlos Boozer rattled in a shot near the rim beforehand.

Rajon Rondo (22 points, 10 assists) celebrated with the crowd, feeling much better after having to sit in the 2nd quarter after getting a second troublesome foul. Having bounced back, and even nailed a couple of three pointers, Rondo had reason to be joyous. And so did Kevin Garnett (16 points, 12 rebounds) who held Joakim Noah in check on the boards, only letting rare offensive rebounds by Derrick Rose slip through his fingers. Kevin Martin (23 pointshelped hold off the hungry Bulls with plenty of offensive flair, finding precious advantages on Chicago and making them count with splashy shots. Josh Howard had a modest showing with 13 points, but a crucial three-pointer in the 4th quarter. Both forwards, Charlie Villanueva and Kenyon Martin, dipped in double figures.

The deciding factor in this first showdown of what promises to be one of many, was Boston's masterful performance on offense, all of its stars shooting above 50%. In the loss, Carlos Boozer devoured 34 monster points and 12 rebounds; Rip Hamilton splashed in 27, Luol Deng had 21 and, of course, Derrick Rose, just came up short of a win but did all he could with 20 points, dishing out 15 assists. To his credit, Joakim Noah pulled in 14 rebounds, but took some arrant shots down the stretch that only hurt Chicago's chances of pulling off a remarkable comeback in Beantown.