Boston Celtics beat Philadelphia 76ers 85 – 75 in decider to reach Eastern Conference Finals – NBA Update - Part 2
The Boston Celtics were again on the front foot when the second quarter started, going on a 7 – 2 sprint. The Philadelphia 76ers were made to play catch up for the rest of the frame and closed the gap to just 2 points at 34 – 32. Boston though replied with a 7 – 1 burst to end the first half up at 41 – 33.
The Celtics shifted up a gear after the interval and used an early barrage to take their lead into double digits, 49 – 38. The Sixers responded with a 7 – 0 spurt to close the deficit. They had another 7 – 0 burst just before the end of the period, meaning that they were just behind, 55 – 52, when it ended.
The final 12 minutes saw plenty of drama as a nervous crowd watched Boston battle to keep their lead. With the 76ers breathing down their neck, score 71 – 68, Pierce fouled out of the game leaving Boston in a weak position indeed.
That’s when Rondo took over, scoring 7 straight points, including a dagger from downtown, that broke the resolve of Philadelphia, and Boston were not troubled again. They closed out the game at 85 – 75.
Despite stretching the series to 7 games Sixers came up short just at the end and point guard Jrue Holiday pointed to the lack of experience as a result. He was still proud of the team’s effort and called the series a learning exercise for the young roster.
"I think we learned a lot. We have a really young team. Again with a shortened season, we kind of learned on the fly and playing against a veteran team like this really helped us grow. We just learned a lot"
Jrue had 15 points and 9 assists as he tried to rally his side to a victory. Andre Iguodala top scored with 18 points while Elton Brand had 15. These were the only 3 players that got into double figures for Philadelphia.
Celtics hero Rajon Rondo said after the game that his side’s focus had already shifted to the Miami Heat, their opponents in the Eastern Conference Finals. Boston lost to the Heat in last year’s playoffs, but Rondo believes his team can beat them this time around.
"Last year is in the past," Rondo said. "This year we're a totally different team. We feel we can beat Miami. We got to this point; there's no doubt in my mind we can. We've got to go down there and take care of business."
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