Boston Celtics

Someone is going to have to win in Boston to keep the Celtics from winning their 17th NBA title. Cleveland hopes for one more chance. Kevin Garnett had 26 points and 16 rebounds, Rajon Rondo added 20 points and 13 assists, and the Celtics beat the Cavaliers 96-89 on Wednesday night to move within a win of the Eastern Conference finals. More »

Back to even, and back to Boston—with authority. LeBron James scored 21 points, jamming in a powerhouse dunk over a defenseless Kevin Garnett in the final two minutes, as the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the homesick Celtics 88-77 in Game 4 on Monday night to tie the best-of-seven series at 2-2. More »

It was the Boston Celtics, not Ben Wallace, feeling dizzy after this one. Wallace started Game 3 despite occasional dizziness from an inner ear infection and had one of his best performances since joining Cleveland in a midseason trade. His defensive presence inside was a major factor in the Cavaliers' 108-84 win tonight, which pulled them within 2-1 in their Eastern Conference semifinal series. More »

Paul Pierce and Ray Allen found their shooting touch. LeBron James can only hope he left his in Cleveland. Pierce scored 19 points, Kevin Garnett added 13 with 12 rebounds, and Allen broke out of a seven-quarter scoring drought with 16 points to help the Boston Celtics beat the Cavaliers 89-73. More »

LeBron James couldn't make a basket down the stretch—or at virtually any other time—and the Boston Celtics eked out a 76-72 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night in the opener of the Eastern Conference semifinals. Kevin Garnett scored 28 points to make up for an off night for the rest of Boston's Big Three. More »

Kevin Garnett had 18 points and 11 rebounds, Paul Pierce scored 22 points, and the Celtics turned back the pesky Atlanta Hawks with a 99-65 victory Sunday in Game 7 of their playoff series, earning a second-round matchup with LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Round 2 begins Tuesday night, and the Boston fans are ready. More »

Atlanta just won't let go of its first trip to the postseason in nine years. The playoff team with the worst record did it again to the team with the best mark, forcing an improbable Game 7 with the Boston Celtics, as Joe Johnson hit a crucial 3-pointer with 1:07 remaining and the Hawks held on for a 103-100 victory Friday. More »

Takedowns and menacing gestures. Double technicals and flagrant fouls. And the Boston Celtics are heading to Atlanta to try to deliver the knockout punch. Paul Pierce scored a playoff-high 22 points and Ray Allen hit three 3-pointers in the middle of the third quarter Wednesday night to turn back the Hawks' last charge, leading Boston to a hard-fought 110-85 victory over Atlanta More »

Forget about a Boston sweep. The Hawks are headed back to Beantown all tied up with the mighty Celtics. Joe Johnson scored 35 points—20 in the fourth quarter—and Josh Smith added 28 points and seven blocks for Atlanta, which surprised the Celtics again 97-92 on Monday night to even the best-of-seven series at two games apiece. More »

Led by high-flying Josh Smith, the Atlanta Hawks finally showed they can beat the Boston Celtics. Good timing. Smith scored 27 points—and give him a perfect 10 in his own personal dunking contest—to lead the Hawks to a 102-93 victory Saturday night that breathed life into their long-shot playoff hopes, cutting Boston's lead in the opening-round series to 2-1. More »

Rajon Rondo outplayed Mike Bibby and helped the Boston Celtics silence Atlanta and its blustery point guard. Bibby was booed every time he touched the ball after shooting 4-for-17 from the field in the first two games. Kevin Garnett had 19 points and 10 rebounds, while Rondo added 12 points, eight assists, and six rebounds as Boston bested Atlanta last night, 96-77. More »

Ray Allen scored 18 points and Kevin Garnett had 16 as the two newcomers who led the Boston Celtics to the NBA's best record sparked them to a 104-81 win last night in their playoff opener against the Atlanta Hawks. Rookie Al Horford led the Hawks with 20 points and 10 rebounds and Joe Johnson added 19 points. More »

Second-stringer Leon Powe scored a career-high 27 points, adding 11 rebounds for his sixth career double-double, and the Boston bench helped beat the New Jersey Nets 105-94 Wednesday night while the Celtics starters took it easy in their final tune-up before the playoffs. Tony Allen scored 18 for Boston, which finished 66-16 for the best record in the NBA. More »

With his three All-Star teammates resting, Rajon Rondo had 23 points and 10 rebounds, leading the Boston Celtics to a 99-93 victory over the New York Knicks on Monday night in what may have been Isiah Thomas' final home game as Knicks coach. Boston improved to 65-16 despite giving Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen the night off. More »

Sam Cassell and Boston's backups outplayed Atlanta's starters in the fourth quarter, and the Celtics prevented the Hawks from clinching their first playoff berth since 1999 with a 99-89 victory tonight. Atlanta would have ended the NBA's longest playoff drought with a victory, because Indiana lost to Charlotte earlier today. The Hawks remained two games ahead of the Pacers with two to play. More »

Antawn Jamison returned from a shoulder injury to score 27 points, including a highlight dunk over Kevin Garnett, and the Washington Wizards beat the Boston Celtics 109-95 Wednesday night to win the season series over the league's top team. Gilbert Arenas, in his third game back from knee surgery, added 13 points on 5-for-14 shooting in a relatively low-key 24 minutes. More »

The Big Three were back to build a big lead, but the Boston Celtics' reserves coughed it up and had to come back in overtime for a 107-104 victory over Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday. Eddie House's 3-pointer gave Boston a lead with 1:29 left in overtime, and the Celtics held the Bucks scoreless the rest of the way. More »

Amare Stoudemire had 28 points and 11 rebounds, and the Phoenix Suns beat the Memphis Grizzlies 127-113 on Tuesday night despite playing without an injured Shaquille O'Neal. Stoudemire shot 10-of-13 from the field as the Suns won their eighth straight over the Grizzlies and moved a half-game behind the idle Houston Rockets for the fifth spot in the Western Conference playoffs. More »

Even without the Big Three, the Boston Celtics had enough firepower to make history. Leon Powe had 22 points and nine rebounds, leading a makeshift lineup of Celtics who were never threatened in a 101-78 win over the Charlotte Bobcats last night that not only clinched home-court advantage throughout the playoffs, but set the NBA record for biggest single-season turnaround. More »

The Celtics' 60th win of the season was a 92-77 joyride against the Pacers, marking a 36-win improvement over the previous year—tying the 1996-97 Spurs for the best turnaround in league history. It was Boston's 41st win by at least 10 points, and it featured a typical 20-point, 11-rebound performance by Kevin Garnett. More »