In the first round of the playoffs, the Boston Celtics had a 3-1 game lead over the Atlanta Hawks heading into Game 5 in Atlanta. The Celtics opened up a 10-point lead early on, but the Hawks battled back and ended up forcing a Game 6, in which Boston prevailed.
Let's backtrack a little bit.
May 2010. The Celtics held a 3-0 game lead over the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals. The C's had an opportunity to finish the Magic off in Boston, but they didn't do it. They then proceeded to lose Game 5 in Orlando, setting up an almost must-win Game 6 at home. They won.
May 2008. The Celtics won the first two games of their series against the Hawks. Atlanta then tied the series at two games apiece. Boston then won Game 5, but the Hawks forced a Game 7 (which the C's won) by winning Game 6 on their home floor. The next series, the Celtics took a 2-0 lead on the Cleveland Cavaliers, lost the lead as the Cavaliers tied the series, then won Game 5, then lost Game 6, and then won Game 7.
Are you sensing a bit of a pattern here? In the Big Three era, Boston has had a fair amount of trouble (and that is being kind) closing the door on teams ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by Matthew Schmidt
Boston Celtics Have Chance to Close an Inferior Team Out: Will They Do It?
May 22nd, 2012 by Matthew Schmidt Leave a reply »
Advertisement