NBA Playoffs 2012: 5 Takeaways from Boston Celtics' Game 1 Win vs. 76ers

The Boston Celtics beat the Philadelphia 76ers 92-91 in a game that the Sixers had control of throughout.

In fact, the Sixers had the lead for the entire first half. However, the Celtics were able to rally as a team and pull out the game in the end.

The final few minutes were all Celtics as they locked down on the defensive end and got easy shots on the offensive end.

With this win, the Celtics take a 1-0 lead in the series heading into Game 2 on Monday. 

Another Triple-Double by Rondo

Is there any other player that can get a triple-double as effortlessly as Rajon Rondo?

He dominated the game in every aspect, but it didn't even seem that way. He silently recorded yet another triple-double, the eighth of his playoff career.

He moves further up the list of playoff triple-double leaders and is now tied with Oscar Robertson, the guy who averaged a triple-double for a season.

At just age 26, Rondo is only three playoff triple-doubles away from Larry Legend.

Sure, he is still a ways away from Magic Johnson's record 30 playoff triple-doubles, but he is still young.

Kevin Garnett Continues to Turn Back the Clock

Kevin Garnett is playing like it's 2004.

After his 28-point performance in Game 6 against the Hawks, he was able to put up 29 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks in Game 1 vs. the Sixers.

Doc Rivers keeps saying that Garnett needs to shoot more. In the past two games, that formula has worked beautifully for the Celtics.

Garnett took around a quarter of the Celtics' shots in Game 1 and scored over 30 percent of the team's points.

He is playing out of his mind right now and at this point, who is to say he can't do it again?

Mostly Balanced Attack for the C's

Aside from Garnett's 29 points, no Celtic really dominated scoring wise.

The rest of the scoring was spread pretty evenly between the players. Five players for the Celtics were in double digits, which is an excellent sign. 

The bench added 18 points, which is a step in the right direction after they did very little in the first round.

This balanced attack and the ability for everyone to step up is imperative because KG can't play 10 years younger every night and carry this team.

For the Celtics to win consistently, they need everyone to contribute consistently.

The Captain Finds a Way to Score

Of the five players scoring in double digits, Paul Pierce stood out the most. 

Throughout most of the game, he was not shooting the ball well.

He was not getting enough elevation on his shots and seemed to be pushing the ball on his release. Often, his shots were line drives right off the front of the rim.

Pierce is a great player, though, and great players find a way to score, even when they are shooting poorly.

For Pierce, he went inside to find his offense. There, he was able to draw fouls and get to the line.

His stat line looks pretty average with just 14 points on 3-of-11 shooting, but it could have been much worse given the way he was shooting the ball.

What is important is that he could still find a way to score and hit a big jumper in crunch time when it mattered most. 

Doc Rivers Is a Genius

In terms of coaches, Doc Rivers is about as clutch as they come.

No coach is better at drawing up plays during timeouts than Doc. If the Celtics could have Doc draw up a play for every possession, they would score nearly every time up the floor.

In crunch time, Doc is as lethal as any clutch shooter on the floor. He has already proven that he can draw up a multitude of successful plays for game-winning shots.

Tonight, he proved that he can also draw up game-winning-out-of-bounds plays.

He sent Rondo deep to catch the pass and run the clock out; the play worked to perfection.

With the game on the line, I will always trust Doc drawing up plays and this last play was just another reason why.