2012 NBA Playoffs: Garnett and Rondo Need to Be Dominant for C's to Beat Heat

The Boston Celtics let the Philadelphia 76ers hang around for far too long. They should have been able to handle Philadelphia in five games, but in the end they're moving on to face the definitive favorite Miami Heat.

In the deciding Game 7, the Celtics didn’t play their best basketball. The 76ers defense greatly slowed the tempo of Boston’s offense and kept them from developing a consistent offensive flow.

Although, Rajon Rondo finished with his ninth postseason triple-double, he did not have a dominant game from start to finish. Rondo struggled for the first three quarters with turnovers and an inability to penetrate against the 76ers stingy defense.

Rondo scored just seven points on 3-of-9 shooting in the first three quarters of Game 7. Paul Pierce being trapped and doubled-teamed whenever he touched the ball presented Rondo some opportunities to get the ball and immediately go to the rack, but at many times he seemed reluctant.

While Rondo had difficulty getting his game going, he did come through for the Celtics when they needed him most. When Pierce got fouled out with a little over four minutes remaining in the contest and the Celtics clinging to a three-point lead, Rondo came to the rescue.

The star point guard scored nine of his 18 points after Pierce left the game, including a dagger three-pointer that he stepped into with confidence. His crucial play in the final minutes saved the Celtics' season and proved that he can carry the team on his back in big moments.

All the headlines today will read that Rondo was spectacular and he led the Celtics to victory, but the most consistent player for the Celtics in Game 7 was Kevin Garnett.

Garnett’s defense has been spectacular all season and that didn’t waver in Game 7. He protected the rim and made life difficult for any 76er that came into the paint.

He may not have been an overly efficient scorer in the Celtics victory, but he made big fourth-quarter shots while his defense and rebounding remained at a high level throughout.

The stat that shows Garnett’s true importance to the team is his plus/minus. In Game 7, the Celtics outscored the 76ers by 16 points with Garnett on the court, and overall Garnett leads all players with a postseason plus/minus of plus-145.

Rondo and Garnett are the two players that are going to need to be at their absolute best if the Celtics are to have any shot at knocking off the Heat.

Rondo can’t have a game like he did in Game 6 of the 76ers series where he seemed disinterested and hesitant. He needs to be in attack mode from the opening tip of every game because he has a definitive advantage over Heat point guard Mario Chalmers that the Celtics need him to exploit.

With Chris Bosh sidelined for the near future, Garnett has to look for his own shot instead of deferring to others. He needs to post up deep in the paint whenever he has the opportunity, as his scoring will be crucial to a Celtics victory.

The Celtics' best scorer, Pierce, will be defended by arguably the league’s best perimeter defender in LeBron James. This, combined with Pierce’s knee injury, which has looked better over the last few games, will limit his production.

Ray Allen did sink two key three-pointers in the fourth quarter of Game 7, but is still clearly hobbled by the bone spurs in his ankle. His jump-shooting and overall game will continue to be at less than 100 percent against the Heat.

The two big advantages the Celtics have over the Heat are at point guard and power forward. The team needs to take advantage of these mismatches and attack them throughout the series if they want to advance to their third NBA Finals in six years.