Nate The Great, Celtics Win The East
There will be no historic comeback in the 2010 Eastern Conference Finals. It's over, and it's done with. The Boston Celtics are Eastern Conference Champions.
The Celtics wrapped up their 21st Eastern Conference title by winning game six, 96-84, over the Orlando Magic.
The Celtics entered game six with a two game losing streak and anxiety swirling through Boston. Anxiety in which that Boston could become the first team in NBA history to blow a 3-0 series lead. That did not happen.
The difference maker and the enforcer of tonight's game was none other than Nate Robinson.
Robinson come up huge. There's no other way you can put it. He scored all of this 13 points in the second quarter, which included two devastating three's and a fancy pass to Kevin Garnett. You might ask, "why was Nate Robinson the difference maker?" Well, the Celtics had a 13 point lead at the half, and Robinson came in for the injured Rajon Rondo and added fire to the Boston lineup.
Earlier in this season in April, Boston Head Coach, Doc Rivers stated this about Robinson: "He's going to win us a playoff game." And he did just that tonight.
On a side note, the X-factor this series was Kendrick Perkins. He is the most underrated player in Boston's starting lineup, and he very well could be the best defensive center in the NBA.
Perkins controlled Dwight Howard. Superman didn't have much time to fly in this series with Perk guarding him. Perkins played very tough D through the series, and when he wasn't on the court, his absence was noticed.
Notable performances: Paul Pierce: 31 points, 13 rebounds, Dwight Howard: 28 points, 13 rebounds, Ray Allen: 20 points.
The Celtics will move on to the NBA Finals and will player either the Los Angeles Lakers or the Phoenix Suns. Either one should make for quite a Finals.
Might I say, "Beat LA"?
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