NBA Playoffs 2011: Why the Heat's Win over the Boston Celtics Wasn't so Sweet

The Boston Celtics exited the 2011 NBA Playoffs last night much the same way they entered: limping.

The legions of bandwagon jumpers are extolling the talent of a team that is "finally coming together" and has "found that next level." Sure, the Heat should be praised for making quick and painless work of the Celtics, but what the Heat did should be praised within the right context.

For all their talk about getting the monkey off their back, Miami beat up the school bully, but they did it while he was laid up in a cast. Sure, the big bad bullies of Boston showed up for a fight, but that was pride that brought them there. They were no longer ready for that fight.

If anyone is responsible for the Celtics' exit, it’s Danny Ainge, the guy who crippled them in the first place.

The Heat have beat the old, worn down Celtics five of six times this year.

The Kendrick Perkins Celtics were 3-0 against the Heat.

Let’s be clear for a minute about Perkins. He is no All-NBA type of player, but with the Celtics, he was as important as one.

Perhaps it was the way he clogged the middle, not allowing the Heat to drive the lane so easily. Dwyane Wade, in particular, attacked the rim frequently and with ease. Perkins managed to keep a lot of things out of the lane, and his presence allowed Kevin Garnett to roam both offensively and defensively—much the way Perkins has allowed Serge Ibaka to do the same in Oklahoma City.

With Perkins gone, the Celtics were just 15-12 and seemed to have lost their swagger.

While I don’t always believe in mojo, and I don’t believe one playoff series always equates to the next, that doesn’t mean confidence doesn’t matter.

With Perkins, the Celtics were confident, especially against the Heat. They could beat them, and they knew it.

Miami knew it too. Wade made it his specialty to disappear against Boston, but after that trade, the wind was gone from their sails, putting everything in doubt.

From the beginning of the playoffs, even with the youthful addition of Jeff Green, the Celtics seemed broken down and old.

Rondo, easily the baby of the group, looked tired and confused on the floor. Shaq was absent for the entire second half of the season; when he finally did show up, it was too little too late. KG looked worn down and tired, and the aforementioned Rondo, Delonte West and Paul Pierce were literally broken down for the second half of the Miami series.

This is not sour grapes, nor is it making excuses.

These things were clear as day.

At the end of the day, the Heat just had to beat who was in front of the them, and they did so in impressive fashion. But that enthusiasm should be tempered, considering we spend most of the playoffs putting every win or loss into perspective.

This isn’t the same Celtics team they played the first half of the season. Danny Ainge put the Celtics on their last legs, and the Heat just put them out of their misery.