On to the next one.

"Eat this."

Celtics finished off the Knicks at MSG today 101-89. They will now move on to face the winner of the Heat-Sixers series in round 2. The Heat lead that series 3-1, and will look to wrap-it up on Wednesday night in Miami. The main reason this sweep is so huge for the C's is that it guarantees Shaq and the rest of the squad at least 1 full week of rest.

The Celtics were in control most of this game. New York made a run and got within 6 in the 4th, but the Celts pulled-it together and finished the job. I knew the bench would not stay down much longer, and today they were a key part of the C's victory. Big Baby scored clutch baskets throughout the 1st half and finished with his series-best of 14 pts & 5 rebounds.

But the story again today, and the story of this series, was the "Big Four" of Ticket, Truth, Rondo & Ray. Rondo got to the basket at will, and despite the Knicks trying to deter him w/a hard-foul early on, he finished with 21 pts & 12 dimes. Paul & Ray started off slow, but hit big shots when it mattered. They put in 13 and 14, respectively. The Big Ticket led the Celtics with 26 points today, and stoically hit big shot after big shot down the stretch. He also was a perfect 6 for 6 from the FT line.

This was the first sweep since 1992 when the C's eliminated the Pacers in 4, and only the 2nd road close-out win since KG & Ray joined the team in 2007. The C's continue to get better & better, and now will get a nice extended rest to regroup and possibly get Shaq ready for some significant playing-time. Enjoy the time-off Celtics fans, and be sure to check out Chuck's recap over at Red's Army.
(video courtesy of Chris Forsberg)