All of those out there wishing for the Celtics to follow the lead of the Bruins and lose a 3-0 series lead were sorely disappointed last night, as the Celtics dispatched Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic 96-84 in game six of the Eastern Conference Finals. The Celtics are headed back to the NBA Finals for the 21st time in franchise history.
Paul Pierce led the way with 31 points and 13 rebounds for the Celtics. Nate Robinson was the spark in this one, coming off the bench to score 13 points and play tough defense on Jameer Nelson. Get every bit of coverage on this one over at CelticsLinks.com.
In the end, the Celtics were nothing like the Bruins, except in the minds and hopes of a collective media that in the words of a friend, “gleefully anticipated” a historic collapse and hoped for a one-two punch of misery for the Boston fans and a plethora of storylines and lame jokes with which to torment their readers endlessly with.
Mike Breen on the ESPN telecast could hardly mask his disappointment, and held out hope for a Magic comeback pretty much to the end. If the Celtics play the Lakers in the finals (no sure thing) Breen can at least take solace in the fact that he’ll be able to fawn over Kobe Bryant for a minimum of four games.
Guess who’s headed back to the Finals … The Celtics, that’s who – Paul Flannery says that the Celtics were not supposed to end up here.
With their pedigree, it was matter of time – Bob Ryan says that there is a reason no team has ever come back from an 0-3 in the NBA playoffs.
Celtics finally done kidding around – Steve Bulpett has the Celtics once again becoming a force of nature.
Rivers’ savings plan pays dividends – Peter May has Doc Rivers’ plan of using the regular season to get his team healthy paying dividends.
A bruising victory and a shot at banner 18 – Yes, yes, Dan Shaughnessy may have been leading the cheers in hoping for the 3-0 choke, but I still enjoyed his column today that tells us why the Celtics would never let down their fans in that way.
‘Big 15’ prove anything is possible – Tim Weisberg has the Celtics viewing this as a team victory.
Robinson’s patience pays off – Chris Forsberg has Nate Robinson finally getting his chance – and making the most of it.
Despite pains, gains made – Julian Benbow’s notebook has the Celtics walking wounded making a contribution.
A day, and a friend, David Ortiz will never forget – Rob Bradford looks at a tough day for the Red Sox DH yesterday, having attended the wake of his friend, Jose Lima.
Second coming for Bruins – Kevin Paul Dupont has the Bruins getting close-up looks at Tyler Seguin and Taylor Hall at the combine.
RedSoxLinks.comhas all the stories from last night’s Red Sox loss to the Royals.
Boston Sports Media Watch 
Great victory by the Celts. I've said it before, I can't stand the TV announcers, especially Breen. He was openly rooting for a Magic comeback last night. The other two even commented on it. I couldn't believe the sponge-bath that Breen and Jackson gave to the brothers VanGundy right in the middle of the game. If 'EEI wants some serious ratings they should try to figure a way to synch their broadcast with TV.
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As much as the CHB has earned our distrust and even dislike over the last 15-odd years, he has actually been pretty accurate and, gasp, optimistic about the Celtics this spring. Even before the regular season ended he was on TV stating that he thought they were actually saving themselves for the playoffs, and that they'd be a better team when the post-season started. After Game 5 of this series, he predicted a win in Game 6. As for the TV broadcasts, well, I don't think they've been that bad. Yes, it's clear that the Celtics, going all the way back to the 2008 season when they rejoined the land of the NBA living, have been treated almost like an "interloper" by the NBA's TV contractors, as the league is a superstar-driven, rather than team-driven entity now (in the 80s it was all about the team rivalries as I recall). The Lakers, Cavs, Magic, Heat, et al, have the "superstars" that the NBA likes to market, so the broadcasters seem to fall into that trap. I'm sure listening to the hosannah's thrown at Kobe's feet in the Finals will be sickening to take.
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so, let me get this straight, when announcers dont give Tom Brady and Randy Moss enough credit – both sure fire HOFers – all of you rip them and get your boxers in a bunch. But when a great player is praised – have you even watched what Kobe has been doing these playoffs?? – then you crush the announcers. You already have set in your mind that it will be a Kobe lovefest although I have the DVDs of the games from the ’08 finals and Jackson and JVG could not possibly have been more exuberant in their praise of the Celtics and ripping the soft Lakers. Come on, national guys arent going to be Tommy Heinsohns or Gino Cappelettis – nor would I EVER want them to be – but they praise greatness and did you really not hear them rip Vince? Rashard?
To put this in perspective, I was a teenager in mid-80s and would yell at my dad because I thought the national announcer hated the Celtics and gave too much love to Magic and Kareem. The announcer? Tommy Heinsohn…they cant win.
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