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The Celtics' Secret? Determination

Seven games, two teams, but only one winner: Celtics vs. Bulls.

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But who won the battle in a series of injured superstars, several players fouling out of games, and double and even triple overtimes?

Well, you know it was the Celtics if you watched Saturday night’s game.

But why did it take the Number 2 seed seven everlasting games to beat the Number 7 seed in the Eastern Conference?

Well, as a fan of the Celts, I’m just glad we won, no matter how we got there.

A new question for you guys: Where are Kevin Garnett and Leon Powe?

Unfortunately, these are the injured superstars I was talking about. Powe is done for the season after a serious knee injury during Game 2 of the series. KG also has a bum knee, but we knew he was out for the season and wouldn’t be playing in the playoffs beforehand.

With two big men missing from the roster, the Celtics went with 6’ 9” Big Baby, aka Glen Davis. Playing 41.6 minutes per game during the first round of the playoffs, Baby was a huge factor for the Celtics, making great shots and driving to the hoop.

Then there is Kendrick Perkins, the other big guy on the team who likes to foul people (I’m just kidding!). With his aggressiveness on the court, Perk tends to foul a lot, but that aggressiveness also leads to excellent rebounding. Kendrick is averaging 12.1 rebounds in the playoffs, and I bet in this series against Orlando he will have a lot more energy to rebound even more.

Now for the Bulls side. Don’t get me wrong, they gave the Celtics and their fans a run for their money with players like Brad Miller, Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Ben Gordon, and John Salmons. But they weren’t good enough.

Gordon was a swift as can be; some friends of my parents’ were comparing him to Ray Allen. They both have a smooth shot. Gordon averaged 24.3 points per game in the playoff series. He was difficult to guard, even with Paul Pierce playing amazing defense all around the arc. Gordon managed to slam threes in the Celtics Nation’s face.

So what made the difference? I think it was a couple of things. One, the Celtics underestimated how strong the Bulls were. Two, the Celtics lost one starter and one great bench guy. Three, there were some major losses in overtimes that were unbelievably long, such as the triple-OT Game 6. I feel like I am blogging about the NBA Championship. But guys, that was only the first round!

So the Celtics won through determination. I hope they continue with their hard work.

Tonight, Boston is hoping to win Game 2 of their second-round series against the Orlando Magic.. They lost game one 95-90 on Monday night.

Unfortunately, the Celtics had a hard time getting around Magic superstar Dwight Howard to make easy baskets like they did during the Bulls series. The Celtics dominated the third and fourth quarter of Monday night’s game, but fell short.

If the Celtics want to tie up the series as they head to Orlando, they need to again show that same determination that they put into the Bulls’ games and the end of Game 1.

They must prove that, even without some key players, they can win another battle that they know is worth fighting for.