In the 2008 NBA Playoffs, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics met in an epic Eastern Conference Semifinals with the home team winning every game. In a Game 7 mano-a-mano, Lebron James and Paul Pierce were involved in a shootout  that rekindled memories of Larry Bird and Dominique Wilkins’ own in 1988.

James scored 45 points but Pierce countered 41 of his own to give his team the win. That same year, the Celtics got their 17th championship banner.

Now two years later, the two teams are again meeting in the Conference Semifinals. However this time, the Cavs have the home-court advantage after getting 61 wins and the best overall record in the NBA for the regular season.

Both teams dispatched of their First Round opponent in 5 games: the Cavs against the Bulls while the Celtics against the Heat.

NOTES:

1. The Cavaliers entered the 2010 NBA Playoffs as the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference while the Celtics is #4.

2. In the regular season, the two teams split their season series 2-2.

3. The Cavaliers is led by the tandem of Lebron James (29.7 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 8.6 apg) and Shaquille O’Neal (12 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 1.2 bpg).

4. The Celtics is led by its quad of stars Paul Pierce (18.3 ppg, 4.4 apg, 1.2 spg), Kevin Garnett (14.3 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 2.7 apg), Ray Allen (16.3 ppg, 36.3 3p%, 91.3ft%) and Rajon Rondo (13.7 ppg, 9.8 apg, 2.3 spg).

SCHEDULE: Celtics win series 4-2

Game 1 May 1 TBA                         Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio     TNT
Game 2 May 3 7:00 pm                   Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio     TNT
Game 3 May 7 TBA                         TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts     ESPN
Game 4 May 9 3:30 pm                   TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts     ABC
Game 5 May 11 TBA           *           Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio     TNT
Game 6 May 13 TBA           *           TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts     ESPN
Game 7 May 16 3:30 pm     *           Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio     ABC

NOTE: * denotes games to be played if necessary

RECAP:

I will post recaps after every game.

Game 1

Mo Williams scored 20 points and delivered his first dunk for the Cavaliers; an empathic slam against Paul Pierce that gave life to his team which rallied in the 4th quarter for a 101-93 victory.

Lebron James had 35 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists and drained a 3-pointer with 22 seconds left to put Boston away.

Rajon Rondo had 27 points and 12 assists and Kevin Garnett, 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Celtics, who led the game for the first 3 quarters before being held to just 15 points in the fourth quarter.

The Cavs are 10-0 all-time when winning the series opener.

Game 2

Prior to the game, Lebron James was named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player for the second consecutive year.

Like with Game 1, the Celtics led for most of the game; in fact leading by up to 25 points until the Cavaliers rallied in the 4th quarter going 15-0 in just 4 minutes. However unlike the previous game, the Celtics held on to their lead and stole home court advantage by winning 104-86.

Rajon Rondo had 13 points and a career-high 19 assists leading a team effort from its key players who held the Cavs to a miserable 40 percent shooting, including 3-for-16 from the starting backcourt of Mo Williams (1-for-9) and Anthony Parker (2-for-7).

Lebron scored 24 points but had more turnovers than assists (5-4). His chase-down block on Tony Allen might just be the only good thing for the Cavs in this game.

Game 3

Accused of being tentative in the previous two games, Lebron James scored a franchise postseason record 21 of his 38 points in the 1st quarter to give the Cavs a huge lead by the end of the quarter, 36-17. By then, the game was pretty much over.

When it ended, the Cavs win 124-95 handing the Celtics their worst home playoff loss ever.

Rajon Rondo lead the Celtics with 18 points and eight assists.

The Celtics’ previous worst home playoff loss was 97-70 to Indiana on May 7, 2005, in Game 7 of the first round.

Game 4

With mind-boggling stats of 29 points, 18 rebounds and 13 assists, you would think it was Lebron James who got that but this night, it was a man wearing a Celtics jersey, Rajon Rondo.

Usually overlooked outside Boston’s Big Three of Garnett, Pierce and Allen, Rondo had a career night to give his team a 97-97 win and a tie with the Cavs 2-2 in their playoff series.

Rondo became the third player in playoff history to have at least 29 points, 18 rebounds and 13 assists according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Oscar Robertson had 32 points, 19 rebounds and 13 assists in 1963, and Wilt Chamberlain had 29 points, 36 rebounds and 13 assists in 1967.

Lebron James scored 22 points while Shaquille O’Neal added a 2010 postseason high 17 points for the Cavaliers.

Game 5

The Big 4 of Garnett, Pierce, Allen and Rondo scored 18, 21, 25 and 16 points respectively as the Celtics handed the Cavs their worst home playoff loss in history, 120-88 to move one win away from clinching the series 3-2.

In one of their most important game, Lebron James could only deliver an un-MVP like 15 points on 3 of 14 shooting. Shaquille O’Neal had 21 points and Anthony Parker added 14 as the Cavs were looking like the older team instead of the “aging” Celtics.

Game 6 on Friday at Boston could be Lebron’s last game for Cleveland as the free-agency summer bonanza is looming.

Game 6

Lebron James’ triple-double of 27 points, 10 assists and 19 rebounds is still not enough for the Cavs to stave off elimination losing to the Celtics, 94-85.

It was the second straight year Cleveland has finished the regular-season with the #1 overall seed, and the second in a row that they have failed to get out of the East. Last year, they lost to Orlando in the conference finals.

The Celtics is back in the Eastern Conference Finals round since 2008 when they won a championship. They will face the Orlando Magic.

Meanwhile, talks about Lebron playing for the New York Knicks next season have become the day’s hot item.

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Tags: 2010 nba free agency, 2010 NBA playoffs, boston celtics, cleveland cavaliers