NBA 2010 Eastern Conference Finals | BostonCeltics Finished the Series in Game 6

 

The Boston Celtics came out strong today to finish the Eastern Conference Finals and ended the hopefuls Orlando Magic with 96-84.

Six weeks ago, this team was counted out, trudging through the mucky muck of their own inconsistencies. Sure, there was a flash here, a dominant defensive stand there, but the body of evidence for title contention didn't add up to much more than most of the 16 playoff teams could boast.

The Celtics didn't care. They knew their own capacity, as Doc Rivers told anyone who would listen, even after losses to the New Jersey Nets and Washington Wizards how much he liked his team. And now they're headed back to the NBA Finals.

The Magic made some, mostly mini, runs, but Boston always had an answer. The first window came at the onset of the second quarter, when Rajon Rondo was laying face down on the sidelines after taking a hard fall. This put Nate Robinson, who had played all of 44 minutes in the playoffs, front and center.

His response? A 13-point quarter that staved off Orlando's composed effort.

Paul Pierce lead the Celtics with his 31 points and 13 rebounds.  Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo added 20 and 14 respectively.

On the other hand Dwight Howard scored 28 points and Vince Carter, 17 points.