The Celtics’ season is over, and with the loss to the Heat comes questions about the future.  While it looks like Doc Rivers will likely be back, though that’s not official, the Celtics will also have to find a way to address several issues.  Though their veteran players have made them one of the top teams in the league the last few years, they will eventually have to find some younger players inside if they’re going to be able to stay with younger, more athletic teams in the future.  It definitely looks like Shaquille O’Neal is done and Jermaine O’Neal’s best days are obviously well behind him, so it will definitely be time to look at other options.

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Though it looked for a little while that the Celtics were going to get over the Heat in Game 5 and get the series back to Boston, Miami pulled it together in the fourth quarter and overcame Boston to win the series 4-1.  As usual, the Heat were led by LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, who combined for 67 points and were clutch down the stretch.  LeBron James also brushed back criticism that he wasn’t a clutch player by draining two huge threes in the waning portion of the fourth quarter to seal the game.  Even though Delonte West had a very good game filling in for Rajon Rondo, whose elbow was still an issue, the Celtics just couldn’t stay with the younger and more athletic Miami Heat.

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If the Celtics want to keep playing basketball past tonight, they need to regroup in a hostile situation to win a crucial Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semis.  Though the Celtics nearly pulled out Game 4 to even the series, the more athletic and healthier Heat ended up pulling out the win by blowing out the Celtics in overtime.  The Celtics have been forced to play the last couple of games with a banged up Rajon Rondo, who has been playing through the pain of a dislocated elbow but has not been too much of a factor.  Head Coach Doc Rivers even elected to sit Rondo in the fourth quarter of Game 4 after Rondo struggled in the second half.

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The Celtics now firmly have their back pressed against the wall.  Though the Celtics came very close to evening the series at two games apiece, the Heat were able to pull it together in overtime and limit the Celtics to just four OT points, ultimately giving them a 98-90 win.  The Heat were led by the 35 points and 14 rebounds of LeBron James and also got 28 points from Dwyane Wade.  After admitting to being nervous in Game 3, Chris Bosh also played much better in Game 4 and was a factor inside.  Bosh dominated inside against Kevin Garnett just a couple days before KG had his way with Bosh in Game 3.  With the win, the Heat now move up 3-1 on the series and get to head home to try and seal the deal on Wednesday night.

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With their backs against the wall, the defending Eastern Conference champion Celtics had fresh legs on Saturday, which proved to be enough to overcome the Heat and get back in the series at 2-1.  The Celtics really buckled down on defense with the return of Shaquille O’Neal and the Heat struggled to find offense throughout the game, particularly on the second half.  But the Celtics also got a courageous performance from point guard Rajon Rondo, who badly dislocated his elbow in a grotesque injury in the first half.  Even with an arm he could barely use, however, Rondo was able to come back onto the court and play fairly well to help close out the game.  Rondo ended up with 11 assists on the day, helping the Celtics get going offensively.

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Though it’s been a rough series so far for the Boston Celtics, they’ll have a new opportunity to show their resolve tomorrow as they take on the Heat in Game 3.  In the first two games, the Celtics have had major difficulties slowing down Dwyane Wade and LeBron James, though they’re looking to get a serious boost by getting Shaquille O’Neal back into the lineup this weekend.  With Shaq coming back to help with their interior defense, the Celtics should do a better job clogging the lane, which should ultimately force the Heat to rely more on jump shots.  If the Celtics cannot slow down Wade and James, the series will probably be over pretty quickly.

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The Celtics have obviously been here before, but this time they’re facing a very talented opponent with fresh legs and plenty of confidence.  Though the series is far from over, the Celtics need to find a way to turn around the series with their home crowd now behind them.  For Head Coach Doc Rivers, the key will be to stay aggressive, something that they will simply have to start being if they want to win a single game this series the way that the Heat have been going.

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