Will the real Boston Celtics please stand up?

Today I watched one of the most dominating performances I've ever witnessed at the professional level as the Boston Celtics dismantled the Atlanta Hawks. I chatted with friends as I watched the team shut down the Hawks offense to the tune of a double digit lead before the first quarter ended By half time the lead was over 20, and early in the 3rd quarter it was 30. At 79-41 late in the 3rd quarter I expected to see the Celtics pulling back and easing in for the victory. Instead I saw Kevin Garnett skidding across the ground diving for a loose ball, followed by Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo risking injury to do the same.

After my blog a couple nights ago challenging Boston to step it up (found here) I expected Boston to win game 7. Boston has been dominant all season at home and Atlanta is terrible on the road. Also, despite inconsistency in the series, Boston had more experience and talent than Atlanta and had won the previous three home games in the series.

On a quick side note, did anyone catch the note about Boston being 14-2 all time in game 7 situations? Does anyone really think that means anything. Considering none of the current players were on the last team to participate in a game 7, I'm going to go on a limb and say that really doesn't mean anything. It was like during the NCAA tournament when Digger kept pulling out Kansas' record in previous tournament games when they had none of the same players and a different coach. Tradition builds a fan base, it doesn't win championships.

But I digress...

With Cleveland on the horizon it is tough to know which Celtics team will show up. The one that nearly lost to an Atlanta team that finished the season with a losing record, or the one that looked so dominant on defense it took nearly 40 minutes for Atlanta to reach 50 points.

Ultimately Boston can go through the playoffs and win the title without winning a road game, but the chances of going undefeated at the Garden against the likes of Cleveland, Detroit and the Western Conference Champion are very unlikely. Boston will have to win on the road, and the team will have to show it can play in any setting.

One concerning sight from the game today was Paul Pierce. Pierce was in his old refuse-to-pass mode and took several unorthodox shots with time running out on the shot clock. Pierce was particularly bad when KG & Ray Allen were out of the game. Hopefully for Boston's sake Pierce remembers he has two teammates with more talent than himself and doesn't revert to the Antoine Walker era.

The series with Cleveland should be interesting, especially if LeBron James and company steal game one in Boston.

Anyone know Kevin Garnett's field goal percentage during playoff appearances with a full moon? Ask the guys at ESPN who want to quantify everything into a cool statistic with no relevancy.