There is a perception: “as Rondo goes, the Celtics go.”

But Rajon Rondo doesn’t agree with that.

“That’s a lot of pressure,” he said when asked if he heard of the saying. “ I’ve heard it before. I don’t know if it’s true. We’re one of the few teams in the NBA where all five guys contribute. We’re not just a one, two man show. We’re a great team.”

While the Celtics can usually win without Rondo at his best, it doesn’t make things easy. When he is on – moving the ball, driving to the basket, and stealing rebounds from much bigger bodies – the Celtics are near unstoppable.

Read: Celtics Need ‘Everything From Everyone’

But as the playoff grind starts to wear on the elder Celtics, they are relying more on their 26-year-old playcaller. When he struggled in Game 6, so did the flow of the Celtics offense.

But Rondo is confident all of that will change Saturday night.

“We haven’t got it done yet, but we will [in Game 7]. I think that’s our mindset, our focus, and our intentions coming into the game,” he said confidently. “We’re going to make sacrifices and make plays.”

Some would say that is as close to a guarantee as you can get without actually guaranteeing a victory. That would be Rondo’s second of the playoffs, as he said it felt “like we had won the series” after the C’s Game 2 win over Atlanta in the first-round. Some see it as a little bit of cockiness, which is not a horrible thing for Rondo to have. His nickname is “swag” in the Celtics’ locker-room after all.

But what the Celtics need most is a confident Rondo. With injuries and mileage adding up, the responsibilities are mounting on him. For this winner-take-all affair, he needs to get everyone involved in the offense with his head-spinning passing, take on scoring with Ray Allen seemingly on last leg, and amp up his defense without the services of Avery Bradley.

Read: Bradley Undergoes Surgery, Done For Playoffs

Taking Bradley’s spot as defender numero-uno , or slowing Jrue Holiday and Lou Williams who both had their way with Rondo and the Celtics defense in Game 6, may prove to be the most difficult.

“[Bradley’s] ability to guard the best guard, at one or two, had really taken so much pressure off of Rondo in particular,” Rivers said of his absent shooting guard. “Not having him means Rondo goes back to that role and running the team, and that’s hard to do. Especially against the team we’re playing who has two guards that attack. Rondo doesn’t have a lot of breaks.”

But the responsibilities shouldn’t fall solely on Rondo. Keyon Dooling and Mickael Pietrus also need to step up off the bench; Dooling with some offense, and Pietrus on both ends of the floor. Rondo can do just about everything, but that doesn’t mean it should all fall onto his shoulders.

Some would say he took Wednesday night off, proving the “as Rondo goes” adage a bit. The bottom line is Rondo has the ball in his hands, and needs to be the one to start the Celtics offensive attack. The offense goes through him, and he dictates what they do. The C’s won’t need one of his spectacular triple-doubles (although that would be nice), but they need a focused and confident Rondo taking the floor Saturday night.

The Celtics will need a full team effort to win Game 7, but it all starts with Rondo.

“I think we’ll come out with a great sense of urgency,” captain Paul Piece said prior to the team’s practice on Friday. “It’s Game 7; there is no tomorrow. In order for us to advance we have to give it our all, we have to give everything we got. We need everything from everyone that steps out on that court and understand this could be the season. We have to play like a desperate team, regardless if we’re at home or not. The team that wants it the most is going to get it.”

Celtics Talk Game 7: 

“We haven’t got it done yet, but we will tomorrow,” said a confident Rajon Rondo. “I think that’s our mindset, our focus, and our intentions coming into the game. We’re going to make sacrifices and make plays.”

The Celtics may be the higher seed and have the luxury of playing on their home court, but they do not have the luxury of youth or health. Avery Bradley is done for the playoffs, leaving Boston without one of their younger and more energetic players on the floor. The Sixers guards took advantage in Game 6, as both Jrue Holiday and Lou Williams had their way, especially late in the fourth quarter.

But the Celtics have dealt with injuries the entire season, and now that it’s crunch time, they’ll continue to do the same.

“I don’t even try to have our guys look at challenges. It is what it is, and we play,” said head coach Doc Rivers. “We play tomorrow night, we play at home, and we have to win the game. Forget all the other stuff. The stuff can’t play against you; you have to go play against Philly.”

“I’m very confident in this group. I’ve said it before; this is as good as a group I’ve coached as far as they have a way of getting ready,” said Doc. “Let’s hope it continues to go.”

In Game 6, 17 Celtics turnovers turned into 19 points for Philadelphia. They lost the 50-50 battles that had gone their way in Game 5. Now with one game deciding everything, the Celtics will have to limit their mistakes, and win those battles.

“I think seven games in you have to make sure you minimize your mistakes. You can’t be beat by game plan mistakes, turnovers; all those small little things,” said guard Ray Allen. “You give away a point here, two points here, an illegal defense; you win by three, four points, or even one, you look at all the small little things early in the game that caused that outcome.”

Asked if there is more pressure on his team, with the eighth-seeded Sixers entering the must-win with a “nothing to lose mentality,” Rivers scoffed at that notion.

“I don’t think any team has any more or less pressure than any other team,” said Doc. “I always laugh when I hear we have nothing to lose when you’re the other team. Yeah you do. You go home if you lose; you have a lot to lose. I think in Game 7s, both teams have the exact same amount to lose, and win.”

Doc On Game 7 Pressure: 

While they might be feeling some pressure, the Celtics won’t be lacking motivation come Saturday.

“Game 7, what else could you ask for?” said Pierce. “If this isn’t the most important thing to you right now there is no other way to motivate basketball players. Nobody wants to end the season now. We have a great opportunity to advance, go to the Eastern Conference Finals on our home court; that’s all the motivation we need right now.”

Head coach Doc Rivers made the announcement at the team’s practice Friday morning.

“It’s disappointing,” said Rivers. “Obviously when a player goes down that’s disappointing, especially on what Avery has given us this year. His growth this year has been terrific. It’s been great and he’s become a very valuable piece to our basketball team.”

Doc Rivers On Losing Avery Bradley: 

“Avery’s a big blow, yeah, there’s no doubt,” Doc continued. “If I’m the other guys on any other team, and the fact that I don’t have to play against Avery Bradley, I would sleep a little better. No one wants to play against Avery. Our guys don’t want to play against him in practice. He’s a pain in the [butt] defensively. That’s what he does.”

Read: Just Another Game 7 Between Celtics and Sixers

Bradley missed Games 5 and 6 of the Celtics Eastern Conference Semifinal series against the Philadelphia 76ers after his left shoulder popped out of place for the third time this postseason. Doctors feared that if he kept playing, and risk having the shoulder pop out again, it would do more damage for the future of the 21-year-old.

Read: The End Of The Big 3? Not Yet…

The second-year guard had made big strides for Boston this season, winning a spot in the team’s starting five for the injured Ray Allen. He remained a starter when Allen returned, and finished the regular season averaging 7.6 points per game while shooting 50-percent from the floor.

In 10 postseason games, Bradley averaged 6.7 points per contest, and say his shooting dip to 37-percent.

The end is near, but it won’t come Saturday.

Yes, the Celtics have plenty stacked against them Saturday night. Their Game 6 effort was possibly the worst performance by the C’s in the last five years, the injury to Avery Bradley has left them without one of their youthful contributors, and the eighth-seeded 76ers will come into the Garden with a “nothing to lose” mentality.

But, with their time together coming to an obvious close, these pride-filled Celtics will not go down to an eighth seed. Not at home. Not on back-to-back playoff losses. Not in a series they could have easily swept.

Gresh & Zo: Is This The Last Of The Big 3?

As bad as the Celtics were in Game 6 — and they were awful — it is hard to imagine they would play that poorly on their home court with a trip to the Eastern Confernce finals on the line. They’ll have had two days, not just to rest, but to stew about that horrid performance at the Wells Fargo Center.

The Celtics shot just 33 percent from the floor Wednesday night. None of Kevin Garnett’s 20 shots were within 10 feet. The Celtics were dominated 42-16 in the paint. Rajon Rondo didn’t remember there was a game that night. The list goes on.

All of that should change Saturday.

The Celtics will make an emphasis to establish themselves in the paint early and often, thereby bringing Elton Brand and Spencer Hawes’ defense back to earth. Instead of all those jumpers that Garnett tried, tried and tried some more, a couple of four-footers would work wonders at stretching the floor. They need to work from the inside out, something they never got going Wednesday.

A lot of that had to do with Rondo’s (lack-of-a) performance.

Back in Boston, Kevin Garnett should dominate and Paul Pierce will continue to do his thing in Game 7. But the player the series will come down to is Rondo. His head was not in Game 6 from the get-go, and the Celtics offense never got going because of it. So in Game 7, Rondo needs to play the quarterback and establish the ball movement. After his quiet nine-point, nine-rebound and six-assist performance, it would be hard to see Rondo go out and put up another playoff triple-double (just hope for one along the lines of 20-17-18, and not 11-10-11). Of the eight he’s put up in his playoff career, none of them have come in a Game 7. It would be nice see him to grab that first one Saturday.

Read: Just Another Game 7 Between Celtics and Sixers

The Celtics will also need contributions from Brandon Bass (who shot just 2-for-12 in Game 6) and Mickael Pietrus. Garnett should be able to handle another 35 to 40 minutes on the floor, but if Bass is not involved it will make those 40 minutes feel like 80. With Ray Allen stumbling around the court — he is trying, but the man has no ankles anym0re — Pietrus will need to bring his outside shot as much as his defensive intensity.

Nothing has come easy in this series. Game 7 will be just as big a grind as the other six games. But if the Celtics can establish themselves in the paint early, and in turn get their ball movement back to where it had been, they should be moving on to the Eastern Conference finals and the Miami Heat.

The Celtics chances in that series is a whole different story. So enjoy Saturday night. It won’t be the Big 3′s last, but that time is approaching quickly.

If the Celtics were to lose, could this be the last we see of The Big Three? What do the Celtics need to do in Game Seven to make sure that they can move on to the Conference Finals to face the Miami Heat?

They also discuss whether or not this group is primed to make a championship push?

So with the absence of Tommy Heinsohn and Mike Gorman, Toucher & Rich wondered if there was a local voice that people could stream on their computers and tune out the national crews.

What about Adolfo?

The guys threw him the studio, flicked on a Celtics game and let Adolfo go. What happened next was just… pure hilarity.

Does Adolfo know all the terminology? Does he even know the names of the guys on the court? The short answer is no, but he’s not going to let it stop him.

Why do the Celtics struggle with close out games on the road? How do the Celtics compare to the rest of the NBA in closeout games? What makes last nights game different from other close out games?

Tanguay said Game 6 was not just about the Celtics losing. He said the Sixers deserve their share of credit, too.

“Last night to me wasn’t about just losing focus. I think that Philadelphia prevented them from doing some things. … I thought Philadelphia did some things defensively that took the Celtics out of their offensive game.”

Is Kevin Garnett afraid to play in the paint against the Sixers?

“They will not win in Game 7 if he takes jumpers at the top of the key,” Tanguay said.

How much is the absence of Avery Bradley hurting the Celtics? Tanguay says it shouldn’t be much.

“Rondo has no excuse,” Tanguay said. “Rondo has just as much speed as Avery Bradley. He should be the same on-the-ball defender as Avery Bradley is. He has the skills, but he won’t do it. That’s where I think he deserves criticism for last night.”

Tony agreed.

“He doesn’t want to do it,” Mazz said. “He’s never wanted to do it. He cheats and he gets steals off of team defense … and he’s good at that. But on a night like last night, you gotta step up. And on top of that, go to the basket and play some defense. Those are basic things. That’s where it starts. You play defense, you go to the basket, you’re going to hang in that game.”

Rondo averaged 11.9 points and a career-high 11.7 assists per game this season, en route to making his first All-NBA team. Rondo, along with teammate Kevin Garnett, was named to the All-NBA defensive second team on Wednesday.

The teams, voted on by a panel of 120 sportswriters and broadcasters, are as follows:

All-NBA First Team

F – LeBron James, Miami

F – Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City

C – Dwight Howard, Orlando

G – Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers

G – Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers

All-NBA Second Team

F – Kevin Love, Minnesota

F -Blake Griffin, Los Angeles Clippers

C – Andrew Bynum, Los Angeles Lakers

G – Tony Parker, San Antonio

G – Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City

All-NBA Third Team

F – Carmelo Anthony, New York

F – Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas

C – Tyson Chandler, New York

G – Dwayne Wade, Miami

G – Rajon Rondo, Boston

Rondo earned a total of 142 points, including four first-team votes. His Celtics’ teammates Paul Pierce (31 points) and Garnett (22) also received votes.

Neither were happy with the Celtics effort, as the C’s shot just 31-percent from the floor and never put up a fight in the close-out game.

“Put us in the idiot category. We thought it was over, we thought it was sewn up. The Celtics go into Philadelphia and lose Game 6 in, what was at times, un-watchable basketball,” said Gresh. “They never got anything going offensively. As much as we credited the bench in Game 5, they disappointed in Game 6.”

“I didn’t see it coming. I thought they would close it out,” added Gresh. “Some would say it was good defense, I thought it was just bad offense.”

Read: Just Another Missed Opportunity For The Celtics

“They looked flat and they looked dead last night,” said Zolak.

“Credit Philadelphia for taking advantage of every game in this series where Boston screwed up where they didn’t come to pay,” added Zo. “Give Philly credit for hitting shots and and hanging in. Because that’s what the Celtics have done in this series; they’ve allowed this team to extend it to seven. They haven’t taken it away from them, they haven’t earned it. They’ve done what they’ve had to do, and Celtics, it’s your fault.”

Read: Avery Bradley Likely Done For Playoffs

The biggest microscope is on Rajon Rondo, as he looked out-of-sync and disinterested throughout the game.

“Rajon Rondo, thank you for supporting everything I thought you were. Really, he’s a damn good player, he’s not great,” said Zolak. “If he’s a great player, he makes a difference in that game. The Big Three have to slap him around, and he needs a pep talk from Paul Pierce in a close-out game on the road. You tell me how that emits greatness?”

Why can’t the Celtics seem to close out series this season? And what does it mean for Game 7 in the Garden on Saturday?

The Celtics have yet to rule Bradley out for good, and will take it on a day-to-day basis, but with the risk that his left shoulder will pop out of its socket again — it already has three times during the playoffs, twice during the 76ers series alone — and cause structural damage, it’s better to shut down the second-year guard.

Bradley is already likely facing surgery for the lingering ailment, something that has bothered him throughout the season, and with his future looking bright in a Boston uniform, why risk any further damage to the 21-year-old guard?

Read: Just Another Missed Opportunity For Celtics

Unfortunately for the Celtics, Bradley had molded into a key player for them after taking over for Ray Allen in the starting five. Aside from his spectacular defense, his offensive game — which was spotty at best during his rookie campaign and the start of this season — rounded out with a decent jumper and better nose for attacking the basket. Bradley started the postseason very well, scoring a very aggressive 24 points in the first two games against the Hawks, but his shoulder popped out for the first time in Game 3, and his game has not been the same since.

So now, the Celtics have to hope Ray Allen and Mickael Pietrus can help carry the load. Allen, nursing a bad ankle, looked awful in Boston’s Game 6 loss Wednesday night, shooting 4-for-11 (including 1-for-5 from three-point range) and finishing with nine points in 25 minutes. Pietrus was a little better, playing solid defense in his 35 minutes on the floor (something Ray has not offered this postseason), but he seems disinterested on offense. If Allen cannot provide a scoring boost for the C’s, Pietrus (and possibly even reserve guard Keyon Dooling) will have to step up in that department.

What the Celtics will miss most is Bradley’s youth and aggressiveness on both sides of the floor. He loved attacking the basket, often giving Rajon Rondo a quick guard to dump the ball to as he drives to the hoop. Bradley is one of the better, if not best, on-ball defender on the team, and his absence was felt in Game 6 with Lou Williams and Jrue Holiday getting to the C’s in the fourth quarter.

Losing Bradley is a big blow to the Celtics, especially if they advance to the conference finals. But in the long-term, it’s better for the future of the team to protect one of their potential cornerstones.

Comcast SportsNet’s Gary Tanguay joined 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Toucher & Rich to talk about the bad performance in the Game Six loss, Saturday’s Game Seven and the loss of Avery Bradley.

Read: Just Another Missed Opportunity For The Celtics

Fred started things off asking Tanguay if he’d sit and watch Saturday’s Game Seven over the holiday weekend if it wasn’t part of his job, due to Game Six being such a disaster?

“Yeah I would absolutely, there’s no doubt about it.”

“They got beat by the Sixers, they didn’t beat themselves they got beat by the Sixers. It was awful, I mean it was miserable it really was.”

The guys went on to discuss why this Celtics team has so much trouble with winning Game Sixes.

“This team I felt lost their composure last night. I thought that they felt the pressure a little bit because when they weren’t making early in the ball game, what happened was they became impatient with their offense.”

Avery Bradley had been battling shoulder injuries during this series and sat out Wednesday night and it looks as though he’ll be out for the rest of the postseason. How big of a problem is that for the Green?

“If you have a healthy Avery Bradley guarding Lou Williams, maybe he makes some stops; you know he gets in Lou Williams’ face. I mean if Lou Williams is open he’s generally not going to miss and Rondo, even though he’s second-team all defense, can’t stop anybody or chooses not to stop anybody. He does not move.”

Plus they discussed how Ray Allen may have hurt his team more than helped them due to his ankle injury and what do the C’s need to do on Saturday to win?

In Wednesday’s 86-75 Game 6 loss in Philadelphia, the sluggish Celtics were just one run away from sneaking back into the game and stealing it from the 76ers. They trailed by just four points heading into the fourth, but never put it together. The Celtics finishing the night shooting just 33-percent from the floor, and were only close because of their 20-for-23 effort from the free throw line.

It’s just another lost opportunity for the Celtics.

Boston never got into any rhythm , and Paul Pierce was really the only Celtic to show up. The captain scored a team-high 24 points, with 13 of those coming from the line. Pierce was in attack-mode all night, but unfortunately none of his other teammates joined him.

Ray Allen showed his age, and then some, going 4-for-11 from the field for nine points in 26 minutes. Brandon Bass, after a huge Game 5, was just 2-for-12 to finish with eight points. Kevin Garnett scored 20 points, but his 9-for-20 shooting from the floor was nearly all from 15-feet or more, and Elton Brand and Lavoy Allen kept him out of the paint for the better part of the evening. Without the ball getting to KG down low, the Celtics weren’t able to get any ball movement going, and their offense remained stagnant.

But the biggest blame has to fall on Rajon Rondo, who looked disinterested and out-of-sync all game. Just 4-for-14 from the floor, Rondo finished with nine points, nine rebounds, and six assists. Those assists would have been higher had KG or Bass hit more of their jumpers, but Rondo never established himself on the offensive end. He was even more frustrating on defense, with Jrue Holiday torching him for 20-points. On numerous occasions, Rondo looked like a bull fighter with Holiday blowing right by him to the hoop.

It was a telling sign when the game broadcast showed a shot of Pierce trying to wake Rondo up on the bench between the third and fourth quarter. Despite the Pierce’s best efforts, Rondo still looked as though he was sleep-walking through the game’s final frame.

While credit has to go to the 76ers, the Celtics did not do themselves any favors. Despite Philadelphia trying to let them back in — they did miss 11 of their 28 free throws — the Celtics let those chances slip away with 17 turnovers, which led to 19 points for Philly. The 50-50 plays that had gone Boston’s way in the second half of Game 5 went in the 76ers favor this time around, as they showed much more hustle and heart to lose balls and long rebounds.

This Celtics squad is now 10-13 in their first attempt at close-out games, but their inability to end a series has only come back to haunt them on two occasions; the 2009 East Semis against the Magic, and the 2010 NBA Finals against the Lakers. In 2009, the Magic stunned the C’s (who were without Kevin Garnett) on the Garden floor as they made their way to the NBA Finals that year. It was the perfect example of an “anything can happen” Game 7.

With two days off, the Celtics will likely come out firing on Saturday and there is a good chance the series ends with a Game 7 blowout. But Boston’s inability to close out a series is going to cost them some rest, something they would absolutely need heading into a series against Miami or Indiana.

But then again, if they show up like they did Wednesday night, they will have plenty of time to rest this summer.

What has changed with LeBron James and the Miami Heat since last year? How much influence has Pat Riley had on this Heat team?

“I think that LeBron is a lot more at peace with himself. I think his focus has been narrowed,” Wojnarowski said. “I was told he’s taken his cell phone and put it in the drawer; it’s a little harder to get a hold of him. He’s closed the world down during the playoffs and is really focused on the task at hand… he’s playing out of his mind, and there is no question he is carrying the team. To me, that is the biggest difference with this group.”

As for the Celtics-76ers Game 6 tonight in Philadelphia, Wojnarowski sees the series heading back to Boston for a Game 7 on Saturday night. But he does think Kevin Garnett tried to ease the attention on the C’s with his “fair-weathered” fans comment after Game 5.

“I think his intentions are clear; put it on my in Game 6,” he said of Garnett. “Let them get all over me, I can take it… I thought his intentions were to put the heat on himself, and that’s what real leaders do.

Will it be the Celtics and Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals? Is Chris Bosh the key to the next round for Miami?

Finally, how good will the Spurs-Thunder series be out West?

Boston held opponents to 89.3 points per game during the regular season, second only to the Chicago Bulls, but did not land a single All-Defensive first-teamer.

Preview: Celtics-Pacers Game 6

Miami’s LeBron James, Oklahoma City’s Serge Ibaka, Orlando’s Dwight Howard, Los Angeles Clippers’ Chris Paul, and Memphis’ Tony Allen made up the first team. Chicago’s Luol Deng, New York’s Tyson Chandler (the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year), and Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant joined Rondo and Garnett on the second team.

Rondo received nine first-team and 11 second-team votes to finish with 29 total points. Garnett finished with 26 points, with eight first-team votes and 10 second-team votes.

Read: No Messing Around, End This Series

The 30 head coaches in the NBA did the voting, with each of them making their choices for the first and second teams by position. Two points were given for a first-team vote and one point a second-team vote. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own players.

Second-year Celtics guard Avery Bradley finished with three points, including a first-team vote.

Gresh & Zo first discussed the comment made by Garnett jabbing at Philly fans. Gresh doesn’t agree with the timing of Garnett’s comment. Why did he feel the need to incite that fan base?

“I don’t think it’s smart to do the whole call to action from the opponent when you’re rolling into that place because you’re going to get car batteries thrown…car batteries, you’re going to get batteries thrown at you. Hell you could have car parts thrown at you it is Philadelphia. There was no need to set them off like that.”

Read: Philly Writer: Boston Sports Fans Are Racist

But, did the writer from Philly cross the line? Zo thinks that he took things to “a whole ‘nother level”.

“I have no reaction to that. I’ll let you guys stir that pot,” Rivers told a Philadelphia reporter Wednesday morning. “Have at it. Have fun with it.”

Preview: Celtics-Pacers Game 6

“I don’t think either fan base likes each other any way, so I don’t think it added anything,” added Rivers. “Someone asked me that (Tuesday) and I said, ‘What are they going to do, hate us more?’ So, what’s the difference?”

Following Monday’s 101-85 Game 5 win at the TD Garden, Garnett was asked to compare the Boston and Philadelphia fans.

“Not even close,” Garnett said. “You’ve got fans and then you’ve got fair-weather fans. Take it how you want it.”

The Celtics have a chance to end the series with a win Wednesday night, in front of those very Philadelphia fans.

Bradley made the trip to Philadelphia with the team, but said he does not expect to play for the second straight game due to his lingering shoulder issues.

“I’m just trying to get (the shoulders) stronger. But as of now, I’m not going to be playing tonight,” Bradley told reporters prior to the team’s morning shootaround in Philadelphia, according to ESPNBoston’s Chris Forsberg. ” It’s definitely frustrating, but all I can do is keep trying to get stronger, keep trying to improve for my team. That’s what I’m going to do.”

Read: Philly Writer Calls Boston Racist

The second-year guard has dislocated his left should three times during the current playoff run, including twice against the 76ers. He did no participate in the shootaround Wednesday morning, but according to head coach Doc Rivers, would attempt to warm up for Game 6.

Preview: Celtics-Pacers Game 6

“I don’t think he’ll play tonight, but we’ll find out,” said Doc. “He won’t do anything in shootaround for sure, then we’ll do what we did the other night and let him warm up and see if he can warm up. Then we’ll go from there.”

Read: No Messing Around, End This Series

It’s looking like Ray Allen will get his second straight start, after losing the job to Bradley during the regular season. Allen, who is dealing with a bad ankle himself,  scored five points off 2-for-7 shooting in the C’s Game 5 win on Monday.

Philly.com writer John Mitchell wrote a blog Tuesday night titled “‘Fair-weathered’ beats bigoted any day.”

“You think we’re the fair weather type, do you?” Mitchell wrote. “OK, to that I say that it’s better to be fair weather than to be anything remotely akin the cretins that unleashed their racist vitriol via Twitter upon Washington Capitals defenseman Joel Ward, a Black hockey player, last month after he eliminated Boston’s Bruins from the NHL playoffs with an overtime goal.”

For background, after Ward (who is a forward, not a defenseman, for accuracy’s sake) scored a series-clinching goal in Boston, some people took to Twitter to spread racist, hateful messages. Some were Bruins fans; some weren’t even hockey fans. All of them were foolish human beings, and they represented a small percentage of the population.

Despite that, the Bruins went out of their way to speak out against such racist tweets, and Ward said he understood that the people who wrote ignorant messages on Twitter weren’t representative of the people.

“I’m definitely getting a lot of support,” Ward said. “There have been a lot of Boston fans who have supported me, which is very cool to see. No hard feelings from me.”

Unfortunately, the more publicity these hateful messages got, the more life they were given. Mitchell’s story drummed it up yet again, a full month later.

“Can’t really call this an isolated incident, my friend, not unless you believe that those clowns were gathered together in some sort of Bruins/Skinheads gathering and, after their team went down, they all took to Twitter once Ward drove the stake through Boston’s heart,” Mitchell added. “No, this wasn’t the whole Boston fan base, not at all. But it’s not a coincidence that Bill Russell, the biggest sports winner in the history of Boston sports, absolutely loathed the city and a fan base that he saw as racist. His words, not mine.”

Russell played with the Celtics from 1956-69. Some things in the city have changed since then, so to bring up Russell’s experiences from the civil rights era and attempt to apply it to the modern day and age is irrelevant and borders on offensive.

Mitchell then said that if the Celtics lose this year, those same racist fans will unleash their racist hatred toward him.

“So my advice to you, KG, is that you’re better off winning this series, the next one and then the next,” Mitchell wrote. “Because if you let those stalwart fans down, who knows what they’ll unleash on you. We do know what they are capable of. “

If the lone goal of Mitchell’s “story” was to draw attention to himself, then his mission was most certainly accomplished. Bravo!

If he was trying to make sense, though, he failed miserably. Maybe he ought to stick to basketball writing rather than tossing out sweeping generalizations about the population of an entire city. Isn’t that what he’s opposed to in the first place?

Read more from Michael by clicking here, or find him on Twitter @michaelFhurley.

For their sake, and that of their playoff run, they better take care of business.

But close-out games have been a bit of a problem for the Celtics in recent years. And with rest for an aging group on the line, closing out the 76ers will be a priority if the C’s hope to extend this current run into another Championship appearance of banner year.

In the last five years the Celtics are just 10-12 in close-out games. In 2009, they lost to the Orlando Magic in the second round after going up 3-2. It happened again the following year, although the losses were much more difficult to swallow as they dropped two chances to clinch the 18th Championship in franchise history over the Lakers and in the 2010 NBA Finals. That playoff run, it did not help that the C’s played three extra games in earlier rounds; unable to sweep the Heat in the first round and then needing three games to dispatch the Magic after jumping up 3-0 in the series.

Read: KG Calls Out Philly Fans

With each of those three, unnecessary games the Celtics put extra wear and tear on their veteran squad. Three years later, it would be nice if they avoided the unnecessary mileage, after already dropping one close-out game against the Hawks in the first round.

However, they know it’s not going to be easy in Philadelphia.

“We can’t look at this game as a close out game, we have to look at it as us going to do our jobs,” said guard Ray Allen. “Everyone needs to focus on the small details; we know how to play this team, who their personnel (is), and how to play them.”

“We know how tough the playoffs are. There is nothing easy about the playoffs,” captain Paul Pierce said Monday night. “It’s a long journey to get to where we want to go. We understand nothing is easy. We have a very resilient Philadelphia group that just won’t go away. They have great coaching, the players are mentally tough. They’re not going to go away. We’re going to have our hard hats on for Game 6 to try to put them away.”

“They’re a good team, an athletic team,” head coach Doc Rivers said of Philadelphia. “Every minute you think ‘we’re leaking oil, physically.’ We have a quick turnaround here and we’ll have to be ready. I just want us to play the right way, ever minute. If we do that, I don’t know if we’ll win or not but we’ll be good.”

Read: Celtics-Pacers Game 6 Preview

The Celtics are yet to put together a full 48-minute performance against Philadelphia. Even in their convincing 107-91 Game 3 win in Philadelphia, the 76ers scored 33 points in the game’s first frame. Although the trend of the series has been the team that gets up early ends up losing, the Celtics would like to avoid another early game hole to climb out of.

“We have to go out there ready from the jump,” said Pierce, who has averaged 17 points per game against Philadelphia. “We have to try to take the crowd out of the game; they’re going to be fired up. Sometimes when a team’s back is against the wall, it brings the best out of them. We want to take that away early.”

Read: Garnett Calls Out ‘Fair-Weather’ 76ers Fans

“When you give a team life, you give a team confidence,” Pierce said. “Anything can happen in a Game 7.”

The last thing the Celtics need is another Game 7 for anything to happen, and another unnecessary game. Take care of business Wednesday night in Philly, and it could be the difference between a trip to the Finals, or an early summer.

BOSTON (CBS) – If the Boston Celtics want a little extra luck during their current playoff run, they just need to contact the Joseph Lee School in Dorchester.

There is a special mosaic of the famous Lucky The Leprechaun logo gracing the halls, made up of 9,000 construction paper pieces.

But it’s who made the mosaic that makes it so special.

43 autistic students from the school, from second to fifth grade, spent 10 days making the piece of art.

“We’re hoping this will give them some extra luck in the playoffs… and raise a little Autism Awareness to show the world that when given the proper support, our kids are capable of making some great art and accomplishing great things,” said art teacher Chris Hall, the man behind the mosaic.

Each day the students would add pieces to an outline made by Hall, allowing the kids to fill in the blanks.

“One of the things I pride myself on is making sure I adapt in everything, so that way all kids can get involved,” he said. “Even the lower-level kids were able to get in and take part, and they loved it. With such a recognizable symbol, they all knew what it was right away.”

“They see this all the time, and they were really thrilled when we put it up,” said Hall.

They also added their own special touch, using puzzle pieces instead of shamrocks on Lucky’s vest, the symbol for Austism Awareness.

“It represents Autism Awareness, because it represents the missing link since it’s kind of a puzzle,” said Hall.

Hall is hoping to present the mosaic to the team, and that it can find a home somewhere in the TD Garden. This is not the first mosaic the students have put together, as they also made a six-by-17 foot mural for Black History month featuring Rosa Parks, Oprah Winfrey, President Barrack Obama, and Martin Luther King Jr.

They even made a special piece for Boston Mayor Tom Menino.

“We did one for Mayor Menino and presented it to him for Autism Awareness month,” said Hall. “We surprised him; he was thinking he was coming to get a small thing and it was a big six-foot mosaic. He was a little shocked, but he loved it. It’s hanging up in City Hall.”

And Hall and his students of the Joseph Lee School are not done yet. They have plans for a 11-by-20 foot mosaic, but need a little help to do so. To make a donation to help their cause, visit a “Donors Choose” page Hall has set up for the program.

With the Celtics just one win away from a trip to the Eastern Conference finals, is the confidence still growing in this team? Will their inability to put together a full 48-minute effort hurt the Celtics down the road?

Monday night, Garnett compared the Boston fans to the Philly fans, saying they were “not even close,” adding “you’ve got fans and then you’ve got fair-weather fans. Take it how you want.”

How will KG’s comments about the Philly fans being “fair-weathered” effect the crowd in Game 6?

“Last night should have been the close-out. We should be sitting here counting the amount of days of rest, not only for a guy like Kevin Garnett or more imporantly Paul Pierce, but for Avery Bradley because of another shoulder injury,” Scott Zolak said. “Now, you gotta go get on a plane and go survive another night down in Philly and make sure this doesn’t go to a Game 7 on Saturday night.”

“It’s like dealing with a kid,” Andy Gresh said. “You think they take the two steps forward, and then they take the step back. It makes you want to go nuts.”

Regardless, they’re hard to turn away from.

“They’re just a team that’s going to drive you nuts, I guess,” Gresh said. “But you keep watching and you keep coming back because when they are good like they were last night in that second half, it’s a great thing to watch and it’s a fun thing to watch.”

So, as usual, someone at the Sports Hub picked up the phone and called Scal to see where he was and when he’d be arriving. The only problem was the person making that call: Adolfo.

Scal didn’t pick up the phone so Adolfo left a message that really made no sense and accomplished nothing. When Scalabrine arrived at the studio, he filled the guys in on how bad the voicemail sounded and said he deleted it because it was so dumb.

So without the actual evidence of the voicemail, the guys were smart enough to have Scal go into the studio to reenact it.

After listening to Scal’s reenactment the guys wondered what would it sound like if Adolfo left a message for a young lady he met at a bar. Fred had a pretty good idea.

Adolfo was outside the Garden after the win to talk with some of the fans who were at the game. Adolfo talked to a young man who didn’t sugar-coat the way he feels about Philly fans — and any team from Philly for that matter.

Brandon Bass led the Celtics with 27 points in the 101-85 win on Monday, and this fan pulled out an old reference from the show from years ago. He also compared Rajon Rondo to the great Larry Bird, a comparison that no one on the show really agreed with.

Adolfo ran into another fan who is certain that the Celtics will be moving on to the Eastern Conference Finals, and really wants to see the Miami Heat next.

This fan was excited about the great play of Bass, but what did he have to say about Greg Stiemsma that made T&R chuckle?

That wouldn’t be the case in Monday night’s Game 5.

Bass exploded, again, for 18 of his playoff career-high 27 points in the third quarter Monday night, two more points than the 76ers has total that frame.

“It was just me taking advantage of my opportunity,” Bass said after the 101-85 win. “They had been doubling Paul, and we have a few good players on our team that they had to focus on. That left me open, and I was able to take advantage of my opportunity.”

For Bass, it was years of hard work paying off. On his fifth team in seven NBA seasons, Bass put toghether the best playoff performance on his career. This came after he struggled early this postseason, shooting just 41-percent and averaging nine points per game in the Celtics first-round series against the Hawks.

Against Philadelphia, he has scored double digits in each of the first five games, averaging 15 points per game, hitting 51-percent of his shots.

“With me, more than anything, it’s hard work. After missing some shots in the games, I reverted back to what got me here; spending time in the gym putting up shots,” he said. “But it’s a big tribute to my teammates. My teammates were able to find me and I’m just glad to be part of the team.”

Bass finished Game 5 nine-for-13 from the floor and nine-for-10 at the free throw line. In his monster third quarter, he hit three of his patented 15-foot jumpers, threw down three dunks, and hit the free throw line six times.

“Brandon stayed aggressive and took the shots that were there,” forward Paul Pierce said after the win. “He was aggressive at mixing it up; going to the hole, finishing, taking the mid-range shot. That’s what we needed. On different nights we need different nights to step up.”

“I think to be a great playoff player at some point you’ve just got to let yourself go to the team and just play,” head coach Doc Rivers said of Bass. “Everything else will take care of itself.

“He played free tonight. Now we have to keep him there,” added Doc.

Bass played 37 minutes Monday night, up from the 22 minutes he saw in Friday night’s loss. In that game, he sat and watched the fourth quarter from the bench, as the C’s let their lead slip away. After Monday night’s win, Bass said he wasn’t frustrated at being relegated to the pine, but instead used it to stay ready when he did get the call.

Read: KG Praises Boston Crowd, Calls Out Philly Fans

“To be honest, I wasn’t really frustrated. I trust Doc and his coaching ability. For me, I just stay ready and on nights like tonight, I was able to help us,” he said.

Because of his big performance, Bass found himself at the NBA podium after the game for the first time in his career.

“This is the first time for a lot of things for me. And I’m grateful,” he said while soaking it all in. “I haven’t really thought too much about it, but for me it’s hard work. My motto is God, grind and greatness. Grinding is what got me to this point, and that’s what I’m going to continue to do.”

There was one specific play in the quarter, when Kevin Garnett was called for an offensive foul in the third, that really got the fans going. Sixers center Spencer Hawes drew the charge on Garnett, drawing the ire of the Boston faithful.

The Celtics responded by going on an 8-0 run. When you ask Garnett, he doesn’t recall the play, just the loud fans throughout the game.

“This crowd sparks you. It doesn’t take much here,” he said following Monday’s win. “I have no idea what you’re talking about to be honest, but when speaking about this crowd, it’s like plugging in. You’re enthused for 48 minutes on from tip on. I can’t see the difference from minute to minute. I feel like every minute I look up I see my family, I see people yelling, a see the drunk fat guy. I can’t decipher one from another. This crowd is ridiculous. I love it.”

KG Praises Boston Fans, Takes Swipe At Philly Crowd: 

Garnett thrives off the hometown fans, pumping them up before games with numerous chest bumps that only continue and ratchet up as the game continues.

Playing in front of Boston fans gives Garnett a very unique experience, at least in his mind.

“It’s like taking a cold shower, stepping into a freezer that’s below 60 (degrees),” he said. “I wouldn’t recommend it, but if you want the feeling, try it out, come back, and let me know.”

With the win Monday night, the Celtics have a chance to end the 76ers season in Philadelphia, in front of their fans. When asked to compare the crowds in Boston and Philadelphia, Garnett took a bit of a shot at Sixers fans.

“Not even close, not even close,” he said when comparing the two crowds. “You’ve got fans and then you’ve got fair-weather fans. Take it how you want.”

If Philly fans already didn’t like Kevin Garnett, imagine how they’ll feel come Wednesday night.

It’s obvious that the Celtics success begins and ends with Kevin Garnett, so what happened to him Friday night?

The Celtics were cruising, with a double-digit lead in the third quarter, but there was something that knocked Garnett down a couple pegs and really effected the rest of the game.

“They go into a game in Philadelphia, and they let them go. Garnett in the second half of the game was a non-factor immediately after Elton Brand confronted him right around mid-court,” said Mazz. ”He was mentally and emotionally checked out.”

Felger went back to a few seconds before the Brand confrontation, when Garnett attempted to trip 76ers forward Andre Iguodala at half court.

“It’s the way Garnett plays. But think about it; that happened with 9:46 left in the third quarter, with the Celtics up 17 points. Garnett tried to trip Iguodala. That possession, the 76ers get a technical and make it. That (next) possession Garnett gets the ball down low and Brand face-washed him… and that is when the Sixers went on their run.”

Philadelphia went on to outscore the Celtics 59-33 after the confrontation.

So what should we expect from KG Monday night, at home?

“He gets home, he gets comfortable, sees himself on the scoreboard and ARGHHHHHHHHH…. Garnett gets to do his thing; he gets his swerve on,” said Felger. ”But it works for him, right? So you know it’s coming tonight where he’s going to be assertive, feeling it from the start, and they win this going away.”

But there is something that bothered Mazz about Friday night that worries him going forward in the series, especially after watching Lebron James lead the Miami Heat Sunday afternoon on the road against the Indiana Pacers.

“Just look at the 48 hours over the weekend and how they transpired. The Celtics collapsed and wilted like the Heat — with Garnett playing the role of Lebron James. Then 48 hours later, Miami is out there on the road, and if they were wearing the opposite uniforms we would have never known. We would have never known in a million years,” said Mazz.

“Look at what the Spurs are doing out in the West; they’ve won 18 in a row, they’re cleaning up on people. We’re not going to give you a sniff of oxygen, we’re going to bury your ass here and now,” Mazz said of San Antonio, who took care of the LA Clippers in four games to advance to the Western Finals. “Watching that game Friday night was infuriating!”

“If they lose tonight, it wouldn’t shock me,” Zo said.

Gresh, though, was on Dan’s side.

“[Brian Scalabrine] said it earlier with Toucher & Rich — [the Celtics] really don’t have to make any adjustments,” Gresh said. “All they have to do is play better, because they’re the better team.”

Bradley, whose left shoulder popped out once again in Friday night’s Game 4 loss in Philadelphia, with be a “game-time decision” for Monday night’s game, the team Tweeted just before the shootaround ended.

Read: Celtics-76ers Game 5 Preview

The second-year guard did not practice with the team on Sunday, and head coach Doc Rivers said the injury was concerning. The bothersome shoulder has popped out at least three times during this postseason run, Bradley’s first.

If Bradley cannot go Monday night, 15-year veteran Ray Allen would likely get the start in his place.

Read: C’s Ready For ‘Critical’ Game 5

Bradley has averaged 6.7 points over 24.8 minutes per game this postseason.

Instead, they let an 18-point second half lead slip away on Friday, and come back home with the series tied 2-2.

For some teams, it would take some time to get over. Not the Celtics.

“It’s over. The milk is spilt, you have to clean it up and move on to the next game,” Captain Paul Pierce said of Friday night’s 92-83 loss. “You can’t dwell on the past. It is what it is; the series is 2-2 and we have to go back to Philly, but we have to take care of business at home.”

“It’s easy to teach, because it’s visual. The film, as they say, never lies,” head coach Doc Rivers said Sunday before the team hit the practice floor. “(Philadelphia) made shots that they had to make, they forced turnovers they had to force, but a lot of it was our doing. It was more on the defensive end than on the offensive end. We couldn’t run, couldn’t get into our stuff because they scored every single time. Or we turned the ball over, or they got an offense rebound. Our defensive breakdowns were partly because they did a good job moving the ball, and partly because we completely lost our discipline.”

Read: Celtics-76ers Game 5 Preview

There are numerous factors as to why the Celtics lost Friday. They took their foot off the gas, stopped being aggressive and attacking the basket, and went small for too long. Rivers chose to keep Brandon Bass, who scored a playoff-high 15 points, on the bench after he found himself in foul trouble in the third quarter. He admitted Sunday that was a mistake, and they went small for too long.

The Celtics have watched the tape, and already have all of that in their rear-view mirror. They’ve learned from it, and now the focus is on Monday’s Game 5 at the Garden.

“It’s a swing game, but it’s swing game for both teams. I think Game 5’s and Game 7’s are pretty much the same,” said Rivers.

“We’ve just got to be a little bit more consistent through four quarters,” said Pierce. “We have to win those 50-50 battles. They really beat us to a lot of those balls in the second half of Game 4. It’s going to be the little things that really add up to the big things; setting the right screens, getting the man open. Those little things add up to a win if we do them consistently.”

All of that will start as soon as the opening tip goes up.

“Being very aggressive,” Kevin Garnett said of the C’s approach to the game. “Very aggressive in getting this game; it’s at home, a lot of energy in the building. It should be good… like you said it’s critical. Nothing more, nothing less than that.”

Boston would love Garnett to be more aggressive on the offensive end. Getting the normally passive big-man to score early and often will be key to a Game 5 victory.

“Kevin does a good job at being so unselfish, even when you go to him he’s able to find other guys on player screens, cutting to the basket,” said Pierce. “That’s the beauty of Kevin, when you give him the ball it doesn’t necessarily he’s going to take the shot; he loves to spread the ball around. But at the same time, we want him to be aggressive.”

Read: Celtics Concerned With Bradley’s Shoulder

“I think we counted nine times where he was trying to be a passer instead of a scorer. So we’ve got to get him back, mentally, to attacking,” Rivers said of Garnett. “They didn’t trap as much as you thought. We’ve just got to continue to force feed him and keep him aggressive. But we also have to get into our stuff quicker, like we did in the first half. Kevin didn’t touch the ball a lot, but we had an 18-point lead, so something was going well.”

Garnett finished the game 3-for-12 from the floor, putting up a playoff-low nine points. He admitted that he was a little-less aggressive after a third quarter technical, going 3-for-7 after the whistle.

But as is the rest of Game 4, that is in the past.

“I just think they’re mentally tough and that’s what they’ve been all year,” Rivers said of his team’s ability to bounce back. “I keep saying with our team ‘we don’t ever do it the easy way, and I don’t know if we could.’”

Nothing comes easy for these Boston Celtics. But that’s the way they like it.

Former Celtic Brian Scalabrine joined 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Toucher & Rich for a whole hour to discuss the Celtics-Sixers series, LeBron James, the Miami Heat and Scal’s future in the NBA.

The guys started things off discussing Scal’s time playing in Europe and how the differences playing overseas affected his family.

They went on to talk about Scalabrine’s future after his playing day are behind him. Would he want to be a head coach in the NBA? They discussed the aggravation and difficulty of being a coach in the league.

They moved on to talk about the Celtics and 76ers series being tied at two games. The C’s had an 18-point lead at the half, but they couldn’t close it out and they fell 92-83.

Brian Scalabrine said there was terrible flow to the game and that might have hurt the Green, but even with the bad flow they still should have been able to beat the Sixers.

Plus the guys discussed LeBron James and the Miami Heat. What keeps this team from having the success they should with the talent the possess?

Ray Allen has fought a bad ankle. Paul Pierce is battling an MCL sprain. But they are savvy veterans, used to toughing it out when the playoffs approach.

But for a postseason rookie, adding an injury to your first experience is asking a lot. Especially when it’s an injury like Avery Bradley’s shoulder popping out at any given moment.

Bradley’s shoulder has popped out at least three times during the Celtics current postseason run, the most recent coming in Friday night’s 92-83 loss to the 76ers in Philadelphia. Head coach Doc Rivers said the shoulder went right back in this time around, but Bradley was kept out of Sunday’s practice as a precaution.

With Bradley playing a key part in the Celtics starting five, the constant uncertainty of how the shoulder will handle any little bump has Rivers concerned.

Read: Celtics-76ers Game 5 Preview

“It’s a tough thing, what he’s going through. A lot of players would not be playing,” said Rivers. “I swear, a lot of people would not be playing and the only reason that he is is because he wants to. But I am concerned at some point that he may not be able to any more. We don’t know what game that is, we don’t know if he can finish it — we could go all the way and he could play. Or tomorrow could be his last game. You really don’t know.”

He is getting a lot of love from his veteran teammates though.

“It just says who he is; the guy wants to be out there,” said Pierce. “Guy wants to win, wants to do everything he can to help his ball club. What more can I say? A lot of young players might sit down, worry about their futures, their career, their contract situations. At the end of the day, Avery he has to do what’s best for him and his family, and possibly for the long run. Hopefully he doesn’t have any long-term injuries due to the fact that he’s playing. I think it’s a fine line between the two.”

Bradley is averaging 6.7 points over roughly 25 minutes per game this postseason. He is shooting just under 37-percent from the floor, and under 23-percent from beyond the arc, both down from the regular season. Because of the shoulder, Bradley has changed his game a bit. After it pops out, he shies away from contact and opts to become more of a jump shooter.

The 76ers have taken notice.

“They understand what’s going on with his shoulder too,” Rivers said of the 76ers, “and their thought is, if guy’s got a bad shoulder, he’s got to make shots, he’s got to finish in the paint.”

“I think that’s the one thing we see with his shoulder, he doesn’t want to drive as much. You don’t see him in the paint as much,” said Rivers. “Because that’s the two or three times that it’s gone out, when he’s taken the hit. And you don’t blame him. But we do need to try to get him cutting again.”