After looking so impressive in the opening quarter, it was a little disconcerting to see the Sixers up just five points, 47-42, at the half. Granted, it would have been unreasonable to assume a comfortable win over the Celtics in Boston, but there was that feeling that C's were just going to hang around and hang around and Rajon Rondo.
And that's exactly what happened, as the Sixers dropped Game 1, 92-91.
Kevin Garnett led all scorers with a game-high 29 points and really kept Boston in the game when his teammates, particularly Rondo, struggled to get going early. Had it not been for KG, they would not have kept it as close as they did for as long as they did. And although he wasn't scoring, Rondo was contributing in other ways. He recorded 17 rebounds and 12 assists and came on late to burn the Sixers with a few timely baskets down the stretch, finishing with 13 points for his eighth career postseason triple double.
After the game, he cutoff a sideline reporter before the guy could even finish his question just to assert that his team is and was in control of the game and series, stating "Look at us. We'll be just fine," as if Doug Collins' squad did not concern him in the least.
AU will be along shortly with his usual detail, but preliminary thoughts focus on the general disappointment of the Sixers losing a game they led for so long.
...stay tuned...
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