Garnett Leads Celts to Series Win Vs. Hawks

Just in case there was any doubt, Kevin Garnett showed the Atlanta Hawks there is still plenty left in his 35 year-old tank.

The Mauldin native and future Hall-of-Famer drained a decisive turnaround jumpshot in the final minute on Thursday night to put the Boston Celtics ahead 80-79.

After Garnett's bucket, the veteran Celtics were able to stop three separate attempts by Atlanta to take back the lead and clinch the best-of-seven series with a 83-80 win in Boston. 

After dropping the first game in Atlanta, Boston stormed back to win three straight. The Hawks grabbed Game 5 to force a trip back to Beantown and last night's match-up.

In Game 6, Boston maintained a slim lead throughout and appeared to be on the way to an easy victory when they stretched their lead to 74-65 with 8:42 remaining. But Atlanta went on a 14-2 run over the next six minutes to surge ahead, 79-76. 

Paul Pierce then drove for a layup to cut the lead to one, which set the stage for Garnett's go-ahead jumper. Garnett finished the night with 28 points, 14 rebounds and 5 blocked shots.

This Saturday in Boston, the Celtics will open the Conference Semi-Finals against the 8th-seeded Philadelphia 76ers, who advanced after beating the top-seeded Chicago Bulls on Thursday night.

Philadelphia took advantage of a Bulls team diminished by the loss of star point guard and reigning league MVP Derrick Rose to a knee injury. Much like Boston, they also won three straight after losing the opener.

The Bulls had finished the regular season with the best record in the league, but it will be Philadelphia that moves on to renew its storied rivalry with Boston. The Sixers took two of three in the regular season, but finished four games behind the Celtics in the standings.

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