BOSTON — Rajon Rondo had 18 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds as the Boston Celtics beat the Philadelphia 76ers 85-75 in Game 7 on Saturday night to advance to the Eastern Conference finals.
The Celtics will open the third round of the NBA playoffs in Miami against the Heat on Monday night.
Rondo scored nine straight Boston points, helping the Celtics turn a three-point edge into a double-digit lead after Paul Pierce fouled out with 4:16 left in the game.
Andre Iguodala scored 18 points, and Elton Brand and Jrue Holiday had 15 apiece for the 76ers, who eliminated the top-seeded Chicago Bulls in the first round but couldn’t do the same with the Celtics.
Kevin Garnett had 18 points and 13 rebounds, and Ray Allen hit two fourth-quarter 3-pointers after missing his first five attempts. Pierce had 15 points and nine rebounds before fouling out.
That’s when Rondo took over.
The point guard, rebounding from his worst performance of the playoffs in Game 6, scored on a baseline drive and followed it up with a long 2-pointer (originally scored a 3) with 2:47 left. Then he made a 3-pointer with a little more than two minutes left to make it a 10-point game and, after Brand scored on a tip-in, Rondo went to the line as the crowd chanted “M-V-P! M-V-P!” and hit two free throws to leave Boston with an 80-70 lead with 1:44 left.
The Celtics will now face the actual NBA MVP — LeBron James — along with Dwyane Wade and the rest of the Heat. Miami advanced to the conference finals by eliminating the Indiana Pacers in six games.
Miami beat Boston in five games in the conference semifinals last year.
