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May 14--Home-court advantage throughout the playoffs is what every NBA team fights for during the regular season. It's a good thing the Boston Celtics earned that luxury because no other postseason team seems to need it more.
They are counting on more home cooking tonight (8 p. m., TNT) when they host the Cleveland Cavaliers at TD Banknorth Garden in Game Five of their Eastern Conference semifinal series.
The Celtics have won all six home playoff games, and they need to make it 7-0 or else this series might not return to Boston.
Despite an NBAbest 31-10 regular-season road record, the Celtics are winless in five postseason contests away from the Garden. They dropped both games in Cleveland, including an 88-77 decision Monday. They also lost three times in Atlanta, which won 29 fewer games than the 66-16 Celtics.
What is so puzzling about their road woes is how dominant they were before the playoffs. They won at several difficult Western Conference venues like Utah (a league-best 37-4 home record) and
they pulled off a Texas sweep, beating San Antonio, Houston and Dallas, for the first time since 1987. They also beat the Lakers in Los Angeles.
The Celtics are at a loss about their road problems.
"It's hard to say. I have no answer for it," guard Ray Allen said after Monday's game.
"I've been in the playoffs a lot and I've had success on the road throughout my playoff career. This is the first time this has happened," said backup power forward P. J. Brown, a 15-year veteran. "I can't explain it. This team for the most part the whole year has been successful on the road in the regular season, but now for some reason we can't get it done. But we'll get another chance in Game Six, though."
For the record, no NBA champion has ever won fewer than three postseason road games. The Celtics are the last of the eight remaining playoff participants without a road win.
"In order to be a championship team, you have to do it," said point guard Sam Cassell. "We understand that, but right now we have to figure out how to win Game Five."
For the Celtics to regain control of this series, they need more consistent play from the Big Three -- Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Allen.
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