Apr 26, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics forward/center Kevin Garnett (5) and small forward Paul Pierce (34) sit on the bench during the fourth quarter of game three of the first round of the 2013 NBA playoffs against the New York Knicks at TD Garden. New York Knicks won 90-76. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

The Knicks have ended the Celtics season and possibly an era as they win 88-80 in game 6 winning the series 4-2.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned as being a Celtics fan it’s that these ****ers never die. They’re like zombies and they never go away. The game started out pretty awful. They scored 10 points in the first quarter, 29 in the half and it looked like they wouldn’t even surpass the 50 point mark at all for awhile. Paul early on looked slow while Iman Shumpert once again terrorized him on defense. The starting lineup never found a rhythm together in the 1st 3 quarters.

Then all of a sudden something quite amazing happened. In the 4th quarter with the Knicks leading 75-49 Boston went on an unbelievable run, scoring 19 points unanswered in about a 3-4 minute span. Avery was in “Zero Tolerance” mode once again pick pocketing what seemed like every pass that came into his vicinity. Jeff/Paul/Terry unleashed a barrage of threes and for awhile it seemed like there some hope. It didn’t last long as most things with this team do, They ran out of gas and the crowd gave one last “Lets Go Celtics” chant while giving the starters a standing O(a pretty weak standing O for Paul/KG). It  brought a huge smile to my face.

This season has definitely not been my favorite. Watching them go through all of these injuries and losses hasn’t been easy on my sports mind. There have definitely been some bright spots like watching Jeff Green coming out of his shell, enjoying Sully for the time he was healthy and cherising what could be the last games of two legends.

It’s already been well documented that this could be KG and Paul’s final season in Celtic Green. Paul has a $4 million buyout in his contract for next season and it’s assumed that KG will go with him. As a 15 year old Celtics fan it won’t be easy watching these two (potentially) retire since they’re really all I’ve known as a fan but I realize it’s the easiest way to speed up a rebuild and usher in a new era led by ( a healthy) Rondo.

This certainly isn’t my favorite season but I can’t say it’s my least favorite season. Sure there have been some bad moments but I won’t forget it. I won’t forget the countless JET PUJITs, all of bobbled passes by Brandon “Lobster Hands” Bass, the failed Pierce Isos, The Jeff Dunks, KG longs twos, the Sully offensive rebounds and I certainly won’t forget STEEZ! So Here Lies The 2012-2013 Boston Celtics: The offensively inept Zombies.

June 7, 2012; Boston, MA, USA; Miami Heat forward LeBron James (6) drives the ball against Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo (9) during the third quarter of game six of the Eastern Conference finals of the 2012 NBA playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-US PRESSWIRE

In the immortal words of Young Charles Bronson, “this ain’t ovah.”

The Miami Heat forced a Game 7 in the Eastern Conference Finals Thursday night, absolutely pummeling the Boston Celtics on their home floor by a score of 98-79.

LeBron James did the lion’s share of the pummeling, scoring 45 points while shooting 19-26 from the field (73.1 percent) and collecting 15 rebounds.  His 11 teammates combined for 53 points, hitting 18 of their 50 shots (36.0 percent) while grabbing 29 rebounds.

Rajon Rondo led the Celtics’ response, scoring a team-high 21 points and dishing out 10 of Boston’s 14 assists.  He also committed seven of their 13 turnovers.  Kevin Garnett and Brandon Bass had 12 points each, while Ray Allen chipped in 10.  Paul Pierce scored just nine points, misfiring on 14 of his 18 shot attempts while making only one trip to the free throw line.

Prior to the tip, Boston appeared to have Miami on the ropes, having won the series’ last three games, each in increasingly dramatic fashion.  After pounding the Heat for 58 points in the paint in a 101-91 Game Three victory, the Celtics took Game Four’s 93-91 overtime thriller in the Garden before overcoming a 13-point second-quarter deficit to win Game Five’s 94-90 South Beach Slugfest.

James almost single-handedly assured that the series would be played to the max limit.  In what will go down as one of the all-time dominating performances in a career filled with them, he scored 30 points in the first half, missing only two of his first 14 shots.  He was as dynamic as ever, scoring off post-ups, put-backs, transition slams, and jump shots from all areas of the floor that frequently scored in the top portion of the degree of difficulty scale.

Though the Celtics were able to find the basket in the early going – they hit exactly one half of their shot attempts through the first 24 minutes – nine turnovers and an inability to connect from downtown kept them firmly beneath LeBron’s boot.

Three-point shooting was an underrepresented facet of Miami’s Game Two overtime win.  The discussion around that one tended to center on the officiating, particularly on the 47-29 free throw attempt edge that the Heat enjoyed.  Lost in the noise was the fact that Miami actually made only five more free throws (31) than the Celtics did (26).  At the same time, they sank 10 three-pointers; the second most by a Celtics opponent this season.

In that game, the Celtics could muster only five three-point makes in response.  The 15-point advantage that the Heat got from a hot night of shooting from deep had a much larger impact on the game than the advantage gained through frequent trips to the line.  In the three games that followed – all Celtic wins – Boston outshot or neutralized Miami from downtown, making a total of 20 threes to their opponent’s 18.

On Thursday, Miami would shoot 7-16 from beyond the arc while Boston shot a mere 1-14.  Paul Pierce “led” the way in this department, missing every one of his team-high six three-point attempts.  It was the Celtics’ second-worst three-point shooting night of the season, ahead of only a pair of oh-fers in losses against Philadelphia in the regular season and Atlanta in Game One of the Conference Quarterfinals.

While six additional three-pointers from Boston – or six fewer from Miami – wouldn’t have won them the game, they certainly would have helped the Celtics hang around for much longer, impacting how the late minutes played out.

The Celtics trailed by 13 at the end of the first half, surely a bridgeable gap.  Unfortunately, a 36-percent shooting performance in the third quarter held them back by the same deficit going into the fourth.  Dwyane Wade helped LeBron close the game out by scoring eight of his 17 points in the final 12 minutes, keying a 15-3 run to kick off the start of the final period that put the game out of reach for good.

Unlike in the last three games, which saw significant offensive and defensive contributions from Marquis Daniels, Keyon Dooling, and Mickael Pietrus, the Celtics’ bench was a no-show.  A review of the box score will show that they kicked 15 points in to the effort, but will fail to tell you that all but two of those came prior to the 6:18 mark in the fourth quarter, when a Ryan Hollins dunk cut Miami’s lead from a game-high 25 to 23.  Shortly thereafter, Doc Rivers would empty his bench entirely, raising the white flag on a lost effort.

June 7, 2012; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics starters on the bench as they take on the Miami Heat during the second half in game six of the Eastern Conference finals of the 2012 NBA playoffs at TD Garden. The Miami Heat defeated the Celtics 98-79. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-US PRESSWIRE

Game Seven tips off in Miami this Saturday at 8:30 PM.  The Celtics have already come back from one seemingly inextricable hole.  It was just over a week ago that they trailed 2-0 in the series, having lost first in humbling and then in heartbreaking fashion.  To propel themselves to a Finals matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder, they’ll have to overcome a different kind of loss: a humiliating one.