Celtics clinch playoff berth

MILWAUKEE -- It was only a matter of time.

At least, that's what the Celtics figured when it came to defeating the Bucks and clinching a playoff berth. Boston did both last night at the Bradley Center by coming from behind in the fourth quarter to record a 111-108 win. Coupled with the Nets' loss at Indiana, the Celtics earned a spot in the postseason.

But although the visitors' locker room was unusually giddy, the Celtics did not celebrate the news. Boston still hopes to earn the Atlantic Division title (with any combination of two more wins or two more Philadelphia losses) and home-court advantage. Only then will it be time for self-congratulations.

"We're going to get the letter from David Stern that says, `Dear Celtics, You're invited to the playoffs,' I guess," said coach Doc Rivers. "But that's really not what we want. It is nice. It's nice to be able to say we're in. But we don't want to just get in. We want to get home court, so we still have a lot of work to do. The key for me is to try to keep them motivated."

After opening the game with an 11-2 run, the Celtics' motivation and focus drifted until the fourth quarter, when they couldn't afford to waste any more time trailing a team with nothing to play for but lottery position. Trailing, 84-80, when the fourth started, Boston opened the period by making its first 10 field goals. With 6 minutes 4 seconds remaining, Gary Payton nailed a 3-pointer that gave Boston its first lead, 99-97, since midway through the third period. But the Bucks did not fade down the stretch, forcing the Celtics to make big shots and free throws to stay ahead.

It was a one-possession game with less than two minutes left. And although a 3-pointer by Ricky Davis gave Boston some breathing room (108-103) with 2:47 left, the sixth man put up a couple of costly misses, giving the Bucks an opportunity to tie the game in the final minute. Make that opportunities, as the Celtics struggled on the glass trying to regain possession. By grabbing 14 offensive rebounds, Milwaukee was able to keep the game close. None were bigger than the three the Bucks collected down the stretch.

The Celtics finally got the ball back, or so it seemed, but Davis stepped out of bounds and left Milwaukee with another chance to tie the game. On the ensuing Bucks possession, Davis picked up his fourth foul and put Maurice Williams on the line. Williams made both shots and tied the game, 108-108, with 40.2 seconds left.

Thus, it was left up to Paul Pierce. For the second night in a row, Pierce came through with the go-ahead basket, a 13-footer from the left wing with 19.2 seconds remaining. Davis nearly atoned for his previous mistakes by hitting one of two free throws in the closing seconds.

"We were trading baskets," said Payton. "You can trade baskets with a team like that. When we made 10 straight baskets, they must have made eight or nine. We've got to think about that. We've got to play harder than that. We've got to get stops. It was just one of those games where everybody gets hot. At the end, I think we did a better job of switching and rotating and blocking out guys and it helped us." Playing in the second of back-to-back road games and coming off the biggest win of the season, the Celtics knew they probably wouldn't be at their best. Besides, the Celtics always struggle at the Bradley Center. Last night marked only the second time in 12 tries that they have won in Milwaukee.

Boston simply hoped it would be good enough to continue building momentum toward the playoffs. After reversing its pattern of slow starts, however, the Celtics entered halftime behind, 52-51.

The visitors were not nearly as crisp or as energized as they were against the 76ers Tuesday night. Still, they shot 58 percent, which surprised Rivers. Defensively, Boston needs to make major strides before the playoffs, allowing Milwaukee to shoot nearly 50 percent with 28 points from Michael Redd and a career-high 22 from Dan Gadzuric.

"We had an emotional win [Tuesday] night," said Rivers. "There weren't a lot of people here. I thought being from Marquette I could bring more, but that wasn't true. So, it was a flat game. You could sense that. We told the guys at halftime, `If we were going to muster energy, it's going to have to be from within. It's not going to come from within this building.' I thought we did it in stretches."

Between now and the start of the playoffs, the Celtics must try to turn those stretches into sustained consistent play. That is something the Celtics should remember as they play their final four games. The most consistent team in the Eastern Conference pack likely will earn home-court advantage.