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Celtics Hoping For More Success At Home

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A Tribune wire report

The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 18, 2008

WALTHAM, Mass. - The Boston Celtics can drive by the statue of Red Auerbach on their way to work today, pick up some lunch at Faneuil Hall and then warm up under the 16 NBA championship banners their predecessors helped hang from the rafters.

They're back home again, and that's been the surest sign of success for them so far in this year's playoffs.

"We're right where we want to be: We've got an opportunity to advance to the Eastern Conference finals," forward Paul Pierce said Saturday after the Celtics held a short walkthrough followed by a long series of semi-friendly games of one-on-one.

"This is the reason we got the best record in the NBA for," Pierce said. "We've got to play one more great game in order to advance."

The Celtics will host Cleveland in the decisive game of their best-of-seven series today at the new Boston Garden, where the green team has yet to lose in the postseason.

Several of the Celtics had said they couldn't sleep before Game 7 of the Atlanta series, but Saturday they looked much looser.

"All of us are competitive; all of us want to advance; all of us want to win a championship," Pierce said. "That's what drives us."

Report: Donaghy Bet On 100 Games He Worked

Former NBA referee Tim Donaghy bet on more than 100 games that he worked, federal prosecutors said in a court filing Friday, according to media reports.

Donaghy pleaded guilty last year to charges he conspired to engage in wire fraud and transmitted betting information through interstate commerce. He was alleged to have given a pair of gamblers inside information, including tips on which crews would officiate games and how the various officials and players interacted, and collected $5,000 if his picks were correct.

According to court filings, Donaghy bet on about 30 games each season starting in 2003 and 14 games during the 2006-07 season, the New York Post reported.

Donaghy is scheduled to be sentenced July 14.

Bryant's Hot Hand Sends Lakers To Western Finals

SALT LAKE CITY - Kobe Bryant was back to his MVP self, which was just enough for the Lakers to hold off the Jazz.

Bryant scored 12 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter in a 108-105 win against the Utah Jazz in Game 6 on Friday, putting the Lakers in the Western Conference finals for the first time in four years.

The Jazz rallied from a 16-point deficit at the end of the third quarter to get within two points in the final minute, but Bryant was able to stop the momentum shift just in time and avoid having to play a Game 7 on Monday in Los Angeles.

"When you play here, you have to have a cushion. You know they're going to claw and scratch their way back into the game," Bryant said. "You know they're going to find a way to make a run."

The Jazz made five 3-pointers in the fourth and outrebounded the Lakers 18-4 in the final period.

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