HANG TIME PLAYOFF HEADQUARTERS – Judging by his words alone, you’d think Lakers forward Metta World Peace was from Norman instead of Queensbridge.

A day after his Lakers were trounced by the Oklahoma City Thunder, World Peace was in the mood to praise all things Oklahoma City and just about anything else associated with Oklahoma. That includes Thunder coach Scott Brooks, Kevin Durant, Durant’s teammates and the wonderful people at Chesapeake Energy Arena who booed him constantly Monday night in Game 1 and will do so again tonight (9:30 ET, TNT) in Game 2.

(That booing is more intense for him courtesy of the elbow to the head of Thunder reserve and KIA Sixth Man of the Year Award winner James Harden.)

World Peace saved some of his most interesting, and perhaps bizarre, praise for a specific segment of the crowd. The things that come out that man’s mouth sometimes are, in a word, priceless.

Berry Tramel of the Oklahoman captured many of the highlights with this video — you have to watch it for yourself so you know it’s true.

His explanation for making his first two shots in Game 1?

“I didn’t realize Oklahoma had so many, like, fine women,” he said. “I felt really comfortable. I hit my first two shots, it was mainly because of how beautiful the women were. Great fans, because they support their team. They took in a team that needed shelter . So no matter what, you can always say great things about these fans. You can always say great things.”

And ladies, just in case you needed a reminder, World Peace wants you to know something else.

“You don’t need make up to be beautiful,” he said, expanding on his admiration for the fine women of Oklahoma. “That’s the American way of telling a woman she’s beautiful. She can be beautiful without make up. And that’s what I’ve seen in Oklahoma City.”

Seriously, you cannot make this stuff up.

SAN ANTONIO – It’s usually a difficult choice when you’re playing the Spurs — pick your poison.

So the Clippers swallowed the arsenic and the cyanide. They let the Spurs beat them up on the inside with 42 points in the paint and a 47-34 domination of the rebounding and they also surrendered 13 buckets from behind the 3-point line to seven different Spurs.

At times the Clippers looked like confused rats inside a maze, not knowing which way to run to try to cover up a San Antonio shooter.

“If they don’t pass the ball to an open man, they’re coming out. It’s the bottom line,” said L.A. forward Kenyon Martin. “That’s the way (Spurs coach Gregg Popovich) is coaching. I’ve had lots of battles with him. This is my fourth time playing him in the playoffs and it’s always been that way. The open man always hits the shot; that’s what they do well. They do an excellent job of spreading the floor, making plays and guys do an excellent job of being unselfish.”

While the Clippers did a good job of making scoring chances tough for Tony Parker (1-for-9), he was still able to penetrate often and effectively enough to make the defense collapse around him and create open shots for teammates. That’s why he finished with 11 assists.

“Just controlling penetration,” said center DeAndre Jordan. “As long as we can control Tony and Manu (Ginobili) and make those guys take tough shots and not try to collapse on them, just contain them and keep them outside as much as possible, that will take away some of their easy buckets in the paint and also a lot of their easy kick-outs.”

Easier said than done. The Spurs were the best 3-point shooting team in the league all season. And it would help if the Clippers’ aggressive, bruising big men were good enough 1-on-1 defenders to not need collapsing help in the paint.

Pick your poison.

But if they let this turn into a shooting contest, the Clippers won’t have a shot.

MIAMI – Two games in, LeBron James has led the Miami Heat in points, in rebounds and in assists both nights. He has done that 22 times in his postseason career, leading his team outright in all three categories, the most by any player in NBA history. Larry Bird is next — with 13.

But …

James scored 10 points in the fourth quarter of Game 2 of Miami’s Eastern Conference semifinal series against Indiana and is averaging 8.6 points in the final period of the Heat’s seven playoff games this spring. He played all 24 minutes of the second half and just shy of 43 minutes in the game. He led all scorers with 28 points, outscoring the man guarding him, Indiana’s Danny Granger, by 17. He earned his way to the foul line like no one else Tuesday at AmericanAirlines Arena, taking more free throws (13) and making more (8).

But …

He did it again. Or rather, didn’t do it.

James missed two free throws with 54.3 seconds left. Two free throws that could have put the Heat up 77-76 and shifted pressure onto the Pacers, who had led by as much as nine points earlier in the quarter.

James missed those free throws one possession after Indiana’s Paul George missed two, himself. But no one will talk about, dissect or maybe even remember George’s because of who he is. And almost everyone will do the above – and worse – to James’ because of who he is.

Mr. Fourth-Quarter, Playoff Game Choker. That’s the rep, anyway.

It’s unfair — that’s my view — but it sure makes for good sport. Never mind the games where James doesn’t choke down the stretch. Forget all James does over the first 36 or 42 minutes to put his team in position to even come up short in a close game. Overlook the failings of teammates, such as Dwyane Wade — who missed his final four shots Tuesday, including a layup to tie with 16.8 seconds left.

But no, it came down to James clanging at crunch time.

“Well, you go practice them and you go to the free-throw line and shoot them just the way you practice,” he said, going second-person when asked about them after Game 2. “You hope for them to go in. Those last two didn’t go for me. The game isn’t lost or won with those two free throws but I definitely want to come through for my teammates. But I’ll get another opportunity. I know I’ll be at line again in that situation.”

That makes it sound far more anecdotal than some big ominous incapability. And an ESPN.com breakdown of James’ play earlier this month revealed a player whose performance actually went up late in games in 2011-12. The stats study showed James, who led the NBA with a 30.8 PER rating, actually boosted that to efficiency measure to 33.1 in fourth quarters. The Clippers’ Chris Paul (38.7) was the only player in the league who was better over the final 12 minutes.

Granted, thriving in fourth quarters from December through April isn’t the same as doing it in the closing minutes of tight postseason games.

There is one possible explanation for James’ struggles late in playoff games. Think about it: They come at the end of a long season and, if a game is close, those crucial moments of success or failure come near the end of a long night. One reason that seemed to emerge for James’ strong play late in games this season was a Miami rotation that had the MVP getting more rest in the second half, keeping him fresh for those hero opportunities.

So what did we see in Game 2 against Indiana? James played the entire second half. And when it came to the foul line in the fourth, he made 2-of-2 early in the period, went 1-of-2 at 5:33 and 4:30, then maybe was short on oomph on the two he missed in the final minute.

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra sure made it sound like fatigue was to blame rather than choking. “He’ll never make an excuse,” Spoelstra said. “I wish I could have gotten him a minute or two [of rest] in the fourth quarter but because of the hole we dug there was no way to do it.”

So which is it: Tight or tired? Gagged or gassed? Discuss.

MIAMI – It was happening again. The Indiana Pacers’ offense had ground to a halt and whatever five they had on the floor, they were getting outscored by the Miami Heat’s big two, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. It was Heat superstars 21, Pacers 17, with more than two minutes left and Indiana’s lead down to 76-75. Plenty of time for heroes to be heroes.

And then, nothing. Truly nothing. Wade missed four shots from there. James got blocked on the doorstep by young Pacers guard Paul George and, with 54.3 seconds left, same score, bricked a pair of free throws, instantly bringing all his “fourth quarters, playoff games” critics to life like vampires rising at sunset.

The Pacers were no prizes themselves down the stretch: George missed a pair of free throws at 1:20, Roy Hibbert and George Hill split their pairs in the final minutes. Yet they hung on, trusted their defense and fended off the two Miami attack dogs who’d been unleashed, allegedly, by the departure of injured forward Chris Bosh.

Indiana tucked away its 78-75 victory at AmericanAirlines Arena and grabbed homecourt advantage two games into the Eastern Conference semifinals series by playing grittier basketball, focusing on defense and deploying a small lineup that gave Miami the sort of fits it usually dispenses. The Pacers battled inside to a 50-40 rebounding edge, held Miami to 34.6 percent shooting and had the Heat at 1-of-21 from 3-point range even as Miami was scrambling to launch one more in the final seconds.

That one by Mario Chalmers clanged off too — make it 1-of-22 — and all the assurances Indiana coach Frank Vogel gave his squad at halftime when they trailed 38-33 came true.

After eyeballing their flat performance through 24 minutes, Vogel urged the Pacers to calm down. And to stay tough. They built their lead to 11 points by sticking the ball inside on Miami. They got the Heat to miss 14 of 17 shots and outscored them 28-14. By the end, three Pacers – David West, Roy Hibbert and George – were in double digits in rebounds, which was three more than the Heat could manage.

“You start talking about smash-mouth basketball,” Vogel said. “It’s about winning the wars in the trenches. Defense and rebounding. That’s the East Coast basketball I grew up watching.”

Vogel also grabbed at some basketball he had just been personally involved in: Having dispatched Orlando in the first round, Indiana had dealt with the game on its smaller side. So he went that way for a spell against Bosh-less Miami, subbing Leandro Barbosa for center Hibbert and picking up intensity.

“We downsized a little bit,” West said.

Said Vogel: “Their small lineup, we played against this an entire series.”

Indiana used a 20-6 run over the final seven minutes of the third quarter for a 61-52 lead heading into the fourth. Then it toughened up: Point guard Darren Collison weathered a frustration flagrant foul from Wade on a breakout, the referees rushing over to pre-empt any escalation. Midway through the period, James and Danny Granger earned double technical fouls for a skirmish that had James’ headband snapping off, then the Miami star probing back at Granger with a elbow.

But the advice Vogel had given them earlier – calm down – stayed with them. Indiana kept hurting the Heat inside – Barbosa’s layup to edge the Pacers back 73-72, and West’s that made it 76-73 with 2:53 left.

“They created their easiest opportunities right at the rim during that stretch when we weren’t scoring,” groused Miami coach Erik Spoelstra.

Now it’s headed to the Pacers’ gym, their confidence high for Games 3 and 4, their concerns about Bosh (abdominal strain) academic probably for the series. But there was Vogel again, the voice of reason.

“The way we felt after Game 1 is how they’re feeling now,” he said of Miami. “They’re going to bring everything they’ve got in Game 3. We have to think about keeping an edge while their edge just got sharper.”

No one wants Derrick Rose to rush back. Anyone who cares has heard about the bumpy road to recovery from constructive surgery on a torn anterior cruciate knee ligament. Everyone in the room at Rush University Medical Center Tuesday could sense a feel-good, upbeat vibe put out by the Chicago Bulls and their team physician, Brian Cole, who performed the surgery on Saturday.

The clock on Rose’s return as the Bulls’ franchise player and Chicago’s favorite athlete officially has begun to tick. Fans might even want to synchronize their watches if they have a countdown mode – and they can set it that high.

Time till Rose’s Return: 8,688 hours. That’s knocking off 72 from the moment Cole stitched up Rose’s left knee.

And that is 362 days or just shy of 12 months, the cautious end of Rose’s projected recovery range as voiced by Cole Tuesday. Last we checked here at Hang Time HQ, 12 months is just about equivalent to … (gulp) … One. Year.

“Sometimes shorter, sometimes longer,” Cole told a group of Chicago media. “It could take him more than a year to be back to pre-surgery level of performance.”

And this: “It’s impossible to predict tomorrow. Statistically, he should be that player and then some. That doesn’t mean it’s guaranteed.”

Smile. Frown. Smile. Frown. The way Cole balanced each encouraging statement with something more cautionary, you’d expect half of the NBA fans in the Windy City to tear a facial ligament.

After Rose suffered the devastating injury on April 28 in the playoff opener against Philadelphia, the early prognosis was for a layoff lasting six to nine months. Now it’s eight to 12, and even if Rose shaves some time off that sentence for good rehab behavior, that’s a big number for people who care about him and his team to absorb.

Cole said that, in a best-case scenario, the 2011 NBA MVP might be able to return in January or February. That would change everything and, if all went well, permanently turn those frowns upside down.

But the doctor also said: “He could miss the entire season.”

Not to worry, a member of Rose’s family told the Chicago Tribune over the weekend. Keep in mind, of course, that Reggie Rose doesn’t even play a doctor on TV:

“He’s not sitting out the entire (2012-2013) year,” Reggie said. “We’re just going to bring him back slowly. I think the biggest thing to do is not put a time limit on it, just when he feels comfortable. When he comes back, he’s got to learn how to trust his body. I tore my ACL in college also. So it’s him learning how to trust his body.”

Still, if Reggie’s little brother does play his next game for the Bulls at the start of the 2013-14 season, so much around him will have changed. Richard Hamilton – the guy signed in December to lighten Rose’s scoring load — might be gone, the Bulls declining to pick up the third year of his contract for a wing player approaching his 36th birthday.

Forward Carlos Boozer will be nearing 32, what little lift that’s left in his game nearly gone. Teammates such as Taj Gibson, Omer Asik, Kyle Korver, Ronnie Brewer and C.J. Watson might be elsewhere due to business decisions, theirs or the clubs’. Someone will have had to main the point guard spot in 2012-13, so that guy will either be a stop-gap solution or someone who might bristle at a new backup role.

Coach Tom Thibodeau probably won’t have led his team to the NBA’s best regular season record for a third straight season and – let’s be honest – there’s no assurance Chicago would even qualify for the playoffs next spring. By April 28, 2013, any notions of a storybook spring return by the point guard might be moot. Thus the 2013-14 possibility.

Bravo to the Bulls, of course, for laying out the reality of Rose’s rehab and timeline, and for not blinking at the difficult time ahead. “Obviously, short-term, we’re going to take a hit,” general manager Gar Forman said. “Our thinking long-term won’t change at all.”

In other words, Rose will be the Bulls’ cornerstone player whenever he is able to play again, and particularly play again at or near his remarkable pre-injury level. That’s to be lauded, at whatever percentage of his former bad self Rose returns. The fans will keep showing up to United Center – they endured the Tim Floyd era, so they can do this time standing on their heads.

But change happens, time marches on (or limps along) and, by the time Rose does come back, there’s no telling whether the Bulls will be able to get the band back together again.

HANG TIME WEST – Thunder center Kendrick Perkins did not practice Tuesday and his availability for Game 2 against the Lakers is uncertain after he aggravated a strained hip muscle during the opener of the Western Conference semifinals.

Perkins will be a game-time decision for Wednesday night, coach Scott Brooks said Tuesday, much like Perkins was for Game 1. Perkins started Monday, played 17 minutes, and then left the court with 10:04 left in the third quarter and headed almost immediately to the locker room.

He soon returned to the bench and told Brooks he was ready to play. But with the Oklahoma City lead hovering in the low-30s much of the period, Brooks understandably decided to be cautious with his starting center. How a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series will similarly impact Brooks’ thinking now becomes one of the primary issues heading into Game 2 at Chesapeake Energy Arena.

Perkins had just four points and one rebound in the 17 minutes, along with two blocks, but his defensive presence as an important factor against a team with Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol. Indeed, Brooks used Perkins more in the three regular-season meetings against the Lakers (36 minutes) than against the league as a whole (26.8), and Perkins responded with nine rebounds and 6.3 rebounds as Oklahoma City won two of three meetings.

Monday, the enigmatic Bynum had 20 points and 14 rebounds, while Gasol managed just 10 points and seven boards while the host Thunder rolled to a 119-90 victory.

If Perkins does not play, Nazr Mohammed would be the likely candidate to start and Cole Aldrich could have an increased role off the bench.

HANG TIME PLAYOFF HEADQUARTERS – The highlight of Kyrie Irving’s rookie year in the NBA came three games in, and on a missed attempt at playing the hero against the Indiana Pacers.

That’s when Irving knew he had gained the confidence of Cavaliers coach Byron Scott, the man he knew had to have his back if he was going to fulfill his potential in his first season in the league.

The “bald-headed man’s” confidence in him was of critical importance for the young point guard who collected the 2011-12 KIA Rookie of the Year award Tuesday morning in Cleveland.

Irving totalled 592 points and collected 117 of the 120 first place votes cast by the media members charged with selecting the league’s top rookie. Minnesota’s Ricky Rubio finished second with 170 points (one first-place vote) and Denver’s Kenneth Faried finished third with 129 points (one first-place vote). San Antonio’s Kawhi Leonard, New York’s Iman Shumpert, Golden State’s Klay Thompson, Sacramento’s Isaiah Thomas, Detroit’s Brandon Knight, Houston’s Chandler Parsons, and New Jersey’s MarShon Brooks rounded out the top 10 in the voting.

The top pick in the 2011 Draft, Irving led all rookies in scoring (18.5 points), field goal percentage (.469) and free throw percentage (.872), was second in assists (5.4) and 3-point field goal percentage (.399).

Irving joins an impressive list that includes Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson, Allen Iverson and LeBron James as the only No. 1 overall draft picks to average at least 18.0 points and 5.0 assists. He is also one of only six rookies in league history to average at least 18.0 points, 5.0 assists, and 1.0 steal while shooting at least .450 from the field, joining Johnson, Jordan, Alvan Adams, Grant Hill and Tyreke Evans.

As good as he was during the season, Irving might have been better at the podium this morning, cracking jokes and entertaining the crowd, which included a group of kids wearing t-shirts with “Kyrie Never Stops” splashed across the front of them. Irving got in several good shots at Scott, whom he humorously compared to his father Drederick, who was also in attendance.

“They’re bald,” he said. “They wear nice suits. Nice shoes. Nice socks.”

Jokes aside, Irving won the Eddie Gottlieb trophy in an absolute landslide, cementing himself as one of the league’s top young point guards and the future of the franchise in Cleveland.

MIAMI — There’s the perception that the Heat just lost their best power forward for the entire series. What, did LeBron James get hurt, too?

Quite simply, LeBron is Miami’s best small forward, point guard, center, shooting guard (no disrespect, Dwyane Wade) and, yes, power forward. Wherever he lines up, he’s the Heat’s finest option, the rare athlete who can fill any gap. Right now, that gap at power forward is the size of Biscayne Bay.

And so, expect LeBron to play considerable minutes at power forward in the absence of Chris Bosh, who isn’t expected back against the Pacers because of an abdominal strain.

Actually, Erik Spoelstra‘s decision is this: Which player should be on the floor: Udonis Haslem or Mike Miller? Does the coach go with Miller and LeBron as the forwards, or Haslem and LeBron? Matchups will tell, and so will Haslem’s ability to produce in the time he’s given. But purely from a performance standpoint, Miller probably scares the Pacers a lot more at small forward than Haslem at the power, if only because Miller offers something unique (three-point shooting) while Haslem is shooting 32 percent (but also getting six rebounds in the playoffs) and brings little besides energy.

The real issue is LeBron and power forward. A year ago, this wouldn’t be such a good option because LeBron’s post-up ability was the weakest part of his “talents.” He was exposed by the Mavericks in the NBA Finals, when Tyson Chandler made him shiver and Miami went down in spectacular flames.

After uncurling himself from a ball last summer, LeBron worked tirelessly on his post skills and appeared to be a different player (and person) when the season tipped off. He’s more comfortable around the rim and willing to exploit his height and size advantages. And that’s a good thing, too, because he’ll need both against the Pacers.

David West had his way in Game 1 and you wonder if Miami would be better served by using LeBron in generous stretches over Haslem. Remember, LeBron’s defensive skills are matched by only a half-dozen or so players. Plus, West does most of his damage from 15 feet anyway, where he prefers to shoot a soft jumper. So LeBron, by guarding West, wouldn’t be stuck under the rim, unable to sprint downcourt for transition baskets on the break.

“I’ve played everywhere,” said LeBron, who didn’t dismiss the idea of shifting to the bigger forward. “It wouldn’t mean anything to me. Wherever Spo needs me.”

Miller would be handed the chore of guarding Danny Granger, who missed nine of 10 shots in Game 1 and will be anxious to make amends. Miller isn’t a terrible defender, and besides, he brings shooting range (40 percent on threes). That is, when he decides to shoot. Miller’s biggest weakness is his surprising lack of aggression when it comes to looking for his shot (he averages five attempts, compared to Mario Chalmers‘ eight). He doesn’t seem comfortable in what should be his element.

Ronny Turiaf will also get minutes at power forward but he’s better in short doses. The group option is a method Miami will use to replace Bosh, and as Spoelstra said: “Our strength is our versatility.”

Well, they don’t come more versatile than the recently minted MVP. Miami’s best power forward has been busy playing another position. That changes now.

SAN ANTONIO – Caron Butler will lineup against the Spurs in the opening Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals tonight.

But there was a time — maybe an hour — last December when it seemed likely that Butler was going to join the Spurs.

“As a free agent, I was extremely close to coming here,” Butler said. “This is a great franchise, a great city. I cancelled my flight (to San Antonio) and then I had to buy another one. It was really close.

“It was a great situation for me in L.A., even before the Chris Paul situation. It was a great for me to get a lot of playing time and for me to get back out there playing. I didn’t know what my role would be coming here to this organization. But I knew that I would have a role in their system. I was eager to be a part of that transition of making the Clippers a respectable organization.”

Ultimately, Butler chose the Clippers for 24 million reasons, the number of guaranteed dollars in his three-year contract, more than San Antonio’s offer. But not before he’d visited the Spurs and been impressed by coach Gregg Popovich.

“They made a great pitch,” Butler said. “Just the winning culture, that’s something I’d become accustomed to after leaving Washington and coming to the Dallas Mavericks. That’s something that’s contagious. That winning culture you want to be a part of it. Pop off the court, he is unbelievable. He is a great guy in the time I spent with him and the other people in the organization. It was a great experience.”

Though they were disappointed at not signing Butler, the Spurs might have benefitted in the long run. If they had signed him, the plan was to “amnesty” Richard Jefferson to get rid of his $30-plus-million that was counting against their salary cap for three seasons. But in keeping Jefferson for half the season, they were eventually able to ship him to Golden State at the trade deadline for a key reserve in Stephen Jackson. They also saved the money they would still have had to pay on Jefferson’s contract under the amnesty provision.

After starting 63 games for the Clippers this season, Butler suffered a fracture in left hand in Game 1 against Memphis and had instant flashbacks to a year ago when a knee injury prematurely ended his season in Dallas, forcing him to miss out on the Mavs’ run to the NBA championship. He was originally pronounced done for the playoffs, but talked his way back into the lineup after missing just one game.

“That couldn’t happen again,” Butler said. “For 48 hours it was just a whirlwind, being told that you couldn’t play and out 4-6 weeks and flying back and going to the gym and shooting with it on my own and understanding that it wasn’t so bad and giving it a shot.

“I pretty much did it. I said I pretty much want to be out there. I went to management and I went to the trainers and I understood that I would probably have to go through surgery if something was to happen. I was cool with that.”

But he had to convinced coach Vinny Del Negro.

“Like any coach, he was like, ‘I definitely want you back, but I want you to be fine for the long haul and at the same time can you be effective out there with a broken hand?’ ” Butler said. “I just try to defend and play as hard as I can and do all the little things and it ended up working out for us.”

Now back in the starting lineup, he’s playing 27 minutes a game, averaging 9.3 points and will match up in this series against Spurs rookie Kawhi Leonard. But even though limited in what he could do, Butler says he’s ready to keep moving on.

“It affects it a lot because you can’t hold the ball and do some of the things that you want to do,” he said. “As much as you try to protect it and try to play cautiously, you just can’t get around it in a physical series like the one we just played. You’ll continue to get hit on it and have minor setbacks here and there, but winning is always rewarding and takes the pain away.”

HANG TIME PLAYOFF HEADQUARTERS – How many times have you heard someone say it, “that one play didn’t cost us the game?”

Don’t care to count?

No?

We understand.

Technically speaking, one play might not cost you the game. But one crucial play at the right time in a tight game can certainly have a more significant impact on the outcome of said game. And that was indeed the case in Boston last night for Celtics’ forward Kevin Garnett. He was called for an offensive foul on a moving screen on Andre Iguodala as he tried to make space for Paul Pierce with 10 seconds to play in a game the Philadelphia 76ers led 78-75.

The call, made by Michael Smith after Garnett had already been warned by Danny Crawford to watch the moving screens, helped seal the deal for the Sixers.

“I just thought in that situation you let the players decide the game,” Garnett said after his illegal pick took the air out of the building and a spirited, fourth quarter rally from the home team. “But if he felt like that was an illegal pick, then that’s what it is.”

It was glaring (check the video above). But not necessarily a call anyone expected in that situation. To his credit, Garnett tried his best not to make a huge fuss about it afterwards, choosing instead the common refrain that it was one of many mistakes made that led to the final outcome.

“Danny had already given me a warning about how I was setting the picks,” Garnett said. “I’m going to continue to set picks. I’m going to continue to get guys open. That wasn’t, to me, the game. We did things going up to that point in determining the game.”

Celtics coach Doc Rivers certainly wasn’t happy about the call, or the others Garnett was called for throughout the game.

“I wasn’t fond of it.  At all,” Rivers said. “I think Kevin got three off-the-ball offensive fouls.  So, clearly it looked like they were looking for it all night, and they got three of them.  Listen, if you’re going to tell me that Kevin was the only one moving in picks tonight, then I’ll live with that.  But he clearly was not the only one.  But he was the one who got the calls tonight.  We put ourself in that position. At the end of the day, I say it all the time, if you put yourself in a position to let someone else do something, then you can lose games.  And that’s what happened.”

The Celtics’ inability to execute their offense down the stretch (credit the 76ers defense for some of those troubles), coupled with late-game indecision on the defensive end, took control of the game out of the home team’s hands when it mattered most.

For all of their collective experience, this is an area the Celtics struggled in against the Hawks in the first round. Rivers warned his team about then, telling them specifically that their late-game execution would be the difference in playoff games.

One play at an extremely crucial moment in a playoff game, in particular, that was not executed properly is one reason why this series heads to Philadelphia with home court advantage having changed hands.