Celtics & Hawks To Be Continued...

On Friday night, two teams were sent home from the postseason while 2 will play on in a Game 7. Cleveland defeated Washington to advance to Round 2, while Utah defeated the Rockets. Meanwhile, the Atlanta Hawks continued to test the mettle of the top team in the East as they beat the Celtics, setting up a game 7 in Boston.

Atlanta had yet another impressive game against the C's, with a rowdy Atlanta crowd to back them up. The Hawks were up by as many as 7 down the stretch, with the C's battling back. Rajon Rondo threw up an airball near the buzzer in the 4th which could have been the game tying 3. Ray Allen also had several missed 3 attempts down the stretch. Even more debilitating was the technical foul called on Paul Pierce in the 4th. It was Pierce's 6th foul, which sent him to the sidelines to helplessly watch his team lose the game 103-100. Shelden Williams had 18 for Atlanta while Bibby had 17 and Joe Johnson had 15. The two teams will battle it out in Game 7 Sunday to decide who advances to Round 2.

It was deja vu in the other 2 series which ended Friday night. Cleveland sent Washington out of the Playoffs for the third straight season, while Utah ended Houston's postseason for the 2nd straight time. Another disappointment for T-Mac who has yet to win a 1st round playoff series. A dejected Yao Ming was shown on the bench, and you'd have to think if the big man had been manning the paint, Houston could have enjoyed victory. Utah will now face off with the LA Lakers starting Sunday.

As for Washington, they did have impressive performances this past season from All-stars Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison, who had to step up when Arenas was injured. Arenas decided to sit out the remainder of the playoffs due to problems with the surgically repaired leg that hampered him this past season. Despite Antawn Jamison playing great on Friday, the Wiz just didn't have enough to compete with Lebrons' triple double performance. The Cavs now get to rest up and await the winner of Atlanta vs. Boston. This could spell real bad news for the Celtics as they will beat beaten up and facing last year's NBA Finals rep from the East.