The third time truly was the charm.

Paul Pierce and the Boston Celtics clinched their second trip in three years to the NBA Finals with a 96-84 demolition of the Orlando Magic in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Friday night.

And make no mistake, Game 6, like much of the series, was the Paul Pierce Show. The Truth, who averaged 24.3 points and 8.3 rebounds per game in the Eastern Conference Finals, saved his best for last with 31 points and 13 rebounds, garnering his second double-double of the series in Friday's win. He shot 9-15 from the field and added five assists and a pair of steals to help his team close out the series.

"It's a great feeling. You never take these moments for granted," No. 34 said. "This is an opportunity that I have,  my second trip to the Finals, knowing that a lot of guys never make it. We're really excited about this, going to soak it all up, enjoy it. There's nothing like it, being one of the last teams standing. All 28 other NBA teams have to watch us now."

Boston won the series four games to two after once leading 3-0. Many began to entertain the thought that the Celtics could become the first team in NBA history to lose four consecutive games after taking a 3-0 lead, as the NHL's Boston Bruins did in their playoff series with the Philadelphia Flyers earlier this year. But Paul said he never let doubt creep into his head.

"I never really think negatively about losing, or being up 3-0 and something tragic happening,' he said. "My whole mindset coming in is that we're going to win this game, no matter what. That this team is going to walk out of this building with a win. That's my whole my mindset.

"As far as what happened with hockey? This is not hockey. It's basketball. One day it's probably going to happen, I'm pretty sure as long as this game is being played it will happen one day. But I'm just glad we were able to halt it one more year."

The Celtics now wait for the Western Conference Finals to finish. The Los Angeles Lakers and the Phoenix Suns are locked in a war and LA leads the series 3-2 entering tonight's Game 6 in Phoenix. Regardless of when and who the winner is, the NBA Finals begin on Thursday, June 3.

Because both the Suns and the Lakers have a better record than the Celtics, the series will start in either LA or Phoenix for the first two games. Games 3, 4 and 5 (if necessary) will be played in Boston with a possible Game 6 and 7 shifting back out West.

Paul talked after the game on Friday about going on the road again in the Finals.

"This has been the toughest road, in the playoffs, that I've ever played in, just knowing that we had to go on the road all these series," The Truth said. "Once again, we're going to be on the road [in the Finals]. It just shows a lot about this team, the mental toughness that it’s taken to do what we're doing."

A TAKE CHARGE CAPTAIN
Paul didn't start Game 6 with Boston's opening bucket, as he did in the other three Celtics wins, but No. 34 did plenty of damage in the first.

The Truth scored eight first quarter points, attacking the Magic in a variety of ways. After a foul-drawing drive netted a 1 for 2 trip to the free throw line, Paul went to work from the field. His triple with 6:02 left in the first quarter broke a 14-14 tie to give Boston a 17-14 lead. From there, the Celtics closed the quarter on a 16-5 run. Paul added a driving layup and a dunk before the frame was over and Boston was in command, 30-19. He also had a pair of first quarter assists to Rajon Rondo and pulled in two rebounds.

He opened the second quarter with his third rebound of the night off a JJ Redick miss and Paul scored four more points in the second, including two more from the free throw line. He grabbed an offensive rebound as well.

In the third, The Truth was all over the glass. He pulled down three defensive rebounds in the first 3:30 of the third and grabbed six boards over the course of the quarter, bringing his game total to 11. Rebounding is something No. 34 said has been emphasized in Boston's playoff run.

"Doc and Tibs (assistant coach Tom Thibodeau), really the whole coaching staff, made that a point of emphasis because they're a pretty good rebounding team," Paul said of the series with Orlando. "The thing was, it was going to have to come from our guards. Ray and Rondo rebounded the ball well this series.

"The big guys have so much work with Dwight Howard, having to box him out. It's hard to block him out and get the rebounds. The key was to just keep a body on him and the guards get in and rebound. It was definitely a big emphasis in this series. We feel like if we control the glass, w have a great chance at winning."

To go along with his work on the glass, The Truth also brought his scoring punch in the third, dropping 11 points in the quarter. His triple three minutes in pushed Boston's lead above 20 points to 66-44. He also went 6 for 6 from the line in the quarter and ended it in style, burying a fade away jumper with 11.9 seconds to go to give Boston an 82-61 lead.

From there, it was relatively fundamental in the fourth. But that didn't stop Paul, who scored Boston's first eight points of the quarter as the Magic tried to rally. No. 34 launched a long-range bomb 15 seconds into the fourth to make it 85-61. Orlando followed with a 7-0 run but The Truth answered that with another three. He added a turnaround J with 4:20 remaining to make it 90-74 as the Celtics put the finishing touches on a series win.

Paul talked after the game about what makes this Boston team unique in relation to the Magic and the Cavs, the East's other top contenders:

"Look at Orlando, they changed their starting five. Look at Cleveland, they changed their starting five. But the one constant Boston had as a contender, we have the same starting five that won a championship," The Truth said. "At the end of the day, when the playoffs start, we know we have that kind of experience and know how, going into the playoffs and knowing how to win games because of the team that's been together over the last few years."

In fact, as coach Doc Rivers pointed out when the Celtics were presented with their Eastern Conference Championship trophy, Boston has not lost a playoff series with a healthy Kevin Garnett and a starting five of Paul, Kendrick Perkins, Rajon Rondo, Garnett and Ray Allen. Garnett missed last year's playoffs when the Celtics lost in the second round to Orlando. But on Friday, Boston avenged that loss and earned the chance at another NBA title.

"We have a team that, the core players here have won a championship," Paul said. "Once you get that under your belt, that's experience you can't take away. Regardless of who you bring in here, the number of players that come in free agency and who we picked up, the one constant that we have was the great leadership on this ballclub."

NEXT UP
The Celtics meet either the Los Angeles Lakers or the Phoenix Suns in the NBA Finals beginning Thursday, June 3. Tip-off of Game 1 is scheduled for 9 p.m. EST and can be seen on ABC.

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