Pierce: We can win it all next year

BOSTON — The question lingered throughout the Celtics locker room.

What if?

"I'm going to go crazy thinking about that," said Celtics center Kendrick Perkins. "If we had (Kevin Garnett) I think we would definitely have made the finals, without question. Just missing one player changes everything."

The Celtics' NBA championship defense came to an anticlimactic ending last night, as the C's were dominated in the second half and lost 101-82 to the Orlando Magic in Game 7 of their Eastern Conference semifinals series.

After the game, the Celtics couldn't help but wonder: What if fortune had been on their side?

"I honestly believe we are the best team in the NBA when we are healthy," said captain Paul Pierce, who finished with just 13 points. "And next year, if we are healthy again, we'll be the best team in the NBA again. But we weren't healthy."

With a frontcourt missing Garnett and sixth man Leon Powe, both lost to injuries, Boston saw the likes of Rashard Lewis (19 points) and point guard Rafer Alston (15 points) drive to the basket with regularity, and Hedo Turkoglu (game-high 25 points) often find open shots.

"Before (Garnett) went down, we were the second best team in the NBA, record wise," said Boston coach Doc Rivers. "But it wasn't just Kevin. It was a combination of Kevin and Leon that hurt us. Obviously we missed Kevin, last year's Defensive Player of the Year, but it was both."

Before every tip-off during the seven-game series, rumors circulated that Garnett could make a comeback reminiscent of Willis Reed for the Knicks. But it was never really a possibility.

"We were hoping,'' said Rivers. "Clearly that's why we didn't do surgery. But I didn't think it was going to happen. If we had won this series, I can tell you there was no way he was going to play in the next series."

The Celtics now face the offseason, a proposition that did not thrill Perkins.

"I can't explain it," he said. "There isn't a tomorrow. I wake up tomorrow morning, and then what? Watch the Cleveland and Orlando series? Nah."

Gone, Baby, Gone?

Like his teammates, Glen "Big Baby" Davis cleaned out his locker after last night's loss. And the free-agent-to-be couldn't help but wonder if it was his last time in Boston's home locker room.

"You never know," he said. "I want to be here. But if the opportunity isn't here, it isn't and I have to look elsewhere. If I was a rookie I'd be saying, 'I want to be here.' But I have learned you have to look at it as a business and do what is best."

The second-year forward, a second-round draft pick, made just $711,517 this year. After this season, he'll be in for a hefty raise.

Davis emerged as a fan favorite for his light-hearted character and clutch play. After averaging 7.0 points and 4.0 rebounds a game in the regular season, he made the jump to 15.8 and 5.6 in the postseason. But he is now an unrestricted free agent, and will likely be a hot commodity on the market.

"I love the city and the fans and the coaching staff has been a big part of my development," he said. "I will always have a soft spot for Boston. But I just have to hope it works out."

Rajon Rondo, for one, hopes Davis is back in the Green and White.

"Baby did a great job filling in for KG," he said. "He went from playing 10 minutes a game to 45 minutes. He did a terrific job. He's a load down there."

Long and winding road

While Kendrick Perkins dismissed the idea that the two straight seven-games series had physically drained Boston, he did admit it had taken a toll.

"It's stressful," he said. "You have to think about every situation every day. In these Game 7s, we have to keep thinking that, if we lose, we are going home."

While Perkins played well, grabbing 15 rebounds and helping hold Dwight Howard to just 12 points, others did struggle.

"We obviously looked (fatigued)," said Rivers. "Every shot was front rim; every free throw was off. We were very slow to the basket. That could've been a factor."

Good play and good luck

After a very difficult series through six games (11.5 points, .307 shooting, .139 3-pointers), Ray Allen finally found his stroke last night, scoring a team-high 23 points.

That was no surprise to Magic coach Stan Van Gundy, who chalked up the early success to a combination of strong defense and good fortune.

"There's no trick to guarding Ray," said Van Gundy. "If there was, everyone would be doing it and he'd be averaging 10 points a game. We have done some good things against him, but he has also missed some shots."

Van Gundy also dismissed Orlando assistant coach and New York Knicks legend Patrick Ewing guaranteeing a Game 7 victory.

"I happened on coach (John) Thompson's radio show," said Van Gundy of Ewing's former college coach. "Those two are as close as two people can get. Coach Thompson played for the Celtics, so he was talking them up, and Patrick was just responding. It seemed like an exchange between close friends."

Give it a 10

During warmups, high-flyer Dwight Howard threw down a dunk that could have won the Slam Dunk contest, tossing the ball off the backboard and hammering home a tomahawk slam. Teammates tried to copy the feat, but none came close.

Lue on Lakers

Before tip-off in Boston last night, the Los Angeles Lakers took care of business with a convincing 89-70 win over the Houston Rockets. That decisive victory was no surprise to former Lakers guard Tyronn Lue.

"I knew the Lakers would come out with a sense of urgency and win pretty convincingly," he said. "They knew what was on the line, and it would be tough for Houston to win in LA even without the loss of (injured All-Stars) Yao (Ming) and Tracy (McGrady).

Now a reserve for the Magic, Lue was a member of the Lakers title teams of 2000 and 2001. In the latter, he was assigned to guard future NBA Hall of Famer Allen Iverson. So Lue knew what to expect from former teammate Kobe Bryant.

"No way he was going to let them lose," said Lue."If it was in question, he'd have shot the ball every time before he was going to let them lose."

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