Celtics Must Remain Focused on Heat, Not Referees, to Prevail in Tense Eastern Conference Finals (Podcast)

by NESN Staff on Tue, Jun 5, 2012 at 5:30PM

It’s a best-of-three series now.

The Celtics and the Heat have three games left to determine a winner in the Eastern Conference Finals after dueling to a draw through the first four games of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Coach Doc Rivers and the C’s are riding high after capturing Game 4 in overtime, but they certainly still have their work cut out for them. They’ll head to Miami next, where the Heat were victorious in the first two games of the series.

The Celtics will have their hands full in Miami – especially if Chris Bosh returns from injury — but both teams will also need to deal with the referees, a common complaint from both sides throughout the series.

Paul Pierce and LeBron James both fouled out of Game 4, prompting many on-lookers to take a hard look at the officiating and wonder if either team can overcome the overzealous calls that are affecting the games in a negative manner.

In the latest NESN.com podcast, Celtics beat writer Ben Watanabe discussed the refs and more during a conversation with NESN Nation’s Dan Duquette. They also touched on the key to Ray Allen‘s resurgence for the Celtics, how Boston will need its role players to step up on the road and what kind of an impact Bosh might have if reactivated for Game 5.

Listen in the player below, or subscribe on iTunes to download it there.