Ken Hudson, the first African-American NBA referee died on Wednesday at the age of 72.

Before Thursday’s playoff game against the Atlanta Hawks, reporters asked Doc Rivers about the impact Hudson had on his life, how they met and what it had to do with Rivers’ first time flying on an airplane.

See Rivers recount his memories of Hudson’s life in the video above.

But on Sunday night, Rivers was able to cut down on those minutes significantly as the Celtics blew out the Hawks, cruising to a 101-79 victory.

Because the Celtics jumped out to an early lead and expanded it to 23 points by halftime, Rivers could manage the players’ time. Only Brandon Bass and Rajon Rondo exceeded 30 minutes on the court. Paul Pierce scored his 24 points in just under 17 minutes while Ray Allen played just 19 and Kevin Garnett logged 27.

“We overplayed them the last game, and gave them the day off, and they came out with this effort,” Rivers said after Sunday’s win.

Once the game’s outcome was well in hand, Boston turned to the bench to finish off the win. Marquis Daniels and Keyon Dooling took much of the load, keeping the starters fresh for the rest of the series and preventing further injury.

Pierce suffered a knee injury during Sunday’s shootaround and re-injured his knee during the game.  But since the Celtics had built such a large lead, Pierce was able to stay on the bench and receive treatment.

For a veteran team like the Celtics, the ability to rest the stars may pay dividends down the road.

“I think it does [pay dividends],” Rivers said. “They would probably say, ‘Well, I’d rather play 30 minutes,’ because they’re rhythmic — they like playing. But I think over the long run, you have to be right. If you can get two or three of these type of games, then it has to help.”

The Bruins enforcer spent time at the Red Sox' 17-inning marathon game against the Orioles then made his way over to the Celtics' playoff game against the Atlanta Hawks. He was spotted by Boston Herald columnist Steve Buckley during halftime of the C's game. 

Just ran into #Bruins Shawn Thornton at halftime of #Celtics game. He was at Fenway this afternoon and now the Garden. Guy likes his sports.

— Steve Buckley (@BuckinBoston) May 7, 2012

Pierce appeared to twist his knee. He grabbed it in pain before walking off the court under his own power. Before leaving the game, Pierce had scored 18 points on 8 of 11 shooting, including two 3-pointers. 

The Celtics led the Hawks 64-41 after one half of play. Pierce's return to the game is probable, according the team's official Twitter account. 

"It's a concern tonight and going forward," Rivers said of Bradley's shoulder. "But we just got the OK, and we're going to throw him out there and see how it feels." 

Bradley will join Rajon Rondo to make up the Celtics starting backcourt, with veteran Ray Allen coming off of the bench. 

Bradley scored five points and grabbed four rebounds in just under 25 minutes of playing time in Boston's 90-84 Game 3 victory. 

Although Allen had not played in more than three weeks, Doc Rivers had him in for 37 minutes in Friday's hard-fought win.

Allen got off to a hot start, making four of his first six shots. He finished the night with 13 points on 6 of 12 shooting. The all-time leader in made 3-pointers was never able to get on track from behind the arc, though, missing all four of his attempts.

"His legs looked shot," Doc Rivers said of Allen late in the game.

Rivers confirmed that Allen will be available tonight and will once again have no restrictions on his playing time.

The Hawks were already without two of their primary big men in Zaza Pachulia and Al Horford, and the injury to Smith made them particularly shorthanded in the frontcourt. Despite the various injuries, Atlanta managed to hold its own throughout Game 3 in what was eventually a 90-84 overtime loss. Surprisingly, the Hawks outscored the Celtics 52 to 36 in the paint. 

Hawks head coach Larry Drew had said Smith was a game-time decision for Sunday's game. 

Smith confirmed he will try to play through the pain against the Celtics in Game 4.

Al Horford was also activated before Sunday night's game. It remains a gametime decision whether or not he will actually play in Game 4. 

Despite the fact that they were able to win Game 2 in Atlanta, while Rondo served his one-game suspension, Boston knows that they are a better team with their star point guard on the floor. In his first game back after a brief hiatus, Rondo put up an impressive stat line, recording yet another triple-double.  

Rondo finished with 16 points, 12 assists, and 14 rebounds, but it took him some time to get going.

"For a point guard, they mixed up sometimes, executing, running the stuff," Doc Rivers commented. "Sometimes for them, that means not being aggressive… you have do to both at the same time."

Rondo committed five turnovers in the first half, but cleaned it up and committed just one turnover between the second half and overtime. Rhythm is crucial for a point guard and especially vital for a team as cohesive as the Celtics. After a slow start, Rondo found his groove.

"I just thought in the second half he had a better grasp on the play calls," Rivers said. "He got back in rhythm, he was calling the right sets on the floor."

In a series that has included particularly pretty basketball, it will be the team that can limit their mistakes the most that comes out on top. Going up against staunch defenses, it is not likely that either team runs their offensive schemes to perfection. With Rondo at the helm, however, the Celtics have a much better chance of maintaining a consistent, controlled attack.

Neither team is yet to crack 100 points in a game, despite Game 3 going to an overtime period. When a series is so low-scoring and dominated by defense, every possession is crucial. There was a brief adjustment period, but by the time the game went into overtime, Rondo was back to being the deliberate floor general that the Celtics have come to expect.

"Just a matter of timing. A lot of turnovers in the first half, I missed a couple of shots, but my teammates believed in me and told me keep going," Rondo said.

A game after missing Rondo and Ray Allen, the Celtics got encouraging contributions from both players. They will likely need the same contributions again throughout the series as Avery Bradley left Friday’s game with a left shoulder injury. His status for Game 4 in Boston is currently up in the air. 

"Swag, that's what we call him around here," Kevin Garnett said of Rondo. "Young bull got a lot of swag. Kid's still learning, still getting better. He and Ray tonight: pure energy. It was good."

The Celtics are hoping for more "Swag" throughout this series in order to carry them into the second round of the playoffs.

Smith left with just over four minutes remaining in the Hawks' eventual 87-80 loss. With so many key players stuck in street clothes, it left Atlanta's six-time All Star Joe Johnson to carry the offensive load.

Johnson is one of the better one-on-one scorers in the league, but is often criticized for the so-called "iso-Joe" offense. Despite having a very talented roster (when healthy), the Hawks frequently settle offensively and simply let Johnson go to work.

In Friday night's game, the Hawks had an important possession with 37 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and the game tied at 80-80. Virtually anybody with some familiarity of the Hawks knew what was coming next. The Hawks went to their star player and hoped he could make something happen.

"It was isolation on the wing," Johnson said.

The Hawks came up empty on the possession, but Johnson wasn't to blame. Instead of chucking up a contested jumper, Johnson made a wise basketball decision that simply didn't work out.

"They came up with a double team so I just made the right play," Johnson said after scoring a game-high 29 points on Friday.

Johnson passed out of the double team, which led to an open look for guard Willie Green, who ended up missing the shot.

"I thought Will had a great look at it. It's a shot he normally makes," Johnson added. "It's a shot we work on in practice. But unfortunately it didn't go down."

Johnson didn't have the most efficient game, but he is the team's most competent scorer. He finished 11 of 28 from the field with only two turnovers on the night. Riddled with injuries, Atlanta got key contributions from some role players. But with the game on the line, the Hawks put faith in their best player.

Friday night, Johnson made the right play. Sometimes it just doesn't work out.

Prior to the game, Doc Rivers noted that Friday night's game would Allen's first time playing full court basketball in several weeks. If that is true, it sure didn't look like it in the first half of Friday's game. 

Allen picked up right where he left off and shot 4 of 6, scoring eight points in just over 15 minutes of playing time in the first half. The rest of the Celtics shot just 9 of 27 from the field. 

The Celtics will continue to lean on Allen for offense and led the Altanta Hawks 40-38 after the first two quarters. 

Early in the regular season the Hawks lost their starting center, Al Horford. Later, they lost their backup center in Zaza Pachulia. In the second game of this series, one of their starting forwards, Josh Smith, went down with a left knee injury. Naturally, Atlanta turned to their bench for help and was getting it from McGrady. This injury is just another blow to an already depleted roster. 

McGrady tallied 10 points and six rebounds before leaving Friday night's game. McGrady went to the locker room right after the injury, but returned to play in the third quarter. 

Bradley will remain in the starting lineup, but Allen will be available off the bench. Depending on his effectiveness, Allen could end up with significant playing time in his first game since April 10. 

"There's no restrictions on him, minutes wise," said Doc Rivers.

Bone spurs in his right ankle have sidelined Allen for more than three weeks, so it remains to be seen how effective he will be in such a crucial playoff game. 

"He looked a little rusty, as is expected," Rivers said of Allen's shootaround Friday morning. "But he was aggressive and that's good to see." 

The Celtics were 7-4 without Allen in the lineup. 

The NBA playoffs are set to begin on Saturday, April 28. The Celtics-Hawks series will start Sunday in Atlanta. Here's the rest of the schedule for the Celtics' first round series.

Game 1 – Boston at Atlanta, April 29, 7 p.m.

Game 2 - Boston at Atlanta, May 1, 7:30 p.m.

Game 3 - Atlanta at Boston, May 4, 7:30 p.m.

Game 4 - Atlanta at Boston, May 6, 7 p.m.

Game 5 - Boston at Atlanta, May 8, TBD (if necessary)

Game 6 – Atlanta at Boston, May 10, TBD (if necessary)

Game 7 – Boston at Atlanta, May 12, TBD (if necessary)

You can see the full schedule for every playoff series on the NBA's official website.

World Peace was ejected from the game and Harden left with a concussion. World Peace apologized for the elbow after the game, but it seems obvious that he will receive some sort of suspension for taking out Harden.

There were a variety of responses and reactions to the play on Twitter, however. Check out what fans, writers, and World Peace himself tweeted about the incident.

[View the story "Twitter Reacts To Metta World Peace's Flagrant Elbow to James Harden's Head" on Storify]

3:34 p.m. ET:

See video of the Millar/Martinez toast by clicking here.

3:05 p.m. ET: The ceremonies have concluded and it's time for baseball. Clay Buchholz takes the mound for the Red Sox to face the rival New York Yankees. Follow all of the action with NESN.com's live blog. We'll provide highlights from the Fenway Park 100 ceremony all day long here on NESN.com.

3:03 p.m. ET: Kevin Millar, after an extended toast: "This is awkward now."

3:02 p.m. ET: This has taken an interesting turn. Pedro Martinez and Kevin Millar are addressing the crowd, holding bottles of champagne. I'm not entirely sure what is going on. We should probably just start the game now.

2:57 p.m. ET: Carlton Fisk, Yaz, and Jim Rice participated in a ceremony with descendants from John F. Kennedy and John F. Fitzgerald for the first pitch from the front row of seats.

2:51 p.m. ET: It's almost time for some baseball. With so many legendary players out on the field, who gets to throw the first pitch? My choice is Pedro Martinez. Then just leave him in and see if he can give you a few solid innings against the Yankees.

2:47 p.m. ET: It's time for the National Anthem. Hopefully we get a flyover. Flyovers make everything better.

2:45 p.m. ET: Maestro John Williams comes out to conduct his tribute to the park, "Fanfare for Fenway".

2:40 p.m. ET: The 2012 Boston Red Sox join all of players and coaches from the past on the field. This is a pretty awesome event.

2:36 p.m. ET: Dennis Eckersley and Mo Vaughn, two former MVPs, join the rest of the players on the field. Yaz emerges to an enormous ovation.

2:35 p.m. ET: Terry Francona, Mike Lowell, and Kevin Millar come out, representing the 2004 and 2007 Red Sox teams that brought World Series trophies to Boston.

2:32 p.m. ET: Jose Canseco is here! Of course, he rolls up his sleeve and flexes for the crowd.

2:30 p.m. ET: Nomar Garciaparra comes out to a huge ovation. I haven't seen Jose Canseco out there yet, however.

2:27 p.m. ET: It's a pretty surreal scene. Pedro Martinez comes onto the field and hugs Red Sox legends from several decades before his time.

2:25 p.m. ET: Some relatively epic music plays as each former Red Sox player enters the field. Carlton Fisk may have received the loudest applause so far, and rightfully so.

2:20 p.m. ET: The Red Sox organization invited pretty much every player that has ever worn a Boston uniform. Legends such as Dwight Evans, Jim Rice, and Bill Buckner are among the first to make appearances on the field.

2:10 p.m. ET: In celebration of the 100th anniversary of Fenway Park, the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees are wearing some pretty interesting throwback uniforms. The game starts at 3:05 p.m. but there are plenty of festivities before the first pitch. Watch the game and pre-game ceremonies on NESN and follow along with the live-blog to remember all of the great history that surrounds Fenway Park.

Claude Julien said, "There's no concussion, just a bad cut," according to a report from ESPN.com. Julien added that he expects McQuaid to be day-to-day once the team gets back from their road trip against the New York Rangers and Islanders.

The Bruins were hoping McQuaid wouldn't have to miss any significant time due to the fact that Dennis Seidenberg is already out with a leg infection. Unlike McQuaid, Seidenberg will travel with the team to New York. Julien did not give an indication of whether he would play in either of the Bruins' games.

Terry's contract with the Dallas Mavericks will expire at the end of this season and he's set to beomce a free agent. He was asked about the idea of playing for Miami before the two teams faced off on Thursday night, according to an ESPN.com story.

"Miami is definitely a title contender," Terry said. "No question, they need a veteran shooter… So I think I'd be an asset to them."

Terry made it known that he wants to retire as a member of the Dallas Mavericks. However, he noted that after he was not offered an extension in this past offseason, that it might be time to think about playing for another team.

Money may ultimately be a factor in his decision. The Heat can only offer the veteran guard the mini mid-level exception of $3 million per season, while Terry is currently making over $11 million with the Mavericks.

Regardless of where he ends up, Terry says he just wants to be in the league.

"That jersey has a logo on it. It says, 'NBA'. No matter what team it is, it doesn't matter. So I'll be excited."

While it's hard to describe precisely what this idea of momentum means in sports, it's undeniable that it can have an enormous impact on the outcome of a game, tournament or season.

In Saturday night's NCAA tournament regional semifinal between Maine and Minnesota-Duluth, there was one key play that flipped all of the energy in UMD's favor, powering the Bulldogs to a 5-2 victory.

Down 2-1 in the second period, Minnesota-Duluth's Caleb Herbert forced a turnover and had a clean breakaway towards Maine goaltender Dan Sullivan. What happened next was strange, unexpected and downright inexplicable. Herbert missed the net on the breakaway, but the puck bounced back off the glass and then came back, rolled off Sullivan's back and into the goal for the equalizer.

"I ended up missing the net, but we've been working in practice where you bank it off the wall and off the goalie's back," Herbert joked.

Maine's campus is just 277 miles from the DCU Center in Worcester. Minnesota-Duluth's campus is just over 1,400 miles away. Hundreds of Maine fans made the trip down for the game, and their chants completely drowned out any Bulldog fans that may have made the long journey.

Maine's fight song echoed throughout the arena as it took an early two-goal lead. Planned or not, Herbert's unbelievable goal completely silenced the Maine faithful. A previously raucous crowd was stunned; the energy was sucked out of the building.

Minnesota-Duluth took that energy and quickly used it in its favor. Exactly a minute later, UMD's Jake Hendrickson found the back of the net, putting the Bulldogs up 3-2. Minnesota-Duluth had momentum on its side and wasn't giving it back.

Herbert's goal could be described as a fluke, something that was pure luck. The Bulldogs' victory, and place in the regional finals, cannot be.

Minnesota-Duluth entered the tournament as the fifth overall seed and defending national champion. The Bulldogs have been here before. One would think that a team coming off a game in which it trailed by two goals and then scored five unanswered to advance would have all of the momentum going into Sunday night's game, but that's not the case. (Momentum is a funny thing -– remember?)

The Bulldogs skated past Maine to reach the regional finals, where Boston College will be waiting for them with a berth to the Frozen Four on the line. While UMD's confidence is assuredly sky-high at this point, it's nothing compared to the roll that Boston College has been on.

The Eagles entered the tournament as the No. 1 overall seed and winners of their last 15 games. A victory over Air Force to get them into the regional finals extended that streak to 16 games. The Eagles last lost a game on Jan. 21 -– against the Maine Black bears.

Minnesota-Duluth will be playing against a red-hot Eagles team and will once again essentially be playing a road game, as BC's campus is just 36 miles from the DCU Center. That means virtually the entire crowd will be cheering for the Eagles. It's not an easy task, but the Bulldogs know what they're up against. They've played in hostile environments before. After all, they are the defending champs.

All it takes is one big save or one crushing hit to swing all of the energy in your favor. Minnesota-Duluth probably can't count on another miraculous ricochet goal on Sunday, but you can bet the Bulldogs will bring intensity and a competitive fire in their attempt to seize momentum from Boston College and skate into another Frozen Four.

Final score, Minnesota-Duluth wins 5-2: A complete effort from the Bulldogs powers them through Maine and into the next round. UMD will face the Boston College Eagles with a chance to advance to the Frozen Four. 

Third period 40 seconds remaining, Minnesota-Duluth leads 5-2: That should just about do it. UMD scores an empty-net goal and now leads by three with under a minute remaining. Crazier things have happened, but this one seems over. 

Third period 2:23, Minnesota-Duluth leads 4-2: Maine takes its timeout and pulls its goalie with just over two minutes remaining.

Third period 3:00, Minnesota-Duluth leads 4-2: This may be the break that Maine has been waiting for: UMD takes a two minute penalty to give Maine a power play. Maine has a golden opportunity to cut into the lead, but it might be just a little bit too late. 

Third period 5:00, Minnesota-Duluth leads 4-2: Maine survives the penalty, but still trails by two goals. They've got to put a dent in the Bulldogs' lead soon. 

Third period 7:14, Minnesota-Duluth leads 4-2: Maine's potential comeback just got a little bit tougher. Ryan Hagerty took a two minute penalty, giving Minnesota-Duluth a power play and another fine opportunity to add an insurance goal. This is an absolutely crucial penalty kill for the Black bears. 

Third period 8:52, Minnesota-Duluth leads 4-2: It's getting a little chippy here. Some players have to be separated after the whistle. Nothing serious…yet. It's something to keep an eye on. A stupid penalty by UMD could let Maine get right back into this one. 

Third period 10:45, Minnesota-Duluth leads 4-2: J.T. Brown of Minnesota-Duluth backhanded a nice pass and beat Maine's Dan Sullivan 5-hole to give the Bulldogs a 4-2 lead. With just 10:45 remaining in the game, the Black bears are facing a pretty difficult task, trailing by two goals. 

Third period 13:26, Minnesota-Duluth leads 3-2: Despite leading by a goal, the Bulldogs have been the more aggressive team this period. Instead of sitting back and getting defensive as they try to hold on to a lead, Minnesota-Duluth keeps pressuring the net. Maine needs to change that if they expect to tie this game up and have a chance to advance. I get the sense that Spencer Abbott will make something happen before this game is over. Stay tuned, the final 13 minutes ought to be full of some real competitive hockey. 

Start of third period, Minnesota-Duluth leads 3-2: We've got a good one on our hands. Twenty more minutes to decide who advances and takes one more step towards the Frozen Four. 

End of second period, Minnesota-Duluth leads 3-2: After leading for much of the game, the Black bears of Maine now find themselves trailing by a goal entering the third and final period. The two Bulldogs goals came in rapid succession, so Maine will need to compose themselves during the intermission and prepare for the home stretch. 

Second period 2:32, Minnesota-Duluth leads 3-2: That didn't take long. Just a minute after tying the game at two, the Bulldogs take the lead. Jake Hendrickson beat Dan Sullivan to give UMD their first lead of the night. 

Second period 3:32, Tied 2-2: That was one of the craziest goals that I have ever seen. Maine committed a costly turnover in their own zone which led to an open chance for Minnesota-Duluth. Caleb Herbert's initial shot was blocked by Sullivan, but the puck bounced straight up in the air. When the puck came down, it rolled off Sullivan's back and into the net. 

Second period 4:29, Maine leads 2-1: After a frantic pace to start the game, this one has calmed down considerably. Maine is still out-shooting UMD 24-14, but both teams are getting some decent scoring opportunities. Whichever team is able to grab momentum going into the final period may be determine the outcome of this game. 

Second period 9:13, Maine leads 2-1: UMD took advantage of the man advantage, quickly trimming Maine's lead back down to one. UMD's captain, Jack Connolly, snuck the shot by Maine's Dan Sullivan to get the Bulldogs on the board. 

Second period 10:06, Maine leads 2-0: With just under half of the game to be played, Maine maintains a two goal lead. Minnesota-Duluth will have a two minute power play, however, as Maine's Ryan Hegarty was sent to the box for slashing. 

Second period 12:50, Maine leads 2-0: Maine scored again on a breakaway goal by Matt Mangene. The net was dislodged on the other end of the ice, but no official called the play dead. Some Minnesota-Duluth players seemed to stop, assuming that a whistle would be blown. The Maine players alertly kept skating and Mangene beat Reiter to give Maine a two goal lead. After video review, the goal was upheld, much to the delight of the Maine pep band. 

Second period 17:10, Maine leads 1-0: The Black bears are out-shooting Minnesota-Duluth 16 to 9 at this point. Reiter has made a number of impressive saves to keep this just a one goal game. UMD cannot stay out of the penalty box as Mike Seidel takes a two minute penalty for slashing. 

Start of second period, Maine leads 1-0: Maine will start the second period with a one goal lead and 1:28 of a man advantage. This is a crucial penalty kill for Minnesota-Duluth; they cannot avoid to fall behind by two goals this early. 

First intermission Maine leads 1-0: Minnesota-Duluth took another two minute penalty and gave the Black bears yet another power play opportunity. This time, they didn't waste it. Unlike my internet connection, Spencer Abbott is really good. Maine's leading scorer lined up a shot from just inside the blue line and sniped a goal over the right shoulder of Kenny Reiter. 

First period 5:10, Tied 0-0: Neither team has taken control of this game. The pace of the action is really good with lots of up and down play. This is exactly the kind of game that you like to see with this much on the line. The teams are trading quality scoring opportunities, but it remains to be seen who will be able to break through with a goal first. 

First period 10:54, Tied 0-0: UMD's Brady Lamb took a two minute penalty for holding, but Maine was unable to get anything going during the power play. As Lamb came out of the penalty box, a teammate hit him with a pass and he launched a shot towards the goal, only to have it snagged by Maine's Dan Sullivan. 

First period 13:02, Tied 0-0: We're back to even-strength after Maine's penalty kill unit gets through a rather uneventful two minutes. After getting their man back, the Black bears immediately went on the attack and challenged UMD's goaltender, Kenny Reiter, several times. Reiter held his ground, however, and we're still scoreless. 

First period 15:32, Tied 0-0: Maine had the first real scoring opportunity of the game, but it was easily stopped by the Bulldogs. Maine's Mike Cornell was called for crosschecking, giving Minnesota-Duluth the first power play of the game. 

7:30 p.m. ET: The teams have taken the ice and we're just five minutes from the opening faceoff. The starters have been introduced and Spencer Abbott is in the lineup for Maine. He's the best player on the ice and will be looking to have a big impact after missing the past couple of games with a concussion. 

7:05 p.m. ET: Less than half an hour until the puck drops in the second game of the Northeast Regional Semifinals. The winner of this one gets a chance to play Boston College with a berth to the Frozen Four on the line. 

Both teams are on the ice warming up and there appears to be slightly more Maine fans who have made the trip than Minnesota-Duluth fans. 

Make sure to stick with us at NESN.com for all your coverage of the NCAA Hockey Tournament. 

8 a.m. ET: Minnesota-Duluth won the 2011 national championship and will start their title defense tonight against the Maine Black Bears in Worcester.

The winner of the regional semi-final game will go on to play the winner of Boston College-Air Force, which will be played at 4 p.m.

Maine played without its best player and Hobey Baker finalist, Spencer Abbott in the Hockey East title game. Abbott suffered a concussion earlier this month, but may be cleared to play against Minnesota-Duluth today. As it stands right now, he is a gametime decision.

Be sure to follow NESN's live blog all night as we track the action to see which teams will get a chance to advance to the Frozen Four.

Everybody knows about the Fenway Frank, but the Texas Rangers ballpark has introduced a menu item that is on an entirely different level.

After offering a hot dog that weighed half of a pound during this past World Series, the restaurant staff wanted to up the ante, according to a story on ESPN.com

Casey Rapp, the manager of concessions at the ballpark claims the massive hot dog probably has somewhere between 2,000 and 3,000 calories in it and is meant to serve four people. Nicknamed the "Boomstick" after Nelson Cruz, the hot dog sells for $26.

This isn't the first time that the Rangers have sold concessions of the giant variety. Last season, a three-pound pretzel was introduced and was actually a pretty big success in Arlington

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