Celtics look to break out at home

BOSTON -- Once the shamrocks started rolling out of mothballs with what appeared to be a dominant Boston Celtics contingent, many Bostonians figured this was the year for their beloved green-and-white charges. Who needs luck when you have the formidable big three of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen?

Still, the decorated franchise has wandered in the NBA desert in search of a championship during a two-decade drought. After posting a league-best66-16 regular-season record, the Celtics appeared primed for a title run.

They entered the postseason as the league's stickiest defenders. They were loaded with capable scorers. Suddenly, and quite perceptibly, they are deadlocked in another dogfight playoff series. But this time, it is not the Atlanta Hawks -- it is the like-minded, defensive-oriented Cleveland Cavaliers.

The defending Eastern Conference champion Cavaliers have played in more Finals the last 12 months than ...