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Wearing their matching red 76ers logo T-shirts, fans fled for the exits at the 6-minute mark and the Sixers down 101-76.
The Sixers hadn't hosted a second-round game since 2003, when coach Larry Brown and All-Star Allen Iverson ruled the town. Julius Erving walked out to a roaring ovation when he presented the game ball and Eagles quarterback Michael Vick watched from a suite.
The Sixers hoped all the stars and hoopla that helped them knock off top-seeded Chicago would work again.
Back to the drawing board. Young scored three baskets and the rest of the Sixers had only two in the decisive second quarter.
"We ran into a Celtics team that had a real sense of purpose about them," coach Doug Collins said. "You could see in moment one, they were looking to push that ball in every situation."
Garnett tortured them from long range, toyed with them from inside, and got some deserved rest on the bench in the final minutes wearing a long-sleeve shirt.
Garnett was whistled for a critical offensive foul late in Game 2 on a potential game-tying possession for the Celtics. All seemed forgiven by the time the Celtics raced to a 25-point lead.
"Our offense finally came alive," Pierce said. "We moved the ball. We knew that's what we were going to have to do to score 100 points."
Rivers kept Rondo, Pierce and Ray Allen in the game until the final minutes even though the game was well out of reach. The Bulls were burned by that in the opening round in Game 1 when they left Derrick Rose in with a 20-point lead. He tore his ACL and was lost for the season -- and the Sixers rolled to a series win.
The Celtics intend to keep up the pressure in Game 4 -- and beyond.
"When you beat a team like this at home, you have to expect them coming out with a lot of energy," Garnett said. "But we'll be ready and we'll have a lot of energy ourselves."
NOTES: Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie and several other Eagles were at the game. ... Former Sixers owner Ed Snider watched the game from a courtside seat. ... Rivers was named to the NBA's Competition Committee. He said he had no idea until he received a letter saying he had been selected. ... The Celtics missed their first seven shots of the game, then made their next five.
[Associated Press;
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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