The Celtics have been doing business like this for 55 years. In a 2-2-1-1-1- series, they take ownership of Game 5. Game 5 is a mini-7. Teams that win Game 5 in a 2-2-1-1-1 series go on to win the series 83 percent of the time. A very disproportionate percentage of that 83 belongs to the Boston Celtics. Game 5 is damn near as important as any Game 7. Ask Larry Bird, who used to conduct annual seminars on the subject. Monday night’s outcome was the one any serious student of both Celtics and NBA history would have expected. Final score: Boston 101, Philadelphia 85. But this was no wire-to-wire butt-kicking. No, no, no. Continue reading below This was a weird one. With 3:49 remaining ... Continue reading →

John Connolly/Globe Staff/file Bob Hewitt excelled at doubles in the ’60s and ’70s. NEWPORT, R.I. - Visitors to the International Tennis Hall of Fame find centuries of the sport’s history at their fingertips - interactive tributes to 220 stars such as Pete Sampras and Steffi Graf, Arthur Ashe and Althea Gibson. When they reach a touch-screen display honoring South African tennis legend Bob Hewitt, they learn he was one of the most “enduringly elegant’’ doubles players of all time. There is no mention of Hewitt’s purported secret life. Missing is any reference to the nearly dozen women on three continents who last year accused him of sexually abusing them between the 1970s and early 1990s when he was their coach and they were underage. Mike ... Continue reading →

He is only 25 years old, but Koby Clemens has the look of a journeyman. The son of seven-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens occasionally may flash his father’s trademark smile, which seems to exude cockiness and confidence, but after years of toiling in the minors, and listening to endless inquiries about allegations swirling around his father, Koby’s grin more often than not indicates humility and sincerity. “I’ve had a very blessed life,’’ said Clemens. “I’m enjoying every opportunity I get. I’m lucky to be where I’m at right now.’’ Continue reading below Drafted in 2005 by his hometown Houston Astros, Clemens has been everywhere from Lexington, Ken., to Waipahu, Hawaii, in pursuit of a dream that seems to be slipping away. BARRY CHIN/GLOBE ... Continue reading →

The Celtics will beat the Philadelphia 76ers Monday night. It is a sure thing. It is a lock. Continue reading below It is Secretariat in the Belmont. It is the 2011 Bruins against Roberto Luongo in Game 7. It is Richard Nixon over George McGovern in 1972. Have I made my point? Good. Because the Celtics are simply better than the Sixers and should be embarrassed that they are in this position. The Celtics squandered an 18-point second-half lead in Game 4 in Philadelphia Friday night, which is exactly what they do not need if they want to advance in this NBA East free-for-all of 2012. There is no doubt in my mind that the Celtics will win Monday night. I haven’t been this sure ... Continue reading →

As you watch the Celtics submit their own peculiar brand of Jekyll-Hyde basketball, please keep in mind one thing. This is Year 5 of a three-year plan. By rights, the Celtics easily could have been the Pistons already. But they could find themselves in the Finals. If you ask me, they’ve been playing with house money for two years. They’re already handling what could be considered their declining years better than the original Big Three did. Continue reading below The overall circumstances of the respective Big Threes are different, beginning with the fact that Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish were a unit for 12 seasons, the firm’s assembly taking place on draft day in 1980 when Red Auerbach secured future Hall of Famers ... Continue reading →

Picked-up pieces while wondering who’ll be next to be “sacked’’ by John Henry and Tom Werner . . . ■ There are parts of Rhode Island where failing to make good on million-dollar loan payments gets you more than a bloody sock. Red Sox adviser Jeremy Kapstein was out front on the 38 Studios loan scam two years ago when he ran for Rhode Island Lieutenant Governor and told WPRO-AM, “I have serious questions about the viability of that kind of offer to a company that is full of questions.’’ Kapstein was not alone. Massachusetts officials scoffed at the notion of loaning Curt Schilling’s company $75 million. The following appeared in this space in July 2010: “Hats off to the ship of fools known as ... Continue reading →

PHILADELPHIA - Jonathan Papelbon started slowly, feeling out his new teammates, letting them adjust to him. When spring training began with the Phillies, the former Red Sox closer, sporting new colors and in new surroundings for the first time in his career, didn’t open his mouth immediately. There were a few weeks of silence - a subdued version of a closer who is rarely subdued.And then he busted out the briefcase.The case, all silver and black and metal, contained his in with the team. The cards were there, the chips, all the necessities for Texas Hold ’Em. That ended the charade, and Papelbon was back to running his regular poker game, the one he had championed in Boston. He was no longer the new kid ... Continue reading →