Celtics Beat 76ers With Third-Quarter Eruption BOSTON - In a series characterized by striking ebbs and flows, one constant has remained: the team that wins the third quarter wins the game. That stood true in the first four games of the Eastern Conference semifinal series between the Boston Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers, and it was driven home again, forcefully, Monday night. Trailing by 3 points after a spotty first half, the Celtics erupted in the third quarter, led by Brandon Bass, who scored 18 of his 27 points in the quarter, 2 more than the 76ers. The explosion, coupled with a stifling defense and a host of Philadelphia turnovers, turned the game around and enabled the Celtics to take a 101-85 victory and a 3-2 series lead. Game 6 is Wednesday night in Philadelphia. Bass might qualify for most unlikely hero, having averaged only 10.1 points a game this postseason before Monday night. But he was unstoppable in a torrid third quarter, connecting on six of seven field goals and all six of his free throws. Rajon Rondo dished out 7 of his 14 assists in the period as the Celtics outscored Philadelphia by 28-16, shooting 61 percent and forcing six turnovers. "I thought we had a good grip on the game," Philadelphia Coach Doug Collins said. It went downhill quickly. Boston trailed, 57-53, when it got fuel from four different sources: a clear-path foul on Paul Pierce, which resulted in two missed free throws by Andre Iguodala; a highly questionable offensive foul call on Kevin Garnett, which got the crowd involved; five Philadelphia turnovers in less than three minutes; and the aggression of Bass, who was hitting jump shots and rattling home dunks with equal proficiency. "It's a blessing for me," said Bass, whose previous playoff best was 19 points. I've been working at it for a long time, and I'm glad it finally paid off. Garnett (20 points) started a 10-0 run with a 17-foot jumper, and then Bass accounted for the next 6 points. A Ray Allen layup off a turnover completed the run. The Celtics did not trail again, turning back a 5-0 Philadelphia spurt with a quarter-closing 12-4 run. It was the kind of quarter Celtics Coach Doc Rivers had hoped to see after a so-so first half. "We weren't right in the first half," Rivers said. You could just feel it. I don't know what the turning point was. We needed something to ignite us. I don't know what did it, but something did. Or someone. While Bass was the undisputed finisher in the third quarter, Rondo was the unquestioned distributor. He assisted on four of Bass's six baskets. He also had a steal in the 10-0 Boston run and was his usual disruptive presence on defense. Elton Brand, who led the Sixers with 19 points, simply said: "It starts with Rondo. You have to stop Rondo. Rivers said he thought Rondo played as well in the second half as he had played all year. "I thought his will, his leadership, we needed it," Rivers said. And he gave it to us. He played with a force. Leading by 9 points after three quarters, the Celtics blew the game open in the fourth, scoring the first 6 points and holding the Sixers scoreless for more than four minutes. Boston led by as many as 20 in the quarter. Pierce had 16 points, and Greg Stiemsma had 10. Stiemsma also had three blocked shots, two in the pivotal third quarter. Boston also had a big advantage at the free-throw line, attempting 33 foul shots to the Sixers" 16. The Celtics prevailed despite the absence of guard Avery Bradley, who has been battling a left shoulder injury. Bradley has dislocated the shoulder three times in the postseason, the last time during Game 4 on Friday. Allen, who had lost his starting job to Bradley, returned to the starting lineup for the first time since April 4 and finished with 5 points.