Celtics Central

In the aftermath of last night’s holocaust at the TDBanknorth Garden, the Celtics move to Miami for their own version of the South Beach Diet. Who eats who remains to be seen.

The Heat gave quite a scare to a surging Celtic team that thought they had a another ho-hum win well in hand in the 4th quarter the last time they played…and that was at home in Boston where they are rolling over opponents. (See New York) They forgot they were playing a Pat Riley team and former NBA Champions.

Here is what I said then (Heat Won’t Stay Dead)…

Miami came roaring back from a 15 point, 4th quarter deficit. That scene has every other team the Celtics played this year, (save Toronto), sitting with their bags packed, waiting to shower, and get on the bus back to their hotel.

The Heat began their run with only 8:12 left in the game. Before they were through, they had erased the entire lead and had the audacity to take a 1 point lead of their own with 33 seconds left. That’s not in the script fellas.

Though James Posey has defected to the Green Side, the Heat, with Dwayne Wade healthy, Shaq on the court and Alonzo Mourning getting his back from the bench are a dangerous team.

Note: How does a guy making $2.2 million not have $12 dollars for a valet parking fee? Ask Smush Parker. He got into an argument over that amount when he tried to get his car because he was going to be late to practice. The story, as reported (Yahoo Sports) is that he says he paid it. He missed practice yesterday. I’ll with hold judgement.

After an 0-4 start, the Heat are a pedestrian 4-6 since. But a closer look reveals a 1-7 start, followed by a 3-2 record. The Heat are gathering momentum.

They traded recently for Ricky Davis and Mark Blount, revealing that Pat Riley has a thing for Danny Ainge cast offs. While no one has been able to solve the mystery of the cratchety Mark Blount, Ricky Davis is, at least, serviceable. Pehaps he could be more.

The trademark Riley defense is returning to form. In 5 of the last 6 games they have held opponents to 88.4 points per game. That’s good enough to lead the entire league. The offense is another story. They lost 2 of those games.

Shaq is averaging a healthy 16.5 points and an acceptable 7.4 rebounds in 28 minutes a game. He also blocked 7 shots against Atlanta recently. He picks his spots now, but is still someone who can affect the tone of a game.

Dwayne Wade is the driver of this vehicle, averaging 21.9 pts, 3.7 boards, and 5.7 assists in the 6 games since his return. One of the toughest players in the league to keep out of the paint, Rajon Rondo and his frontline help will have their hands full.

Daequan Cook is looking like a solid rookie trade for the Heat, after acquiring him from the Sixers in the preseason. A tall (6′5″), quick guard who can score, he had 19 points in 21 minutes in their last game against the Bobcats.

The Celtic stars are more rested than normal after taking much of the second half off in last night’s Knick blow out. It will be needed in the second half of a back-to-back, as the Heat are playing at home and are well rested themselves.

Actually the Celtics could take the game to Miami quite a bit, if Rajon continues to listen to his coach telling him to push the ball whenever he can. Rajon has been so focused on getting the Cs into their half court offense that his speed has been missing of late. A ‘pedal to the metal’ Rajon Rondo is a force to be reckoned with. His open court game is dangerous and gets others easy baskets as well, if they can keep up with him. You know that you won’t have to worry about Shaq on a fast break.

Perkins, Pollard, and Garnett will be key tonight against Shaq, Mourning, and Haslem. I will watch to see if Doc uses Glen Davis again. He should match up well against Haslem. Glen is gaining Rivers confidence and getting PT because of it. He had a career high 30 minutes last night and acquitted himself well. Things happen when Glen is in the game, most of them good.

Pollard, and Perkins could be difference makers if they can contain Shaq and Mourning more than normal.

It will be a good test for the Celtics because the Heat think they can play with the Cs after the last game. An early Celtic lead doesn’t mean the game is over this time.

I’ll be watching for how the Heat defend the three stars. Last time they made life difficult for Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and anyone else crossing through the middle with physical play. There should be no answer for Kevin Garnett on the Heat, unless Mourning gets the assignment.

This is not a game the Celtics will take lightly. The show starts at 8:00 pm on ESPN.

After you read the game analysis and commentary (article just before this link)

Listen to Justin Poulin of Celticsblog as he does his Gold Rarities post game Celtic Podcap with me as his guest tonight.

Podcap link

boxscore

This game was iced by the second quarter.

The Boston Celtics trounced the New York Knickerbockers 104-59.

REPORTER: What do you think is happening to the team?

Knick player: The ship be sinking.

REPORTER: How far can it sink?

Knick player: Sky’s the limit.

So said Michael Ray Richardson near the end of his career. (Wikipedia) But it could have been said by any current Knick as well.

Normally, I’d make jokes about a blow-out like this. But there was little that was funny about the way the Knicks played tonight.

Call it: Isaiah’s terrible, horrible, no good night.

Another terrible game, in another horrible year, that can produce no good for the Knicks as a team or the architect of it all – Isaiah Thomas.

As Michael Ray said….”The ship be sinking.”

The talented, but misfitting Knick players put on a shameless exhibition tonight against the
surging Celtics. Talk about a difference in mind set.

Quentin Richardson talked a little trash yesterday and the Knicks team played like that for the entire game. Kevin Garnett said that was part of the reason things happened tonight the way they did. Doc put it up as bulletin board material.

No doubt, the Celtics came out strong. Rajon Rondo had a great first quarter, scoring 10 points on 5-7 shooting (2 drives and 3 jumpers), supported by Ray Allen with 6 to get the Celtics off to a flying start 15-2, and 27-16 first quarter.

Was this Isaiah’s last game with the Knicks?

A storied New York franchise that currently epitomizes much of what is wrong with pro basketball put on quite a show..I mean spectacle, this evening.

The Knicks shot just .303 from the floor, .200 from downtown, 11-17 from the free throw line, was out rebounded 51-35, out assisted 27-14, had more turnovers 14-6, and less steals 7-3 than the Celtics.

The Celtics shot .468 from the field, .545 from the three point line, and 18-25 from the free throw line.

Under normal circumstances you would just chalk this game up to a bad night and move on. This franchise has been a combination 3 ring circus and daily soap opera for at least 3 years running. They have, by far, the least wins per dollars spent on salary for 3 years running. A dubious distinction that owner Jim Dolan seems oblivious to. It will be hard to ignor things much longer.

On national televison, they proceeded to buckle under quickly to the Boston Celtics, another storied franchise that is rising once again.

By half time the score was 54-31. The Knicks could only muster 10 points in the 3rd quarter. It ended like with a high school-like, team doubling, blow-out score of 82-41. The rest of the game was a question of franchise records in dominance for the Celtics and futility for the Knicks. Records were almost broken. The Celtics went up by 52 points, 95-43 in the 4th. The Knicks avoided an all time franchise low (since the shot clock arrived in 1954) of 58 points with a desperation 3 pointer at the buzzer by Nate Robinson. The lowest score ever allowed by the Celtics in the shot clock era was in 57 points in 1955. (courtesy of Yahoo Sports)

Doc Rivers even got to rest his three stars for tomorrow’s game against the Heat. The rest will be needed as the Heat almost came back to beat them in the 4th quarter the last time they played. Garnett played only 23 minutes tonight, shooting just 5 times for 8 points, breaking his string of 410 consecutive double digit scoring games. He had 7 rebounds in the first 6 minutes. He finished with 11 boards.

Glen Davis got the most PT of his young career. In 30 minutes, he produced 13 points on 4-6 shooting, 6 rebounds, a block, a steal, and a hustle point when he went to ground to deflect a ball away from a dribbler. James Posey went over the announcers table into the stands trying to keep it in play. That was the kind of hustle that the Celtics displayed tonight and do so on most nights.

Paul Pierce and Ray Allen logged exactly the same minutes (29) and produced 21 points each, though Ray was the more efficient shooter (8-14 vs 6-16).

In a rarity, the Celtics turned the ball over only 6 times, as much a testament to the lax effort of the Knicks as to any great focus by the Celtics, I believe. Still, it is an accomplishment of note.

So what does this all mean?

It is another notch in the gun handle for the Cs. It could be the final shot for the Knicks coach.

Tomorrow’s game against the Heat promises to be more competitive. There is more to learn from those kinds of games than this kind. This one did give the regulars a much needed rest.

They do it all on national TV again, on ESPN, in Miami at 8:00 pm Friday night.

Stop the presses! The Celtics are 3-2 over their last 5 games. Their reign is over.

The new dynasty was short lived. 8 games to be exact. Or 12 games, if you would forgive them the OT lost to Orlando.

A 2nd OT loss to the Cavs means the Celtics can’t beat the really good teams. You know, the 50 win teams. Cleveland was one last year and Orlando looks like one this year. The three kings are dead. Long live the king..James, that is!

They will hardly make more than a short paragraph in a history book. Like the Spartan stand at Thermopylae – 300 against thousands, king James took on the Celtics all by himself (almost) and defeated the (not so) young Turks, scoring 11 points (the Celtics entire total for OT) of Cleveland’s 17 overtime points.

As far as the beginning of the season -

What the questions were …are what the questions are. At least, some of the big questions remain.

The appetizer portion of the season is almost over….almost.

Yet, a look at the next 10 games show only 2 definite benchmark games – Cleveland again on Sunday and Detroit in game #10. You can say Miami shouldn’t be taken lightly and you would be right. You can say you can’t fall asleep on Toronto (twice in the next ten) and you would right again. The Celtics also play New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Sacramento, and Milwaukee – all games they should win if they are the contender we expect them to be.

So the team should be starting to play meat and potatos basketball against lightweight (appetizer) teams for a while longer. It’s a schedule that favors the Celtics getting out fast. You might say – so far, so good.

13 games into the season the Celtics are a surprising 11-2.

That’s a faster start than any realistic prophet would suggest. How come?

The team could just be that good. It could be that some things deceptively mask the early question marks. What things?, you ask.

Newness sparks energy. Look at the Sixers right after Iverson was traded. They played .500 ball the rest of the year, much better than when Iverson was there.

Look at the Celtics right after the return of Antoine Walker a few years ago. They went on something like, a 10 game winning streak.

Last year, Don Nelson takes over the Warriors and changes the system. They jump out of the gate quickly.

There are other examples of that happening but you get the picture. Newness can create new focus and energy and lift a team …..for a while. Eventually gravity takes over and teams become what they really are.

So….Who are the ‘new’ Celtics?

They just bolted to a 11-2 record, but have lost (in OT albeit and on the road) to arguably the 2 best teams they’ve faced. Neither are even considered top 6 teams. But the Celtics did lose.

Come on, you say. They would be undefeated and 13-0 if they won those games. Be realistic. Give them a break.

Fair enough.

I’ll go even farther. If they were 11-2, but had won those 2 OT games against the best 2 teams they have faced, and lost 2 other games against teams they should have beaten, there stillwould be complaints from critics. Why did they lose those 2 games against inferior talent? They should be beating those teams every night.

I understand that this Celtic team is under a national microscope.

But they aren’t undefeated and they did lose to the 2 best teams they have faced.

Does it mean anything?

If we were asking the eight ball, it might say….

Signs point to yes.

or

Better not tell you now

or

Too soon to tell.

OK – the last one isn’t really in an eightball (or is it? I haven’t looked at one since I was a kid.)

Maybe it should say…

You are too darn impatient

Basketball is a team game and a chemistry game. Getting to know each other takes time. More time than has transpired so far for the Celtics.

The NBA season is an 82 game marathon.

Yet, here are the unanswered questions:

1) Will Rondo be a weak point of attack against the better teams in the league?

We saw what happens last night when he can’t put it in the hoop. Doc has chided him for his defense, which is supposed to be his strong point. This league is chock full of tough point guards to guard on most nights. In the loss to Orlando, Jameer Nelson had his way, in the first half especially. Though Rondo scored 18 points in that game, so did Jameer, a 13 pt. per game scorer against the rest of the league. Last night, Boobie Gibson (12 pts per) was held to 8 points, but Rondo scored exactly 3 on 1-9 shooting in 43 minutes of play.

2) Is Kendrick Perkins going to be good enough?

Most feel that Kendrick is playing well enough and some think he is playing better than expected. KP is shooting a high pct. But he should be. All he does is shoot lay-ups and dunks. His offensive game is woeful. He still drops passes, puts it on the floor too much, and misses lay-ups he should make. Most 2nd string centers in the league can do what he does offensively. Where he is adding value is defensively. That part goes unsung. Like an offensive lineman in football, Perkin will never get glory for his solid defensive play. But there are times when even a remedial offensive game from the center position would help this team. It would help Kevin Garnett greatly in drawing the double teams away and giving him room to operate.

Will Kendrick ever get a reliable go-to offensive move under pressure? Will he ever be able to reliably score from farther out than 5 feet?

I suggest that, unless Scot Pollard starts playing as he has not for years now, this team is a PJ Brown, or any other competent big, away from knowing they can compete with anyone.

As far as the 3-2 recent record with losses to the 2 teams they need to beat:

1) The three stars are in varying stages of incapacity with bad backs, strained ankles and just spent emotion. They wanted to start strong. They have. It seems they are coming back to earth. They were also playing a lot of minutes under this emotionalism.

2) The three stars were all number one options previously. You would think at least 1 or 2 would rise to the occasion each game to win it. Mostly, they have. But they are human too. Was Ray’s 2 misses simply that – being human? Or was he hurt and tired, too?

3) In the 2 losses, I thought that Kevin Garnett should have played a bigger role offensively than he did. But KG was in foul trouble in both games. He fouled out in Orlando, and picked up 5 in Cleveland. He also attracts a number of traveling calls it seems. The team needs Kevin to stay in the game and step up offensively a little more.

4) Though Paul had largely adapted to the team game, Paul Pierce still has moments when he tries to do too much offensively. He will get caught without a place to pass to on drives to the middle and baseline moves.

I would say that the Celtics got out strong due to the enormous talent here, great defense, and rode a wall of emotion to their early success. From here on out, the details become more
important.

This team should be able to hold a lead when one star goes out – even Garnett. That is still a problem to be solved.

Fitting in the pieces around the three is still a work in progress. Lack of depth at PG and center are still a weak point.

The other problem is that the fairly weak schedule does not give the team enough games against top teams to gage what they really need to do to compete for a championship and to know if those pieces are on the team now.

The team has come a long way. Yet there are questions from early on that still need to be answered. Will a solid victory against Detroit or Utah answer them? That is another good question.

I think there may be another Danny Ainge move coming this season. Time, and the Celtics play, will tell.

Games like these are always about making plays, and making foul shots.

The Celtics did not do enough of either to win this game.

Ray Allen, a perennial league leader in foul shooting, including this year at 91.7%, missed 2 foul shots with 23 seconds left and the game tied. There is a greater chance of being attacked by a shark…in your back yard…if you lived in a desert —– than that happening.

That would be the Celtics last best chance to win a game they never really had control of. They did have the lead at various points in the game, starting with the end of the first half. The Cavaliers won, 109-104 in overtime.

Kevin Garnett’s string of double/doubles as a Celtic ended. He finished with a mere 5 rebounds and 19 points.

So one can beat three, afterall.

Yet, it was Ray Allen who kept the Celtics in the game for most of it, especially early, when it looked like the Cavs would open an uncatchable lead. Ray finished as the top scorer for the Cs with 29 points, but took 25 shots to do it.

Paul did not look right and had a poor offensive game, including some bad choices in passing and driving, leading to a team high 4 turnovers. He missed a number of shots down the stretch that he would normally make. His back must still be bothering him. He did play defense quite well for large parts of the game and had Lebron relatively under control for most of it, until midway in the 4th quarter, when LBJ began to take the game over.

LeBron put on quite a show when it counted most. He showed why he is…. the next big thing. When you watch him play, it is hard to believe this cat is only 22 years old (23 on December 30).

King Lebron had been contained well and had only 19 points until 9:35 of the 4th quarter. He doubled that number the rest of the way, finishing with 38 very loud points, scoring 11 in overtime alone. He scored in a number of ways and found the time to dole out 13 assists to his mates along the way. He went 14-15 from the foul line, including 6-6 in overtime. That is how you win games like these.

The Celtics started slow as they didn’t seem to have the energy again, but also because they couldn’t solve the Cavalier defense. 7′ 3″ Zydrunas and 6′ 8″ Drew Gooden played a ‘large’ part in the Cavs going up 15-4 to start the game.

Big Z blocked 4 shots for the game, altered a number of others, stopped penetration, and even had Kendrick Perkins throwing the ball back out from point blank range. He is an intimidator in the paint and doesn’t get enough credit for it. He also got the Cavs their big early lead with 8 first quarter points on 4-4 shooting. He finished with 15 points.

Garnett only got 5 boards because Ilgauskas and Gooden dominated the boards with 14 and 13 each. The Cavs won the battle of the top 2 rebounding teams in the league by 47-40, though the Celtics actually had more offensive boards than the league leading Cavs (10 to 8).

When the Celtics play the few teams in the league with real size, they have to find new ways to win. Garnett and Perkins will have a particularly difficult time with players like Z, Yao Ming, and even Curry and Randolph.

The Cavs were out of sync in preseason and looked eminently beatable at that time. They looked quite different tonight.

Lebron had excellent support from Drew Gooden, as he looked unstoppable at times. Unstoppable is not an adjective you normally use to describe Drew Gooden. He was perfect from the field in the 3rd quarter, going 8-8 for 16 points. He finished with 24 points on 11-15 shooting, to go with his fine boardwork.

Sasha Pavlovic had a good night, hitting 3 big shots in the stretch drive and OT, and chipping in with 3 big steals. He finished with 16 points, 3rd highest on the team.

While Glen Davis made a brief appearance and made the most of it, scoring 8 points in 6 minutes, I thought that James Posey should have seen more time. He seemed to be effective at both ends of the court, finishing with 11 points including 3-5 from downtown and 6 boards in 20 minutes. I thought that Posey could have given Gooden more trouble defensively than either Davis, Scalabrine or apparently even Kevin Garnett did.

Rajon Rondo had a poor shooting game (1-9) and it hurt the Celtics big time tonight, as he missed shot after needed shot. He did rebound well (7 – tied with Ray Allen to lead the Celtics) and had 6 assists, and did a nice job when he guarded Gibson (8 points on 3-11 shooting). But he made bad decisions driving, geting blocked a number of times, and missed some open Js.

Perkins was relatively effective defensively as he helped keep Z under control after his initial outburst to start the game, and had 3 blocks of his own. Kendrick was another guy who missed needed foul shots down the stretch (5-8 after starting 4-4)

The Celtic starters all played 40 plus minutes, and looked like they had run out of gas nearing the end of the 4th period. They only made it a game on sheer will from that point on, in my opinion.

I also feel that they didn’t go to the Garnett/Gooden match up enough. There is no way Gooden can handle Kevin. KG took him down low and with his midrange with much success tonight as evidenced by his 8-14 shooting.

So the Celtics missed shots and foul shots, while Lebron James, Gooden and Pavlovic made theirs for the most part. That was the difference in the game.

They are now 11-2 and seem far more more human of late. They have lost by 2 and 5 points. Still this is a start I never expected, so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.

Next up are the Knicks in Boston on Thursday.

It’s a ‘one on three’ game tonight.

Everybody knows who wins one against three – even if it is MJ himself as the one.

This Cavaliers team doesn’t look like the team that drove to 50 wins and the NBA Finals last year…yet.

In their last meeting, the Celtics pummeled the Cavs 114-89 in the final preseason game for each team. The Cavs finished with a dismal 1-6 exhibition season. And to boot, they were kicked into the regular season with that complete beat down by the upstart new look Celtics.

In that contest, if you want to call it that, the Celtics scored 62 points in the paint. They did it against a team that prides itself on keeping teams out of that area particularly. The Celtics shot 59% and had more assists (34) than the Cavs had baskets (31).

Lebron James said at that time…

”The season starts next Wednesday. We either get it together or get blown out some more,” James said. ”It’s as simple as that.”

The Cavs are currently 8-6 and riding Lebron to a 3 game win streak and are winners of 4 of 5. LeBron has 2 straight triple doubles, an Eastern Conference Player of the Week Award and is leading the league is scoring at 31.3. It looks like the Cavs have gotten it together behind their leader.

The only quality win in this 5 game move is against Utah, beating Indiana, Toronto and Minnesota in the last 3 games.

The Cavs are only team in the NBA with a better spread in rebounding (+5.5) differential than the surprisingly good rebounding Celtics (+5.2).

But they do it somewhat differently. Boston is the best at controlling the defensive boards (1st in NBA @ +6.9) while Cleveland is the best at getting offensive boards (1st in NBA @ +4.2). Something has to give tonight.

The guy they most have to keep off the offensive boards is Big Z. He leads the league with 4.6 a game. Gooden gets 2.9 offensive boards as well.

A frontline of Zydrunas Ilgauskas (11.8) , Drew Gooden (9.9), and Lebron James (8.4) hold down the middle pretty well for Cleveland. So Lebron has help afterall.

Last year’s play off surprise, Daniel “Boobie” Gibson, is the new dimension to the starting line up, scoring 12.7 points a game, a solid 51.7% from the floor, and an atmospheric 53.9% from downtown.

Larry Hughes, and Donyell Marshall are out for the Cavs. The Cavs are also missing Anderson Verajeo who is holding out for a better contract. Verajeo led the league in charges taken last year and added a durable defensive component to the team.

Ray Allen and Tony Allen are ‘day-today’ for the Celtics. Ray is more likely to play tonight than Tony.

The Celtics continue to lead the league in defense, allowing only 89.7 points and 40.9 FG% to their opponents.

The Celtics offense plays better on a 2 day rest, scoring at 108.3 pts vs 102.7 overall. The Celtics last played Saturday against the Bobcats.

Tonight’s game is at Loans Quickens Arena and they will rematch in Boston on Sunday @ 12:30 PM.

The Cavs are last year’s NBA Finals representative from the East. If you are looking for a top 5-6 team test for the Celtics this year, you will have to wait until Wednesday December 19th when they play Detroit or December 29th when they play Utah.

They don’t play the top 3 teams out west (San Antonio, Dallas, and Phoenix) until 2008.

In the meantime, the Celtics continue to build chemistry and can rack up the wins if they keep up this pace.

Still, the Cavaliers are playing well and are a good test for the Celtics. This is a good time to have long armed James Posey on the team. He can match up well against LeBron. If he keeps him in front on him, it will be a difficult night for the Cavaliers’ leader. They will need other players to step up.

On the other hand, the Celtics will not have a healthy Ray Allen and I’m sure will try to test him defensively as well, if Ray plays.

Check in after the game for a complete analysis.

T

The Charlotte Bocats beat the Celtics in every major statistic except one – the one that counts -the final score.

Ray Allen, 3-14 shooting on the night until he put in his game winner, got the team another W after Eddie House got his hand on the Bobcats inbounds pass by Jason Richardson, on the Celtics’ offensive end of the court. Pierce caught the errant ball and flipped it to Ray Allen who was standing at the 3 point line, who then drilled it to stun the sold out arena and the Bobcats. Game over. See ya.

It was Ray’s only 3 point make (after 5 misses) all night.

Ray Allen hit 2 big threes in the closing moments of the loss to the Magic, after not shooting well for most of that game. Ray showed the same clutch composure tonight with a much different outcome. Even as his team mates were mobbing him and lifting him over them, he seemed to be saying to them … “Stay calm!”

I have a feeling that won’t be the last clutch shot Ray Allen hits for this team this year.

Think of a baseball team getting outhit 8-5 but winning 4-3 on a homer after a walk, or a football team getting outgained in both running and passing, yet pulling out a 24-21 win after an on-side kick recovery.

The Celtics were:
1) outshot from the floor .486 to .436.
2) outshot from downtown .727 to .333
3) out rebounded 41-34
4) outblocked 7-4

Yet, the Celtics won the game by one. And that counts as much as a 20 point win in the W column. I looked it up.

The Bobcats went up by as much as 9 in the 2nd quarter, but the Celtics stormed back on a 15-5 run to go up 46-45. Charlotte responded with an 8-2 run of their own to end the first half up 53-48.

The 2nd half was tightly contested as the biggest lead was 5 points (by Charlotte – twice) and the Celtics biggest lead was 2 points over the rest of the contest. But the rules say you only need one more point than your opponent by the end, to be called the winner.

Kevin Garnett garnered yet another dub/dub, leading the Cs with 23 points and 11 boards, 5 assists, 2 steals and 3 blocks. Paul Pierce also scored 23 points and added 7 assists, 4 boards and a steal.

Pierce did miss 2 big shots near the end and almost threw the ball away before lightning struck for the Cs.

James Posey tied Ray Allen for 3rd in scoring with 14 points on 5-10 shooting while playing but 28 minutes.

Playing the 2nd game of a back-to-back in the Bobcats first sell out of the year, the Celtics did not seem to have the same energy as they did last light at the Garden against the Lakers. Yet, they pulled out the win and are showing that they are a team other teams’ fans want to see play.

Tony Allen was injured in the 2nd quarter (bruised right thigh) and did not return.

The Celtics are now 11-1 and have added a dramatic finish to the growing story.

The film industry in Caly-for-ne-ah (as Arnold would say) knows the importance of role players. They can make or break a production.

Arnold Schwarzenegger, a film star himself and current Governor of California, was in the Garden last night to watch some Celtic role players provide great performances in support of the team’s stars.

What a difference a year makes.

This time, the Celtics were the ‘Predators’.

The last time the Lakers came to town, Boston had lost Paul Pierce to injury and was in the midst of what would turn out to be an franchise record 18 game losing streak. The Kobe-led Lakers would beat the Celtics 111-98 that night for loss number 13 in that streak and make their overall record a catastrophic 12-33. With little to cheer about their own team, many ‘Boston’ fans in attendance shocked L.A. itself and made news there when they chanted “Kobe!” and “MVP!” for the Laker star.

Last night, every time Kobe touched the ball in the first half he received a round of boos.

More important, the Celtics held the Lakers to 35 first half points, L.A.s lowest half of the year, while putting up 53 points of their own. They stopped a solid Laker 3 game winning streak in the process.

Rajon Rondo (6 points, 10 assists) and Kendrick Perkins (21 points on 8-10 shooting, 9 boards) both had, arguably, their best games of the year – on the same night. With Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett all playing well, the Celtics were only threatened once late (4:53 mark) in the 4th quarter when the Lakers whittled a 20 point lead down to 9, before the Cs pulled away again.

Rondo’s offensive management was quite good. He often drove the lane, drew defenders and dumped it off for easy shots for his team mates. He distributed his assists among all 4 starters and 5 players total (Scalabrine) with Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett on the receiving end of three passes each, for scores. He seems to be slowly assuming better control of the offense.

He also had one of his fantastic ‘fake behind the back passes’ while driving, to fake Derek Fisher and the rest of the Lakers out completely, as he scored the lay-up.

The Boston frontline destroyed the Lakers starting frontline statistically and every other way. Pierce, Garnett, and Perkins outscored Odom, Bynum, and Turiaf by 62-12 and out rebounded them 26-18.

Bynum could not contain Perkins (yes, I did say that), yet was pretty much shutdown himself, scoring just 4 points with 9 boards while being in foul trouble for most of the game. KP started quickly with 2 of his little jump hooks over Andrew Bynum. After that, Kendrick was the regular recipient of great passes that he constantly delivered 2 points on. I couldn’t figure out whether he was that good or Bynum was that bad defensively. Either way, Kendrick delivered tonight and looked good doing it.

The Lakers have one of the best benches in the league regarding scoring contribution and Farmer (13 pts.) and Radmanovic (18 pts.) provided the only real support to Kobe’s quiet 28 points, and Derek Fisher’s 13.

Yet, the Boston stars set the framework from which everything else happens and all three had their moments tonights. Mostly, it was Garnett’s defense in the middle that was the back bone of the Celtic game. He had 2 nice blocks including one that was unexpected and Bill Russell-like.

Paul Pierce had 21 points, 9 assists, 6 boards, and 3 steals in a well rounded game. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention his pass to Garnett for a perfect alley-oop dunk in the first quarter when the Cs broke out on top.

Ray Allen expended a lot of his energy while holding Kobe in check, especially in the first half, while scoring 18 points with 4 assists for the game.

The Celtic team shot 50.6% against the league 2nd best FG% defense, while holding L.A. to 42%.

The Celtics passed the ball extremely well and it showed as they had 31 assists on 39 makes
last night. When they are moving the ball like that, they are difficult to stop and defenses get worn out.

James Posey, Eddie House, and Brian Scalabrine all played well and added to the team effort. Posey knocked down 2 big threes in the 4th and added 6 boards to go with his solid defense.

So this game was played more like an ensemble and the supporting cast should be nominated for an award for their performances.

This team is ‘acting’ more like real contenders every game. They are now 10-1.

Tonight they travel to Charlotte for a 7:00 pm game against the 6-6 Bobcats.