Celtics Central

New Orleans, more than any other American city, is a tale of two cities.

After Hurricane Katrina, it was in a state of complete and total devastation. I had relatives and friends living in the devastated area that was southern Louisiana. They are starting an inexorably slow rebuild there, and still have many problems to overcome. The full time return of the New Orleans Hornets has provided some much needed hope, entertainment and a tremendous feel good distraction for the “city that America forgot”.

On any given night, they can see what could be the best point guard in the NBA running their team, a solid coach, a top rebounding/defending center, an All Star power forward and a team that appears to me to overachieve, especially defensively. They are the 5th best in the league in points allowed at 95.2, though I’m still not quite sure how they do it. They have run out to a 49-22 record, due to the magnificent play of their point guard. They are play-off bound and can make a splash.

They came in on a 5 game winning streak, a recent win over the Celtics at their house, and with the 2nd best road record in the league (22-11).

Throughout the first half, New Orleans was looking very much like they thought they could play with Boston. They had taken over in the 4th quarter in the previous match up in New Orleans and were ahead at the half in Boston with a surprising 60 points to Boston’s 56.

It was simply a tale of two halves.

First half – New Orleans 60 points. Second half – New Orleans 32 points.

By half time I was beginning to wonder what was up. Did this team really have the ability to play with Boston on the Celtic’s home court? Could they win two in a row and in Boston? Did they want the game more? They certainly needed it more considering the dogfight that is taking place in the west over pole positions for the play-offs.

The 2nd half became a message statement to the Hornets recent sting of the Celtics.

Mr. Everything, also known as Paul Pierce, was incredible tonight as he put in yet another superb game with 27 points on only 7 of 11 shots. Paul did what Paul does best and that is get to the line for a perfect 13-13 to go with 9 assists and 6 rebounds. He was turning Bonzi Wells every which way but loose this time around, with a variety of moves including a few drive-shoulder-forward-then-step-back fade aways. He has now made 22 straight foul shots.

As the season has worn on, Pierce has made it a regular habit of drawing the post defenders, then constantly feeding the big men underneath. Tonight, Leon Powe was the main receiver with 12 points on 5-7 shooting while adding 7 rebounds in a strong effort off the bench.

Last night the crowd broke into an MVP, MVP chorus for team captain Paul Pierce. It will never happen, but Paul Pierce’s name should be in the running for MVP. He has been that good this season. He has the whole game working now. A more complete 2-way player with as many offensive skills as Paul has would be hard to find. He is just doing it all, over the course of this season.

Kevin Garnett’s consistency with his shot and defense have made things easier for everyone. Tonight he has 21 points on 9 of 15, with 13 rebounds and yet another game changing 2nd half defensive effort. Excellence every night out is what Kevin gives you.

Rajon Rondo can mark down another strong game against a top NBA point guard. He played Chris Paul mano a mano, scoring 17 points on 8 of 10 shooting, with 4 assists, a steal and blocked CP3 on one drive.

Ray Allen was excellent in support with 12 points in only 27 minutes, splashing two big threes, and playing solid defense.

Tony Allen played solid defense over 20 minutes, at times being asked to guard Chris Paul, adding 6 points on 3-5 shooting and had a beautiful assist on a drive, underneath to Powe.

David West and Chris Paul were both put under wraps by the Celtics’ game altering defense in the pivotal 3rd quarter. The Hornets scored just 15 points to the Celtics 32. CP3 was held to 3 points and 2 assists by Rondo and solid help defense. West had just 4 points in the quarter as Garnett and Perkins shut down the mid range and the middle.

The Celtics shot a blistering .595 and took excellent care of the ball with only 6 turnovers. By the same token, New Orleans had zero steals against them, zero turnovers at the half and finished with 7 TOs for the game. I can’t remember when the last time was that the Celtics hadn’t caused a TO against an opponent by the halftime.

The Celtics’ bench did much better in the 2nd half than the first, led by Powe and Tony Allen.

The Celtics have now beaten every team in the NBA. Only the Utah Jazz had accomplished that feat until tonight.

Sam Cassell played a total of 3 seconds. I’m wondering when the last time that has ever happened to him. 3rd grade maybe?

The rest of the schedule gets decidedly easier for the rest of the season, starting with the Miami D-Leaguers on Sunday. We should see more of Cassell and Brown going forward, as Doc gets them comfortable with the system and the plays.

At this point, it is fine tuning for the play-offs, and going for home court advantage all the way through the play-offs.