Celtics Central

The Boston Celtics finally look human again. They are now 28-5…if you want to call that human.

Greg Oden was a big factor in this game. So was fatigue. So was the Portland defense generally.

A Rematch of the Infamous Bench Tirade Game
This was the team that drew Garnett’s anger at the Celtic bench, with an upset Glen Davis removing himself to the end of the bench with a towel over his head, the last time these two teams played. Did it help?

Tonight the Portland Bench outscored the Cs by 29 to 9. Keep in mind that Portland’s bench is one of the best benches in the league and normally average 35 points a game. That is something I thought should have been considered the last time. The Celtics’ bench usually averages 28 points.

Second Half Portland Victory
Portland outscored the Celtics 51-41 and out rebounded them 23 to 11 in the second half, gaining the lead on a Greg Oden lay-up 63-62 with :57 left in the third quarter. It was their first lead since they lead 9 to 8 in the first. Though the Celtics would challenge, they would never lead again.

The Blazers scored the first 6 points of the 4th quarter, four by LaMarcus Aldridge while the Celtics were held to two points for the first 4 minutes of the 4th quarter. Normally this is when the Green Machine would take over.

But two things happened: TrailBlazer height and Celtic fatigue. Portland has three bonafide big men and they all contributed to this Celtic loss.

Portland used the tandem of 7′ 1″ Joel Pryzbilla and 7′ Greg Oden together for the first time this year according to the Blazers’ announcers. It was then, at the end of the third quarter that the Blazers took the lead.

Then 6′ 11″ LaMarcus and Greg played solid defense, with LaMarcus scoring ten of his twenty points in the big fourth quarter while making two huge blocks to keep the Celtics at bay. Steve Blake made some big shots as well, finishing with 21 points (5 of 7 from the arc) on the evening.

Paul Pierce led the Celtics with 28 points, but the team made just 12 of 33 (36%) second half shots, as thoughts of a plane trip home danced through their heads. Clearly, the Portland defense rose to the occasion as you could see that especially Greg Oden’s presence in the paint affected the Celtic offense.

More Numbers
Ray Allen had but 12 points, on 2 of 11 shooting, only 2 rebounds and zero assists.
Rajon Rondo had 13 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals and 4 turnovers.
Kevin Garnett had 17 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists and a block.

The Celtic bench scored 9 points.

Possibly a still hurting Kendrick Perkins (shoulder) had zero rebounds in twelve second half minutes, and only 6 for the game, with only 7 points in over 36 minutes. But he was needed to defend Oden and Aldridge, as they proved to be too much for Powe and Davis.

After starting the year with the league’s fastest start at an almost perfect 27-2, the Celtics dropped 3 of 4 on this west coast holiday swing to end 2008 decidely more earthly.

This should give all the fans and media types fodder to write articles about. I’ll be no different.

Slow Collapse
The Celtics started very strong and slowly got stuck in the mud as the game went on. By the 4th quarter, it was all they could do to keep competitive.

Bear in mind, this was against a team that was missing its leader and leading scorer, Brandon Roy.

Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett got things rolling with 8 and 6 first quarter points, winning the opening stanza big: 23-13.

By half time the lead was whittled down to 45-40, as Steve Blake stepped up with 13 first half points including 3 of 4 from the arc, and Travis Outlaw added 7 points off the bench. Greg Oden was making his presence felt with 6 points, 5 rebounds and 2 steals.

The Celtics were led by Ray Allen and Paul Pierce with 12 points each at the half.

Learning Their Lesson
After being manhandled by the Celtics in Boston earlier this year, the Blazers came out and immediately established that they were finally going to be the aggressor physically. At one point, Oden pushed Ray Allen into the photographers on a baseline drive. Ray got up a bit upset and the Portland players were energized, enthused and amused by the mild mannered center’s show of physicality.

After coughing up the ball for 6 first quarter turnovers the Blazers had just one more TO by half time and only 8 more in the game, as they made a concerted effort to not make things easy for the Cs this time.

Their overall defense made the Celtics take a number of shots with the clock running down. While Rajon Rondo had 7 assists, the Celtics made only 27 shots, 13 assisted, all night.

Bench Challenged Again
Eddie House could not get untracked (1 for 5), and while Glen Davis played solid defense at times, drawing a few charges as well, he reacted a bit slow to Greg Oden, allowing him to get the ball too low for him to stop him.

Oden finished with 13 points on 5 of 9 shooting and 11 rebounds. The Blazers outplayed the Celtics by twelve points while he was on the floor in what was said to be one of his best efforts this year.

Unusual Stat of the Night
Leon Powe played 8:34 minutes without a rebound, block or point scored.

With Antonio McDyess returning to Detroit, and Dikembe Mutombo returning to Houston, it might be time for the Celtic players to call PJ Brown to talk him out of retirement. If he is staying retired, Danny might want to make a full court press for Joe Smith, before he tries to go back to Cleveland. The options are getting slim for veteran big men with talent.

Just thinking out loud.

Next up: Washington on January 2nd

The Celtics (28-4) want to end their West Coast road trip with a win to even things up 2-2 going home.

The Cs looked more like the Green Machine, by administering their 6th most lopsided win in their history, a 45 point beating of the Kings. But Doc Rivers admits they are a bit fatigued as they prepare to head home after the game.

Paul Pierce wants to avoid a ‘last road game’ let down and be ready for a Portland team (19-12) that would like to avenge their loss in Boston and their lowest scoring game of the year (78 points).

Greg Oden, schooled by Kendrick Perkins in that game, is listed as ‘questionable’ for this game, as is team star, Brandon Roy.

The Celtics are fairly healthy with Perkins’ shoulder probably still sore, but is expected to play.

More Gabe Pruitt would be nice to see, as he had done well, perhaps surprisingly so, in his appearances thus far. Jeff Clark at Celticsblog has this today on Gabe.

Foxsports.com
I probably should have mentioned this before…..

My friends at Bleacherreport.com in inconjunction with Foxsports.com, have asked me to write commentary on NBA games once a week that will appear on Foxsports NBA home page.

A more opinionated style of writing is expected, and one thing I have is opinions, so I thought I might do it for a while. The actual segment is called Court Awareness.

Check it out. You have my permission to agree…. or even disagree with my thoughts there.

Here’s hoping your holiday has been a good one and though it is a busy time of the year, that you are planning some quiet time heading into the new year.

P.S. I’m also writing more regularly for CelticsStuffLive on ComcastSports.com, as the new year begins. More on that later.

Talk to you after the Celtics/Portland game tonight!

It was that bad.

The Celtics won by 45 points and the Kings set a franchise record for fewest field goals made with just 19 (according to the Kings announcers). Neither could either remember the Kings being down by 40 points at home…ever. It actually got to 48 points. Eddie House added 15 in 20 minutes, 7 of those after the game was well decided (which was by half time)

In an unperfect night for the Kings, Kevin Garnett led with 21 points on 10 of 11 shooting, followed by Ray Allen with 19 points on 7 of 8 shooting.

In a year of have and have nots, the Celtics move to 28-4 and the Kings to 7-24. The Celtics were coming off consecutive losses for the first time this season, and only their third and fourth all year coming into this game. They ‘have’ the talent and motivation and the Kings…’have not’.

A mediocre Kings club traded Ron Artest to Houston in the off season and then lost their only bonifide scoring threat, Kevin Martin to injury. A tough situation essentially became hopeless, Coach Theus was sent packing, and asst. Kenny Natt inherited the mess.

They have some talented young big men in 2nd year pro, 7′ Steve Hawes and rookie 6′ 11″ Jason Thompson. But both are raw and need more development, before thy can become impact players.

In a game that reminded me a bit of Friday night’s game against Golden State, the Kings played poorly but were still close after one period. The Celtics held them to 17 points on 6 of 24 shooting, shot .533 themselves, and out rebounded the Kings 16 to 9…. but were up only 6 points with just 23 points of their own.

But that became a fleeting thought as the lead quickly jumped up to 48-27 points with 3:46 left in the half on a 25 to 10 run capped by a Paul Pierce three pointer. The Kings rolled over and died after the first quarter, putting up about as much resistance as Sacramento High would.

Pierce had 12 points by half time, finishing with 13. Kendrick Perkins added 12 rebounds and 4 blocks with 7 points. Rondo had 6 assists. 4 points and a block in under 29 minutes.

Doc Rivers emptied the bench early and they outscored the depleted Sacramento team at every step of the way.

Tony Allen had 8 points and 4 steals in 24 minutes, while Patrick O’Bryant worked a sweet pass to a cutting Gabe Pruitt for a nice throwdown between two defenders. Leon Powe had 9 points and 6 rebounds in 14 minutes.

Speaking of Pruitt, he had 3 assists, 5 points, and a block in 12 minutes.

More Numbers
The Celtics finished shooting .519% while the Kings could only manage .279% on 19 of 68 attempts. The Celtics out rebounded the Kings 53 to 31 and out scored them in the paint 40 to 16.

Unusual Stat of the Night
Sacramento had just one player in double figures and that was John Salmons with but 11 points.

Next up: In Portland on Tuesday night

The Celtics have the rings, but the Warriors were golden last night.

In an unlikely turn of events, the Warriors beat the NBA champs for only their 9th win against 22 losses this season.

Stephen Jackson led both teams with 28 points, got solid shooting from Marco Belinelli with 22 more, and great bench support from Kenny Azubuike (10 points, 2 blocks) and Rony Turiaf (14 points, 2 blocks) as they stunned the Celtics with a double digit win.

Paul Pierce led that Celtics with 21 points on 7 of 11 shooting. Kevin Garnett was second with 14 points and had 3 blocks, but only 4 rebounds. Rajon Rondo almost had a triple double with 11 points, 10 rebounds, and 9 assists.

Ray Allen had his lowest output of the year with 7 points. Leon Powe started in place of the injuured Kendrick Perkins, who sat out with a shoulder injury. Leon scored 12 points, with 7 rebounds and 2 blocks in 25 minutes.

In a holiday carry over, the Celtics just kept on giving. This time they gave up the ball 23 times, led by Rondo’s 7 turnovers, and gave life to the lowly and depleted Warriors.

That was all they needed, as they used a 23 to 6 run to start the 4th period to take over the game. They continued to make shots down the stretch and the Celtics looked like they were a bit hungover from their holiday loss to the Lakers. Except for Rondo, they struggled to find energy all night

Losing two in a row for the first time since last March, the Celtics looked like they would win this game while conserving energy at the same time. That was until the Warriors took the lead in the 4th quarter on a Stephen Jackson jump shot at 79-78 with 6:03 left in the game.

After a Ray Allen offensive foul, Jackson followed that up with a three pointer to give the Warriors a 4 point lad at 82-78.

Garnett missed a turnaround jumper, and Belinelli make a bank shot. Rondo then had a runner blocked and Ray Allen fouled out when he jumped into Stephen Jackson shooting a three pointer. Jackson made all three foul shots for the Warriors 13th unanswered points to go up 87-78 with 4:23 left in the game.

The shocked Warrior crowd stood for the rest of the game, as Golden State’s depleted line-up responded to every Celtic attempt to regain the lead. CJ Watson made two big jumpshots while Rony Turiaf hit 4 four free throws and Jackson added two more to keep the lead away from the Celtics.

The Celtics ‘fall’ to 27-4, as they fight for home court advantage in the play-offs again this year. The Cavs are 25-4 and the Lakers are 24-5. This is developing into a three horse race for pole position in the post season.

Next up: Sacramento on Sunday in Sacramento

There was no Christmas miracle for the Boston Celtics this year. Their 19 game winning streak and the league’s best record to 29 games is over.

In a game that the stats tell only part of the story, the Celtics played an unCeltic-like game and lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in a packed and loud Staples Arena on Christmas Day.

In honesty, both teams made their share of mistakes. Both had open shots they failed to knock down time and again. That means that both teams went through moments of fairly late rotations and just plain bad defense.

The biggest Celtic lead occurred with their first shot, a three pointer to start the game’s scoring. They would hang close and even regain the lead a few times, even late into the game. Their last lead was 81-79 with 3:56 left to play.

In a game that I wondered how the Celtics were staying so close, with the way they were playing, they finally hit the rut that put the game out of reach in the final few minutes.

It wasn’t that they were playing badly. They shot pretty well (.468%). They rebounded very well (40 to 35) . They had an acceptable number of assists (22 on 36 made baskets). They just did nothing that could gain them control of the game, and they played somewhat lethargically in stretches.

With the scored tied at 81, the team that executed best would win the game. That team was definitely not the Celtics. But give credit to the Lakers. They really did not allow Rondo, nor any other Celtic to get going all night, and they made big plays when they needed them.

Pau Gasol made numerous big shots, starting with a little jump shot and a jump hook with the score tied at 81 with 3:37 left. He followed that with two big blocks, one against Ray Allen with 1:17 left and another against Pierce shortly after that. Game over.

The 83 points the Celtics scored were their second lowest output of the year.

Rondo’s twelve assists looked better than he played. He never really put it high gear to shred the defense all night. The tall frontline of the Lakers either rebuffed his penetration or made it largely ineffectual. Rondo’s shot was blocked three times, as well.

Kevin Garnett’s 22 points on 11-14 shooting and 9 rebounds were solid, even excellent, but no where near as dominant a game as it appeared.

Pierce’s double double of 22 points, and 10 rebounds were solid, including a strong 3rd quarter, but Paul was unable to deliver the kind of offense that would change the game and was shut out in the 4th quarter. He added 5 TOs.

Ray Allen was often guarded by Derek Fisher and couldn’t take advantage of it, hitting just 3 of
11 three point shots, while finishing with 14 points.

As first introduced in the Finals, Kobe often guarded Rondo, while Luke Walton and Fisher took turns on Pierce.

The Celtics bench was game but mostly outplayed again. Teams have caught on to a trend of using their first unit (or portions of it) against them to create an advantage they never would get against the Celtics’ starting five. It has been effective. But, make no mistake, the Celtics don’t have an Odom or Ariza on their bench at the moment.

Three Pointers From Heaven
Lamar Odom made two three pointers and had but eight on the year previously. Even worse, Luke Walton made two three point shots in the contest and only three all year previously.

These are not the type of scoring flurries you will see often. Whether it bodes poorly for the Celtic defense, or just fortunate for the Lakers offense, it is an anomaly.

Kobe Bryant led both teams with 27 points, 16 in the first half, and Pau Gasol added 20 points, 14 in the second half. Gasol erupted for 7 points in the critical point from 2:48 to 1:28 left in the contest.

The Celtics won the battle of the paint 44-34, but again, that number is a bit deceiving, as the Lakers kept the Cs out when they needed to most, down the stretch.

The Lakers won a game they needed to, and the Celtics were a bit late in what they tried to do most of the night. The rematch is February 5th in Boston.

Dikembe Mutombo is rumored to be signing with the Celtics or Spurs by the New Year. This was a game that highlighted the need for height of the bench behind Perkins. Davis and Powe are excellent at what they do, but it is asking a lot of them to deal with talented 7 footers like Gasol and Bynum.

Summary
A very competitive game the whole way, if not perfectly played, the Laker win only adds to the league intrigue of who the best team is going forward.

Unusual Stats of the Night
Kendrick Perkins 34 minutes – 7 rebounds – zero assists – 2 blocks – 8 points
Andrew Bynum 35:37 minutes – 7 rebounds – zero assists – 2 blocks – 9 points

Next up for Boston: Golden State tonight at 10:30

It doesn’t get any better than this.

Harkening back to the Bird/Magic ’80’s or Russell/West ’60s, the Kobe Bryant Lakers meet the Kevin Garnett Celtics in the year of 2008 today at 5:00 p.m.

Most of your presents will have been opened by then, and meals will have been eaten. The last present for most East Coasters will be seeing the Celtics beat the Lakers, if they can as the evening unfurls.

It won’t be easy. The Lakers are stinging from their early exit from last year’s NBA Finals from these same Boson Celtics. They are on a mission to get back there and change the outcome this time.

It’s the Giving Season
Last year’s MVP against last year’s NBA Champion. The offensive machine (leading the NBA in scoring at 107 points per game) of the purple and gold Lakers against the defensive meatgrinder (leading the NBA in field goal defense at 42% pre game) of the green machine called the Celtics.

Something will give today. One team will give its fans a great Christmas present and the other team’s fans heartburn.

They both are expected to give the network a great rating. Ratings for the NBA are up since the re-emergence of this rivalry last season.

So far, the Los Angeles team is burning up the league to the tune of a 23-5 record. They have 7′ center Andrew Bynum for the whole season this time, and many think that addition will make big difference if these two teams lock in battle for a play-off series again. Like all NBA teams, they simply could not keep the Celtics out of the middle last year.

Kobe Bryant admits that today’s game is their measuring stick as to how much they have improved. He knows nothing matters unless they can beat the Celtics. This is their first test and first chance to do so since getting blown out in game six, the title clinching game last June.

But is even better than that. The Celtics haven’t “been asleep in the hay” themselves. The Celtic all star trio of long time Celtic Paul, his new team mates, sharp shooting Ray Allen, and defensive monster Kevin Garnett have gotten even more comfortable together this season.

Astoundingly, after that run to the title, the Celtics appear to have improved, if it is possible to improve on a 66-16 season. The Celtics are riding one of NBA’s longest winning streaks in its history at 19 straight games and are in the midst of the fastest start ever with two losses at 27-2. This is the best Celtic start in the this storied franchise’s history.

But the improvement includes the other two members of the Celtic starting five, center Kendrick Perkins and point guard Rajon Rondo.

Rondo is rounding out his game and maximizing his abilities on a team with three of the leagues top scorers. His new aggressiveness in driving to the hoop now draws defenders away from the other starters, making it even easier for them to score. He sees the floor so well now, that defenses must respond quickly or be beaten by wide open jump shots.

Kendrick Perkins has increased his scoring as a result of making quicker decisions with the ball when he receives it. Any of the starting five must be covered now, unlike last season.

If the Celtics have a weakness it would be their bench, and they have been playing well at times this year, too.

The Laker’s bench has its own problems. Even with their great start, the Lakers have stumbled a bit recently, losing 2 of their last 4 games and needing last second heroics to win two games against lesser teams (Indiana and New York), not that long ago.

Many of you will have memories of the Golden Years of the NBA. which decade is “Golden’ to you will depend on your age. I’m old enough to include both decades in my memory banks as to those Celtic/Laker rivalries.

This feels just like the old times. Both young and old will get a treat watching the competition between these two current teams as they battle for dominance of the league and of each other.

This is basketball played at its highest level. If you enjoy basketball, your final gift of the day just might be this game.

Sit back and enjoy, lest you be buried with a stake of holly through your heart.

Myself? I’ll be watching the game at a home full of Laker fans. Keeping in the Christmas spirit, I’ll be civilized, but all the better if the Celtics prevail.

In any event, have a wonderful holiday, and I hope you can catch this contest. I don’t think you will regret it.

After a 22 year dearth of championship level play, the Boston Celtics are on the way to the NBA’s most successful 2 year combined run in its history.

If you don’t get NBA League Pass and are missing these games, you are missing something very special. Three or four times a week you could be watching a ‘Team First’ team led by three of the most talented players in a ‘Me First’ league.

The Celtics handily beat the Elton Brand-less (shoulder separation) 76ers 110-91, with the starters resting most of the 4th quarter, to begin the season 27-2, winning their 19th straight game, a franchise record.

They eclipsed the Larry Bird led 1980-81 team’s 18 straight wins in this contest.

Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo paced the Cs with 18 points each, leading six Celtics in double figures. The Celtic bench played very well and extended the lead. Leon Powe led the reserves with 15 points in 16 minutes, his best performance in weeks.

Chants of Beat LA
On top of that, this win sets up a perfect showdown with the arch enemy, 23-5 Lakers on Christmas Day. If the Celtics win that contest, they will have won 20 straight, tieing for the 3rd most consecutive wins in NBA history, at the same time extending the league’s fastest start ever with two losses. More important, the Green Machine could plant a seed, make that a boulder, of doubt into the minds of the team they beat so handily in last year’s Finals.

Near the end of the game, the Boston crowd began a spontaneous chant of “Beat LA!” There could be no better Christmas present than that for Celtic fans with long memories.

Can the Celtics come close to last year’s phenomenal pace (66 wins) and win another title?

It sure looks that way. If so, they will have attained a performance level reserved for discussion of only the very best teams in the league – ever.

Unlike Bill Russell, Dave Cowens, and Larry Bird, who were Celtics from their rookie year on, this version of dominance in green is led by transplanted (by trade) Kevin Garnett, a player every bit as unselfish as his predecessors.

The Good of the Team
KG is averaging 16.3 points a game, his lowest since his rookie season, and 6 points and 3.5 shots less than his last season in Minnesota. Previously a perennial league rebound leader, he is averaging almost 4 rebounds less than he did in Minnesota, as he is asked to concentrate more on defending the high pick and roll and let Kendrick Perkins and others concentrate on rebounding.

He had just 4 rebounds in this contest and just one single board a few games ago. He is averaging just 4.75 rebounds in the last four games. What better example than that, that he is the team’s leader in everyway you can be? Let there be no doubt.

All three stars have sacrificed their games to make this team become the undefendable monster it is still transforming into. Ray Allen stepped back the most last season and Paul Pierce moreso this season. But it is KG leading the “blind to the numbers” attitude that embodies this basketball team.

We can only imagine what Paul Pierce and Ray Allen would be truly willing to sacrifice to win without Kevin Garnett aboard. His presence both buoys and anchors the selfless approach that has come to embody this team.

His intensity demands no less from every other player on the team. He leads by example, stating right from his Celtic entrance a year ago, that this is Paul Pierce’s team.

The Champion Boston Celtics encore season is proving to be even better than their first amazing run to the NBA title so far.

It’s kind of like Babe Ruth hitting 59 home runs one year, then starting out on a pace to beat that. It is that kind of two year run we are watching thus far.

No matter what they say publicly, they are, to a man, aware of what they are accomplishing. It is a Doc Rivers driven mind set to play it all down. Doc and the key Celtics know that you don’t get a trophy for winning streaks. You don’t get a trophy for best record. But you do get home court advantage throughout the play-offs, and that has more meaning now than ever.

All eyes will be on the Christmas Day game to see if the Lakers can slow down the team that
outplayed them in six games, and demolished them in game #6 for the title last summer.

The Celtics have three Hall of Famers, are unselfish, and consistently play some of the best defense the league has seen in years.

The Numbers
After Rondo and Garnett’s 18, Ray Allen added 16 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists.
Paul Pierce supported with 10 points and led with 7 assists.
Kendrick Perkins led with 11 rebounds, while adding 8 points, and 2 steals.
Eddie House was 3 for 6 from Eddie’s house, netting 13 points, with 2 assists and a steal.
Gabe Pruitt played well again on both sides of the floor with 4 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists in just 10 minutes.

Not So Unusual Stat of the Game
Poor shooting Philly shot 0-11 from the arc, and had 54 points in the paint as a result of returning to their fastbreaking ways (20 fastbreak points to the Celtics’

That style of ball, which the roster is better suited for, will again take precedent with Elton Brand out.

I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday!

I know where I’ll be at 5pm on Christmas Day. Watching a prelude of the potential NBA Finals opponents size each other up once again. I hope you will be, too.

Singular glory and re-writing the record book is one Celtic win away.

Their next win puts this roster of the Boston Celtics in a class of their own.

The 2008-9 version of the Boston Celtics continues to make its case for greatness as it assaults long standing team and NBA records, pummeling the defenseless New York Knickerbockers for its 18th straight win.

The Celtics shot .658 for the game, the highest allowed by the Knicks in 28 years according to Knick announcer Al Trautwig.

It stretches the mind to think that just two years ago that this same franchise endured an 18 game losing streak.

Boston ties the ‘66-67 Philadelphia 76ers and the ‘69-70 Knicks for the fastest starts ever in the history of the league at 26-2. Ironically, a win Tuesday against Philly would break that tie, meaning they would have lept past those two teams by beating each of them.

When I rhetorically asked in a preseason prediction, “What do the Celtics have to do for an encore…go undefeated?” I was being sarcastic.

Yet, they are close to just that with just two miscues in a season that gave Boston the league’s heaviest front loaded schedule in terms of games played in November.

If they are in deed becoming the Fantastic Four, Rajon Rondo is making his case to be…

Mr. Fantastic
Rajon Rondo notched a career high 26 points on 12 of 14 shooting, to go with 5 assists, 6 rebounds and 2 steals. He did it with astonishing finishing ability.

Rajon Rondo exploded for 18 points on a perfect 9-9 shooting 3rd quarter. He was a one man wrecking crew and a lay-up clinic, at one point scoring 12 straight Boston points – all of them on aggressive, relentless drives to the hoop. Chris Duhon, Nate Robinson with non-existent Knick team help, were powerless to stop him. He was simply spectacular. It keyed a Boston 12 to 4 spurt to move Boston up 81-67.

The Knicks would continue to make runs and got as close as six points with 2:22 of third period at 89-83 on a Tim Thomas lay-up.

Where the Game Was Won
While it will appear that Rajon Rondo was the difference in the game, it was really the disparity between the bigs on the two teams that was the difference.

The Celtics starting guards were actually outscored by their counterparts, Chris Duhon and Quentin Richardson by 49 to 44.

Richardson was on fire from the arc early, going 4-6 on many open looks before cooling down to 5 for 9 for the game. Quentin led all scorers with 29 points. Chris Duhon, averaging 11 points on the year, added 20 points on 6 of 9 shooting, with a game high 10 assists, but turned the ball over 6 times.

The Celtic trio of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Kendrick Perkins combined for 41 points to 29 for David Lee, Al Harrington, and Wilson Chandler. The difference was also in shooting efficiency among the bigs.

Lee (8-13), Harrington (2-15), Chandler (1-7), and Tim Thomas (2-8) combined for 13 for 44 (.295). Pierce (5-11), Perkins (6-7), Garnett (5-8), Powe (4-8), and Scalabrine (3-4) combined for 23-38 (.605).

The Celtics outrebounded the Knicks 47 to 23, with Perkins leading both teams with 12 boards in 29 minutes. They also outscored the Knicks in the paint by 60-34, though the Celtics 22 turnovers kept hope alive for New York.

O-Yes and D-Light
The Celtics have scored 250 points in their last two games. But they have allowed 213. Both are anomalies for sure. The two games against NY this season against the D’Antoni run and gun Knicks have been triple digit scoring affairs.

The Celtics made 12 of 20 three point shots in this game, with Eddie House making 3 of 5, Pierce 3 of 6, and Ray 2 of 5.

The Celtics never trailed as they started out 6-0, 13-3 and 24-8. They finished with a 40-21 first quarter lead. But New York nearly duplicated that with a 37 point second quarter and gaining back 11 points, largely against the Celtic reserves again.

David Lee opened the 3rd quarter with a driving lay-up to get the Knicks within 6 at 66-60, before Ray Allen hit a three and Richardson scored on a lay up and made the foul shot.

At that point, Rajon went into Tasmanian Devil mode and whirled and buzzed around the Knick defenders at will for his ten straight Celtic points.

Similar to the last game, the Celtic bench gave up much of the lead in the first half, but played much better in their second half appearance. They combined for 39 points with Tony Allen leading the way with 11 and 5 assists.

Tony Allen Eating Bob Cousy Cereal?
5 assists was Tony’s season high and it comes on the heels of a 4 assist game, combining for 9 and that is more than Tony had in his previous 9 games total.

The Numbers
Ray Allen was second on the team with 18 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds and 3 steals.
Paul Pierce added 17 points, 5 assists and had 3 turnovers. Kevin Garnett contributed 12 points, 8 assists, 6 rebounds, 1 steal and had 4 turnovers. Kendrick Perkins bulled his way to a 12 point, 12 rebound night with 4 blocks and 5 turnovers.

From the bench, besides Tony Allen, Leon Powe cleared space for 10 points, 5 rebounds and 2 blocks in 17 minutes. Eddie House drilled 3 from long distance for 9 points in almost 18 minutes. Brian Scalabrine added 7 points in 14 plus minutes.

Some consideration must be made for New York’s porous defense, much like any D’Antoni team must marked on a curve, as it were, regarding offense and defense. Yet Boston came out strong again, took control and never relinquished it. To their credit, the short-handed Knicks made a few strong comeback attempts against a much better and longer team.

The Celtics are driving for history and next face a confused and now hurting Philly team as Elton Brand is out with a dislocated shoulder. Philly has been known to play the Celtics tough in the past.

Unusual Stat of the Night
Eddie House had 6 rebounds on the evening.

Except for one other game this year when he had 5, Eddie has not had more than 3 in a game. That other game with 5? Yep. The Knicks.

The Celtics are shooting .500 from the arc over the last two games making 22 of 44.