Kevin Garnett sat out for the first time this season and as a direct result, the Boston Celtics lacked any passion or heart.
The Detroit Pistons (9-22) came into TD Garden tonight and beat the Celts (15-13) 98-88, sending Boston on a pivotal road trip with a bitter taste in their mouths.
Going 11-8 at home during an easy schedule to start the 2011-12 season is not how Doc Rivers and company drew it up. Now, they'll finish with 24 of their final 38 games on the road. Hope you enjoy the jet life guys.
Rajon Rondo scored a career-high 35 points but his other numbers were more modest: six assists, five rebounds, four steals. The team won't be successful when he's asked to carry that much of the load offensively. Not surprisingly, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen each were limited to 10 points. They combined for 16 shot attempts while Rondo took 27 shots.
Chris Wilcox started for KG and put up a similar line: 17 points and nine rebounds. JaJuan Johnson notched 10 points and five rebounds off the bench.
Three Pistons had 22+ points which is hard to fathom since they're an awful team. Rodney Stuckey led Detroit with 25 points while Greg Monroe had 22 points and nine rebounds. Ben Gordon put up 22 points off the bench.
Boston was only down one point (73-72) heading into the fourth but they folded in the final frame, getting outscored 25-16.
The Celtics will embark on their second longest road trip of the season, surpassed only by an insane eight-game trip in March. It's stretched out even longer since the All-Star break happens next weekend as well. They play three contenders (Chicago, Dallas, Oklahoma City) and two teams going nowhere (Detroit, Cleveland) although the Pistons and Cavaliers have both beaten Boston already this season.
The fun gets started tomorrow night as Boston rolls into Chitown for the double whammy: second night of a back-to-back and they beat the Bulls on Sunday. Yeah, it could get ugly.
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