I won't complain since if there's a perfect time to be unemployed, it's during Championship Week and the start of March Madness. That said, my brain was completely fried from watching college hoops all day by the time I got to watching the Celtics-Rockets game on DVR.
I was pleasantly surprised since Boston (20-17) rallied from a 10-point deficit (80-70 with 5:22 left) late in the fourth quarter to win it 97-92 in overtime against Houston (21-18) at TD Garden.
It was the Celtics' fifth straight win overall (which ties a season-high) and for the second time in a row, they needed an extra session after beating the Knicks in overtime on Sunday.
The game went to overtime because Ray Allen (21 points) hit a 3-pointer that put the C's up 84-82. However, Goran Dragic (11 points, 3 steals) hit the tying jumper with three seconds left after Rajon Rondo (9 points, 12 assists, 3 steals) inexplicably missed an easy layup that would have clinched it. Allen also had a chance to win it at the buzzer but his mid-ranger jumper (right in his wheelhouse) rimmed out.
Paul Pierce (game-high 30 points, 6 rebounds) was the best player on the parquet while Kevin Martin (11 points) never really showed up. Kevin Garnett had 13 points and 13 rebounds while Greg Stiemsma provided an unexpected jolt off the bench with eight points.
The sneaky good tandem of Luis Scola (18 points, 14 rebounds) and Kyle Lowry (18 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists) kept Houston in contention. Chandler Parsons had 12 points while Samuel Dalembert notched 11 points and 17 rebounds.
It was a game of big swings of momentum since the Rockets led 28-21 after one quarter but the Celtics found themselves up 46-40 at halftime. The third and fourth quarters followed a similar pattern as Houston came out strong (28-17) in the third but Boston answered (21-16) in the forth.
The C's shot slightly better (43.2% to 38.6%) and dished out eight more assists (26-18) which made up for a pathetic effort on the glass (57-38 overall, 14-4 offensive boards). Houston scored seven more fast break points (13-6) but Boston had eight more points in the paint (36-28).
I can't tell you why it's taken this long but the Celtics will finally meet the Philadelphia 76ers (22-7) tomorrow night at the Wells Fargo Arena for the first of three times. For a while, it looked like Boston would have no chance to catch the Atlantic Division leading Sixers this season but they've come back to Earth lately losing eight of their last 10 games. Philly is only up a game on Boston which means a win for the Green would make them deadlocked with two games in hand. The Celts will be tired from two overtime games and back-to-backs but they should be able to get energized for this vital contest.
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