Rondo, Humphries & Wallace Ejected As Celtics & Nets "Fight" NBA Style

Tonight was one of those games where nobody will remember the final outcome but for reasons other than wins and losses, it was particularly memorable for an NBA regular season contest.

With 29 seconds left in a terrible first half (Boston trailed Brooklyn 51-35), Kevin Garnett (16 points, 10 rebounds) was fouled hard by Kris Humphries as he went to shoot. Rajon Rondo reacted by pushing Humphries into the crowd behind the basket as all hell broke loose, well as much as that can happen in an NBA game. Rondo, Humphries and Gerald Wallace were all ejected but it probably didn't matter since Brooklyn (10-4, 3-3 away) still rolled over Boston 8-7, 4-4 home) 95-83 at TD Garden.

There is little doubt that all three players, particularly Rondo since he started the whole mess, will likely face suspensions from the NBA. Brooklyn beat Boston for the second time in less than two weeks thanks to a great night from its bench: Andray Blatche (13 rebounds) and 38-year-old Jerry Stackhouse (five 3-pointers) both scored 17 points while C.J. Watson added 13 points.

Old friend Joe Johnson was the only Nets starter in double-figures with 18 points and six assists. Brook Lopez (9 points, 10 rebounds) and Deron Williams (8 points, 7 assists) were both held in check but it didn't matter since Brooklyn led from start to finish and Boston never really pushed them. It helped that the Nets hit nine more 3-pointers (10-1), grabbed 10 more rebounds (50-40), handed out seven more assists (21-14) and recorded five more steals (12-7).

Brandon Bass scored 16 points, Paul Pierce (14 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists) wasn't that far off from a triple-double and Jason Terry scored 13. The Celtics needed more than usual from their bench with Rondo out but instead they were blitzed 52-18 by their Nets counterparts.

Celtics head coach Doc Rivers rightfully blasted his team after the game, calling them soft. Maybe that will inspire them to become more consistent and figure things out defensively. I assume that Rondo will appeal his suspension or it won't go into effect right away but you can bet that he is going to miss a chunk of games in the near future.

Boston hosts Portland (6-9) on Friday (7:30 p.m., CSN) at TD Garden. The Blazers should be in a great mood themselves since they lost to 0-12 Washington tonight (84-82).

UPDATE 11/29: Rondo was suspended two games so he will miss Portland tomorrow night and Milwaukee on Saturday night. Garnett was fined $25,000 for his actions but those are the only two punishments for Boston.

UPDATE 11/30: Forward Kris Joseph was called up from the Red Claws for tonight, meaning either Jeff Green (knee) or Chris Wilcox (illness) is out vs. Portland. We shall see.

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The Greg Stiemsma Era In Boston Is Everything I Dreamed It Would Be

I might be unemployed but if Boston Celtics head coach Doc Rivers feels like stepping down at any point this season, I think I'm the man to take his place. Proving that your favorite blogger knows his hometown teams, I suggested last week after losing in New Orleans that Rivers should shake up his lineup with the only possible solution: replacing zombie Jermaine O'Neal with rookie Greg Stiemsma.

Five days later, Doc must have read my post since today he made the switch when O'Neal sat out with some old man injury (sore hamstring/broken dentures). Stiemsma's presence helped spark Boston (3-3) to its third straight win and second in as many nights against the Washington Wizards (0-5), 100-92 at TD Garden.

Don't be surprised if the Wizards are the worst team in the Eastern Conference this season or maybe even the entire league, they are that awful. Washington is the only winless team remaining in the NBA.

Before training camp, I can honestly say that I had never heard of Stiemsma. Truth be told, looking at pictures from his college days at Wisconsin, I remember him (which is saying something since everyone on the Badgers looks exactly the same). It tells you something about O'Neal that The Steamer is already better and more consistent than him at this juncture.

In 21 minutes, Stiemsma had 13 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two blocks. He provides energy and a defensive presence that the Celts lack without him protecting the rim. Plus, it allows New England to embrace its racist roots. We always need a white scrub to root for on the C's-somewhere Brian Scalabrine weeps.

So while O'Neal and Kevin Garnett (10 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists) age in dog years, Ray Allen continues to defy all logic and not get older at all. Remember when everyone wanted to trade him a few seasons ago? Well it turns out ol' Ray is still the best shooter in the NBA. This evening he had a team-high 27 points including an absurd 6 of 7 on 3-pointers. His prego wife was loving it, proving that he's accurate off the floor as well. Rim shot!

Paul Pierce added a season-high 21 points in his third game and Rajon Rondo had 13 assists (7 turnovers), seven rebounds and six points. Brandon Bass continued to be excellent off the bench for Boston with 14 points and six rebounds.

Andray Blatche, who is a fat slug, put up a game-high 28 points and nine rebounds based mostly on long jumpers and free throws. If you know a more soft and less motivated big guy than him (that's American and not European), I'd be shocked.

JaVale McGee (17 points, 14 rebounds, 3 blocks) had another nice performance against the Celts. His length and athleticism really gives them trouble, it's a shame he's on a currently hopeless team. John Wall had 11 points and eight assists (7 turnovers) while Nick Young scored 10 points on a brutal shooting night (3 of 14).

Boston's bench outscored Washington's 21-17 thanks to Bass and Marquis Daniels (7 points).

Predictably on the second night of a back-to-back, against the same opponent, it was close the whole way. The Celtics won because they hit seven more 3-pointers (10-3) and shared the basketball (28-14 assists). The Wizards made five more free throws (19-14), had seven more steals (10-3), six more blocks (10-4), six more fast break points (17-11) and 12 more points in the paint (50-38).

Washington head coach Flip Saunders, who I nominate for the worst coach in the NBA, was ejected for arguing about a non-call 1:44 into the game. He doesn't deserve to get paid for this game, seriously. He probably just wanted more time to style his sweet lax bro hair.

Washington led 24-23 after one quarter and 48-47 at halftime. The Wizards were up 70-69 heading into the fourth but the winless team wasn't able to notch its first win of 2011-12. Boston took it home with a 31-22 last frame.

Another patsy comes to town on Wednesday night as the New Jersey Nets (1-5), who are about as bad as Washington, visit the Celtics. It should be another win for the Green which will tell us absolutely nothing about them. The only aspect of it that interests me is seeing how my guy Marshon Brooks (rookie from Providence College) does for the Nets. He's been putting up nice numbers off their bench so far.

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Celtics tank game against the Wizards, setting up showdown with Knicks in 1st round of the playoffs

By sitting the Big Four, Celtics head coach Doc Rivers waved the white flag and admitted (without saying it) that his team was resigned to the third seed in the Eastern Conference.

The starting five of Jeff Green, Glen Davis, Jermaine O'Neal, Delonte West and Von Wafer actually played pretty well last night but they still lost 95-94 in overtime to the Washington Wizards at the Verizon Center.

With the loss and Miami's win, Boston (55-26) clinched the No. 3 seed and also a first round meeting with the No. 6 New York Knicks.

Green led the Celts with 20 points and 15 rebounds, Davis had 20 points, O'Neal had 15 points, 13 rebounds and five blocks while West and Wafer both scored 11 points.

The main reason that the Big Four sat was to save their legs and prevent from injury. Unfortunately, West sprained his ankle in the third quarter and didn't return. If anyone deserves a break health-wise, it's D West. Poor guy has had to deal with a million different injuries this season. Not to mention, that's he's one of the only bench players Rivers can count on in the playoffs.

The Wizards (23-58) were led by John Wall's 24 points and nine rebounds. Jordan Crawford scored 17 points, Andray Blatche added 16 points and JaVale McGee managed 13 points.

Ironically, Boston closes the regular season with a contest tomorrow night at TD Garden vs. the Knicks. Talk about a meaningless game. You honestly couldn't pay me to go to that one.

Taking a cue from Rivers, I'm going to recharge my Celtics batteries and I'll be back for the playoffs. Looks like Game 1 will be Sunday at TD Garden. Should be a very entertaining series and I think the big-name opponent will help the Celts focus.

Celtics barely show up but still beat Wizards

Last night's Boston Celtics vs. Washington Wizards game at the TD Garden was so sloppy that it resembled the first time at college that you got drunk. Haha, yeah that bad.

Neither team was into it. Boston (55-24) won 104-88 over Washington (21-58) in a game that was much closer than that.

The Celtics battled through fatigue from Thursday's night beatdown in Chicago. The Wizards are just playing out the string in another Lottery-bound season.

Boston kept pace with the Miami Heat ahead of their battle tomorrow afternoon in Miami which will likely determine which team gets the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.

Three Celtics had double-doubles. Paul Pierce had 22 points and 13 rebounds, Rajon Rondo added 20 points, 14 assists and six steals while Kevin Garnett had 15 points and 11 rebounds. Nenad Krstic put up 17 points and six rebounds and Ray Allen notched 13 points.

Andray Blatche led Washington with 20 points and 10 rebounds, John Wall scored 20 points, Jordan Crawford added 19 points and JaVale McGree put up 15 points and 10 rebounds.

Tomorrow is the last important game of the regular season for Boston. After that, they travel to DC on Monday to face the Wizards (great scheduling) and then host the Knicks on Wednesday in the regular season finale.

See you next summer Obama

The Celtics let the good times roll last night in our nation's capital, surviving 104-102 against the Wizards for their ninth straight win.

Ray Allen scored 18 points, which helped him go over 20,000 for his career. Rajon Rondo led the C's (18-4) with 21 points (including a sick dunk late in the fourth quarter) and 11 assists. Kevin Garnett had 17 points, Kendrick Perkins added 16 points and 11 rebounds while Paul Pierce notched 12 points.

The Wizards (7-13) can still talk with the best of them but at the end of the day, they're just not very good. And I don't think having uberbozo Flip Saunders on the bench will do anything to change that losing atmosphere.

Gilbert Arenas led Washington with a game-high 25 points and eight assists. Brendan Haywood and Andray Blatche both scored 17, Antawn Jamison had 16 points and Caron Butler was held to 10 points.

The Wizards led 28-27 after the first quarter but Boston looked to blow it open with a 37-22 second quarter. Washington outplayed the Celts in the third (24-19) and the fourth (28-21) but they had nothing to show for it.

Winning was a direct result of good work at the free throw line (26-14) and on the glass (40-34). It wasn't pretty but it was a road victory and those are always tough to come by in the NBA.

The C's visit another underachieving team tomorrow night when they take on the Bulls.