This C's-Nets Matchup Is Going To Be One Of The Least Competitive Playoff Series In NBA History

 

Has there ever been an NBA playoff series that was effectively over after only two miserable games? I ask because our Boston Celtics got embarrassed by the Brooklyn Nets 130-108 at the Barclays Center this evening in Game 2 of their opening round playoff series. Brooklyn is now up 2-0 in the best-of-7 with the series coming to the TD Garden on Friday (8:30, NBC Sports Boston) and Sunday night (7, NBC Sports Boston). The Nets didn't waste any time as they raced out to a double-digit lead (40-26) at the end of the first quarter. That ballooned to 71-47 at halftime so you get the point, there was no need to watch the second half since you already knew the outcome halfway through Game 2. To make matters worse, Celtics star Jayson Tatum (9 points, 2 steals, 2 blocks) got poked in the eye by Brooklyn star Kevin Durant (game-high 26 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 blocks) in the third quarter and he never returned to action (granted it was a picture perfect blowout so there was no point anyway).

    Notably, the only two Celtics that seemed to take losing in such depressing fashion personally were guard Marcus Smart (team-high 19 points, 6 assists, 2 steals) and newcomer Evan Fournier (16 points, 2 steals). You can always count on Smart to give an honest effort but it was nice to see Fournier get in Durant's face after the latter got involved in Fournier's conversation with one of the referees. Brooklyn's sharp-shooting swingman Joe Harris (25 points, 2 steals) was unstoppable as he made a franchise playoff record 7-of-10 3-pointers. Shooting guard James Harden added 20 points, seven assists and five rebounds while point guard Kyrie Irving had 15 points, six rebounds and six assists. The ghost of Blake Griffin notched 11 points for the home team and nine guys appeared off the bench for Brooklyn with shooting guard Landry Shamet (10 points) the only one to score in double-figures. For the Celts, point guard Kemba Walker put up 17 points and seven assists while center Tristan Thompson had a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds. 

    Friday will be the first time that Kyrie returns to the Garden with actual live fans in attendance so he obviously couldn't help himself in his postgame press conference tonight as he alluded to Boston still being a racist city after all of these years. If you are dumb enough to spend however much money it takes to watch another blowout in this inevitable sweep, I suppose one of the only real fun aspects of it will be the chance to boo Kyrie in person as much as you want. Please don't do anything stupid and give more needless fuel to people that aren't from here to cling to the tired old stereotype that Boston is still a tough place to be for minorities. This fake series has already gone off the rails so there is absolutely no need to draw even more negative attention to the Celtics, their fanbase and our beloved home.

No Durant Or Harden But The Celtics Still Couldn't Beat The Nets Who Swept The Season Series 4-0

 

    As a Celtics (32-28 overall, 13-17 away) fan, if you weren't already scared to death of the Nets (40-20 overall, 24-7 home), you should be now because no matter who is playing for Brooklyn this season, Boston has proven over and over again that they have no clue how to beat them. With tonight's 109-104 victory by the Nets at the Barclays Center, they earned the four-game season sweep over the Celtics. Yes, Jaylen Brown (shoulder), Robert Williams (knee) and Kemba Walker (load management) were all out for Boston but Brooklyn was missing two future Hall of Famers in Kevin Durant and James Harden (and yes it makes me sick that Harden will be a Hall of Famer but get over it). The good news is that the C's would not see the Nets again until the playoffs but on the off chance that they do meet this postseason, how could you have any confidence that Boston will turn this one-sided matchup around? 

    Five different Nets scored at least 13 points, led by sharpshooting small forward Joe Harris (20 points, 2 blocks). You would have figured that point guard Kyrie Irving (15 points, 11 assists, 4 steals) must have carried Brooklyn but he was awful in terms of shooting: 4-for-19 from the field including 0-of-6 on 3-pointers. Former Celtics great Jeff Green added 19 points and two steals while Boston native Bruce Brown notched 15 points and eight rebounds off the bench plus the ghost of Blake Griffin posted 13 points, five rebounds and two steals off the bench as well. The Celtics' lack of depth has been a major issue all season and it really comes to the forefront against a top team like the Nets. 

    There was basically three Celtics that decided to show up for this game: swingman Jayson Tatum (38 points, 10 rebounds) was unstoppable except for the fact that he had five costly turnovers. Point guard Marcus Smart had 19 points, five rebounds and two steals while rookie guard Payton Pritchard added 22 points (in 24 minutes!) off the bench. With the aforementioned injuries, head coach Brad Stevens chose to start Semi Ojeleye (3 points) and Romeo Langford (0 points). I get that neither guy is expected to put up a ton of points but you can't have two black holes like that offensively in the lineup against a quality opponent.

    Boston played well in the first quarter and great in the fourth quarter but they were awful in the second quarter and bad in the third quarter which was enough to cost them the game. The C's were up 25-21 after the first quarter but the Nets ran circles around them in the second quarter (39-26) for a 60-51 halftime lead. Things didn't get better for the visitors in the third quarter (Nets outscored them 28-22) and they responded in the fourth quarter (31-21) but it was too late, no matter how many shots Kyrie missed. The Celts were also playing in the second game of a back-to-back which is not an excuse but just a fact in this crazy condensed schedule. 

    Some of these numbers were eye-opening as the Nets made 13 more free throws (24-11), dished out five more assists (26-21), had twice as many steals (12-6) and eight less turnovers than the Celtics. Brooklyn scored 10 more points in the paint (48-38) than them but the true nightmare fuel that will probably keep Stevens and his coaching staff up for days is the fact that the Nets somehow outscored them by 29 in fastbreak points (32-3). Haha have you ever heard something like that in an NBA game (that wasn't a 40-point blowout)? That's absurd. 

    Boston doesn't have much time to feel sorry for themselves as they go to Charlotte (29-30 overall, 15-12 home) on Sunday afternoon (1, NBC Sports Boston). The Hornets and Terry Rozier are clinging to eighth-place in the Eastern Conference but they are only two and a half games behind the sixth-place Celtics. You'll remember that when we last saw Charlotte, Boston embarrassed them 116-86 on Easter at the TD Garden. The two teams are about to meet twice in four days for a home-and-home set with Rookie of the Year favorite LaMelo Ball expected to return very soon from his wrist injury, in fact he could possibly play this weekend.

It's Bad Enough To Lose To The Pistons Once This Season But Twice? Come on Celtics, Wake Up!

 

    May I ask a simple question: what the hell is wrong with the Celtics (13-12 overall, 6-4 home)? Coming off a promising win over the Raptors (12-14) last night, they fell flat on their face tonight at TD Garden as they lost 108-102 to the tanking Pistons (7-19 overall, 2-11 away). Detroit has already played Boston three times this season and they've won two of those games so they are 2-1 vs. the C's and 5-18 against the rest of the NBA. Wait what? As if this result needed any more of a kick to the nuts, they watched rookie swingman Saddiq Bey-who was taken five picks (19th overall) after Celts rookie Aaron Nesmith who rarely ever plays-dominate them to the tune of a team-high 30 points, a game-high 12 rebounds and a perfect 7-for-7 on 3-pointers in 27 ultra productive minutes off the bench. Ouch babe!

    Point guard Kemba Walker sat out for the second game of a back-to-back which is his custom for this season, guard Marcus Smart (left calf tear) remains sidelined for awhile longer and center Robert Williams (left hip soreness) has missed these past two games with a bizarre injury for such a young guy but none of this should matter in terms of winning or losing against Detroit. Anyone that they throw out there should be capable of beating a wretched team like the Pistons. Rookie guard Payton Pritchard got his first career start and after dropping 20 points against Toronto (for the 2nd time), he no-showed with just two points. Even more worrisome, swingman Semi Ojeleye (who scored a career-high 24 points in Thursday's win) was rewarded with a spot in the starting lineup as well but he left early and never returned with a right knee injury. Fingers crossed, we don't know the severity of that issue yet but geez. 

    Trailing by 13 in the fourth quarter, Boston cut it down to a two-point Pistons lead but then Bey hit some clutch 3-pointers to end any hopes of an improbable rally. Shooting guard Delon Wright (22 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds) also played well for Detroit while small forward Jeremi Grant (15 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals) and power forward Blake Griffin (12 points, 6 assists) also scored in double-figures and shooting guard Josh Jackson (5 rebounds, 2 blocks) added 14 points off the bench. For the Celtics, swingman Jayson Tatum (33 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists) and shooting guard Jaylen Brown (27 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals) combined for 60 points but none of their teammates really did anything notable. In fact, center Daniel Theis (11 points, 9 rebounds) was the only other Celtic to reach double-digits in scoring which is crazy against such a terrible opponent. 

    I don't want to overreact to a single game but this is a bigger issue that's been building lately since the C's fell to 3-6 in their last nine games. The Pistons were up 27-23 after the first quarter and 54-52 at halftime. Whatever head coach Brad Stevens said at halftime didn't work as Detroit outscored Boston 28-20 in the third quarter. The C's took the fourth quarter (30-26) but not by enough so it didn't matter one bit. Thanks to Bey's sharp-shooting, the Pistons hit seven more 3-pointers (15-8) than the Celtics, they had 10 more assists (25-15), they blocked three times as many shots (6-2) and their bench obliterated Boston's (49-20). 

    All that the C's can do now is to dust themselves off and take out their collective anger on another doormat-the Wizards (6-17) who they visit on Sunday afternoon (1, NBC Sports Boston) at the Capital One Arena. They beat Washington 116-107 on January 8th, the night before Tatum tested positive for Covid-19 which started an outbreak on the team that caused their next three games to be postponed. Poor Bradley Beal is still stuck on that miserable team which has the worst record in the Eastern Conference and second worst in the NBA with only Minnesota (6-20) owning an even more pathetic record. Sunday is Valentine's Day so I'd recommend focusing on that (if you can), because Celtics-Wizards is going to be one gross game that really cannot bring us any joy, only further anger and frustration. Good times!

Despite A 122-120 Win, Squeaking Out A Split In Detroit Is No Reason For The Celtics To Celebrate

    This afternoon in Detroit while you were probably watching the NFL, the Celtics (4-3 overall, 2-2 road) picked up one of those rare wins in sports that felt more like a loss as they just sneaked by the lowly Pistons (1-5 overall, 1-3 home) 122-120 at Little Caesars Gross Pizza Arena. Don't misconstrue the overarching point here: any kind of win is always better than a loss, especially when the C's fell 96-93 to the Pistons on Friday night at the same empty place. Unlike in that setback, shooting guard Jaylen Brown (game-high 31 points) and forward Jayson Tatum (24 points, career-high 12 assists, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks) each hit clutch shots late in the fourth quarter to seal the victory. However, it should not have to come to that against what will undoubtedly be one of the worst teams in the Eastern Conference and probably the entire league when the 2020-21 regular season concludes. 

    Washed up power forward Blake Griffin (13 points) returned from a concussion but he played like he was still in a fog, shooting 4-for-14 from the field including 3-for-10 on three-pointers. Forward Jerami Grant (team-high 22 points, 6 rebounds) once again was Detroit's best player vs. Boston so it was strange to see him give up the last shot to Griffin who shot-putted an air-ball on a desperation 3-pointer at the final buzzer. Center Mason Plumlee (13 points, 8 rebounds) scored a little more today than in the first matchup but at least this time, the Celts did a better job containing him on the glass while small forward Josh Jackson was off to a hot start with 13 points in 14 minutes before an ankle injury ended his day prematurely. Detroit's bench owned Boston's to the tune of 54-23, mercy. Former MVP Derrick Rose had 13 points and eight assists while shooting guard Svi Mykhailiuk added 15 points in 15 minutes. 

    As you'd figure, Boston had more balanced scoring from its starters which made up just enough for how badly their bench was outplayed. Center Tristan Thompson had another double-double (12 points, 11 rebounds), point guard Marcus Smart (17 points, 10 assists) had his best game of the season and his first double-double along the way while power forward Daniel Theis added 15 points. Head coach Brad Stevens gave forward Semi Ojeleye his most minutes of the season (22) and he responded by scoring 11 points including hitting a trio of three-pointers which is the equivalent of found money for the C's. Like Jackson, Celtics point guard Jeff Teague left with an ankle injury that is troubling with their second back-to-back of the season on the horizon.

    The miserable start in the first quarter that plagued Boston on Friday was nowhere to be seen as the two teams were close all game long. Detroit led 33-31 after the first quarter but the Celtics found themselves ahead 61-57 at halftime. The home team narrowed Boston's advantage by one point with a solid third quarter (31-30) and the C's barely survived (getting outscored 32-31) in the fourth quarter. Boston shot the ball great (56.3% to 47.7%) from the field which was much-needed since they barely got to the free throw line (25-13 in attempts and 22-9 in makes in favor of Detroit). The Celtics also controlled the glass with eight more rebounds (41-33) including four more offensive boards (12-8). Thanks to Tatum they had six more assists (35-29) which made up for twice as many steals by the Pistons (8-4) on Boston's eight more turnovers (17-9). 

    The C's were lucky they were playing the Pistons today and not a higher quality opponent since a better team would have punished them for being so sloppy. Following the end of this two-game set, Boston finally got out of Motown and headed directly to Covid-19 central, I mean Tampa Bay which is the temporary home of the Raptors (1-4). Tomorrow night (7:30, NBC Sports Boston) will be the first meeting between the two Atlantic Division rivals since they went seven games in the Eastern Conference semifinals in the bubble. The Celtics won that battle and hopefully they take advantage of a struggling team that thus far is one of the most disappointing clubs in the league less than two weeks into the regular season. The C's seemed to never win in Toronto so maybe playing the Raptors on what is essentially a neutral court will help mitigate that hex.

All It Took Was A Horrendous 1st Quarter (27-12) To Doom The Celtics Against The Wretched Pistons

 

    Other than a major injury to one of their top players, it's tough to picture a much worse start to 2021 than the one experienced by the Celtics (3-3 overall, 1-2 away) tonight as they fell 96-93 to the previously winless Pistons (1-4 overall, 1-2 home) at Little Caesars Arena. Side topic: who knew a crappy pizza chain from the 90s had enough money to buy a professional sports arena? On the other hand, it's Detroit. The Pistons' best player power forward Blake Griffin was out with a concussion (and the fact that he's any NBA team's top star in 2021 is mind-blowing) so the Detroit starting five and bench were littered with a bunch of nobodies, has-beens, never-weres and never-will bes. Boston must have underestimated Detroit since they decided to skip the first quarter as they were outscored 27-12 in the opening 12 minutes. The C's fought their way back from a 21-point deficit (35-14) early in the second quarter but they predictably unraveled at the end, getting outscored 8-0 in the final 4:14 as they bricked shot after shot (0-for-11 from the field in that woeful span). 

    It's one thing to lose to the Nets (3-3) or the Pacers (4-1)-two quality teams in the Eastern Conference who will be in the playoffs this season-but the Pistons are clearly tanking to get the highest lottery pick imaginable in the 2021 NBA Draft. They must not have gotten that memo in time for tonight's game though since power forward Jerami Grant had a team-high 24 points (including a dunk on poor Daniel Theis) while rookie shooting guard Saddiq Bey added 17 points, seven rebounds and two steals, center Mason Plumlee had 17 rebounds which is absurd, small forward/noted bust Josh Jackson notched 11 points and even the ghost of Derrick Rose (17 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals) was at his 2021 best in 24 minutes off the bench. 

    The Celtics are nearly unbeatable when power forward Jayson Tatum (game-high 28 points, 6 rebounds) and shooting guard Jaylen Brown (25 points, 9 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 blocks) each score 25+ points in the same contest but this bucked that trend since the rest of their teammates combined for only 40 points. Tatum and Brown aren't immune from criticism though since both missed what would have been tying three-pointers late in the fourth quarter. Point guard Marcus Smart (13 points, 9 assists, 3 steals) missed a pair of three-pointers of his own and a runner during that icy stretch for Boston. Six guys played off Boston's bench but only point guard Jeff Teague (12 points, 2 steals) and power forward Grant Williams (8 points, 5 rebounds) managed to score a single point from that group. Detroit's terrible bench outscored them 36-20 which makes me want to cry. 

    Last time I checked, this still only counts as one game but it's about more than that: every team has down nights in the NBA but the truly elite clubs almost never perform like this against an opponent that should be way below them. The C's came in 3-2 so I don't know how they could have been so full of themselves but it feels like the only explanation for that New Year's hangover in the first quarter. Without such a mess of a start, they would have rolled (as Vegas expected them to since they were favored by 8 points coming into the game which is a huge line for a road team) to an easy win. Both teams scored 28 points in the second quarter then Boston outscored Detroit 33-24 in the third quarter and 20-17 in the fourth quarter but it wasn't enough. The Pistons hit three more three-pointers (11-8), six more free throws (13-7) and they grabbed three more rebounds (48-45) including six more offensive boards (13-7) than the Celtics. 

    Just like last week when they lost their first game in Indiana, had a day to stew on it then recovered with a victory in the rematch, Celtics head coach Brad Stevens better hope that the same formula applies this time as well. Getting swept by the Pistons and falling back under .500 would be very depressing. Only five people might watch it live but just so you know, the Celts play again at Detroit on Sunday afternoon (3, NBC Sports Boston) right smack dab in the middle of the final day of the 2020 NFL regular season. Patriots (6-9) vs. Jets (2-13) is unwatchable so hopefully you have NFL Red Zone, that is no doubt your best sporting option on Sunday afternoon.

Not That There Was Any Doubt but Doc Rivers Picked the Right Time To Leave Boston

I'll never understand how anyone could blame Doc Rivers for leaving the Celtics for the Clippers. With Boston rebuilding and LA a legitimate contender in the Western Conference, who wouldn't take off on a new adventure in a warm climate with more money and power? Doc's first game back to TD Garden with his new team was tonight and the Clippers (15-8 overall, 7-6 away) held off the Celtics (10-14 overall, 5-6 home) 96-88.

The C's did a nice job honoring Rivers between the first and second quarter with a highlight video although their taste in music wasn't the best. As most expected, he was widely cheered when he got introduced before the game (as he should have been). Now we can all move on with our lives, PS thanks for the memories Doc. Oh that's right, they'll meet one more time-January 8 in Los Angeles. I'll assume that won't be nearly as emotional.

Chris Paul is what makes the Clippers a contender, for my money he's still the best point guard in the NBA (sorry Russell Westbrook). He flirted with a triple-double (22 points, 9 assists, 7 rebounds, 2 steals). Blake Griffin was the only other LA starter in double-figures with 18 points (which I'm assuming all came via dunks) and seven rebounds. Ageless Jamal Crawford scored 21 points off the bench and Darren Collison had 10 points.

Boston was playing the second half of a back-to-back and it showed as they led 23-20 after one quarter and 45-39 at halftime before they faded in the last two quarters. Los Angeles took over in the third (27-19) and put it away in the fourth (30-24).

Jeff Green scored a game-high 29 points but in typical fashion didn't do anything else. Jordan Crawford nearly had a double-double with 20 points, nine assists and five rebounds. Brandon Bass put up a great line if you had him in Fantasy Basketball: 17 points, 12 rebounds, two blocks and two steals. Jared Sullinger added 10 points and nine assists.

LA hit six more free throws (22-16), made four more steals (9-5), scored six more fast break points (15-9) and 18 more points in the paint (42-24). Oh and the Clippers bench outscored the Celtics 34-4 so there's that.

It was a taxing couple nights so I'm sure Boston will be happy to rest tomorrow (assuming they don't have more than a light practice at most) before they host the Knicks (6-15, 4th in Atlantic Division) on Friday (7:30, CSN). You might remember that Boston whipped New York 114-73 on Sunday afternoon at Madison Square Garden. I'd say the Knicks can't possibly play any worse but then I look at their record and am not quite sure.

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Celtics Complete A 4-0 Week Post-Rondo With 106-104 Win Vs. Clippers

Thoughts of the Celtics just forfeiting (slight exaggeration) the rest of this season after Rajon Rondo went down with a torn ACL last weekend seem a bit silly now that Boston (24-23, 17-9 home) has won four games in a row (during a very favorable 4-game homestand) and gone over .500. This afternoon, they built up a 19-point lead before hanging on by the skin of their teeth 106-104 against the Chris Paul-less Clippers (34-15, 14-10 away) at TD Garden.

Clippers head coach Vinny Del Negro made the curious decision not to foul when his team was down only two 103-101 with the shot clock and game clock only two seconds apart. That awful coaching blunder cost LA dearly as Pierce nailed a 3-pointer for good measure. Jamal Crawford hit a 3-pointer as the game ended, haha not sure what the line was either way but I feel like that could have made many people very happy or upset.

Pierce led the C's with a team-high 22 points, five rebounds and two steals, Kevin Garnett was the only other starter in double figures with 12 points and five rebounds. The real story of the win was Boston's bench outscoring Los Angeles' 52-29. Jeff Green (2 blocks) and Leandro Barbosa had 14 points each while Jason Terry added 13 points and six assists.

Eric Bledsoe had a game-high 23 points, 10 assists, seven rebounds and two steals while Blake Griffin added 20 points, 11 rebounds and five assists. UConn's Caron Butler put up 18 points and five rebounds and DeAndre Jordan notched 12 points and five rebounds. Crawford has a broken nose so he started the game with a ghetto mask but ditched it on the way to 23 points and six assists, he might as well clear his trophy case at home for another Sixth Man of the Year award.

The Celts tied a season-high with a 33-point first quarter as they led 33-30 then 59-40 at halftime. Boston slowly lost steam in the third quarter (37-33 LA) before the wheels really came off in the fourth quarter (27-14 LA). Boston hit two more 3-pointers (11-9) and eight more free throws (23-15) than the Clippers.

A trip to Toronto (17-31, 5th in Atlantic Division) on Wednesday (7 p.m., CSN) is the first road test in the post-Rondo portion of the season. Former UConn star Rudy Gay was traded to the Raptors last week from the Grizzlies, a move that makes them believe they can be a playoff contender. Haha keep dreaming Canadians. The teams have only met once so far, a 107-89 Celtics win at the Garden on Saturday, November 17. After Wednesday, they play twice more. Oh joy.

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Apparently The Clippers' 15-Game Win Streak & Best Record In The NBA Is No Fluke

After a beating like the one just handed to the Celtics tonight, there is very little to say. The Clippers (23-6, 14-3 home) extended their win streak to an eye-popping 15 games with a 106-77 win at Staples Center against Boston (14-14, 5-9 away).

Los Angeles has the best record in the NBA and seeing them up close, it is easy to see why they are a legitimate title contender this season. Chris Paul had eight points and 11 assists while Blake Griffin posted 15 points and eight rebounds and Caron Butler added 14 points. The real story was Matt Barnes, who had a game-high 21 points off the bench, and Jamal Crawford (17 points), who should be in the 2013 All-Star game if he continues to play like this.

After their best game of the season on Christmas in Brooklyn, a team that saw their head coach-Avery Johnson-get fired today, the Celtics came back with their worst effort. Kevin Garnett led the C's with 16 points, Paul Pierce had 12 points, Rajon Rondo put up 10 points, six assists and five rebounds while Jason Terry notched 10 points. Courtney Lee had 12 points off the bench, Brandon Bass grabbed nine rebounds and Jeff Green scored eight.

Afterwards on Inside the NBA, Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley suggested that Doc Rivers start Green in order to get his confidence going. At this juncture, it's worth a shot since nothing else seems to make much of a difference. They pointed out that there is too much pressure on him playing with the second unit and being with Rondo would get him easy buckets.

I think numbers in blowout games (win or lose) can be meaningless but you have to admit that some of these are horrifying if you consider yourself a Celtics fan: Los Angeles shot 7.9% better from the field (48.2%-40.3%), hit six more 3-pointers (12-6), handed out 11 more assists (31-20), had seven more steals (12-5), four more blocks (7-3) and 10 less turnovers (18-8). The Clippers produced 16 more points in the paint (42-26).

Since Oklahoma City vs. Dallas went into overtime on TNT, we didn't get sent to LA until midway through the first quarter with the Clippers up 18-6. It honestly didn't get any better for the rest of the game. At one point, the Celts cut it to a four point deficit in the second quarter (32-28) but the Clippers responded with an 8-0 run and that was basically it.

Los Angeles outscored Boston in every quarter, including 24-10 in the fourth quarter which is beyond depressing. The Celts are at Golden State (19-10, 2nd in Pacific Division) on Saturday night (10:30 p.m., CSN) and there is a decent chance that it'll end up just like this blowout. The Warriors are one of the hottest teams in the NBA (7-3 in their last 10) and they play great at home (8-4 this season). If Boston doesn't bring a much more respectable effort, they'll find themselves on the wrong end of another embarrassing scoreline.

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Suck It Billy Crystal & Clipper Darrell

I might have forfeited sleep and sanity but that's a small price to pay since in return, tonight I was able to watch the best win of the season for the Boston Celtics.

Playing their second game in two days at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, the Celts (22-19, 6-11 away) were able to close on a 20-7 run for a truly awesome 94-85 win over the Clippers (23-17, 12-7 home).

This was the first time all season that Boston won the second game of a back-to-back on the road.

Paul Pierce (game-high 25 points, 7 assists) usually plays well when he returns home and this was no exception as he hit a huge 3-pointer near the end. Kevin Garnett (21 points, 8 rebounds) was great too and Ray Allen (15 points) survived a scary turned ankle. It looked bad at first glance, maybe something way more serious but after going to the back he returned a few minutes later and even finished the game on the court.

Brandon Bass had 10 points and nine rebounds before fouling out. The expected point guard showdown between Rajon Rondo (12 points, 10 assists, 3 steals) and Chris Paul (14 points on 3 of 12 shooting), two of the NBA's best, was a bust since Paul was basically invisible.

Freak of nature Blake Griffin led LA with 24 points and nine rebounds, DeAndre Jordan grabbed 13 rebounds and Mo Williams scored 21 off the bench with four steals.

This was the only meeting of the season between these two teams but you wouldn't know that by how chippy they played and how much trash they talked to each other. I complain all the time about regular season NBA games being dull but this one was great because it had an edge.

The Celts led 25-21 after one quarter but the Clippers rallied to take a 48-39 halftime advantage. Boston locked down on defense in the second half, outscoring Los Angeles 23-13 in the third and 32-24 in the fourth.

It was great for once to see the Celtics execute in crunch time and not fold like usual (such as yesterday against the Lakers). It gives us a flickering hope that maybe they can do that more consistently.

The C's shot 12% better from the floor (49.3%-37.3%), they attempted six more free throws (27-21) and made five more (23-18) while dishing out eight more assists (24-16) and blocking three more shots (5-2). The Clippers were beasts on the offensive boards (20-6) and rebounding in general (45-31), that's the only reason it was somewhat close.

Two games down on this eight-game road trip, six more remaining. Up next, the Celtics travel to Golden State on Wednesday for their only meeting against the Warriors. Monta Ellis, Stephen Curry, David Lee and Co. are always tough at home. Boston will need plenty of rest since Golden State loves to run.

UPDATE 3/14: The Warriors made a blockbuster trade last night as they shipped Ellis, forward Ekpe Udoh and blob Kwame Brown to the Bucks for injured center Andrew Bogut and swingman Stephen Jackson. There's been reports that Golden State would get a draft pick too but I'm not sure. Regardless, it totally changes the complexion of tonight's game. Now, I expect the Celtics to win. Jackson used to be on the Warriors but he's way past his prime.

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Clippers shock the Celtics at TD Garden

If I told you that Blake Griffin only had 12 points, seven rebounds and five assists when the Los Angeles Clippers visited the TD Garden, you would have thought the Celtics had rolled by like 20+ points, right?

Welcome to bizarro world as the young superstar was held completely in check yet the Clips (25-40) won 108-103 over the Celtics (46-16), who were disinterested in playing defense all game.

Despite basically no-showing for three quarters, it looked like Boston might make an epic comeback as they whittled a 23-point lead (65-42) down to three (86-83) with less than six minutes remaining. That's as close as they would get though as Los Angeles made all their shots down the stretch and deservedly came away with only their seventh road win of the season.

Mo Williams (game-high 28 points) and DeAndre Jordan (21 points on almost all dunks) were the unlikely stars for the Clippers. Former Celtic and my old college buddy Ryan Gomes added 12 points, Randy Foye notched nine points and 12 assists while Chris Kaman scored 10 off the bench.

Ray Allen led Boston with 23 points, Nenad Krstic added 20 points and nine rebounds while Paul Pierce had 19 points. Kevin Garnett (5-for-19) put up 16 points and eight rebounds despite the worst shooting performance I can ever remember from him. Rajon Rondo also struggled from the field (6-for-15) but he had 13 points, nine assists and seven rebounds.

Perhaps the most interesting part of the game was when Boston's five newest players: Krstic, Jeff Green (6 points), Carlos Arroyo (4 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists in his debut), Sasha Pavlovic (2 points) and Troy Murphy (2 steals) were all on the floor at the same time. It speaks to Boston's immense depth (if Shaq and Delonte West ever get healthy) that these will mostly be bench players when Glen Davis returns.

Los Angeles was ahead right from the start, 30-17 after the first quarter and 60-42 at halftime. Boston recovered with a strong third quarter (24-16) and fourth (37-32) but it wasn't enough.

The Clippers shot 52.0% to 44.0% for the Celtics. LA hit three more 3-pointers (9-6) and had seven more assists (28-21). Boston made the comeback with six more steals (10-4), four more fast break points (12-8) and eight more points in the paint (48-40).

After seeing their five-game win streak snapped, Boston will try to get a new one started tomorrow night when they visit the City of Brotherly Love. The Sixers have been playing great lately but the Cs have owned them the last few years. This could be a potential first round matchup in the playoffs this season.

Celtics beat the Clippers in the start to the post-Kendrick Perkins era

Beating the Clippers is not usually the start of something special in the NBA but it was interesting to watch the Boston Celtics last night as Nenad Krstic and Jeff Green made their debuts at the Staples Center.

Most have second-guessed the latest trades by the Celts (42-15) and it certainly wasn't looking good as they trailed Los Angeles (21-39) 47-40 at halftime. However, in a metaphor for both the trade and the season, Boston showed that having patience will pay off.

The Celtics played a solid second half and left with a 99-92 win. Neither Krstic (9 points, 6 rebounds) nor Green (7 points) had performances that will set the world on fire but what can you expect for a couple players that have one practice under their belt with their new team? Krstic showed that he can hit shots and has good hands while Green is athletic and can run the floor, basically what the scouting report was for both of them.

Paul Pierce led Boston with 24 points, Ray Allen added 22 points and Kevin Garnett had 16 points and 11 rebounds. Rajon Rondo notched 11 assists while Glen Davis put up 10 points off the bench. Delonte West looked comfortable with nine points and five assists in 19 minutes backing up Rondo.

Randy Foye was immense for the Clippers, putting up a game-high 32 points and seven assists while Blake Griffin, the darling of the NBA, had 21 points and 11 rebounds. Chris Kaman had 16 points and nine rebounds off the bench, showing why he should be starting now that he's healed (over DeAndre Jordan).

LA jumped out to a 26-18 lead after one quarter and then the 47-40 halftime advantage. I was more busy watching the Bruins game at the bar but I did notice the Cs make their move in the third quarter (34-21). They put the Clippers away with the fourth quarter (25-24).

The Clippers shot 46.1% to 41.1% for the Celtics. LA made one more 3-pointer (5-4) but Boston made 18 more free throws (35-17) and pulled down seven more rebounds (43-36). Los Angeles had four more assists (25-21), four more blocks (7-3) and four more points in the paint (42-38).

Boston travels to Utah tomorrow night to face a team that just lost its legendary coach (Jerry Sloan) to retirement and traded away its franchise player (Deron Williams) to the Nets. So yeah, the Jazz are a complete mess right now.