One-Eyed Olynyk & Turner (Another Triple-Double) Leads Celts to Key 100-87 Win vs. Pacers

Wednesday at TD Garden was one of those rare times when the Celtics felt totally relevant again at least on a local level for a few fleeting hours. Against one of the other shitbag teams that they are battling with for the final two playoff spots in the Eastern Conference, Boston (34-41 overall, 19-19 home) picked up a huge 100-87 win over Indiana (32-43 overall, 13-25 away). The C's went up two games on the Pacers and pulled within half a game of Miami (7th) and Brooklyn (8th).

Evan Turner's third triple-double of the month (13 points, 11 rebounds & 12 assists) propelled the Celtics but before, during and after the game, everyone was talking about Kelly Olynyk's (19 points) left eyelid which had been swollen shut after he caught an elbow by Shavlik Randolph in shootaround. The best part is that while discussing his injury with Celtics reporters, he managed to note that his buddy Dougie Hamilton has broken ribs, something that no Bruins writers knew (we had assumed it was a concussion). You've gotta love Canadians, they are such honest people.

Tyler Zeller also scored 19 points, Avery Bradley added 11 while Jae Crowder notched 13 points off the bench. George Hill led the Pacers with 21 points, six rebounds and six assists. C.J. Miles scored 12 points and the ghost of David West put up 10 points and eight rebounds. Rodney Stuckey scored 16 points off the bench for Indiana.

Showing how much one superstar can determine an NBA team's fate, Indiana seems to have never adjusted from Paul George's gruesome leg injury over the summer. Other than him, granted he's a budding superstar, this is basically the same squad that was in the Eastern Conference Finals last season vs. Miami. Clearly, they've given up and they couldn't be bothered slumming it in the gutter for the eighth-seed and a quick exit vs. Atlanta a near certainty.

Boston carried over its momentum from Monday's win at Charlotte into this one. They were up 22-16 after the first quarter and 50-39 at halftime. The Pacers outscored the Celtics 23-18 in the third quarter but the home team closed it out just fine with a 32-25 fourth quarter.

A welcome byproduct of the Celts being competitive almost all the time is that for the first time in years, they are actually very enjoyable to watch. Whatever head coach Brad Stevens is doing to get the most out of a limited roster, he has accomplished and then some. Boston plays hard and unselfishly, a style that rarely works in the NBA (Spurs, Hawks this season, anyone else?). They grabbed seven more rebounds (46-39), dished out 12 more assists (29-17), made four more steals (9-5) and scored 10 more fast break points (19-9).

It is another really important matchup on Friday as the struggling Bucks (37-38) visit the Garden. Milwaukee is three games ahead of Boston so a win by the C's would cut that down to two manageable games. At this point, I've completely changed my tune and I want to see Stevens & Co. in the playoffs. After all, what's the difference between mid-first round draft picks? They might as well gets some postseason experience for everybody involved with this young team.

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Those Mormons are crafty, in life and on the basketball court

Utah has to be near the top of the list of places in the US that I have absolutely no interest in visiting. The squeaky clean Mormons frankly scare me and the fact that they're not big on the nightlife is similarly frightening.

The Celtics went to Salt Lake City last night riding a four-game win streak and the overriding sense that they've gotten their proverbial shit together. Impressive wins in Houston on Friday night and in Dallas on Saturday night was giving C's fans optimism that maybe the Big Three and Co. has one last title run in them.

Or maybe not. Boston (45-25) was in complete control in the first half, up by double digits before the Jazz (46-25) scored the last seven points of the second quarter to slide into the break only down 54-49.

Utah scored the first nine points of the second half and by then, dreams of a win at EnergySolutions Arena (one of the toughest home courts in the NBA, where the Jazz are 29-8) disappeared faster than a Mormon at a strip club. Utah won 110-97 as Boston completely crumbled in the second half, with a rare Doc Rivers ejection serving as the cherry on top for all the pasty-faced Jazz fans.

C.J. Miles scored a game-high 23 points for Utah while the incomparable Deron Williams added 22 points and 11 assists, using his big frame to push around the much smaller Rajon Rondo (6 points, 6 assists).

Nobody ever talks about them but the Jazz are very solid. Carlos Boozer had 19 points and nine rebounds and Mehmet Okur notched 14 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks. Wesley Matthews and Paul Millsap both scored 10.

Boston looked the part of an old team playing the last game of a road trip. Their legs were tired and nobody except for Glen Davis (13 points, 5 rebounds) had a good game. Davis was also hit in the face by Millsap's forearm, causing him to have one of those cotton swabs stuffed in his nose.

Ray Allen led the Celts with 15 points, Paul Pierce had 11 and Kevin Garnett scored 10. The Boston bench was one point away (49-48) from tying the output of the starters which is never good. If only Rasheed Wallace wasn't completely done, the second unit would be pretty formidable. Nate Robinson, Marquis Daniels and Michael Finley all had eight points.

Things don't get any easier tomorrow night as Boston opens up a six-game home stretch (its longest of the season) with a visit from the Denver Nuggets, the number two team in the Western Conference.