Celtics Edition: How Can You Not Love This Team?

The amount of wildly entertaining games that the Celtics have produced in the past few months is out of control. They turned in another instant classic on Friday as Boston (34-27, 22-9) outlasted Atlanta (34-27, 15-19 away) 107-102 in overtime at TD Garden. The win was particularly meaningful too since it pulled the Celtics into a tie with the Hawks for sixth place in the Eastern Conference.

Boston has won its last five games overall and nine in a row at home. It was their franchise record 11th overtime game of the season and they improved to 7-4 in the extra session(s). Oh and they are 14-4 since Rajon Rondo went down. Go figure. Sure the C's blew a 12-point lead in the fourth quarter but the overriding positives were that they rallied once again and Jason Terry (19 points, 5 assists, 2 steals) had the biggest basket of all-a 3-pointer in overtime that put them ahead for good.

Paul Pierce had another great game with a team-high 27 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and two steals. Kevin Garnett added 17 points, eight rebounds and two steals while Jeff Green put up 12 points off the bench. Jordan Crawford (9 points) also provided a spark in limited minutes.

Josh Smith had one of his his best performances that I've ever seen with a game-high 32 points, nine assists and eight rebounds. Jeff Teague (26 points, 9 assists, 2 steals) and Al Horford (22 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks) continued to torch the Celtics.

Boston led from start to almost finish as Atlanta tied it late then KG missed a jumper and Smith missed a rushed shot at the end of regulation. The Celtics were up 28-26 after the first quarter and 52-47 at halftime. The Hawks outscored the C's 21-20 in an ugly third quarter and then 26-22 in the fourth.

As it has been the case since Rondo got hurt, the Celtics' timely defense was the difference. They shot 5.8% better from the field (51.3-45.5) than the Hawks, made four more free throws (17-13) and had two more steals (9-7). The sneaky stat of the game was points off turnovers where Boston outscored Atlanta 21-9.

Boston improved to 2-1 against Atlanta this season with one more matchup remaining: March 29 back at the Garden. This victory was significant as well since the Celtics have to go to Oklahoma City (46-16, 1st in Northwest Division) on Sunday afternoon (1 p.m., ABC) to face the top team in the Western Conference. It's hard to see Boston winning that one no matter how well they play, the Thunder seem to be at another level than anyone these days (save for the Heat).

UPDATE 3/10: The Celtics signed D.J. White to another 10-day contract today. Shavlik Randolph's 10-day contract ends at midnight today and they're expected to re-sign him as well.

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Q: Who Blows A 27-Point Lead (In 1 Quarter) Then Loses in Double Overtime? A: The Celtics

Thank God the NHL has returned and the Bruins are really good because we need something to shield us from the flaming wreckage that is the 2012-13 Celtics. Boston's (20-23, 7-14 away) 123-111 double overtime loss tonight at Atlanta's (25-18, 15-7 home) Philips Arena was borderline impossible to execute. It is their sixth straight defeat, the longest losing streak in the Kevin Garnett (24 points, 10 rebounds) in Green era.

The Celts got up 48-21 in the second quarter but apparently that wasn't enough as the Hawks tied it at 59 midway through the third quarter. If that didn't make you want to jump off the Tobin Bridge, how about watching Kyle Korver (27 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 blocks) drain eight 3-pointers in the second half alone? Pass that bottle of bleach please.

Rajon Rondo (16 points, 11 assists, 10 rebounds) had his second triple-double in as many nights and third straight against Atlanta so he's probably content. Avery Bradley had 14 points while Paul Pierce struggled to get 12 points and six rebounds in 40 minutes. For once, Boston's bench wasn't the issue as they outscored Atlanta's 45-21. Jeff Green (17 points, 6 rebounds), Courtney Lee (16 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals) and even Jason Terry (12 points) were all excellent.

Al Horford put up 24 points, 13 rebounds and two steals, Jeff Teague had 23 points, seven assists and three steals, Josh Smith notched 17 points, 14 rebounds, seven assists and two blocks and Ivan Johnson added 11 points (which has to be a career-high, only a slight exaggeration). Devin Harris (remember him?) had 14 points off the bench.

A soul crushing loss like this will overshadow something great that the Celtics actually did: they went 20-for-20 from the free throw line. Smith missed a layup at the end of regulation that would have won it but he made up for it by stuffing Pierce's predictable move and shot at the end of the first overtime. After that, Boston completely ran out of gas in the second overtime.

I suppose there is only one way for the Celtics to go from here: up. They can't possibly suffer two more brutal losses in the regular season on back-to-back nights. The Heat (28-12, 1st in Southeast Division) make their first trip to Boston on Sunday (1 p.m., ABC) which means that Ray Allen will be back. Luckily, since the C's are so bad at the moment, we won't have to be bombarded with that storyline non-stop.

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Poor Big Al, he'll never be on a good team

You have to feel bad for former Celtics teenager Al Jefferson. He's had a nice NBA career but unfortunately he has bounced around from bad team (Minnesota Timberwolves) to now rebuilding team (Utah Jazz) and it appears like barring a trade or something drastic, he'll never be on a contender which is a shame.

The Boston Celtics finished their emotional West Coast trip 3-1 with a 107-102 win last night at EnergySolutions Arena over the Jazz.

Jefferson had a game-high 28 points and 19 rebounds with two blocks but it wasn't enough as Utah (32-29) missed its closer-Deron Williams-who is now rotting away (like everything else) in Newark, N.J.

New guy Devin Harris (19 points) was good but he's no Deron Williams. Andrei Kirilenko sporting his latest unique brand of a Eurotrash hairstyle added 18 points while Paul Millsap had 17 points.

The Jazz have great fans but you have to wonder if former coach Jerry Sloan is even watching this mess anymore or is he driving around aimlessly on a tractor somewhere in the sticks?

All five Celtics (43-15) starters scored in double figures led by Ray Allen (25 points). With Tommy Heinsohn sitting in the CSNE studios and Bill Walton riding his spaceship back in San Diego, Allen's BFF Donnie Marshall was left to fill in on play by play duties. I can't remember hearing a pro announcer getting more excited over a regular season game than Marshall was after Allen hit a clutch 3-pointer, "sniper!" It was pathetic and hilarious at the same time.

Paul Pierce had 21 points and seven rebounds, Kevin Garnett notched 16 points and 14 rebounds while Rajon Rondo put up 18 points and 11 assists. Oh and Nenad Krstic had 11 points and five rebounds.

Boston was up 30-21 after one quarter but Utah whittled it to 56-53 at halftime. The Celts held off the Jazz in the third quarter (23-22) and in the fourth (28-27) thanks to Allen's big shots.

One thing is clear which I never thought I'd say in a million years: the Celts desperately need Shaq in the lineup. With Perk gone, there is a huge void inside that can be taken advantage of by any decent post player.

Boston shot 47.6% to Utah's 44.9%. The Celtics made six more 3-pointers (7-1) but the Jazz hit nine more free throws (31-22) in the tightly called contest. Boston had one more rebound (42-41) and six more assists (22-16). The Cs made four more steals (9-5) but the Jazz had 12 more points in the paint (54-42) thanks to Jefferson and Millsap.

Some help is on the way as Troy Murphy has reportedly signed with Boston after getting bought out by the Golden State Warriors. He should provide size, rebounding and offense off the bench.

The Celtics return home (seems like they've been gone for months) tomorrow night when they host the Phoenix Suns. A team that they normally abuse but that they lost to in Phoenix a few weeks back in that weird KG punching Channing Frye in the balls game.

Come on, you had to know the Boston Celtics wouldn't head into the All-Star break with a loss to the New Jersey Nets

The Boston Celtics went into the 2011 All-Star break with the best record in the Eastern Conference.

The Cs (40-14) dispatched of the New Jersey Nets (17-40) 94-80 last night at TD Garden in a game that was about as scattered as you'd expect given that Boston's four most important players are headed to Los Angeles this weekend for the All-Star game.

After just one point against the Heat on Sunday, Paul Pierce bounced back in a big way with a game-high 31 points while Kevin Garnett added 14 points and 10 rebounds and Ray Allen scored 12 points. Boston's other All Star Rajon Rondo had seven points, eight assists, five rebounds and three steals.

The Nets are still a mess and the on-going trade drama with Carmelo Anthony just gives a glimmer of hope to a terrible franchise. New Jersey has some pieces: Brook Lopez (18 points, four blocks), Devin Harris (16 points) and Anthony Morrow (14 points) but other than that, this Avery Johnson led team is devoid of any real talent.

Luke Harangody scored eight points while Von Wafer had seven points as Boston's bench had a good game (25 points) though they continue to be shorthanded. The NBA trade deadline is a week from today so it'll be interesting to see if Danny Ainge thinks this team needs another body or two for the stretch run (final 28 games) and playoffs.

Boston was up 27-22 after the first quarter but New Jersey came back to tie it at 47 at halftime. It was still tied (71-71) after three quarters but the Celtics clamped down in the fourth (24-10) to get out of town in a good frame of mind.

Pierce and Allen face-off in the 3-point contest on Saturday night then the Big Four will be coached by Doc Rivers on the Eastern Conference All-Star team on Sunday. Should be a fun weekend, the NBA's All-Star weekend is usually entertaining and LA seems like the perfect venue for this fluff.

We'll next see the full team together next Tuesday as they begin a West Coast trip at Golden State.

Say it with me kids, trap game

With the pathetic Nets in town on a Friday night and the All-Star break just a few games away, you could feel it in the air: the Celtics were going to come out really slow and then eventually pull away at the end in a game that was way too close than it should be.

I'm not a psychic, and I don't play one on TV but sometimes the NBA is just that easy to predict.

The Celts won 96-87 last night for their third straight win but they actually trailed by one point (73-72) entering the fourth quarter before Eddie House (who scored all 10 of his points in the fourth) heated up and sent the Nets (4-45) packing.

Paul Pierce sat out again and Marquis Daniels is back at practice but he didn't play as well, still there is absolutely no excuse for letting a team that had one road win on the season to hang around like that.

The Wizards at least did a favor for Boston (32-16) as they beat Orlando, allowing the C's to slip back into the number two seed in the Eastern Conference.

Ray Allen led the Green with a game-high 26 points and seven rebounds while Rajon Rondo added what now seems like his customary 17 points, 11 assists and three steals. Kevin Garnett had 10 points and seven rebounds and Glen Davis notched 13 points off the bench.

Brook Lopez scored 19 points for New Jersey. Devin Harris added 17 points and eight assists while Courtney Lee (12 points), Yi Jianlian (10 points) and Jarvis Hayes (10 points) all scored in double-figures.

The Celts spread it around offensively with 26 assists on 36 baskets and they posted 17 fastbreak points.

Orlando comes to the Garden tomorrow afternoon for an appealing Super Bowl matinee. The Celtics owe them some payback after they stole that win back in Orlando a few weeks ago.

Celts get it done in the swamps of Jersey

It wasn't pretty but the Boston Celtics picked up a win last night on the road against the New Jersey Nets, 115-111.

Still without KG, Paul Pierce led the C's (48-14) with 31 points and five assists on 12-for-14 shooting. Rajon Rondo added 20 points, five rebounds and five assists while Kendrick Perkins notched a double-double of 17 points and 13 rebounds.

Ray Allen scored 16 points (including a clutch 3-pointer that tied it late in the fourth) and grabbed five rebounds and Eddie House tallied 10 points off the bench.

Vince Carter had a game-high 34 points for the Nets (27-34). New Jersey's other star Devin Harris notched 25 points and 11 assists but rookie Brook Lopez was held to 10 points. Jarvis Hayes scored 16 points as a substitute.

The victory clinched a playoff spot for Boston but that's not exactly news with this squad and their ultimate goals.

Boston led 27-20 after the first quarter and 58-51 at the half. The Celts outscored the Nets 34-30 in the third and New Jersey started making its move in the fourth (30-23) but it was too late.

Even without Garnett, the Celtics possess two of the most dependable players in close games: Allen and Pierce.

Boston shot a ridiculous 61.2% as a team to New Jersey's 49.2%. The C's also had 13 more rebounds (39-26). The Nets hung around and made it interesting by hitting five more 3-pointers (13-8) and committing five less turnovers (19-14).

For a regular season game, it doesn't get much bigger as LeBron and the Cleveland Cavaliers invade the TD Banknorth Garden. The Cavs currently are one game ahead of Boston for the top spot and home court in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Back to your regularly scheduled domination

After the recent four-game losing streak, the Boston Celtics (32-9) seemed to have gotten their collective shit together as they beat the New Jersey Nets (19-20), 118-86 last night at the TD Banknorth Garden.

It was the Green's third straight win after the sky was falling/apocalypse happened.

The game was reminiscent of an early-season blowout as the starters (still minus Perk) got the job done in three quarters then yucked it up on the bench in the fourth when Loch Ness Monsters like Bill Walker (6 points) strutted their stuff.

Paul Pierce led the C's with 22 points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals. The Truth tied the franchise record (also recently reached by Ray Allen last weekend in Toronto) of a perfect 5-for-5 quarter on 3-pointers. This occurred in the third quarter.

Kevin Garnett added 20 points and nine boards, Ray Allen notched 12 points while Rajon Rondo was back to his schizophrenic best with 11 points, 12 assists, seven rebounds and three steals.

Off the bench, Glen Davis had 12 points, Eddie House added 10 and the ever-improving Gabe Pruitt tossed in nine.

Devin Harris led the Nets with 17 points. Ryan Anderson, Brook Lopez (8 rebounds, 5 blocks) and Keyon Dooling all had 13 points.

Boston led 30-23 after one and 51-41 at the half. Pierce's on-fire stretch helped the Celts carry the third (37-19). The C's bench even took the fourth (30-26).

New Jersey shot a woeful 38.8% to Boston's Megan Fox hot 56.4%. The Celts made seven more 3-pointers (12-5), had 13 more rebounds (45-32), twice as many assists (28-14) and six more steals (13-7). The Nets made 11 more free throws (29-18) but who cares?

The teams will do it all again on Saturday as the Celtics go to the Garden State.