Unless We're Talking About Disney World, Orlando is Pretty Useless

If the Celtics don't get a top pick in June's NBA Draft, one of the first things we'll blame (other than the basketball Gods of course) is the Orlando Magic. Why? Well with Boston's (16-33 overall, 10-15 home) 96-89 win this afternoon at TD Garden, the Celts finished their season series with the Magic (13-36 overall, 3-22 away) 3-1, ugh.

The rare victory for the Celtics snapped a four-game losing streak. It might have been the product of playing another team doing everything they can not to win but Rajon Rondo (19 points, 10 assists, 6 rebounds, 3 steals in only 27 minutes) looked way better than any of his other eight performances since returning Jan. 17 vs. Lakers. It was his first double-double of the season and most surprising, he was 9 of 11 from the field including a 3-pointer.

Nobody has ever debated whether Jared Sullinger (21 points, 12 rebounds) was better than Glen Davis (15 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals) but this contest served as a further example of how much higher Sullinger's ceiling can be if only he stays healthy for a full season.

Brandon Bass, who was traded for Davis, also played better than the clown they call Big Baby with 19 points and nine rebounds. Avery Bradley (17 points) returned after missing the last five games with a sprained ankle.

Arron Afflalo led Orlando with 18 points, underrated Nikola Vucevic had a double-double (14 points, 11 rebounds), Tobias Harris added 13 points and five rebounds while promising rookie Victor Oladipo notched 12 points and five assists even though he was bricktastic (3 for 16 from the field, woof!).

Boston has rarely won this season but even more strange to see is them leading from start to finish. The C's were up 27-19 after the first quarter, 54-45 at halftime and 71-64 heading into the fourth quarter. Thanks for playing, Magic.

The Celts shot 8.7% better from the field (50-41.3%), grabbed five more rebounds (44-39) and handed out six more assists (24-18) thanks to Rondo's re-emergence.

It seems like Boston has played a round-robin tournament lately with the other teams in the Eastern Conference trying to tank. After losing on a fantastic Evan Turner buzzer-beater for the Sixers on Wednesday, they go to Philadelphia (15-33 overall, 5th in Atlantic Division) this Wednesday (7, CSN & 98.5 FM).

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Celtics Survive Overtime In Orlando, 116-110

I'm not saying that it's right but it is at least understandable that the Celtics would have a letdown after their emotional win against the Thunder on Friday-their best victory of the young season. Luckily for them, tonight they played the Magic and not a better team that probably would have beaten them.

Boston (8-6, 4-3 away) needed overtime at the Amway Center but they outlasted Orlando (5-8, 4-3 home) 116-110. Kevin Garnett had a game-high 24 points and 10 rebounds, Paul Pierce scored 23 and Rajon Rondo just missed out on a triple-double with 15 points, 16 assists and nine rebounds.

Brandon Bass (13 points, 12 rebounds) added a double-double while Leandro Barbosa (15 points) and Jared Sullinger (11 points, 6 rebounds) were stellar off the bench for the Celts.

Some of the Magic took a time machine back to their college days as J.J. Redick had a team-high 21 points off the bench, Jameer Nelson scored 20 while Arron Afflalo had 15 points and seven assists and former Celtic Glen Davis added 15 points and seven rebounds. Josh McRoberts had 14 rebounds and former Celtic E'Twaun Moore notched eight points.

For once, Boston dominated inside-something which is very rare these days. They outscored Orlando 60-34 in the paint, grabbed nine more rebounds (51-42) and had eight more points off turnovers (23-15) thanks to Rondo's excellent performance.

The Celtics return home for a few days of practice followed by a rematch with the Nets (8-4, 2nd in Atlantic Division) on Wednesday (7:30 p.m., CSN). It'll be basically two weeks (Thursday, November 15) since Brooklyn edged Boston 102-97. They are a quality team now and not the pushover they have been in recent years.

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Celtics Win The Atlantic Division, Clinch No. 4 Seed In The Eastern Conference

Tonight's Celtics-Magic game had a slight feel of a JV game since both teams were missing their best players (Rajon Rondo and Dwight Howard respectively) but that didn't stop Boston from picking up a very meaningful win.

With their 102-98 triumph at TD Garden, the Celts (37-26, 22-9 home) clinched the Atlantic Division title (their 5th in a row) and also the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Woo homecourt advantage (for one round at least)!

The Celtics are 22-9 since the All-Star break.

Right now, Orlando (36-26, 16-14 away) is in sixth place, meaning that Boston would face No. 5 Atlanta (37-25) in the first round. There are still three games left for the C's and four for the Magic and Hawks to sort that out.

Paul Pierce (29 points, 14 assists) played point forward with Rondo sitting and he set a career-high in dimes in the process, not too shabby. Avery Bradley scored 23 points and Brandon Bass had 21 points. Kevin Garnett put up 15 points and nine rebounds.

Glen Davis (27 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals) played like this was the most meaningful game in his life and knowing him, it probably was. Jameer Nelson had 21 points and nine assists, J.J. Redick had 13 points, Ryan Anderson notched 12 points and nine rebounds while Jason Richardson scored 11 points.

The Celts are off until Friday when they travel to Atlanta for their final road game of the regular season. Doc Rivers should pull a Gregg Popovich and not even let the Big 4 travel with the team. Their work is done for the next week.

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Orlando Celebrates Big Baby & Von Wafer's Return to Boston By Scoring A Franchise-Low 56 Points

The Boston Celtics only had 10 players available tonight as they hosted the Orlando Magic at TD Garden. A whopping five (Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen, Mickael Pietrus, Keyon Dooling and Chris Wilcox) Celtics missed the game due to various injuries.

The Magic (11-5) came in as one of the top teams in the Eastern Conferences and an early surprise in the NBA. In Glen Davis and more importantly Von Wafer's return to Boston, the Celts (7-9) won 87-56 as the Magic did their best to spit on James Naismith's grave.

It was Boston's first win against a .500 team plus it was in the second night of a back-to-back, truly one of the most surprising results in recent Boston sports history.

Orlando set a new franchise record for fewest points in a game, worst shooting percentage (24.6%), fewest points in a half (20 in the 2nd) and total field goals (16). Dwight Howard (18 points, 14 rebounds) was 4 of 15 from the floor and 10 of 18 from the foul line. As far as I can tell, he still hasn't developed any kind of post game that doesn't involve dunks or awkward spin moves that don't work. Well at least he's cleaned up his free throws, oh wait.

Big Baby got a video montage dedicated to him and he proceeded to have a horrid game: six points (2 of 9 shooting) and 11 rebounds off the bench. Wafer had five points off the bench.

Avery Bradley and Sasha Pavlovic (9 points) will be able to tell their grandkids that not only did they start a game for the Celts but they also helped to beat one of the most overrated teams in not only the NBA but professional sports. Orlando hasn't changed their style at all the last few years: surround Howard with a bunch of one-dimensional 3-point shooters. The issue is that when those 3s aren't falling (4 of 16), they have nobody that can drive and get to the line (or in Howard's case, make free throws).

Paul Pierce had another solid game with 19 points and seven assists. Kevin Garnett added 14 points, 10 rebounds and five steals while Jermaine O'Neal had nine rebounds and took three charges. Ex-Magic forward Brandon Bass had 19 points and eight rebounds off the bench while Marquis Daniels finally looked like himself with eight points and five assists.

Boston shot 42.3% from the field and hit all 19 of its free throws. The Celts grabbed two more rebounds (46-44), had nine more assists (21-12), eight more steals (13-5), three more blocks (9-6) and eight less turnovers (23-15). The C's owned fast break points (11-4), points in the paint (34-16) and points off turnovers (24-6).

In a weird scheduling quirk, these same teams meet again on Thursday in Orlando. I'm going to guess that the Magic will score a few more points the second time around. There is absolutely no way that Orlando can play worse so I'll be impressed if Boston can beat them again in the second of three meetings this season.

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Glen Davis Traded For His More Muscular, Slightly Older & More Mentally Stable Equivalent

In a lot of ways, it is amazing that Glen Davis lasted four seasons in Boston with the Celtics. The goofy big man always seemed in the middle of controversy (punching his friend and breaking his hand, crying on the bench), mostly of his own doing.

After threatening to leave in free agency but having no teams appear to be very interested, the Celts took matters into their own hands today by dealing Big Baby and Von Wafer to the Orlando Magic. It's a sign and trade deal for fellow LSU product Brandon Bass.

Like most people, I enjoyed Davis while he was here but with a guy so up and down like that, you had to wonder how much longer he was going to be effective given all his issues. It also didn't help that he seemed to believe he was an NBA first-team caliber player.

Davis won an NBA title in 2008 during his rookie season, since then he's been a capable fill-in starter and a great player (scoring and rebounding plus drawing charges) off the bench. His weight (6-foot-9, 289 pounds) and fitness will always be an issue while Bass is a much more sculpted 6-foot-8, 240 pounds.

The similarities between him and Bass are endless. Not only did they both go to LSU, play the same position but they're both natives of Louisiana, second round picks (Bass in 2005 and Davis in 2007) with eerily similar numbers and ages (Davis turns 26 on New Year's Day, Bass is 27 in late April).

Last season, Bass started 51 games and averaged a career-high 11.2 points and 5.6 rebounds over 26.1 minutes. Davis averaged a career-high 11.7 points and 5.4 rebounds over 29.5 minutes.

Bass signed a four-year, $16 million contract with Orlando in July 2009. He is due to make $4 million this season with a player option for the same amount next year.

For his career (two in New Orleans, two in Dallas and the last two in Orlando), Bass has averaged 7.7 points and 4.1 rebounds. He has shot 49.8% from the field and 83% from the free throw line.

Best of all, Bass has only had three career technical fouls and he's never been ejected. That demonstrates his maturity and professionalism, two things which Davis sorely lacks. In conclusion, this is a solid move for the Celtics. Good work Danny Ainge.

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Celtics sweep the Knicks

Thanks to injuries (to Chauncey Billups and Amare Stoudemire) and their usual lack of defense, the New York Knicks quickly morphed from first-round playoff threat to pushover in the span of a week.

That's what makes yesterday's 101-89 win by the Boston Celtics so meaningful. By sweeping the Knicks at Madison Square Garden, the Celts were able to become the only NBA team to sweep a first-round series in 2011.

While the Heat, Bulls, Lakers and Spurs are all still battling, the Cs will have their feet up at home, getting plenty of rest ahead of what should be a war of a series against Miami in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Believe it or not, Boston hadn't swept a first-round series since a crippled Larry Bird was still balling (in 1992 vs. Indiana) so it had been a while.

The Celts were focused yesterday to get the series over with and not have to exert anymore energy. They built a 23-point lead and started to coast before New York made one last desperate run that cut it to four points in the fourth quarter.

From there, Boston settled down by hitting shots and making some stops. Goodnight New York, your fraudulent magical season is over. Have a great summer.

Kevin Garnett led the Celtics with a team-high 26 points and 12 rebounds. Rajon Rondo added 21 points, 12 assists and five rebounds. Ray Allen scored 14 points and Paul Pierce notched 13 points.

The key to the Game 4 win though and moving forward will be the bench trio of Glen Davis (14 points, 5 rebounds), Jeff Green (5 points, 7 rebounds) and Delonte West (2 points, 5 rebounds).

Other than Rondo, Boston's main advantage over Miami lies in their bench. Those three guys need to take their games to another level. Yesterday was as a start in the right direction as Davis started hitting shots again while Green and West were out there for important minutes.

Carmelo Anthony led New York with a game-high 32 points and nine rebounds. Stoudemire added 19 points and 12 rebounds (props to him for playing with a hurt back). Anthony Carter was a spark off the bench with 11 points. Thankfully Knicks head coach Mike Dantoni is a clown and playing Carter over the underwhelming and out of position Toney Douglas didn't click in his mind until crunch time of the elimination game. Good job Mike.

Boston led 29-23 after the first quarter and 55-38 at halftime. Like in Game 3, the Celtics really didn't give MSG much to cheer about, effectively taking out the crowd that was desperate for something to cheer about. The Knicks started their comeback with a big third quarter (34-27) before they fell short in the fourth (19-17 Boston).

For the game, the Celtics shot 49.4% to 34.1% for the Knicks. New York made five more 3-pointers (8-3) and three more free throws (21-18). Boston grabbed 11 more rebounds (53-42), five more assists (24-19) and two more steals (6-4).

Now let's all sit back and root for the Philadelphia 76ers to keep winning. The Eastern Conference semifinals won't begin until probably next Sunday at the earliest.

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.

Shaq is going to be such a monster in the wheelchair basketball league

If you had a ticket to last night's miserable matchup of the Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons, you might have seen some history at the TD Garden.

Shaquille O'Neal returned to action after missing more than two months, scored six points in five minutes then promptly pulled up lame with another injury-strained calf.

The Celtics (53-23) won 101-90 over the Pistons (26-50) but I wouldn't be surprised if that was the Diesel's final NBA game. How much does he have left in the tank? And what does his worn out body have left to prove?

It's too bad that his injury overshadowed the team's win. If you've been paying attention at all this season, you had to know something like that would happen to Shaq. He simply can't stay healthy anymore.

Kevin Garnett led Boston with 23 points and eight rebounds while Paul Pierce had 22 points. Rajon Rondo handed out 14 assists and Ray Allen added 13 points. Delonte West (10 points, 5 assists) and Glen Davis (11 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals) were solid off the bench.

Will Bynum paced the Pistons with 20 points. Tayshaun Prince had 16 points, Richard Hamilton scored 14 and Greg Monroe had 11 points. Charlie Villanueva put up 15 points off the bench.

Troy Murphy and Nenad Krstic (who's much more important than Shaq) could both return tomorrow night as Boston hosts Philadelphia in a possible first-round playoff matchup. Krstic got the good news over the weekend that he didn't tear anything in his knee.

Kids don't be scared: Zombie Jermaine O'Neal is here to let us know the playoffs are coming

The San Antonio Spurs, the NBA's best team (record wise), came into last night's game on a four-game losing streak. They had never lost five games in the Tim Duncan era. They sat Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobli and Antonio McDyess on Monday to get them set for their meeting against the Boston Celtics.

Short of Las Vegas taking this game off the board, this seemed like a lock for the Spurs since the Celtics were in a tailspin.

That's why they play the games folks. Boston conjured up its best effort in weeks with a 107-97 at the AT&T Center. The Celtics (52-22) finish 2-0 against San Antonio (57-18) in the regular season. The Bulls and Lakers are on fire right now but who knows, maybe we'll see these two teams meet again in June.

For the second straight game, Rajon Rondo was special. He had a team-high 22 points, 14 assists (no turnovers) and five rebounds. Most surprising, he kept knocking down important jump shots. (Rubs eyes) Is that the same Rondo I know?

Paul Pierce nearly had a triple-double with 21 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists while Kevin Garnett had 20 points and nine assists. Ray Allen (3 for 11) continued to struggle with his shot but he had 13 points.

The only bad news coming out of the game was the possible serious knee injury suffered by Nenad Krstic. His knee bent very awkwardly as he ran the floor and he's scheduled to have an MRI this weekend. If he's done for the season, it would be a big loss. Glen Davis stepped up off the bench as per usual and put up 16 points and eight rebounds.

Jermaine O'Neal played for the first time in two months, scoring five points in 11 minutes. Anything you get from that corpse is a bonus at this point. Von Wafer also returned (for 2 minutes) after missing a few weeks with a calf injury.

Tony Parker led the Spurs with a game-high 23 points and eight assists. Tim Duncan had 20 points and 13 assists with Richard Jefferson adding 14 points. Ginobili was held to nine points.

San Antonio came out flying and led 33-31 after the first quarter but it was knotted at 49 at halftime. Boston looked the NBA title contender it should be with a strong third quarter (28-21) and the fourth (30-27).

The Celts shot 54.8% to 43.3% for the Spurs. San Antonio hit six more 3-pointers (8-2) while Boston knocked down two more free throws (13-11). Propelled by Rondo's perfect night, the Cs had eight more dimes (29-21).

Boston plays in Atlanta tonight. It's a back to back so I'm not going to pretend that the Celtics will play anything like they did last night. However, the Hawks are so up and down that this might be the rare occasion that Boston can steal a back-to-back on the road.

Get used to the No. 2 or 3 seed in the Eastern Conference, the top spot isn't happening this season

Each game gets stranger for the Boston Celtics as they find new and different ways to lose (to bad and average teams) and piss down their legs at the same time.

Rajon Rondo was going to sit for a second straight game last night as they visited the Indiana Pacers at Conseco Fieldhouse. However, at the last second Rondo decided to play and wouldn't you know he put up 22 points and eight assists.

For the first time in weeks, Boston's defense stayed on their team bus while their offense actually carried their weight. It wasn't enough as the Pacers (33-42) beat the Celts (51-22) 107-100.

Nenad Krstic's foul trouble (5) enabled Indiana's center Roy Hibbert (26 points) to go off for a season-high point total. Danny Granger added 18 points, Darren Collison had 17 points and A.J. Price scored 15 points off the bench.

It was great to see Rondo look like himself again, with a quick first step but nice performances from Paul Pierce (23 points) and Glen Davis (20 points off the bench) were overshadowed by a lack of touches for Ray Allen (11 points, 4 for 8) and Kevin Garnett (6 points, 2 for 4 shooting).

The loss was even rougher since Chicago lost to Philadelphia last night, meaning a Boston win would have pulled them to within one game of the top spot in the Eastern Conference.

The Celtics led 33-27 after the first quarter but a horrid second quarter (30-16 for the Pacers) gave Indiana a 57-49 lead. The up and down Cs were great in the third (36-24) but as usual, the wheels came off in the fourth (26-15 Pacers).

Boston shot 54.8% to Indiana's 54.5%. The Pacers made two more 3-pointers (6-4) but the Celtics were rewarded for going to the basket aggressively with 11 more made free throws (28-17). Indiana had seven more rebounds (36-29).

The road trip continues for Boston as they visit the San Antonio Spurs Thursday night. Tony Parker, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobli all sat out last night so it's doubtful that they'll all return for Thursday night's game. The two teams had a regular season classic the only other time they met, a Celtics win at home in January but it's looking unrealistic that these two older teams have another one of those in the bag during the regular season.

The night the Boston Celtics gave up the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference

You want to tell yourself that this season is different for the Boston Celtics but after watching them lose for a third time in their last four games (all to inferior opponents) and you have to finally admit that it's 2009-10 all over again.

The New Jersey Nets (22-43) won their fifth game in a row, 88-79 at the Prudential Center. Boston (47-18) was held under 90 points for the third straight game and it really hurt them since their defense was up to the task.

It was another horrorshow in the second night of a back-to-back for the Celts, they seem destined to lose all of them at this point.

Brook Lopez led the Nets with 20 points while that skank Kim Kardashian's main squeeze Kris Humphries proved his worth with 16 points and 15 rebounds. How does one bounce from Reggie Bush to Humphries? Granted, I don't have the world's most famous butt. It's just funny that I had never noticed Humphries until I found him on my fantasy NBA waiver wire a few months back. I'm sure Kim discovered him in the same manner.

New Jersey's new point guard Deron Williams notched 16 points, nine assists, six rebounds and three steals, Anthony Morrow had 15 points and Travis Outlaw put up 12 points off the bench.

Boston received 19 points from Ray Allen and 18 points and eight rebounds from Kevin Garnett but Glen Davis (16 points, 14 rebounds off the bench) was the only other player to really show up. Rajon Rondo blindly ran into Humphries on a hard screen (easy Kim) and that didn't seem to help him in his recent slump as he was held to two points (1-for-10 shooting) and nine assists.

The weird thing is that the Celtics looked in control when the game started. They were up 23-14 after one quarter but the Nets cut it to 38-36 at halftime. New Jersey got it done in the third quarter (31-23) and Boston couldn't hit any shots in the fourth quarter (21-18 for the Nets).

Boston shot 41.2% to New Jersey's 39.7%. However, the Nets led by Williams (4) and Morrow (3) hit nine more 3-pointers (11-2) and eight more free throws (15-7). The Celtics actually grabbed five more rebounds (50-45) and dished out three more assists (22-19). New Jersey had three more blocks (6-3).

Big Baby looked great in his second game back from knee tendinitis. Hopefully Delonte West can have an impact too as he's set to return tomorrow night when the Celts host the Pacers.

Boston needs to not only win but get their offense back on track. They're tied now atop the Eastern Conference with the Bulls and the Heat are only two games back. There's only 17 more games left in the regular season so they all have meaning for homecourt. Thinking the Celts can get to the Finals again without homecourt throughout the playoffs is naive and not very realistic.

KG will punch you in the balls then a month later beat you on the scoreboard

I guess I've been hanging with Charlie Sheen too much lately (WINNING!) since I somehow forgot in my last Celtics blog post that the Suns had beaten them three out of the last four times they had played.

Oh well, last night was the same old Phoenix Suns that I remember as the Boston Celtics rolled them 115-103 in a chippy, weird game at the TD Garden.

It was Troy Murphy's debut for the Celts (44-15) but he only put up one point and two rebounds. Fear not though, Sasha Pavlovic is on the way!

Boston led by as many as 29 points in the third quarter before Phoenix (31-28) cut it to as few as eight points but that was as close as their bench could get them.

From their last meeting in late January (a Suns blowout), Kevin Garnett had some unsettled beef with Channing Frye. Don't ask me why since KG was the one that punched him in the balls and got tossed from that game. He might be old but if you get Garnett riled up like that and you're a marginal player, look out. He put up a game-high 28 points and eight rebounds, shooting 12 of 14 with three assists and two blocks.

Ray Allen had 19 points, Rajon Rondo put up 16 points and 15 assists with five rebounds and three steals. Paul Pierce scored 16 points with 13 rebounds and Nenad Krstic had 13 points as continues to prove his worth offensively.

Glen Davis had 14 points and eight rebounds off the bench but he left the game with a minute left after coming down awkwardly on his left knee following a dunk. Boston can't afford another injury, especially to their best bench player.

The Suns' starters were awful as only Grant Hill and Vince Carter scored in double figures (both had 11 points). Phoenix's performance can be summed up by Carter and Frye knocking heads in the third quarter (down 29) and both being out for the rest of the game. What a mess.

Phoenix's bench looked great and it makes you wonder why Suns coach Alvin Gentry doesn't play some of these young guys more. Aaron Brooks scored 17 points with seven assists, former BC star Jared Dudley put up 15 points while Marcin Gortat had 13 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks. Why in the world does Robin Lopez (6 points, 4 rebounds) start over Gortat? Mickael Pietrus added 11 points.

It'll be another track meet tomorrow night as the Celtics host the Golden State Warriors. Boston tore apart Golden State last week on their West Coast trip and it promises to be more of the same tomorrow night at home where they play particularly well.

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.

Bet the NBA wishes it had flex scheduling for TNT Thursdays

It's hard to remember a regular season marquee matchup on TNT that fell apart worse than last night's meeting between the Denver Nuggets and Boston Celtics from the Pepsi Center.

Denver had just traded franchise player Carmelo Anthony to the New York Knicks while Boston shipped five players away, most notably Kendrick Perkins and Nate Robinson.

So yeah, the fact that the Celts (41-15) dressed only nine players (including D-League callup Chris Johnson) meant this one was over before it began.

Boston actually led 75-73 midway through the fourth quarter but from there, the Nuggets (34-25) went on a 16-0 run to take it 89-75.

To call this game ugly would be an understatement on par with saying Chris Anderson and J.R. Smith enjoy the occasional tattoo.

Denver was led by Kenyon Martin's game-high 18 points and 10 rebounds. Haha K-Mart capped off the weird contest with a 3-pointer. New Nugget Wilson Chandler scored 16 points off the bench while Nene (12 points, 10 rebounds), Smith (12 points), Aaron Afflalo (13 points) and Ty Lawson (10 assists) all had decent showings.

For the Cs, Paul Pierce led the shorthanded squad with 17 points. Kevin Garnett had 14 points and 13 rebounds while Glen Davis (11 points) and Ray Allen (10 points) were also in double figures. The one positive to come out of this throwaway game was Delonte West (10 points) had a nice game off the bench.

The newest Celtics Jeff Green and Nenad Krstic will make their debuts tomorrow night in front of Bill Simmons as Boston visits the Los Angeles Clippers and Blake Griffin.

Bill Walton rules

First of all, I have to give props to Bill Walton last night. Taking over on the West Coast trip for Tommy Heinsohn, Walton was absolutely on fire for the entire game. Ripping players left and right, making fun of anything under the sun, it truly was a joy to listen to. I love Tommy and I'm sure Walton never wants to leave California but the Celts should find a way to incorporate him (for the playoffs?) more moving forward.

I've never drank Four Loko (my college experience sadly came a few years too early) but I imagine downing one of those is similar to watching the Golden State Warriors play basketball. One of my buddies from home has season tickets to the Warriors and at first I thought it was a waste of money since the NBA is seriously flawed. However, it would be a trip to see that team play a bunch of games. There's nothing like them: no shot is bad, no player is lacking for overconfidence, defense is non-existent.

It looked like the Celtics (41-14) might get run out of Oracle Arena but they recovered with a fine second half to take a 115-93 win over Golden State (26-30) in their first game after the All-Star break.

In any sport, a sign of a great team is that they can play any style and still beat you. Kevin Garnett (24 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists) and Rajon Rondo (19 points, 15 assists, 6 rebounds) especially seemed to pick it up against the layup line known as the Warriors.

Paul Pierce added 23 points and Ray Allen had 18 points while Glen Davis was nice off the bench with 12 points and 10 assists.

Besides the stud guards Stephen Curry (18 points) and Monta Ellis (15 points), Golden State now has some quality supporting players including David Lee (17 points) and Dorell Wright (19 points) who has become one of the NBA's best shooters out of nowhere.

Boston was up 31-30 after one quarter but it was tied at 60 going into halftime. The Cs won the third quarter (28-15) and the fourth was more of the same (27-15) as the team with the defensive identity showed up when it mattered.

The Celts shot 55.6% to 39.3% for the Warriors. Golden State made 14 more free throws (22-8) but Boston had 17 more rebounds (52-35) and assists (35-18). The Cs had a season-high 30 fastbreak points and 54 points in the paint. What a wacky game. You mentally prepare yourselves for a Warriors game but you can never imagine just how insane they play.

The only bad news for the Celtics was that Kendrick Perkins hurt his left knee although it didn't look too serious. He's questionable for tomorrow night's game in Denver against the Carmelo Anthony-less Nuggets.

The Boston Celtics still own the Miami Cavaliers

There will absolutely never be a better time for LeBron James and the Miami Heat to knock off the Boston Celtics than yesterday afternoon.

The Celts are losing players seemingly daily and are just trying to hang on (one more game) until the All-Star break next weekend.

It was very ugly but Boston (39-14) came through with perhaps its biggest victory of the regular season over Miami (39-15), 85-82.

With the win, the Cs moved to 3-0 against the Heat this season. Boston vaulted ahead of Miami to the top of the Eastern Conference and these teams will only meet one more time (April 10 in South Beach) in the regular season. Gee, do you think they'll play each other in the playoffs?

Rajon Rondo led the Celts with 11 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds while Kevin Garnett had 19 points. Kendrick Perkins notched 15 points and Ray Allen had 13 points.

With only two players that played significant minutes off the bench, Glen Davis (16 points) and Von Wafer (10 points) showed up in a big spot.

Chris Bosh paced the Heat with 24 points and 10 rebounds, LeBron added 22 points, seven rebounds and seven assists while Dwyane Wade was held to 16 points.

Miami led 20-15 after the first quarter and 43-39 at the half as it looked like injuries and old legs would be an easy out for a poor performance.

However, Boston played outstanding in the third quarter (35-18) which enabled them to hold on for a rocky fourth (21-11 Miami).

LeBron had a chance to tie it with two free throws with 12 seconds left but he bricked the first one and made the second. Finally, Mike Miller (who is a great shooter) had a wide-open look on a 3-pointer but he missed it as time ran out.

Paul Pierce was 0-for-10 and only had one point but an MRI on his left foot today was negative, meaning he'll play on Wednesday when the Celtics host the New Jersey Nets. Delonte West is expected to return and hopefully, Boston can hold the fort before the Big Four and Doc Rivers head to LA for the All-Star festivities.

There is absolutely no reason to fear the Orlando Magic

Boston Celtics head coach Doc Rivers and his team have crafted the perfect way to shutdown the Orlando Magic: let Dwight Howard have a big day and try to make the rest of their one-dimensional players beat you.

That was the story yesterday afternoon as the Celts (38-12) won one of their most impressive games of the season, 91-80 over the Magic (32-20) at the TD Garden.

Howard had a game-high 28 points and 13 rebounds but the Cs held him to six second-half points. Even more pathetic or funny (depending on your allegiances) was the fact that Orlando went 3-for-24 as a team on 3-pointers.

Obviously, they are a great 3-point shooting team and that number is a season-low and an anomaly but it shows how they only know one way to win: dump it into Howard and if that doesn't work, bomb threes.

The Magic have a bunch of decent role players but nobody that can take over if Howard ever struggles. Ryan Anderson had 12 points and seven rebounds while Jason Richardson and Jameer Nelson scored 10 points apiece.

One of the most scary incidents I can remember in all the years I've watched the Celtics occurred early in the second quarter as swingman Marquis Daniels went down with a neck injury. He wasn't moving and was transported to New England Baptist Hospital. He has had neck issues in the past so it was a very serious issue and somber scene.

Credit to Boston for being able to rally from that emotionally taxing moment. Rajon Rondo was the star as he repeatedly drove to the hoop for a team-high 26 points and seven assists.

Paul Pierce added 18 points, Kevin Garnett scored 16 points and Ray Allen had 11 (he needs three more 3-pointers to tie Reggie Miller's all-time NBA record). Kendrick Perkins did his best Ben Wallace impression with 0 points and 13 rebounds while Glen Davis had 11 points and six rebounds off the bench.

Orlando got out to a 22-17 lead in the first quarter as Boston started off very slow in the Super Bowl matinee. The Celts took a 46-43 lead and never looked back from there. They took the defensive second half, 24-18 in the third and 21-19 in the fourth.

For the game, the Cs shot 47.6% to the Magic's 34.4%. The Celtics made 15 more free throws (28-13) while Orlando pulled down five more rebounds (46-41). Boston had eight more assists (21-13) and three more blocks (4-1).

As I always say with this team, back-to-backs are never easy, no matter who they face. Still, the Celtics completely own the Charlotte Bobcats (11 of their last 12) and even though the game is in North Carolina tonight, they should win.

Remember when the Sacramento Kings were one of the NBA's model franchises?

It seems like only yesterday that the Sacramento Kings played one of the NBA's most exciting styles of basketball and the Maloof brothers were loving life. Haha, I think one of them even dated Britney Spears for a second before she got prego and crazy.

For much of the last decade though, the Kings have been an afterthought. Since they're in one of the NBA's worst markets, it makes sense that once the product went downhill so did the profits.

The Boston Celtics toyed with the Kings last night in Sacramento but ultimately pulled out a 95-90 win which gave them a satisfactory 3-1 West Coast trip.

Sacramento (12-34) is still awful but at least now they have two potential franchise players: Tyreke Evans (20 points) and DeMarcus Cousins (20 points).

The Celts (37-11) are a much better TEAM and this was the typical game against a young team where they look good for the first two or three quarters and then they self-destruct in winning time.

Ray Allen led Boston with 22 points (he's having his best season yet with the Green, dude is ageless), Rajon Rondo had 17 points, 10 assists and four steals, Paul Pierce scored 15 and Kevin Garnett added 12 points and seven rebounds.

Off the bench for the Cs, Glen Davis (14 points), Kendrick Perkins (8 points, 10 rebounds)-who will be starting any day now-and Nate Robinson (5 steals) stood out.

Donte Greene had 15 points off the bench for the Kings and Beno Udrih added 12 points. Evans and Cousins are both intriguing prospects. Evans is a great athlete and so big but he can't really shoot. Cousins has all the ability in the world but he seems like he doesn't work hard at all and doesn't want to play in the post.

Boston led 27-20 after the first quarter and it looked like it would be a laugher. Of course, the Kings followed that with what had to be one of the their best quarters of the season (34-18) to take a 54-45 halftime lead. The Celts flexed their muscles in the third quarter (29-17) and held on in the fourth (21-19). With that, they earned another night in Sacramento since we're getting more Snowpocalypse in New England.

Things will heat up whenever they get home since the Celtics host the Dallas Mavericks on Friday and the Orlando Magic on Sunday. Should be two great games.

Perk returns as the Celtics eviscerate hapless Cavaliers

As long as they took care of business last night at home against the Cleveland Cavaliers (a nightmare of a team that had lost 17 in a row), the Boston Celtics would be able to punch in and check out on time in one of the most pointless contests of the regular season.

However, this largely meaningless exhibition took on plenty of meaning as right before game-time Twitter blew up with the surprise announcement that Celtics center Kendrick Perkins would return to the TD Garden parquet.

Riding the wave of emotion and momentum with their true center back, the Celts (34-10) rolled to an easy 112-95 win over Cleveland (8-37).

Semih Erden (8 rebounds) started but a few minutes into the game, Celtics head coach Doc Rivers put in Perk and he rightfully received a standing ovation. He only played 17 minutes but Perkins put up a respectable seven points, six rebounds and three assists.

Everybody knows that Perk's game is about defense, toughness and presence inside, things that usually don't pop out on a box score or in stat sheets. One of the great unknowns in Boston sports from the last decade is whether the Celtics would have won Game 6 in last season's NBA Finals or Game 7 with a healthy Perk.

Whatever the case, it was great to see him back and contributing. It was the first time this season that Boston's starting five was intact and it was thanks to Kendrick's remarkable rehabilitation from a torn ACL.

Other than Rajon Rondo (11 points, 10 assists, 4 assists), the rest of the Celtics veterans got to sit for much of the second half. Paul Pierce scored 24 points, Ray Allen added 18 points and Kevin Garnett had 10 points.

The cumulative effect of having a healthy starting five was that Boston's bench suddenly looks much more versatile and deep (funny how that works). Nate Robinson and Glen Davis both scored 11 points while Von Wafer had 10 points and Luke Harangody notched eight points.

Marquis Daniels was out due to a family emergency but he's expected back tomorrow night.

I would never say this but you almost have to feel bad for the Cavaliers. Yes, LeBron had the right to leave their miserable city but he really left the franchise in a bad place that will be tough to crawl out of for years.

A guy named Christian Eyenga (that I'd never heard of) led Cleveland with 15 points. Ramon Sessions added 14 points and seven assists, J.J. Hickson had 12 points and 17 rebounds while Antawn Jamison put up 11 points.

Manny Harris scored 14 points off the bench for the Cavs while Joey Graham and Samardo Samuels each had 10 points.

The Celtics depart for a tricky four-game West Coast trip beginning tomorrow night at Portland. After that they go to Phoenix on Friday, face the Lakers for the first time since the Finals on Sunday then end it in Sacramento on Tuesday. 3-1 is my hope but 2-2 is definitely possible.

John Stockton and his short shorts must be rolling over in his grave

More so than any other professional sport, the NBA is prone to having teams basically no-show on the second end of back-to-back games or at the finish of a long road trip.

This was definitely the case last night as the anticipated battle between Deron Williams (5 points, 6 assists, 4 fouls) and Rajon Rondo (4 points, 12 assists, 5 rebounds) never materialized and consequently neither did the game really as Boston rolled over Utah 110-86 at the TD Garden.

The sad part about it is the Jazz (27-16) are a very good team but the Celtics (33-9) will only get one more shot at them in the regular season. Unfortunate.

Boston won its fifth in a row thanks to some balanced scoring. Kevin Garnett had a game-high 21 points and Paul Pierce scored 20. Glen Davis (15 points, 7 rebounds) and Semih Erden (career-high 14 points, 7 rebounds) were great off the bench and Ray Allen scored 11 points.

The only bad news for the Cs was that Shaquille O'Neal got hurt in the first quarter (hip) and didn't return. He's expected to miss the next few games.

Overall, Boston's bench was spectacular, scoring what has to be a season-high with 52 points and giving the starters plenty of rest. Marquis Daniels and Nate Robinson scored eight points apiece and Von Wafer had seven points.

For Utah, Earl Watson (12 points) was their high-scorer so that's pretty much all you need to know about the game. Williams was in foul trouble immediately with three in the first half and as a result, his team basically laid down and died without him.

Andrei Kirilenko (sporting a new Eurotrash 'do, no more flat top) had 11 points and Paul Millsap added 11 points. Babyface Gordon Heyward-who should have stayed at Butler-scored 11 off the bench.

Boston led 30-19 after one quarter and 59-41 at halftime. The Celts won each quarter: closing it out in the third (26-22) and the fourth (25-23).

For the game, the Cs shot 55.2% to 40.0% for the Jazz. Boston had five more 3-pointers (9-4) and made one more free throw (27-26). Rebounds were even at 34 but thanks to Rondo, Boston had 12 more assists (31-19). The Celts also made nine more steals (15-6) while Utah had one more block (6-5). The Jazz had five more turnovers (21-16), fast break points were even (17-17) and Boston had 12 more points in the paint (44-32).

The Celts travel to Washington DC tonight to take on the Wizards. With rookie point guard John Wall, Washington is decent at home. Still even in a back-to-back, this is a game Boston should always win.