Help Us Jarvis Varnado, You're Our Only Hope

With Chris Wilcox (thumb) being out for possibly up to a month of action, the Celtics had to make a move to bolster their thin frontcourt. Tonight, they have agreed to sign NBA D-League forward Jarvis Varnado of the Sioux Falls Skyforce.

Before you laugh, I can assure you that Varnado is actually a pretty good player. He was the NCAA's all-time leading shot blocker at Mississippi State that was drafted by Miami in 2010 (2nd round, 11th pick). Of course, there has to be a reason that he was in the D-League. Unless you are a superhuman athlete-Serge Ibaka, Dwight Howard, etc-it's hard to make much of an impact in the NBA when your primary skill is blocking shots.

At Sioux Falls this season, the 6-foot-9 Varnado was averaging 14 points, 10 rebounds and 3.9 blocks in 10 games. The interesting part about this move is that Celtics rookie center Fab Melo just put up a triple-double on Saturday night with the Maine Red Claws (15 points, 16 rebounds and a D-League record 14 blocks). Apparently, the Celtics don't want to rush Melo who is still extremely raw.

At 24-years-old and with a couple professional seasons (he played in Italy and Israel) under his belt, Varnado is the safer bet for the time being. There is no need to put too much pressure on Melo just yet. If you're looking for a good sign with Varnado, Greg Stiemsma played for Sioux Falls and then made the Celtics out of training camp last season. He parlayed that into a decent rookie season and earned a deal with the Timberwolves.

Nobody is expecting Varnado to be the presence that Stiemsma was from day one but I will say that his resume is more impressive than Greg's so he definitely has the ability. At this point, the Celts could use any type of energy they can get. Avery Bradley has said he thinks he'll make his season debut on January 2 but I read something today that Doc Rivers admitted Bradly could play on Christmas in Brooklyn. We shall see.

Because I'm a college hoops junkie, here's a little Christmas treat for you:

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Bass's Career Night Carries Celtics To One Game Away From Eastern Conference Finals

If you asked me to pick the Celtic that would basically save their season in the playoffs, the odds are that Brandon Bass would never come up in my first four choices.

However, shame on me since Bass was the player that woke Boston up after a quiet first half tonight against the Sixers. He scored a career-high 27 points, including 18 in the decisive third quarter, as the C's beat the Sixers 101-85 in the pivotal Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals at TD Garden.

Bass is the only player from either team to score in double-figures every game so far in this series but nobody could have seen this explosion coming. He even had three dunks in the third quarter, something he very rarely does.

The Big 3 improved to 8-0 in Game 5s when Boston has been tied 2-2 heading into it and they also moved to 5-1 this postseason on their home court. Most importantly, they erased the bitter taste of Game 4's choke and moved one win away from another trip in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Philadelphia controlled play for the first two quarters as they led 27-23 after one and 50-47 at halftime. Honestly, the Celts were lucky to only be down by three points since the 76ers were making seemingly every shot and Boston wasn't playing with any sense of urgency. Philly was up by six early in the third quarter before the Celtics woke up with a 14-2 run. They closed the frame on a 10-2 spurt as Bass outscored the Sixers by himself (18-16).

There would be no epic collapse by the C's tonight as they wrapped it up with a strong fourth (26-19) thanks to some rock solid defense. It also helped that Boston lived at the free throw line (26 for 33) compared to Philadelphia (10 for 16), a typical NBA byproduct of being in front of the home fans. The Sixers unraveled in the second half as it felt like they turned it over on nearly every possession. Philly's 15 turnovers led to 18 points for Boston.

Bass also had six rebounds while Kevin Garnett (20 points, 6 rebounds), Rajon Rondo (13 points, 14 assists) and Paul Pierce (16 points) all played their parts. Greg Stiemsma made the most of his minutes with 10 points and three blocks off the bench. Avery Bradley missed the game due to his shoulder injuries (plural) so Ray Allen started for him but only had five points in 33 minutes. If Bradley is out longer, the C's have to find a way to get Allen more involved in the offense.

Elton Brand had by far his best game of the series with a team-high 19 points. He picked a bad time to play like that since most of his teammates were no-shows. Lavoy Allen was the next highest scorer with 12 points off the bench. If Doug Collins is set on Brand in the starting lineup (which was rewarded tonight), maybe he should consider starting Allen over Spencer Hawes (10 points) who has been awful. Evan Turner had 11 points and 10 rebounds while Jrue Holiday scored 10 points with seven assists. Andre Iguodala was held to eight points in the loss.

We all know how much the Celtics like to make things difficult on themselves so I'm expecting them to play worse in Game 6 on Wednesday (8 p.m., TNT) in Philadelphia. Plus, the Sixers will get the benefit of the calls. Still, it would behoove the C's to wrap it up since the Western Conference Finals are set (Spurs vs. Thunder) and they need to close out Philly. No reason to give them any hope and prolong this series even further when it should already be over.

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Celtics Lose 83-74 In Game 1; Same Old Rajon Rondo Gets Ejected & Likely Suspended

There is no other way to describe Game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinal series between the Celtics and Hawks: frustrating. Atlanta won 83-74 at Philips Arena but this being the NBA, an ejection overshadowed the actual play on the court.

Boston played terrible for most of the night; they were down 17 in the first quarter (29-12) and seemingly double-digits the entire game yet they cut it to four (78-74) with one minute left. That's when all hell broke loose. The C's were absolutely jobbed on what should have been a jump ball but instead was a foul call on Brandon Bass (8 points). Rajon Rondo (20 points, 11 assists, 4 steals) became so mad that he "accidentally" bumped into referee Marc Davis.

Rondo was ejected, the Hawks made some free throws and that was it. Except the fallout from another selfish and completely stupid act by Rondo putting himself ahead of the team will likely cost him Game 2 as well. The Celtics can't play any worse than tonight (offensively at least) but getting a win will be extra difficult if Rondo gets suspended for a game like everybody expects. I guess he didn't realize that he's Boston's best and most indispensable player.

Josh Smith (22 points, 18 rebounds) was a force for the Hawks while Jeff Teague (15 points) and Kirk Hinrich (12 points) played their roles to perfection. The scary part for Boston fans is that Joe Johnson (11 points) shot 3 for 15 from the floor including 0 for 9 on 3-pointers. There is no way he'll have another clunker like that.

Ray Allen was really missed by Boston, look no further than their 3-pointer numbers (0 for 11) to see how much of a difference he might have made. Paul Pierce (12 points, 6 assists) played but he might as well have not suited up since he was a detriment, going 5 for 19 from the floor. Luckily, the Celts never seemed to realize that he was ice cold. Old habits I guess. Kevin Garnett shook off a slow start of his own to get 20 points and 12 rebounds. Avery Bradley (10 points, 4 of 12 shooting) looked like a guy starting for the first time in an NBA playoff game. He wasn't a factor on defense either.

Greg Stiemsma had nine rebounds in 19 minutes but Atlanta's bench outscored Boston's 17-4. That number, coupled with the disparity in 3-pointers made (7-0) and rebounds (50-41) in the Hawks' favor were why they triumphed in front of their clueless "fans."

To say this was an ugly game would be doing a disservice to the world ugly. It was putrid, on both sides. Atlanta was up 31-18 after one quarter and 49-35 at halftime before they decided to make it close by turning it over non-stop. Boston rallied a bit in the third (18-16) and fourth (21-18) but their terrible start proved to be their main undoing.

With or without Rondo, in Game 2 (Tuesday, 7:30 p.m., CSNE), the Celtics need two things: more offense and they can't fall behind so early by so much. Their defense was not an issue at all. I'm not calling it a must-win but coming back to Boston tied 1-1 would look a hell of a lot better than down 0-2.

UPDATE 4/30: Rondo was suspended for Game 2. Nice going Rajon.

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The Boston Celtics' Future Doesn't Look So Grim After All

As I predicted late last night, Celtics head coach Doc Rivers mercifully gave his aging Big 3 the night off tonight and yet Boston was still able to win.

The Celts (36-25, 15-16 away) completed their back-to-back-to-back 2-1 this weekend with a 94-82 win vs. the Charlotte Bobcats (7-52, 4-24 home) 94-82 at Time Warner Cable Arena.

Most Celtics fans are scared to death of the great unknown that is life after KG, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen either retire or move on. Well a future with Rajon Rondo (20 points, 16 assists), Avery Bradley (22 points), Brandon Bass (22 points, 9 rebounds) and Greg Stiemsma (8 points, 6 blocks, 5 steals, 4 rebounds) doesn't look so bad, does it?

Without his usual crew, Rondo took more of a leadership role (yes I said that) and he did a nice job as he recorded double-digit assists for the 22nd straight game.

The Bobcats are winding down what will statistically end up as one of the worst in NBA history regardless of season length. Gerald Henderson led Charlotte with 22 points, Derrick Brown had 15 points and seven rebounds, D.J. White scored 13 points and D.J. Augustin handed out 10 assists.

Boston swept the season series 3-0 and best of all, they only have five games left in the regular season. After the NHL playoffs started last week, these NBA games just don't have the same pop (not that Celtics-Bobcats ever makes you take notice). The NBA playoffs start two weeks from yesterday, with Boston's final regular season game a week from Thursday. Those can't come soon enough as far as any NBA fan is concerned.

The Green and White close out this bizarre four-game road trip on Tuesday night (8:00 p.m., CSNE) at Madison Square Garden against the Knicks. Any game there is always special but the Celtics and Knicks have developed a nice, albeit one-sided rivalry, the last few seasons. Boston is 2-1 against their Atlantic Division foe.

Garnett and Pierce will be back, I'm not sure about Allen but it doesn't get much better than Boston vs. New York in any sport. Am I right rest of the America? (ducks)

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Celtics Decide To Show Up, Thereby Automatically Beating The Nets

The Celtics might occasionally fall on their face but I can guarantee that they won't do it twice in a row against inferior opponents because they have too much pride for that.

Boston (35-25, 14-16 away) put the loss in Toronto last night quickly behind them and they were able to get the job done this evening against the New Jersey Nets (22-39, 9-21 home).

The Celtics won 94-82 at the Prudential Center (the one in ghetto Newark, not downtown Boston) in the middle game of their back-to-back-to-back insanity weekend. They also swept the season series with the Nets (3-0).

I'm not sure what happened to these guys against the Raptors but at least they recovered tonight. It just gives me more reason to blindly hate Canada I guess. Kevin Garnett had 21 points and 12 rebounds, Brandon Bass had 18 points and 11 rebounds and Avery Bradley scored 18 (3 of 4 on 3-pointers!). Rajon Rondo reached double-digit assists (15) for the 21st straight game (it feels like that streak will last for the rest of his career) and Paul Pierce had 17 points.

Greg Stiemsma was the only guy off Boston's bench that really did anything: six points, nine rebounds, two blocks.

This was the final meeting between these teams in the Dirty Jerz since the Nets are moving to Brooklyn, NY (Where Brooklyn At?!) next season. Former Celtic Gerald Green led New Jersey with 15 points off the bench. If you have a minute, read up on his incredible journey just to make it back to the NBA this year. It's amazing and it is fun to have him around again. Former Providence College star MarShon Brooks added 13 points for the Nets while Deron Williams (12 points, 14 assists) and Jordan Williams-no relation-(12 points, 14 rebounds) both put up double-doubles.

This tour of the 2012 NBA Draft Lottery teams concludes tomorrow night in Charlotte (6 p.m., CSNE) as they get their final look at the worst team in the NBA: the Bobcats (7-51). I wouldn't blame Doc Rivers if he wants to sit the starters more than usual since they'll be exhausted; I really think that the bench could at least hold their own against Charlotte, they are that bad. The Celtics have already beaten the Bobcats twice, time to make it three.

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Everyone Should Be Back On Board The Celtics Bandwagon By Now

No matter what happens the rest of this season, I think we can all safely say that tonight's Celtics-Hawks game was the craziest one that we'll see all year.

Boston (34-24, 21-9 home) won the second night of a back-to-back, 88-86 in overtime over Atlanta (34-24, 15-16 away) at TD Garden.

With the victory, the Celtics improved to 19-7 since the All-Star break while they also leapfrogged the Hawks and Magic for the inside track of the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference.

Rajon Rondo (10 points, 10 rebounds, 20 assists) notched his sixth triple-double of the season (nobody else in the NBA has more than one) and 13th of his career in the regular season which tied recently retired Antoine Walker for second in franchise history behind some guy named Larry Bird (59). He also put up double-digit assists for the 19th straight game, the longest streak since John Stockton's 29 in 1992.

After picking up its biggest win of the season-so far-last night in Miami, the C's didn't have much left in the tank tonight but they still fought through that and came out on top. Despite the fact that Kevin Garnett (22 points, 12 points, 3 steals) and Greg Stiemsma (6 points, 8 rebounds) both fouled out in the extra session on bogus calls, the Green and White found a way to capture its ninth win in its last 11 contests.

I haven't even mentioned that Ray Allen didn't play (resting his ankle) and Mickael Pietrus (8 points, 6 rebounds) made his unexpected return. Brandon Bass had a monster game with 21 points and 10 rebounds. It was a scary few minutes in overtime when it looked like he went down with a serious knee injury but thankfully he bounced up and stayed on the court. Paul Pierce had 14 points but he looked the most tired with 6 for 19 shooting, including 1 of 8 on 3-pointers.

After getting punked last time in Atlanta, young point guard Jeff Teague (21 points, 6 assists) played well for the Hawks. Josh Smith (20 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists) was his typical self: making great plays on one end then head-scratching decisions on the next possession (6 turnovers, technical foul). Joe Johnson 14 points (5 for 17 shooting) was held in check by Avery Bradley (7 points) and goofball Zaza Pachulia notched 13 points and seven rebounds.

Boston was +17 in rebounds (56-39) and +9 on offensive boards (15-6) which both have to be season-highs. Rondo single-handily equaled Atlanta's assist output and his teammates accumulated eight assists as well.

I never mentioned the foul disparity, I'm not related to Tommy Heinsohn, but trust me when I tell you that the three clowns working tonight will not be needed in the playoffs. That's for sure. Boston survived getting called for eight more fouls (24-16).

However they choose to do it, the Celts need some rest in the next 24 hours in the worst possible way. Their one and only back-to-back-to-back is this weekend with visits to Toronto on Friday, New Jersey on Saturday and Charlotte on Sunday. If you drew up a three games in three nights scenario where a team could go 3-0, some combination of those three Lottery-bound squads would be it. I'm not saying Boston will go 3-0 but it wouldn't surprise me at all.

This team is on fire and it's been so much fun to watch. The C's have some extra incentive North of the border since the Raptors beat them 86-74 on February 10, easily one of the low points of the season.

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After Winning In Miami, The Celtics Are Absolutely A Contender In The Eastern Conference

For the second time in nine days, the Boston Celtics beat the Miami Heat in convincing fashion.

What made tonight even better was that the Celts (33-24, 13-15 away) went down to American Airlines Arena-where the Heat (40-16) were 24-3-and topped them 115-107.

It's one thing to blow out a team on your home court (91-72 on April Fool's Day at TD Garden), a common occurrence in the NBA, but it's another to pick up your biggest win of the season on the road against a true NBA Finals contender and a team that lost in the Finals last season. Boston has won eight of its last 10 games and sports a 4-2 mark after an insanely difficult stretch of games.

For whatever reason, these teams appear to be going in opposite directions with the playoffs just a few weeks away. Boston is 18-7 since the All-Star break while Miami is 13-9 in that same time period. I can't explain why (maybe cause it's truly their last title push?) but Kevin Garnett (24 points, 9 rebounds) and Paul Pierce (27 points, 7 rebounds) have been particularly sharp during that run.

It also helps that Rajon Rondo (18 points, 15 assists) is racking up the assists. He reached double-figures in assists for the 18th straight game. Hell, he's even taking and making numerous jump shots now. Brandon Bass had the other double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds while Avery Bradley scored 11.

Only three guys played off the Celtics bench but they still combined to outscore Miami's five substitutes 23-16. Ray Allen had nine points, Greg Stiemsma put up eight points and seven rebounds while Sasha Pavlovic added six points.

LeBron James (36 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists) was a beast for the Heat but Dwyane Wade (20 points) wasn't himself and Chris Bosh (13 points, 9 rebounds) continues to disappear against KG and/or in a meaningful contest. Mario Chalmers scored 18 points for Miami, who led by six early in the first quarter but were forced to play from behind the rest of the way.

The numbers in the box score tell the whole story: Boston shot 60.6% from the floor, 64.3% (9 of 14) on 3-pointers and 80% (20/25) from the free throw line. You'll never lose with a complete shooting performance like that. We all know that the Celtics can hit shots but they also pulled down six more rebounds than the Heat (40-34) and dished out four more assists (23-19).

Really the whole key to the game was that the C's got off to a hot start, leading 33-22 after the first quarter. However, unlike earlier in the season, they didn't let it get away. Sure, the Heat made the NBA-sanctioned comeback but every time it looked like Miami would take control, the Celts would hit a big shot or make a play. It was uncanny.

Boston was up by as much as 18 points in the second quarter before Miami cut it to 65-57 at halftime thanks to a LeBron 3-pointer at the buzzer. Still, it was the most points the Heat had given up in a first half all season. The two teams mirrored each other with 24 points in third quarter and 26 in the fourth quarter.

Miami will get one more chance to prove that Boston isn't in their heads (Celts lead the season series 2-1) as they face the Celtics in the penultimate regular season game on April 24 at the Garden. Until then, I will say that the Celts should have nothing to fear if they meet the Heat in the playoffs; they look like a better all-around team at the moment.

There's no time to celebrate this victory though as the C's are back at the Garden tomorrow night to face the Atlanta Hawks. Boston won 79-76 on March 19 in an ugly but satisfying win in Atlanta.

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Celtics Pick Up Nice Road Win In Indiana

After close losses to the Spurs and Bulls in consecutive games, it was nice to see the Boston Celtics put together a more complete effort tonight.

Boston (31-24, 12-15 away) picked up a quality road win against Indiana (34-22, 18-8 home) as they beat the Indiana Pacers 86-72 tonight at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

After losing the first two games to the Pacers this season, the Celts rallied to take the last two which has to give them some confidence.

With the victory, the C's simultaneously gained a game on the the team ahead of them-the Pacers who are No. 3 in the Eastern Conference, up 1.5 games-and a game on the Sixers, who lost to Orlando. Philly is now two games back of Boston for the Atlantic Division lead and those teams play tomorrow night at TD Garden.

Paul Pierce led Boston with a game-high 24 points, Kevin Garnett added 15 points and seven rebounds while Rajon Rondo had 12 assists (his 16th straight game with 10+ assists). The Celts have solved their bench scoring woes by starting Avery Bradley and bringing Ray Allen (19 points, 6 rebounds, 4 steals) in as a substitute. Greg Stiemsma also had a nice performance with 10 points, nine rebounds and five blocks.

Danny Granger had 20 points, David West scored 16 and Darren Collison notched 13 but they were the only Pacers in double-figures. Roy Hibbert had 17 rebounds in the loss.

Boston won because they had an insane 16 more assists (27-11), shot 7% better from the floor (42.1-35.1) and made four more steals (8-4).

I'm proud to report that for the first time in my life I have a ticket behind the Celtics' bench tomorrow night so I will do my best to make sure they won't lose to the Sixers. Philadelphia has beaten them both times they've played (each in Philly), including most recently 99-86 on March 23-the game that Mickael Pietrus got seriously hurt in. A win tomorrow would really put some distance between the Celtics and Sixers with only 10 games remaining after it is over.

It will be Boston's fourth game in five days so I am sure they will be completely gassed but at least the Sixers played at the same time tonight and had to fly to Boston as well.

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Sorry Kevin Love, Kevin Garnett Still Runs Minnesota

The Celtics are 14-5 since the All-Star break and in sole possession of first place in the Atlantic Division for the first time this season. Rajon Rondo recorded 10+ assists for the 12th straight game (a team record).

Those are the three most notable highlights from Boston's (29-22, 11-14 away) 100-79 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves (25-28, 13-13 home) this evening at the Target Center.

Ray Allen missed his fifth game in a row but the Celtics still managed to win their fourth straight and sixth out of their last seven games.

Since this was in his former home, it was only right that Kevin Garnett (24 points, 10 rebounds) was the best player on either team. I'm not sure what he did over the All-Star break but he appears to have found an anti-aging formula since he's playing some great basketball, it's the best he's looked in years.

Paul Pierce added 21 points, Rondo notched 17 assists, six rebounds and three steals (with two turnovers), Avery Bradley scored 17 and Brandon Bass had 12 points. Keyon Dooling (8 points, 3 assists) and Greg Stiemsma (8 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks) are the two bench players that are taking the most advantage of their increased minutes.

Minnesota is Kevin Love's (22 points, 11 rebounds) team and although he's been playing out of his mind this season, especially lately, suggestions that he could win an MVP award are absurd since the Timberwolves are under .500 and unlikely to make the playoffs.

Without Ricky Rubio (lost to an ACL tear), Love doesn't have enough help. Luke Ridnour had 15 points and eight assists. Rookie Derrick Williams put up 14 points and seven rebounds. No other Timberwolf scored in double figures.

This was one that Minnesota really needed to keep their fading playoff hopes alive but the funny thing is that the Celtics basically never gave them a chance. Boston was up 31-20 after one quarter and 56-45 at halftime. The Green took a 79-67 lead into the fourth and although the Timberwolves cut it to 10, the C's never were truly threatened.

Boston had one of its best defensive performances as they shot 14.2% better than Minnesota (48.9%-34.7%). Nearly doubling up the Timberwolves in assists (29-15) helped the Celts overcome 13 more made free throws (21-8). The Celtics had four more steals (9-5) while the Timberwolves committed a whopping 11 more turnovers (20-9). That helped Boston lead 16-3 in points off turnovers plus they had 10 more points in the paint (46-36).

This next week is arguably the toughest of the season for the Celtics in terms of opponents: they face Miami, San Antonio, Chicago and Indiana over seven days. April looks very tough as Boston starts out with seven playoff teams in a row. The good news is that their back-to-back couldn't be any easier: at Raptors, at Nets and at Bobcats.

The Heat come to TD Garden on Sunday afternoon and if it feels like they haven't played the Celtics in months, it's true. Their only meeting was the second game of the season, a 115-107 win by the Heat in Miami. Boston needs to prove they can beat a team the caliber of the Heat on a consistent basis. I'm excited since I'm going and it's my first Celtics game of the season. I haven't seen them play the Heat since Miami signed LeBron James and Chris Bosh so it should be a fun atmosphere (3:30 game on ABC, national audience).

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Who Needs Ray Allen When You've Got Avery Bradley?

You have to love the Washington Wizards. The Boston Celtics came off a grueling road trip (4-4), missing both Ray Allen (ankle) and Mickael Pietrus (head) so they had plenty of excuses to struggle tonight back at home.

Yet the Celts (26-22, 17-8 home) were able to notch a pretty easy 88-76 win vs. the Wizards (11-37, 5-19 away) at TD Garden (their first game there in over two weeks).

It gave Boston a season sweep (4-0) against Washington and it was mostly thanks to Avery Bradley's career-high 23 points. He started in Allen's place (probably the first time in years that he's been a shooting guard) and he played great. I've been a Bradley critic from Day 1 but I can admit that he is getting better. He'll always have a role based on his outstanding defensive prowess but his offensive game is slowly coming along too.

Paul Pierce added 21 points and eight rebounds, Brandon Bass had 11 points and seven rebounds, Kevin Garnett scored 10 points and had six assists while Rajon Rondo dished out 11 assists. Greg Stiemsma had 10 points and seven rebounds off the bench.

Jordan Crawford led the Wizards with 20 points. Kevin Seraphin had 15 points and 11 rebounds, John Wall had 12 points and nine assists while Chris Singleton scored 11. Jan Vesely had 11 points and six rebounds off the bench.

Washington is a complete joke and as such, I can't waste anymore of my life right now bothering to write about them. Luckily for the C's, they face a similarly pathetic franchise tomorrow night: the Bobcats, in Charlotte. Boston beat Charlotte 94-84 on February 7 at the Garden. The only reason anyone remembers that game is because it's the one that Pierce became the second leading scorer in Celtics franchise history.

Yes it's a back-to-back and Allen is out again but the C's will be looking for the fourth win in their last five games against the NBA's worst team (7-39). Don't worry, if you miss tomorrow night, they play the Bobcats again on April 15.

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Bucks' 6-Game Win Streak Is Snapped By The Celtics

I bet nobody outside of Wisconsin knew that entering tonight, the Milwaukee Bucks had the longest current win streak in the NBA.

That is history now as the Boston Celtics (25-21, 9-13 road) went into the Bradley Center and beat the Bucks (21-25, 11-10 home) 100-91. The loss ended Milwaukee's six-game win streak while also improving Boston's road trip to 4-3.

The C's improved to 2-0 against the Bucks this season, they meet one more time-April 26 for the regular season finale-in Boston.

It was a true team win for the Celts as five guys scored in double figures not to mention some key contributions off the bench from Keyon Dooling (8 points) and Greg Stiemsma (6 points, 5 blocks, 4 rebounds, 4 steals, 3 assists) in front of his hometown fans.

Paul Pierce had a game-high 25 points and nine rebounds. Three Celtics had double-doubles: Kevin Garnett (16 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists), Brandon Bass (12 points, 10 rebounds) and Rajon Rondo (10 points, 14 assists, 3 steals).

Brandon Jennings led the Bucks with 19 points. Carlos Delfino had 16 points and eight rebounds. Ersan Ilyasova added 12 points and 14 rebounds. Monta Ellis had 13 points and seven assists while Mike Dunleavy scored 11 off the bench.

I included the picture up above since Ryan Hollins is the newest Celtic. Boston will be his fifth team in only seven seasons. Still, he's 7-feet-tall, he can run the floor and block shots. However, he can't rebound at all which doesn't really address one of Boston's biggest issues. He's expected to be in uniform tomorrow night in Philadelphia as the Celtics wrap up their insane eight-game trip against the 76ers.

Philadelphia is only a half game ahead of Boston while the Celts have a game in hand. If the C's can win tomorrow, not only does it make the trip very successful (5-3) but it vaults them from No. 7 in the Eastern Conference to No. 4 since they would lead the Atlantic Division.

The two teams have only met once so far this season, a 103-71 shellacking handed out by the Sixers on March 7 at the Wells Fargo Center. The C's have to be completely exhausted but with only one more game against the Sixers after tomorrow, this will be one of the most important contests of the regular season.

UPDATE 3/23: The Celtics waived Chris Wilcox to make room for Hollins, who will likely make his debut tonight for the Green in Philadelphia.

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The Big 4 Makes Their Case For Danny Ainge To Hold Tight Tomorrow

If this was the last time that the Big 4 (Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo) played together for the Boston Celtics, what a way to go out.

The C's (23-19, 7-11 away) won a wildly entertaining game 105-103 against the Warriors (18-22, 10-11 home) at Oracle Arena tonight. KG (24 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists) hit a jumper from just inside the 3-point line with five seconds left then former Celtic Nate Robinson (20 points, 11 assists, 4 steals) clanked a hero 3-pointer and Boston survived.

It was Boston's eighth win in their last 10 games.

The NBA Trade Deadline is tomorrow and while I don't think Danny Ainge will do anything major at this point, he is the same guy who came out of nowhere last season and traded Kendrick Perkins to Oklahoma City at the last second.

I've arrived at the conclusion that Ainge might as well let this season ride out with the current cast. Blow it up in the summer when some contracts expire and the Celtics have two first-round draft picks plus they can spend money in free agency. If anything, this group has proven that they deserve one last shot. However, with Chris Wilcox now out for the year with a heart ailment, ala Jeff Green, the C's desperately need a big man (Chris Kaman please).

Brandon Bass had 22 points and nine rebounds, Rondo had eight points, 14 assists and six rebounds while Pierce added 15 points, six rebounds and six assists. Only nine guys played for Boston but Mickael Pietrus (15 points on 5 3-pointers) and Greg Stiemsma (8 points, 8 rebounds) each had their best performances in months.

It seems like nothing has changed under Golden State's new head coach Mark Jackson and even with Monta Ellis shipped out of town: they are still allergic to defense. The Warriors were playing shorthanded since Stephen Curry and the reacquired Stephen Jackson were out with injuries.

Rookie Klay Thompson, who could be Austin Rivers' twin brother, scored a career-high 26 points, the always underrated David Lee notched 22 points and eight rebounds while Dorell Wright scored 16 points and grabbed seven rebounds and Dominic McGuire had 10 points off the bench.

Golden State led 25-21 after one quarter and 60-55 at halftime. Boston responded in the third quarter (26-17) and made enough plays in the fourth (outscored 26-24) to hang on for their second win in a row.

The Celtics recorded 32 assists on 40 baskets which is insane. That made up for the Warriors dominating in the paint to the tune of 60-42.

Boston will try to make it three straight on the road (and 3-1 on this trip) when they visit the Sacramento Kings on Friday for their only meeting of the season. The Kings are just as awful as you remember so barring anything crazy tomorrow (knock on wood), the Celts should win it.

UPDATE 3/15: What did I tell you? The Celtics didn't make any moves today at all although they hinted that they'll buy out Jermaine O'Neal.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Cue The Excuses: Celtics Off To 0-3 Start After Embarrassing Loss In New Orleans

I'm sick of the excuses for the Boston Celtics. I love this team but they started in the preseason and they're only going to get worse since they are off to a pathetic 0-3 start after losing 97-78 tonight to the New Orleans Hornets at the New Orleans Arena.

If you're a green teamer, you'll say it was the first back-to-back of the season for the Celts (0-3). They were playing their third game in four days and Paul Pierce sat out for the third straight time. Whichever bogus loser's lament you want to chose, Boston just began 2011-12 with three depressing losses on the road.

Sidenote, I love Tommy Heinsohn but his constant theme of harping on the refs (deserved or not) gets mighty old when your team sucks. Just saying.

By far, this one was the worst since at least in the other two (at New York and Miami), they showed some fight and competitive spirit before losing games they had no business winning. Nope, tonight they simply laid down to a team that not only was missing its best player-Eric Gordon-but likely won't even make the playoffs in the Western Conference.

After a 9-2 run to start the game by the C's, it was never really close as the Hornets (2-0) rolled in their home opener. One last excuse, it was the third home opener the Celts had to be the visiting team for.

Former Worcester Academy star Jarrett Jack had a game-high 21 points with nine assists while Carl Landry had 20 points and 11 rebounds for New Orleans. Others in double-figures for the winners included former UConn star Emeka Okafor (13 points, 5 blocks), Marco Belinelli (13 points) and Chris Kaman added 12 off the bench.

Ray Allen led Boston with 15 points, Rajon Rondo was the only other Celtics starter to reach double-digits with 13 points. Brandon Bass (11 points) and Keyon Dooling (10 points) continue to score well off the bench.

The only real thing I learned from this contest was that Doc Rivers might as well start rookie Greg Stiemsma. In his first action of the season, the former D-League player and Wisconsin center had six blocks in 20 minutes. That's enough to convince me that he should start over the ghost of Jermaine O'Neal (2 points, 6 rebounds in 21 minutes). Well at least until Danny Ainge signs or trades for a better option.

New Orleans led 24-19 after the first quarter and 48-39 at halftime. Boston never really fought back as they draw even with the Hornets in the third (24-24) and eventually waved the white flag in the fourth (25-15 Hornets).

Boston's tired legs caused a bunch of ugly numbers for them. New Orleans shot 45.6% from the field which is average but looks great against Boston's 37.2%. The Celts hit three more 3-pointers (7-4) but the Hornets made eight more free throws (21-13), grabbed 11 more rebounds (48-37) and had three more steals (7-4). With no big-time inside presence, the Hornets still owned the paint (46-24).

It can only get better from here, right? Boston limps home and then faces the Detroit Pistons (0-2) at TD Garden on Friday night. It's hard to call a game before New Year's a must-win in the NBA but if the Celts lose to the Pistons and fall to 0-4, it might be time to start figuring out how to blow this all up.

Also, can Pierce suit up on Friday? Or is that too much to ask for a guy with a bruised heel? I hate to compare sports but could you imagine a Bruin or Patriot missing this much time for such a fraudulent and not very serious injury.

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