Apparently Dana "Bing, Bang, Boom" Barros Wasn't Available

I can appreciate the fact that the Celtics are doing everything they can to distract their fans from the impending doom of the 2013-14 season. Tonight, their latest newsworthy item is they have added former C's legend (at least according to broadcaster/crazy old man Tommy Heinsohn) Walter McCarty to be an assistant coach under new head coach Brad Stevens.

We can't chalk this up as totally a PR move since Walta does have some coaching experience: at Louisville (2007-08) with Rick Pitino (his head coach at Kentucky) and the Pacers (2010-11). He reportedly beat out another fan favorite-James Posey-for this last coveted spot on the bench. The funny part about McCarty being hired is that he's three years older (39) than Stevens. The other assistants are Ron Adams (longtime NBA assistant), Micah Shrewsberry (Stevens' assistant at Butler) along with Jay Larranaga and Jamie Young (holdovers from Doc Rivers' staff).

In a weird way, it'll be nice to see a familiar face in all those huddles while the Celts are getting pummeled by teams across the NBA. Walter stayed close with the franchise, he was often spotted sitting in a courtside seat the last few seasons so he should have some good ideas about the current roster. If nothing else, this will allow us to dig out all those old Walta jerseys and t-shirt jerseys with his name on them and pretend that they have value again, that is assuming that they ever did in the first place.

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comings and goings of an NBA Champion

As I learned in 2002 after the Patriots won the Super Bowl-the first local team to win a championship when I wasn't wearing diapers-no matter how much you want a team to keep exactly the same personnel, it ain't happening partner.

When you do a franchise in Madden or season in any other video game, there's some shuffling in your roster automatically so what makes you think that professional athletes (and their agents) with oversized egos will settle for a hometown discount?

Sometimes you can see the writing on the wall (re: Pedro Martinez, Derek Lowe), other times you wish a certain player didn't depending on who you talk to, either bang Manny's wife or underaged girls (re: Orlando Cabrera) while others simply chase a dollar sign (re: Deion Branch and Ty Law).

With this firmly implanted in your mind, it should come as no surprise that the 2008-2009 Celtics will look a little different. Going into the off-season, the two most important potential free agents were James Posey and Eddie House, in that order of relevance.

Predictably, the Celts front office wouldn't budge past a three-year offer to Posey and the veteran, two-time champion choose to get a four-year deal in New Orleans.

Posey has to look out for himself and his family foremost and I am too old to begrudge him that. He wanted more security and the challenge of helping another team that is on the cusp of really making some noise in the Western Conference. Makes sense to me.

Yesterday, the C's resigned House and Tony Allen to two-year deals. I'm happy for House, who has seemingly been on every team in the NBA short of the Oklahoma City Thunder (stupid name, huh?). As for Allen, ugh. The only time Tony Allen showed any potential was during the Celtics' awful year two seasons ago. He was playing the best basketball of his life and he blew out his knee, trying to make a dunk after a foul had been called. I can't think of a better way to sum up Tony Allen.

Management is sticking by him, for some reason, but who knows what to expect from him? Especially if he's in a packed Chicago nightclub. How'd that trial end up by the way? Must have missed that one. I hope I'm wrong but I don't think Tony Allen will ever do anything notable in the NBA from here on out. He's athletic enough and a solid defender so he'll probably always be cashing a check for the next 6-8 years but that's about it.

Losing Posey is the bigger issue, the guy was one of the keys to the great regular season and championship. He stepped his game up in the biggest contests. During the season, in 24.6 minutes a game he averaged 7.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists and .97 steals while shooting 38% on threes and 80% from the line.

He is the definition of a winner. In the 2008 Finals, he scored 8.7 points a game, grabbed 3.8 rebounds and 1.33 steals. Most memorably, he was a huge part of the Game 4 comeback as he had 18 points. He was what the Lakers lacked, a tough, physical player that was willing to get dirty and dive on the floor.

Thanks Posey, good luck with the Hornets.

"Anything Is Possible!"

For all intents and purposes, my life as a Boston sports fan will never get better than this.

The Red Sox (twice), Patriots (three times) and now Celtics have all won titles in the last six years, coincidentally the perfect time for me as I've appreciated each title more as I get older and realize this time is fleeting, no matter how sweet.

Moving back home from college and being single with a job at night has allowed me to soak this up probably more than I will ever in the future when hopefully marriage, kids and a more time-consuming job take over my life.

In its 26th postseason game of the year (an NBA record), the Celtics completely embarrassed the Lakers, 131-92, in game 6 of the NBA Finals at the TD Banknorth Garden.

The Celts won their first championship since the glory days of 1986. It's the franchise's 17th title.

The Big Three of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen fittingly played their best game of the season while their teammates weren't too shabby either, putting up a season-high for points.

After such a disappointing game 5 performance, KG had a legendary showing that should silence his critics forever. He scored 26 points, grabbed 14 rebounds, dished out four assists and had three steals. He came out on fire with 17 in the first half as Boston left little doubt that the soft Lakers would not win one (let alone two in a row) back in Boston.

Despite playing on little rest (since he'd spent time with his son in an LA hospital), Ray Allen scored 26 points with four rebounds and three steals. Ray was 7 of 9 on 3-pointers (tying a Finals record), a great ending for a guy that really found himself at the end of the Detroit series and in the Finals.

No surprise with the win that Pierce was named Finals MVP. The 10-year veteran with the C's scored 17 points and dished out 10 assists. He outplayed Kobe Bryant (22 points on 7 of 22 shooting with 1 assist and 4 turnovers)-who many think is the best player in the world-by so much in this series, it's almost surreal.

With the series over, it's clear that the three biggest things that seperate the Celtics from the Lakers (and which countless experts failed to see before the series) was 1) defense, 2) teamwork and 3) toughness.

The C's set another Finals record with 18 steals for the game while also outrebounding LA, 48-29.

Rajon Rondo picked a fine time to have one last amazing performance as he had 21 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and six steals. Kendrick Perkins only had two points and four rebounds in 13 minutes but the grit he showed by playing through pain was inspirational to his teammates and the appreciative home crowd.

James Posey had another sick game with 11 points, three rebounds and three steals. Eddie House had nine points and five assists. P.J. Brown posted six points, three boards and two assists while Leon Powe notched eight points and four rebounds. All 11 Celtics that played scored, Big Baby saw his first action of the series and gave the C's three points and four rebounds. Even Tony Allen got a highlight as he threw down a ridiculous reverse alley-oop in the fourth quarter.

In the first quarter, it seemed like the refs (a source of constant chatter during the playoffs) were doing their best to get the Lakers to a game 7. Boston couldn't hit a shot in the first quarter but their hustle for loose balls and knack for making the extra pass paid off as the Celts led 24-20 after one.

The Lakers began to pack for their flight home in the second quarter as Boston blitzed them with a 34-15 frame.

Another difference between the teams is that the Celts could make big comebacks in LA, the same wasn't true for the Lakers last night (and yes I remember they almost came back in game 2).

LA and Phil Jackson were exposed for the frauds that they were. And the highly-touted Western Conference was a deeper league this season but can we agree that Boston and Detroit were the best teams? Is there any doubt the Pistons would have similarly disposed of the Lakers in six or seven games?

The third and fourth quarters were something for the soon-to-be-released Celtics championship DVD's. They couldn't miss. Boston took the third 31-25 and put up a ridiculous 42-32 final quarter of the season.

Boston made 49.4% from the floor and 13 of 26 on 3-pointers. They made 32 of 27 free throws and handed out 33 assists. They had just seven turnovers in as flawless a performance as you could ever dream about on such a big stage.

The Lakers shot 42.2% from the field and 10 of 27 on threes. They had a pathetic two offensive rebounds (Boston notched 14) and 16 assists. Los Angeles turned it over 19 times.

I feel immensely lucky to have seen such a great team all season long. Three All-Stars put their egos aside and reached their ultimate goal (in the first year) that they'd all missed by themselves. Doc Rivers showed that he's a good NBA coach. P.J. Brown came back late in the season and won his first ring in 15 NBA seasons. Eddie House and James Posey brought energy and hustle night in and night out while Rajon Rondo and Kendrick Perkins showed how much game they have. Leon Powe, Big Baby and Tony Allen each had their moments too. You can't say Sam Cassell really did much positive after coming to Boston but it's nice to see a guy who'll probably retire get another ring.

With Andrew Bynum healthy next season, the Lakers could very well find themselves back in the Finals. I really believe that the C's have a window of two or three more seasons where they'll be in the mix as well. They have to re-sign Posey and Powe but I wouldn't count out Pierce, Garnett and Allen in the next few seasons. What better way to cement their legacies in the game than with another championship or two?

The Celtics' parade will be tomorrow in Boston, complete with Duck Boats and a ceremony at Copley Plaza. Winning championships will never get old; these are the golden days of Boston sports that we'll talk about for the rest of our lives. The Bruins might as well move since they're never going to join the fun (without dumping Uncle Scrooge, I mean owner Jeremy Jacobs).

Where were you when the Lakers submitted one of the great choke jobs in sports history?

Down 24 points on the road in the first quarter and 18 at the half, the Boston Celtics looked dead in the water in Game 4 of the NBA Finals at the Staples Center last night.

The horrific start by the Green only sweetened the win as the Celtics outscored the Lakers, 57-33 in the second half to take the game, 97-91.

Boston now leads the series 3-1 with Game 5 on Father's Day (Sunday) back at the Staples Center.

It was a hallmark win that will be talked about forever (assuming Boston can win one of the next three games).

Both teams had five players score in double figures but the Celtics were the ones stepping up in the third and fourth quarter. Front-running LA resembled the team that dominated the Western Conference playoffs in the first half as their passing was crisp and everyone was hitting their shots. But when things started to fall apart in the second half, not even Kobe Bryant (17 points on 6 of 19 shooting, 10 assists and 4 steals) could save them.

Paul Pierce shook off another slow start to finish with a game-high 20 points, seven assists and four rebounds. Ray Allen (who has been Boston's most consistent player through the first four games) had 19 points, nine rebounds and three steals. James Posey had 18 points and Kevin Garnett totalled 16 points and 11 rebounds.

Lamar Odom came out on fire (making his first five shots) and finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Pau Gasol had 17 points and 10 rebounds. Derek Fisher had 13 points and Vladimir Radmanovic added 10 points.

Everything went the Lakers' way in the first half, including a traveling, buzzer-beating 3-pointer by guard Jordan Farmar to end the second quarter.
Boston couldn't possibly play worse as they were down 35-14 after one (the NBA record for biggest deficit in a Finals game after one quarter) and 58-40 at the break.

The story of the game so paralleled the setting, it was uncanny. The flashy Lakers came out and played their best basketball of the series for two quarters. Their botox-injected, clueless millionaire fans cheered (most likely cause the scoreboard told them to) and all was right in Tinseltown. However, like a bad movie (which Hollywood has been known to turn out from time to time), Los Angeles completely unraveled in the second half.

Phil Jackson-the slobbered over coach-was outclassed by Doc Rivers (HA!). Rivers chose to space the floor with a small, shooting lineup and LA never really adjusted. Eddie House (11 points, 4 rebounds in 25 minutes) played most of the second half as Rajon Rondo (5 points, 2 assists in 17 minutes) was clearly not himself with his ankle injury. Kendrick Perkins popped his shoulder out of its socket in the third quarter and didn't return.

A 21-3 Celtics run cut it to 73-71 going into the fourth. By then, Los Angeles had fell apart as all their finesse, offensive-minded clowns shied away from the moment. Sure Kobe had no hesitation to take the tough shot but on this night, it wasn't falling for the Black Mamba.

House's jumper gave Boston its first lead of the night with four minutes left and the Celtics never looked back. Pierce made key free throws, Posey hit a 3-pointer, Ray collected an offensive rebound (along with two clutch hoops) and Garnett had a great assist to House.

The Celtics are a better TEAM, one who thrives on the defensive end and that's why they find themselves one win away from a championship.

There are two days off between games as Game 5 won't happen until Sunday night but you can't underestimate the psychological damage of the loss on LA. They are a team that had seemingly come into its own during the second half of the year and one that wasn't tested much throughout the playoffs. The Celtics stumbled big time coming out of the gates in the playoffs but seemed to have found their rhythm in the Detroit series and carried it over to the Finals.

The close-out game is always the toughest but I like the Celtics' chances of winning one more game out of a possible three (with two if necessary at home).

Beat LA!

It doesn't matter how long it took to get there (20 games but who's counting), the Boston Celtics are in the 2008 NBA Finals thanks to a 89-81 win at the Palace of Auburn Hills last night in game 6.

After 21 years of mostly futility, the Celtics and Lakers fittingly take center stage, renewing a storied rivalry that had been dormant since the teams last met in the 1987 NBA Finals. It's the 11th time the two teams have met in the Finals, Boston has won eight of them.

So the Celtics couldn't win a road game against the Hawks, nor the Cavs, yet they pulled out two at the Palace against the Pistons? Makes sense, eh not really but who cares. The Celts took care of business and finally gave themselves a breather before they host LA on Thursday. After winning the previous two series in seven games, the C's couldn't afford to roll the dice again and go to seven with a team like the Pistons.

In the third quarter last night, the Pistons took advantage of some shady calls (how rough have the refs been this postseason, league-wide?) before settling into an eight-point advantage (68-60) going into the fourth.

With everything going against them and a game seven looming, the Celts played their best quarter of the playoffs. They outscored the Pistons, 29-13, and played lockdown defense while Detroit bricked one shot after another.

Paul Pierce led Boston with 27 points (12 in the fourth) and eight rebounds, Ray Allen had 17 points (13 in the first half) and six boards while Kevin Garnett posted 16 points (8 in the fourth) and six rebounds. Rajon Rondo had 11 points and Kendrick Perkins scored seven points, grabbed seven rebounds and blocked two shots.

For Detroit, Chauncey Billups (game-high 29 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists) and Richard Hamilton (21 points) were outstanding but none of their teammates showed up. Tayshaun Prince (3 of 10 shooting) was the only other Piston in double figures with 10 points. Rasheed Wallace was 2 of 12 from the floor, Antonio McDyess had six points and Rodney Stuckey was 1 for 5.

The C's led 24-21 after the first quarter and took a 40-37 lead into the break. Allen was the early spark as he hit three 3-pointers in the half.

The third quarter was a complete disaster as Detroit regained the lead and Boston couldn't catch a break. Pierce hit a 3-pointer and looked like he drew a foul on Hamilton but somehow Pierce was called for the offensive foul. Just brutal.

In the fourth, the Celts used a 19-4 run (when Rondo was put back in for the ineffective Sam Cassell) to take a 79-74 lead. Billups made a three-point play to draw it to 83-79 but James Posey turned in the play of the game by picking Prince's pocket in the backcourt. Pierce made two free throws later on in the possession and Boston held on despite KG missing two free throws and Pierce missed one of two late.

With a combined 35 years of NBA experience between them, Pierce, Allen and Garnett finally get a trip to their first NBA Finals. It's been a bumpy road this postseason after such a smooth regular season but all three of them have stepped up when it counted.

The dream matchup of the Celtics and Lakers will finally happen. They've been the two best teams this season (after the Pau Gasol trade) so it has the potential to be a classic series considering all the talent involved. After the Cavs-Spurs snoozefest last June, the ratings for these Finals should be through the roof.

DE-TROIT BAS-KET-BALL!

If nothing else this playoff season, we've learned that the NBA is currently largely based on trends and home-court. It seems rarely do unexpected results happen.

Specifically, while the Celtics were able to finally pull out a road win on Saturday, things went back to normal in game 4 last night at the Palace as Detroit took a 94-75 win to even the Eastern Conference Finals at two games apiece.

The Pistons are now 5-0 this playoff season in games following losses. Game 4 was a strange one, nothing more telling of that fact than Antonio McDyess having a 1998 style game of 21 points and 16 rebounds.

All of the Big Three played badly, some worse than others. Kevin Garnett had a quiet 16 points and 10 rebounds, Paul Pierce had 16 points (on 3 of 14 shooting, he made 10 of 11 from the line) and eight rebounds while Ray Allen further proved that game 2 was a fluke, scoring 11 points on 2 of 8 shooting. James Posey had 11 points off the bench and Kendrick Perkins had 10 before fouling out.

Rajon Rondo continued his trick or treat play, managing only four points and four assists in 30 minutes. Sam Cassell bested that with a goose egg in 17 minutes.

As is usually the case when Detroit plays well, a variety of guys contributed to the win. Richard Hamilton had 20 points and seven assists, Rasheed Wallace had 14 points, five rebounds and five blocks, Jason Maxiell had 14 points off the bench and Chauncey Billups put up 10 points and dished out seven assists.

After starting off slowly in game 3-a key to the loss-the Pistons hit Boston with a 10-0 run at the start of the first quarter. The C's recovered to make it a five-point deficit (22-17) at the end of one but Detroit seemed to have control throughout the game.

Detroit was only up 43-39 at the half and the C's cut it to two points twice in the third quarter but the Pistons were not going to lose again on their home floor. They outscored Boston 22-19 in the third and blew the game open late with a 29-17 fourth.

Maxiell had the play of the game when he blocked Garnett from behind on a dunk/layup. It was the type of energy play that the Pistons thrive on and the Celts have lacked away from home.

After shooting 51.4% to Boston's 31.8%, it's easy to see that the only reason the Celtics had a chance was that they got to the line. Boston made a playoff-high 32 out of 39 while Detroit was 20 of 26. Despite their success on driving, the C's did not pass well at all, they only had 12 assists while the Pistons notched 27. Detroit also had 10 blocks and seven turnovers.

Game 5 is back at the Garden tomorrow and clearly it is supremely important. Boston has to hold serve at home or else they will probably go down in flames. Either way, this is going seven games which we knew the second this matchup was finalized.

Long Overdue

Sound the doomsday alarm, ring the church bell, call a friend, the Boston Celtics (the best road team in the regular season) finally won a game on the road in the playoffs. The C's are now 9-1 at home and 1-6 on the road.

The Celts took game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals at the Palace, 94-80. It couldn't have come at a more opportune time as the Pistons had stolen the C's home-court advantage by winning game 2 at the Garden.

All five starters and six Celtics overall scored in double figures. It took a collective team effort to finally get that gorilla off their back.

Kevin Garnett was the best player on the court with 22 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and two steals. Ray Allen had 14 points, six rebounds and six assists while Kendrick Perkins totalled 12 points and 10 boards. Rajon Rondo scored 12, Paul Pierce had 11 and James Posey added 12 points off the bench.

The Pistons were led by Richard Hamilton's 26 points. The other Detroit player who stood out was Rodney Stuckey, who scored 17 points with four assists and four steals off the bench. Rasheed Wallace was the other notable Piston as he had 12 points, eight rebounds and three blocks.

Big runs were the staple of the first quarter as Boston opened the game on an 11-0 clip. Detroit answered with a 14-0 run but the C's closed the first frame with a 10-0 run, giving them a 25-17 lead.

The lead increased in the second quarter, so much so that Boston took a surprising 50-32 advantage into halftime.

The Celts came out slow in the second half but eventually worked the lead up to 24 points. Detroit made a frantic comeback (helped immensely by the refs that let Detroit beat up Boston with no whistles) but would only get as close as nine points.

Chauncey Billups continued his strange series with six points, four assists and three rebounds in 27 minutes. Stuckey actually played 28 minutes and was on the floor for much of the second half when Detroit tried to cut the Boston lead.

Boston shot 46.4% from the floor to Detroit's 38.4%. The C's had five three-pointers while the Pistons only managed one. The C's owned the glass (44-28), which was a pretty impressive margin on the road.

Game 4 is tomorrow night back at the Palace and if the C's can get another road win, this series is as good as over. Don't count the Pistons out however. This team has been in countless big games in the last six seasons so they'll no doubt play much better than their stinker last night.

Fugly but still a win

If game 1 was any indication, this Eastern Conference semifinal between the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers is going to be low-scoring and ugly.

The C's have to be happy with the result though as they won 76-72 at the Garden.

I don't know which was more surprising: Paul Pierce (2 for 14) and Ray Allen (0 for 4) combining for four points or LeBron James shooting 2 of 18 from the floor?

The King still almost had a triple-double (12 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists) but his 10 turnovers were killer in such a tight affair.

Kevin Garnett (28 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals), Rajon Rondo (15 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds) and Sam Cassell (13 points) were the offense for the Celts. Kendrick Perkins had seven points and 12 rebounds while James Posey (who I called the Troy Brown of the Celtics today) had eight points off the bench.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas (22 points, 12 boards) and Wally Szczerbiak (13 points) were the only other Cavs in double figures.

Boston led 25-15 after the first quarter but the lead shrunk to four (41-37) at the half.

The C's were up one (53-52) going into the fourth. It was great to see KG take over down the stretch and hit a couple key hoops. Uncharacteristically, LeBron missed some great looks as multiple layups rimmed out. Cassell pulled down a key rebound and was fouled by big Z.

Between game 1 or 2, Cleveland seemed most likely to steal game 1 since the Celts had just wrapped up the series with the Hawks. It's hard to predict what will happen in game 2 after such a bizarre game 1 but two things are certain: LeBron won't play that badly again and the same can be said for Allen and Pierce on the same night.

The difference between Boston and any other team left in the playoffs is their commitment and execution on defense. They're now 5-0 at home, it's going to be hard for anybody to knock them off when they play that type of D.

Cleveland shot 30.7% while Boston shot 42.6. Game 2 is tomorrow night back at the Garden.

The Clippers are God-Awful Again

Shaun Livingston and Elton Brand haven't played a game this year. Now, Chris Kaman and everybody's favorite space alien Sam Cassell are on the shelf with injuries. These are not the best of times for the Los Angeles Clippers. The Boston Celtics took advantage of the pitiful Clippers and rolled to a 104-76 win at the Staples Center last night.

The Celts ended the West Coast trip at 2-3 and thankfully only have one more killer road trip: Texas and New Orleans in late March.

Paul Pierce (17 points) and James Posey (17 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals) led the way as Boston's (43-12) bench got plenty of action in the second half. Even former USC guard Gabe Pruitt came out of the witness protection program and scored six points in ten minutes.

As detailed the last time the Celts played the Clippers (19-35), LA has a bunch of scrubs that could be lining up at your local soup kitchen any day now looking for a hot meal. With the latest injuries, Aaron Williams and Brevin Knight (10 points) were forced to start.

Boston won every quarter in the game. The C's led 23-17 after the first and 45-36 at the half. Ray Allen (15 points, 7 assists, 4 rebounds) and Kevin Garnett (11 points, 6 rebounds, 4 blocks, 4 assists) played well then got a well-deserved rest in the fourth. Leon Powe scored 12 and Rajon Rondo added nine.

The Clippers didn't put up much of a fight in the second half, losing the third 32-21 and the fourth 27-19. Tim Thomas had 15 points and nine rebounds, Corey Maggette had 11 points and promising rookie Al Thornton put up 11 points and eight boards.

Boston's defense really responded over the last seven quarters of this road trip which started out as a nightmare. They held the Clippers to 40.0% shooting while shooting 55.1% themselves. Boston had way more 3-pointers (8 to 2) and blocks (also 8 to 2).

The Celts come home today and face the new-look Cleveland Cavaliers tomorrow night at the Garden. The Cavs picked up Ben Wallace, Joe Smith, old friend Delonte West and stiff Wally Szcerbiak last week before the trade deadline. Cleveland is currently in fourth-place in the East but will most likely jump Orlando before the playoffs start.

Celts beat Mavs without KG

Last night marked the first time that Boston faced one of the top teams in the West (Pheonix, San Antonio, Dallas) as the Mavericks came to the Garden for a TNT nationally-televised contest. Playing once again without Kevin Garnett, the Celts (36-8) got just enough from Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Co. to hold off the Mavs, 96-90 in a game that had the feel of a playoff game in May, especially in the second half.

The All Star reserves were named yesterday and while Pierce deservedly made it, Ray Allen did not (just like I said he shouldn't). Who knows if that was a big motivating factor but Allen came out on fire, scoring 15 in the first quarter and 22 in the first half, on the way to a team-high 26 points. Pierce also had 26 points and six rebounds.

Dirk Nowitzki (game-high 31 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 blocks) made the stacked West all star team but teammate Josh Howard (19 points, 6 rebounds) failed to do so. Dallas (31-14) was starting a tough three game stretch in the East against Boston, Detroit and Orlando, without point guard Devin Harris, who is out for the next few weeks with an ankle injury. The always overrated Jason Terry (13 points, 6 assists) didn't impress.

Boston was up 27-20 after the first quarter but Dallas won the second quarter, 24-17 to send it to halftime tied at 44.

Rajon Rondo (14 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists) had a great all-around game, showing off his crazy athletic ability. James Posey (13 points, 3 rebounds, 3 steals) and Leon Powe (10 points, 4 rebounds) were big sparks off the bench.

The Celts were up one going into the fourth and it stayed tight the rest of the way. The outcome came down to a couple huge plays by some unlikely Boston heroes. First, when it was tied at 90, Rondo ripped away a offensive rebound under the basket from the 7-foot Dirk and put it off the glass for two. Then Posey had steals on back-to-back Mavericks possessions and hit all four of his free throws to ice it.

The Mavs were terrible from 3 (4 of 22) while the Celts were 5 of 11. Both teams were automatic from the line, Boston was 25 of 29, Dallas was 24 of 28. Dallas had more assists (20-13) but they also had more turnovers (13-8). It was a very well-played game between two solid NBA teams.

It was easily one of the best wins of the season for the C's as they proved that they can beat an elite team without KG. It's something that they surely don't want to make a habit of but at least they know they're pretty good by themselves. They have the next few days off and don't play again until Tuesday night in Cleveland against LeBron and the Cavs.

The Best Team in the NBA Resides Where?

After last night's 113-103 win over the Philadelphia 76ers, your Boston Celtics (15-2) have the best record in the NBA. Detroit (13-5), Orlando (16-4), Phoenix (15-4) and San Antonio (16-3) are the other top contenders but for a brief moment, you can legitimately say the Celtics are the top dogs. Does this mean anything? Not really but after the nightmare of the last few seasons, this team's immediate success is nothing short of remarkable for a city that had gotten way familiar with losing seasons.

Philly (5-13) actually made this a contest for almost the whole game. The Sixers led 32-26 after one quarter and 57-52 at halftime. The alarming thing for the Celtics was that they've played such good defense in the beginning of the season and they made the Sixers look like the Warriors or Suns for the first half.

On queue, the C's defense came alive in the second half as they outscored the Sixers, 61-46. Two of Boston's big three played well: Kevin Garnett (22 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals) and Paul Pierce (22 points, 12 assists) led the way while teammate Ray Allen (12 points) shot 3 for 12.

One of the most surprising parts of this team thus far has been the supporting players. Nobody knew James Posey and Eddie House were this good, right? Posey (17 points, 5 rebounds) and House (15 points) consistently bring a great effort off the bench, making it easier for KG, Pierce and Allen to play their games without worrying about doing everything (like they had all been used to with their old teams). Tony Allen and Kendrick Perkins both scored eight while Rajon Rondo and Glen Davis notched six points.

Andre Miller (26 points, 12 assists) and Andre Iguodala (24 points) were impressive but the Sixers folded in the second half after playing probably their best half of the season.

The key for the C's was that they made 10 3-pointers (Philly had 4) while also making 12 more free throws (23-11). Boston made the tough shots and they also earned the points by getting to the line. Once Philly's shots stopped falling, they were done. Nobody outside of Iguodala and Miller can get to the hoop.

Boston hosts Toronto on Friday. It'll be the return battle after Boston stole that overtime win in Toronto the first week of the season. The Raptors will be without their best player Chris Bosh, who is injured.