The most random 14-game win streak you'll ever see

There's no other way to explain the Boston Celtics' latest win streak (their fifth longest in the franchise's glorious history) besides the health and remarkable play by the Big Three: Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen.

Boston (23-4) didn't even play well last night other than a key stretch in the fourth quarter and that was enough to get by the Philadelphia 76ers, 84-80 at TD Garden. The Celtics won their 14th straight game, the longest streak in the NBA so far this season.

Ray Allen led the Cs with a game-high 22 points and six assists. Shaquille O'Neal added 13 points and nine rebounds, Kevin Garnett had 12 points and seven rebounds while Paul Pierce notched 11 points and Nate Robinson (still subbing for Rajon Rondo) had nine points.

Based mostly on their young talent and athleticism, the 76ers (11-18) are a tough matchup for the Celtics these days. Forget their record, they've played them as close as you can in the first two meetings this season.

Elton Brand led Philadelphia with 16 points and 12 rebounds, Jrue Holiday added 15 points, Louis Williams notched 12 points and ex-Celtic Tony Battie (yes, he still plays in the NBA) had 10 points, six rebounds and four blocks.

Philly shot 43.1% to Boston's 38.8%. 3-pointers were rare (6-2 for Celtics) and the Sixers made six more free throws (22-16). Boston had five more assists (19-14), four more steals (0-4) and three more rebounds (43-30). The Cs doubled up the Sixers on fastbreak points (14-7) and almost twice the amount of points in the paint (34-18).

The Celts get a couple days off before their Christmas meeting with the Magic in Orlando. It'll be a totally different look team since the Magic traded for Jason Richardson, Hedo Turkoglu and Gilbert Arenas last week in two massive deals. They needed to shake something up since they're really starting to lag in the Eastern Conference behind the Celtics and (gulp) Miami Heat.

Farewell Illadelphia

Gotta love the NBA, where a bad team can outplay you for most of it and then you can steal the win with a last-second shot/defensive breakdown.

That was the story as old as time that unfolded last night as the Boston Celtics escaped with a 102-101 win over the 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.

Kevin Garnett (14 points, 6 rebounds, 3 blocks) took a lob pass from Rajon Rondo (19 points, 14 assists, 5 rebounds, 3 steals) and scored a lay-in with 1.4 seconds left, giving the Celtics (18-4) their ninth straight win. For good measure, KG stole the inbounds pass that followed that to ice it.

The Sixers (7-15) looked good as their young talent was thriving and sometime star Andre Iguodala (14 points, 11 assists, 5 rebounds) made two late baskets that appeared like it would equal a win.

Jodie Meeks led Philadelphia with 19 points (starting in place of rookie Evan Turner who was awful). Elton Brand played more like himself (13 points, 14 rebounds) than the ghost of the last few seasons. Jrue Holiday had 12 points and six assists while Spencer Hawes added 11 points and seven rebounds.

Thaddeus Young and Louis Williams (a certified Celtics killer) both had 16 points off the bench.

Ray Allen led Boston with a game-high 23 points, his second great game in a row. Paul Pierce (10 points) was silent all game but Glen Davis (16 points, 7 rebounds) continued to ball with both Shaq and Jermaine O'Neal out last night.

Boston shot 55.9% to Philadelphia's 45.7%. The Sixers owned the glass (39-33 overall, 15-5 in offensive boards) but three more steals (8-5) and blocks (6-3) helped the Celts clinch this tight one.

The Celtics go to Charlotte where they'll take on the Bobcats tomorrow night, a team they typically own, as they go for ten consecutive victories.

Who will lose first at the Garden: Celtics or Bruins?

As expected, the Celtics had little trouble last night racking up their franchise-best 19th straight win, while also shattering the NBA record for best mark through 29 games.

The Celts (27-2) rolled over the Philadelphia 76ers (12-16), 110-91 at the Garden.

Boston's starting five once again was outstanding and two subs had great performances as well. Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo each scored a game-high 18 points. Ray Allen had 16 points and six rebounds, Paul Pierce added 10 points and seven assists while Kendrick Perkins posted eight points and 11 rebounds.

In just 16 minutes, Leon Powe had 15 points, six rebounds, three blocks and two steals. Eddie House scored 13 points.

For the Sixers, Louis Williams (8 assists) and Marreese Speights both scored 16 points off the bench. Andre Iguodala and Andre Miller (8 assists) each had 14 points and Reggie Evans scored 12.

The C's led 29-25 after the first quarter and 58-44 at the half. Philly took the third (22-20) but the Boston bench wouldn't let the lead slip away as they salted it away in the fourth (32-25).

Philly was 0-for-11 on 3-pointers (haha, really) while Boston made a respectable seven. Led by Powe, the Celts also got to the line more (29-17 made free throw advantage).

NBA officials and ABC personnel must be doing cartwheels since last night's win sets up the monster Christmas matchup: Celtics at Lakers with the added intrigue of the C's going for their 20th straight victory.

Everyone has been looking forward to this game since the schedule came out. The teams haven't met since the Lakers were embarrassed in game six of the Finals last June. Boston and LA have been the top teams in their respective conferences thus far.