C's Trade Marcus Smart To Grizzlies & Get Kristaps Porzingis From Wizards In Three Team Deal

 

        It has been a rather bizarre few days for the Boston Celtics but with the 2023 NBA Draft just completed a few hours ago, we can officially say that guard Marcus Smart is now on the Memphis Grizzlies while power forward/center Kristaps Porzingis is a Celtic. I won't bore you with all the details of the three-way (hey now!) deal between Boston, Memphis and Washington but the most important part is that the longest tenured Celtic is out of here, the former Knicks All-Star/savior Porzingis comes to his fourth NBA team (NY, Dallas, Washington & Boston) and then point guard Tyus Jones goes from Memphis to Washington along with forwards Danilo Gallinari and Mike Muscala who will join him in DC from Boston. On Wednesday, it looked like another Celtics guard-Malcolm Brogdon-would be included instead of Smart in a three-way deal involving the Clippers and not the Grizzlies to acquire Porzingis but it fell apart at the last moment (the teams faced a midnight deadline for Kristaps to opt-in to his player option for next season) since Brogdon's forearm apparently is in rough shape. Brad Stevens stuck with it though and ended up making a huge move that his club so desperately needed. 

    After going to five of the last seven Eastern Conference Finals (but only winning one of them!), it was clear that the C's needed a real shake up in terms of its roster. Star wings Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are both very good but something always seemed to trip up Boston before they could get that elusive first NBA title since 2008. For his Celtics career, Smart averaged 10.6 points per game, 4.6 assists per game and 1.6 steals per game. Part of why he became so overrated was that certain local announcers and media members would focus on what they called "winning plays," ignoring the fact that he also did a bunch of dumb stuff that constantly hurt his team both on and off the court. Along with being the longest tenured Celtic-he was the sixth overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft-Smart was the unofficial captain of the team and easily the most polarizing Boston athlete this side of former Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask. 

    Much like the sad state of politics in the United States these days, Celtics fans either loved Smart or hated him, there was no in between. Always a solid defensive player (he was on the All-Defensive first team three times), Smart was named the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year in 2022. For whatever reason (no Ime Udoka?), the Celts lost their way defensively this past season with Joe Mazzulla in his first year as head coach. Additionally, Smart's overinflated sense of self became comical over the last few years as he talked down to both Tatum & Brown publicly along with Mazzulla which while warranted is still a no-no. He also flops incessantly and whines constantly to the refs which really starts to wear on you when you have to watch it over and over again for nine years. Oh and he was never a great 3-point shooter to begin with but somehow the ball would always seem to find him late in games and he has the confidence of Stephen Curry so he did not hesitate to let it fly.  

    Straight out of Latvia, Porzingis took the league by storm shortly after being drafted fourth overall in 2015 by New York. He was an All-Star in 2018-ironically his last season as a Knick-but not surprisingly for a guy that is 7-foot-3 and only 240 pounds, he has battled numerous injuries since then that have caused him to bounce around to a few other middling clubs. There is no question that coming to Boston should motivate him immensely since he has only appeared in 10 career NBA playoff games (all with Dallas). For his NBA career, Kristaps has averaged 19.6 points per game, 7.9 rebounds per game and 1.8 blocks per game. Especially under Mazzulla, Boston became way too reliant on the 3-pointer and while Porzingis shoots plenty of 3s, at least he makes them at a better clip (36%) than Smart (32%). His health is by far the biggest question mark although he did appear in 65 games last season with the Wizards-his most since his second year as a Knick. He also averaged 23.2 points per game in 2022-23 which was a new career-high. 

    The bottom line is that Porzingis gives Tatum and Brown another guy that can carry the load offensively when either of them has a bad game or series (see Tatum in the 2022 NBA Finals or Brown in the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals). The term Big 3 is so played out these days in basketball but at least on paper, this is by far the best running mate that they have had since they were too young when Kyrie Irving (yuck!) was here and Kemba Walker was about to go off a cliff when he was a Celtic. Kristaps will turn 28 in August so theoretically, he should be in his prime. After Smart gets over the shock of going to a new team, he will quickly realize that he is lucky to be in Memphis rather than on some rebuilding crap team like Washington. With Grizzlies star point guard Ja Morant suspended for the first 25 games of the season, Smart will be their starting point guard to begin the year on what was one of the best teams in the Western Conference last season. 

    This could be the rare trade that truly helps both teams. Porzingis gives the Celtics a uniquely skilled player that is much different from their other big guys-the ancient Al Horford and an injury-prone Robert Williams. Smart brings toughness and playoff experience to a Grizzlies team that showed this past postseason that they were not quite ready for prime time yet. Since they lost Game 7 to Miami, Boston had made its coaching staff way stronger by hiring Sam Cassell, Charles Lee, Amile Jefferson (Tatum's buddy from Duke) and former Celtics great Phil Pressey to be assistant coaches. However, those moves mean very little when they are compared to getting Kristaps and saying goodbye to their loudest/most divisive voice in Smart. We wish Marcus well in Memphis but it was time to make a real change and credit to Stevens for having the guts to get it done.

No Jayson Tatum (Illness) & No Kemba Walker (Rest) = Yet Another Road Loss For The Celtics

 

    The Celtics (21-22 overall, 8-15 away) are such a mentally fragile team this season that even the slightest thing can throw them off and cause them to lose. Tonight at the FedExForum in the second half of a back-to-back, they tried hard (something that certainly couldn't be said in every loss by them recently) but lost 132-126 in overtime to the Grizzlies (20-20 overall, 11-13 home). They were already missing point guard Kemba Walker-who never plays in back-to-back games-along with power forward Tristan Thompson (still in the league's health and safety protocol) and then an hour before the game started, swingman Jayson Tatum was declared out with "an illness." He's already dealt with Covid-19 earlier this year so I doubt he tested positive again but during the pandemic, unfortunately you have to be skeptical whenever you hear something like that. Would you believe that the C's have now dropped to 1-9 in their last 10 road games? Of course you would, because it's sad but true. 

    Boston fell to eighth-place in the Eastern Conference and this was an important contest for the hosts as well since they are fighting for a playoff spot in the typically tougher Western Conference; with tonight's victory, they remain in 10th place there. Grizzlies superstar point guard Ja Morant was in control with a game-high 29 points and nine assists, small forward Dillon Brooks added 24 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and two steals, center Jonas Valanciunas (16 points, 19 rebounds) has been a Celtics killer since he was in Toronto and small forward Kyle Anderson notched 14 points, seven assists, five rebounds, three steals and three blocks. The final kick to the gut for the C's was the 13 points scored off the bench by Memphis rookie shooting guard Desmond Bane. He was actually picked 30th overall by Boston in the draft but traded two days later as part of the three-team trade involving center Enes Kanter going to Portland. Thank God the C's hung on to rookie swingman Aaron Nesmith (5 points, 5 rebounds in 17 minutes off the bench this evening).

    With no Tatum and Walker, the burden of carrying Boston's offense fell to shooting guard Jaylen Brown (team-high 27 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists) who played a team-high 40 minutes but went 11-for-24 from the field including 3-of-11 on 3-pointers (a night after draining 10 of them). Point guard Jeff Teague got the start in place of Kemba and he made the most of it with his best performance in a Celtics uniform which unfortunately all went for naught: 26 points and six assists in 39 minutes. Guard Marcus Smart had a very Marcus Smart offensive game with 16 points, five rebounds and five assists which sounds fine except when you see that he was 5-for-14 from the field and 3-of-9 on 3-pointers. Center Daniel Theis had 13 points and six rebounds while center Robert Williams (17 points, 6 rebounds, 4 blocks) and power forward Grant Williams (10 points) were both factors off the bench. 

    The Celts led 30-24 after the first quarter and 65-60 at halftime. That lead was erased by the Grizzlies in the third quarter though as they outscored the C's 34-21. Boston owned the fourth quarter (31-23) but predictably ran out of gas in OT (15-9 Memphis). With basically no defense allowed, there were some wild numbers in this game: the Grizzlies grabbed 11 more rebounds (54-43) including 12 more offensive boards (17-5), they had seven more assists (38-31), five more steals (8-3) and they scored 26 more points in the paint (80-54!). The finesse Celtics hit five more 3-pointers (17-12) and made five more free throws (15-10) but it takes more than that to win at the Grindhouse. 

    Things only get sketchier from here for the Celtics as they get an extended stay in Milwaukee for matchups with the Bucks (28-14 overall, 17-5 home) on Wednesday (7:30, NBC Sports Boston) and Friday (7:30, NBC Sports Boston). Giannis was out with a left knee sprain tonight but his team still managed to destroy the Pacers (19-23) 140-113. If I know the Celtics this season, he'll return for both of those games and he will drop triple-doubles in their eyeballs as Milwaukee extends its win streak to nine games as they jostle with the Nets (29-14) and 76ers (30-13) for the top seeds in the East.

The Celtics Coasted By The Grizzlies 126-107 Behind Jaylen Brown's Career Game (42 Points)

 

    A little over a week into the 2020-21 NBA regular season and there have already been way too many uncompetitive blowouts to count. Every night it seems like teams are losing by 30 or 40 points and it's not just limited to the bottom-feeders of the league. Thankfully, our Celtics (3-2 overall, 2-1 home) were on the right side of that equation as they easily dispatched the Ja Morant-less Grizzlies (1-3 overall, 1-1 road) 126-107 tonight at TD Garden. Don't let that nail-biting 19-point margin of victory fool you, this was a joke of a contest where the Celts were up 26 points (!) at halftime (66-40) as apparently Memphis had big pandemic New Year's Eve plans that they had to get back home for. This win was all about Celtics shooting guard Jaylen Brown who erupted for a career-high 42 points including a career-best seven three-pointers. Most impressive, he efficiently got that all done in three quarters of action (only 29 minutes of playing time). 

    Boston's power forward Jayson Tatum (16 points) gets most of the headlines locally and nationally since his talent jumps off the screen every time that you see him on the offensive end. However, the fortunes of the Celtics these next few years will probably be decided by Brown as much as anybody. Tatum is getting better on the defensive end but Brown is already one of the top two-way wings in the NBA. Furthermore, let's not get ahead of ourselves but he hopefully will be an All-Star for the first time later this season. As we all know, the league is built around stars and teams that have one or none aren't going anywhere. The C's appear to be lucky enough to have two very promising young standouts on their current roster. Now they just have to figure out how to maximize what their supporting cast around them can be. 

    All 13 Celtics that suited up tonight scored at least two points, something that you are unlikely to see again during this campaign. Competing in the second night of their first back-to-back of the year, nobody played more minutes for the home team than Brown. Point guard Marcus Smart added 14 points and three steals while center Daniel Theis notched 12 points, five rebounds and two blocks in his best performance since the bubble playoffs. Point guard Jeff Teague (4 steals) got his first start as a Celtic as head coach Brad Stevens went with a small lineup as power forward Tristian Thompson sat out to rest his right hamstring. 

    With extended garbage time minutes to fill, Boston's bench had some standouts of its own: guard Carsen Edwards led them with nine points, rookie point guard Payton Pritchard scored eight points with two steals and center Robert Williams put up six points, 10 rebounds and four blocks. This was the last game of 2020 for the Celtics and because they are heading out on a four-game road trip to start the New Year, they couldn't have dreamed of an easier result which also gave them their first winning-streak of the new season. 

    The Grizzlies didn't look like they wanted to be there and they played like it too. With Morant out for an estimated three-to-five weeks with a high ankle sprain, it's tough to see them winning many games without their unquestioned leader and best player. Former Raptors center Jonas Valanciunas (20 points, 11 rebounds) posted a double-double but shooting guard Dillon Brooks (16 points, 5 rebounds) was the only other Memphis starter to reach double figures in scoring. Veteran center Gorgui Dieng had 17 points and six rebounds off the bench while rookie shooting guard Desmond Bane scored 16 minutes and power forward Brandon Clarke had 10 points and seven rebounds as I'm sure they all played way more than they had expected to. 

    Boston just got back from a road trip to a blah Midwestern city (Indianapolis) and now they get to go to an even worse one-Detroit-for two games starting on New Year's Day (7, NBC Sports Boston). At 0-4, the Pistons are tied with the Wizards for the worst record in the NBA so I am counting on the Celts to win twice in the Motor City including the rematch on Sunday afternoon (3, NBC Sports Boston) which sounds about as exciting as Patriots (6-9) vs. Jets (2-13). Luckily, things get a little more interesting after that with Boston going to Tampa Bay (yes, you read that right) to meet winless Toronto (0-3) in their temporary home on Monday (7:30, NBC Sports Boston). Canada won't let them play in their home country during the pandemic so the Raptors went to Florida where I'm told there are no rules about anything ever. The final stop on the road trip is Wednesday (7:30, ESPN) at Miami (2-2), you know the team that beat them in the Eastern Conference Finals held in the bubble. The Celtics bench better get some rest because I have a feeling they will be getting plenty of action right from the jump in 2021. 

Celtics Start Their Road Trip of Woe with Blowout Loss in OKC; Swap Lee for Bayless

Don't worry if you forgot/didn't watch a second of Celtics-Thunder tonight after an excellent NFL Wild Card weekend. Boston (13-21 overall, 5-11 away) started a killer five-game road trip (Nuggets, Clippers, Warriors and Blazers) with a 119-96 loss at Chesapeake Arena to Oklahoma City (27-7 overall, 15-5 home). The Celts have lost seven of their last eight games.

Former BC standout Reggie Jackson led the Thunder with 27 points while Kevin Durant had 21 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and three steals. Serge Ibaka added 17 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks, former Celtic Kendrick Perkins notched 12 points (which has to be a season-high) and six rebounds with former UConn star Jeremy Lamb scoring 13 points and six assists off the bench.

Jeff Green and Avery Bradley both had 19 points to pace the Celtics while Jordan Crawford put up 17 points and seven assists and Kris Humphries scored 14 points off the bench.

Why am I telling you this/who cares? The only reason I mention this pointless midseason NBA exhibition is because the Celtics made a little more news (well not really) off the court this evening as they traded overpaid (2 more years left, $11 million) and overrated swingman Courtney Lee to Memphis for underachieving point guard Jerryd Bayless.

Lee was here for the last two seasons but I honestly can't recall one notable positive contribution to the team. That's not to bash him either, he seems like a decent enough guy but it was just a case of a player that looks better on another team then you see him up close and realize those numbers must have been hollow. He averaged 7.8 points last season in 24.9 minutes per game yet those both went down this season on a rebuilding team (7.4 points in 16.8 minutes per game) with a new coach and system, so there.

Bayless was the No. 11 pick in the 2008 NBA Draft but he never played for the Pacers. Since then, he's been on the Blazers, Pelicans, Raptors, Grizzlies and now Celtics. Boston has always coveted him since he routinely tears them up in recent years for some unknown reason. For his career, he's averaged 8.2 points in 19.3 minutes per game.

Don't get too attached to Bayless though (haha yeah right, like anyone would do that) because he simply could be a trading chip moving forward. Sure, he could serve a role on a contending team that needed bench scoring or a backup point guard.

At the moment, the C's find themselves one game back of Detroit for the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference-the sacrificial lamb to Indiana or Miami. Hopefully this trade, their recent awful stretch (plus upcoming games) and talk of Rajon Rondo rehabbing in Portland with the Red Claws (their D-League team) has woken up Boston to the fact that they need to tank or else they'll pay for years to come. The last 48 games promise to be painful but this is the only logical option if they ever want to return to relevance in the city and league.

The road trip of doom continues on Tuesday (9, CSN) with Boston visiting Denver (16-17 overall, 3rd in Northwest Division). At least the Celts can ease their mind with Colorado's finest legal weed (topical!).

UPDATE 1/7: The trade was finalized today with Lee going to Memphis and Bayless coming to Boston. Additionally, the Grizzlies get a 2016 second-round pick from the Celts, Ryan Gomes returned to Boston from Oklahoma City (but he was immediately waived) and the Thunder received a 2017 second-round pick from Memphis.

UPDATE 1/9: MarShon Brooks was recalled from Portland, he'll be back with the Celtics tomorrow night at Golden State.

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Mercifully, Our Regional Nightmare is Over: Fab Melo Traded to Memphis

Look it up, I was never a Fab Melo fan dating back to his brief time at Syracuse so you can imagine my frustration when the Celtics drafted him in the first round (22nd overall) in 2011. I predicted he'd never have an impact in Boston and despite being a beast in the D-League (hold your laughter), Melo couldn't find a place on an NBA team that basically played without a true center for two years. What does that tell you how they viewed him? As far as I'm concerned, his most memorable pro moment so far is bumping his head in a hotel which gave him a concussion.

Today, he was traded for another bust from Syracuse-forward Donte Greene-that was on the Grizzlies last season but never actually played a game. He was a first round pick (28th overall) by Sacramento where he toiled for four seasons, averaging a forgettable 6.1 points per game. This was a chance for Boston to trim salary and get under the luxury tax line next season assuming that they waive him before the regular season starts in October. Also, it's another step in the rebuilding process as they admitted (with this move) that drafting Melo was a mistake from the start.

Oh well, at least now we don't have to watch that big goof painfully try to play basketball. So we've got that going for us.

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Avery Bradley's Return Can't Help The Celtics Avoid Their Fourth Straight Loss

Remember when we were all excited about the Celtics when this season started in October? It seems like a long time ago when it actually was only a few months back. Boston (14-17, 9-6 home) lost their fourth straight game, 93-83 to Memphis (20-9, 7-6 away) tonight at TD Garden.

All four losses by the Celts have been by double-digits. Avery Bradley (4 points, 1 steal in 20 minutes) played his first game of 2012-13 but it'll take time for the defensive stopper to get acclimated to this currently lifeless squad. The loss dropped Boston a season-low three games under .500.

You don't hear much about them because they are in the Western Conference and a small market but the Grizzlies are a very solid team. They are deep, tough, they play defense and each guy seems to know his role (a rarity in today's NBA). Mike Conley led Memphis with a season-high 23 points and nine assists, UConn's Rudy Gay had 19 points, six rebounds and five assists while former Celtic Tony Allen had 15 points and five rebounds in his return.

Things were going so good for Memphis that Darrell Arthur (10 points) hit the first two 3-pointers of his NBA career (5 years) and Marreese Speights added 10 points and six rebounds off the bench as well.

Paul Pierce had a quiet 17 points and seven rebounds, Kevin Garnett put up 12 points, seven rebounds and five assists while Rajon Rondo notched 11 points and 10 assists. Boston's bench actually outscored Memphis' 37-25 so for once you couldn't blame them. Jeff Green had 10 points to led the Celtics' reserves.

The Celts face the Pacers (19-13, 1st place in Central Division) on Friday (8 p.m., CSN) at the Garden. After a slow start, Indiana has figured things out and they will be a tough matchup for the suddenly reeling Celtics.

UPDATE 1/4: Kris Joseph was sent back to Maine.

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It took A While But The Celts Are Rounding Into Form, Win Their Fourth Straight

Sadly Tony Allen wasn't able to suit up this afternoon in his return to Boston and his new squad similarly didn't show up as the Boston Celtics (13-10) waxed the Memphis Grizzlies (12-12) 98-80 this afternoon at TD Garden.

Zach Randolph has been out for a while with a knee injury and he's their best player so that explains why Memphis-which made a run to the Western Conference semifinals last season-has been so inconsistent out of the gates this season.

Brandon Bass missed the game for the Celts with a sore knee but they rolled on anyway to their fourth straight win.

Kevin Garnett led all scorers with a game-high 24 points and nine rebounds. For the third game in a row, KG hit a 3-pointer (by design). I never thought I'd write those words but he seems to have a decent touch from long range. Apparently, he used to shoot 3s once in a while with the Timberwolves but thanks to college and alcohol, I really can't remember that.

Paul Pierce had 21 points, six rebounds and six assists while Ray Allen (4 of 14 shooting) added 12 points and Rajon Rondo handed out 14 assists. Chris Wilcox put up 12 points and five rebounds off the bench while rookie JaJuan Johnson had his second good performance in a week with 10 points, four rebounds and two blocks (not all in garbage time either).

An interesting note: Pierce is now nine points behind Larry Bird (ever hear of him?!) for second in all-time scoring for the Celtics. Expect him to break that in the first half, maybe even the first quarter of the next contest.

With Super Bowl 46 hanging over everyone, the Grizzlies thankfully didn't put up much of a fight. Rudy Gay had 21 points and seven rebounds but Sam Young was the only other starter in double-figures with 10 points. O.J. Mayo scored 15 off the bench and Dante Cunningham had 10 points in the loss.

The C's led 24-16 after one quarter and 43-35 at halftime. They were still up eight (69-61) after three and they saved their best for last with a strong fourth (29-19).

Boston owned almost every category: shooting percentage (49.3%-36.8%), 3s (7-3), free throws made (19-13), rebounds (45-38), assists (28-13), steals (9-5), fast break points (26-10) and points in the paint (44-34).

The worst team in the NBA, the Charlotte Bobcats, come to the Garden on Tuesday night. It will be a worthless game except for the fact that Pierce will pass Bird which is pretty remarkable. Get ready for the big one on Thursday: the Lakers make their only appearance of the season on Causeway Street for a primetime matchup.

Go Patriots!

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"It's One Love," Tony Allen after the Celtics won the 2008 NBA Finals

There are some moments in life that you never forget. I'm sure being a first-hand witness to Tony Allen's triumphant return to the TD Garden with the Memphis Grizzlies last night will be one of those precious memories I can take to my grave.

Haha for real though, it was an important game for both teams last night as the Grizzlies (40-32) scratch and claw (lame metaphor alert) for the eighth and final spot in the Western Conference. The Boston Celtics (50-20) came into the game half a game behind the Chicago Bulls for the top spot in the Eastern Conference so the 90-87 setback didn't help one bit for the Green.

It was a weird game with the TD Garden crowd usually sitting on its hands. It was capped off by Glen Davis (12 points, 5 rebounds) missing the tying 3-pointer. Marc Gasol (11 points, 11 rebounds) got the rebound and it looked over as he had two foul shots with under five seconds remaining. Surprisingly, he bricked both free throws and Boston got the rebound and called a timeout. Paul Pierce (22 points) had a chance at a 3-pointer but it bounced harmlessly off the rim.

Tony Allen (8 points, 7 rebounds) and ex-Celtic Leon Powe (13 points) were sparks in the starting lineup and off the bench respectively for the Grizzlies who had six players in double-figures. Zach Randolph took a break from going to strip clubs and rolling blunts to put in 13 points and grab eight rebounds while Sam Young and O.J. Mayo notched 11 points with Darrell Arthur adding 10 points.

The game featured some quintessential Tony Allen and Leon Powe moments. Allen airballed a 3-pointer and a floater while Powe quietly got to the basket at will and scored all those points in only 17 minutes of action.

Ray Allen had 14 points for the Celtics while Kevin Garnett and Jeff Green notched 10 points. Rajon Rondo had a very Rondoesque game with six points, seven steals, 11 rebounds and 11 assists.

Memphis led 20-15 after one quarter but Boston rallied for a slim 45-44 advantage. The Celts won the third quarter (25-23) but the Grizzlies made the plays in the fourth (23-17) and overall seemed to play with more urgency which was curious since this was a vital game to the Celtics as well.

Memphis shot 44.6% to 42.0% for Boston. The Celtics hit four more 3-pointers (7-3) and nine more free throws (22-13). Thanks to seven more offensive rebounds (11-4), the Grizzlies had six more total rebounds (43-37). Rondo helped the Cs get seven more assists (24-17) but honestly there were times when Boston's unselfishness hurt them. Memphis had the only three blocks of the game and twice as many points in the paint (52-26).

Boston tries to get back on track tomorrow night as they host the Charlotte Bobcats, a team that's currently tied for ninth and looking up at the Indiana Pacers for the all-important eighth spot in the Eastern Conference.

Ho hum, Celts win 11th straight and have best record in the NBA

It's funny how fast things can change in the NBA. A few weeks ago, the Celtics looked old and very vulnerable. Well they're still old but after winning their 11th straight last night, 110-105 over the Grizzlies, Boston (20-4) has the best record in the NBA.

Sure, the Celts have thrived against mostly weak teams but still they are 12-1 on the road. Since last night was the final game of a brief three-game road trip and because it was against a team that plays the style that gives Boston the most trouble (young, athletic), a seasoned fan had to know it wouldn't be easy.

It was basically a carbon copy of countless games from the last three seasons; the Celtics made just enough winning plays at the end to come away with the win. The biggest shot was Ray Allen's (18 points) three-pointer off a busted play with 17.5 seconds left.

Paul Pierce led the C's with 19 points and six assists. Rajon Rondo had 18 points and nine assists, Kevin Garnett had 13 points and eight boards while Kendrick Perkins added 13 points and six rebounds before fouling out.

The bench gave Boston a big left as Rasheed Wallace scored 15 and Eddie House had nine points.

Memphis (10-14) has one of the best starting fives in the league, really. Rudy Gay was coming off a career-high 41 point game and he followed that up with a team-high 23 points and seven rebounds. O.J. Mayo had 21 points and Zach Randolph added 20. Marc Gasol, who's much tougher than his older brother Pau, notched 15 points and eight boards while Mike Conley Jr. tossed in 11. Rookie Sam Young had 11 points off the bench.

Memphis led 31-28 after the first quarter and 55-54 at the half. Boston turned it on in the third quarter (31-26) and held on in the fourth (25-24).

The C's come home for three games, starting with Allen Iverson and the Sixers on Friday night.

The Other Allen Lifts Up his Brother from Another Mother

Ray Allen scored two points (0 for 9 from the floor with two late free throws) and Rajon Rondo had six turnovers and shot 2 for 9. Still, the Celtics outlasted the Memphis Grizzlies, 100-96 in Boston last night.

The Celtics (28-3) won their eight straight, they haven't lost since that epic game against the Pistons on December 19.

With Ray having one of the worst games of his career, Tony Allen (no relation that we know of), stepped up and had another stellar game with 20 points and three steals. Paul Pierce (23 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists) and Kevin Garnett (23 points, 5 boards, 5 assists) also showed why they're sure-fire All-Stars come February.

You have to give Memphis (9-23) plenty of credit, they've had a terrible season thus far but they came into the Garden and weren't intimidated by the NBA's best team. Rudy Gay led the Grizzlies with 21 points, five rebounds and three assists while Juan Carlos Navarro (20 points), Mike Miller (16 points, 8 rebounds), Pau Gasol (12 points, 8 boards) and rookie point guard Mike Conley (10 points) also stood out in the loss.

James Posey (9 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals) continued to improve his candidacy for sixth man of the year while Eddie House had eight valuable points.

It wasn't a very memorable game but Boston did enough to win and you have to think they might have been looking ahead a little bit to tonight when they face the Pistons in Detroit. The two teams are clearly the class of the Eastern Conference and probably two of the top three teams (Spurs being the other) in the league at the moment. Detroit is on fire having won 11 in a row including last night over Toronto.

Doc Rivers sat Pierce, Allen and Garnett in the fourth quarter but had to put them back in as Memphis cut it down to four late in the game.

Tonight should be another classic after Detroit took round one in Boston. The Celtics will need more production from their bench tonight (something that was invisible in the first meeting) while also somehow trying to find a way to slow down Chauncey Billups and Richard Hamilton. That's obviously easier said than done.