With Nobody Watching, The Celtics Likely Won For The Last Time This Season (124-108 At Minnesota)

 

    For a variety of reasons-1) it was a gorgeous summer-like day in New England; 2) the game started at 2 p.m. on a Saturday; 3) it meant literally nothing-I'm guessing that today's 124-108 victory for the Celtics (36-35 overall, 15-20 away) against the Timberwolves (22-49 overall, 12-23 home) was probably their lowest rated game in years on NBC Sports Boston. The penultimate regular season contest of this terrible season had the feel of a preseason game in Springfield, MA. Boston is already locked into the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference but they still don't know who they will host in the Play-In Tournament on Tuesday since the eight through ten seeds (Charlotte, Washington and Indiana) all have the same exact awful record (33-38). Haha can you feel the excitement? 

    Anytime that Celtics power forward Semi Ojeleye (6 points, 7 rebounds) starts for Boston, you know that something has gone horribly wrong. I guess doubly so when center Luke Kornet (12 points, 6 rebounds, 4 blocks) aka the Murder Kornet joins him in the starting lineup. Celts star Jayson Tatum had a game-high 26 points and 11 rebounds in 27 minutes while shooting guard Evan Fournier added 18 points and six assists with rookie guard Payton Pritchard rounding out the starters with 11 points and four steals. 11 guys got to play for Boston (sorry Carsen Edwards) as point guard Tremont Waters (14 points, 7 assists) had what must have been his best performance in the NBA and power forward Grant Williams notched 11 points and six rebounds off the bench as well. 

    The win snapped a four-game losing streak for the C's while the Timberwolves jockey for position in the Draft Lottery. Center Karl-Anthony Towns (24 points, 14 rebounds) posted a double-double and rookie swingman Anthony Edwards-who is making a late push for Rookie of the Year-added 23 points, six assists and three steals. Point guard D'Angelo Russell put up 11 points and six assists with center Naz Reid (12 points, 5 rebounds, 3 blocks) padding his stats off the bench. Boston's regular season finale is tomorrow afternoon (1, NBC Sports Boston) at Madison Square Garden against the Knicks (40-31 overall, 24-11 home). Expect an ugly blowout loss for the Celts not just because New York is way better than them but also since the Knicks are tied with the Hawks for fourth-place in the Eastern Conference so they will no doubt want to get that home-court advantage for the first round of the playoffs.

Tatum (Career-High 53 Pts) & Celts Need OT To Beat The Worst Team In The NBA-The T-Wolves

 

    You think that you've seen it all (mostly negative) from the Celtics (27-26 overall, 17-10 home) this season, then they have a game like they did tonight at the TD Garden vs. the Timberwolves (13-40 overall, 5-23 away)-the team with the worst record in the NBA. Boston trailed by as many as 17 points in the third quarter before a huge rally by the home team but then they allowed Minnesota to have a 11-2 spurt at the end of regulation to tie it at 124 and send it to overtime. The C's played their best in the extra stanza as they held on for an absurd 145-136 overtime win. Swingman Jayson Tatum (10 rebounds) has been in a bit of a funk for weeks but he scored a career-high 53 points-tied for the third-most in Celtics history-to carry his club to its fourth victory in their last five games. 

    Along with being the current worst team in the league, I'd venture a guess that Minnesota's defense will also go down as one of the worst in NBA history. Shooting guard Jaylen Brown put up 26 points, five rebounds, two steals and two blocks, guard Marcus Smart added 24 points, eight assists, six rebounds and two steals while point guard Kemba Walker shook off a terrible start to notch 17 points, nine assists, seven rebounds and two steals for Boston. With the way that they can score and all the talented guys on their roster, the Timberwolves should be way better than this. Center Karl-Anthony Towns led Minnesota with 30 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists although he also had six turnovers. Rookie No. 1 pick and swingman Anthony Edwards added 24 points, five rebounds and five assists. Small forward Josh Okogie added 16 points and four steals while power forward Jaden McDaniels scored 11 points. Point guard D'Angelo Russell came off the bench but still put up huge numbers (26 points, 8 assists) in 29 minutes and power forward Juancho Hernangomez checked in with 10 points off the bench as well.

    The C's have had countless poor starts this season but this evening's turd must be considered rock bottom. Not only did they allow 39 points in the first quarter but they only scored 25. It was so bad that it took them the rest of the game to erase it. They trailed 66-57 at halftime and 97-92 going into the fourth quarter. You know that you have serious issues closing out games when you can't put away Minnesota even after you finally took control of this matchup in crunch time. Boston shot five percent better (54%-49%) from the field than Minnesota, they hit four more 3-pointers (19-15), they made five more free throws (32-27), they grabbed eight more defensive rebounds (45-37) and blocked five more shots than the T-Wolves. 

    Let's be real, if the Celts were playing almost any other club in the NBA tonight, they probably would not have come out on top. The Green will need to be infinitely better this week as they head out on a difficult three-game West Coast trip: at Denver (34-18 overall, 18-9 home) on Sunday afternoon (3, NBC Sports Boston), at Portland (30-21 overall, 15-10 home) on Tuesday (10, NBC Sports Boston) and at the Lakers (32-20 overall, 16-11 home) on Thursday (10, NBC Sports Boston). Denver is the hottest team in the league with eight straight wins and they lost at Boston earlier this season so I highly doubt that will happen again. The Blazers aren't a great team but Damian Lillard is liable to drop 50+ points on the Celtics. Finally, the Lakers have been a bit of a mess lately with both LeBron James and Anthony Davis out injured but who knows, maybe at least one of them will be back for that primetime matchup? 

Celtics Exact Revange on the Timberwolves for an Earlier Beating This Season

Tangible evidence for how far the Celtics have come in only one month: on November 16, they were embarrassed 106-88 in Minnesota. Tonight at TD Garden in the teams' only other meeting of the season, Boston (12-14 overall, 7-6 home) outlasted Minnesota (12-13 overall, 5-9 away) 101-97. The Celts are maybe the third best team in the extremely weak Eastern Conference so it seems like the new plan is to win as much as they can with this group (thus upping their trade value).

Kevin Love (game-high 27 points, 14 rebounds) is still one of the best players in the NBA but unfortunately, he's also employed by a club that can't get over the hump once again. Monster Nikola Pekovic (13 points, 7 rebounds) was the only other Timberwolves starter in double-figures. Dante Cunningham had 12 points and six rebounds off the bench along with 10 points apiece from Northeastern's J.J. Barea (11 assists) and Alexey Shved.

Without Rajon Rondo (who has been cleared to practice), the Celtics lack a true superstar but they can win the Atlantic Division this season with a solid team that plays unselfishly with a very smart head coach (Brad Stevens) in total control. Jared Sullinger (24 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists) had one of his best games as a pro. Avery Bradley added 19 points and five rebounds and Jordan Crawford (15 points) was the final Celtic with double figures.

Coming into this campaign, you would have thought the Celtics couldn't win when Jeff Green pulls one of his infamous no-shows. Well he scored eight points tonight but teammates like Kelly Olynyk (9 points) and Kris Humphries (8 points, 7 rebounds) picked him up off the bench. Maybe it is because so many of them have something to prove in the NBA (to cash in) or here but there are plenty of motivated players on the Celtics this season (hence first-place in the Atlantic Division).

It was tight the whole way even though it felt that Boston was in control. The Celtics were up 29-21 after the first quarter and 51-50 at halftime. Boston took the third quarter (23-19) and held off Minnesota's mild charge in the fourth (28-27). The only statistic that was much different for both teams is that the C's shot 44.2% from the field while Minnesota was 37.8%.

Up next, the Celts host the Pistons (12-14, 2nd in Central Division) on Wednesday (7:30, CSN). Detroit beat Boston 87-77 in the third game of the young season on November 3 in the Motor City.

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The Celtics Come to Their Senses & Return to Losing Like There's No Tomorrow

Your 2K14 TankingPalooza update: the Celtics (4-7 overall, 2-4 road) lost 106-88 tonight to the Timberwolves (7-4 overall, 5-1 home) at the Target Center. It was the second loss in two nights for the C's and third in a row overall.

After losing to Charlotte on Wednesday then the Blazers last night, this was a forgone conclusion. Yes, they somehow stole one from the Heat in Miami last weekend but Minnesota is a team that looks finally good again after years of rebuilding so they wouldn't underestimate the Celts like the Heat obviously did. Avery Bradley had 27 points, Brandon Bass added 14 points and seven rebounds while Vitor Faverani had nine points, 14 rebounds, four blocks and three steals. Can somebody pleasetell him to relax? They've got games to lose here!

The good news for the Celts was that Jeff Green had two points on 0 for 6 shooting from the field and Jordan Crawford went 4 for 14 from the field for 10 points. That's it guys! Kevin Love (23 points, 12 rebounds) and monster Nikola Pekovic (20 points, 12 rebounds) killed Boston inside while Kevin Martin added 20 points and six rebounds.

If you like carnage, this upcoming week should be nice for Boston: they are in Houston (7-4) on Tuesday (8, CSN) followed by San Antonio (9-1) on Wednesday (8:30, CSN) and returning home to host the Pacers (9-1) on Friday (7:30, CSN). After starting the season with four losses then bouncing back with four straight wins, I think the Celtics are perfectly set up here for a beautiful lengthy losing streak. Is double digits too much to ask?

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Things Are Not Going Well When This Goon Drops 29 Points In Your Eyeball

I'm really excited for the Celtics' regular season to begin, this preseason seems like it will never end. What's that? There are only eight games left now before the playoffs? Oh. Like an old person with dementia, it's hard to remember what month it is when you watch these pointless games. Tonight, Boston lost 110-100 to Minnesota at the Target Center as Paul Pierce (personal reasons) and Kevin Garnett (left ankle) sat out.

Showing how much fake life this entailed, Nikola Pekovic bullied his way inside to a game-high 29 points and five rebounds for Minnesota (27-46, 18-19 home). Andrei Kirilenko added 17 points, nine rebounds, five assists and two steals, Derrick Williams had 11 points and three blocks while Ricky Rubio dished out 10 assists as only he can. Dante Cunningham went wild off the bench with 19 points, five rebounds and two blocks plus Northeastern's J.J. Barea tossed in 11 points with seven assists.

Boston (38-36, 13-25) actually hung around for much longer than we could have expected thanks to Avery Bradley (19 points), Brandon Bass (13 points, 6 rebounds) and Jeff Green (10 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists). The bench was great: Terrence Williams (14 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists) had his best game as a Celtic, Jason Terry scored 14 points and Jordan Crawford put up 11 points, six rebounds and five assists.

After five games in seven days, the shorthanded Celts limp home to face another miserable team-the Pistons (25-50, 4th in Central Division) on Wednesday (7:30 p.m., CSN) at TD Garden. It has the potential to be one of the real horrorshow games of the season which is saying something given how the last few weeks have unfolded for the Celtics.

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For KG, Beating The Timberwolves Will Always Be Extra Sweet

A week after his scuffle with Brooklyn's Kris Humphries and a two-game suspension by the NBA, Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo was back on the TD Garden parquet where he belonged tonight. As expected, it was like he hadn't missed a beat as he put up 17 points and 11 assists in Boston's (10-8, 6-4 home) 104-94 win vs. Minnesota (8-9, 4-6 away).

The Timberwolves were playing the second night of a back-to-back on the road but they looked good in the first half as they took a 51-47 lead into halftime. Predictably, they fell apart in the second half and the much more rested Celtics took advantage of their tired legs. Oh by the way, the C's have won 11 straight against the Timberwolves (10 in a row since KG got here).

Kevin Garnett had 18 points and 10 rebounds against his former team. Paul Pierce scored 18, Jason Terry added 17 points and five rebounds while Brandon Bass put up 12 points, eight rebounds and three blocks. Jeff Green scored eight off the bench and Jared Sullinger had a statistically pleasing seven points and seven rebounds.

Kevin Love paced the Timberwolves with 19 points and 13 rebounds. Nikola Pekovic added 14 points and nine rebounds, Josh Howard scored 12 and Luke Ridnour had 11 points and five assists. Alexey Shved notched 11 points off the bench and former Northeastern star J.J. Barea tallied 10.

Boston shot better from the field (52.6%-44%), they made four more free throws (18-14), grabbed four more rebounds (45-41), dished out five more assists (24-19) and blocked three more shots (6-3).

Earlier in the day, rookie swingman Kris Joseph was recalled from the Red Claws. He even got in during garbage time against Minnesota and hoisted up a shot that missed.

In a weird scheduling quirk, the Celtics play a home-and-home with the Sixers (10-8, 3rd in Atlantic Division) this weekend. Boston travels to Philadelphia on Friday (7:00 p.m., CSN) then hosts the Sixers on Saturday night (7:30 p.m., CSN). As we all know, Philly is a bad matchup for Boston therefore they usually play them very tough. In their first meeting this season-back on November 9-Philadelphia won 106-100 at the Garden.

This weekend is when Boston could use some extra contributions from its supposedly deep bench. They can't rely on Garnett, Pierce and Terry to give them huge minutes in either contest so it's up to the young guys-Green, Sullinger, Courtney Lee, Leandro Barbosa-to make it happen when they need a rest.

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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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The Celtics will play 1.5 quarters, still win and you'll pretend to enjoy it

Each game brings new obstacles and challenges for a Boston Celtics team that is coasting like only they can until the NBA playoffs start in a few weeks.

You would think that a miserable Minnesota Timberwolves squad, without its only star (Kevin Love), would be easy pickings especially when you're up 25 (38-13 in the second quarter) but I guess you haven't seen the Boston Celtics the last few seasons.

Rajon Rondo sat out with a sprained pinkie and Delonte West (8 points, 5 assists) made his first start since his return to Boston as the Celtics (51-21) held on for an 85-82 win at the Target Center over Minnesota (17-57).

After a great first quarter (32-13), the Celts decided to play chicken with the broken down train known as the Timberwolves. Amazingly, even Minnesota can comeback when Boston appears that disinterested and more importantly, great looks stop falling.

The Timberwolves actually tied it in the fourth and led by one in the fourth before their group of stiffs start playing like well stiffs.

Paul Pierce rescued Boston with a team-high 23 points and seven rebounds. Kevin Garnett had 13 points, 13 rebounds and five assists in his trip back to 'Sota. Nenad Krstic (6 rebounds) and Ray Allen notched 11 points while Jeff Green (9 points) and Glen Davis (8 points, 6 rebounds) were sparks off the bench.

Michael Beasley had a game-high 28 points and 10 rebounds for the Timberwolves which sounds impressive until you see that he was 11-for-28 from the field. Darko Milicic (15 points, 9 rebounds) actually looked good, words I never thought I'd think or say in my life. Your favorite emo point guard Luke Ridnour had 10 points and eight assists while Anthony Tolliver put up 16 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks off the bench.

With ten games left in the regular season, the win put Boston within two games of the Chicago Bulls. Both are in action tonight as the Celtics visit the Pacers while Chicago hosts the Sixers. Needless to say, the Cs need a win in the tough road back-to-back and some help from Philadelphia would be a pleasant surprise.

Von Wafer helps Celtics win an actual game

If you ever thought that Von Wafer - the last man on the Boston Celtics' bench - would ever do anything that would help them win a regular season game, you're either related to him or you're a lunatic.

However, that was the story last night as Wafter brought energy off the bench and his 10 points and six rebounds were crucial as the Celts (26-7) stole a game from the Minnesota Timberwolves (9-26), 96-93 at the TD Garden.

Led by rebounding machine Kevin Love (12 points, 24 rebounds - a Garden record), the Timberwolves were in control for most of the contest but some fourth quarter heroics by Paul Pierce (23 points), Ray Allen (20 points) and Glen Davis (17 points) allowed Boston to escape with the win.

Rajon Rondo was back to his old tricks with six points and 16 assists. He actually had the two biggest baskets for the Cs as well: a floater and a jumper in the last few minutes.

Minnesota got 19 points from Michael Beasley, 15 points from Martell Webster off the bench, 14 from Darko Milicic and 13 from Luke Ridnour.

The Timberwolves led 25-17 after one quarter and 47-43 at halftime. Boston inched closer with a decent third quarter (27-26) then won it in the fourth (26-20).

For the game, the Celts shot 45.1% to Minnesota's 41.7%. Thanks to Love's prowess, the Timberwolves had 15 more rebounds (45-30) but it was the same story in the assist department thanks to Rondo (22-16). Boston also had five more blocks (7-2) since Jermaine O'Neal had four (he's still good defensively), five less turnovers (15-10) and 12 more points in the paint (38-26).

Wednesday night is one of the marquee games of the NBA regular season even though I'm sure it won't get much hype. It pits the Western Conference's best team: the San Antonio Spurs against the East's best - Boston - at the TD Garden. It's hard to get excited about a regular season game but these teams only meet once or twice a season and they always seem to be great games.

On top of the world Ma!

As a slave to fantasy sports, it hit me last night that none of the Boston Celtics this season will probably have a great year statistically. Sure Paul Pierce or Ray Allen can get the hot hand any night and put up 25+ points and Rajon Rondo is a triple-double waiting to happen but nobody is a straight gunner which for the most part is what fantasy basketball is all about.

Fortunately, the product the Celtics are currently putting on the court more than makes up for this useless quibble. They didn't play well at all last night in Minnesota but still survived with a 92-90 victory at the Target Center.

Boston (6-0) was down five points after the first quarter and eight at the half (49-41) but they slowly chipped away and let the young Timberwolves (1-4) make enough dumb plays and launch enough bricks to pull it out.

It might be my noted affection for Al Jefferson (18 points) and fellow PC alum Ryan Gomes (11 points, 7 rebounds) but I've said for the last few seasons that Minnesota has a lot of talent, if they could plug in a few decent veterans they might get somewhere. So far with new coach Kurt Rambis patrolling the sidelines (sans goggles) and Kevin Love out with an injury, it's hard to tell if the T-Wolves are making much progress.

Oleksiy Pecherov had the game of his life last night with a game-high 24 points and eight rebounds but it wasn't enough. Corey Brewer added 13 points and promising rookie point guard Jonny Flynn had 10 points, five rebounds and five assists.

Balance was the order of the day for the C's as out of the ten guys that saw the floor, nine scored at least six points.

Rajon Rondo led the way with 18 points, six assists and three steals. Kevin Garnett (in his second game back in Minnesota) had a double-double with 12 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks. He also had the play of the game late in the fourth quarter as he tied up Brewer when it looked like the former Florida star had an open lane to the basket.

Ray Allen scored 14 points, Kendrick Perkins had 12 points, eight boards and three blocks while Paul Pierce notched 10 points.

The Suns come to Boston tomorrow night.

Remembering what life would be like without KG

It's easy to forget that the Celtics acquired KG a couple days after trading for Ray Allen two summers ago. There is a reason why people (myself included) weren't that excited about a team that only slightly upgraded by trading for Ray Allen. Garnett is a difference-maker as he proved last season in Boston's championship run.

The C's lose its defensive identity when Garnett (flu) is forced to miss a game like he did yesterday afternoon against his former team, the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Boston (40-9) did just enough for a 109-101 home win over the youthful Timberwolves (16-30) in a Super Bowl matinee. Oh by the way, it was the Green's 11th consecutive victory.

Still, it was a reality check of what life would have been like without KG; the Celts would be fighting for home court in the Eastern Conference and would not be title contenders.

Paul Pierce led Boston with a game-high 36 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Ray Allen added 22 points and Tony Allen scored 14 off the bench. In only his second career start, Glen Davis notched 12 points, six boards and three steals.

Kendrick Perkins scored eight points and grabbed 11 rebounds while Rajon Rondo had five points, eight assists and seven rebounds.

Minnesota was paced by its star, former Celtic Al Jefferson, who had 34 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks. It's a joke that he didn't make the All-Star team this season in the West.

Randy Foye added 21 points and nine assists while former Providence College star and Celtic Ryan Gomes notched 17 points and four steals. Sebastian Telfair, the other ex-Celtic, had 10 points and eight assists.

Boston jumped out a sizable lead after a 29-24 first quarter and 33-20 second quarter. The T-Wolves came back in the third (29-25) and fourth (28-22) but Pierce would not let his team choke away such a winnable game.

The Celts travel to Philly tomorrow night and Garnett's status is up in the air.

Mo' Powe Please

The kind people of Minnesota came in droves last night and sold out the Target Center in anticipation of Kevin Garnett's return to his home of 12 years. Sadly, for everyone involved, KG was still in street clothes as he missed his sixth straight game. Without that star power, the game suffered for the first three quarters but the fourth quarter was pretty wild as a severely undermanned Celtics stunned the T-Wolves, 88-86.

Already missing Scot Pollard and KG, the Celts (38-9) lost another big man as Kendrick Perkins (1 point, 5 rebounds, 4 blocks) went down in the third quarter with a shoulder injury. This meant that Leon Powe (16 points, 8 rebounds) got a large share of minutes as Boston scrambled to find healthy big men.

Minnesota (10-38) led 18-16 after a gross first quarter and 45-40 at the break. Al Jefferson (18 points, 9 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 blocks, 2 assists, 6 turnovers) once again was mostly held in check by the Celtics. Ex-BC Eagle Craig Smith (16 points, 7 rebounds) was effective down low since he looks like he's gotten even bigger. Or maybe he's just getting training tips from Oliver Miller. Ryan Gomes (13 points, 6 rebounds) and Corey Brewer (11 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals) were the other standouts for the T-Wolves. Sebastian Telfair (2 points on 1 of 8 shooting, 6 assists, 5 rebounds) looked like the fraud that played for the C's last year.

The Celts got within four after the third quarter, 66-62, setting up the final frame. Paul Pierce (18 points, 6 assists) and Ray Allen (17 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists) did just enough to let the C's hang around. Rajon Rondo (12 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists) continued to improve and Eddie House (14 points, 4 assists) had his best game in recent memory.

Late in the fourth, Jefferson hit back-to-back jumpers to tie it up for the T-Wolves. They had a chance to go ahead but they missed a shot and then Smith saved it from going out of bounds, except it went right to Ray Allen. Allen drove to the hoop and got hacked but there was no call. Powe followed up the shot (and was wide open) and laid it in just before the horn sounded. The C's had stolen another win from the poor Timberwolves.

Thus far, the biggest game of the regular season (which is an oxymoron) is Sunday as the defending champion San Antonio Spurs come to the Garden. Tony Parker is out for the Spurs but the Celts desperately need Perk to guard Tim Duncan. It's an ABC game at 1 p.m. that should be real interesting. Right now, Boston just wants to survive until the All-Star break which is next weekend.

Where Would We Be Without KG?

When the Minnesota Timberwolves came to the Garden last night, the team with the worst record in the NBA was meeting the team with the best. None of this seemed to matter as the Celtics were extremely lucky to come away with a 87-86 win.

The T-Wolves have count 'em six former C's: Al Jefferson, Antoine Walker, Gerald Green, Ryan Gomes, Sebastian Telfair and Theo Ratliff (who by this point is a mummy). True Boston fans (and not the ones who are Johnny Come Lately bandwagon fillers) will remember them all, especially the young guys and 'Toine.

The Celts made the Eastern Conference Finals in 2002 led by 'Toine, Pierce and a team that shot about 45 threes a game. Not surprisingly, they came crashing to a halt against the Nets. The young guys who were here last year (Bassy) or the last two (the rest) were part of a rebuilding project that never really went anywhere. That is until they were packaged along with two No. 1 picks for Garnett last summer. Jefferson is an absolute beast and at 22-years old is destined to be a star but as we've seen all year, and fittingly last night, KG is a winner that makes plays few others can.

Things weren't looking good as Boston (34-7) was down one with under a minute. They got a stop and the rebound but Pierce travelled. The T-Wolves (7-35) though shot themselves in the foot as they failed to get the ball inbounds in time. Ray Allen drove to the basket on the next possession but his layup rimmed out. Kendrick Perkins was there for the putback slam. Minnesota had one last chance but they couldn't get anything off. KG ended up out on Telfair near midcourt. No surprise who ended up with the ball as time ran out. Garnett pounded his chest and held up the Boston part of his jersey. A memorable moment in what could have been a disastrous game.

In terms of one-on-one matchups, there were a couple of surprises in terms of final results. Perkins (game-high 21 points, 4 rebounds, 3 blocks) actually outplayed Jefferson (15 points, 5 boards, 2 steals, 2 assists, 2 blocks). Telfair played great (18 points, 6 assists, 3 rebounds, 3 steals) while Rajon Rondo (4 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds, 3 steals, 1 block) was invisible.

Pierce had 19 points, nine assists and eight rebounds. Ray Allen shot 4 of 18 for 12 points and four rebounds. KG left in the fourth with an abdominal strain but finished the game with 10 points and 16 rebounds. Tony Allen (6 rebounds) and Leon Powe each added seven points off the bench.

Gomes had 13 points while Rashad McCants had 12 points and seven boards. Green had nine points, three boards and two assists. Corey Brewer had eight points and 'Toine had only three.

The C's got to the basket much more and were rewarded by making 25 of 30 from the line. Minnesota was just 12 of 16. Boston dominated the glass (47-35) while the T-Wolves got more steals (13-7).

The rematch in Minnesota in a few weeks should be even more emotional for Garnett since he had spent his whole career there. The Celts hit the road to face Orlando tomorrow afternoon. The teams split the first two games (with the home team winning both) so it should be a tight contest.