Rondo, Humphries & Wallace Ejected As Celtics & Nets "Fight" NBA Style

Tonight was one of those games where nobody will remember the final outcome but for reasons other than wins and losses, it was particularly memorable for an NBA regular season contest.

With 29 seconds left in a terrible first half (Boston trailed Brooklyn 51-35), Kevin Garnett (16 points, 10 rebounds) was fouled hard by Kris Humphries as he went to shoot. Rajon Rondo reacted by pushing Humphries into the crowd behind the basket as all hell broke loose, well as much as that can happen in an NBA game. Rondo, Humphries and Gerald Wallace were all ejected but it probably didn't matter since Brooklyn (10-4, 3-3 away) still rolled over Boston 8-7, 4-4 home) 95-83 at TD Garden.

There is little doubt that all three players, particularly Rondo since he started the whole mess, will likely face suspensions from the NBA. Brooklyn beat Boston for the second time in less than two weeks thanks to a great night from its bench: Andray Blatche (13 rebounds) and 38-year-old Jerry Stackhouse (five 3-pointers) both scored 17 points while C.J. Watson added 13 points.

Old friend Joe Johnson was the only Nets starter in double-figures with 18 points and six assists. Brook Lopez (9 points, 10 rebounds) and Deron Williams (8 points, 7 assists) were both held in check but it didn't matter since Brooklyn led from start to finish and Boston never really pushed them. It helped that the Nets hit nine more 3-pointers (10-1), grabbed 10 more rebounds (50-40), handed out seven more assists (21-14) and recorded five more steals (12-7).

Brandon Bass scored 16 points, Paul Pierce (14 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists) wasn't that far off from a triple-double and Jason Terry scored 13. The Celtics needed more than usual from their bench with Rondo out but instead they were blitzed 52-18 by their Nets counterparts.

Celtics head coach Doc Rivers rightfully blasted his team after the game, calling them soft. Maybe that will inspire them to become more consistent and figure things out defensively. I assume that Rondo will appeal his suspension or it won't go into effect right away but you can bet that he is going to miss a chunk of games in the near future.

Boston hosts Portland (6-9) on Friday (7:30 p.m., CSN) at TD Garden. The Blazers should be in a great mood themselves since they lost to 0-12 Washington tonight (84-82).

UPDATE 11/29: Rondo was suspended two games so he will miss Portland tomorrow night and Milwaukee on Saturday night. Garnett was fined $25,000 for his actions but those are the only two punishments for Boston.

UPDATE 11/30: Forward Kris Joseph was called up from the Red Claws for tonight, meaning either Jeff Green (knee) or Chris Wilcox (illness) is out vs. Portland. We shall see.

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Celtics Decide To Show Up, Thereby Automatically Beating The Nets

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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The Celtics Continue To Make Danny Ainge's Job Harder, Hope He Doesn't Have Another Heart Attack

For the time being, what transpires off the court-mainly in the Twitterverse, online, in newspapers, on the radio and television-is way more interesting with the Boston Celtics than their actual games.

The Celts (18-17) are the subject of non-stop trade rumors (the deadline is March 15) but they don't seem to be affected by it since they won their third straight tonight, 107-94 over the New Jersey Nets (11-26) at TD Garden.

This was the first time since the opening two games (at New York, at Miami which were both losses) that Boston has put together back-to-back 100-point performances. That's not much of a milestone in the NBA but for this time, it most certainly is. The Celtics improved to 17-2 against the Nets in their last 19 meetings.

Every day I go back and forth on whether Celtics GM Danny Ainge should just blow it all up or hope that Boston can stay relatively healthy, win the Atlantic Division and hope that somebody else knocks off the Heat and Bulls.

Jermaine O'Neal might be done for the season with a wrist injury and Ray Allen missed tonight's contest with the flu but the C's still managed to play one of the better games of the season. Duly noted that it also helps that New Jersey is awful.

Paul Pierce (27 points, 8 assists) was great and Kevin Garnett (20 points, 10 rebounds) continued to show plenty of pride in what could be his last season. KG has scored 18+ points in five straight games. Rajon Rondo (14 points, 13 assists, 5 steals)-the main subject of the trade rumors-had a solid game. Mickael Pietrus started for Allen and he added 11 points while Brandon Bass scored eight points. Chris Wilcox went for 14 points and seven rebounds off the bench.

Brook Lopez led the Nets with a game-high 28 points yet he somehow had three rebounds in 35 minutes, way to hustle big guy. Deron Williams mailed it in with 12 points and eight assists and MarShon Brooks scored 11 points. Both Anthony Morrow and former Celtic Gerald Green each added 11 off the bench.

These teams only meet once more, April 14 in the Garden State.

The Bruins and Celtics face all New York and New Jersey teams this weekend. The Devils came to the Garden last night, Nets were in town tonight, the Islanders are here tomorrow afternoon, the Bruins go to New York Sunday afternoon to face the Rangers at the same time that Celtics host the Knicks.

I don't know if you've heard of him but this guy from Harvard named Jeremy Lin plays for the Knicks now. Boston and New York split their first two games this season but Lin only played a minor role in the last one, a 91-89 Celtics win on February 3. With all the Linsanity hype and the fact that the Knicks have been playing light years better since he was inserted into the starting lineup, Sunday's matchup-a national game on ABC-should be entertaining theater (the best kind of NBA action).

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When The Regular Season Looks Like The Preseason: Celtics Scrubs Beat Nets Bums

Even with a full lineup, the New Jersey Nets are not going to be good. With their three best players-Deron Williams, Brook Lopez and Kris Humphries-all out with injuries, the Boston Celtics took advantage last night by winning the preseason-esque game 89-70 at TD Garden.

Boston's fourth win in a row was accomplished without Ray Allen, who sat out with the flu. I guess that proves that he's not a robot constructed by UConn coach Jim Calhoun.

New Jersey (1-6) is on another smooth path to a lottery pick which is a positive thing given next year's draft that should be loaded. Did I mention that they're moving to Brooklyn, NY?

The only two subplots that remotely interest me from this forgettable game were the performances of Nets rookie MarShon Brooks (17 points in his first NBA start) and Celtics second-year guard Avery Bradley (11 points, 2 steals, 1st NBA 3-pointer). Like myself, Brooks graduated from Providence College so it's extremely gratifying to see him make such an impact already coming out of a small school and a recently awful team.

I have hated on Bradley since the Celtics drafted him. He seems like a nice kid but I just wonder what dad, uncle or AAU coach was in his ear to leave Texas after one season. He simply wasn't ready for the rigors of the NBA. However, maybe after this game he'll gain some confidence and start to produce. Everybody knows how old the Celtics are so as their youngest player, he could have value.

Paul Pierce had a game-high 24 points, six rebounds and five assists. Kevin Garnett had 14 points and 12 rebounds while Brandon Bass had 15 points and a career-high 13 points off the bench.

Jordan Farmer (11 points) was the only other Net to score in double-figures.

Boston's bench outscored New Jersey's 36-31 in what will likely be a high-water mark for the regular season.

In a truly putrid first half, Boston led 18-17 after the first quarter but thanks to Brooks' 15 points, New Jersey was up 35-34 at halftime. The Celtics rolled to a 29-12 third quarter and 26-23 fourth quarter.

Things figure to pick up as the Celtics end their five-game homestand with three matchups with quality opponents: Indiana, Dallas and Chicago.

The Pacers (4-2) are at TD Garden on Friday night and it's not hyperbole to say I think Indiana will be in the 4-6 range when the Eastern Conference playoffs are set. They are an unsung young team with some talent (Danny Granger, Darren Collison, Roy Hibbert and Tyler Hansbrough). Who knows, maybe Larry Bird will grace us with his presence.

UPDATE 1/5: Allen didn't practice today and he's questionable for tomorrow night.

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The night the Boston Celtics gave up the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference

You want to tell yourself that this season is different for the Boston Celtics but after watching them lose for a third time in their last four games (all to inferior opponents) and you have to finally admit that it's 2009-10 all over again.

The New Jersey Nets (22-43) won their fifth game in a row, 88-79 at the Prudential Center. Boston (47-18) was held under 90 points for the third straight game and it really hurt them since their defense was up to the task.

It was another horrorshow in the second night of a back-to-back for the Celts, they seem destined to lose all of them at this point.

Brook Lopez led the Nets with 20 points while that skank Kim Kardashian's main squeeze Kris Humphries proved his worth with 16 points and 15 rebounds. How does one bounce from Reggie Bush to Humphries? Granted, I don't have the world's most famous butt. It's just funny that I had never noticed Humphries until I found him on my fantasy NBA waiver wire a few months back. I'm sure Kim discovered him in the same manner.

New Jersey's new point guard Deron Williams notched 16 points, nine assists, six rebounds and three steals, Anthony Morrow had 15 points and Travis Outlaw put up 12 points off the bench.

Boston received 19 points from Ray Allen and 18 points and eight rebounds from Kevin Garnett but Glen Davis (16 points, 14 rebounds off the bench) was the only other player to really show up. Rajon Rondo blindly ran into Humphries on a hard screen (easy Kim) and that didn't seem to help him in his recent slump as he was held to two points (1-for-10 shooting) and nine assists.

The weird thing is that the Celtics looked in control when the game started. They were up 23-14 after one quarter but the Nets cut it to 38-36 at halftime. New Jersey got it done in the third quarter (31-23) and Boston couldn't hit any shots in the fourth quarter (21-18 for the Nets).

Boston shot 41.2% to New Jersey's 39.7%. However, the Nets led by Williams (4) and Morrow (3) hit nine more 3-pointers (11-2) and eight more free throws (15-7). The Celtics actually grabbed five more rebounds (50-45) and dished out three more assists (22-19). New Jersey had three more blocks (6-3).

Big Baby looked great in his second game back from knee tendinitis. Hopefully Delonte West can have an impact too as he's set to return tomorrow night when the Celts host the Pacers.

Boston needs to not only win but get their offense back on track. They're tied now atop the Eastern Conference with the Bulls and the Heat are only two games back. There's only 17 more games left in the regular season so they all have meaning for homecourt. Thinking the Celts can get to the Finals again without homecourt throughout the playoffs is naive and not very realistic.

Come on, you had to know the Boston Celtics wouldn't head into the All-Star break with a loss to the New Jersey Nets

The Boston Celtics went into the 2011 All-Star break with the best record in the Eastern Conference.

The Cs (40-14) dispatched of the New Jersey Nets (17-40) 94-80 last night at TD Garden in a game that was about as scattered as you'd expect given that Boston's four most important players are headed to Los Angeles this weekend for the All-Star game.

After just one point against the Heat on Sunday, Paul Pierce bounced back in a big way with a game-high 31 points while Kevin Garnett added 14 points and 10 rebounds and Ray Allen scored 12 points. Boston's other All Star Rajon Rondo had seven points, eight assists, five rebounds and three steals.

The Nets are still a mess and the on-going trade drama with Carmelo Anthony just gives a glimmer of hope to a terrible franchise. New Jersey has some pieces: Brook Lopez (18 points, four blocks), Devin Harris (16 points) and Anthony Morrow (14 points) but other than that, this Avery Johnson led team is devoid of any real talent.

Luke Harangody scored eight points while Von Wafer had seven points as Boston's bench had a good game (25 points) though they continue to be shorthanded. The NBA trade deadline is a week from today so it'll be interesting to see if Danny Ainge thinks this team needs another body or two for the stretch run (final 28 games) and playoffs.

Boston was up 27-22 after the first quarter but New Jersey came back to tie it at 47 at halftime. It was still tied (71-71) after three quarters but the Celtics clamped down in the fourth (24-10) to get out of town in a good frame of mind.

Pierce and Allen face-off in the 3-point contest on Saturday night then the Big Four will be coached by Doc Rivers on the Eastern Conference All-Star team on Sunday. Should be a fun weekend, the NBA's All-Star weekend is usually entertaining and LA seems like the perfect venue for this fluff.

We'll next see the full team together next Tuesday as they begin a West Coast trip at Golden State.

Nets no match for Celtics on an NFL Sunday

It was nice of the New Jersey Nets to completely lay down yesterday afternoon as they hosted the Boston Celtics at a time and day reserved for NFL football and nothing else.

Rajon Rondo didn't play and Shaquille O'Neal only got some run in the first half but none of that mattered as the Celts (16-4) rolled to a 100-75 victory at the Prudential Center.

Nate Robinson led Boston with 21 points, six rebounds and six assists. In extended minutes off the bench, Glen Davis added 16 points and nine rebounds while Marquis Daniels notched 10 points. In total, the bench scored 42 points (which has to be a season high). Von Wafer had eight points and Avery Bradley looked like a serviceable NBA player at least defensively.

Kevin Garnett had another double-double with 13 points and 14 rebounds while Ray Allen notched 13 points.

Jordan Farmar led the Nets (6-15) with 16 points, off the bench no less. Anthony Morrow was the only New Jersey starter that scored double-digits (10 points) and rookie Derrick Favors had 10 points off the bench.

This barely resembled an NBA game, the Celtics figure to be challenged more on Wednesday night when they host the Denver Nuggets, one of the most Jekyll and Hyde teams around.

Say it with me kids, trap game

With the pathetic Nets in town on a Friday night and the All-Star break just a few games away, you could feel it in the air: the Celtics were going to come out really slow and then eventually pull away at the end in a game that was way too close than it should be.

I'm not a psychic, and I don't play one on TV but sometimes the NBA is just that easy to predict.

The Celts won 96-87 last night for their third straight win but they actually trailed by one point (73-72) entering the fourth quarter before Eddie House (who scored all 10 of his points in the fourth) heated up and sent the Nets (4-45) packing.

Paul Pierce sat out again and Marquis Daniels is back at practice but he didn't play as well, still there is absolutely no excuse for letting a team that had one road win on the season to hang around like that.

The Wizards at least did a favor for Boston (32-16) as they beat Orlando, allowing the C's to slip back into the number two seed in the Eastern Conference.

Ray Allen led the Green with a game-high 26 points and seven rebounds while Rajon Rondo added what now seems like his customary 17 points, 11 assists and three steals. Kevin Garnett had 10 points and seven rebounds and Glen Davis notched 13 points off the bench.

Brook Lopez scored 19 points for New Jersey. Devin Harris added 17 points and eight assists while Courtney Lee (12 points), Yi Jianlian (10 points) and Jarvis Hayes (10 points) all scored in double-figures.

The Celts spread it around offensively with 26 assists on 36 baskets and they posted 17 fastbreak points.

Orlando comes to the Garden tomorrow afternoon for an appealing Super Bowl matinee. The Celtics owe them some payback after they stole that win back in Orlando a few weeks ago.

The Situation should coach the Nets, it couldn't hurt

Well at least MTV's newest reality phenomenon, Jersey Shore is bringing the wonders of New Jersey to homes across the country. That has at least partially diverted attention away from the trainwreck, joke of a team that is the New Jersey Nets.

I don't know if I would call it a game, glorified scrimmage, summer league or preseason was more like it, but the Celts went down to the Izod Center last night and won 111-87.

If it wasn't over after the first quarter (38-22), it was time to call Vinny, Ronnie, Pauly D and the Situation at halftime (71-35) to see what they were up to since the Nets (3-35) were putting up less of a fight than your average Jersey boardwalk zoo creature.

Seven Celtics (27-10) scored 11+ points, led by Paul Pierce's game-high 24 points. Rajon Rondo had 11 points and 14 assists while Ray Allen scored 15, Kendrick Perkins had 12 points, eight rebounds and five blocks and even superscrub Brian Scalabrine notched 11 points. Scal started again since Rasheed Wallace is expected out for the week with a sore foot.

Glen Davis posted 13 points off the bench and Tony Allen (11 points) also made the most of his extended minutes.

The Nets (3-35) were led by Yi Jianlian's 19 points, Brook Lopez had 18 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks and Devin Harris scored 15.

As you could imagine, the numbers were almost as scary as J-Wow's skunk hair. The Celts shot 53.1% for the game (including 66% in the first quarter) to the Nets' 37.7%. The C's had 11 more rebounds (47-36), 17 more assists (30-13) and five more steals (9-4). The Nets actually made 14 more free throws (33-19) but that's about as memorable as Angelina's abbreviated stay in Seaside Heights.

Appropriately enough, the green and white bros get back at it tonight (right before two new episodes of Jersey Shore) back at home against the Bulls.

Celts get it done in the swamps of Jersey

It wasn't pretty but the Boston Celtics picked up a win last night on the road against the New Jersey Nets, 115-111.

Still without KG, Paul Pierce led the C's (48-14) with 31 points and five assists on 12-for-14 shooting. Rajon Rondo added 20 points, five rebounds and five assists while Kendrick Perkins notched a double-double of 17 points and 13 rebounds.

Ray Allen scored 16 points (including a clutch 3-pointer that tied it late in the fourth) and grabbed five rebounds and Eddie House tallied 10 points off the bench.

Vince Carter had a game-high 34 points for the Nets (27-34). New Jersey's other star Devin Harris notched 25 points and 11 assists but rookie Brook Lopez was held to 10 points. Jarvis Hayes scored 16 points as a substitute.

The victory clinched a playoff spot for Boston but that's not exactly news with this squad and their ultimate goals.

Boston led 27-20 after the first quarter and 58-51 at the half. The Celts outscored the Nets 34-30 in the third and New Jersey started making its move in the fourth (30-23) but it was too late.

Even without Garnett, the Celtics possess two of the most dependable players in close games: Allen and Pierce.

Boston shot a ridiculous 61.2% as a team to New Jersey's 49.2%. The C's also had 13 more rebounds (39-26). The Nets hung around and made it interesting by hitting five more 3-pointers (13-8) and committing five less turnovers (19-14).

For a regular season game, it doesn't get much bigger as LeBron and the Cleveland Cavaliers invade the TD Banknorth Garden. The Cavs currently are one game ahead of Boston for the top spot and home court in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Back to your regularly scheduled domination

After the recent four-game losing streak, the Boston Celtics (32-9) seemed to have gotten their collective shit together as they beat the New Jersey Nets (19-20), 118-86 last night at the TD Banknorth Garden.

It was the Green's third straight win after the sky was falling/apocalypse happened.

The game was reminiscent of an early-season blowout as the starters (still minus Perk) got the job done in three quarters then yucked it up on the bench in the fourth when Loch Ness Monsters like Bill Walker (6 points) strutted their stuff.

Paul Pierce led the C's with 22 points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals. The Truth tied the franchise record (also recently reached by Ray Allen last weekend in Toronto) of a perfect 5-for-5 quarter on 3-pointers. This occurred in the third quarter.

Kevin Garnett added 20 points and nine boards, Ray Allen notched 12 points while Rajon Rondo was back to his schizophrenic best with 11 points, 12 assists, seven rebounds and three steals.

Off the bench, Glen Davis had 12 points, Eddie House added 10 and the ever-improving Gabe Pruitt tossed in nine.

Devin Harris led the Nets with 17 points. Ryan Anderson, Brook Lopez (8 rebounds, 5 blocks) and Keyon Dooling all had 13 points.

Boston led 30-23 after one and 51-41 at the half. Pierce's on-fire stretch helped the Celts carry the third (37-19). The C's bench even took the fourth (30-26).

New Jersey shot a woeful 38.8% to Boston's Megan Fox hot 56.4%. The Celts made seven more 3-pointers (12-5), had 13 more rebounds (45-32), twice as many assists (28-14) and six more steals (13-7). The Nets made 11 more free throws (29-18) but who cares?

The teams will do it all again on Saturday as the Celtics go to the Garden State.

Taking Care of Business in Sopranoland

After Wednesday's night terrible loss to the Bobcats, the Celtics bounced back last night with a gritty 86-77 win at the New Jersey Nets. With the win, Boston (30-4) tied the best start in franchise history and ensured that they still haven't lost two games in a row so far this season.

As always, Kevin Garnett was the star of the game for the C's. KG scored a game-high 20 points, grabbed 11 boards with three assists, three blocks and two steals. Paul Pierce had 18 points, eight rebounds, five assists, two blocks and two steals. Ray Allen showed no rust after he missed the Charlotte game. He dropped 16 points (including 11 in the first quarter).

The Nets (18-18) have been playing well lately and it showed early as they jumped out to a 30-22 lead after one quarter. Former UConn star Josh Boone (14 points, 16 rebounds, 4 blocks) and BC's Sean Williams (2 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks) both start up front now, giving New Jersey some athletic big bodies. As long as Jason Kidd is around, the Nets will understandably revolve around him. Kidd had 11 points, 13 boards and nine assists. Richard Jefferson (17 points) and Vince Carter (16 points) were relatively quiet.

Boston played a strong second quarter, outscoring New Jersey 25-14 to take a 47-44 lead at the half. New Jersey wouldn't go away as they came back in the third and put up 24 points while holding the Celts to 16.

The fourth quarter was the difference in the game as the C's defense completely put the clamps on the Nets. New Jersey scored just nine points (an almost unheard of total in an NBA game) and the Celtics used a 13-2 run to score 23 and clinch the win.

Rajon Rondo hurt his back in the third quarter and didn't return. James Posey (9 points, 6 rebounds), Eddie House (9 points) and Glen Davis (7 points, 4 boards)-also returning from one missed game-were solid off the bench.

The C's shot 47.9% and the Nets were just 36.5% from the floor. Boston was real bad from the free throw line (13 of 21) but the Nets were brutal (9 of 24) including 0 of 6 for Boone. That was the key stat as the Nets outrebounded Boston by 8 (52-44).

Boston travels a short distance to Washington, D.C. to take on the Wizards minus Gilbert Arenas tonight. Washington has actually played pretty well in his absence as Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison are playing arguably the best basketball of their careers.

Boston off to its Best Start in 35 years

Only seven games into the 2007 NBA Season, two things are becoming abundantly clear: 1) the Celtics are very good and 2) the Eastern Conference once again is by and large garbage. The Celtics improved to 7-0 with a grimy 91-69 win over the Nets last night at the Garden. Its the Celtics best start in 35 years (they started 10-0 in the '72-'73 season) and the franchise's best start was 14-0 in '57-'58.

Common sense held that last night (the second night of a back-to-back) would be sloppy and the Nets would be a good team to face since they have a real lack of depth and scoring punch now that Vince Carter is out with a sprained ankle. The Nets led 23-17 after one quarter but you had a feeling that wouldn't last for long. The C's held them to 11 points in the second quarter and Paul Pierce hit a last-second jumper to put Boston up two heading into the break.

The second half was all about defense for the Celtics as they only gave up 35 points total. For the home team, six players found double-figures including all five starters. This was especially impressive since offensive spark plug Eddie House was out with a sprained ankle from the Pacers game. Kevin Garnett led the way with 16 points and 8 rebounds while Pierce (15 points), Ray Allen (14 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, 4 steals), Rajon Rondo (13 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds) and Kendrick Perkins (10 points, 8 rebounds and 4 blocks) all had solid games. The story of the game was Tony Allen, who had 13 points in 24 minutes. He received a lot of House's minutes and played well. He's still recovering from a horrific knee injury last season (which happened just when he was playing the best basketball of his life) so he wears a huge knee brace. His main strength is that he's a great defender so if he can consistently contribute on the offensive side, the Celtics will be in great shape.

Boston shot 46.5% as a team and they forced 20 Nets turnovers (including 14 steals). The Nets shot a pitiful 33.3% as a team. They are pretty limited without Carter. Jason Kidd played well (19 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists) and Richard Jefferson had 21 points but they have a bunch of bums taking up roster space.

The Celtics host struggling Miami (1-7) on Friday. Dwyane Wade came back last night for the Heat but they still lost to the Sonics, who had been winless. Shaq is only a shell of his former self and the Heat are light years away from the team that won the NBA Championship two seasons ago.

Still perfect, Celts roll to 5-0

The Celts moved to 5-0 (the last unbeaten team in the NBA) last night with a 112-101 win over the Nets in Jersey. It was the first game since the opener that I saw a majority of and I must say Boston is a pretty fun team to watch. All three of the superstars have their own skills and the role players are stepping up each game and making timely hoops, pulling down rebounds and playing defense. The Celtics best ever start was 6-0 in the '87-'88 year campaign.

Last night, Garnett probably had his worst game as a Celtic (18 points, 14 boards, 6 assists, 3 steals) but he still stepped up when it counted most, including a deep jumper as the first half ended. The guy is just a winner, what a pickup. Pierce led the way with 28 points while Ray Allen had 27 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists. Is there a better 3-point combination than those two? The thing about both is that they're so much more than just long-distance shooters in the Peja Stojakovic, Bruce Bowen mold. They can put it on the deck and get to the hoop and earn free throws where they're both solid (Allen is nearly automatic).


The unsung hero of the game was definitely rookie forward Glen Davis. Big Baby was great in limited minutes. He fouled out in 17 minutes but he was a force when he was on the court. He had 6 points, 8 boards, 2 assists, 2 steals and a block. When the Celtics traded for him (in the Allen deal), I thought they were getting a steal. He's such a unique player with his build and abilities. He was money for LSU in their Final Four run two years ago then was forgotten last season as they badly underachieved. Eddie House continued to impress off the bench with 13 points. The Celtics were up comfortably in the third quarter but the Nets made a spirited run in the fourth quarter, oddly enough after Vince Carter left with an ankle injury. New Jersey was dominated on the glass: 49-34 and in assists: 27-19. The Celtics just continue to play very well, they have already become must-see TV. Boston travels to Indiana to take on the Pacers Tuesday night.