The Celtics Closed Out A Horrible 2021 With Their Best Win Of The Season, 123-108 Vs. The Suns

 

    There are many reasons why I have barely posted anything about the Celtics (17-19 overall, 10-7 home) during this miserable 2021-22 campaign: they are mostly an unlikable group, their games are nearly unwatchable and usually quite predictable in terms of blowing almost any lead possible. Fast forward to their traditional New Year's Eve afternoon home game at TD Garden where they dominated one of the best teams in the NBA-the Suns (27-8 overall, 11-4 road)-123-108. Boston led by as many as 30 points in the second quarter (65-35!) and of course Phoenix made a decent run in the third quarter but for once, the C's were able to hang on for what has to be considered their most meaningful victory of head coach Ime Udoka's rocky first year in charge. 

    For more context, the Celtics had lost eight of their last 11 games including three soul-crushing losses in a row entering today: they were up as much as 19 points on Christmas at Milwaukee (24-13) before losing to the Bucks, they fell on Monday at Minnesota (16-19) which due to Covid and injuries fielded basically a G League team and then they wrapped it up by hitting four-of-42 3-pointers and losing by nine at Wednesday to the mediocre Clippers (18-18) at the Garden. Speaking of the 'Rona, Celts superstar Jayson Tatum is still out as he battles it for the second year in a row. Like every other team, the Suns are also missing guys-most notably center Deandre Ayton-because of this never-ending nightmare that we are facing all around this stubborn country. 

    Seven Celtics scored in double-figures led by point guard Marcus Smart (24 points, 9 rebounds) and shooting guard Jaylen Brown (24 points, 11 rebounds) but center Robert Williams (10 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists, 5 blocks, 2 steals) was the star of the show as he notched his first career triple-double. When he's healthy and on the court, Williams is one of the most talented big men in the league but unfortunately he is so injury-prone that it makes your head spin. Power forward Grant Williams scored 15 points and despite only having three guys appear off the bench, they combined to score 46 points. Swingman Josh Richardson had 19 points, shooting guard Romeo Langford added 16 points and two steals while guard Payton Pritchard tossed in 11 points (it's nice to see Udoka finally play him a little bit). 

    The Suns have already proven that last season where they went to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1993 was no fluke whatsoever. It helps of course to have arguably the best backcourt around in point guard Chris Paul (14 points, 8 assists, 2 steals) and shooting guard Devin Booker (team-high 22 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals). Small forward Cam Johnson put up 20 points, five rebounds and two steals while center Jalen Smith (who?!) had 19 points and seven rebounds plus power forward Mikal Bridges notched 10 points and two steals. The home team led by 11 points after the first quarter (32-20) and by 26 points at haftime (67-41). Phoenix predictably came alive in the second half but even for them, it was too late to have much of an impact on the C's. The Suns took the third quarter (36-33) and the fourth quarter as well (36-33) but the Celtics held on tight to avoid the season sweep by the Suns.

    For the game, Boston had a big advantage when it came to field goal percentage (54.2%-41.0%), they also took 10 more free throws (26-16) and hit eight more of them (23-15), they grabbed 14 more rebounds (51-37), dished out eight more assists (28-20) and thanks to Williams blocked five more shots (7-2). For what it's worth, on paper this next little stretch for Boston seems very winnable: they host the tanking Magic (7-29) on Sunday night (6, NBC Sports Boston), before the Spurs (14-20) come to town on Wednesday (7:30, NBC Sports Boston) then they have a home-and-home with the Knicks (17-19) on Thursday (7:30, NBC Sports Boston) at Madison Square Garden and then the return match here next Saturday night (7:30, NBC Sports Boston). Hopefully Tatum can return at some point this upcoming week but then again, he and Brown famously don't really play well together anymore. Oof, it's a tough time to be a C's fan and I obviously have very low expectations for the rest of this season and beyond barring some huge changes in personnel.

Celtics Lock Down The Suns, Picking Up One Of Their Best Wins Of The Season, 99-86

 

    The game itself was far from pretty but the end result was beautiful last night at the TD Garden as the Celtics (32-27 overall, 19-11 home) easily dispatched of the weary Suns (42-17 overall, 19-8 away) 99-86. Phoenix entered having won in overtime at Milwaukee (36-22) on Monday and at Philadelphia (39-20) on Wednesday, so you can understand why they didn't have much energy left by the time they reached the Garden parquet. For what it's worth, Boston was missing three of their best players: shooting guard Jaylen Brown (left shoulder bursitis), center Robert Williams (left knee soreness) and swingman Evan Fournier (health and safety protocol) all missed the rematch between the C's and the Suns. The Celtics were also coming off of one of the worst losses of their season 102-96 to the Bulls (25-34) on Monday so this was a great bounceback victory which gives them wins in seven out of their last eight contests. 

    The Suns are fighting for a top seed in the Western Conference though so they respectfully had all their best players in the lineup: point guard Chris Paul (22 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals), shooting guard Devin Booker (15 points, 5 turnovers before he fouled out), small forward Mikal Bridges (15 points) and center Deandre Ayton (10 points, 9 rebounds) all played their normal minutes. Boston was led by point guard Kemba Walker who tied his season-high with 32 points. Swingman Jayson Tatum (15 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, 5 turnovers) had another ugly shooting performance (3-for-17) but at least he's getting to the free throw line way more than earlier this season and converting them (8-of-8). Guard Marcus Smart added 11 points, seven rebounds and five assists while center Tristan Thompson (9 points, 12 rebounds) missed out on a double-double by one measly point. Rookie guard Payton Pritchard (10 points) continued his late season reemergence in 21 valuable minutes off the bench. 

    The C's smartly jumped on the Suns right away as they led 26-21 after the first quarter and they were up by as many as 21 points in the second quarter before settling into a 53-37 halftime advantage. Phoenix pushed back in the third quarter (28-24) but with Booker out, there would be no comeback in the fourth quarter as Boston edged them 22-21. Neither team shot well but the Celtics did hit twice as many 3-pointers (12-6) as the Suns, they also made 13 more free throws (21-8) and grabbed 10 more rebounds (48-38). For a team that has struggled so much defensively all season, it was refreshing to see the Celts hold an elite opponent to 40.9% shooting from the field and 17.1% on 3-pointers (which has to be a season-best). 

    The middle of the Eastern Conference playoff race is a complete mess so this win allowed Boston to keep pace with fifth-place Atlanta (32-27) and remain a half game behind the fourth-place Knicks (33-27) along with one game ahead of seventh-place Miami (31-28). After three blowout losses to the Nets (39-20 overall, 23-7 home) earlier this season, tonight (7:30, NBC Sports Boston) at the Barclays Center is the last chance for the Celtics to finally beat Brooklyn before they could potentially see them again in the postseason. Kevin Durant (leg) and James Harden (hamstring) are both out, leaving only Kyrie Irving from the Nets' Big Three so even though it's in a back-to-back, this feels like the best time for the C's to come out on top. Brooklyn is 5-5 in their last 10 games due to all the changes in their lineup but they remain in a dead heat with the Sixers for the top spot in the East. This game means so much to both teams therefore it should be a good one.

While You Were Shoveling Snow Or Fixing A Super Bowl Feast, The Suns Beat The Celtics 100-91

 

    With a bunch of late night games on this West Coast road trip, the Celtics (12-10 overall, 7-7 away) have been able to hide from the masses after some rough performances and conversely, their nice wins have barely registered locally since few people were watching them live. Today was a different story though as they had a early tip time of high noon in Phoenix (13-9 overall, 6-4 home) and with a snowstorm in New England, you had few other things to do besides watching this ugly game. The Suns topped the Celts 100-91 as Boston fell to 2-4 in its last six contests. C's star Jaylen Brown missed his second game in a row with left knee soreness. These clubs should be roughly at the same level but at the moment, Phoenix is better as the Celtics search for that elusive consistency. Boston got dominated inside-getting outscored 46-26 in the paint-and their shooting was woeful (48.8% for Phoenix to 35.5% for the visitors). 

    The Suns have been mostly awful (and irrelevant) for years but with point guard Chris Paul (15 points) in his first season with Phoenix, you can sense that he is bringing a culture change to a team that has a bunch of young and talented players. Small forward Mikal Bridges (19 points, 9 rebounds) was the high scorer for the Suns who had five guys score in double figures with at least 15 points apiece. Shooting guard Devin Booker (18 points, 11 assists, 7 rebounds) wasn't too far off from a triple-double while center Deandre Ayton (16 points, 11 rebounds) also had a double-double and small forward Cameron Johnson (17 points) was great off the bench for Phoenix. 

Boston head coach Brad Stevens was forced to tinker with his shaky starting lineup and guard Carsen Edwards (2 points in 17 minutes) failed to provide any kind of spark. Swingman Jayson Tatum scored a game-high 23 points (on 22 shots) and had seven assists. Point guard Kemba Walker (14 points) followed up his promising outing on Friday in the upset of the Clippers with his worst shooting performance as a Celtic: he went a dreadful 4-of-20 from the field which seems almost impossible for someone with his shot-making ability. Woof. Power forward Grant Williams (10 points) was the only other starter to reach double figures in scoring. Center Daniel Theis (12 points, 6 rebounds) and rookie guard Payton Pritchard (12 points, 5 rebounds) both showed that maybe they shouldn't have come off the bench vs. the Suns. 

    The final score is deceptively close because Boston's biggest lead was one measly point while Phoenix's ballooned up to as much as 17 points. The Suns outscored them 27-19 in the first quarter but Boston's only quality frame was the second as they outscored Phoenix 30-25 to cut it to 52-49 at halftime. The Suns didn't exactly run away with it-taking the third quarter 24-19 and then closing it out with a similar last quarter (24-23). Phoenix grabbed nine more total rebounds (50-41) including 13 more defensive boards (41-28). The home team also hit four more free throws (12-8) and blocked three more shots (5-2). 

    The C's have one last game left on this trip and it's probably the toughest one of them all if they want to finish above .500 (3-2) on it: they are in Salt Lake City on Tuesday (10, NBC Sports Boston) to face the Jazz (19-5) who currently own the best record in the NBA. Utah is always one of the tougher places in the league to play at and the Jazz have been one of the biggest positive surprises this season. Guard Donovan Mitchell (who averages 23.5 points per game) is one of the better players in the NBA even if Shaq stubbornly disagrees with that general consensus. I couldn't tell you what to expect from that matchup since every time you doubt the Celts they play good basketball. A win would put a bow on what has been a weird week for the Celtics traveling far away from home and playing some of the best clubs in the Western Conference.

Celtics Trade for Isaiah Thomas, The Shorter Non-Evil One That is Nate Robinson 2.0

The 2015 NBA Trade Deadline came and went today with Boston making a sneaky big move and also a minor salary dump. The Celtics traded shooting guard Marcus Thornton (8.9 points per game) and Cleveland's 2016 first-round pick (sure to be at the end) to the Suns for point guard Isaiah Thomas (15.2 points, 3.7 assists per game). Small forward Tayshaun Prince (7.6 points per game) was sent back to Detroit (lucky him) for Swedish power forward Jonas Jerebko and Italian small forward Luigi Datome (he is sure to be a cult favorite in the North End).

The fact that Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge could flip the aging Thornton (who will be a free agent this summer) for Thomas is pretty remarkable. He's very undersized (5-foot-9, 185 pounds) but the former University of Washington star has made a name for himself after only three years in the NBA. Take it with a mountain of salt since it happened in Sacramento but last season in 34.7 minutes per game Thomas averaged 20.3 points, 6.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game in 72 contests (54 starts). Phoenix made the curious decision to try and play three point guards together this season (Thomas, Eric Bledsoe and Goran Dragic) with mixed results-9th place in the loaded Western Conference. With all the moves they made today, the Suns are left with Bledsoe and now Brandon Knight after Dragic was shipped to Miami.

I'm not going to worry too much about Jerebko and Datome since who knows if either guy will ever put on a Celtics uniform. For what it's worth, (my name is) Jonas averaged 5.2 points and 3.1 rebounds per game while Luigi averaged 3.7 points per game in very limited action. It got to the point recently where Detroit (21-33) had basically phased them both out of the rotation (well not like Datome was ever in that anyway) entirely so what else has to be said?

Boston's (20-31) first game after the All-Star break ironically enough is in Sacramento (18-34) tomorrow night (10, CSN). Through the magic of the god-awful Eastern Conference, the Celts are only 1.5 games behind Miami (22-30) for eighth-place. If you are like me and you see absolutely no point for them to make the playoffs this season, we got some good news late tonight as the team announced that Jared Sullinger is out indefinitely with a foot injury. It is not surprising that a fat guy like him seems to break down every year but he is one of their best players that they have to build around so yikes.

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Who Needs Kevin Garnett? Celtics Embarrass Suns 113-88 in Phoenix

Since they were facing the worst team in the Western Conference, the Celtics decided to make it a little harder on themselves by giving Kevin Garnett the night off. It didn't matter at all though as Boston (29-26, 9-17 away) rolled over Phoenix (18-38, 12-14 home) 113-88 tonight at US Airways Center. The C's finally recorded a road win this season against a team from the West, snapping an ugly 0-7 start.

Jeff Green was the story as he had a career-high (with Boston) 31 points, seven rebounds, five blocks, four assists and two blocks. Anybody left wondering if he could play or not? The Celts jumped out to a 13-0 lead to begin the contest and they never looked back, outscoring the Suns in every quarter and opening up as much as a 30-point advantage.

Avery Bradley was the only other starter in double-figures with 13 points and four steals. Chris Wilcox (14 points, 8 rebounds) had his best game of the season, Jason Terry scored 13 points, Jordan Crawford's Celtics debut was very positive (10 points) while Terrence Williams looked comfortable (9 points) in his second game with Boston.

Good luck trying to figure out what Phoenix is doing or who they're currently building around, that team is a disaster. Goran Dragic (19 points, 10 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks) and Marcin Gortat (10 points, 6 rebounds) are their only above average players. Markieff Morris added 11 points off the bench.

KG will return on Sunday (9 p.m., CSN) as the C's visit the Blazers (25-30, 4th Northwest Division). I wish it wasn't at the same time as The Oscars but I guess it gives us something to flip to during commercials and when Seth MacFarlane is really bombing. Boston wraps up their five-game post-All Star Game road trip with a back-to-back in Portland then Utah. They should beat the Blazers (who have lost 7 in a row) but the Jazz are another story. Utah is one of the toughest places to play in the NBA (Mormon power!) and the C's figure to be gassed by then.

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Celtics Win Their Fourth In A Row, Get Back Over .500 In The Process

The Celtics are finally starting to hit their groove and it only took nearly half of the 2012-13 season to figure things out with all their new players. Boston (18-17, 11-6 home) won its fourth straight game with a 87-79 victory against Phoenix (12-25, 2-16 away) tonight at TD Garden, getting them over .500 for the first time since their Christmas day win in Brooklyn.

Beating the Suns isn't a very notable accomplishment these days but the way the Celts did it is what is worth mentioning. Kevin Garnett (10 points, 5 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 steals) was the only starter to score in double figures. I can't remember the last time the Celtics' bench outscored their starters, especially in a win.

Boston's bench had its best game of the season as they outscored Phoenix's reserves 47-16. A year removed from major heart surgery, Jeff Green had 14 points. Jared Sullinger had 12 points and 16 rebounds (a season-high for a Celtic) and Jason Terry added 13 points, five rebounds and five assists.

Phoenix is a model UN with an Argentian-Luis Scola (16 points, 8 rebounds), Pole-Marcin Gortat (12 points, 14 rebounds, 5 blocks), Yugoslavian-Goran Dragic (12 points, 5 rebounds) and Superfan from BC-Jared Dudley (14 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists) all in their starting lineup. Unfortunately for them, the NBA doesn't award extra points for diversity so the Suns are basically screwed.

The Suns led 24-23 after one quarter but the Celts ran out to a 53-41 halftime advantage. Phoenix rallied with a 23-14 third quarter but Boston had enough energy (mostly from the bench) to close it out in the fourth quarter (20-15).

Boston shot 6.4% better than Phoenix (45.7-39.3%) from the field, they had seven more steals (12-5) and three less team turnovers (16-13). Other than a couple vicious dunks by Green and some great work on the glass by Sullinger, it wasn't pretty but the C's got the job done against a truly awful team.

Things will certainly pick up on Friday as Boston hosts Houston (21-15, 3rd in Southwest Division), one of the hottest teams in the NBA. The Celtics will be looking for some revenge after the Rockets beat them handily, 101-89 back on December 14 in Houston. It should be a good one since James Harden is playing at an All-Star level and Houston has a bunch of solid complimentary pieces including Harvard's Jeremy Lin that seem to fit together perfectly.

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If Rondo Can't Play, The C's Should Forfeit

If there was any doubt that as currently constructed, the Boston Celtics are Rajon Rondo's team, I submit to you tonight's game against the Phoenix Suns.

Rondo sat out with his wrist injury meaning that Avery Bradley (10 points, 3 steals), who started, and E'Twaun Moore both "took" his spot. The results were predictably ugly even against a team as mediocre as the Phoenix Suns. Marcin Gortat had 24 points and 12 rebounds as the Suns (6-9) beat the Celtics (5-9) 79-71 at TD Garden.

Boston's point total was a season-low and they also dropped their first game this season to a sub .500 opponent (they are now 5-1 against their fellow dredge of the NBA).

Four of the five Celtics starters scored in double-figures but that's extremely misleading since Ray Allen led them with 14 points. Paul Pierce had 12 points while Kevin Garnett had 10 points. Brandon Bass scored 11 points off the bench.

Phoenix still can't play a lick of defense but that didn't stop Boston from making them look like the Celtics circa 2007-08. You know things are bad when 95-year-old Grant Hill (9 points, 8 rebounds, 4 steals, 2 blocks) looks like he has way more energy than your guys.

Steve Nash had a very quiet 11 points and nine assists while former Boston College star Jared Dudley posted 12 points off the bench.

I could write more about this one but why bother? It was awful, pathetic, embarrassing, etc. Rondo is expected back on Sunday as the Celts travel to Washington to play the Wizards-who they've already beaten twice. Boston has a stretch of three games in four days since they'll host Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic on Monday.

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KG will punch you in the balls then a month later beat you on the scoreboard

I guess I've been hanging with Charlie Sheen too much lately (WINNING!) since I somehow forgot in my last Celtics blog post that the Suns had beaten them three out of the last four times they had played.

Oh well, last night was the same old Phoenix Suns that I remember as the Boston Celtics rolled them 115-103 in a chippy, weird game at the TD Garden.

It was Troy Murphy's debut for the Celts (44-15) but he only put up one point and two rebounds. Fear not though, Sasha Pavlovic is on the way!

Boston led by as many as 29 points in the third quarter before Phoenix (31-28) cut it to as few as eight points but that was as close as their bench could get them.

From their last meeting in late January (a Suns blowout), Kevin Garnett had some unsettled beef with Channing Frye. Don't ask me why since KG was the one that punched him in the balls and got tossed from that game. He might be old but if you get Garnett riled up like that and you're a marginal player, look out. He put up a game-high 28 points and eight rebounds, shooting 12 of 14 with three assists and two blocks.

Ray Allen had 19 points, Rajon Rondo put up 16 points and 15 assists with five rebounds and three steals. Paul Pierce scored 16 points with 13 rebounds and Nenad Krstic had 13 points as continues to prove his worth offensively.

Glen Davis had 14 points and eight rebounds off the bench but he left the game with a minute left after coming down awkwardly on his left knee following a dunk. Boston can't afford another injury, especially to their best bench player.

The Suns' starters were awful as only Grant Hill and Vince Carter scored in double figures (both had 11 points). Phoenix's performance can be summed up by Carter and Frye knocking heads in the third quarter (down 29) and both being out for the rest of the game. What a mess.

Phoenix's bench looked great and it makes you wonder why Suns coach Alvin Gentry doesn't play some of these young guys more. Aaron Brooks scored 17 points with seven assists, former BC star Jared Dudley put up 15 points while Marcin Gortat had 13 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks. Why in the world does Robin Lopez (6 points, 4 rebounds) start over Gortat? Mickael Pietrus added 11 points.

It'll be another track meet tomorrow night as the Celtics host the Golden State Warriors. Boston tore apart Golden State last week on their West Coast trip and it promises to be more of the same tomorrow night at home where they play particularly well.

Tripping balls in the desert

I have never done LSD but I assume it's something like the mess I witnessed last night as the Boston Celtics no-showed in Phoenix, losing 88-71 to the Suns at US Airways Center.

Want bizarre? How about Marcin Gortat scoring a career-high 19 points and grabbing 17 rebounds off the bench. Don't forget mild-mannered Celtics (35-11) head coach Doc Rivers getting ejected in the first half to try and get his team fired up. Haha, didn't work so much. Finally, the night wouldn't be complete without Kevin Garnett (18 points, 9 rebounds) hitting Channing Frye in the balls while the latter took a 3-pointer and also getting tossed from the game.

WTF! It was the end of a long, snow-filled work week so I might have been hallucinating even though I was as sober as a BYU undergraduate. Still, I couldn't believe what I was seeing as the below-.500 Suns (21-24) got whatever they wanted against the helpless Celtics.

It was very strange. Vince Carter scored 17 points, Steve Nash had 13 points and 11 rebounds, Robin Lopez added 11 points and Mickael Pietrus notched 11 points off the bench.

Paul Pierce was the only other Celtic in double-figures with 14 points. Glen Davis left in the second quarter with a hamstring injury and never returned, it was that kind of night.

The good news is that Boston can put all of that nonsense behind them with a strong showing in Los Angeles on tomorrow afternoon as they play the Lakers for the first time since Game 7 of last June's NBA Finals. These two teams and fan bases absolutely hate each other so it should be a good one.

What did you do on your 23rd birthday?

If you're like me, your 23rd birthday wasn't too unique. From what I remember, I went out to a local chain restaurant with my parents and received a season of Rescue Me on DVD. Pretty thrilling.

If you're Rajon Rondo, your day was a little more special, as you scored a career-high 32 points (10 assists, 6 rebounds, 3 steals) in Boston's 128-108 win over Phoenix yesterday afternoon.

It was the Celtics' first game without KG since his latest injury (strained knee). The Suns (31-24) came in having won three straight games while setting an NBA record by scoring 140+ points in each of them. They were also missing a star as Amar'e Stoudemire is out for the rest of the regular season following retina surgery.

The C's (45-12) actually got off to a slow start, as the Suns led by eight early at home but after that Boston cruised. The Celts outscored Phoenix 38-33 in the first quarter and led 68-54 at the half.

It should come as no surprise that the Suns are still allergic to defense. They fired head coach Terry Porter and replaced him with Alvin Gentry, which means nothing except another eventual first round playoff exit (which would have happened regardless).

Rondo set his record early in the second half as the Suns tried to climb back (29-28). Even without KG and with their few big guys in foul trouble, the Celts closed with a 32-25 fourth quarter.

Ray Allen also had a great game, scoring 31 points while Paul Pierce added 26 points and six rebounds. Brian Scalabrine had one of his best games in a Celtics uniform (which is not saying much) as he dropped 14 points and Glen Davis notched 10 points.

Between court appearances and speeding tickets, Jason Richardson stopped by to score a meaningless 21 points. Steve Nash had 19 points and 11 assists while Shaquille O'Neal notched 17 points and six boards. Leandro Barbosa scored 18 points in the loss.

Boston takes on Denver in the Mile High City tonight. They'll be looking for revenge after the Nuggets knocked them off early in the season at the Garden. It will also be Chauncey Billups' first meeting against the C's as a member of the Nuggets.

Celtics smoke Suns with spectacular second half

The Boston Celtics proved once again that they're the best team in the NBA, defeating the Phoenix Suns, 117-97 last night at the TD Banknorth Garden.

A game that was tied at 57 at the half was blown open as the Celts (56-15) locked down the Suns (47-24) in the second half, outscoring them 60-40.

All five Boston starters scored at least 13 points, led by Kevin Garnett's 30 points, six assists, two steals and two blocks and Paul Pierce's 27 points, six rebounds and four assists. KG was the constant force all night while Pierce heated up in the fourth to put it away.

Ray Allen added 14 points and eight assists while Rajon Rondo notched 14 points, six rebounds and six assists. Kendrick Perkins did a good job guarding Shaq and posted 13 points and 10 boards.

For Phoenix, Amare Stoudemire led the way with 32 points (22 in the first half) and six rebounds while Boris Diaw had 15 points, five rebounds and five assists. Shaq was actually pretty decent with 16 points and seven boards while Steve Nash was held to 12 points and nine assists. Raja Bell (5), Grant Hill (4) and Leandro Barbosa (2) were all MIA as they combined for 11 points.

Even with the addition of Shaq, the Suns still don't stand much of a chance of winning that elusive title. They have too many terrible defenders (Nash and Amare) that they need out there for their scoring.

The difference between the teams was pretty clear as the Celtics can play some defense while the Suns can't. That's one of the C's greatest strengths, they can adapt to whatever style they face this season and still win.

Phoenix shot 55.9% and still lost by 20 which is hard to do. Boston was 52.3% but they made five more free throws and outrebounded Phoenix by 14 (41-27), including 13 more offensive boards (17-4). The Suns also turned it over 21 times leading to 30 Celtics points. You're never going to beat Boston when you turn it over that much.

It was a nice win for Boston after two consecutive losses. Next, New Orleans comes into the Garden Friday. The Hornets are the only team the Celtics haven't beaten this season (although they've only played that one game). New Orleans won another close one last night in Cleveland as David West hit a jumper with less than a second left. Tomorrow night should be great.

House of the Rising Sun

The Celtics lost their season-high third in a row last night to the Phoenix Suns, 85-77. After giving up a ton of points in their last two games, Boston's defense stepped up against the highest scoring team in the NBA. The problem was that the C's offense was nowhere to be found, making it their ugliest performance of the season.

You knew something was up when the Suns (38-17) took a 15-point lead just five minutes into the game. The first quarter finished with Phoenix up 24-13 and honestly, they could have been up by 25 if they didn't keep turning the ball over. Kevin Garnett (19 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 1 block) is starting to look like himself but Ray Allen (11 points on 3 of 12 shooting) and Paul Pierce (8 points, 6 rebounds, 2 of 13 shooting) picked a bad time to both have their worst games of the season.

Amare Stoudemire (game-high 28 points, 6 rebounds, 3 blocks) put up some nice numbers but he shot only 10 of 23. Stoudemire and KG evidently are not the best of friends and it showed as they repeatedly pushed, jawed at and fouled each other. It was fun to watch but ultimately hurt the C's as KG picked up a couple stupid fouls that way. The Celtics (41-12) also did a decent job defensively on Steve Nash (18 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists) but Grant Hill put up a double-double with 14 points, 13 rebounds and three steals. Boris Diaw was the only other Sun in double figures with 10 points and five boards.

It has been harder than usual the last few nights rooting against the Warriors and Suns because outside of Boston, these are by far my favorite teams to watch in the NBA. Who wouldn't want to watch run and gun, up and down basketball every night? It is truly the way the game is meant to be played, not the San Antonio Spurs inspired half-court snoozefest.

With that said, if you heard the Suns scored 85 points then there's no way they could have won, right? As good as Phoenix is on offense, they're just as bad on defense. Thus the decision to acquire Shaq last week for Shawn Marion. Who knows if the Big Cactus (his new nickname) will bring a much deserved championship to the desert but at least the Suns are going for it.

Shaq wasn't anything special last night, turning in a Ben Wallace type, 14 rebounds, 4 points, 2 blocks kind of night.

The C's played a little better in the second quarter but still found themselves down 43-30 going into the half. The third quarter was more of the same as the Suns were just a little bit better (20-19). Boston made a last gasp run in the fourth (28-22) but it was too late. Rajon Rondo (12 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals), Tony Allen (9 points) and Kendrick Perkins (6 points, 6 rebounds, 3 blocks) were all OK but the rest of the bench was non-existent.

Phoenix outshot Boston for the game (42.3%-38.5%). Neither team could hit threes, Boston was 4 of 17 to Phoenix's 5 of 11. The Suns got to the free-throw line more, 18 of 28 to the C's 13 of 16. The biggest number that jumps out from the loss is that Phoenix destroyed Boston on the glass, 50-32. Boston had so many shots that you knew weren't going in and then they couldn't gather the rebounds either, making for lots of one and out possessions.

With only two games (Portland, Clippers) left on this trip, the Celts need to get back to the win column tomorrow night against the Blazers. It won't be easy since Boston beat Portland earlier in the season and the Blazers are battling for a playoff spot in the West (who isn't)? So far in the three games this week, Boston hasn't put together a complete game. In Denver and Golden State the offense was great and in Phoenix the defense was great. If the C's can put both sides together, they will start winning again.