Heat Come Out Firing On All Cylinders, Roll Over Celtics 120-107 On Opening Night

After what seemed like months of hype, the 2012 NBA regular season tipped off tonight with a rematch of the 2012 Eastern Conference Finals: Celtics at Heat. Just like Game 7, Miami (1-0) came out on top of Boston (0-1), 120-107 at Americanairlines Arena.

Things couldn't have gone any better for fraud Heat fans. LeBron James (26 points, 10 rebounds) still looks like the best basketball player on the planet, Dwayane Wade (game-high 29 points) was healthy, Chris Bosh (19 points, 10 rebounds and 3 blocks) was a capable third option while Ray Allen (19 points off the bench) had a hell of a debut for Miami. Even Mario Chalmers had eight points and 11 assists while the ghost of Rashard Lewis scored 10 off the bench.

Boston is clearly loaded with talent, it is just going to take time to mesh the veterans with the younger guys and other new players. Rajon Rondo (20 points, 13 assists, 7 rebounds) picked up where he left off with his 25th straight regular season game of 10+ assists. Paul Pierce had a team-high 23 points, five rebounds and five assists while Brandon Bass notched 15 points and 10 rebounds in the start.

Other positive notes for the C's: Courtney Lee scored 11 in his Celtics debut and Leandro Barbosa exploded for 16 points in the fourth quarter also in his first game with the Green. Kevin Garnett (9 points, 12 rebounds), Jason Terry (8 points) and Jeff Green (3 points) were the main no-shows for Boston and the reason why they lost, outside of the non-existent defense.

The Heat led basically from wire to wire. They were up 31-25 after one quarter and 62-54 at halftime. Miami was about to blow Boston out when they took a 93-76 lead into the fourth. Thanks to Barbosa, the Celts made it interesting and even cut it to four with a 14-3 run but they ran out of gas. Bosh scored seven straight points and that was it.

Rondo picked up a flagrant foul late for a cheap shot on Wade which was proceeded by a technical foul for berating an official earlier in the contest. I thought he had changed over the summer? The main thing to take away from tonight is not to get too wrapped up in the result. It's only 1 of 82 and as far as I'm concerned, the Heat are still the best team in the NBA (as much as it pains me to write that).

Getting away from the hoopla of tonight's ring ceremony and banner raising event, the Celtics can get back to basketball and forget the Ray Allen drama for a while. This is a new team that can run (27-12 fast break points) but they'll need to cut down on the turnovers (19-6 points off turnovers in favor of Miami). The C's get a couple days to rest and practice before hosting the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday (7:30 p.m., CSNE) in their home opener.

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Boston Celtics lose a disgusting game to the Washington Wizards

The Washington Wizards are an awful team. They had no business beating the Boston Celtics last night in DC except for the fact that the Cs (33-10) went ice cold in the second half (27 points) and the Wizards (13-29) made all the plays, like a banked in 3-pointer by rookie point guard John Wall (16 points).

Washington won 85-83 at the Verizon Center as Paul Pierce (12 points, 8 rebounds) had a chance to put Boston up one late with a jumper but it was long.

This game doesn't have any deeper meaning and there's no cause for panic since the Celtics had won five in a row coming into last night. It was just frustrating to see a garbage team, filled with scrubs like Rashard Lewis (18 points, 11 rebounds), JaVale McGree (16 points, 3 blocks) and Andray Blatche (11 points) make all the plays.

Don't get me wrong, I love Wall and I think his dance that he invented at Kentucky is one of the funniest things I've ever seen but he didn't do anything special last night. He runs up the court 100 MPH and then tries to pass back or do other things which you simply can't get away with in the NBA. I know he'll have a good career but let's not go overboard yet.

Kevin Garnett led the Celts with 17 points, Ray Allen had 16 points, Rajon Rondo notched 13 points and nine rebounds while Semih Erden started and grabbed 11 rebounds.

Boston put it on cruise control way too early (sounds familiar huh?) as they led 35-20 after one quarter (they were up by as much as 16 right away) and 56-46 at halftime. Washington played well in the third (24-16) and put it away with a bad high school girls fourth quarter (15-11). Yuck.

I'm not going to bother going through the numbers of this ugly affair since it was one of the worst games Boston will play all year and I'd rather not relive it.

The Celts host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night to face the NBA's worst team. If they do anything but beat the shit out of that mess of a team, it'll be a joke.

Oh my, not again

For a team up 3-1, with another chance to close out and get to the NBA Finals (for the second time in three years), it's hard to imagine a more batshit crazy game than last night's Eastern Conference Finals Game 5 between the Boston Celtics and Orlando Magic.

When the dust had settled on a wacky and shady contest, the Magic had won 113-92 at Amway Arena, sending the game back to Boston for basically a must-win Game 6 tomorrow night at the TD Garden.

Things are complicated by the fact that Glen Davis and Marquis Daniels both sustained concussions last night, Rasheed Wallace fouled out but then left the bench with back spasms and Kendrick Perkins was tossed for two technical fouls. Since Perk has seven, he could have been suspended for Game 6 but the NBA wisely rescinded one of the two pathetic calls.

Got all that?

The refs were a joke and did nothing to dissuade anyone from saying that the NBA is rigged. Still, Orlando dominated this game physically and found their game (going 13-for-25 on 3-pointers).

I'm doing my best not to make a Bruins reference but the similarities are eerie. The team down 3-0 wins Game 4 in OT then in a Game 5 blowout. Yikes. And for a playoff schedule that is ridiculously long, it figures that the Celts have no time to rest as their bodies pile up on the sidelines.

For the second game in a row, Jameer Nelson (24 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists) and Dwight Howard (21 points, 10 rebounds, 5 blocks) were the two best players on the floor. Rashard Lewis even found a way to brave his stomach virus and was effective with 14 points and seven assists. J.J. Redick continued to outplay Vince Carter, adding 14 points.

Sheed actually led Boston with 21 points in just 18 minutes. Rajon Rondo (19 points, 6 assists) and Paul Pierce (18 points) but they shot a combined 12-for-29 from the field. Kevin Garnett (10 points) and Ray Allen (9 points) were non-factors.

This was a game that the Magic owned from start to finish; they led 31-27 after one quarter and 57-49 at the half. The C's were able to cut it to six a couple times in the second half but with their lack of healthy, in rhythm players, they were cooked.

Orlando owned all the numbers: shooting 52.2% to Boston's 43.1%. The Magic made six more threes and five more free throws with 17 more rebounds.

The fact that Shelden Williams and Brian Scalabrine could see minutes in the most important game of the season is horrifying but here we are. Big Baby said after the game that he'll play but after losing a tooth and stumbling around the court last night after being elbowed by Howard, he clearly was messed up.

The Celtics can't beat good teams, simple as that

Remember when the Celtics consistently beat the NBA's best teams? On the road, at home, back-to-back, it didn't matter.

Times have changed as the Celts are still a good team but right now, nobody can say that they're great.

Thanks to a coma in the third quarter (36-11), Boston (32-17) choked away an 11-point halftime lead and lost to the Orlando Magic (34-17) 96-89 yesterday afternoon at the TD Garden.

That wrapped up the season series with the Magic taking it 3-1. Overall, the Celtics are 1-7 against Orlando and Atlanta this season, two teams they are very likely to see in the playoffs.

Vince Carter led Orlando with 20 points and Dwight Howard battled foul trouble but still managed 16 points and 13 rebounds. Jameer Nelson had 15 points, Rashard Lewis scored 14 points and Matt Barnes added 11 points.

Rajon Rondo nearly had a triple double with 17 points, eight rebounds, nine assists and three steals. Ray Allen added 14 points, Kevin Garnett had 13 points and nine rebounds while Paul Pierce scored 13 after missing the last two games.

Key reserve Marquis Daniels after missing just over two months of action and scored eight points off the bench.

Boston led 24-23 after the first quarter and 51-40 at halftime in one of their best halves of the season. Of course, they juxtaposed this with their usual third quarter/second half meltdown.

The C's outscored the Magic 27-20 in the fourth and cut it down to five points but it was too late. A 19-0 Orlando run in the third quarter, thanks to some great outside shooting, put them in control for the rest of the contest.

Boston has one more game before the All-Star break as they travel to New Orleans (good timing) on Wednesday night to play the Hornets minus star point guard Chris Paul.

You can't just walk into Amway Arena expecting to win

The Celtics' three-game cage match started last night in Orlando and things looked great as Boston built a 16-point lead on the Magic.

Sadly this was just a prelude for an epic choke job in the fourth quarter that was capped off by Rashard Lewis' (game-high 23 points) layup with 1.3 seconds remaining.

Boston (29-14) had a great look at the buzzer but Rasheed Wallace (17 points) airballed a 3-pointer from the top of the key. Orlando (30-16) held on for the 96-94 win that the C's completely pissed away.

On the night that they were named to the Eastern Conference All-Star team, Paul Pierce (12 points) and Rajon Rondo (11 points, 8 assists, 7 rebounds) didn't submit their best games by any means.

Spurred by Rasheed and 10 points from Eddie House, Boston's bench scored a season-high 41 points but it still wasn't enough to make up for subpar games from Kevin Garnett (6 points, 7 rebounds) and Kendrick Perkins (4 points, 3 rebounds).

Ray Allen was the only Celtic with what could be termed a nice stat line of 20 points on 8 of 12 shooting.

Dwight Howard had 19 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks for the Magic while Jameer Nelson scored 12 and J.J. Redick had 11 off the bench (including a clutch 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter).

It should not have come to that since Boston led 34-23 after the first quarter and 51-40 at the half. They still held the 11-point lead going into the fourth (62-51).

After it was over, Inside the NBA, which is by far the best NBA coverage, said that the Big Three had been 86-0 in games that they went into the fourth quarter with double-digit leads. So there is that.

The numbers indicated a close game since the C's made six more threes (12-6) but the Magic converted many more free throws (26-12). Orlando was also beastly on the boards (47-32), which is particularly surprising since Howard didn't go crazy and finally Boston was much more unselfish (22-8 assists).

I'd love to see the Celtics put it behind them and play great in Atlanta tonight but as I've said earlier in the season, nobody in the NBA has the Celtics' number or matches up with them as well as the Hawks. In the ATL on the second night of a back-to-back against Eastern Conference contenders makes the challenge that much tougher.

So this is how it ends?

I guess we were all just lying to ourselves when we thought the Boston Celtics (minus KG and Leon Powe) could actually advance to the Eastern Conference finals, where LeBron and the Cavs surely would have wiped the floor with them.

Reality was a bitter pill to swallow last night in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals at the Garden as the Orlando Magic stomped the Celtics, 101-82.

The defending NBA champions are out and when you think about it, how did they even make it this far?

Playing an eight-man rotation, the C's outlasted Chicago in seven games then had a 3-2 series lead vs. Orlando before losing the last two.

It's a testament to Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Kendrick Perkins, Ray Allen, Glen Davis, Eddie House, Doc Rivers, etc. that Boston made that much noise.

Whether it was being a homer or just not believing in the Magic, I really thought the C's would win going into last night but they simply ran out of gas.

The Magic were also 13-of-21 on 3-pointers and Boston could not get enough stops on defense, coupled with hoops.

Hedo Turkoglu led Orlando with a game-high 25 points, 12 assists and five rebounds. Rashard Lewis added 19 points and Mickael Pietrus once again dominated off the bench with 17 points. Is he really that good? Boston made him look like an All-Star in the series.

Rafer Alston had 15 points and Dwight Howard notched 12 points, 16 rebounds and five blocks.

After an awful series individually, Ray Allen was the only Celtic to show up last night offensively. Allen had a team-high 23 points. Pierce only managed 16 points on 4-of-13 shooting. Davis added 13 points, Rondo went for 10 points, 10 assists and six boards while Perk added eight points and 15 boards.

Orlando started off on a roll and led 27-17 after the first quarter. Boston cut it to 45-38 at the half.

The C's had one last gasp as they outscored the Magic 23-21 in the third but Orlando had a 13-1 run in the fourth that sent the Garden crowd to the exits.

Orlando meets the Cavs while the Lakers (who blew out the Rockets in a Game 7) host the Nuggets in the Western Conference finals.

More than anything, the finality of last night is the most painful thing. Once we knew KG wasn't coming back this postseason, we were resigned to our fate of not winning another title this June. Still, with triple-headers (Celts, Bruins and Red Sox) filling our weeks for the past month, it's crazy that now we don't have anything except the Red Sox for the next few months until Pats training camp and preseason heats up.

Nobody will cry for Boston fans since we've been spoiled for the past decade but it is still a rough patch for what had been an awesome spring.

With the Big Three returning and healthy (fingers crossed), the C's have another great shot at a title next season. Rondo and Perk made so much progress in one season, it's almost hard to believe. The biggest offseason questions revolve around whether to resign Big Baby (YES!) and Powe (depends on how his knee looks). This team has another run in them, I think that was proven by their heart this postseason.

Why even bother having Game 6's?

What made you think this series would be any different? For the fourth straight time (in the first two rounds), the Boston Celtics will go to a winner-take-all Game 7, this time against the Orlando Magic.

The Celts did their best impression of the Magic last night at Amway Arena in Game 6 as they choked away a 10-point lead in the second half and let Orlando live to play another game.

Dwight Howard put up 23 points, 22 rebounds and three blocks in a dominant performance after calling out his coach Stan Van Gundy after Game 5.

Rashard Lewis added 20 points and six rebounds, Rafer Alston notched 11 points (including a 3-pointer that gave Orlando a lead in the fourth that it was its first of the game) and Mickael Pietrus continued to play well off the bench, with 11 points. Why doesn't he start?

Boston wasted Rajon Rondo's best game in a few weeks. Rondo had a team-high 19 points, 16 rebounds, six assists and four steals.

Paul Pierce had 17 points, nine boards and five assists while Kendrick Perkins posted 15 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks.

Ray Allen continued to do his best "Night of the Living Dead" impression as he submitted five points (2-of-11 shooting) and seven rebounds. I fully expect him to drop 30+ points in Game 7.

This was not a beautiful game as Boston shot 41.6% and Orlando was 36.6%. The Celts were 3-of-18 on threes and the Magic were 6-of-26. Yuck.

Boston was only 8-for-13 from the free throw line and Orlando shot a pathetic 17-for-31. The C's had six more rebounds (48-42) and five more assists (18-13). Boston lost because it had 10 more turnovers (19-9).

The C's led 25-22 after one quarter and 46-45 at the half. Both teams scored 16 in the third quarter and Orlando outscored Boston 22-13 in the fourth.

So what to expect in Game 7? The Celts will make just enough plays and stops to win it while the Magic unravel amidst too many 3-pointers and missed free throws. Then the Celtics lose to the Cavs in four or five games.

All I want is the C's to make the next round even though their fate seems already sealed either way.

"The ship be sinking!"-Charles Barkley

Much of what makes sports so great is the unexpected. Still, it's also hilarious when a playoff series goes exactly as anyone would have predicted.

The Orlando Magic-Boston Celtics Eastern Conference semifinal series has been the latter.

The Celts played awful for 3.5 quarters last night at the Garden and still won 92-88 to win Game 5 and take a 3-2 lead in the series. Boston can close it out tomorrow night back in Orlando.

Orlando was up 14 points with eight minutes and change left in the game. Ten points with five minutes left. It didn't matter, that team is tissue paper soft. Their style of play is not conducive to success in the playoffs and after last night's game, they were all pointing fingers at each other which prompted Sir Charles' spectacular line (above).

Big Baby continued to play the best basketball of his life. He had a game-high 22 points and seven rebounds. Paul Pierce added 19 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. Ray Allen (13 points) continued to struggle but in typical fashion, he made a huge shot: a 3-pointer late in the fourth that gave Boston its first lead since 8-6.

The Celts' young guys did not play well. Kendrick Perkins had six points and 11 rebounds while Rajon Rondo was held to six points, nine rebounds and five assists.

Other than the comeback, the story of the game was Stephon Marbury. He had 12 points (all in the fourth quarter) as he gave his team a huge lift when it needed it most.

Orlando got 19 points from Rashard Lewis and 12 points and 17 boards from Dwight Howard. Hedo Turkoglu added 18 points and seven assists while Rafer Alston notched 16 points and six assists but he missed a late 3-pointer that would have been vital.

The biggest number to point to for the Celtics was their perfect night at the free throw line: 21 for 21. The Magic were just 10 for 12 as they continued to settle for jumpers (6 of 24 on threes).

Like the Bruins, the Celtics have all the momentum in this series and I expect them to win tomorrow night in Orlando. Granted, the margin of error is razor-thin for this group and they never seem to make it easy on themselves but they broke Orlando's will last night. You can't overlook that fact.

The champs are still alive

The Boston Celtics are one of the most resilient teams I can ever remember. No matter how many players get hurt or are ineffective, they stubbornly refuse to lose.

Everyone has already decided that it is LeBron and the Cavs' postseason. They're going to win the title, no questions asked. And while they are likely to sweep the Hawks tonight to write their ticket to the Eastern Conference Finals, don't count out the C's just yet.

Glen Davis (21 points, 6 rebounds) hit a long jumper as time expired last night in a pulsating 95-94 Boston win at Amway Arena. The huge shot tied up the series at 2-2 and returned the home-court advantage to Boston. Game 5 is tomorrow night at the Garden.

How the Celts did it is hard to explain. They had an eight point lead but couldn't buy a basket late in the fourth quarter. And its bench had a total of two points. Yet here we are, with all the momentum back on Boston's side.

Despite being in foul trouble all night (5 fouls), Paul Pierce had a game-high 27 points. Rajon Rondo had 21 points and 14 rebounds, Kendrick Perkins also posted a double-double with 12 points, 13 rebounds and five blocks. Ray Allen added 12 points.

Dwight Howard led Orlando with 23 points and 17 rebounds. Rashard Lewis notched 22 points.

If Boston can win Game 5, I think it'll be over in six. Otherwise, it's going seven once again.

Orlando is a bunch of frauds

The Orlando Magic are soft. You know it, I know it and Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy knows it.

The Celtics blew out Orlando, 112-94 last night at the Garden in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. The series is now tied at one game apiece.

Eddie House had the game of his life as the sharpshooting guard dropped a career-high 31 points (hitting 11-of-14 shots). It was one of the greatest shooting displays I've ever seen at any level. He couldn't miss. And the degree of difficulty seemed to increase with each make.

Rajon Rondo was back to his dominating self, notching his fourth triple-double of the playoffs. He had 15 points, 18 assists and 11 rebounds.

Ray Allen dropped 22 points, Kendrick Perkins (16 points, 9 rebounds) outplayed Dwight Howard (12 points, 12 rebounds) and Big Baby had 13 points.

Probably the craziest part of this satisfying win was that Paul Pierce scored three points. He was limited to 15 minutes since he got in early foul trouble so he could never get into a rhythm. It's a great sign for the C's that they played so well without Pierce doing anything.

Rashard Lewis led Orlando with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Mickael Pietrus had another great night off the bench with 17 points. J.J. Redick scored 15 points before fouling out and Hedo Turkoglu added 14.

Things got so bad for the Magic in the second half that Rafer Alston, aka Skip to My Lou, aka one of the worst players in the league, shoved the back of House's head after Eddie made a 3-pointer.

Howard is a monster defensively and on the glass but his offensive game is still incredibly raw. If he's not dunking, he can't hit shots. And he's terrible at free throws (witness last night's 2-for-8 showing).

Boston shot 51.3% to Orlando's 44.3%. The Celts had seven more boards (41-34) and 15 more assists (34-19).

Orlando also has no depth, they don't really play much defense and they settle for threes all the time.

The Celtics are certainly not without their flaws but I really like their chances against this team. Everyone thinks it's inevitable that Cleveland will roll to the Finals but you never know what can happen.

Game 3 is tomorrow night in Orlando.

I am a homer but the Magic still don't scare me

After barely surviving against the Chicago Bulls in a marathon seven game series, the Boston Celtics predictably laid an egg in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals last night at the Garden against the Orlando Magic.

The C's finally closed out Chicago on Saturday night and only had one day of rest before Orlando came to town. They didn't use that as an excuse for last night's sorry showing but I will.

And you know what? Boston couldn't have played much worse (down by 28 points early in the third quarter) but they cut it to four late in the fourth and had a pretty realistic chance to win.

Orlando held on 95-90 and Game 2 is tomorrow night at the Garden.

Dwight Howard was all over the place for the Magic with 16 points, 22 rebounds and three monster blocks. Rashard Lewis added 18 points and seven boards. Hedo Turkoglu scored 15 points. The biggest surprises were J.J. Redick, who scored 12 and Mickael Pietrus, who came off the bench and dropped 17 points. If Boston can shut down those two scrubs a little more, they should be in really good shape over the rest of the series.

Paul Pierce led Boston with 23 points, Rajon Rondo had 14 points (on 2-of-12 shooting and 10 made free throws), 10 rebounds, eight assists, seven turnovers and three steals. Glen Davis scored 12 points before fouling out. Kendrick Perkins notched six points, 16 rebounds and three blocks.

Just like Game 1 vs. Chicago, Ray Allen was M.I.A. with nine points. Another good sign for the series is that the Boston bench had 26 points. Brian Scalabrine scored 10 points and Stephon Marbury added eight points in a quick flurry.

Tomorrow night is pretty much a must-win for the Celts as they have to salvage one game at home before they go to Orlando.

The Magic still don't scare me

So the Orlando Magic held on last night against the Boston Celtics, 84-82 at the Amway Arena.

It was a big win for the Magic (53-18) as they are now tied with the Celtics (54-19) for the second spot in the Eastern Conference with two games (not one like I last said) in hand.

Call it excuses, grasping for straws, whatever but after watching last night, it only further solidified my view that Boston should beat Orlando, if they meet in (most likely) the second round of the playoffs.

I'm not a complete idiot, Dwight Howard (24 points, 21 rebounds, 4 blocks) is a beast but watching him brick shot after shot in the fourth, while his teammates failed to put away a shorthanded Celtics team made me think that we are still better than them (provided KG, Leon Powe and Tony Allen are healthy).

Paul Pierce had a game-high 26 points and seven rebounds but head coach Doc Rivers and Pierce reverted back to the losing days for the Green. Repeatedly down the stretch, Pierce forced tough shots, none more so than the 3-pointer at the buzzer that would have won it.

Three defenders jumped out at Pierce. He hit some big baskets to help the C's comeback from 16 points down but Eddie House and Ray Allen were also on the floor.

Ray Allen added 16 points, five rebounds and five assists while Kendrick Perkins had 11 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks in a decent job against Howard.

Boston survived a big scare in the game when Rajon Rondo (9 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds) rolled his ankle. Luckily, he stayed in the game and while he didn't play particularly well, the injury turned out to be much worse than it seemed at first glance.

Orlando loves their 3-pointers, huh? Rashard Lewis (21 points), Hedo Turkoglu (13 points) and Courtney Lee (11 points) all finished with respectable point totals but they were useless in the fourth.

And if you think Rafer Alston at point guard will lead the Magic to a title, you must live in one of the five boroughs. The guy is a scumbag and not a good player when you take him off the And-1 mix tour.

Kevin Garnett scored four points and grabbed eight rebounds in 17 minutes of action. It was painful to watch him helplessly sit on the bench in the fourth but I'm going to go out on a limb and say that he uses it as motivation. Doc plans to give KG some more time next week as the playoffs get closer.

In one of the last meaningful games of the regular season, the Celts travel to the ATL tomorrow night to face the Hawks.

Celtics take back mantle of NBA's best

With last night's thrilling 90-80 win over the Orlando Magic at the Amway Arena, the Boston Celtics proved once again that they are the team to beat in the Eastern Conference and the NBA as a whole.

The Cavs lost Delonte West to a broken wrist last week so they're just a notch below and while the Magic (33-9) had been playing great-they came in winners of seven straight-they're not the defending champions.

The C's (36-9) have gotten back to their defensive roots that led them to the title and the 27-2 start this season. The win was their seventh in a row.

On a night when the NBA All-Star starters were announced, Paul Pierce proved why he's NBA elite, even if he'll have to make the East squad as a reserve.

The Truth had a game-high 27 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and two steals. Kevin Garnett had 16 points and five rebounds. The key to the win, other than the air-tight D was the play of Glen Davis. Big Baby had a season-high 16 points and actually outplayed Magic center Dwight Howard (11 points, 11 rebounds, 3 blocks), who he covered most of the time he was in.

Ray Allen added 12 points, Rajon Rondo had nine points and eight rebounds and Kendrick Perkins managed seven points, seven boards and two blocks in 25 minutes as Doc Rivers tries to ease him back into the lineup.

Orlando has one of the best starting fives in the league but where they might run into trouble in the playoffs is their pathetic bench. It combined for a measly ten points last night.

Hedo Turkoglu led the Magic with 22 points and Rashard Lewis had a double-double himself with 20 points and 10 rebounds but it wasn't enough. Jameer Nelson notched 17 points.

The C's led 24-19 after the first quarter and 44-36 at the half. That lead was extended to 65-54 and Boston was able to hold off Orlando in the fourth (26-25 Magic).

For the game, the Celts shot 46.7% to the Magic's 38.2%. That offset the fact that Boston didn't make a 3-pointer (0-6) and Orlando had seven.

The Green and White came home and will face the up and down Dallas Mavericks on Sunday afternoon at the Garden.

Take a number Orlando

Jameer Nelson and Mickael Petrus-two solid starters-are currently out of the lineup with injuries but the Orlando Magic came to Boston last night as the third-best team in the Eastern Conference. Outside of the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers, the Magic (13-5) have looked like a much more cohesive team than the Detroit Pistons since they traded for AI.

The Celtics (17-2) right now are clicking on all cylinders as they won 107-88 for their ninth straight win.

Rashard Lewis scored a game-high 30 points for the Magic, Hedo Turkoglu added 19 points and Dwight Howard-the best center in the NBA-managed 14 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks.

Orlando only played seven players though and Boston's superior depth paid off. Paul Pierce had a team-high 24 points and seven rebounds. Ray Allen scored 21 and Rajon Rondo had a double-double of 16 points and 12 assists.

Kevin Garnett added 15 points and nine rebounds while Eddie House tossed in 11 off the bench. Kendrick Perkins had eight points and 13 rebounds.

Boston started fast, jumping on Orlando 28-18 after the first quarter. The Magic responded with a 28-20 second quarter.

As has been the trend so far this season, the C's really went to work in the third quarter. Pierce scored 17 in the frame as once again the Celts outscored the Magic by 10 (29-19).

A 30-23 fourth quarter was just a formality for Boston.

The numbers that seem to always be decidedly in their favor followed the course last night: Boston shot 54.1% to Orlando's 42%. They made six more free throws (21-15) and dished out six more assists (20-14).

If you're going to beat the Celtics, you have to shoot lights out or play lockdown defense because as they proved most of last season (other than the first few rounds of the playoffs), this team does not beat themselves.

Revenge will be on the minds of the C's as the Pacers (one of only two teams to beat them this season) come to the Garden tomorrow night.