Do I Hear Five Losses in a Row for the Celtics?

It didn't feature the pure carnage of Tuesday's ass kicking in Houston but tonight's 104-93 loss by the Celtics in San Antonio still got the job done. After having a few days between games, the Spurs (10-1 overall, 5-0) were noticeably rusty. Either that or they knew that Boston (4-9 overall, 2-6 away) is a joke so they didn't have to overexert themselves at good old AT&T Center.

San Antonio won their eighth game in a row while Boston dropped their fifth straight. The contrast between the two teams couldn't be much more drastic: the Spurs came within a few plays of another NBA title in June while the Celts have hit the reset button on their franchise. They might be boring and play in a one-trick city but the Spurs are basically the Patriots. Think about all their similarities: legendary coach that is hated by many, core group of key players particularly one icon (Tim Duncan), stressing the team over the individual and remarkably consistent.

Tony Parker led the Spurs with 19 points and five assists. Promising young Kawhi Leonard had 16 points, eight rebounds and five steals; Duncan added 13 points and nine rebounds; Tiago Splitter put up 11 points and 10 rebounds while Danny Green also scored 11 points. Fatso Boris Diaw notched 12 points off the bench for San Antonio.

Jared Sullinger put up 19 points and a career-high 17 rebounds. Avery Bradley and Jeff Green both reappeared with 19 points and Jordan Crawford tallied 12 points for Boston.

It was actually tied at halftime (48-48) but San Antonio outscored Boston 32-22 in the third quarter to take control for good. Spurs hit four more 3-pointers (8-4), seven more free throws (18-11), dished out nine more assists (27-18), made eight more steals (12-4), blocked three more shots (6-3), scored 12 more fast break points (20-8) and 12 more points in the paint (48-36). Finally, the home team scored 21 more points off turnovers (25-4) which begs the question: how did San Antonio not win by 30+ points?

These teams meet again, February 12 in Boston so you can pencil that in as another guaranteed loss. Speaking of certain defeats, the C's host the Pacers (10-1) on Friday (7:30, CSN) at TD Garden. Once again, Indiana looks like the team in the Eastern Conference with the best (only?) shot to knock off the Heat. For that reason alone, I think we can all agree that Indiana is a team to root for in the postseason.

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Excuse Me, Has Anybody Seen The Celtics' Defense? They Seem To Have Misplaced It

It is pretty easy to figure out why the Celtics are struggling so much at the moment: they've allowed 102+ points in three of their last four games (all losses). For whatever reason, the defense that they've been famous for since Kevin Garnett (14 points) came aboard in 2007 has been mostly non-existent this season.

San Antonio (9-3, 5-1 away) came to TD Garden tonight and laid a 112-100 beating on Boston (6-6, 3-3 home) that truly wasn't that close. The Spurs shot 58% and had six guys in double figures. They led from start to finish, outscoring the Celts in three quarters and tying them in the third.

For the Celtics, it's hard to come up with an excuse since they are healthy and hadn't played since Sunday's no-show in Detroit. The Tony Parker (26 points, 6 assists) vs. Rajon Rondo (22 points, 15 assists) matchup didn't disappoint but basketball remains a team game and the Spurs helped Parker more than the Celtics performed well around Rondo.

Ageless Tim Duncan had 20 points and 15 rebounds and the mysterious Tiago Splitter scored 23 points off the bench. San Antonio's superb role players did their part: Gary Neal had 12 points while DeJuan Blair and Danny Green both had 10 (they both start, amazing).

Paul Pierce scored 19, Brandon Bass had 16 and Jason Terry notched 12 points. Along with defense, Boston's other major issue is rebounding. Would you believe that they had one offensive rebound all game-by Bass late in the fourth quarter? San Antonio crushed them on the glass (41-25) which led to a 58-34 advantage for points in the paint.

With Darko Milicic leaving the team today for good to be with his ill mother in Serbia, Danny Ainge has a roster spot to play with. You have to think he'll look search far and wide for any available big men with a pulse. Hello Kenyon Martin!

The C's might have flunked their first test against one of the Western Conference's elite squads but they have another chance to redeem themselves on Friday (7:30 p.m., CSN) as Kendrick Perkins and the Thunder (9-3) visit. They only play each of those teams twice this season so you have to savor them. We'll probably never get a Celtics-Spurs NBA Finals (last season was mighty close with both in their conference finals) but we can still dream about that or Celtics-Thunder (halfway true last June).

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Spurs Vs. Celtics Never Disappoints

As I predicted, tonight's Celtics-Spurs game at TD Garden was easily one of the most entertaining NBA matchups of the season.

After battling back from a 17-point deficit (55-38 in the 3rd quarter) to take the lead in the fourth, Boston (30-23, 19-9 home) had a chance to win it after getting a stop. Paul Pierce (15 points, 10 rebounds; named Eastern Conference Player of the Month for March earlier) was isolated on Tim Duncan (10 points, 16 rebounds, 3 blocks) but Pierce's mid-range stepback jumper drew iron and the Spurs (38-14, 17-10 away) held on for an 87-86 win.

San Antonio won its ninth straight game while they snapped Boston's five-game win streak (eight in a row at home).

If I told you that Danny Green (14 points) led the Spurs in scoring while Avery Bradley had a game-high 19 points for the Celtics off the bench, you would guarantee that it was a preseason game or late-season meaningless contest, right? Not tonight. They were the unlikely catalysts for two solid veteran squads.

Gary Neal had 13 points off the bench for San Antonio while New Hampshire's own Matt Bonner had 10 points and 10 rebounds including the final bucket for the Spurs which put them up four (87-83 with 46 seconds left). Tony Parker added 10 points for the Western Conference's second best team (behind Oklahoma City).

Rajon Rondo (17 points, 11 assists, 4 steals) played better than Parker and Kevin Garnett (16 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists) was slightly better than Duncan. Ray Allen (5 points, 7 rebounds) returned after missing the past six games and he struggled, going 2 for 6 from the field although he hit a clutch 3-pointer (Boston's final points) with 39 seconds left. If Bradley continues to be on fire and Allen doesn't pick it up in the next few games, Doc Rivers will have no choice but to start Bradley since he brings a whole other dimension to Boston with his defensive ability and the way he gets to the rim.

Playing the second night of a back-to-back, the Spurs surprisingly came out fast and built a 27-20 lead after one quarter and 59-48 at halftime. The second half was pretty ugly as the Celtics outscored the Spurs 16-9 in the third and 38-28 in the fourth.

San Antonio won because they punished Boston on the boards (53-39 including 12-4 offensive). The Spurs hit three more 3-pointers (7-4) and two more free throws (8-6). Boston shot nearly 4% better (45.8-41.9), they had four more assists (21-17), six more steals (13-7), six less turnovers (17-11) and seven more points off turnovers (17-10).

The Celtics fly to Chicago to take on the Bulls, the Eastern Conference's and NBA's top team, tomorrow night. Word is that Derrick Rose could return too after missing the last 11 games. Boston is 1-2 against Chicago this season with most recently an 89-80 loss on February 16 at the United Center. This is the toughest stretch of the season as the C's play the Spurs, Bulls, Pacers and Sixers in five nights.

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Kids don't be scared: Zombie Jermaine O'Neal is here to let us know the playoffs are coming

The San Antonio Spurs, the NBA's best team (record wise), came into last night's game on a four-game losing streak. They had never lost five games in the Tim Duncan era. They sat Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobli and Antonio McDyess on Monday to get them set for their meeting against the Boston Celtics.

Short of Las Vegas taking this game off the board, this seemed like a lock for the Spurs since the Celtics were in a tailspin.

That's why they play the games folks. Boston conjured up its best effort in weeks with a 107-97 at the AT&T Center. The Celtics (52-22) finish 2-0 against San Antonio (57-18) in the regular season. The Bulls and Lakers are on fire right now but who knows, maybe we'll see these two teams meet again in June.

For the second straight game, Rajon Rondo was special. He had a team-high 22 points, 14 assists (no turnovers) and five rebounds. Most surprising, he kept knocking down important jump shots. (Rubs eyes) Is that the same Rondo I know?

Paul Pierce nearly had a triple-double with 21 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists while Kevin Garnett had 20 points and nine assists. Ray Allen (3 for 11) continued to struggle with his shot but he had 13 points.

The only bad news coming out of the game was the possible serious knee injury suffered by Nenad Krstic. His knee bent very awkwardly as he ran the floor and he's scheduled to have an MRI this weekend. If he's done for the season, it would be a big loss. Glen Davis stepped up off the bench as per usual and put up 16 points and eight rebounds.

Jermaine O'Neal played for the first time in two months, scoring five points in 11 minutes. Anything you get from that corpse is a bonus at this point. Von Wafer also returned (for 2 minutes) after missing a few weeks with a calf injury.

Tony Parker led the Spurs with a game-high 23 points and eight assists. Tim Duncan had 20 points and 13 assists with Richard Jefferson adding 14 points. Ginobili was held to nine points.

San Antonio came out flying and led 33-31 after the first quarter but it was knotted at 49 at halftime. Boston looked the NBA title contender it should be with a strong third quarter (28-21) and the fourth (30-27).

The Celts shot 54.8% to 43.3% for the Spurs. San Antonio hit six more 3-pointers (8-2) while Boston knocked down two more free throws (13-11). Propelled by Rondo's perfect night, the Cs had eight more dimes (29-21).

Boston plays in Atlanta tonight. It's a back to back so I'm not going to pretend that the Celtics will play anything like they did last night. However, the Hawks are so up and down that this might be the rare occasion that Boston can steal a back-to-back on the road.

You cannot underestimate the value of Rajon Rondo

This pains me to say it since I've been a KG fan forever (I bought a Minnesota Timberwolves jersey in college) but nobody is more valuable to the Boston Celtics at this second than Rajon Rondo.

Of course Kevin Garnett is still vital to what they do, especially defensively, but after Rondo notched a triple-double (12 points, 22 assists, 10 rebounds) last night as the Celts knocked off the San Antonio Spurs, 105-103 at the TD Garden, what other conclusion is there to make?

Boston (27-7) beat the NBA's top team, the Spurs (29-6), in a game that was the ultra-rare instant classic regular season NBA game.

This one had it all: crazy shots, plays, surprises and execution. As Bob Ryan said in the Boston Globe yesterday, the world is rooting for a Miami Heat vs. Los Angeles Lakers (sizzle vs. sizzle) NBA Finals this summer but after last night, we're both in agreement that Boston vs. San Antonio would be a true basketball fan's dream.

The win would not have been possible without an other-worldly shooting performance by the incomparable Ray Allen (13 of 16 for 31 points and six assists). The ironic part is that he bricked two late free throws that would have iced it but Manu Ginobili's (24 points, 8 rebounds, 5 steals) had his jumper blocked by Paul Pierce (18 points) and Marquis Daniels (6 points, 3 rebounds) to end it.

All I can say is I hope that you watched this contest or at the very least saw the highlights. It was dedicated to your old-school friend or relative that complains about the NBA not being about fundamentals, etc. Riveting stuff in front of a great crowd.

Glen Davis had his best game in a while with 23 points. He seems to have found his jumper after a couple brutal shooting displays. As with most important wins, the role players stepped up too like Nate Robinson (7 points, 5 rebounds) who hit a couple key baskets.

The Spurs are the New England Patriots of the NBA (ie. extremely boring to outsiders) but you have to appreciate how good they've been over a long stretch of time (4 titles in 12 years).

Tim Duncan (18 points) has slowed down considerably but he can still get it done. Tony Parker (18 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists) has put aside his divorce drama with Eva Longoria and is having a great season while Richard Jefferson (14 points) has reemerged after a terrible year last season.

Another easy comparison to the Patriots is that San Antonio gets the most out of its assorted bums like Matt Bonner (10 points) and Gary Neal (10 points) who shuttle through the team every year.

Boston led 27-25 after one quarter but trailed 51-49 at the half. The Celts opened it up with a good third quarter (28-21) but George Hill's buzzer-beater for 2 cut it to 77-72 after three. San Antonio won the fourth (31-29) which is impressive since the Cs looked like they had it in the bag, up nine with a little over a minute left.

For the game, the Celts shot 61.3% (which is absurd) to 45.3% for the Spurs. San Antonio had four more 3-pointers (9-5) and made eight more free throws (16-8). Besides the shooting percentage, the Cs not surprisingly won because of the assists (34-20).

The Toronto Raptors come to the TD Garden tomorrow night and what a letdown that will be. There won't be a game with this much hype and intrigue until the Celtics finally play the Lakers on January 30 in Los Angeles.

Gregg Popovich's face will haunt your dreams

I'm not saying Popp isn't an incredible coach, a connoisseur of fine wine or a sly, intelligent man but damn son, does your mug have to be on HD?

The Celts went into San Antonio last night and knocked off the Spurs 90-83 for their sixth straight win. It wasn't a game that would have been called pretty (even with Eva Longoria in the Tex-Mex crowd) but Kevin Garnett led the C's (15-4) with a game-high 20 points, seven rebounds and five assists.

Ray Allen had 15 points, Rasheed Wallace scored 13 off the bench and Rajon Rondo added 12 points, 12 assists and three steals.

For the second straight game, Paul Pierce scored less than 10 points (8 this time) but Boston still found a way to win. The Captain gets off the hook too since he carried the team earlier in the season when Ray and KG were finding their games.

As it has since the stone age, San Antonio's (9-7) fortunes still rest on the shoulders of Tim Duncan (16 points, 15 assists). The Spurs big three of Duncan, Tony Parker (17 points, 7 assists, 1 smokeshow wife) and Manu Ginobli (11 points) are still formidable although Ginobli is looking more and more like Bailke (sp?) from Perfect Strangers both in resemblance and basketball skill.

I will give the Spurs credit though as they picked up DeJuan Blair in the second round of last summer's draft. Anybody who likes the Big East could have told you this kid was a baller.

With that said, he killed the Celtics last night with a career-high 18 points and 11 rebounds. Boston is the second worst rebounding team in the NBA (I have no idea why) and they won last night despite being just pummelled on the glass (55-32). How you can win a game like that? Not sure.

It did help that the Spurs shot a Rondo-like 7-for-17 from the line.

With one more win tonight in Oklahoma City (don't sleep on Kevin Durant and the Thunder), the Celtics will come home with a perfect road trip.

You've Done It Again Red Bomber

For the second straight home game, the Boston Celtics failed to execute at the end against one of the Western Conference's elite teams and as a result they lost.

Yesterday afternoon it was the San Antonio Spurs (still as boring as you remember them), who claimed a 105-99 victory at the TD Banknorth Garden.

It all went to hell when Boston was down two (95-93) and had an inbounds pass on the sideline.
Ray Allen (18 points) tried to get the ball to Paul Pierce (19 points, 8 rebounds) but he lost the handle and it was intercepted by Manu Ginobli (19 points). Pierce fouled him, of the clear path variety, and after making four free throws, the outcome was sealed.

Tim Duncan led the Spurs (34-15) with 23 points, 15 rebounds and five assists but teammate Matt Bonner, a native of Portsmouth, NH was the star of the show as far as New England was concerned (it has to always be about us, damn it!). Bonner finished with 23 points, eight boards and two steals. He is only the second Granite State native to play in the NBA.

Roger Mason (11 points) was the other unlikely leading man as he hit a dagger 3-pointer out of nowhere to put the San Antonio up two.

For the Celtics (42-11), Kevin Garnett had his best game in a long time, checking in with 26 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and two steals. Tony Allen scored 11 points off the bench, Kendrick Perkins added 10 points and seven boards while Rajon Rondo did his best Jason Kidd impression: six points, 16 assists, five rebounds.

An unsettling trend in recent weeks for the Celts has been their defense allowing 100+ points almost every time out. They'll need to tighten things up on the defensive end to knock off the top teams.

That was their last home game for over two weeks as they hit the road for an extended road trip (made longer by the All-Star break). The C's start in New Orleans on Wednesday night against the injury-depleted but talented Hornets.

Now are they for real?

Going into yesterday's game with the defending champion San Antonio Spurs, the Boston Celtics had piled up a gaudy 15-0 record against the vastly superior Western Conference. They also hadn't played Phoenix, New Orleans or the Spurs, the top three teams in the West. The C's biggest wins of the season had been a road win at the Lakers and beating the Mavs at the Garden a few weeks back.

Therefore, without a doubt, yesterday afternoon at the Garden was the top win of the season thus far for the Celts (39-9) as they held off San Antonio (32-17), 98-90. Both teams were missing stars as Boston continued to play without KG (for the seventh consecutive game) and San Antonio was minus point guard Tony Parker. The Celts also ended the Spurs nine-game win streak in Boston that spanned Tim Duncan's entire career.

The stars of the game were Paul Pierce (predictable), Rajon Rondo (somewhat surprising) and Glen Davis (mouth wide-open in shock). Not only was Garnett out but both Kendrick Perkins and Scot Pollard couldn't play, meaning Boston's only legitimate big men were Leon Powe and Big Baby. Somehow, someway, the two (mostly Davis) were able to keep the future Hall of Famer Duncan (22 points, 14 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 blocks) at bay.

The first quarter was a one-on-one showdown of Pierce (game-high 35 points, 6 rebounds, 5 turnovers) vs. Manu Ginobili (21 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, 6 turnovers). Pierce scored 14 points in the quarter and Ginobili had the Spurs first 11 points. San Antonio took the frame, 23-20.

Powe (5 points, 3 rebounds) started but quickly picked up two fouls so Davis (9 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals) was forced to play a season-high 33 minutes. All things considered, he more than held his own as he made Duncan work for everything he got while also providing the C's with a little scoring around the hoop. Davis showed a ton of emotion as he was yelling after a couple big plays, it was great to see.

Boston outscored San Antonio, 23-18 in the second and took a 43-41 lead into the break. Ray Allen (19 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists) and Rajon Rondo (5 points, 12 assists, 11 rebounds, 1 turnover) each had their moments. Truth be told, Allen's shot is still not right as it seems like he's hitting the front rim on almost every attempt. It's probably best for everyone that for now he's not scheduled to go to All-Star weekend.

The Celts got solid contributions from the bench as Eddie House (10 points) and Tony Allen (8 points) scored and James Posey (5 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals) did a little bit of everything.

The Spurs really missed Parker's scoring ability as newly-acquired Damon Stoudamire and Jacque Vaughn both scored eight but were a combined 5 for 17. Michael Finley (19 points) who has disappeared for a few years, hit some big shots down the stretch to keep San Antonio close.

The second half was won by the Celts, 55-49. They outscored the Spurs, 25-20 in the third and 30-29 in the fourth. It wasn't pretty but the C's did just enough in crunch time to hold on for the win. They got some stops, made their free throws and didn't commit any costly turnovers or mental errors.

With two games remaining until the All-Star break (at the Pacers tomorrow and home to the Knicks on Wednesday), Boston is just trying to make it through. It was announced yesterday that Garnett will skip the All-Star game which is good news considering the extremely tough West coast trip the Celts have right after the break.

Yesterday's win will go a long way confidence-wise for young guys like Davis and Rondo and the team in general as they saw that they can beat the best. The teams play once more (in San Antonio on St. Patrick's Day) and who knows, maybe they'll meet up in June.