Celtics blog: Feb. to May 2009

Garnett undergoes successful knee surgery

Posted by Jeff Howe, May 26, 2:10 p.m.

The Celtics just announced Kevin Garnett underwent successful arthroscopy today to remove posterior bone spurs from his right knee. The surgery was performed at New England Baptist Hospital by team physician Dr. Brian McKeon, who was assisted by Dr. Michael Belkin and Dr. John Richmond.

“After this successful surgery, Kevin can now begin to focus on rehabilitating his knee, returning to top physical shape and fully preparing for the 2009-10 season,” Celtics GM Danny Ainge said in a statement.

After the Celtics' Game 7 loss to the Magic in the Eastern Conference semifinals, Doc Rivers said Garnett's rehab wasn't going to be anything that would last all summer. It is believed Garnett will be back at full strength for the start of next season.

“I expect Kevin to return to active duty in full force and be that consummate two-way professional that he has shown all of us throughout his fantastic NBA career,” Rivers said in a statement.

Looking ahead to next year

Posted by Jeff Howe, May 18, 4:02 p.m.

Here's a quick look at each player's contract status now that the Celtics' season is over:

Kevin Garnett: Garnett, who turns 33 tomorrow, is locked up longer than anyone else on the roster. He’s got three more years in Boston at $56.4 million. After holding out on right knee surgery with the hope he’d return at some point in the playoffs, Garnett will finally go under the knife, though Doc Rivers didn’t know when. “It’s no rush,” Rivers said after the Celtics’ Game 7 loss to the Magic. “His surgery is not going to be anything that’s going to take all summer.” With that, the Celtics know they’ve got the heart and soul of their team returning in time for next season, and it sounds like he’ll be ready for training camp at the end of September. Garnett averaged 15.8 rebounds and 8.5 rebounds in 57 games this season, the second fewest he has played in his career.

Starters: Paul Pierce has two years and $41.3 million remaining on his contract, and Ray Allen is locked in for one more season at $18.8 million. He’ll be an extremely interesting case during the 2010 offseason, which is a “Who’s who” of NBA free agents. Kendrick Perkins, who is probably looking at more surgery on his left shoulder this summer, has two more years at $8.6 million, and Rajon Rondo has one year left at $2.6 million. Rondo will be a restricted free agent after next season, meaning the Celtics can match any offer and retain their star point guard, but GM Danny Ainge will likely try to tie him up long before it gets to that point. Look for Rondo to get a contract extension before next season.

Role call: Brian Scalabrine has one year and $3.4 million remaining on his contract, and Tony Allen is locked in at $2.5 million next season, though don’t be surprised if the Celtics move him if they try to make an offseason trade. Eddie House will be back if he chooses to pick up his player option of $2.9 million, which seems pretty likely to happen. Rookies J.R. Giddens ($1 million) and Billy Walker ($736,000) are each signed through next season, and the Celtics have team options on both of them for two seasons after that. The C’s have a team option on Gabe Pruitt next season for $729,000, which is cheap money for a kid with untapped potential. If it works under the salary structure, it’d be a smart move to keep Pruitt around for another season.

Free agents: Let’s start with the simple: Mikki Moore won’t be back. After that, it’ll be tough for the Celtics, who lose Glen Davis and Leon Powe to free agency. Davis will command a heavy market because of his immense improvement during the postseason, and it’ll be tough for the Celtics to keep him around. After suffering a knee injury in the first round against the Bulls, teams might be scared to open their checkbooks for Powe, so there is a good chance he returns to Boston . Then, there is Stephon Marbury, who reshaped his image as a team-first guy but didn’t produce consistent offensive numbers during limited time. That will probably limit his market, too. An early prediction: The Celtics re-sign Powe and Marbury but lose Davis.

Davis did address his free-agent status last night.

“I don’t know," he said. "It’s too early to know right now. I love Boston . It’s a wonderful place, but if the opportunity is here, the opportunity is here. If the opportunity is somewhere else, it’s somewhere else. I’ve just got to go where the opportunity is at.

"I loved [my time in Boston]. The city, the fans, the players, the coaching staff has been a really important part of my game and helped me flourish as a player. This is my first start here, so I’m always going to have a soft spot, winning the championship here. I just hope it works out for the best, and everybody is satisfied."

The Breakdown

Posted by Jeff Howe, May 18, 12:17 a.m.

Analysis after the Magic beat the Celtics, 101-82, in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals at the Garden.

Just not enough. It took seven games, but the Magic established one major point in their Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Celtics: They were the better team than the battered and beaten Celtics. Obviously, the C’s were a fraction of themselves with Kevin Garnett and Leon Powe lost to injury, but it seemed like there was way too much for this team to overcome.

“I honestly believe we are the best team in the NBA when we’ve got our healthy guys,” Paul Pierce said. “Of course you would like to see what kind of run we could have made as a healthy group.”

They played 204 games in the last 19 months, including an NBA-record 108 games during their title run. There was the trip to Europe before that and the summer celebrations after winning the title. They wouldn’t use fatigue as an excuse, but all of this was catching up to them, which makes repeating as champions that much more difficult. Sure, the Magic only played one less playoff game than the Celtics in the last month, but they had an entire summer — excluding Olympian Dwight Howard — to get ready for this season.

The Magic were fresher, and they played like it. Hence, they put forth their best game of the entire season, scoring on nine of 10 possessions during an early stretch in the first quarter to build a lead and coming up with enough big shots throughout the remainder of the game to keep their advantage intact. And after Rajon Rondo’s buzzer-beating jumper at the end of the third quarter cut Orlando ’s lead to five points, the Magic ripped off an 11-0 run in the first 2:01 of the fourth to kill the Celtics’ season.

“Towards the end,” Doc Rivers said of Orlando ’s big shots, “it broke our spirit.”

Magic trick. The most impressive part of Orlando ’s series victory was its play on the defensive end. On the surface, the Magic are known for their great shooting and for having one of the best centers in the league in Dwight Howard, who was the league’s Defensive Player of the Year this season and had five blocks tonight. Their defensive tenacity wasn’t always there, but they certainly busted out their best trick of the series in tonight’s finale. I’ve written about Howard’s presence in the paint already, and he is an extremely imposing figure who scares opposing teams from entering the paint. Just look at how much the Celtics attacked the basket when he was on the bench.

But their best defense came against Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. Pierce had 16 points on 4-of-13 shooting tonight, and Allen had 23 points on 9-of-18 shooting, which was easily his best game of the series.

“He was looking like Ray Allen again, and it scared the hell out of me,” Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said.

J.J. Redick deserves a lot of credit for chasing Allen around the court and denying him the ball off of his cuts, and the Celtics couldn’t get him the ball where he needs it to be successful.

“They didn’t want me to get rolling,” Allen said.

Van Gundy used a different strategy on Pierce, who the Orlando coach called one of the five or six best players in the NBA. The Magic double-teamed him a lot throughout the series, but they really amped up that philosophy tonight. Nearly every time Pierce got the ball once the Celtics crossed halfcourt, he had two defenders waving wildly in his face. Because Rajon Rondo wasn’t shooting well, Van Gundy had his point guard — either Rafer Alston or Anthony Johnson — leave Rondo and run up on Pierce. The strategy often worked because Pierce couldn’t get the ball on the low block, and he often had to give it up when he had the ball on the perimeter or outside of the 3-point line. This was key for the Magic in two ways because this also limited Pierce’s ability to get other players in foul trouble by driving through the paint and drawing contact. Since the Magic have a thin bench, that was obviously vital in their success in the series.

C-Notes. The Celtics fell to 32-1 all-time in series when leading 3-2. … Doc Rivers on who he thinks will win the Eastern Conference title: “Oh, I don’t know. Hell, I could care less. I’m not going to watch a whole bunch of it. I can tell you that.” … I’ll have more on this in the coming days, but as an early look, the Celtics lose Stephon Marbury, Glen Davis, Leon Powe and Mikki Moore to free agency this summer. Eddie House has a player option for about $2.9 million, and there is a team option on Gabe Pruitt for $729,000. Everyone else is signed through at least next season. … The Celtics’ bench scored just 12 points on 5-of-15 shooting. Orlando ’s bench had 25 points, with 17 coming from Mickael Pietrus, who hit all three of his 3-point attempts. … Ray Allen referred to Kendrick Perkins as the “defensive captain” with Kevin Garnett out of the lineup. … Stan Van Gundy on knee-jerk reactions in the playoffs: “If the team’s not great Wednesday night [in Game 1 against the Cavs], I’m back to being an idiot again.” … After playing such a great game, Rivers said the Magic get a “good parting gift” in a trip to Cleveland for the next round. … The Celtics had just two turnovers in the second half after turning it over 11 times in the first half. … The Magic made 13-of-21 from the 3-point line.

Celtics' season is over

Posted by Jeff Howe, May 17, 10:38 p.m.

So much for the drama. Orlando's early run in the fourth quarter quickly put this one to an end, and the Magic ran away with a 101-82 victory in Game 7 here at the Garden. I'll have plenty more in a bit.

No knockout punch yet

Posted by Jeff Howe, May 17, 9:57 p.m.

Just when you think the Magic have taken control, the Celtics counter with another punch of their own. Orlando has a 66-61 lead heading into the fourth quarter after Rajon Rondo's buzzer-beater at the end of the third brought the crowd back to its feet. The Celtics cut the deficit -- which hit 14 points in the second quarter -- to three before the Magic brought it back to 10. These last 12 minutes are going to be great to watch.

Knocking out a team is tough enough. Knocking out the champs is tough on a whole different level.

It's a fight

Posted by Jeff Howe, May 17, 9:10 p.m.

The Magic are leading, 45-38, at halftime here at the Garden in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, and the Celtics have trimmed seven points off of Orlando's lead. I do like the intensity the Celtics are playing with, but they've made a few uncharacteristic mistakes -- most notably with 11 turnovers -- so it's been difficult for them to get back into the game. Since Orlando's 9-of-12 start, the Magic have shot 8-for-24 from the floor, as the Celtics have done a much better job with their weakside defense. It looked like the Celtics caught a break when Dwight Howard picked up his third foul with two minutes left in the half -- and in the long run, they did -- but they only trimmed two points off of Orlando's lead with Howard on the bench.

C's down early ... again

Posted by Jeff Howe, May 17, 8:35 p.m.

The Magic have a 27-17 lead after the first quarter at the Garden thanks to a hot start and a rough defensive effort from the Celtics through the early portion of the first quarter. The Magic knocked down nine of their first 12 shots, including all four 3-pointers, before missing six in a row from the floor. Orlando led by as many as 13 points in the opening quarter before the Celtics started chipping away.

This place has jump

Posted by Jeff Howe, May 17, 8:06 p.m.

This is as loud as the fans have been before a game since Game 6 of the Finals last year. They might blow the roof off this place tonight.

All is quiet around here

Posted by Jeff Howe, May 17, 7:54 p.m.

The Celtics' locker room was calm and quiet like usual before the game, which is to be expected out of a team that is playing in its fourth Game 7 in the last two seasons. More surprising was the intensely quiet atmosphere in the Orlando locker room. That's typically a pretty loose team, but they seemed more focused on the task at hand than usual.

Kendrick Perkins admitted how taxing a Game 7 can be on a team.

"Stressful," he said. "Leading up to the game, it’s kind of stressful. You’ve got to think about every situation, think about going out there and giving it your all or you go home."

Doc Rivers said the biggest thing as a coach heading into a win-or-go-home game is the unpredictability. He knows what he'll get out of Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, but after that, it's all up in the air.

"You just get in big games, and sometimes you play extremely well," Rivers said. "Then, sometimes you don’t. As a coach, you’ve got to figure out who is playing well and who is not.

"After that, you wait and see. If the first Game 7 in the Chicago series is any indication, I like who we are. But again, you just don’t know. You don’t know how each one of those guys who haven’t been in that position, and the other team as well, is going to handle adversity. There will be some. There has to be in a game like this. It really comes down to who handles that well and who plays through it."

My prediction: Celtics 106, Magic 98

Ready for Game 7

Posted by Jeff Howe, May 17, 6:00 p.m.

Like it was going to end any other way. The Celtics are playing their fourth Game 7 in the last two years, and this maxed-out series with the Magic will end tonight here at the Garden.

The Celtics are 20-5 all-time in Game 7s and 17-3 at home in seventh games. They've won three consecutive Game 7s -- all at home -- with their last loss in a winner-take-all game coming in the first round in 2005, when they got slapped around at the Garden by the Pacers, 97-70.

Tip-off is in two hours on TNT, and the winner will take on the Cavs in the Eastern Conference Finals, with Game 1 in Cleveland on Wednesday night at 8.

The Breakdown

Posted by Jeff Howe, May 13, 1:22 a.m.

Analysis after the Celtics beat the Magic, 92-88, in Game 5 of their best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal series. With a 3-2 lead, the Celtics head to Orlando for Thursday's Game 6.

Great strategy. Doc Rivers used what I believe is the most underutilized strategy in the game when he called for his team to foul in the waning seconds rather than allow the Magic to get off a 3-pointer that could have potentially tied the game. After taking an 88-85 lead, Paul Pierce fouled Rashard Lewis with 7.3 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter — 1.2 seconds after the ball was inbounded — and Lewis went to the line to hit a pair of free throws. Ray Allen hit two foul shots on the other end to put the lead back up to 90-87, and Glen Davis immediately fouled Dwight Howard on the ensuing inbound play with 5.9 seconds to play — 0.3 seconds after the pass came in. Howard made the first free throw and intentionally missed the second, but Glen Davis grabbed the rebound, sank a couple free throws and left the Magic frantically running up the court without any hope because they were trailing by four points.

Rivers said his strategy in those situations is to foul once there is less than nine seconds remaining on the clock, which obviously won’t let the opposing team get off a 3-pointer that could force overtime. What shouldn’t be left out is the execution of the foul. If it comes too late and the guy with the ball gets the shot in the air, they’ll either get three free throws or have a chance for a four-point play.

“That was terrific,” Rivers said. “Hell, that was absolutely the best job we’ve done. Clearly, we’ve improved since the Chicago series, but that was as good as you can do with fouling. Our rule is nine seconds and under we’re going to foul. We knew, eventually, they would have to run out of timeouts.

“The execution was flawless.”

Behind the comeback. This was equal parts comeback and choke job. Hedo Turkoglu’s jumper with 5:39 remaining in the fourth quarter put the Magic ahead, 85-75, and marked the last field goal Orlando made for the rest of the game. The Celtics scored the next 13 points to grab an 88-85 lead, and it became a game of free throws by then. The Magic proceeded to miss their next eight shots from the floor and had one turnover while the Celtics battled back and eventually took an 86-85 lead on Ray Allen’s 3-pointer from the right arc with 1:20 to play. It capped a stretch in which the Celtics scored 11 points over 3:10 , scoring on five of their six possessions.

The Celtics’ defensive stops also came as a surprise because they had allowed the Magic to score on eight of their first 10 possessions of the fourth quarter when the Magic built a 14-point lead with 8:48 remaining. While the Celtics were scoring with more ease in the fourth than they did in the first three quarters — they outscored Orlando , 33-21, in the final quarter — they weren’t doing a credible job of getting the necessary stops you usually see them make precluding a run like this.

“We’re not the prettiest team, guys,” Doc Rivers said, “but we’re grinders.”

Let Orlando ’s finger pointing begin.

“I have to get the ball,” said Dwight Howard, who had 12 points and 17 rebounds. “I don’t think you are going to win a lot of games when your post player only gets 10 shots. It’s tough to get yourself going and get a lot of shots without a lot of touches. We have to do a better job with that.”

Howard only had two shot attempts in the fourth quarter. Either way, Magic coach Stan Van Gundy was unhappy with his team’s overall execution in the final minutes.

“I thought we played really well for 44 minutes,” Van Gundy said. “We just quit playing. We quit playing the game that had gotten us here.”

“It’s just a game that really hurts,” Hedo Turkoglu said. “You know that you had it under control all night, and the last few minutes it’s slipping away. It really hurts. We’ve got nothing else to do right now. We can’t really be down on ourselves and think about it.”

Starbury tonight. Stephon Marbury was at his best in this one. He scored all 12 of his points in the fourth quarter when the Celtics were lost on the offensive end and looking for a boost. He scored their first nine points of the quarter to help them keep pace with the Magic, who were also scoring at will, and Marbury looked as confident on the offensive end as he’s been since coming to Boston . Most important about Marbury’s contribution was that it came when Rajon Rondo was stuck on the bench in foul trouble.

“I’m just happy for him,” Doc Rivers said. “Really, I am.”

Key call. Rajon Rondo was forced to take a 3-pointer with the shot clock set to expire with 36 seconds remaining in the game, and after the buzzer went off following the miss, the officials blew the whistle for a shot-clock violation. They then huddled to discuss the call and awarded the ball to the Celtics since Kendrick Perkins grabbed the offensive rebound.

My seat was on the opposite end of the court, so I didn’t have the greatest view. However, my first reaction was to turn to the writers next to me saying I thought the ball did change direction as a result of hitting the rim on the way down. After seeing the replays, I’m not completely convinced either way. Stan Van Gundy was certainly convinced, though.

“I didn’t think that it did [hit the rim] at the time,” Van Gundy said. “I thought it was way short. You guys can watch the film as well as I can, and write it. You guys do that all the time to coaches. You can watch it. You can write whether it hit the rim or not, but you want coaches to say it so that I can donate money to the league and I can be called a whiner and everything.”

C-Notes. It’s no secret Ray Allen has been struggling with his shot this series, but he came back with a vengeance with his 3-pointer in the fourth quarter. Allen had missed seven of his first nine shots in the game tonight, including three of his first four 3-pointers, before hitting the pivotal shot with 80 seconds to play. Allen seems to have the shortest memory of any great shooter in the league today, and he chalks that up to all of the work he does in the gym leading up to games. “I shoot too much to think about whether the ball is going to go in or not go in,” Allen said. … Stan Van Gundy sent a message to the officials in a big way after the game tonight. “When you’re playing Boston — I don’t care if it’s here or in Orlando — you’re not getting that call,” he said. “Fouled or not, you’re not getting that call.” … The Celtics’ last lead was at 8-6 before taking over for good with Allen’s 3-pointer. … The Celtics made all 21 free-throw attempts, while the Magic only got 12 looks from the line (making 10). Each team was whistled for 20 fouls. … Glen Davis was the only player to eclipse the 20-point mark in the game. He had 22. … The Celtics’ bench had 26 points tonight after scoring just two points in Game 4. … The Magic missed all six of their 3-point attempts in the fourth quarter.

Improbable comeback for Celtics

Posted by Jeff Howe, May 12, 10:36 p.m.

The Celtics used a late 13-0 run and some great strategy from Doc Rivers at the end of the game to pull off a 92-88 victory against the Magic in Game 5 here at the Garden. The Celtics have a 3-2 series lead and go for the kill Thursday night in Orlando. I'll have more in a bit.

Orlando lead stays at eight

Posted by Jeff Howe, May 12, 9:48 p.m.

And so it goes for the Magic, who have a 67-59 lead heading into the fourth quarter, and they're pushing on with little resistance. The Celtics finally started moving to the bucket once Dwight Howard went to the bench, and they're finding some momentum that way, but they're not getting the necessary stops on defense to make a serious run at Orlando's lead.

Patriots sighting

Posted by Jeff Howe, May 12, 9:07 p.m.

Patriots running back Kevin Faulk is here wearing a Ray Allen jersey.

Orlando still in control at the break

Posted by Jeff Howe, May 12, 8:59 p.m.

The Magic have a 45-37 lead at halftime here at the Garden. The bad news for the Celtics is they're losing by eight points to a good Orlando team. The good news for them is they haven't played well at all and an eight-point deficit is a whole lot less formidable than the double-digit deficits they have allowed in previous games against the Magic. The C's are 15-for-42 (36 percent) from the floor, while the Magic are 19-for-40 (48 percent). The simplest way for the Celtics to get back in this game is to attack the Magic with a sense of desperation they haven't yet displayed tonight. They have to play like going to Orlando trailing 3-2 in the series just isn't an option.

Magic leading after one

Posted by Jeff Howe, May 12, 8:27 p.m.

The Magic have a 22-16 after the first quarter here at the Garden, and they look pretty comfortable, too. They've got seven assists on 10-of-20 shooting, and they're holding the Celtics to a 5-of-22 performance (27 percent) from the floor. The Celtics were doing a good job of attacking the paint early in the quarter, but they started backing away as time went on. That is also when the Magic started creating a little space with an 8-0 run.

Perkins, Scalabrine to play

Posted by Jeff Howe, May 12, 7:27 p.m.

Doc Rivers said Kendrick Perkins will be playing through "severe pain" in his left shoulder, which he aggravated again in Game 4. Perkins has had issues with this shoulder before and had surgery on it during the offseason. Rivers pointed to Perkins having one of his best performances in Game 6 of the Finals last year after he missed Game 5 with the same injury.

"He’s not as strong, obviously, with his arm reaching above," Rivers said. "It’s tough. We worry about him finishing. He’s going to have opportunities when they help to go straight up and finish, and you’re always concerned by that because really every time he goes up above his shoulders, there’s pain. There’s severe pain."

Glen Davis wasn't in the locker room tonight, but he did apologize this morning at shoot-around to the Magic fan who flipped out after Davis accidentally ran into his son after knocking down the game-winning jumper in Game 4. Rivers weighed in on that a few minutes ago.

"I’m glad he apologized for nothing, but I’m glad he did," Rivers said. "It’s just a classy move by Baby, so that was good. Other than that, not a lot needs to be said about it. My first thought was the dad is ruining a great thing for his son. The rest of his life, the son could have said, ‘Hey, look at me. That was me.’ And now, he doesn’t want anybody to know that was him. That’s too bad, but hell, that’s life."

Rivers was asked what he thought about the father referring to Davis as a "raging animal."

"We could always throw the race card or whatever out there, and I’m not going in that direction," Rivers said. "The guy was probably more upset that his team lost, and he reacted. We all do some silly things under stress. It’s like players having one second of bad judgment, so let’s just chalk it up to that."

Brian Scalabrine has had a stomach virus over the last day, but Rivers said Scalabrine will play tonight.

Back at the Garden for Game 5

Posted by Jeff Howe, May 12, 6:21 p.m.

The Celtics and Magic are a little more than an hour and a half away from tip-off here at the Garden for Game 5 of their best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal series. After splitting the two games in Orlando, the series is tied at two games apiece, with Cleveland sitting at home for the better part of the next week awaiting the winner.

I'm heading down to the locker rooms and will check in after.

The Breakdown

Posted by Jeff Howe, May 6, 11:50 p.m.

Analysis after the Celtics beat the Magic, 112-94, in Game 2 of their best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal series. With the series knotted at a game apiece, Game 3 is set for Friday night in Orlando.

Magic get Rondo’d. Dwight Howard and Rashard Lewis might want to avert their eyes from any Rajon Rondo posters because they’re likely to find themselves starring in one. With 2:47 remaining in the third quarter, Rondo cut through the paint and threw down a loud right-handed dunk in between Howard (6-foot-11) and Lewis (6-foot-10) to put the Celtics ahead, 77-54, and drive the last nail into the coffin.

“I was tired of Dwight [Howard] challenging my shots, and I was struggling with my floaters so I just wanted to take it to the basket pretty strong,” Rondo said.

The highlight of the night was symbolic in another way, as it finalized Rondo’s third triple-double of his playoff career (all in the last eight games). He is the second player in Celtics history to record three triple-doubles in a single postseason (Larry Bird in 1986). He was active from the very beginning with eight points, four assists and three rebounds in the first quarter, when the Celtics built their first double-digit lead of the night. Rondo finished with 15 points, 18 assists and 11 rebounds.

“He was in attack mode tonight,” Doc Rivers said.

After his three worst shooting nights in the postseason — he was a combined 8-for-37 in the last three contests — Rondo was a little better from the floor tonight (7-for-19) but made an impact all over the court. The Rondo who dominated the Bulls through most of that series was certainly back.

“That’s all I thought about after the [Game 1] loss, how sluggish I started the game,” said Rondo, who gave his performance a B-plus. “I could make a lot of excuses, but I just didn’t come out and play with great passion in that first half. It was too late in the second half to try to get it back. I will never have that happen again. I wanted to come out tonight and make a point.”

Ray backs it up. After Ray Allen’s 1-for-12, four-point performance in a Game 1 loss to the Bulls, he answered with a 30-point effort and rode that to a tremendous first-round series. Well, it looks like history might have repeated itself just a few short days later. Allen was 2-for-12 with nine points in the Celtics’ Game 1 loss to the Magic, but he broke out for 22 points, six rebounds and four assists on a 7-for-15 night from the floor in the victory. He was also the scoring leader from the perimeter the Celtics needed when Paul Pierce was relegated to the bench for most of the first three quarters.

House on fire. Eddie House has certainly found his rhythm after struggling with his shot in the first six games of the first round. The sharpshooter has knocked down 10 of his last 12 3-point attempts (83.3 percent), and he scored a career-high 31 points in the victory tonight. Much like Ray Allen assuming a primary scoring role with Paul Pierce out of the game, House became a huge threat during the Celtics’ second-quarter run that stretched the lead and started to put the game to rest. He scored 11 points in the second and 11 more in the third, when the Celtics really put the game away, and he added another nine in the fourth quarter. He capitalized greatly on the Celtics’ tremendous ball movement — they had 34 assists — and got into a groove early, knocking down 11-of-14 from the floor.

Doc Rivers said the key for House lately has actually been his defense. Because House has been so active on that end in the last few games, he has earned more minutes and allowed himself to find his rhythm on the offensive side.

“It just feels good,” House said. “You just want to keep on getting shots every chance you get, but at the same time, you don’t want to force anything. You want to keep getting in the same flow.”

Pierce gets his rest. Paul Pierce will certainly have his legs Friday night for Game 3 in Orlando, as the Celtics’ captain couldn’t escape foul trouble tonight and played just 15:42, by far the fewest minutes he’s played in his postseason career and the fewest minutes he has played since logging 11 minutes on Jan. 22, 2000. He has logged fewer minutes just three times in his career. In addition, 14 players saw more action tonight than Pierce, including seven Celtics. Pierce picked up two fouls in the game’s first 3:21 and hit the bench until the second quarter, when he returned for 1:55 before picking up his third foul. Pierce played 5:00 in the third quarter when he picked up his fourth foul and returned in the fourth to get some work in.

C-Notes. J.J. Redick had 11 points in the first quarter but didn’t score again or even attempt another shot until garbage time in the fourth quarter. He finished with 15 points. … The always-emotional Stan Van Gundy on the Magic splitting the first two games in Boston : “I think you have to be very happy right now, maybe not very happy the way the day went. Very happy is not even anything I think I’ve ever felt. Not in terms of coaching. I’ve felt it before, but not in terms of coaching. I’m happy to be at 1-1, but I think there are some big adjustments we have to make.” … The Celtics had the lead the entire night, a stark change from falling behind by 28 in Game 1. … The Celtics shot 51.3 percent from the floor (41-for-80). … Rafer Alston addressed the dust-up he had with Eddie House in the third quarter that resulted in the pair each getting a technical foul: “Eddie made the shot. I’m standing out of bounds letting him run by. He runs by, shoots an elbow at me. It was just a natural reaction. You know, I tried to get him, grab him before he ran back down the court. I have no hard feelings toward Eddie. I have a lot of respect for him. But when you’re having a good night, kicking our behinds, he shot the elbow at me in my stomach. It was just a natural reaction.”

Edit: House responded to Alston's claims. "I think I must have [gotten under his skin]. I mean, all I did was hit a shot and start turning the other way and get hit upside the head. Guess he was tired of getting hit upside the head.

"Everybody saw what happened. I don't play that type of basketball. I think he was just trying to do anything to try to stop me, and tonight it was going down."

Celtics draw even

Posted by Jeff Howe, May 6, 10:38 p.m.

This thing is in the books. The Celtics blew out the Magic, 112-94, in Game 2 here at the Garden to knot the best-of-seven series at a game apiece. After falling behind by 28 points in Game 1, the Celtics never trailed tonight. Game 3 is Friday in Orlando. I'll have more in a bit.

Celtics pulling away

Posted by Jeff Howe, May 6, 9:58 p.m.

The Celtics are running away with this game more and more with each passing minute, and they lead the Magic, 86-64, heading into the fourth quarter. Rajon Rondo has his third triple-double of the postseason with 12 points, 16 assists and 10 rebounds, and he finalized the triple-double with a loud right-handed dunk that split Dwight Howard and Rashard Lewis to put the C's ahead, 77-54, with 2:47 to play in the third quarter.

Eddie House backed up his 11-point second quarter with an 11-point third quarter, and he leads all scorers. He and Rafer Alston got into it late in the quarter, and each received a technical foul.

Ty Law in the building

Posted by Jeff Howe, May 6, 9:16 p.m.

Former Patriots cornerback Ty Law is here at the Garden with his family. 

Role reversal

Posted by Jeff Howe, May 6, 9:08 p.m.

The Celtics have a 61-46 lead at the half here at the Garden. This is a complete turnaround from the 18-point deficit the Celtics faced at the break in Monday's Game 1.

Kendrick Perkins leads all scorers with 14 points, and Ray Allen has 13 points, five rebounds and four assists. Rajon Rondo has eight points, 12 assists and seven rebounds, and it's only a matter of time before he gets yet another triple-double. Eddie House has 11 points off the bench.

After scoring 11 points in the first quarter, J.J. Redick was held scoreless in the second quarter and didn't even take a shot. He is still the Magic's leading scorer. Dwight Howard has nine points on 4-of-10 shooting. He has also missed three of his four free throws.

Paul Pierce picked up a quick foul in the second quarter -- his third of the game -- and has only played five minutes.

Celtics strong through one

Posted by Jeff Howe, May 6, 8:30 p.m.

The Celtics are out to a 26-21 lead after the first quarter here at the Garden, and they did it with Paul Pierce on the bench for nine minutes after he picked up two quick fouls. If the Celtics could figure out a way to stop J.J. Redick -- I never thought I'd say such a thing, especially in the postseason -- they'd be running away with this thing. Redick, whose Duke Blue Devils had their season end in this building a couple months ago, scored 11 points in the first quarter on 4-of-6 shooting. The rest of the Magic were 4-of-19.

Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen, who each struggled offensively in the Celtics' Game 1 loss, each scored eight points in the first quarter.

Rondo on the streets?

Posted by Jeff Howe, May 6, 7:37 p.m.

"Skip to My Lou" thinks Rajon Rondo could hang with him at Rucker Park in New York. Rafer Alston, the Orlando point guard who is one of the most famous streetballers to make it to the NBA, said Rondo has the game fit for the streets.

“He doesn’t have a lot of tricks,” Alston said. “He does have that one [behind-the-back move]. Streetball, where I grew up in New York , you need more than that. He can play out there because he will get to the basket. He’ll penetrate. When you play outside, you really can’t shoot a jump shot. You’ve got to penetrate, so he’ll fit right in because he can get to the basket and dish. In the city games, it’s all about being able to dish it off."

Alston is known as "Skip to My Lou" because " one day I just started skipping with the ball by defenders," a move he still breaks out in NBA contests, including Monday night's Game 1 win at the Garden. Some of his mixtapes can be found on YouTube, which are definitely worth a look.

While very few make it from a streetball career to the NBA like Alston, the jump is equally difficult in the other direction. Alston thinks Rondo is one of a small amount of players who could handle his own outside of an NBA gym. That's fitting because Rondo crafted his game on the Louisville streets when he was younger.

" It’s tough because they don’t like to see an ordinary game out there in the parks, in the playground," Alston said. "They want to see some razzle dazzle, a lot of flair to your game. A lot of NBA games have a straightforward basketball game."

All-Defensive teams announced

Posted by Jeff Howe, May 6, 6:24 p.m.

Kevin Garnett was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team along with Dwight Howard (55 points), Kobe Bryant (53), LeBron James (47) and Chris Paul (36). Garnett received 35 points in the voting system that consisted of a panel of the league's 30 head coaches, who aren't allowed to vote for players on their own team. Players get two points for a first-team vote and one point for a second-team vote. Garnett received 13 first-team votes and nine for the second team.

Rajon Rondo was voted to the second team with 23 points (four firsts and 15 seconds). Tim Duncan (30), Dwyane Wade (26), Shane Battier (22) and Ron Artest (22).

Kendrick Perkins received four points, including one first-place vote. No other Celtics received votes. Former Celtics James Posey received two second-team votes.

I'm heading to the locker rooms right now. We're about an hour and a half away from tip-off in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinal series between the C's and Magic here at the Garden.

Powe has successful surgery

Posted by Jeff Howe, May 5, 11:45 a.m.

Leon Powe underwent successful ACL revision reconstruction with microfracture and cartilage repair today at New England Baptist Hospital, according to the Celtics. The surgery was preformed by Celtics team physician, Dr. Brian McKeon and was assisted by Dr. Paul Weitzel and Dr. John Richmond. No timetable has been set for Powe’s return.

The Breakdown

Posted by Jeff Howe, May 4, 11:57 p.m.

Analysis after the Magic beat the Celtics, 95-90, to win Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. Game 2 is Wednesday night at the Garden.

Not much Magic. Orlando plays 36 minutes of basketball better than any team in the league. It’s those last 12 minutes that keeping biting them, and it almost turned into one of the most historic collapses of all-time tonight. The Celtics fell behind by 28 points in the third quarter, and it looked like it could have turned into 50 just as fast. But this is the fifth time in the last eight meetings between these teams the Magic have mounted a significant lead — building advantages of 20, 16, 22, 16 and 28, respectively — only to let it slip away. However, Orlando has won each of those five contests. Still, they blew a pair of 18-point leads against the Sixers in the first two games of their opening-round series (winning one and losing one), so this is obviously a team that is susceptible to allowing huge runs by its opposition.

“The first 30-32 minutes we probably played the best we’ve played all year,” Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. “The last 16 minutes was a debacle.”

Because the Magic are such a great shooting team, they tend to fall into lulls after streaky starts. The mentality seems to be, if it’s working early, it’ll continue to work late. Once the Celtics applied some pressure on the defensive end and started executing offensively, the Magic couldn’t figure out how to get it going again.

“We were sort of trying to run out the clock, and you can’t do that in games like this,” Van Gundy said.

“It’s the playoffs,” Rashard Lewis said. “Teams are going to make a run. We’re on their home court. They’re not going to play bad for the whole run. We knew they were going to make a run. We just had to keep our composure and keep playing.”

The thing I don’t understand about Orlando succumbing to these runs is it has the ultimate run stopper in Dwight Howard. Pound the ball inside on five straight possessions, and he’s going to put a few home. But Howard had three points and three shot attempts in the fourth quarter, which means this team still doesn’t know how to get him the ball in its most dire situations.

“We should have been able to get better shots,” Van Gundy said.

When it’s all said and done, though, the Magic came out on top on the road. “It’s great to talk about,” Doc Rivers said about the late run, “but we still lost the game.”

“You never want to get down like that, especially at home,” Paul Pierce said. “There’s no excuse for it. “I know we can play better basketball.”

Rough night for Rondo and Ray. Rajon Rondo took awhile to wake up, but that was mostly on the defensive end. Rondo was 2-for-12 from the floor, as was Ray Allen. In fact, Rondo, Allen, Paul Pierce (7-for-18) and Kendrick Perkins (3-for-9) combined to shoot 14-for-51 (27.5 percent).

While Doc Rivers , Stan Van Gundy and Pierce all lauded Rondo for his defensive effort that forced early pressure to key the Celtics’ comeback bid, he was obviously hurting offensively. Plus, Rondo had four turnovers in the fourth quarter and seven overall. Those late turnovers were really pivotal, especially considering they were coming when the lead was cut to about six points. You’ve got to figure he’ll play better as the series progress. And we all know what Allen did after struggling in Game 1 against the Bulls.

Defensive Player of the Year. The Celtics had a ton of trouble against Joakim Noah and Tyrus Thomas in their first-round series because the pair of shot blockers completely locked down the paint. But Dwight Howard is a completely different animal. The Defensive Player of the Year had 16 points, 22 rebounds and three blocks, and he altered a number of more shots in the paint. Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen seemed to have the most difficult time when Howard lurked, and Paul Pierce was forced to change his direction on a few occasions, too. Howard has always had the shot-blocking ability, but he has become a much more complete defender since his gold-medal experience for Team USA last summer, when he was asked to be the team’s defensive leader in the paint.

“My team can count on me for defense, and that’s what wins games,” Howard said. “You don’t have to block all of the shots. We want to win a championship and get out of this series. We have to play defense, and for me, when they get into the paint, I have to be ready to block their shots.”

C-Notes. If the Celtics completed the comeback, the defining moment of this game could have been Rajon Rondo attempting to dunk on Dwight Howard with 6:54 remaining in the third quarter and the Celtics trailing, 66-44. It seemed to be an attempt on Rondo’s part to liven up the team. … Kevin Garnett was very vocal with his teammates during a timeout with 6:14 to play in the third quarter and the Celtics down, 69-48. … Dwight Howard had 22 rebounds. The rest of the Magic combined for 18.

Magic hold on in Game 1

Posted by Jeff Howe, May 4, 10:33 p.m.

The Celtics couldn't complete the comeback and fell to the Magic, 95-90, in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. I'll have more in a bit.

Magic build huge lead, but we've seen this before

Posted by Jeff Howe, May 4, 9:11 p.m.

The Magic have a 78-62 lead heading into the fourth quarter, but the Celtics have at least salvaged some momentum after trailing by as many as 28. Just like in their series against the Bulls, it seems to take a significant deficit for the Celtics to look alive and play their brand of basketball.

The Magic were 4-3 against the Celtics in the last two regular seasons, and they built giant leads in each of their victories -- by 20, 16, 22 and 16 points, respectively. The Celtics, though, managed to make runs to put a scare into the Magic before eventually falling in each of those contests.

It's not just the Celtics, either. Orlando blew a pair of 18-point leads in Games 1 and 2 of their first-round series against the Sixers (they split those games).

There seems to be a reason why the Magic aren't capable of holding onto these large leads. Orlando is a great jump shooting team, but that can be to a fault. When the Magic go cold from the floor and their opposition makes a run, they have a tough time countering it because they don't always go hard to the basket (even with Dwight Howard). Let's see if Orlando can hang onto this 16-point edge in the final 12 minutes.

For the conspiracy theorists...

Posted by Jeff Howe, May 4, 9:11 p.m.

After two quarters, the Celtics have not attempted a free throw, while the Magic have made 7-of-8. The Celtics have committed 10 personal fouls to Orlando's three, and Paul Pierce has three fouls of his own.

More than anything, these swayed numbers have to do with the Celtics' lack of aggressiveness on the offensive end in the second quarter, but it's still something to keep an eye on.

Sloppy second for Celtics

Posted by Jeff Howe, May 4, 8:57 p.m.

The second quarter started with a show from Stephon Marbury and ended with a disastrous stretch for the Celtics, who trail 54-36 at the half. Marbury scored eight points in a span of 2:05 early in the quarter to help turn a five-point deficit into a 30-28 lead, but the Magic closed the quarter on a 26-6 run to take complete command of this game. Once Marbury lost his touch, no one on the Celtics was able to pick up the slack. The C's missed 12 of their last 15 shots in the quarter and had three turnovers. To make matters worse, they weren't locking in on defense, and the Magic scored on their final six possessions before the break to close the last 2:09 on a 13-2 run.

Magic jump ahead after one

Posted by Jeff Howe, May 4, 8:25 p.m.

Rashard Lewis had 12 points and three rebounds to help Orlando build a 24-19 lead after the first quarter here at the Garden. Kendrick Perkins held Dwight Howard scoreless in the first quarter, but Howard had six rebounds and two assists.

The Celtics are getting easier looks at the basket against the Magic than they were against the Bulls, but Orlando has been really fast to clog up Boston's passing lanes.

I thought Lewis was the key to this series, and he got off to a 6-for-8 start in the opening quarter. The Celtics have to make life more difficult for Lewis, and they certainly can't let him get to the bucket so easily.

Middlemen

Posted by Jeff Howe, May 4, 8:06 p.m.

As the Celtics and Magic are underway, here's an interesting stat about the key matchup between Kendrick Perkins and Dwight Howard.

There has obviously been a big deal made on Perkins staying out of foul trouble against Orlando's physical big man, and rightfully so, especially with the Celtics' lack of depth on the interior. But consider this: The two have squared off seven times in the last two regular seasons, and Perkins has committed 24 total fouls in those games. He has been whistled for more than three fouls just twice, and he has never fouled out. Howard, on the other hand, has committed 25 fouls in those contests and fouled out once.

Getting closer to game time

Posted by Jeff Howe, May 4, 7:29 p.m.

This is the one-year anniversary of the Celtics' Game 7 win against the Hawks, so the Celtics might be hoping to have some karma on their side tonight. This is also the second type of homecoming series for Doc Rivers, who resides in Orlando and once coached the Magic. Rivers grew up in Chicago as a fan of the Bulls, who the C's eliminated two days ago.

The best pregame quote came from Orlando's current coach, Stan Van Gundy. He was asked about the matchup between J.J. Redick and Ray Allen, which the Celtics need to exploit to have success in this series.

"The funny thing sometimes is the perception you have of players," Van Gundy said. "I didn’t hear a lot of those questions in terms of the Bulls' matchup with Ray Allen. I saw him get 51 [points in Game 6] on them. My guess is J.J. can probably hold him to that."

Allen and Rashard Lewis each spoke about their close friendship, which began when the two were teammates in Seattle. Allen was a mentor to Lewis, and Lewis made sure to point out that Allen is the reason why he has become the All-Star player he is today. The pair's mothers are also good friends, and Allen said they talk more trash to each other than Allen and Lewis do. Check out my story about Allen and Lewis in the Metro later this week.

And the beat goes on...

Posted by Jeff Howe, May 4, 6:10 p.m.

Not even 48 hours after the Celtics disposed of the Bulls in Game 7, the second-seeded C's are back in action and ready to kick off their Eastern Conference semifinal series against the third-seeded Magic in Game 1 here at the Garden. The teams split their four regular-season meetings.

Kevin Garnett and Leon Powe are obvious absentees for the Celtics, as are point guard Jameer Nelson and shooting guard Courtney Lee for the Magic. Nelson is done for the year with a torn right labrum, an injury that prompted Orlando to trade for Rafer Alston, who they practically stole from the Rockets. Lee, on the other hand, has a fractured sinus bone and underwent surgery last Thursday. His status for the series is up in the air after taking an elbow from Dwight Howard during Orlando's first-round series with the Sixers. J.J. Redick will start in Lee's place.

Garnett missed one of the Celtics' losses to the Magic this season, and he saw limited action in the other defeat, which was during his six-game return when he was playing two shifts per night. More than defending Dwight Howard or making sure Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu don't get hot from the 3-point line, the Celtics have to get off to better starts in this series. In their two defeats to Orlando, they fell behind by 22 and 16 points, respectively.

I'm heading down to the locker rooms to check out the scene and will check in after.

Conference semifinals at a glance

Posted by Jeff Howe, May 3, 1:24 p.m.

Here's the schedule for the Eastern Conference semifinal series between the No. 2 Celtics and No. 3 Magic:

Game 1: Orlando at Boston, Monday, May 4, 8 p.m., TNT
Game 2: Orlando at Boston, Wednesday, May 6, 8 p.m., TNT
Game 3: Boston at Orlando, Friday, May 8, 7 p.m., ESPN
Game 4: Boston at Orlando, Sunday, May 10, 8 p.m., TNT
Game 5*: Orlando at Boston, Tuesday, May 12, TBA, TNT
Game 6*: Boston at Orlando, Thursday, May 14, TBA, ESPN
Game 7*: Orlando at Boston, Sunday, May 17, TBA, TNT

*If necessary

The Breakdown

Posted by Jeff Howe, May 3, 12:34 a.m.

Analysis after the Celtics beat the Bulls, 101-91, in Game 7 of their first-round playoff series. The Celtics will host the Magic in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals Monday night at 8.

One for the ages. Doc Rivers and Vinny Del Negro — longtime friends and former teammates — embraced in the hallway after the game, with Rivers giving Del Negro a hug and saying, “Hell of a series. Hell of a job.” Truer words could not be spoken. The Bulls rose up and played the best six games of their season (throw out Game 3) to challenge the Celtics in one of the greatest series in history. There were seven overtime periods and four games that went into OT, breaking an NBA record. Five games were decided by three points or less, and Ben Gordon had a chance to tie the game with a 3-pointer with 5:18 to play in the fourth quarter of this one. Here’s what a few players had to say about the seven-game classic.

“Definitely the toughest one that I’ve ever been a part of,” Ray Allen said. “They gave us everything that we could handle.”

“Oh my God,” Glen Davis said. “You don’t understand. Overtime after overtime after overtime, and it kind of gets boring, but we won.”

“So much,” Stephon Marbury said. “Big shot after big shot. Ray Allen’s shots, Ben Gordon’s shots, those guys wanted it just as bad as us, but we wanted it a little bit more.”

“I didn’t enjoy it,” Brian Scalabrine said. “I’m not like a fan watching the game. We all had a vested interest in it. Call it what it is: great basketball, great shot-making ability, two teams battling it out. I’m glad we came out on top.”

“So many great moments,” Ben Gordon said. “Just overall, the way we fought as a team, we never gave up. Every game, we had a chance to win except for Game 3 when we kind of got blown out. But every game, we had our chances to win. I honestly believe that we could have won this series, but we didn’t. I’m just happy with the way everybody performed.”

“It was fun,” Derrick Rose said. “I can’t do anything but learn from it. I’m blessed to be in the playoffs and going against the champs my first year, so I can’t do anything but get better from it.”

“It’s hard because we lost,” Joakim Noah said. “It was a great learning experience, but it’s just tough knowing we aren’t going to suit up anymore this year. It definitely hurts.”

Second helping. The ultimate difference in this game came in the second quarter, when the Celtics outscored the Bulls, 29-11, forced them to miss 11-of-14 field-goal attempts and turn the ball over nine times. The Celtics broke away from the Bulls with a 22-2 run over the final eight minutes, when the Bulls missed all six of their shots from the floor and turned the ball over eight times. Even more importantly, the Celtics turned a nine-point deficit into a 14-point lead after the Bulls started the quarter on a 5-0 run.

Front and center. I wasn’t the only one who was thoroughly impressed by Joakim Noah in this series. Kendrick Perkins was, too, and he pulled Noah aside after the game to let him know that.

“I didn’t respect him at all coming into the series, and now I really appreciate what he does on the court,” Perkins said. “I think if you work hard, he could be a good center in this league.”

“Kendrick Perkins was a warrior,” Noah said. “I learned a lot from him just in battling. After the game, he said, ‘Keep playing hard, man. I love the way you play.’ It was weird for those words to come out of his mouth because he didn’t say one word to me the whole series.”

Hostility in Chicago . Ben Gordon was asked after the game about some potential hostility in the locker room, and he didn’t exactly deny anything. “At the end of the day, it’s a business,” said Gordon, who is a free agent entering this offseason. “I’m able to put my feelings aside. If there’s animosity, the organization needs to be able to do the same thing. We’re not kids in the playground arguing over basketball. This is a business, and they need to sit down and figure something out. If there’s nothing to be figured out, move on and do something else.”

C-Notes. Stephon Marbury has advanced to the second round of the playoffs for the first time in his career. He was 0-4 in the first round in his first 12 years in the league. “It feels great. There’s a monkey off my back, definitely.” … The Celtics missed four of their first five free throws in the fourth quarter before hitting their last 16 of the game. … The Bulls received an extra point during a timeout with 5:44 to play in the fourth quarter resulting from a review of a Ben Gordon shot in the first half. It was originally ruled a two-pointer, but the league called the scoring crew at the Garden to say it had reviewed the play that should have counted as a 3-pointer. This made the score 89-84. … For someone who is always in the starting lineup, Tyrus Thomas is hardly ever in the game during key situations down the stretch. He only played 37 seconds in the fourth quarter. … Joakim Noah will win an NBA title before his career is over. ... Rajon Rondo wasn't feeling well before the game, possibly because of something he ate. ... Kendrick Perkins had his shoulder wrapped after the game, and he said it spazzed up on him during the fourth quarter. Doc Rivers, who lives in Orlando, is excited about one key aspect of the Celtics' next series. "I get to sleep in my bed every game."

Celtics are moving on

Posted by Jeff Howe, May 2, 11:04 p.m.

The Celtics have eliminated the Bulls with a 109-99 victory in Game 7 here at the Garden. They'll open their Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Magic here Monday night. I'll have more coming later.

It all comes down to this

Posted by Jeff Howe, May 2, 10:09 p.m.

One of the most exciting playoff series in history has 12 minutes remaining, and the Celtics have a 78-71 lead. The Bulls have trimmed the deficit to seven points four times since they fell behind in the second quarter, and they're starting to regain a little momentum. The Celtics finished the third quarter with two really ugly possessions that allowed the Bulls to get back into the game. Let's see how the Celtics respond to that hiccup at the start of the fourth quarter, which has been a difficult stretch for them on multiple occasions in this series.

Rajon Rondo had six assists, five points and two near-death experiences in the third quarter.

Bench warms up

Posted by Jeff Howe, May 2, 9:26 p.m.

Another key for the Celtics as they've built a 14-point halftime lead has been the play of the bench. Brian Scalabrine had eight early points when the Celtics were really struggling, and Eddie House hit a pair of 3-pointers during the C's 22-2 second-quarter run. The Celtics' bench has outscored their Bulls counterparts by an 18-5 margin.

The Celtics outscored the Bulls, 29-11, in the second quarter, as Chicago shot 3-of-14 from the floor and had nine turnovers that led to 11 Celtics points.

Celtics dominate the second quarter

Posted by Jeff Howe, May 2, 9:17 p.m.

The Bulls are beginning to feel like the Hawks, who got chased out of the Garden during Game 7 of last year's first-round series. The Celtics closed the second quarter on a 22-2 run to take a 52-38 lead into the half. They also held the Bulls without a field goal for the last eight minutes of the quarter, as Chicago missed six shots and had eight turnovers in that stretch. The Celtics' defense deserves a ton of the credit for this performance. They're completely swarming the middle of the court, where the Bulls have had so many open passing lanes throughout the first six games of the series, and that's where the turnovers have occurred. Meanwhile, the Bulls haven't been hitting the jumpers they knocked down through the first 16 minutes of the game, and this thing is close to getting out of reach.

Eddie House also hit a pair of 3-pointers in the second quarter, the first 3s he has hit since Game 4. It's also just the second game of the series he has hit two 3s -- not a coincidence that the other time was during the Celtics' blowout victory in Game 3. Today is House's son Jaelen's eighth birthday. Jaelen hangs out with the ball boys by the bench every game.

Bulls out in front

Posted by Jeff Howe, May 2, 8:36 p.m.

The Bulls have a 27-23 lead after the first quarter here at the Garden. Paul Pierce knocked down a jumper on the first possession of the game, but the Bulls responded with a 9-0 run while the Celtics missed five consecutive shots. After finally getting back into the game and tying it at 18 -- holding the Bulls without a field goal for 5:30 -- Chicago reclaimed the momentum at the end of the quarter.

The Celtics should be fairly happy with the pace of the game. They've gotten some quality looks that they haven't been able to put home, but they're seeming to come easier tonight than they did through most of the first six games. Let's see if the bench can give the Celtics a spark at the start of the second quarter.

Setting the mood

Posted by Jeff Howe, May 2, 7:34 p.m.

When Ray Allen was asked if he was tired after six games and seven overtimes, he responded, "I just think the people who are watching are more fatigued than we are."

Allen has heard it from all angles during this intense first-round series against the Bulls, from past friends to a 70-year-old lady at the grocery store.

"They’re not bored watching the games," he said. "They want to see us win, but people know they’re going to be entertained. As much as we don’t like to entertain them, we just want them to know we got the win. You can’t knock a great basketball game.

"It’ll probably be hard to [watch a replay of this series] because everywhere I go, people have been telling me about it."

Bulls forward Joakim Noah, on the other hand, said it's difficult not to let nerves set in, especially last night when he tried falling asleep.

"It’s hard to go to sleep the night before a Game 7," said Noah, who is playing in his first NBA playoff series. "I feel ready. I feel ready to go. Now it’s just on us to get it done tonight."

Allen, though, said nerves won't be an issue for the veteran Celtics, who won two Game 7s during the playoffs last year.

"I’ve always been comfortable," Allen said. "The heightened sense that we have for a Game 7 is from the outside looking in. Once we get to what we need to do, it’s business as usual."

Put the rumors to bed

Posted by Jeff Howe, May 2, 7:18 p.m.

I never bought into it, but for those who did, Kevin Garnett will not be playing tonight, according to Doc Rivers.

Series finale

Posted by Jeff Howe, May 2, 6:18 p.m.

Greatest series ever? Hold that thought for a few more hours. The Celtics and Bulls are a little less than two hours away from tip-off of Game 7 here at the Garden in a first-round series that has gone down in history among the all-time greats.

If the Celtics win, they'll host the Magic in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals Monday night.

One thing to keep an eye on tonight: If this game goes into triple overtime -- don't sit there and act like it can't happen -- the Celtics and Bulls will have played 10 overtime periods in the series, which equates to more than an entire extra game.

I'm heading down to the locker rooms to get a feel for the mood of each team and will check in afterward.

The Breakdown

Posted by Jeff Howe, April 29, 12:06 a.m.

Analysis after the Celtics beat the Bulls, 106-104, in overtime at the Garden to take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series. Game 6 is Thursday night.

Swine flu. With the game on the line, the crowd at its loudest and the Celtics playing their best, the Bulls got sick and folded. The Bulls looked great — unbeatable, even — through the majority of the game’s first 40 minutes, as they built an 11-point lead, controlled the tempo, played harder and simply looked like the better team. The Celtics’ title defense looked over — about as over as a tired team heading out on the road while facing a 3-2 deficit can look anyway — and the Bulls looked like they could finish the job the Hawks started in the first round in 2008. They were outmatched, outclassed and heavy underdogs who were pushing a group of Hall of Famers to the brink, standing stride for stride with the champs, and the Bulls were the ones attacking, not just trying to survive.

But that pressure was a killer. A team that looked calm beyond its years transformed into a group of scared kids without any playoff experience. Because, after all, that’s exactly who the Bulls are. Gone were those 40 minutes. Instead, the Celtics were poised to make a run. Even though they had been outplayed, and an 11-point deficit isn’t exactly anything to make light of, the Celtics knew they could take advantage of their experience in these situations. They pressed on defense, forcing the Bulls to make unforced errors like Derrick Rose slipping and getting called for a travel. Offensively, Rajon Rondo helped create some easy baskets when such an open look wasn’t always there in the game’s early stages.

The opening minutes of the fourth quarter looked bleak for the Celtics. While the Bulls scored on six of their first eight possessions, the Celtics’ first four possessions of the fourth quarter consisted of four missed 3-pointers, which transformed a four-point deficit into an 11-point mountain. But Rondo pressed, Ray Allen knocked down a huge 3-pointer before being fated by the officials and the comeback was officially on. Even after Ben Gordon made an off-balance baseline leaner with Stephon Marbury draped on him like a curtain, it was apparent the Celtics weren’t going to die. Tonight wasn’t going to be their funeral.

Doc Rivers said the final six minutes of the fourth quarter was a showcase of the Celtics at their best. Their execution had been flawless after three and a half quarters of a flawed performance.

The Bulls couldn’t stop their downward spiral after the Celtics forced overtime. Though Tony Allen’s foul on Ben Gordon’s 3-point attempt nearly stole the award for biggest goat moment of the night, it was the Bulls who continued to outmatch themselves. Paul Pierce went to his favorite position on the court — the right elbow — on three consecutive possessions and knocked down all three shots to score the Celtics’ last six points, but the Bulls never doubled. Even Joakim Noah, who has been a giant nuisance for the Celtics all series, was stationed on Kendrick Perkins 25 feet from the basket but never rotated off Perkins to put a hand in Pierce’s face before the Celtics’ captain drilled the game-winning jumper. And finally, Brad Miller, the veteran of the group who has been a victim of his own emotion a few instances in the series, front-rimmed his first of two free-throw attempts with 2.0 seconds remaining in overtime.

It’s hard to believe the Bulls can overcome such a brutal choke job during Game 6 in Chicago in two days. This will be the ultimate reality check for a team that has outplayed the Celtics in four of the series’ five contests but finds itself on the brink of elimination. If the last few minutes of Game 5 are any indication, the Bulls aren’t close to headstrong enough to draw any more blood.

C-Notes. This is the first playoff series in NBA history to feature three overtime games. … Joakim Noah and Tyrus Thomas have combined to block 27 shots in the series’ five games. … Kendrick Perkins had 16 points, 19 rebounds and seven blocks. … I’ve said for a few weeks now I think it would be a good move for the Celtics to re-sign Stephon Marbury next season, but if they don’t, his lasting memory in Boston may be passing up that open 3-pointer right before the shot clock expired to dish the ball to a covered Rajon Rondo. … Speaking of the Celtics’ point guard, Rondo is still averaging a triple-double in the series with 24.2 points, 10.2 assists and 10.2 rebounds per game.

Comeback complete: C's beat Bulls

Posted by Jeff Howe, April 28, 10:14 p.m.

The Celtics beat the Bulls, 106-104, in overtime here at the Garden to take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series. I'll have more coming later.

Hey, more overtime is what this series needs

Posted by Jeff Howe, April 28, 9:43 p.m.

Paul Pierce's fadeaway jumper with 10.5 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter tied the game at 93 and sent it into overtime. This is the third overtime game of the series, with the Bulls winning the first two.

This is your wakeup call

Posted by Jeff Howe, April 28, 9:00 p.m.

The Celtics have 12 minutes to overcome a 70-66 deficit here at the Garden. In reality, four points is nothing. Judging by the performances of the Celtics and Bulls in this series, it's going to take a lot more than just showing up. The Celtics look slower, weaker, thinner and less hungry than the Bulls right now. Someone, whether it be Paul Pierce, Ray Allen or Rajon Rondo, has to step up and will this team to a Game 5 victory, or the C's will fighting for their lives in Chicago.

Stampede at the Garden

Posted by Jeff Howe, April 28, 8:08 p.m.

The Bulls have taken a 47-44 lead at the half here at the Garden, largely in part due to the Celtics' looking a little too slow during the last six minutes of the second quarter. The Bulls are playing like they want to win, while the Celtics are playing like they just deserve to win.

There was a key three-minute stretch late in the second quarter when the Bulls went on an 8-0 run that turned a four-point deficit into a four-point lead, as the Celtics missed all six of their shot attempts and barely recovered before the break.

Celtics have slim lead after one

Posted by Jeff Howe, April 28, 7:33 p.m.

The Celtics have a 23-21 lead against the Bulls here at the Garden. Paul Pierce has a game-high seven points after the first quarter. Derrick Rose has missed all four of his shots and is scoreless for the Bulls, while Ben Gordon shook off a bad start to score five points. He looked a little tentative at times in the opening quarter, but the sore left hamstring doesn't appear as though it will limit him too much tonight.

Bulls, Gordon ready for Celtics in Game 5

Posted by Jeff Howe, April 28, 6:16 p.m.

Ben Gordon will start tonight despite hurting his hamstring during the Bulls' Game 4 win in Chicago on Sunday. He was moving around fine while putting up his shots a few minutes ago, but he wasn't really testing his hamstring much.

"It loosened up a little bit," Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro said. "It's still real tight, and he wants to give it a try. We'll talk, and we'll monitor it as the game goes on. We'll see how loose it is and how comfortable he is. We'll see where it goes from there.

"It hasn't gotten worse, which is good, but I don't think it's getting any better right now."

Other than that, there really wasn't anything else going on before the game. Since the start of the 2008 postseason, the Celtics are 11-1 in games when the series has been tied, but they're 1-1 this series (the loss coming in Game 1).

Game 6 will be Thursday night in Chicago at either 7 p.m. or 9:30 p.m. If the Blazers beat the Rockets tonight at 10 to force a Game 6, the Celtics will play at 7. If the Rockets eliminate Portland, the Celtics will play at 9:30.

Powe's season over

Posted by Jeff Howe, April 21, 3:56 p.m.

The Celtics announced today that forward Leon Powe tore the ACL and meniscus in his left knee during the second quarter during last night's Game 2 victory against the Bulls at the Garden. Powe's season is over, and will will undergo surgery soon. The Celtics said Powe is expected to make a complete recovery.

The Breakdown

Posted by Jeff Howe, April 20, 10:56 p.m.

Analysis after the Celtics beat the Bulls, 118-115, in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals to even the best-of-seven series, 1-1:

Ray breaks through. Ray Allen was taking a lot of heat after scoring four points in the Celtics’ Game 1 loss Saturday, and he wasn’t any smoother in the first half tonight. But that’s when he just went off. Allen had six points through six quarters while shooting 2-for-16 from the floor and missing all seven of his 3-pointers, but he broke free in the third quarter. He started off by knocking down a 16-footer two minutes into the third, and he converted a three-point play on the Celtics’ next possession, banking in a jumper as Ben Gordon knocked him in the arm. It’s been said too many times that a pure shooter can get his game going by a single trip to the free-throw line, and that seemed to be exactly what happened. Allen scored 16 points in the third quarter and then had 12 more in the fourth, all on 3-pointers. His last two, obviously, were the difference in the game. He hit one with 25.3 seconds remaining to put the C’s up, 115-113, and he dropped the game-winner from the right arc with 2.0 seconds left. Doc Rivers made it clear to his team during a timeout with 12.3 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter that Allen was the man with the hot hand, saying, “If we get him open, guys, he doesn’t need much room.”

Rondo keeps rocking. Doc Rivers admitted he was a little nervous about Rajon Rondo before the game because his point guard kept asking too many questions — “Great questions, terrific questions,” Rivers admitted, though he was worried Rondo was over thinking too many things. Rondo was asking things like whether or not he was dribbling too much, not getting certain guys involved enough and what he could do better defensively. Well, so much for that. Rondo came out and played “the best seven minutes” Rivers said he has ever seen him play because he was hustling the ball up the court with so much intensity, adding the Celtics never ran their first play until six minutes had passed in the first quarter because Rondo was doing such a good job on the fast break.

But there was a point when it looked like Rondo’s night had ended prematurely. He got hit during a lay-up attempt with 5:03 to play in the second quarter, landed awkwardly on his right leg and sprained his ankle. He missed the rest of the half but came out at the start of the fourth quarter — with a noticeable limp nonetheless. Rivers couldn’t stop lauding Rondo for his courage by playing on the ankle that swelled up a lot, and Rondo continued where he left off. He completed his first career postseason triple-double six minutes into the third quarter and finished with 19 points, 16 assists (tied his playoff high) and a career-high 12 rebounds to go along with five steals. He is averaging 24 points, 11.5 assists, 10.5 rebounds and 3.5 steals in the two games in this series.

No Rosey ending. It wasn’t the Derrick Rose show in Game 2, as the rookie point guard picked up two fouls in the first 3:11 of the game and never got into a rhythm after sitting the rest of the first quarter. He had 10 points, seven assists and six rebounds. However, Ben Gordon was the one with the unconscious effort from the Bulls with 42 points in Game 2, and 25 of those points came in the second half. He knocked down 14-of-24 shots, including 6-of-11 from 3-point range and kept the Bulls in the game. (Unlike Rose, though, Gordon didn’t do anything else. He had one rebound, one steal and zero assists.) With Gordon and Allen trading buckets throughout the second half — they combined for 52 points after the break — UConn coach Jim Calhoun may want to show this tape to future recruits. Gordon scored the Bulls’ last 12 points, with two of those buckets giving the Bulls a lead and his last one tying the game with 12.3 seconds to play before Allen’s game-winner.

“It was fun,” Gordon said. “It felt like we were at UConn in the summertime playing pick-up. … We just didn’t have an answer for him at the end.”

C-Notes. Leon Powe injured his left knee making a spin move in the post in the first half, and the team originally said he was expected to return to the game. Powe, though, was taken to the hospital to have an MRI on the knee, and Doc Rivers wasn’t very optimistic, saying, “It didn’t look good.” … Brian Scalabrine could be ready to play Thursday for Game 3, but only if the doctors clear him. He is expected to practice the next two days. … Rivers said Paul Pierce looked “tentative” and was looking for the double-team too often, which might have been a product from the Celtics’ film study the last two days. Pierce had 18 points on 8-of-19 shooting, eight rebounds and three assists. … Rivers said his team’s 21-8 advantage on the offensive glass was “the key” to the game. The Celtics outscored the Bulls on second-chance points by a 32-12 margin. Rivers also called Glen Davis “a bear” on the glass. Four of Davis ’s nine boards were offensive rebounds. Davis also had a postseason career high of 26 points. … While the Celtics can be pleased they at least salvaged a split in the first two games by erasing a five-point deficit with less than three minutes to play, they know they’ve got to get better defensively. “We feel very confident,” Pierce said. “We haven’t played good basketball yet.” Pierce added they’ve played their “C” game so far in this series. … Rivers’ opening comment at his postgame press conference: “I pray that Danny Ainge didn’t watch this game.”

Sugar Ray buries Bulls

Posted by Jeff Howe, April 20, 9:51 p.m.

Ray Allen scored 28 of his 30 points in the second half, and he knocked down the game-winning 3-pointer with two seconds to play to lift the Celtics past the Bulls, 118-115, in Game 2 here at the Garden. The series is tied at a game apiece with Game 3 set for Thursday at 8 p.m. in Chicago. I'll have more later.

Celtics lead with 12 minutes to play

Posted by Jeff Howe, April 20, 9:07 p.m.

Ray Allen broke loose in the third quarter, and Rajon Rondo has his first career postseason triple-double to help the Celtics take an 88-87 lead heading into the fourth quarter. After scoring just six points through the first six quarters of the series, Allen had 16 points in the third and made his first two 3-pointers of the series. Rondo, meanwhile, spent much of the quarter limping badly on his right ankle, but he's got 15 points, 11 assists and a playoff career-best 10 rebounds. He completed the triple-double six minutes into the third quarter.

Bulls pounce on C's

Posted by Jeff Howe, April 20, 8:18 p.m.

It's rare to see the Celtics surrender three extended scoring runs over the duration of a game, let alone a quarter. But that's what happened as the Bulls jumped out to a 61-58 lead at the half here at the Garden, using runs of 7-0, 7-0 and 11-0 in the second quarter to get their lead. Ben Gordon has 17 points, and Brad Miller has 16 points and seven rebounds to pace the Bulls.

Rajon Rondo had 15 points, eight assists, six rebounds and three steals before going down with a sprained right ankle midway through the second quarter. Ray Allen is 1-for-4 in the game with two points. He's got six points through the first six quarters of the series.

Rondo sprains ankle

Posted by Jeff Howe, April 20, 8:09 p.m.

Rajon Rondo suffered a minor right ankle sprain when he went down with 5:03 to play in the second quarter and is expected to return. He just went into the locker room with trainer Ed Lacerte during the TV timeout.

Red Sox pitchers Josh Beckett and Jon Lester and Patriots owner Robert Kraft are all at the game.

Why this game is so significant for the C's

Posted by Jeff Howe, April 20, 8:04 p.m.

Aside from the obvious, the Celtics are 1-11 all-time in series when they've fallen behind 2-0. They've lost the last seven series in which they've dropped the first two games. The only time the Celtics have come back from a 2-0 deficit was the 1969 NBA Finals, when they rallied to beat the Lakers after losing the first two games in Los Angeles. And lastly, the Celtics have only lost the first two games at home once in their history, when they were swept in four games by Milwaukee in the 1983 Eastern Conference semifinals.

Powe sprains knee

Posted by Jeff Howe, April 20, 7:55 p.m.

Leon Powe sprained his left knee earlier and is expected to return to the game.

Quick start for Celtics

Posted by Jeff Howe, April 20, 7:42 p.m.

The Celtics have a 35-29 lead after the first quarter, but their 12-point lead shrunk steadily over the course of the last six minutes. The Bulls used a 4-0 spurt to close the quarter to get within striking distance after they were nearly blown out of the building at the start of the game. Glen Davis led the way with 12 points in the opening quarter, and Rajon Rondo has nine points, six assists and five rebounds.

Derrick Rose is back on the court at the start of the second after picking up his second foul 3:11 into the game and riding the bench the rest of the way.

And finally, Kevin Garnett is sitting on the bench.

Bringing in a winner

Posted by Jeff Howe, April 20, 6:46 p.m.

The Celtics brought in Red Sox pitcher Justin Masterson tonight to speak at their pregame chapel. Masterson earned the win earlier today when the Sox beat the Orioles at Fenway, and he popped his head into the locker room for a couple minutes and shook hands with Paul Pierce. Masterson is expected to stick around for the game.

Much of the pregame talk surrounded the friendship of Doc Rivers and Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro, who were teammates in San Antonio for two seasons. The irony in the coaching matchup is that Del Negro grew up in Springfield, Mass. as a Celtics fan, and Rivers grew up in Chicago as a Bulls fan.

Rivers joked that it was his job to clean up Del Negro's mess when they were teammates.

"I used to call him ‘Kerosene’ because whenever I was put in, I had to put out the fire that he started with the guy [he was guarding]," Rivers said. "That’s what it was like. He was a terrific player. Part of that is true, though. By that time of my career, I just basically came in as the hatchet man defensively to back Vinny up and Avery [Johnson] up. [Spurs coach] Bob Hill would always tell me to go put out their fires."

Rivers also said it was nice to see Celtics GM Danny Ainge at the team's shootaround this morning in Waltham. Ainge will be watching tonight's game from home.

"It was nice for me," Rivers said. "It was nice for all the guys who know him just to see him look normal."

Boston C's red

Posted by Jeff Howe, April 20, 5:27 p.m.

The Celtics and Bulls are about an hour and a half away from tip-off for Game 2 of the first round of the playoffs here at the Garden. The Bulls lead the series, 1-0, after their 105-103 overtime victory in Saturday's series opener. This is the first time the Celtics have trailed in a playoff series since the core group was assembled in the summer of 2007.

I'd like to thank the Green Line for its unparalleled service through downtown on this busy afternoon. Nothing like a stretch of four stops lasting 40 minutes. So, if you're around the city and heading to the game tonight, walking might be the best way to travel.

The Breakdown

Posted by Jeff Howe, April 18, 5:24 p.m.

Analysis after the Bulls beat the Celtics, 105-103, in overtime to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series:

Thorn in the side. Derrick Rose did whatever he wanted to do all game against the Celtics, dominating from the perimeter and slashing through the paint at will. He had a career-high 36 points, 11 assists, four rebounds and one steal in one of the finest postseason debuts ever. (He tied Lew Alcindor's record for the most points in a game by a rookie in his playoff debut.) LeBron James had 45 points against the Celtics during Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals last year, and Kobe Bryant also scored 36 in Game 3 of the Finals, putting Rose in an elite category among great performances against this Celtics team.

"It was more fun," Rose said of his playoff debut. "Every play was crucial." One of the great young prodigies in the game, Rose sent a huge wakeup call to the league -- and the Celtics in particular -- that his rookie status won't be an issue in this series against the defending champs. Just as impressive -- considering how opposite of clutch he was at the free-throw line during last year's NCAA tournament -- was his 12-for-12 performance from the stripe today. If the Celtics are going to contain this kid, they've got to do a better job keeping him out of the paint and stopping his back-door passes that led to easy dunks.

When asked what this win means, Rose responded, "We can play a little bit. We can compete."

Not the way to start. The common phrase from the Celtics after the game was that they had "no sense of urgency." It was apparent in the first quarter, and even on the Bulls' first possession that resulted in an easy dunk in transition, especially since Doc Rivers said they spent the last two days working on transition defense. The Celtics didn't lose the game in the first quarter, but the final minute of the opening frame was extremely telling. After building a five-point lead and establishing some momentum for the first time in the game, they let the Bulls rip off a 7-0 run, which absolutely gave them enough confidence throughout the rest of the afternoon. There was even another stretch like that at the end of the third quarter when the Celtics stopped passing the ball on their last three possessions. Even though they were much better defensively, they couldn't build up a lead heading into the fourth quarter.

"As the captain of this ball club, I can't allow for us to come out as flat as we came out today," said Paul Pierce, who was 8-for-21 from the floor with 23 points. "We've got to understand, hey, this is the playoffs. You lose, you go home, so we have to have a better sense of urgency from the jump each and every game, and I promise you that we will."

Even Rivers got a little testy in the postgame press conference when he was asked about Kevin Garnett, who sat on the bench in the first half and stayed in the locker room after halftime. Rivers has always been so mild mannered and quick with a joke, but he was definitely irritated, whether it was at the question, his team's performance (most likely), or a combination of both.

"Guys, Kevin is not playing in this playoffs," Rivers said. "I'm not answering Kevin questions. I didn't even notice, honestly, until someone told me that he wasn't on the bench, and I could care less. Hell, he was on the bench in the first half, and we were down eight points. This is about the players in uniform. Kevin is gone, and he isn't coming back. The guys in the uniform have to play."

Just a hunch, but I'd imagine the Celtics are going to come out of the gates Monday night similar to the way they did against the Hawks in Game 7 last year. Either way, we're about to find out a lot about what this team is made of.

"We took it on the chin," Pierce said. "That's the way it is. We're going to bounce back."

One up, one down. Rajon Rondo was brilliant with 29 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and two steals, and his battle with Rose was the best point-guard dual there has been at the Garden maybe since Dennis Johnson and Isiah Thomas. Rondo stayed with Rose -- at least offensively -- every step of the way, and the rest of this series should be a fun one to watch between two point guards who figure to be primed to take their teams on playoff runs for years to come. Still, Rose got the best of his counterpart, and Rondo admitted after the game he was "extremely tired," even adding, "This was a bad loss for us, especially at home."

Ray Allen, on the other hand, had another tough playoff performance. His 1-for-12 mark from the floor was his worst since joining the Celtics, and he finished with four points, three rebounds, one assist and three steals. There never seemed to be a point when the Celtics could spring him down low for an easy look, and the majority of his shots were contested. He had a tough run midway through the playoffs last year, particularly against Cleveland, but he rebounded nicely to put up an MVP-worthy performance in the Finals.

"I just thought I never had a good rhythm," Allen said. "I had a couple [shots] early that went in and out, but after that, they were kind of spotty."

For what it's worth, he sat out the last two games of the regular season and hadn't played since Sunday in Cleveland, where he went 2-for-8 from the floor. If the Celtics are going to put their stamp on this series, they obviously need Allen at the top of his game.

C-Notes. Rose wasn't the only Chicago star. Tyrus Thomas had 16 points and six rebounds, and he was on fire with his jumper in the second half. Joakim Noah also grabbed 17 rebounds to go along with his 11 points, and Brad Miller pulled down 12 boards. And though Kirk Hinrich didn't have a good overall game, he stripped Pierce with 1:40 remaining in the fourth quarter that set up Thomas's 3-pointer that put the Bulls ahead, 91-88, and really set the tone the rest of the way. ... There were 26 lead changes and 17 ties in the game.

Unpredicta-Bull

Posted by Jeff Howe, April 18, 3:40 p.m.

Derrick Rose scored 36 points to carry the Bulls to a 105-103 win against the Celtics in overtime here at the Garden in Game 1 of the first round of the playoffs. I'll have more in a bit.

Game 1 heading to overtime

Posted by Jeff Howe, April 18, 3:16 p.m.

Paul Pierce made 1-of-2 free throws with 2.6 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 97 and send it into overtime. This is one crazy way to start the playoffs.

C's jump back on top

Posted by Jeff Howe, April 18, 2:27 p.m.

The Celtics have a 72-71 lead heading into the fourth quarter here at the Garden. Rajon Rondo had nine points in the third quarter, and Paul Pierce came alive with eight of his own. The biggest story so far, though, has been Derrick Rose, who has single-handedly led the Bulls' charge with 25 points and eight assists.

Kevin Garnett didn't come out of the locker room after the half. It's not unreasonable to think his time sitting on the Celtics' bench during the playoffs is over. He's not really a fan of sitting by the court with a helpless feeling while his teammates are in action.

Bulls charging ahead

Posted by Jeff Howe, April 18, 1:54 p.m.

The Bulls had their way with the Celtics in the second quarter, pulling ahead, 53-44, at the half here at the Garden. The Celtics' biggest issue is on the defensive end, where they're losing guys coming through the back door seemingly every other possession. Derrick Rose (13 points, seven assists) has had a lot to do with that, but the Celtics' nonchalance in the paint is killing them. Just look at the last play of the first half as an example.

After combining for 20 points in the first quarter, Rajon Rondo (12 points) and Kendrick Perkins (eight points) were held off the board in the second. And then there's Ray Allen (four points, 1-for-7 from the floor, 0-for-3 from 3-point range) and Paul Pierce (four points, 1-for-4 from the floor), who have really struggled. They're getting some good looks, so that's not the issue. The ball just isn't going down.

More than anything, the Celtics have to start moving the ball a lot better. They've only got six assists on 18 field goals, and they're having to work way too hard for each bucket. That's not a good thing against a team like Chicago that was 21st in the NBA in points allowed per game (102.5) and 14th in defensive field-goal percentage (45.76).

I am surprised that the Bulls took two timeouts late in the second quarter when they had the momentum. Granted, they looked good coming out of the huddle, but that's not something you see out of veteran teams on the road. Obviously, the Bulls aren't a veteran team, so there must be a need for reassurance from coach Vinny Del Negro.

Let's see how the Celtics attack the Bulls early in the third quarter. If they come out with a purpose -- which wasn't the case through much of the first half -- they should be fine. If they have trouble cutting into the lead and establishing their tempo, this could be a longer afternoon than anticipated.

Celtics tied up after one

Posted by Jeff Howe, April 18, 1:06 p.m.

Rajon Rondo and Kendrick Perkins combined to score 20 points in the first quarter, and the Celtics and Bulls are tied at 28 after one. The C's rallied from a five-point deficit to grab a five-point lead with a minute remaining in the quarter, but some sloppy defense allowed the Bulls to get back in it.

Salvatore on the court today

Posted by Jeff Howe, April 18, 12:13 p.m.

Bennett Salvatore is part of today's officiating crew. Salvatore famously called Paul Pierce for an offensive foul that wiped a 3-pointer off the board during the C's Eastern Conference Finals series against the Pistons last year.

Two coaching notes

Posted by Jeff Howe, April 18, 11:59 a.m.

Doc Rivers was named Eastern Conference Coach of the Month for April. He also won the award for games played in October and November.

The National Basketball Coaches' Association announced today it will dedicate the 2009 playoffs for former NBA coach Chuck Daly, who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in February and is undergoing treatment. Daly coached the Cavs, Pistons, Nets and Magic during his NBA career, and he also led the 1992 Dream Team to the Gold Medal. Rivers took over in Orlando after Daly, and Daly has been a mentor to Rivers ever since.

No Bulling around

Posted by Jeff Howe, April 18, 11:47 a.m.

Bulls forward Tyrus Thomas, who was Glen Davis's teammate at LSU, refused to answer questions about Davis a few minutes ago when he was approached by a few reporters. Just minutes earlier, Davis said he was excited to be playing against his good friend who he still speaks with, but Thomas wasn't having it. He said he was too busy preparing for his team's playoff game.

On a lighter note, Doc Rivers said Kevin Garnett will be sitting on the bench today for the first time. Garnett has always watched games from the locker room.

Rivers also said Brian Scalabrine is scheduled to practice Tuesday and Wednesday and could return as early as Thursday when the Celtics are in Chicago for Game 3.

April 18 has been a pretty eventful day in Celtics history. The C's beat the Lakers in Game 7 of the 1962 NBA Finals to win their fifth world championship. More impressive was the output by Bill Russell, who had 30 points and 40 rebounds in the overtime victory. On this day in 1966, Red Auerbach named Russell the team's player-coach.

It's playoff time

Posted by Jeff Howe, April 18, 10:47 a.m.

The Celtics' title defense begins today, as they kick off the NBA postseason today in Game 1 of their first-round series against the Bulls at the Garden. This promises to be one of the best sports weekends of the year in Boston, with the Sox back at Fenway, the Celtics and Bruins hosting playoff games and the Marathon on Monday.

The Celtics and Bulls have met in the playoffs three times -- all in the 1980s -- with the C's winning each of the 10 games played.

I'm heading down to the locker rooms now and will check in before tip-off.

Celtics release statement on Ainge

Posted by Jeff Howe, April 16, 6:57 p.m.

The Celtics have released the following statement regarding the health of GM Danny Ainge:

"Danny Ainge is recovering at Massachusetts General Hospital after having a minor heart attack. He is recovering nicely. Mr. Ainge is expected to remain in the hospital for a few days."

Report: Ainge has heart attack

Posted by Jeff Howe, April 16, 5:49 p.m.

Celtics GM Danny Ainge suffered a heart attack this morning, according to a report on thebostonchannel.com. He will reportedly make a full recovery.

Miscellaneous quotes about the Bulls, end of the regular season

Posted by Jeff Howe, April 16, 1:41 p.m.

Ray Allen on drawing the Bulls instead of the Sixers: "It didn’t matter to me either way. I thought Philly. I thought Chicago . It’s like when I got drafted. People ask you where you want to get drafted. I get to play basketball. That’s ultimately the bottom line. With us, I think a lot of people are talking about how well the Bulls are playing. They beat us the last time we played them. They’re a hot team right now. Either way, it didn’t make a difference. I was excited because it’s going to start for us."

Allen on the Bulls' surge into the playoffs (they acquired Brad Miller and Tim Thomas at the February trading deadline and finished the regular season 12-4):  "The trade helped them a lot. It goes to show you in this league the veteran players will up the ante on your team and make your team more of a playoff-caliber team, and they did that at the trade deadline. That’s the thing. We’ve got to respect that they know how to play the game. Despite how we played against them the times we beat them, the times we lost to them, they were a better team. I think those first [two] games we have to somewhat throw out the window and prepare by how we played against them in that [third] game and definitely how they’ve played the last 15-20 games."

Allen on rookie Derrick Rose's postseason debut: "It’s somewhat of a blessing and a curse, making the playoffs the first year, because you’re not jaded by not being there. But at the same time, you get thrown into the playoffs, and you don’t know what to expect. You kind of have mixed emotions. … I see Lindsey Hunter sitting on that bench. He’s definitely there because he provides that valuable experience for Derrick Rose and stuff people don’t see."

Kendrick Perkins on the Celtics' postseason experience: "I think it’s going to help us a lot. I think once they step into the Garden, see the atmosphere, I think it may be shocking to them. It could help us a lot. Hopefully, it helps us a lot. At the same time, we’ve got to strap up our shoes and come ready to play."

Perkins on the Cavs' home loss to the Sixers and having some pride knowing the 1985-86 Celtics are still the only 40-1 team in NBA history: "Oh yeah, for sure. You always want to keep those type of records at home. I didn’t want Cleveland to get it, honestly. I’m going to keep it real. Things happen. I’m glad they did. Now we can move on. Now they can move on. Hopefully we’ll meet up in the Eastern Conference Finals."

Perkins on possibly being named to the NBA's All-Defensive First Team: "If I get it, man, it’s cool. I wasn’t coming into the season expecting it, so it’s not like it’s going to break my heart. I wasn’t expecting it. It’s cool. If I do, that’s straight. If I don’t, oh well, so be it."

Garnett might be done

Posted by Jeff Howe, April 16, 12:15 p.m.

Doc Rivers told WEEI this morning there is "no way" Kevin Garnett can play at the start of the playoffs, and there is a chance he could be done for the season. Garnett couldn't make it through 20 minutes of workouts this morning without his right knee giving him problems, which caused Rivers' reaction. Rivers said last night before the Celtics' win against Washington that Garnett would be ready to play if he could make it through the team's workouts today and tomorrow, but that, obviously, isn't the case anymore.

The Breakdown

Everyone really believed the company line when Rivers continued to maintain Garnett would be back for the first round, but that changed when Garnett was ruled out for last night's season finale. There was no reason not to give Garnett a few minutes of game action just to get him back in shape if he was healthy. Now, we've found out, he's not.

While this won't affect the outcome of their first-round series against the Bulls, it obviously makes the Celtics' task a little more difficult and gives the Bulls a chance to win a game or two. Glen Davis (and others) is really going to have to step up in Garnett's absence to stop his old LSU teammate, Tyrus Thomas, who has been playing his best basketball during the second half.

This injury will really begin to show its effects if the Celtics meet the Magic in the second round. Rashard Lewis has been a difficult assignment for the C's, especially without Garnett on the floor. Without having their best defensive player, the Celtics will be in a bind against an Orlando team that has way too many offensive options.

Celtics-Bulls schedule

Posted by Jeff Howe, April 16, 12:08 p.m.

Here is the schedule for the first-round playoff series between the No. 2 Celtics (62-20) and No. 7 Bulls (41-41):

Game 1: Bulls at Celtics, Saturday, April 18, 12:30 p.m., ESPN, CSN
Game 2: Bulls at Celtics, Monday, April 20, 7 p.m., TNT, CSN
Game 3: Celtics at Bulls, Thursday, April 23, 8 p.m., TNT, CSN
Game 4: Celtics at Bulls, Sunday, April 26, 1 p.m., ABC
Game 5*: Bulls at Celtics, Tuesday, April 28, TBA, CSN
Game 6*: Celtics at Bulls, Thursday, April 30, TBA, CSN
Game 7*: Bulls at Celtics, Saturday, May 2, TBA, TNT, CSN

*If necessary

Celtics ready to bring on the Bulls

Posted by Jeff Howe, April 15, 11:13 p.m.

Everyone was just in the locker room watching the end of the Sixers' 111-110 overtime win against the Cavs, which means Philly jumped up to the sixth seed and the Bulls fell down to No. 7. There were a number of cheers and groans when Andre Miller missed a pair of free throws with 4.3 seconds remaining in overtime, and every one of the Celtics was excited to finally know who they've got in the first round. They were also ecstatic to know the 1985-86 Celtics held onto their place as the only team in NBA history to go 40-1 at home.

Check back here tomorrow for an early look at the series.

C's subs beat Wizards

Posted by Jeff Howe, April 15, 10:28 p.m.

The Celtics scraped past the Wizards with a fourth-quarter rally to win 115-107. Eddie House knocked down 6-of-9 3-pointers to give him a .444 percentage (151-for-340) for the season to set a new Celtics record. Danny Ainge had the old mark with a .443 percentage (85-for-192) in 1986-87.



Wizards grab the lead

Posted by Jeff Howe, April 15, 9:54 p.m.

The Wizards have an 83-79 lead heading into the fourth quarter after the Celtics surrendered 31 points in the third.

First-rate second unit

Posted by Jeff Howe, April 15, 9:09 p.m.

The Celtics have a 57-52 lead at the half here at the Garden, and give a ton of credit to Doc Rivers and the second unit for putting together a solid first-half performance. Leon Powe has 14 points and nine rebounds. Tony Allen has 10 points, and Stephon Marbury is looking really strong with seven points, four assists and two rebounds. I say give them credit because this is a group of players that has barely had any playing time together in games or practice, and they're jelling -- at least on the offensive end -- like they've known each other for years.

Celtics up a point

Posted by Jeff Howe, April 15, 8:37 p.m.

The Celtics have a 25-24 lead after the first quarter here at the building that will be officially known as the TD Garden in July. 

Pierce addresses the crowd

Posted by Jeff Howe, April 15, 8:11 p.m.

Paul Pierce just addressed the crowd as part of the team's fan appreciation night here at the Garden, saying, "Here we go again. It's that time of year. It's that time of year. We're getting warmed up." He then went on to thank the fans for making the Garden a tough place for road teams to pick up a win and concluded his message by saying, "Now it's time for banner No. 18."

Celtics legends anoint Pierce

Posted by Jeff Howe, April 15, 7:40 p.m.

Ever wonder what Paul Pierce's No. 34 would look like hanging from the Garden rafters? Check out my story today in the Metro, which is accompanied by a great photo illustration from Metro photographer Nathan Fried-Lipski.

'Havlicek stole the ball'

Posted by Jeff Howe, April 15, 7:35 p.m.

Today is the 34-year anniversary of Johnny Most's historic "Havlicek stole the ball" call, describing John Havlicek's steal of Philadelphia's Hal Greer's inbounds pass with five seconds remaining in Game 7 of the Eastern Division Finals at the Garden. Havlicek fed Sam Jones, who scored to give the Celtics the 110-109 victory.

Lineup shuffling, KG update

Posted by Jeff Howe, April 15, 7:32 p.m.

Paul Pierce and Ray Allen will be given the night off tonight, while Kevin Garnett and Brian Scalabrine are each sitting with their respective injuries. Additionally, Rajon Rondo will see limited playing time. He'll play in the first quarter and possibly the third quarter, though Doc Rivers has yet to make an official decision on that front.

When asked if Garnett will definitely play in the Celtics' first playoff game this weekend (heavily rumored to be early Saturday afternoon), Rivers said, "I don't know." He did add that as long as there are no set-backs in the next two days, he is pretty sure Garnett will be ready to go. But Garnett will still have to make it through his workouts and not feel any significant discomfort afterward.

Allen said he didn't receive the explanation he was looking for when he talked to Stu Jackson over the phone yesterday. Jackson is the man in the league office in charge of handing down fines and suspensions for player conduct. As a result, Allen has filed a grievance.

Back in action

Posted by Jeff Howe, April 15, 6:19 p.m.

All right, I'm back here running the blog after my hiatus to the nation's capital to watch one of the three best college hockey games ever played. The Celtics (61-20) and Wizards (19-62) are less than two hours from tip-off in the regular-season finale.

The game doesn't mean a thing for the Celtics, who are holding their fan appreciation night, but the Wizards are in a mighty race for the second-worst record in the NBA, a distinction they currently share with the Clippers in the last hours of the season.

All eyes tonight in Boston will be fixed on the Bulls (41-40), Sixers (40-41) and Pistons (39-42), who are jockeying for seeding in the final three playoff spots. Here's what each team is up to tonight:

Raptors at Bulls, 8 p.m.
Sixers at Cavs, 8 p.m.
Pistons at Heat, 8 p.m.

The Celtics are locked into the second seed and will take on the seventh seed in the first round. If the Bulls win tonight, they lock up the sixth slot, and if the Pistons lose, they'll finish eighth. Otherwise, if the Bulls lose and Sixers win, the Sixers will finish sixth, and the Bulls will finish seventh. If the Sixers lose and Pistons win, the Pistons will finish seventh, and the Bulls will finish eighth.

I'm heading down to the locker room and will check back in shortly.

Edit: Apparently that week away has made me a little rusty. The Pistons are locked into the eighth seed. If the Bulls win or Sixers lose, the Bulls get the sixth seed and the Sixers get the seventh. If the Bulls lose and the Sixers win, the Sixers get the sixth seed and the Bulls get the seventh.

Scot Pollard vs. Cheryl Miller

Posted by Jeff Howe, April 7, 7:55 p.m.

I'm down in Washington, D.C. this week for the Frozen Four, so I won't be live blogging the next two games. To make up for it, here's a video of Scot Pollard and Cheryl Miller flipping out at each other.

When did Cheryl Miller turn into a drill sergeant?

The Breakdown

Posted by Jeff Howe, April 3, 11:49 p.m.

Analysis after the Celtics beat the Hawks, 104-92, to win their fourth consecutive game and improve to 58-19:

Perking up. Kendrick Perkins (12 points, 10 rebounds) tied a career high with seven blocked shots, and it’s the first time in his career he’s had at least five blocks in consecutive games (he had five Wednesday against Charlotte ). He is also averaging 5.0 blocks per game in the last three contests, and he’s really picking up the C’s corps of big men with Kevin Garnett and Leon Powe out of the lineup. Perkins has looked quicker to the ball and more instinctive this season when holding down the lane, and considering the numbers he is putting up with Garnett out, it’s clear he isn’t just thriving because he is playing alongside the reigning Defensive Player of the Year. He got into a little foul trouble in the third quarter, when he picked up his third and fourth personals, but he’s still doing a commendable job protecting the paint with the Celtics short-handed with their bigs. Perkins is doing such a good job, in fact, he’s got Paul Pierce campaigning for some hardware.

“He’s tremendous,” Pierce said. “For us to be the top defensive field-goal team in the league with Perk being one of the shot-block leaders, he definitely gets my vote on the All-Defensive Team. I can’t think of anybody in the league who does a better job than he’s done this year, especially with Kevin being out. He’s doing a great job rebounding, clogging up the middle, blocking shots, offensive rebounds. If he doesn’t make the All-Defensive Team, it’ll be a conspiracy.”

Defending the nest. The Hawks won their first six games of the season because they played with tremendous confidence, took the court like they had something to prove and, most importantly, played great defense. First of all, that swagger doesn’t seem to be there anymore, but they’re also without one of their leaders in Marvin Williams, who has missed 13 games with lower back pain. I’d expect them to show a little more life once the playoffs begin, especially since it looks like they’ll be opening up at home as the fourth seed. But the most noticeable thing about Atlanta was its nonchalance on the defensive end, and that’s something that has haunted the Hawks through portions of the season. One of the key notes on the Celtics’ white board in the locker room prior to the game read, “Make them play defense.” That’s clearly a sign of a coaching staff that understands the Hawks haven’t been as willing to put in the extra effort to be a very good defensive unit. And defense in this league is probably 50 percent strategy and 50 percent want-to. The Hawks allowed the Celtics to score 50 of their 104 points in the paint, which is the 17th time the C’s have done that this season and only the second time they’ve done it with Kevin Garnett out of the lineup. In these teams’ first three meetings, the C’s scored 28, 52 (with KG) and 38 points in the paint. And finally, the Celtics shot 40-for-75 (53.3 percent) from the floor. Clearly, the C’s deserve some credit for posting those numbers, and Rajon Rondo (20 points, six assists, one rebound) was dominant at knifing through the paint. But these were not the Hawks who made so many headlines at the start of the season.

Easy road ahead. Doc Rivers gave his team the weekend off, and the Celtics will resume practice Monday and Tuesday in preparation for Wednesday’s game against the Nets at the Garden. It’s a nice way for the C’s to close out their regular-season schedule, with their final five games coming between now and April 15. They won’t get on a plane again until next Saturday when they fly to Cleveland , meaning they’ve got a 15-day stretch in which they haven’t gotten on a plane (since arriving from Atlanta after their March 27 victory). For a team that has dealt with a nearly-crippling string of injuries in the last two months, the upcoming rest is invaluable.

C-Notes. The Celtics’ bench scored 13 of its 22 points in the fourth quarter. … Flip Murray scored 16 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter, but 13 of those points came in the final 3:31 and after the Celtics stretched their lead to 20. … Stephon Marbury looked really disappointed in himself after missing an easy leaner in the lane in the second half, and he didn’t have a good shooting night (1-for-7). But he scored two points and had four assists and five rebounds, and Doc Rivers really liked the pace Marbury was playing at.

Celtics soar past Hawks

Posted by Jeff Howe, April 3, 10:00 p.m.

The Celtics knocked off the Hawks, 104-92, here at the Garden. I'll have more later.

Celtics building lead

Posted by Jeff Howe, April 3, 9:28 p.m.

The Celtics have an 80-71 lead against the Hawks after the third quarter, and Rajon Rondo leads the way with 20 points and four assists. Surprisingly, Rondo doesn't have any rebounds to this point, but he has knocked down a 3-pointer. He has never finished a game with more 3-pointers than rebounds, and this is just the 23rd game in his career in which he's knocked down a 3. He's only had 12 career games without a rebound.

Edit: Obviously, Rondo snags a rebound during the first possession of the fourth quarter.

C's up at the break

Posted by Jeff Howe, April 3, 8:43 p.m.

The Celtics put 31 points on the board in the second quarter and lead the Hawks, 52-48, at the half. This one has been tight throughout, with neither team leading by more than five points. These teams have been within four points of each other for all but nine seconds of the opening half. Former Celtic Joe Johnson had 11 of his 15 points in the second quarter, but Glen Davis countered with nine of his own. The Celtics are shooting 53.8 percent from the floor -- compared to 34.7 percent from Atlanta -- but they're killing themselves with nine turnovers (Atlanta has two).

Hawks ahead after one

Posted by Jeff Howe, April 3, 8:08 p.m.

The Hawks have a 23-21 lead after the first quarter here at the Garden. Not a whole lot of excitement here so far, but Tony Allen got his first playing time since missing 21 games with a thumb injury plus another on Wednesday (did not play, coach's decision).

Allen up for Sportsmanship Award

Posted by Jeff Howe, April 3, 7:41 p.m.

Ray Allen was named one of six finalists for the annual NBA Sportsmanship Award, the league announced today. He is joined by Denver's Chauncey Billups, Detroit's Antonio McDyess, Golden State's Ronny Turiaf, San Antonio's Michael Finley and Washington's Antawn Jamison.

Allen, who won the award while playing with the Sonics in 2002-03, could be the second player to earn the honor twice since its inception in 1995-96. Grant Hill won it in 2004-05 and 2007-08.

A panel of seven former players -- Mike Bantom, John Crotty, Eddie Johnson, Jalen Rose, Tom “Satch” Sanders, Kenny Smith, Chris Webber -- selected the finalists. Each team nominates one player, and there is one finalist per division. The winner will be announced after the regular season.

"From the standpoint of kids watching the game and how we interact with each other, everyone has their own style of play," Allen said. "There are some kids that like how Paul [Pierce] plays. Some like [Rajon] Rondo. Some like Kendrick [Perkins]. Everybody has their particulars. I just play the game. There are kids that look up to me and say, ‘Hey, I can do it the way he does it and hopefully make it to the NBA one day.’ I think it’s one of those things in a team sport where individually you find your ways to stand out. It’s a great accomplishment with me individually, obviously, in a team role."

Hawks land in the Garden

Posted by Jeff Howe, April 3, 7:23 p.m.

We're a few minutes away from tip-off between the Celtics (57-19) and Hawks (43-32) here at the Garden. The Hawks have taken last year's postseason experience and turned it into one of their best seasons in recent memory. Their 43 wins are the most they've had since winning 50 games in 1997-98, and they're on pace to win 47 games by season's end. The Celtics have beaten the Hawks seven consecutive times at the Garden, including three playoff games, and the C's 103-102 win here on Nov. 12 was easily one of the most entertaining games of the season.

Kevin Garnett, Brian Scalabrine and Leon Powe are all out again for the Celtics. Doc Rivers said he's hoping to have Powe back in time for the first round of the playoffs but wouldn't make any predictions. Scalabrine said he's still cut off from talking about his concussion but said, "Everything is going well. We're making progress every day."

Marvin Williams is out again for the Hawks with lower back pain.

The Breakdown

Posted by Jeff Howe, April 1, 11:42 p.m.

Analysis after the Celtics beat the Bobcats, 111-109, in double overtime to win their third consecutive game and improve to 57-19:

Sloppy third. This game never would have reached double overtime if the Celtics finished what they started in the third quarter. After jumping out of the locker room on an 8-2 run to grab a 62-53 lead — the Celtics’ largest of the game — their offense went in the tank. While Paul Pierce was sound, scoring 13 of his 32 points in the third, no one else was doing much of anything, including moving. The ball stopped, and the off-ball cuts were scarce, As a result, the C’s went 9:57 between field goals — a Ray Allen 3-pointer with 10:33 remaining to a Pierce 3 with 36 seconds on the clock — and the Bobcats ripped off a 24-5 run. The Celtics missed 11 shots during that span and turned the ball over six times. Everyone other than Pierce went a combined 1-for-10, including Allen’s 1-for-6 mark (1-for-5 from distance), although he heated up when it counted.

’Cats can play. This wasn’t a fluky performance out of the Bobcats, who were 12-5 in their last 17 games entering tonight and 6-2 in their last eight. And those wins weren’t against lousy teams. They had knocked off the Hawks, Sixers and Lakers, all of whom are going to the playoffs, and the Knicks and Bulls, who aren’t out of the picture just yet. They’ve got two good young point guards in Raymond Felton (14 points, 12 assists, four rebounds) and D.J. Augustin (14 points, one assist, one rebound) who pressure the offense. (For the record, though, Augustin still makes way too many rookie mistakes, and Felton was horrendous managing his team during the last few minutes of regulation and both overtimes.) The Bobcats also have a star in Gerald Wallace (20 points, 10 rebounds, four steals), a strong big man in Emeka Okafor (12 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, two steals, two blocks) and two playoff-tested veterans in Boris Diaw (17 points, eight assists, seven rebounds) and Raja Bell (12 points, five assists, four rebounds, three steals), who came over from the Suns during the midseason Jason Richardson trade. They’re a tough team that really rallies around Wallace. And don’t forget they gave the Celtics perhaps their most embarrassing loss of last season when they beat the C’s by 12 at the Garden in January. The Bobcats entered the night a game behind the Bulls for the eighth seed in the playoffs, and if they get in, they’re going to make the Cavs work.

Comeback kids. As disinterested as the Celtics looked in the third quarter and parts of the fourth, they took a spark from Eddie House and turned it into a five-alarm fire. The C’s trailed by 12 points — their largest deficit of the game — until House hit a 3-pointer to cut the margin to 85-76 with 6:01 remaining in the fourth quarter. House had seven points prior to that 3 and finished the game with 18, and that shot also snapped a stretch of 4:02 in which the C’s didn’t hit a field goal. Even with that, though, Raja Bell’s jumper with 2:02 remaining put the Bobcats ahead, 93-85. That’s when the Celtics woke up, scoring eight points on their next four possessions to force overtime. But it really started on the defensive end, where Rajon Rondo (21 points, nine assists, four rebounds, four steals) was a menace and seemed to jump every passing lane the Bobcats thought they had. Allen took over in both overtime sessions, shooting 4-for-6 from the floor and 3-for-4 from 3-point range, and he scored 11 of his 22 points in the two extra frames. More importantly, he hit a 3 with 12.4 seconds remaining in the first overtime to tie the game at 101, and he hit the game-winning 3-pointer from the right corner (after a great drive and dish from Paul Pierce) with 2.1 seconds to play to seal the deal. It’s amazing: This team can turn it on whenever it wants and swipe a victory from its opponent, even a team as desperate as the Bobcats, who are fighting for a playoff berth.

C-Notes. I glanced up at the crowd after Eddie House’s jumper cut the Bobcats’ lead to 93-91 with 54 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and noticed a lot of people left early. The balcony looked like it was only about 70 percent full. … Tony Allen was cleared to play and on the bench in uniform after missing 21 games with a thumb injury but never saw any game action. … Kendrick Perkins had five blocks and was a force on the defensive end. He’ll eventually be in the same breath as Dwight Howard in conversations regarding the league’s best shot blockers. … The Bobcats had a possession that spanned 1:25 in the first overtime. Emeka Okafor blocked a Ray Allen shot, and Raymond Felton got control of the ball with 1:44 to play. After three missed field-goal attempts, three offensive rebounds and a jump-ball victory (Felton beat Rajon Rondo), Boris Diaw knocked down a 22-footer with 19 seconds to go that gave the Bobcats a 101-98 lead. … The Celtics were plus-15 with Eddie House on the court.

Comeback complete

Posted by Jeff Howe, April 1, 10:29 p.m.

Ray Allen's 3-pointer with 2.1 seconds remaining in double-overtime gave the Celtics a 111-109 victory against the Bobcats at the Garden. I'll have more in a bit.

Time for two

Posted by Jeff Howe, April 1, 10:09 p.m.

One overtime wasn't enough for these two teams, so they're going to play two. Ray Allen knocked down a 3-pointer with 12.4 seconds remaining to tie the score at 101 and effectively send the game into double-overtime. In case you're wondering, the Bobcats had the ball for 1:25 during that late possession in which they grabbed three offensive rebounds and won a jump ball.

Bonus basketball

Posted by Jeff Howe, April 1, 9:54 p.m.

The Celtics scored eight points in the last 1:44 to force overtime. The C's trailed by 12 before Eddie House's 3-pointer with 6:01 remaining in the fourth quarter and effectively started their comeback. The score is tied at 93 heading into the extra session.

The Bobcats are mauling a team disguised as the Celtics

Posted by Jeff Howe, April 1, 9:19 p.m.

The Bobcats used a 24-5 run to build a 77-71 lead heading into the fourth quarter. As poorly as the Celtics played in the third, it's pretty amazing that they're only down by six points. The C's went a stretch of 9:57 between field goals at one point in the quarter. This will end up being another episode of the Paul Pierce Show if the Celtics come back to win this game. Pierce has 28 points after three quarters.

C's jump ahead

Posted by Jeff Howe, April 1, 8:36 p.m.

The Celtics played some much better defense in the second quarter and grabbed a 54-51 lead going into the half. Paul Pierce has a game-high 15 points, and the C's went on runs of 8-0 and 7-0 in the quarter to erase what was once a nine-point deficit. Charlotte scored 18 points after its 33-point outburst in the first quarter.

And when did Juwan Howard convince Larry Brown he was still good enough to play in this league? Howard, 36, might have broken his hip when he got crossed up by Ray Allen in the second quarter.

Bobcats go crazy

Posted by Jeff Howe, April 1, 8:09 p.m.

The Bobcats took a 33-26 lead after the first quarter and are knocking down everything in sight, shooting 70 percent from the floor in the opening quarter.

The Celtics showed a clip on the video boards in between quarters of the kid now known as "Junior Soulja Boy." If you've been here at any point in the last two seasons, you know exactly who I'm talking about. Anyway, he was a guest on the Ellen Degeneres Show, and she gave him and his mother a pair of season tickets for 2009-10, which is an upgrade from the partial season tickets they currently hold.

Brown out

Posted by Jeff Howe, April 1, 7:45 p.m.

Forgot to mention this in the last post. Bobcats coach Larry Brown, who never fails to shy away from the spotlight, has pulled a Travis Ford move. Brown is the dominant figure on the cover of Charlotte's media guide, which Ford did at UMass when he was so gracious to grace the program with his presence in 2005.

No joking here

Posted by Jeff Howe, April 1, 7:28 p.m.

We're a few minutes from tip-off between the Celtics (56-19) and Bobcats (34-40) here at the Garden. Surprisingly, the Bobcats are only a game behind the Bulls for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, and they're coming off a win against the Lakers last night.

There's a sizable amount of injury news to pass along, and we'll start with Tony Allen, who is back in the lineup tonight after missing 21 games with a thumb injury. He's about a week ahead of schedule, and there don't appear to be any limitations on his playing time tonight.

Leon Powe also met with the media for a few minutes and said he's been working out off the court for about a week. He spent about 45 minutes or an hour in the pool today working to strengthen his sprained knee, which will cause him to miss his seventh game tonight. Powe can't do anything on the court other than shoot free throws, and he's hoping to be back on the court in about a week and a half or two weeks, which could get him back in time to get a regular-season game or two under his belt.

Brian Scalabrine also passed through the locker room wearing shorts and sneakers and appeared to be heading into the training room to work out. He said he can't tell us when he'll be back, but he said he "feels good."

Doc Rivers said the craziest story he's head about Kevin Garnett's injury is the team waited until the deadline passed for season-ticket holders to purchase their first-round playoff packs to announce Garnett will miss a few more games. (You've got to love that conspiracy theory. Do these people really believe the Garden isn't going to sell out for each playoff game?)

Anyway, Rivers said, "I would be very, very surprised if Kevin Garnett is not playing in Game 1 of the playoffs."

Finally, check out my story in tomorrow's Metro on Kendrick Perkins' thoughts on John Calipari leaving Memphis for Kentucky. Perkins originally committed to play for Calipari at Memphis before deciding in favor of the NBA.

The Breakdown

Posted by Jeff Howe, March 23, 11:58 p.m.

Analysis after the Celtics beat the Clippers, 90-77, to win their third consecutive game and improve to 54-18:

Ticket window is back open. Kevin Garnett is back in business, and he’s starting to regain his form after missing 13 games with a right knee sprain. He had 12 points, two rebounds, two assists, one steal, no turnovers and hit all five of his field-goal attempts in 17:51 of action. He played two stretches, once to start the game and then again at the beginning of the second half, and that’s how Doc Rivers says he’ll use Garnett for the rest of the week. (The Celtics are at Orlando on Wednesday, at Atlanta on Friday and home for the Thunder on Sunday.)

Garnett’s presence alone provided a spark for the Celtics, who were exponentially better defensively. He holds his teammates accountable, whether he’s on the court or during timeouts, and he demands excellence from every player wearing a jersey, himself included. In the three games since Garnett has returned, the Celtics have allowed 77 points to the Spurs, 87 to the Grizzlies and 77 to the Clippers, who are undoubtedly a terrible team but one that can still put up some offensive numbers. This is after the Celtics allowed an average of 117.5 points in the two games prior to Garnett’s return, and they surrendered at least 100 points in six of the 13 games Garnett missed. In the simplest of forms, Garnett provides an intimidating presence in the paint, and guards are less likely to slash through the defense and put up an uncontested shot with him guarding the bucket. He is also so vocal that each player on the court knows exactly where they’re supposed to be on every possession, and the Clippers (25 turnovers) had a very difficult time moving the ball through the C’s defense during much of the game.

Offensively, the Celtics move the ball with so much more fluidity with Garnett on the court. He is one of the best passing big men in the league, and he is so unselfish with the ball that he keeps the other four players on the court working hard to get themselves in better position. Rivers said after the game he can see other players making harder cuts to the basket when Garnett has the ball, whether it’s on the perimeter or down low, because they know he’s looking to set up his teammates for easier looks. Garnett said after the game how relieved he is to finally get back on the court to help his team for the stretch run.

“It was very tough,” he said. “The reason I don’t sit on the bench when I’m out because I might jump out there in street clothes and start hooping. One of the hardest things for me is to sit down. My teammates will tell you it’s not easy being hurt. It’s best for me. I play with a lot of pride, and I’ve played hurt before. When you’re injured, it’s even more difficult. I tried to give my two cents when I’m out, and obviously when I’m in there, I’m giving 100 percent. It’s very difficult sitting back knowing that you’re limited with your time and how much you can do, but while I’m in there, I try to raise as much havoc as I can.”

Second helping. The Celtics’ bench played much better in the second half than it did in the first half, and it helped them extend their lead in the fourth quarter. After the starting unit established a 13-point lead in the first quarter, the bench came in and fell behind because they fell in love with trying to score. Rather than establishing a defensive presence, the bench unit tried getting creative on the offensive end, gave up a 9-0 run and put the starters in a position to regain their ground. The Celtics and Clippers remained fairly even with each other until the C’s went on a 14-0 run in the third quarter to build a 66-55 lead. The Clippers trimmed that to 70-65 early in the fourth, but the C’s went on a 13-0 run — with 10 points coming from the bench — to secure the victory.

C-Notes. Rajon Rondo picked up his fourth foul with 6:41 to play in the third quarter and the Celtics trailing 53-50, but Doc Rivers said after the game he never thought about taking Rondo out because he felt the Celtics were about to make a run. Rivers was dead on, as the Celtics proceeded to rip off a 16-2 run with Rondo in the game. … Glen Davis was 1-for-11 from the floor, but he made all six of his free throws. … The Celtics’ starters were 28-for-44 (63.6 percent) from the floor. … Rondo looks like he’s got the makings of a decent jump shot.

Celtics win again

Posted by Jeff Howe, March 23, 9:54 p.m.

The Celtics beat the Clippers, 90-77, tonight at the Garden. I'll have more later.

C's regain control

Posted by Jeff Howe, March 23, 9:18 p.m.

The Celtics used a 14-0 run over a four-minute stretch in the third quarter, and they've got a 70-60 lead heading into the fourth.

Kevin Garnett's night is presumably over after playing his second shift of the game. Garnett has 12 points, two rebounds, two assists and one steal in 17:51. He hit all five field-goal attempts and both free throws he attempted.

Going back in time

Posted by Jeff Howe, March 23, 8:58 p.m.

The second (Marcus Camby), fourth (Stephon Marbury) and fifth (Ray Allen) picks of the 1996 NBA Draft are in the house tonight. Antoine Walker, you may recall, was the sixth pick in that draft. And a free copy of the Metro to anyone who remembers the Celtics took Steve Hamer with the 38th overall pick in that draft.

Kobe Bryant (13th), Steve Nash (15th), Jermaine O'Neal (17th) and Ben Wallace (undrafted) were also part of the 1996 class.

Sloppy second for C's

Posted by Jeff Howe, March 23, 8:38 p.m.

The Celtics were a bit deficient on offense in the second quarter, but they hold a 44-42 lead on the Clippers heading into the break. The C's were unselfish to a fault in the quarter, starting with the second unit. After the starters (sans KG) returned, it took them a little while to get it going again. The good sign for the Celtics is the ball was moving, and they tried to find the open man. But they were a little careless with the 24-second clock at times and forced up a few bad shots. I'd expect the Celtics to reassert control once they come out of the locker room with Kevin Garnett back in the lineup.

Celtics bring their scissors

Posted by Jeff Howe, March 23, 8:08 p.m.

The Celtics jumped out to a 31-18 lead after the first quarter here at the Garden.

Kevin Garnett scored six points, grabbed a rebound and forced a shot-clock violation during his last defensive possession in the first quarter. He played 9:04 before being replaced by Glen Davis during a Clippers timeout. According to Doc Rivers, Garnett will get about the same minutes at the start of the second half, and that's all the action he'll see tonight. Rivers said Garnett will receive the same playing time the rest of the week, even in Orlando on Wednesday night.

UMass alum Marcus Camby received quite possibly the second loudest ovation from the crowd among visiting players this season. James Posey obviously got the loudest.

Clippers guard Eric Gordon is going to be a really exciting player in this league, but he's not quite there yet. He's got to get a little better defensively, and it looks like he gets out-smarted by veterans quite a bit, which is to be expected because he's a rookie who spent one year in college.

Celtics taking on the other team from L.A.

Posted by Jeff Howe, March 23, 7:03 p.m.

We're about a half hour away from tip-off between the Celtics (53-18) and Clippers (17-53) here at the Garden. These teams met last month at the Staples Center, with the Clippers beating the C's, 93-91, in one of the most shocking outcomes of the season.

The Celtics have their regular starting lineup intact again tonight, but Kevin Garnett will only play two seven- or eight-minute spurts, according to Doc Rivers. Leon Powe (right knee sprain) will miss his fourth game, Tony Allen (left thumb) will miss his 19th consecutive game and Brian Scalabrine (concussion) will miss his 14th in a row. Allen said earlier he is targeting the second week of April for his return to the court.

One of my pregame plans was to get you a Marcus Camby story, but he was on the trainers' table throughout the duration of the open locker room.

Giddens back to Flash

Posted by Jeff Howe, March 20, 4:55 p.m.

The Celtics just announced they have sent rookie guard J.R. Giddens back to the Utah Flash of the D-League for the third time this season. Giddens has said he's genuinely enjoyed his time in Utah because he's getting a chance to play, so he is probably very excited to be heading back. And if Giddens didn't get any playing time during the team's recent bout with injuries, this move just makes the most sense.

The NBA also announced it has fined Doc Rivers $25,000 for his comments about the officiating Tuesday night after the Celtics' loss to the Bulls.

The Breakdown

Posted by Jeff Howe, March 18, 10:30 p.m.

Analysis after the Celtics beat the Heat, 112-108, in overtime to snap their two-game losing streak and clinch the Atlantic Division title:

The closer. Paul Pierce was at it again in the fourth quarter, when he scored 16 of his 36 points. He was in such a rhythm that was became surprising when he actually missed a shot. Even as poorly as the Celtics executed the final play of the fourth quarter, Pierce’s fade-away jumper still looked like it was going to fall. He knocked down 7-of-10 shots from the field in the fourth and also had three rebounds and one assist (then added five points and two rebounds in overtime). Pierce finished the night with 11 rebounds and five assists in 47:16, and he was 3-of-5 from 3-point range.  

No D. The Celtics needed every bit of Paul Pierce in the fourth quarter because they were so bad defensively, especially when it came to guarding Heat point guard Mario Chalmers, who goes right every single time he drives to the bucket. Anyway, the Heat scored on eight of their final 11 possessions of the fourth quarter, including four in a row at one point. While the Celtics were nearly as efficient, scoring on 11 of 14 possessions before failing to convert on their last two, it’s just rare to see the C’s struggle so badly when they need key defensive stops late in games.

Playoff preview. With Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Dwyane Wade all out with various injuries, the game really lacked some quality flow for much of the first three quarters. It took the Heat a full quarter to figure out what they wanted to do offensively without Wade, and the Celtics were lost in the second and third quarters when Pierce struggled with his shot. Either way, these teams look like they could get matched up in the first round of the playoffs, and the quality of basketball they play will be much improved once each team gets everyone back onto the court. If the Celtics keep losing ground, they’ll likely find themselves with the third seed in the Eastern Conference, while the Heat are currently sitting in the sixth position.

Moore fouls. Mikki Moore fouled out for the second consecutive game, and he’s had some issues lately with drawing way too many fouls in quick spurts. He picks up quite a few fouls coming off screens 25 feet from the basket, and he’s also drawn a bunch of lazy hand-checking fouls because he’s been slow defensively. Moore is averaging 5.1 fouls per game in the Celtics’ last five contests, an issue that is greatly magnified when the C’s are so short at power forward due to injuries.

C-Notes. Billy Walker entered the game in overtime when Glen Davis fouled out. Walker boxed out Michael Beasley, his former teammate at Kansas State , on his first defensive possession to help Paul Pierce grab a rebound. … Paul Pierce on Kevin Garnett’s impending return and what it will mean to the defense: “Kevin is basically everything for our defense.” … Doc Rivers raved about Stephon Marbury’s passing ability after the game. Marbury had six assists, including five in the third quarter. ... Rajon Rondo had 27 points, 10 assists and three rebounds.

Pierce leads the way

Posted by Jeff Howe, March 18, 9:59 p.m.

The Celtics beat the Heat, 112-108, in overtime tonight at the Garden. Paul Pierce had 21 of his 36 points in the fourth quarter and overtime. The Celtics have officially clinched their second consecutive Atlantic Division title. I'll have more later.

Overtime at the Garden

Posted by Jeff Howe, March 18, 9:39 p.m.

The Celtics and Heat are tied at 100 and heading into overtime. Paul Pierce scored 16 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter, and he also scored the Celtics' last seven points. The C's needed them, though, because they were horrendous defensively in the game's last six minutes when the Heat scored on eight of their final 11 possessions. Apparently, they didn't get the hint that Mario Chalmers doesn't go anywhere but right.

Heat lead by a point

Posted by Jeff Howe, March 18, 9:01 p.m.

The Celtics scored the last four points of the third quarter to draw within 76-75. Rajon Rondo had a great quarter with nine points to give him 21 for the game. Udonis Haslem, Jermaine O'Neal and Michael Beasley each have 11 points to lead the Heat.

Garden getting hot

Posted by Jeff Howe, March 18, 8:16 p.m.

Well, so much for the Heat not wanting to be here. Miami erased a 15-point deficit and stormed out to its first lead late in the second quarter with runs of 10-2 and 15-2. The Heat lead 54-49 heading into the break after out-scoring the Celtics, 33-15 in the second quarter. After combining to put up 22 points in the first quarter, Paul Pierce (scoreless) and Rajon Rondo only managed to put up two points in the second.

There's been a huge discrepancy between each team's personal fouls, with the Celtics committing 16 to Miami's six, but that's been a direct result to each team's aggressiveness so far. Also, keep an eye on the Celtics' situation at power forward. Because of their injuries, Glen Davis and Mikki Moore are the C's only two natural options at that position, but both have four personal fouls.

Boston's JV team leads Miami's JV team

Posted by Jeff Howe, March 18, 7:38 p.m.

The Celtics have a 34-21 lead after the first quarter against the Heat here at the Garden. Paul Pierce has 12 points, and Rajon Rondo has 10 for the C's. Miami couldn't look any more disinterested to be here right now.

Who's in, who's out?

Posted by Jeff Howe, March 18, 6:19 p.m.

The Celtics (50-18) are going to figure out a way to court a full squad tonight against the Heat (36-30) at the Garden. Before I get to the Celtics' injury news, the most important tidbit of the night is that Heat guard Dwyane Wade is out with a knee injury.

First, Glen Davis will be in the starting lineup after missing four games with a sprained right ankle. Leon Powe, however, will miss a couple weeks after spraining his right knee in last night's loss to the Bulls. Ray Allen will also sit out tonight after hyperextending his elbow last night, and Doc Rivers is unsure of Allen's status for this weekend's road trip to San Antonio (Friday) and Memphis (Saturday). Stephon Marbury will start in his place.

Rajon Rondo will play after hurting his ankle again last night, and Rivers said the ankle is pretty swolen. To help straighten all of this out, here's a list of all the injuries:

Starting Lineup:
PG - Rajon Rondo (playing with a sprained right ankle)
SG - Stephon Marbury
SF - Paul Pierce
PF - Glen Davis (recovering from a sprained right ankle)
C - Kendrick Perkins

On the Bench:
G - J.R. Giddens
G - Eddie House
G - Gabe Pruitt
F/C - Mikki Moore
F - Billy Walker

Out:
G - Ray Allen (missing first game with hyperextended elbow, status uncertain for weekend)
G - Tony Allen (missing 16th game with sprained left thumb, had cast removed from left hand Monday, should return in time for final week of regular season)
F - Kevin Garnett (missing 13th game with sprained right knee, will travel with team this weekend, though status is uncertain)
F - Leon Powe (missing first game with sprained right knee, will miss a couple weeks)
F - Brian Scalabrine (missing 11th consecutive game while recovering from third concussion of the season, should return in time for final week of regular season)

The Breakdown

Posted by Jeff Howe, March 13, 10:53 p.m.

Analysis after the Celtics beat the Grizzlies, 102-92, to snap their two-game losing streak and improve to 50-16:

Role call. This was a night for the role players. Aside from Paul Pierce and Ray Allen combining to score 23 points in the third quarter, the C's were led by Leon Powe's career-high 30 points. He also had 11 rebounds and a career-high five blocks, a direct result of one of his finest defensive performances of the year. Mikke Moore (six points, eight rebounds, two assists, one block) and Stephon Marbury (season highs of nine points and five assists, and he made his first 3-pointer as a Celtic) also turned in their best performances since coming to Boston. And finally, Billy Walker showed some nice signs -- I knew he was a good athlete, but he's a whole lot faster than I thought -- with six points in a career-high 19 minutes. The bench as a whole turned the game around in the second quarter, providing a spark the Celtics didn't have when the game began. As a result of the great play from the role guys, Allen (22 points) and Pierce (17) only played 31:21 and 32:06, respectively. That'll be key down the road.

"He's just an animal," Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins said of Powe. "He's an aggressive, energetic, livewire body. ... He just plays basketball."

"He is flowing with confidence right now, and it's good to see," Pierce said of Powe.

C-Notes. The Celtics won 50 games for the 29th time in franchise history. ... Powe said his career high in college was 41 points in a double-overtime game. He joked in the locker room about last night's six-OT affair between Syracuse and UConn, saying if he played six overtimes, he would have put up 70 points. ... Allen said after the game that Marc Gasol was talking some trash when Powe was at the free-throw line, saying he wants Powe to score 40 points because that means Pierce won't be the one putting up a huge number. Allen responded by saying, "If he scores 40, we're still going to win." You'd think Gasol would have learned after Powe lit up his brother in the Finals last June. ... Gasol does look like a pretty decent player, though. He had 11 points and 15 rebounds tonight. ... The Grizzlies lost their 48th game of the season and are about to lose 50 games for the 10th time in the 14 years they've existed. If they don't win at least seven of their final 18 games, they'll drop 60 contests for the third consecutive year. They lost 60 games in four of their first five seasons as a franchise, with the lone exception coming when they were 8-42 in the strike-shortened 1998-99 season.

Celtics earn win No. 50

Posted by Jeff Howe, March 13, 9:58 p.m.

The Celtics just beat the Grizzlies, 102-92, to snap their two-game losing streak and improve to 50-16 on the season. I'll have more coming later.

Celtics create some space

Posted by Jeff Howe, March 13, 9:24 p.m.

Paul Pierce and Ray Allen combined to score 23 points in the third quarter, and the Celtics have a 76-69 lead heading into the fourth.

Powe pacing C's

Posted by Jeff Howe, March 13, 8:44 p.m.

Leon Powe has 18 points and seven rebounds, and the Celtics came back to take a 47-44 lead heading into the break. This has been a pretty sloppy game so far, but I'd expect the Celtics to have one of their traditional third quarters and blow the doors off this thing.

Celtics down after one

Posted by Jeff Howe, March 13, 8:11 p.m.

Only on Friday the 13th could the Grizzlies come to the Garden and build a lead on the Celtics. Memphis has a 27-21 lead after the first quarter. Leon Powe has nine points for the C's, and Ray Allen is just 2-of-7 from the floor, including 1-of-4 from 3-point range, with six points.

Marc Gasol is getting booed heavily, which is pretty funny, considering it's nothing that he's done to deserve the boos. It's just because he's the brother of Lakers forward Pau Gasol.

Going gold

Posted by Jeff Howe, March 13, 7:27 p.m.

The Celtics are wearing their green and gold uniforms tonight in honor of St. Patrick's Day. Just my opinion, but I like this version a lot better than the green and black alternate uniforms.

D-Miles back in Boston

Posted by Jeff Howe, March 13, 7:15 p.m.

Darius Miles has spent a good chunk of the season with the Grizzlies after being cut by the Celtics during training camp. Miles has averaged 4.1 points, 2.0 rebounds and 0.5 assists while playing 25 games for Memphis. He doesn't have much of a role with the team, which is starting three rookies and building for the future, but he's glad to be back playing in the league once again.

"I knew it would [happen] because I felt I could still play," Miles said. "I knew it was going to get back to this point. It was just time. I wish I could have sped the time up."

Miles said he appreciated the chance he got from the Celtics.

"It was great," he said. "It helped me out a lot. It was the blessing that I needed. It was what I really needed at the time to come back to this league."

Celtics set to play a terrible team from a great city

Posted by Jeff Howe, March 13, 7:02 p.m.

We're about a half hour from tip-off between the Celtics (49-16) and Grizzlies (16-47). Memphis has a terrible professional basketball team, but it's a great city. So if I've taught you nothing so far, at least listen to my advice and spend a few nights there.

Anyway, Rajon Rondo will be back in the starting lineup tonight after missing two games with a sprained right ankle. Leon Powe will start again for Glen Davis, who likely won't travel with the team when they leave for Milwaukee tomorrow.

Tony Allen said he was expecting to get his cast off today, but it's been moved to Monday. He'll then rehab his left hand for two or three weeks before he can get back to practice. He believes he'll be back in time to play a few regular-season games before the playoffs start.

And Kevin Garnett is still at least a week away from returning. Doc Rivers couldn't give an exact date for Garnett's return, but when asked if he could make it back for next weekend, Rivers responded, "Yeah, I guess."

Ray Allen also said he spent some time screaming at the TV last night during UConn's loss to Syracuse in six overtimes.

While the Celtics are one of four teams (Cavs, Magic, Lakers) to clinch a playoff spot, the Grizzlies have already been mathematically eliminated from the postseason. Rivers knows what Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins is going through.

"Your priorities change," Rivers said. "It’s not that difficult. The difficult part, I guess, would be trying to get your guys to play together. Usually, when you’re on a bad team and you’ve lost a lot of games, the players tend not to play together. They tend to play for the next contract or to get playing time, not realizing the way to get playing time is by playing together. That’s a byproduct of youth. The young guys, for the most part, are trying to establish themselves instead of establish the team, and it makes it very difficult to win in our league or any league when you have that many young players."

The Breakdown

Posted by Jeff Howe, March 8, 7:29 p.m.

Analysis after the Celtics lost to the Magic, 86-79, to fall to 49-15:

Wake-up call. Doc Rivers said he was worried about his team before the game when he saw how loose and chatty they were in the locker room, which was a polar opposite of how business-like they were prior to Friday night's game against the Cavs. Shortly thereafter, the Celtics came out as flat as I've seen them since this group was assembled last season. Some of that had to do with the late announcement involving Rajon Rondo, who was scratched with a sprained ankle. Stephon Marbury started in Rondo's place, a move Rivers said he wished he could have back because his gut told him to go with Eddie House. While the Magic came out with a purpose, the Celtics were trying to figure out how to run their offense, and they were stuck in neutral for about two and a half quarters. The Celtics finished with 10 assists (four in the first half), and Marbury didn't have any (Pierce had a team high with three). And House finished the game running the point when the Celtics made their run.

Dwight is right. Dwight Howard was the MVP of today's game, in my opinion. Even though Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu each contributed a few run-killing shots, Howard's presence on the defensive end was felt on nearly every possession. Howard finished with 18 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks, and he altered a ton of shots. After he blocked a pair of shots early in the first quarter, you could see the Celtics really hesitate to shoot when they got close to the paint. And even when Ray Allen started taking control of the game, his shot trajectory compensated for Howard's presence. Allen's shot typically looks closer to a line drive than a rainbow, but he had a much higher arc today when Howard was on the court. He even admitted after the game he shot the ball a little higher than he would have liked when he got off his bid to tie the game in the final minute from beyond the 3-point line because he saw Howard closing in. If Howard continues to play at this level on the defensive end, he's going to have a permanent spot on the league's All-Defensive Team for the better part of a decade.

Finals memories. Ray Allen scored 17 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter, and it really got me thinking back to Game 4 of the NBA Finals when the Celtics erased a 24-point deficit to beat the Lakers. Allen had 19 points in that game, so he didn't take it over as much with his scoring as he did late today -- and the outcome was obviously different, as the C's comeback fell short this afternoon -- but Allen was the best player on the court during the historic comeback in Los Angeles. He basically willed his team to that victory, and he nearly did the same today. He's had some brilliant moments in the clutch since joining the Celtics, and this was just the latest case, though the C's still went down.

C-Notes. The Celtics never went on more than a 4-0 run in the first half, but they used a 9-0 run to get within three points with 1:22 remaining in the fourth quarter. ... The Celtics haven't won three consecutive games since their 12-game winning streak ended Feb. 5 against the Lakers. They're 8-6 since then. ... Glen Davis sprained his ankle in the third quarter and did not return. Doc Rivers said after the game it was too early to determine whether or not Davis (or Rajon Rondo) would be ready to play Wednesday night in Miami.

Magic pull it out

Posted by Jeff Howe, March 8, 3:32 p.m.

The Magic hung on for their dear lives for an 86-79 victory against the Celtics here at the Garden. I'll have more later.

Celtics show a sign of life

Posted by Jeff Howe, March 8, 2:51 p.m.

The Magic have a 69-56 lead heading into the fourth quarter here at the Garden. The Celtics cut nine points off Orlando's lead and started to show a little life late in the third, but they haven't sustained any legitimate runs all game. The first few minutes of the fourth quarter will be vital in determining the outcome of this game.

Glen Davis will not return today after spraining his right ankle with 6:25 remaining in the third quarter.

C's still an hour behind

Posted by Jeff Howe, March 8, 2:09 p.m.

I'm not sure the Celtics remembered to turn their clocks ahead last night because they've been asleep on both ends of the court for the last hour. The Magic have a 51-33 lead at the half, and it doesn't even seem like it's that close. Orlando is shooting 22-for-39 (56 percent) from the floor, including 5-for-11 from 3-point range. They've made some tough shots with guys in their face, but they're mostly taking advantage of a Celtics defense that has been slow all game. And on the offensive end, the Celtics have only managed four assists, a clear product of Rajon Rondo's absence (each of the starters has one assists except Stephon Marbury). They're just not doing themselves any favors, either. Paul Pierce is 2-for-6 from the free-throw line, the most surprising number of them all.

Sloppy start for Celtics

Posted by Jeff Howe, March 8, 1:34 p.m.

The Magic got off to a 22-15 lead after the first quarter here at the Garden, taking advantage of nine Celtics turnovers. The Magic had a pair of 7-0 runs in the quarter. The Celtics will be using a combination of Glen Davis, Leon Powe and Mikki Moore on Rashard Lewis today, not Paul Pierce like I wrongly speculated earlier. Davis did a pretty good job early on Lewis, but he really benefited by having Kendrick Perkins at his back. Once Perkins left the court, Lewis scored all six of his points.

KG update

Posted by Jeff Howe, March 8, 12:48 p.m.

Kevin Garnett was working out in the building again this morning and seemed to be in good spirits as he briefly came through the locker room. Doc Rivers said the earliest Garnett can return to game action would be next Sunday in Milwaukee, but he wouldn't guarantee anything.

Also, Rajon Rondo is not on the court right now as the team is finishing up its pregame warmups, so it looks like Stephon Marbury will be getting the start.

Rondo "doubtful"

Posted by Jeff Howe, March 8, 12:20 p.m.

Doc Rivers just told the media Rajon Rondo's ankle swelled up pretty badly after Friday night's victory against the Cavs, and he is "doubtful" for today's game against the Magic. Rivers said he still wasn't sure whether or not Rondo would play, but if he doesn't, Stephon Marbury will get the start. Rivers joked that Marbury still only knows "about three plays" but said a start here will bring him along more for when the team will really need him once the playoffs start. Marbury has not been told yet if he will get the start.

Celtics PR director Jeff Twiss also said the league reviewed Glen Davis's Flagrant 2 foul against the Cavs, and the NBA decided to downgrade it to a Flagrant 1. There isn't a league policy regarding flagrant fouls like there is against technical fouls. (There is an automatic suspension handed down once you accumulate 15 technicals over the course of a season.) Downgrading the Flagrant 2 to a Flagrant 1, in essence, just means Davis will not face a fine or suspension. And it probably won't tarnish his record in the event he receives another Flagrant 2 down the road.

Ready for a Magic show

Posted by Jeff Howe, March 8, 11:24 a.m.

We're about two hours from tip-off between the Celtics (49-14) and Magic (45-16) here at the Garden.

The C's have a tough task at hand in dealing with Orlando without Kevin Garnett, who will miss his eighth consecutive game with a muscle strain in his right knee. It'll certainly pose matchup issues for the Celtics, who need another huge performance out of the combination of Kendrick Perkins, Leon Powe, Glen Davis and Mikki Moore. Doc Rivers said Friday night the Celtics will mostly miss Garnett's ability to go out on the perimeter and guard Rashard Lewis, who will likely draw Paul Pierce for the majority of the game. And then, of course, is elephant in the paint in center Dwight Howard, who is averaging 21.0 points per game along with NBA highs of 14.0 rebounds and 2.85 blocks.

Pierce is 14 points away from passing Robert Parish for third on the Celtics' all-time scoring list. Pierce has scored 18,232 points in his career.

The Celtics are 26-5 at home, 2-1 in March, 9-3 on Sundays, 33-5 against the Eastern Conference, 8-1 against the Southeast Division and 2-0 against the Magic. The C's visit Orlando on March 25 for the fourth and final regular-season meeting between the teams.

The Breakdown

Posted by Jeff Howe, March 6, 11:19 p.m.

Analysis of the Celtics' 105-94 win against the Cavs tonight at the Garden:

Ka-Powe. This will come back later in this entry, but Leon Powe really set the tone tonight for the Celtics. They had a lot of good looks from the perimeter throughout the first and second quarters, but they weren’t always dropping. Powe came in and dominated the paint, and you could really see his confidence peak when he got the ball about 20 feet from the basket along the baseline, sized up Zydrunas Ilgauskas, took him off the dribble and scored in the second quarter. Powe played his best game of the year and put up a season-high 20 points and 11 rebounds to back it up. There were points in the game when you could just tell the Cavs had no desire to match Powe’s intensity or toughness in the paint. I mean, if a guy is putting up those kinds of numbers, teams usually start to key on him. The Cavs seemed to stay as far away from Powe as possible tonight. Part of this leads to my next point.

Cavs unimpressive. The biggest thing that stuck out before the game was how loose the Cavs were in the locker room. They were lounging around, some were eating McDonald’s and they all seemed to be singing — seriously, they never stopped. Across the hall, the Celtics were going about business quietly as usual. The Cavs tend to be a pretty light bunch before games, but I’m wondering if they somehow overlooked the Celtics, who were without Kevin Garnett. Whether or not that’s true, they played soft tonight. Leon Powe, Kendrick Perkins and Glen Davis (when he was in the game) had their way in the paint, and the Celtics’ big guys held down the fort until Paul Pierce went nuts for 11 points in the third quarter. The Cavs just seem to lack their toughness without Ben Wallace, who has a broken leg and could miss some of the postseason. And then there’s LeBron James, who was silent — and awful at times — in the first half. I just kept waiting for James to come alive in the second half, and he scored six points almost immediately after the third-quarter skirmish that concluded with Davis ’s ejection. But that was it. He was on the bench for the first three minutes of the fourth quarter when the Celtics extended their lead from nine to 14 points, and by the time he checked back in, it was all but over. If Wallace’s absence is the true reason why the Cavs lacked their toughness, it should undoubtedly be on James to pick up the slack. He’s their unequivocal leader, and he was soft tonight.

Playoff implications. First and foremost, the Celtics drew to within one game of the Cavs in the loss column and assured themselves at least a split of the season series. This is huge in the race for home-court advantage because it puts the Celtics four games ahead of Cleveland in games against Eastern Conference opponents. If the teams end up tied at the end of the regular season, the first tiebreaker is head-to-head record, and then it goes to record against your own conference. Obviously, the Celtics have to make up a game before anything — and there’s an April 12 meeting between the two that could go a long way in deciding that — but this victory puts the Celtics in great shape in their final 19 games of the regular season. Plus, after sweeping all four games at the Garden during last year’s Eastern Conference semifinals against the Cavs, the Celtics took both home games this season. A few Cavs, LeBron James included, said before the game they were looking to win this game to give them the confidence they could indeed win in Boston . Now, they won’t find out whether or not they’re capable of that until May.

C-Notes. Cavs guard Mo Williams is a feisty little guy, and he’s going to be at the center of a lot of post-whistle activity if these teams meet in a playoff series. … Cleveland killed itself from the free-throw line, shooting 27-for-38 in the game. By comparison, the Celtics were 9-for-12 from the line. … I really like Anderson Varejao’s game, but I can’t stand his soccer-style flop jobs. … Rajon Rondo missed 10:21 of game action when he turned his ankle in the first quarter. … LeBron James had a game-high four turnovers. The rest of the Cavs combined to have seven turnovers, and the Celtics only had eight turnovers.

Celtics look impressive in win against Cavs

Posted by Jeff Howe, March 6, 10:37 p.m.

Just when you might want to count out the Celtics, they come back at you with one of their finest performances of the season. Without Kevin Garnett, the C's beat the Cavs, 105-94, here at the Garden to win their second in a row and improve 49-14. I'll have more in a few.

Celtics maintain the lead

Posted by Jeff Howe, March 6, 9:59 p.m.

The Celtics have a 78-69 lead heading into the fourth quarter here at the Garden, thanks in large part to an 11-point third quarter from Paul Pierce.

Glen Davis got ejected with 9:09 to play in the third quarter after getting called for a Flagrant-2 foul on Anderson Varejao. Often referred to as "Sideshow Bob," Varejao was closelined around the back of the neck while going up for a lay-up, leading to Davis's foul call. After a brief dust-up underneath the basket, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, LeBron James and Ray Allen were each assessed technical fouls. I thought a Flagrant-2 was a pretty tough call on Davis, especially against one of the biggest floppers in the league, but it's always tough to argue against a guy closelining someone when they're fairly defenseless in mid-air.

The Cavs responded with a 9-2 run that knotted the score at 57-57, but the Celtics collected themselves and regained control, which shows the maturity of a team that hasn't always been able to regroup so quickly in the past.

Celtics still lead, but not closing out quarters

Posted by Jeff Howe, March 6, 9:17 p.m.

The Celtics' lead the Cavs, 45-43, at the half, but they let their 11-point lead go to waste by playing sloppy in the final two minutes of the second quarter when the Cavs went on a 10-4 run. Mo Williams was the true catalyst, ripping off eight consecutive points in less than a minute to get the Cavs back into this thing. It's a good thing for Cleveland's sake that he's showing some aggression because LeBron James hasn't done a thing tonight. He's got nine points and four turnovers, and he's only hit 2-of-7 shots from the floor.

The Celtics, on the other hand, are killing the Cavs on the interior. It just doesn't look like Cleveland is willing to play as physical as the Celtics, and that's been the most noticeable difference during the stretches in which the C's have dominated. Kendrick Perkins (10 points), Leon Powe (eight) and Glen Davis (eight) have combined to score 26 points, and they're the Celtics' three leading scorers (along with Paul Pierce's eight points). The Celtics are at a distinct disadvantage without Kevin Garnett in the lineup, but it's alarming how different the Cavs look without Ben Wallace.

All that said, though, it's not a great sign for the Celtics that they've outplayed Cleveland basically for 21 of the game's 24 minutes but only have a two-point lead to show for it, especially with how poorly James has played.

Celtics lead after one

Posted by Jeff Howe, March 6, 8:33 p.m.

The Celtics played 11 great minutes and have a 21-19 lead after the first quarter as a result. The Cavs finished the first quarter on a 5-0 run to close the gap, a spurt that was directly related to LeBron James waking up. James was brutal in the first 9:47 of the quarter, missing 3-of-4 shots, including a breakaway dunk (a la Michael Jordan against the Knicks a decade ago) with three turnovers and two points. He's now got six points, three assists and two rebounds.

All eyes are on Rajon Rondo, who twisted his ankle with 3:57 to play in the quarter and went to the bench during a timeout. After about 30 seconds, he and trainer Ed Lacerte went to the locker room -- presumably to tape him up -- and they returned to the bench with 2:31 on the game clock. It's worth noting Eddie House replaced Rondo, not Stephon Marbury, who checked in later for Ray Allen. This shows House is still second on the depth chart in key moments while Marbury still tries to get the system down.

Doc on KG, Joe Smith

Posted by Jeff Howe, March 6, 8:10 p.m.

Doc Rivers said Kevin Garnett will be out another "week at least."

He also had some interesting comments on Cleveland's signing of Joe Smith, who was waived by the Thunder on Sunday. It had long been rumored that Smith would get bought out by Oklahoma City in time for Sunday's deadline, and the Celtics were hoping to be players in picking him up. Smith, though, re-joined a Cleveland team he played a key role in during last year's playoff run.

Rivers said the Celtics made a call to Smith to see if he was interested in coming to Boston, but the Cavs obviously won out.

"We made a call, but we knew," Rivers said. "I actually thought that whole deal was already set. That’s why we were very cautious in our dealings because we really believed he was going back to Cleveland before the buyout. We didn’t want to get strung along and then all of a sudden he goes there and then Mikki’s gone and we’re sitting there like, 'Nothing.'"

The Celtics had a decision to make last week when they signed Mikki Moore because they knew they could gamble if Smith became available. Rivers went on to explain that reasoning.

"We wanted Mikki or Joe, the way we looked at it," Rivers said. "We thought we wanted whoever we could get first. We didn’t want to take the gamble of not getting either. Obviously, Joe is a veteran, and we would prefer a veteran all the time. But Mikki has been in the league a long time, too. We would have preferred to have gotten Mikki and someone else have gotten Joe. Not the Cavs. That’s what we would have preferred."

Two notes

Posted by Jeff Howe, March 6, 7:54 p.m.

Here's a couple notes while I have them on my mind.

First, the Celtics and Cavs each control their own destiny for the top seed in the East. Even though the Cavs have a two-game lead in the loss column, the Celtics can win out, draw even with the Cavs in the standings and claim the top spot with a better head-to-head record.

Second, the Cavs are wearing their gold road uniforms for the first time in Boston by my recollection.

View from the West

Posted by Jeff Howe, March 6, 7:51 p.m.

Cavs guard Delonte West, who played in Boston for three seasons and was part of the trade for Ray Allen, had a good quote about Stephon Marbury.

"For a guy like Stephon Marbury, I don’t think it’s going to be too tough at all," West said of Marbury's adjustment to Boston after not playing for more than a year. "You’ve got basketball players, and you’ve got hoopers. He’s definitely a hooper. He’s going to be one of those guys that’s 40 or 50 years old and still out on the playground somewhere in New York , and he’s killing younger guys. I think it’s just a matter of time before he finds his stride and sees where his niche is on the team. He still has the ability to be a top guard in this league if he wants to. Hopefully, he just doesn’t decide to do that tonight."

LeBron: Look at my stats

Posted by Jeff Howe, March 6, 7:47 p.m.

LeBron James held court for five minutes and was asked if he's got a little more for Paul Pierce and the Celtics tonight.

"I get up for everybody," James said. "All you’ve got to do is look at my stats. Look at my games. I play every game. Look at my averages. I get up for everybody I play."

However, James also said tonight's game is a little more meaningful, so I don't know what to believe anymore.

"You’ve got to have a little bit more focus," James said. "You’ve got to have a little more energy, especially on the road in a hostile environment like tonight. … You’ve got to have a little more focus like it’s a playoff game."

Update on Scal

Posted by Jeff Howe, March 6, 7:39 p.m.

Brian Scalabrine stopped through the locker room for a few minutes and said he's starting to turn the corner and feel better. He'll be watching the game tonight out back, but he said he doesn't think he'll have to take a break from it like he has been doing. The doctors told him he can start working out again a week after his symptoms cleared up, which will put him on track for Tuesday. He said there's no exact date for when he can resume practicing, but April 1 is a good ballpark. And that would put him on track to get a few regular-season games under his belt before the playoffs.

Since concussions are still so hard to guage -- for players, doctors and team officials alike -- I asked him if it was frustrating that he's still missing games, or if he definitely knew he wasn't physically ready to get back on the court.

"No, you know how I know that?" he said. "Even when I was playing against Utah and Phoenix and Denver , I kept saying, ‘Man, my timing is off. My timing is off.’ But I wasn’t blaming it on the concussion. I was just thinking I missed a month of basketball. Even if you asked Doc [Rivers] and you asked the coaches, they’d be like, yeah I was doing things I would never do, making dumb mistakes that I would never make. They would tell you, ‘We just didn’t feel like you were right, but you were what we had to go with, and it worked so it’s what we went with.’"

Mini-rivalry renewed

Posted by Jeff Howe, March 6, 5:58 p.m.

We're about two hours from tip-off between the Celtics (48-14) and Cavs (48-12) here at the Garden. This is the third of four installments between the pair this season, with each team winning once already on its home floor.

The Celtics will again be without Kevin Garnett (right knee strain), Tony Allen (left thumb) and Brian Scalabrine (concussion), and the Cavaliers will take the court without Ben Wallace (broken right leg) and Eric Snow (left knee).

Clearly, the Garnett injury is the most daunting for either team to overcome, and it'll be tough to really take a lot from this game because of that -- from either side. Even still, I've got to say this game is more important for the Celtics, who trail the Cavs by two games in the loss column with 20 games to play (22 for the Cavs), including tonight's game. It'd be nearly impossible to make up three games over the final 19 (especially with an April 12 game in Cleveland looming) in the race for home-court advantage.

Also, if these teams wind up tied after the regular season and split the season series, the next tiebreaker goes to conference victories, where the Celtics currently own a three-game edge. Therefore, a win tonight would go a long way toward the Celtics grabbing the East's top seed.

Keep an eye on Paul Pierce, who needs 43 points to pass Robert Parish as the Celtics' third leading scorer all-time. Pierce trails Larry Bird by 3,588 points and John Havlicek by 8,192. If Pierce averages 20 points per game from here on out, he'll pass Bird early in the 2011-12 season.

Finally, the Celtics are 25-5 at home, 1-1 in March, 11-3 on Fridays, 32-5 against the Eastern Conference and 11-3 against the Central Division.

Keep it here tonight, as I'll come back with more updates once the locker rooms close.

The Breakdown

Posted by Jeff Howe, March 1, 6:44 p.m.

Analysis after the Celtics lost to the Pistons, 105-95,to fall to 47-14:

Sloppy finish. The Pistons were firing on all cylinders late in the fourth quarter while the Celtics couldn't get out of their own way. The C's erased a 77-70 deficit to start the quarter with an 11-2 run, aided by a pair of 3-pointers from Eddie House, which turned out to be the only two 3s the C's hit all game (they were 2-for-14, missed their first nine and their last three). But they only hit two field goals in the last 7:27 -- a Paul Pierce lay-up with 5:01 remaining and a Kendrick Perkins lay-in with 1:11 to play. Then, Ray Allen and Pierce each coughed up the ball outside the 3-point line in a 37-second span, a sloppy display that completely changed the pace of the game. The Celtics went from trailing by three points with the ball into a situation that almost demanded them to start raining desperation 3-pointers. And the defensive end wasn't a whole lot prettier, as the Pistons (almost too easily) drilled a pair of 3s after a nice run of ball movement to ice the game and seal the victory.

Detroit basketball. These were the Pistons we've all known over the last half decade. And it's no coincidence they played their best basketball with Allen Iverson tucked safely away in Detroit. Iverson didn't travel with the team during its weekend sweep of the Magic and Celtics due to a back injury that has been hampering him since last Tuesday. He's expected back Tuesday just in time for Chauncey Billups' return to Detroit, which will serve as a reminder of what the Pistons once were and what they'll never be with Iverson on the roster. Look, I love watching Iverson play as much as anyone, so I'm not starting a witch hunt here, but his presence in Detroit fits the whole square-peg theory.

Anyway, the Pistons were rock solid this afternoon with Rodney Stuckey and Will Bynum each doing a fine job running the halfcourt offense the way Billups used to do it. Iverson just doesn't fit that style. Instead, they moved the ball great with 22 assists on 32 field goals (not very often when a team makes more free throws -- 34 -- than field goals, scores 105 points and wins all in the same day). The rotation was crisp, as you could see with Detroit's two late 3-pointers, and they did a commendable job of creating matchup problems on both ends. How telling is it that Walter Hermann is better suited for that offense than Iverson? I mean, that thought should be outlawed, but it's amazingly got some real substance.

Either way, Iverson will be back, and he'll be coming off the bench. He'll have to fit the roll of an energy player who sparks the second unit -- much like Stephon Marbury in Boston. I just don't buy it that he'd be successful in that position.

"We just have to play the same way, and he has to play that way," Detroit coach Michael Curry said after the game. "Maybe Iverson can come in and spend some time in Will Bynum's spot."

I'm not going to pretend like I've seen the Pistons play every one of their games this season, but I'd imagine it's safe to say Bynum just played one of his best games -- if not the best game -- of the year. Now, Iverson will come in and take the minutes of a younger, more promising player who kills it on defense and runs the offense appropriately.

"I think he's going to fit right in," said Richard Hamilton, who somehow lost his starting job to Iverson earlier this season. "It's a tough role for him because I know it was a tough role for me. I think he will be great."

C-Notes. Pierce didn't come out of the game until there were 18.5 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. ... Marbury said he had better legs today than he did Friday. ... The common theme around the Celtics' locker room after the game was how excited everyone was to get in a couple practices before heading to New Jersey. There were a lot of glowing praises for Marbury, and everyone is thrilled at the chance to get him some more practice reps.

C isn't for 'clutch'

Posted by Jeff Howe, March 1, 3:39 p.m.

While the Pistons did everything right down the stretch, the Celtics managed to do it all wrong. Detroit came away from the Garden with a 105-95 victory to cap off a road sweep of the Magic and Celtics this weekend and give their season a huge boost. I'll have more coming shortly.

Pistons remain in control

Posted by Jeff Howe, March 1, 2:58 p.m.

The Celtics will need a boost from their bench at the start of the fourth quarter, as they're facing a 77-70 deficit against the Pistons. The C's opened the third quarter on a 12-0 run to take a 59-55 lead, but Detroit battled back with a 14-2 run to reestablish control. As bad as Detroit has been this season, this is going to be one of their most important quarters down the stretch as they try to keep a hold on a playoff spot. This is going to be a brutally tough game for the Celtics to pull out.

Pistons surge late

Posted by Jeff Howe, March 1, 2:10 p.m.

Detroit closed the first half on a 14-3 run to take a 55-47 lead. The Celtics looked a little dysfunctional in the final couple minutes of the second quarter, and they were abused by Walter Hermann (eight of his 11 points came in the second quarter) at times. (Warning: Rereading that sentence may cause projectile vomiting.) The C's had a rough go of it on the defensive end, allowing the Pistons to score 35 points in the quarter -- which, for a team that avoids the basket like the plague at times, is the equivalent of any capable offense putting up 60 points in a quarter.

Game 2 for Marbury

Posted by Jeff Howe, March 1, 2:00 p.m.

Stephon Marbury was still having a hard time shaking that smile while getting ready for the game today in the locker room, but he doesn't look so cheery after getting mugged twice by Will Bynum in the first few minutes of the second quarter. To be fair, Marbury also made two nice passes on a pair of early assists today, too.

Anyway, to say Marbury has been a joy to cover in these last three days would be a huge understatement. He's been engaging with the media and seems like a genuinely nice guy. I know it's a very small sample size, but I'd compare him a bit to Randy Moss, who came to New England two years ago trying to shake a bad reputation and a troubled past. Since Moss has been here, he's revitalized his career, and the public views him as a star again. Hours into his Celtics career -- however long or short it pans out to be -- Marbury is following the same route (obviously, their roles on the court and field are completely different, but that's not where I'm going with that sentiment).

Marbury said earlier he's been putting in a lot of work to try to learn the Celtics' system, which is complicated on the defensive end. While he admitted he was gassed after Friday night's game, Marbury said he's in really good shape because of the conditioning program he followed while training with AIM Sports Medicine in Manhattan Beach, Calif. He said he weighs 199 pounds right now, which is different from his past playing weight of 205-210 pounds.

"I was lifting hundred-pound boulders, things that I’ve never done before, swinging sledge hammers, kettle bells," he said. "It changed the structure of my body. I lost a lot of weight, and I was able to get stronger. This is the strongest I’ve ever been in my whole career. Hiking helped me a lot."

Marbury said it's been a joy working for this organization.

"You feel that when you come into the locker room," he said. "Just everything about the organization. Everyone is on one page. There’s no division. Everyone is trying to do one thing and that’s win a basketball game to win a championship."

He also added he's looking forward to checking out the city. Because of the work he's been putting in on the basketball court, he hasn't had a chance to do anything other than eat his meals at the hotel he's staying/living in.

Celtics rally to take the lead

Posted by Jeff Howe, March 1, 1:26 p.m.

The Celtics scored the final nine points of the first quarter to grab a 22-20 lead after one. After missing 10 of their first 15 shots, the Celtics hit their last three, including a Paul Pierce jumper with four seconds remaining in the quarter to give the C's their first lead. Pierce has nine points to lead all scorers. The Pistons had a nine-point lead early in the quarter but didn't score in the last three minutes.

Stephon Marbury has checked in to start the second quarter.

Scalabrine calls it a concussion

Posted by Jeff Howe, March 1, 1:18 p.m.

Brian Scalabrine said his most recent injury is what everyone seemed to be fearing. The team has been calling it a "cervical strain" after he took a hit up high on his neck Monday against Denver, but Scalabrine said all signs are pointing toward a concussion, even if doctors can't officially make that determination. Concussions are fairly difficult to diagnose anyway, but Scalabrine said his symptoms are similar to the concussion he suffered in late January.

Scalabrine said he's meeting with his doctor tomorrow morning at 7 to have an MRI and perform some balance tests if the doctor determines he is able to do so. Scalabrine also said he and his doctor ran through his entire career dating back to college and determined he has suffered five concussions, including three recently. He also had a concussion in college and one early last season during a game against the Hawks.

"Am I deep, deep down concerned a little bit about it?" Scalabrine said. "It’s your career. It’s your life, yeah. Hopefully, it all works out and I have no problems."

Scalabrine said he really can't do anything, either. He can't watch TV for more than a half hour at a time, and he can't read books or go on the Internet for an extending period of time without his vision getting blurry and things popping off the page. He said the only thing he can do to bide his time is talk to people, but he joked that his wife is getting a little tired of listening to him.

There is no timetable for his return, but he might have that answer after meeting with the doctor tomorrow. He also said he is not considering taking any time off from basketball to ensure he stops taking hits on the head.

"Can’t worry about it," he said. "In my mind, I’m not discouraged. I’m thinking I’ll be back playing in a week. That’s where my mind is. I’ll know tomorrow. Maybe we won’t. maybe we’ll know on Wednesday. Maybe we’ll know on Friday. We don’t know.

"It’s different. The athlete and the common person, you cannot treat them the same way. A common person gets the flu, and they’re supposed to relax for two weeks. An athlete can’t do it. They were talking about three months of no activity [because of the concussion]. That doesn’t work for us. Everyone knows we have to deal with what it is. If you tweak an ankle, they tell you, ‘Oh, take six to eight weeks off. You’ll be fine.’ Well, six to eight weeks to us, that’s two months. You can’t do that. That’s 30 games. I just believe you have to treat them separately."

Iverson out

Posted by Jeff Howe, March 1, 12:59 p.m.

I've been working on a few things this morning, so keep it here for some updates from Brian Scalabrine and Stephon Marbury. The most pressing pregame news is on Allen Iverson, who didn't make the trip to Boston because he was back in Detroit having his back checked out. He hurt his back against the Heat last Tuesday and missed Friday's game in Orlando. Coach Michael Curry said he's hopeful Iverson will be back Tuesday against the Nuggets. And for the foreseeable future, Iverson will be coming off the bench.

Also, Glen Davis is back in the starting lineup today in replace of Kevin Garnett.

Start your engines

Posted by Jeff Howe, March 1, 11:15 a.m.

The Celtics (47-13) and Pistons (28-29) are less than two hours from tip-off in their nationally televised game here at the Garden. The Pistons are wrapping up perhaps their most important weekend of the season to date after winning in Orlando on Friday night to end an eight-game losing streak, which was their longest in 14 years.

Allen Iverson didn't play in Orlando with back issues and isn't expected to play today, but I'll have more on that after coach Michael Curry meets with the media in a few minutes. This is also an interesting day for Stephon Marbury, as the second game with a new team always seems to be tougher than the first.

The Breakdown

Posted by Jeff Howe, Feb. 27, 10:33 p.m.

Analysis after the Celtics beat the Pacers, 104-99, to improve to 47-13:

Starbury shines. You could probably hear Stephon Marbury’s standing ovation from the Museum of Science , which is fitting, because his on-court chemistry looked a lot better than what should be expected out of a guy who strolled into town just hours ago and hadn’t played an organized game in nearly 14 months. Marbury scored his first two points on a fade-away baseline jumper in the second quarter. He finished with eight points, including six in the fourth quarter, when he easily played his best ball of the night. He also had two assists, one rebound and one steal and was on the floor when the Celtics stretched their lead and basically decided the game. It was also interesting watching him on the defensive end, where he was intently focused on his assignment — though he did lose his man a couple times — and was even vocal down the court in transition. Sure, it’s one night, but I’m giving Marbury an A-minus in his Celtics debut.

“I didn’t know what to expect,” Marbury said about the standing ovation he received in the first quarter. “I thought people would clap, but they showed a lot of love tonight.”

Marbury said he definitely lost his legs in the fourth quarter because he’s obviously not in game shape. He played 12:39 throughout the game.

“It went the way I was praying for it to go,” he said when I asked how the night went in terms of how he hoped it would go. “I wanted to just win. That’s it. I didn’t care how I played. I just wanted to win my first game playing here, especially with us losing in L.A. This is kind of a rebound for us. I know the guys were kind of disappointed they lost that game, but I think tonight everyone responded.”

Ugly is the way. Indiana has already dealt the Celtics one loss this season and has a knack for playing teams tough, even without the heralded Danny Granger. But the Celtics are going to be fighting for every victory they can get during this stretch without Kevin Garnett, Tony Allen, Brian Scalabrine and Gabe Pruitt (for just one more game) and while they’re trying to get Marbury and Mikki Moore up to speed. And don’t forget, Paul Pierce dislocated his thumb two nights ago, and that should take a minute to get back up to full strength. It was ugly at times tonight, especially in the second quarter, but such is the way right now. You don’t have to look much further than that loss to the Clippers for proof.

C-Notes. ESPN.com is reporting the Celtics will pay Marbury $1.2 million, which isn’t a prorated figure. That far exceeds the veteran minimum that was widely reported before tonight. … Tony Allen said before the game he’ll be wearing his hard cast for two more weeks, and then he can begin a strengthening program that will last about four weeks. He said he’s hoping to get back in time to play the last three or four games of the regular season. Allen will also have to wear a soft brace on the left hand (he’s right-handed) until the season is over. … Rajon Rondo had an interesting night with three points on 1-of-7 shooting, 17 assists (against just one turnover) and four rebounds. … Kendrick Perkins had five blocks. … Troy Murphy had 20 points and 13 rebounds. … Ray Allen finished with a game-high 30 points.

Celtics scrape past Pacers

Posted by Jeff Howe, Feb. 27, 9:59 p.m.

The Celtics just beat the Pacers, 104-99, here at the Garden. I'll have more coming shortly.

Rondo assisting C's

Posted by Jeff Howe, Feb. 27, 9:21 p.m.

The Celtics have a 77-75 lead heading into the fourth quarter, and Rajon Rondo has tied his career high with 17 assists. He's also got three points on 1-of-7 shooting and four rebounds. Rondo got his 17th assist when he fed Leon Powe on the fast break with 3:18 to play in the third quarter. Rondo's career night also came against the Pacers on Dec. 3, when he recorded his first triple double here at the Garden.

Pacers rally to take lead

Posted by Jeff Howe, Feb. 27, 8:39 p.m.

The Pacers scored 31 points in the second quarter and have a 49-48 lead at the half. It wasn't the Celtics' best defensive effort of the season, and things really got slow on the offensive end. Rajon Rondo's late 3-pointer put some makeup on the ugly quarter.

Celtics lead after one, Marbury checks in

Posted by Jeff Howe, Feb. 27, 8:07 p.m.

The Celtics have a 26-18 lead after the first quarter on the help of nine points from Ray Allen and six from Paul Pierce. Stephon Marbury checked in with a few seconds to play in the quarter and got a standing ovation. He waved to the crowd and couldn't seem to hide the smile during the moment. The best scene came when he walked over to the sideline opposite the Celtics' bench. A young kid who couldn't be older than 5 walked over to him and slapped Marbury's hand.

Warm reception

Posted by Jeff Howe, Feb. 27, 7:43 p.m.

Any questions about the reception Stephon Marbury would receive tonight were answered fairly quickly. He was shown on the video boards during the national anthem, and the crowd went crazy. It was all cheers from my angle.

Marbury transcript

Posted by Jeff Howe, Feb. 27, 7:32 p.m.

Here is the transcript from the press conference with Stephon Marbury and Doc Rivers. Since this also doubled as Rivers' pregame media availability, there were some other questions about the team mixed in as well:

Doc Rivers: Stephon Marbury, new Boston Celtic, I’m embarrassed I don’t know what number [you are]. What number are you?

Stephon Marbury: Number 8.

DR: Number 8, Stephon Marbury of the Boston Celtics. This is informal, so we’re just going to open it up to questions if you guys want to ask Steph or I anything, feel free to do so.

Q: Stephon, what kind of shape are you in? How long will it take you to get into game shape?

SM: I don’t know how long it’s going to take. I’m just going to go out and play as hard as I can. I’ve been in training basically the whole summer and up into now. I’m ready to play basketball.

Q: What did you do for workouts?

SM: I hiked. Lot of lifting weights, core balance and stability, and I shot the ball, just working on my skills to continue keeping my game sharp.

DR: We’re just going to throw him out there. Obviously, minutes will almost be determined by rhythm of the team, for one, because we don’t have a lot of stuff in for Steph, obviously. And two, conditioning. It’s one thing to play against me in a gym right now, but it’s another thing to go out there on an NBA court right now so we’ll just keep it that way.

Q: Doc, can you compare Stephon to P.J. [Brown] coming out of retirement? Will you work him in slowly?

DR: Probably more immediate than P.J. One, because we almost have to with Gabe [Pruitt] being suspended today and Tony [Allen] being out. We just need bodies. And two, because we have a lot of practice time in between a lot of these games here, it gives us a chance to do it quicker.

Q: Starting tonight?

DR: Starting tonight, yeah, so if he screws up a play, it’s because he doesn’t know it. He’ll be safe that way. It’s impossible to mess up a play tonight. One of the things I told Steph, ‘On the court, just be free. Just play.’ We’ll figure it out, and it will just take some time.

Q: How long have you had to get him ready?

DR: I guess a cumulative hour because we had him here at 4:30, and we did some offensive stuff for a half hour, shoot-around started at 5, and that was a half hour of all defense. No offense there. So I guess an hour, and that’s about it.

Q: When you walked in, how did the guys greet you?

SM: They were very receptive to me. Everybody was excited, which I was happy about.

Q: Are you willing to buy into the Celtics’ system and be a backup to [Rajon] Rondo?

SM: I’m just so happy to just play basketball again, let alone what my role is. Like I said, I’m just excited about playing. Whatever Coach asks me to do is what I’m willing to do.

Q: Can you talk about the emotion you had when you put up the shirt and saw the Celtics’ logo on it?

SM: I was lit up. For myself, I was lit up because of the tradition of the Celtics. You think about the championships. You think about all of the guys who have played here. The history speaks for itself.

Q: Were there other teams involved in trying to sign you?

SM: I pretty much had my mind set. I spoke to other teams, but this is where I wanted to be because they wanted me. My mother always said it’s a difference when somebody wants you, as opposed if you want to just go there. For me, they wanted me to come here to play basketball, and I wanted to be here.

Q: Was it nerve wracking trying to get something done before the Sunday deadline? (Note: Marbury had to be waived by Sunday in order to be eligible to play in the postseason for another team.)

SM: No, I never hesitated on my decision as far as going forward with the Knicks. The situation was what the situation was. I was prepared to play or not play.

Q: Is there a health update on [Brian Scalabrine or Kevin Garnett]?

DR: No, I saw Kevin today, but I didn’t evaluate him, being the doctor that I am. He is out. Kevin was on the treadmill today walking and doing some bike work. Scal, there will be more tests moving forward. We’re just waiting for Scal. There’s been no diagnosis yet on Scal, so we’ve just got to wait.

Q: No word on a concussion?

DR: No, not yet.

Q: How will Stephon’s presence impact Eddie House’s role?

DR: I think it will help Eddie because it will move Eddie off the ball more. I think the guy who benefits the most — and obviously, this is not right away, it’s going to take Steph time to learn our system and get in NBA shape — but in the grand scheme of things, I think it will make Eddie a better player because now Eddie can become a shooter almost full time. He can run the floor, come off picks. The point guards will still probably have to guard Eddie. The 2-guards will probably have to guard Steph together. I think all the guys who this benefits is probably Eddie, and maybe Paul [Pierce] and Ray [Allen] because now we can get them more rest. That’s the other part of this that I don’t think people see. In my opinion, even though their minutes are down career-wise, to me their minutes are over their minutes of what I want to play them. This will give me the opportunity to give them some rest, as well.

Q: What about playing with Kevin again? Did you ever think that day would come again?

SM: No, but my mother did. She kept telling me that one day it was going to happen. I’m happy about that. I think that playing with Kevin is going to be a lot of fun. He plays with a lot of energy, which I’ve known since playing with him in Minnesota . I’m excited about that, as well.

Q: What about guarding shooting guards?

SM: Doesn’t matter. You’ve still got to play defense. For myself, I’ll use my strength against smaller guards, and against the bigger guards, I’ll use my quickness.

Q: Do you want to stay in Boston next year?

SM: If they want me, I’m going to be here.

DR: [To reporter] You’re already on next year? I’m trying to get to next week.

Q: Do you feel like you have something to prove after not playing for so long?

SM: I don’t look at it as something to prove. I think it’s just another opportunity to go out and play at a high level, to play with a championship team. It’s something that I wanted to do. For myself, I’m looking at this as another great opportunity.

Q: What do you say to anyone who questions how you’ll fit in with this team’s chemistry?

SM: Just got to watch and wait and see.

Q: What about you, Doc? Considering the way it ended in New York , was there a concern with adding a strong personality?

DR: No, that was New York and wherever else. That has nothing to do with today and tomorrow. I’ve always had an open mind with everyone who has come in. We’ve done pretty well. Our locker room is very strong, and we just have good people. I’m not that concerned about that at all.

Q: Can you talk about the two Bulls who passed away? (Note: Former Bulls star Norm Van Lier and former Bulls coach Johnny “Red” Kerr both died yesterday. Van Lier was 61. Kerr was 76.)

DR: That was very sad. I’m a Chicago kid. Norm Van Lier and Johnny “Red” Kerry, people don’t know this, but I always snuck into the YMCA in LaGrange, and I found out years later he lived in that area. He basically informed them to let me in. I always thought I was being crafty and sneaky, and I found out years later I had nothing to do with it. It was Kerr who was getting me into the Y. And Van Lier, just recently they asked me my Fab Five, and I had him on there. He was one of my favorite players growing up because he struck fear into other players. Him and Jerry Sloan. It’s amazing, I think [they died] within an hour apart. That’s just unbelievable. It’s very sad.

Q: Anything to say about the Gabe situation? (Note: The team suspended Pruitt two games earlier in the afternoon.)

DR: No, obviously, we’re disappointed as an organization and disappointed in Gabe. But he understands the mistake he made. He’s young, and you learn from those mistakes. I told him you protect two things. You protect the family name first, the Pruitts. His mother and father have earned that name and earned their reputation. You should always protect that, No. 1. And No. 2, you have to protect that Celtic name. Fortunately, no one got hurt, and it’s a great learning experience for him but one he would have rather diverted from and stayed away from.

Q: Steph, do you feel like you’ve gotten a bad rap over the years?

SM: I’m human. I make mistakes. I’ve learned from my mistakes. Just got to keep on pushing on.

Q: What’s your opinion of Rondo as a player?

SM: I like him. He’s a really good player. His hands are amazing. The things that he does with the basketball are amazing, and defensively, he’s really good defensively.

Q: Is it a weight lifted off your shoulders to get to play after not being able to play for so long?

SM: Oh, definitely. Sitting home watching basketball games and going to basketball games wasn’t fun. It was a humbling experience for me. The whole process of going through what I went through this year was a different test for me, so my testimony is a little bit different now. I think going forward playing basketball here in Boston is a great way to get back started.

Q: Do you feel like you get a bad rap?

SM: People have their own opinions about me. Like I said, if you know me, that’s one thing. If you don’t know me, you’re speaking about me from what someone else told you.

Q: Stephon, what do you remember most about playing with KG, and what was it like playing against him?

SM: The excitement that he brought to the game every day, every day. Whether it was practice or it was the games, he just brought a lot of excitement and a lot of enthusiasm. Playing against him, it was always a challenge because I believe we always wanted to beat each other from being competitors.

Q: It might not be true, but did you play at Venice [Beach]?

SM: No.

DR: There goes those rumors again. With the weight lifters? I played at Venice the other day.

Q: How were you?

DR: I was terrible. What do you expect?

Q: Stephon, when you moved to New York , did you think or hope that would be your last stop?

SM: You never know what’s in front of you. I think playing in New York was another part of my book. It’s another chapter. You never know what’s in front of you in your basketball career. That’s why you just play as hard as you can and do the best that you can.

Q: Can you talk about some NBA teams you were in contact with? What about international teams?

SM: No.

Q: Which area of your game are you looking to improve now that you’re with the Celtics?

SM: I’m not looking to improve my game. I’m just coming here to try to help the Celtics win another championship.

DR: Well, guys, thank you. Nice seeing you, sort of. Thanks, guys.

Celtics set for Pacers

Posted by Jeff Howe, Feb. 27, 6:38 p.m.

The Celtics (46-13) and Pacers (25-35) are about an hour from tip-off here at the Garden, and most of the pregame focus was clearly on the arrival of Stephon Marbury, who will play tonight. Marbury was grinning ear to ear throughout a good portion of his 13-minute press conference, which also included Doc Rivers. Danny Ainge watched much of the perss conference off to the side with other team representatives. The presser was held in the same room that was used during the Eastern Conference Finals and NBA Finals press conferences, rather than one of the additional locker rooms as originally planned. Marbury was sure to demand a lot of media attention tonight, but ultimately, it's crazy to see how much went into a press conference for the February signing of a bench player.

I'll have a full transcript shortly.

Pruitt suspended two games

Posted by Jeff Howe, Feb. 27, 3:05 p.m.

The Celtics also announced they have suspended backup guard Gabe Pruitt for two games "for conduct detrimental to the team." Pruitt was arrested early Thursday morning in Los Angeles on suspicion of driving under the influence, according to multiple reports.

"I recognize that my behavior was inappropriate and accept the consequences of my action as determined by the Celtics,” Pruitt said in a statement issued by the team.

Celtics make it official, sign Marbury

Posted by Jeff Howe, Feb. 27, 2:57 p.m.

The Celtics just announced they have signed guard Stephon Marbury, and he will hold a press conference at 5:45 p.m. with coach Doc Rivers. It was reported that Marbury signed the veteran minimum of a prorated $1.3 million, which means he'll earn about $365,000 if he finishes the season with the Celtics.

“We are very excited to have a player of Stephon’s caliber joining our team. Our entire organization is confident in the belief that Stephon can play an important role in helping us to win another championship,” Celtics GM Danny Ainge said in a statement issued by the team.

Marbury will wear No. 8.

M-Day in Boston

Posted by Jeff Howe, Feb. 27, 1:09 p.m.

The day has finally arrived. After rumors have swirled around Boston for months regarding the it'll-happen-sooner-or-later arrival of Stephon Marbury, he is expected to be in town today, according to reports. Make sure to stay with In the Paint throughout tonight's game because if Marbury is in the Garden, I'll have it covered.

In the meantime, take advantage of this heatwave and go get your tan.

Pruitt arrested in L.A.

Posted by Jeff Howe, Feb. 26, 1:59 p.m.

Celtics guard Gabe Pruitt was arrested early this morning in Los Angeles on suspicion of drunken driving, according to the Associated Press. The report says Pruitt was pulled over in Hollywood shortly after 3 a.m. (6 a.m. back in Boston time) and booked on suspicion of misdemeanor driving under the influence.

Pruitt knows the area well because he played his college ball at USC. The Celtics stayed in Los Angeles after their loss to the Clippers last night and were scheduled to fly back to Boston this morning. The team has not released any information regarding Pruitt's arrest.

It's official: Celtics sign Moore

Posted by Jeff Howe, Feb. 24, 4:55 p.m.

The Celtics officially announced the signing of free-agent forward Mikki Moore, who was rumored to be coming to Boston for a couple days now. Moore was bought out by the Kings last week and reportedly drew interest from several teams.

“Mikki’s length, energy, skill and experience, along with his enthusiasm to come to Boston, will be a great boost for us,” Celtics GM Danny Ainge said in a statement.

The Breakdown

Moore isn't the guy who will put the Celtics over the top because they are good enough to win a title as currently constructed. But he adds the size (7-feet, 225 pounds) and experience (10-year veteran) the C's have sought to put on their bench. He won't jump ahead of Glen Davis or Leon Powe on the depth chart, but he's at least tall enough to deal some of the East's more vertical centers.

The 33-year-old's numbers have been way down this year. He's averaging 3.5 points and 3.3 rebounds in 16.2 minutes per game, but he was averaging 8.5 points and 6.0 rebounds in 29.1 minutes last season in Sacramento. Moore also has a pretty decent mid-range jumper.

Giddens recalled from Flash

Posted by Jeff Howe, Feb. 19, 5:23 p.m.

The Celtics just announced they have recalled rookie guard J.R. Giddens from the Utah Flash of the D-League. It's a pretty sensible move, considering the Celtics are in Utah to play the Jazz tonight. The Celtics sent Giddens to the D-League on Feb. 5 for the second time this season. He averaged 17.0 points and 3.0 rebounds in three games during his latest stint in Utah.

Minor deal for Celtics

Edited by Jeff Howe, Feb. 19, 5:25 p.m.

The Boston Globe reported the Celtics were involved in a three-team trade that sent Patrick O'Bryant to the Raptors, Will Solomon from the Raptors to the Kings and a second-round pick from the Kings to the Celtics. The Celtics now have two empty roster spots and a little more free cap space to go after free agents.

Check out tomorrow's Metro for my trade deadline scorecard.

Thumb surgery for Allen

Posted by Jeff Howe, Feb. 18, 2:26 p.m.

Tony Allen will miss eight weeks after undergoing surgery today to repair ligaments in his left thumb, the Celtics announced a few minutes ago. Allen underwent successful surgery at New England Baptist Hospital.

The Breakdown

Allen hurt his thumb in practice before the All-Star break, and it sounded like it was going to be a tricky healing process. Obviously, Allen chose the surgery route to make sure this isn't something that will linger throughout the season or come back to haunt him over the duration of his career.

Without Allen and Sam Cassell, the Celtics clearly have a little less depth than they had just two days ago. Eight weeks from today is April 15, the Celtics' regular-season finale against the Wizards at the Garden. This is good news for Billy Walker, who figures to get a shot at some more playing time with the second unit. Walker, who is already a huge fan favorite for his dunking ability, might be a celebrity by Spring time.

Most importantly, this takes away one of the Celtics' best perimeter defenders and someone who Doc Rivers was counting on to shut down difficult guards in the playoffs. If Allen comes back in time for the finale, you've got to figure he still won't be in game shape until the Eastern Conference semifinals, where the Magic, Hawks, Heat or Sixers could be waiting. Each one of those teams boasts a ton of scoring ability from its perimeter players.

Cassell traded to Kings

Posted by Jeff Howe, Feb. 17, 1:45 p.m.

The Celtics just announced they have traded veteran point guard Sam Cassell and cash considerations to the Kings for a future conditional second-round draft pick.

"Sam was an important piece of our championship team last season," Celtics GM Danny Ainge said in a statement. "His profound knowledge of the game and his infectious personality will be missed from our locker room. We wish Sam the best of luck. "

Cassell had yet to play in a game this season.

The Breakdown

This was a shocker. Even though I didn't expect Cassell to ever earn any minutes this season, I figured he was being kept around to be an extension of the coaching staff. This move happened for one or two reasons (or a slight combination of both):

1. Cassell wanted to play. As much as he wanted to chase another title without the guarantee of contributing, Cassell didn't want his career to end sitting on the bench. If he still has the desire to play somewhere next season, he's got to prove he's still worth a roster spot over these next couple months. Sitting on the Celtics' bench for an entire year would have severely limited other teams' interest in Cassell, who will turn 40 in November.

2. This is a set-up move. The Celtics are preparing themselves to make another roster change, whether it's before Thursday's trade deadline or a free-agent signing by the end of the month (players must be on the roster by March 1 to be eligible for the playoffs). With Cassell, the roster was maxed out at 15 players, and it seemed as though the most likely scenario to make room on the roster for a new acquisition would begin with a buyout of Cassell or Patrick O'Bryant. That could have led the Celtics to shop around the league to see if they could find more value in a trade. While this deal doesn't make a ton of sense for the Kings, who are 11-43 and going nowhere this season, they might have just been looking for some insurance off the bench if they trade guard Beno Udrih.

Somewhere, Bon Jovi is smiling

Posted by Jeff Howe, Feb. 16, 1:59 p.m.

OK, since this video is becoming a small YouTube sensation and the blogs are starting to run wild with it, I've got to add by two cents. First of all, make sure you watch it. These words can only do so much justice. It happened at the Garden earlier this season live on the video boards in the section directly across from the media section, and it was a unique kind of hilarious that had never been invented before that night. The video has since been replayed two or three times during timeouts, and it still gets the place laughing. Hands down, it was the best non-basketball event at a Celtics game since I started covering the team a year and a half ago.

The Breakdown

Posted by Jeff Howe, Feb. 8, 5:00 p.m.

Analysis after the Celtics fell to the Spurs, 105-99, to drop to 42-11 and lose their second consecutive home game:

No D for C's. The Celtics didn't put on much of a defensive tutorial in the first half today, allowing the Spurs to score 60 points on 52.3 percent shooting from the floor. The C's entered the game leading the NBA in defensive field-goal percentage (42.50) and were second in points allowed (92.0), but the Spurs made a mockery of those numbers early. While the Celtics' big men were so concerned with not losing sight of Tim Duncan, they often lost Matt Bonner (whose season-high 23 points were the running conversation among the national sporting press) and surrendered a countless amount of easy lay-ups. The C's cleaned it up in the second half, when the Spurs shot 38.5 percent and had 45 points (35 before closing it out with 10 free throws in the last 20 seconds), but it was an uncharacteristic performance on the defensive end for Boston.

Execution woes. I pointed out during Thursday's Breakdown the Celtics had four sloppy offensive possessions in the game's final minutes, and they had one that really hurt them this afternoon. Down 95-93 with 20.4 seconds remaining, Ray Allen lost the handle on the inbound pass, Manu Ginobili stole it and started the free-throw parade. "Ray was going to pass it to Paul Pierce, and I kind of jumped up and he wanted to pull it back and lost the grip," Ginobili said. "And it was just in my hands." Pierce noted after these playoff-like games are starting to come down to the final possessions, and they obviously need to do a better job if they want to resume winning them.

Give him his due. Matt Bonner was on his game this afternoon with 23 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two steals. It looked like his legs were shot in the fourth quarter, when he missed his first three shots, committed a foul on the defensive end and got pulled out of the game, but he was reinserted down the stretch. He knocked down a huge jumper to cut the Celtics' lead to 93-92 and started an 11-0 run that sealed the game. The Concord, N.H. native had 25 total points in four career games at the Garden heading into the day.

C-Notes. Paul Pierce dove to the floor for a loose ball and drew a foul on Roger Mason with 2:24 to play in the fourth quarter. It set up a Kevin Garnett jumper out of a timeout that put the C's up, 91-90, and I was ready to call that the play of the game -- until the Spurs seized control. ... Mason has hit three huge shots that have translated to Spurs victories on national television this season. He hit a game-winning 3 at the buzzer to beat the Suns on Christmas and had a clutch three-point play to crush the Lakers last month. His 3-pointer put the Spurs up 95-93 before the Ray Allen turnover and 10 free throws diluted the last minute of action. ... Rajon Rondo had 16 assists. ... This is only the third time the Celtics have lost consecutive home games since the start of last season. It also happened in January 2008 and March 2008.

Spurs steal one

Posted by Jeff Howe, Feb. 8, 3:33 p.m.

The Spurs scored 15 points in the final 45 seconds to rip a victory out of the Celtics' hands. The C's had a 93-90 lead before Matt Bonner knocked down a jumper to start an 11-0 run (over 31 seconds), and the Spurs left the Garden with a 105-99 win. Bonner finished with a season-high 23 points. I'll have more later.

Celtics back on top

Posted by Jeff Howe, Feb. 8, 2:46 p.m.

The Celtics used a 12-0 run to start the third quarter to retake the lead, and they've got a 76-74 advantage heading into the fourth. Matt Bonner looks like he might have turned an ankle in the third, but he's coming back onto the court at the start of the final quarter. He's got a season-high 21 points, which throws all logic out the window.

Spurs build a lead, Bonner blows up

Posted by Jeff Howe, Feb. 8, 2:03 p.m.

Matt Bonner just gave his LeBron James impression in the first half with 16 points, five rebounds and two assists, and the Spurs have a 60-52 lead at the half. He has already eclipsed his season averages of 8.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists.

In case you're wondering, Bonner scored a career-high 25 points against the Warriors on Dec. 11, 2007, and he dropped a season-high 20 points Jan. 27 against the Jazz.

The pride of Concord, N.H., has played the Celtics nine times before today, averaging 7.8 points against them. His career high against the Celtics was 16 points, which came in Toronto on April 4, 2006. His Garden high is 10 points, which he did twice with the Raptors. Bonner was also shut out at the Garden on March 16, 2005.

And I almost forgot. Bonner prepared for this game by going home to get some spaghetti and meatballs and chocolate cake from his mother. So the 16 points shouldn't even be a surprise.

Celtics up a point

Posted by Jeff Howe, Feb. 8, 1:25 p.m.

The Celtics have a 23-22 lead after one here at the Garden. Ray Allen is off to another hot start with nine points on 4-of-6 shooting, and Rajon Rondo has four points and five assists. Tim Duncan has also knocked down 4-of-6 and has eight points.

Ray remembers getting Slammed

Posted by Jeff Howe, Feb. 8, 1:18 p.m.

So it turns out the original list of Eastern Conference All-Star reserves didn't serve as the first time Ray Allen has gotten snubbed. I was asking him about coming into the league as a top-five pick and if there was any pressure on him to carry a team that hadn't recently experienced much success. As Allen put it, you can't feel any pressure when some people call you a failure before you ever step on an NBA court.

"There’s a cover of Slam Magazine from the draft class of 1996," he said. "Me, Steve Nash, Kobe [Bryant], Antoine [Walker], [Peja] Stojakovic, I think [Stephon] Marbury is on it, [Marcus] Camby is on it, Kerry Kittles is on it. They have accolades, and all the editors write who they think is going to be MVP, Rookie of the Year, most likely to do this. I don’t know what the categories were. Mine was like, ‘Who do you think is most likely to fade into obscurity: Ray Allen.’ I have it somewhere in my house. I don’t have to look at it. It’s up here. It’s always up there."

Celtics' sendoff

Posted by Jeff Howe, Feb. 8, 12:16 p.m.

The Celtics (42-10) and Spurs (32-16) are set for a nationally televised matchup here at the Garden, and if it's anything like last year's two affairs, this should be a good one. This is the Celtics' final home game until a Feb. 27 matchup with the Pacers. The C's open up a six-game, 15-day road trip Wednesday when they visit the Hornets.

The Celtics are 24-3 at home, 3-1 in February, 8-1 on Sundays, 12-6 against the West and 3-1 against the Southwest Division. This is their first meeting against the Spurs this season after winning both contests with San Antonio last year.

The Breakdown

Posted by Jeff Howe, Feb. 6, 3:05 a.m.

Analysis after the Celtics lost to the Lakers, 110-109, to fall to 41-10 and see their 12-game winning streak come to an end:

The final play. One of Doc Rivers’ best assets as a coach has been an ability to draw up plays out of timeouts. While this one didn’t exactly work to perfection — it ended with Ray Allen coming up well short on a 3-pointer to win the game — it had everyone on the Celtics crying foul, literally. Allen said Derek Fisher was riding his arm throughout the duration of his time with the ball until he leapt to take the shot, and Allen expected there to be a whistle. Rivers spent a few seconds after the final buzzer chewing out the referees, demanding they understand they screwed up. By the letter of the law, yes, the final play should have been ruled a foul. With the unwritten amendments to that law that suggest a referee should swallow his whistle during the game’s final seconds, Fisher didn’t deserve to be called for a foul. In that situation, fouls are called when they are over the top and blatantly obvious — say, for instance, when Tony Allen bites on a Chauncey Billups up-fake — and tonight was nothing more than the NBA at its best. As always, though, the team on the short end of that stick was unhappy, and deservedly so. After all, if the NBA is going to tell players and coaches the first minute of the game will be called just like the last minute, they might as well honor that statement. “Unless the rules have changed,” Rivers said about the final play, “you can’t do that.”

See you again. There’s no reason for the Celtics to believe they’re not the best team in the Eastern Conference, or the league for that matter. Tonight, they sent out that message. “We’ll get another shot at them,” Paul Pierce said about the Lakers after the game. Since the C’s don’t have another scheduled meeting with the Lake Show , he was clearly alluding to the Finals. No word on how they’re taking such a proclamation in Cleveland . When Pierce was asked to clarify his statement, basically if he believed the Celtics would see the Lakers in the Finals, Kevin Garnett interrupted, “Hell yeah. … We’re the champs, man. We’re ready.”

Possessions. The Celtics had two offensive possessions in the final couple minutes of regulation that concluded with Glen Davis taking — and missing — jumpers before the shot clock was set to expire. This wasn’t a ball hoggish mentality by Davis, not in the least bit. But it was a testament to the Lakers’ defense and the Celtics’ lack of execution on the offensive end. Then, the final play of regulation wound up seeing Eddie House throwing a one-handed prayer at the bucket. And we all saw what happened in the final seconds of overtime. Pierce, the first option, couldn’t get free from Kobe Bryant, and Allen wound up with the ball. Certainly, that’s not a bad thing, but the look he got at the bucket — discount whether or not you believe it was a foul because, at this point, that really doesn’t matter — from about 25 feet wasn’t that great. This was a one-point game, and the Celtics had four offensive possessions down the stretch that finished with bad looks at the basket. As much as you can pin that on the C’s, the Lakers deserve the credit for stepping up defensively.

C-Notes. Pau Gasol looks like a man possessed. Last season, he was unimpressive. Now, though, he looks like the difference, the man who can make the Lakers champions again. Granted, the Lakers might not get Gasol the looks he once got with Andrew Bynum on the floor, and teams could do a better job adjusting to him. But for now, Gasol is the capable sidekick Kobe Bryant has needed since Shaquille O’Neal left for Miami . … The Celtics got smoked on the boards after Garnett fouled out. … The officiating was extremely inconsistent throughout the night, but as much as the crowd booed, the foul disparity wasn’t as bad as it may have appeared. The C’s were whistled for 28 personal fouls, while the Lakers drew 24. … And if the Lakers bothered to make a free throw —they were 17 of 29, but 14 of 26 before sinking their last three — this game wouldn’t have gone to overtime.

Greatness at the Garden

Posted by Jeff Howe, Feb. 5, 11:13 p.m.

The Celtics and Lakers put on an epic performance tonight, with the Lakers escaping with a 110-109 victory. I'll have more coming later.

Oooooovertime

Posted by Jeff Howe, Feb. 5, 10:55 p.m.

The Celtics and Lakers are tied at 101 and heading into overtime here at the Garden. These teams have been within six points of each other for all but 3:14 of this game. I know there have been a couple great games out West this season, but we've got a worthy candidate for game of the year going on right now.

Celtics leading through three

Posted by Jeff Howe, Feb. 5, 10:14 p.m.

The Celtics have an 81-77 lead heading into the fourth quarter here at the Garden. The highlight of the third quarter came after Eddie House knocked down a 3-pointer with 1:24 to play to give the C's a 79-71 lead. Tony Allen walked over to Eddie House's young son near the end of the bench, slapped his hand three times and the two finished it off by jumping into each other.

Deserving the hype

Posted by Jeff Howe, Feb. 5, 9:21 p.m.

This game has the Finals atmosphere the first two at the Garden lacked last June. The fans are great -- both green and gold -- and the intensity on the court has matched it. The Celtics have a 52-51 lead going into the half because of the play of the night from Paul Pierce, who blocked Derek Fisher's breakaway lay-up and set up a Kendrick Perkins bucket on the other end. Rajon Rondo's lay-in a possession later officially erased the Lakers' nine-point lead earlier in the quarter.

Kevin Garnett has 10 points, while Paul Pierce and Ray Allen each have nine. Rajon Rondo has six points, five rebounds and four assists. Kobe Bryant slimmed down in the second quarter with just four shots, but he's got a game-high 13 points. The Celtics will win this game if they can do a better job keeping Pau Gasol (11 points, seven rebouds) out of the paint. Either way, this thing is shaping up to be a good one down the stretch. It's actually reminding me a lot of Game 1 of the Finals. I'm going to check for wheelchairs right now.

Phil sees his shadow, cowers inside

Posted by Jeff Howe, Feb. 5, 9:13 p.m.

Lakers coach Phil Jackson had some harsh words last night regarding the Celtics' Game 6 celebration at the Garden. You can read some of them here.

Anyway, Jackson was asked tonight to explain himself a little more, and he plead ignorance.

"I have amnesia," he said. "I don’t know what you’re talking about. ... I forgot it. I don’t remember that at all."

That was precisely when another reporter said, "You remembered last night in Toronto."

"That’s showing my age now," Jackson replied.

As I wrote in a story you'll see tomorrow, the easiest way to stop a team from celebrating with six minutes remaining in a game is to not fall down by 40 points. But what do I know?

Anyway, since Jackson wouldn't step up to the mic, I wandered into the Lakers' locker room to find answers from someone else, Sasha Vujacic, who fans of 29 teams loathe as much as anyone in the league. The fifth-year guard made headlines a few months ago when he said he wouldn't allow anyone on his team to wear green inside the locker room this season. I asked him how that was working out, and if he hated the Celtics.

"I wouldn’t call it hatred," Vujacic said. "Like Phil said, the way they celebrated and everything, I saw enough green in June for one year. I stand by my decision. I’m not wearing green until June because what happened here. It’s not easy to lose the NBA Finals. The way everything went, it’s hard. But I never said I hate [them]. It’s just something that hurts a lot."

More on Ray

Posted by Jeff Howe, Feb. 5, 8:58 p.m.

Ray Allen has been tabbed as Jameer Nelson's replacement on the All-Star team. Nelson has a torn labrum in his shoulder and might miss the rest of the season, and Allen was added to the roster by commissioner David Stern.

"I was elated, ecstatic," Allen said. "Nine times for me. When I think about where I came from and all the things I want to do in my career, to be recognized nine times as one of the best, I’m always overjoyed. Regardless of how it comes, what team I was on, who my teammates were, to be able to be considered one of the elite in this game is always an honor. I’ve always considered my time in the league to be a privilege, and I’m proud to represent this franchise."

Allen has been an injury replacement during each of his two seasons with the Celtics, and he's got no grudges with that.

"If an injury replacement gets you 28 points in the All-Star game, it should be that way every year," Allen said in reference to last year's game. He joked after that he probably won't get the same type of looks because he won't have Doc Rivers coaching the squad and feeding him a few extra minutes. Cavs coach Mike Brown will coach the East next weekend in Phoenix (Rivers wasn't eligible because he did it last year).

Allen figured to be in the running for the roster spot with teammate Rajon Rondo and Cavs point guard Mo Williams, who is having a terrific season despite a decline in numbers. Just my two cents, but when a point guard has 2.1 assists per game shaved off from a season ago, and he's playing with LeBron James, he's got very little ground to stand on.

"I don’t think it’s about fairness," said Allen's whose shot attempts are down but has the highest field-goal percentage of his career. "It’s such an unbalanced equation when you’re talking about the All-Star game, who’s in it, what are the stipulations and how they’re put together. It’s not about fairness. If this were Mo Williams we were here talking about, I’d be happy for him the same, but it wouldn’t make a difference. He’s had a deserved year to make the All-Star team."

Lakers rally for early lead

Posted by Jeff Howe, Feb. 5, 8:45 p.m.

The Lakers erased the Celtics' seven-point lead and are holding a 23-20 advantage heading into the second quarter. Kobe Bryant leads the way with 10 points on 5-of-10 shooting. The Celtics have seven points from Ray Allen, and Rajon Rondo is on early triple-double watch with four points, four rebounds and three assists.

Ray an All-Star, Scalabrine out even longer

Posted by Jeff Howe, Feb. 5, 7:48 p.m.

We're about a half hour from tip-off here at the Garden in a game between the Celtics and Lakers that might have the post-hype to match the pregame hype. The media room is packed, and there might be more reporters here tonight than there were for the first two games of the Hawks playoff series. Two notes to pass along before I come back with a little more later on: Ray Allen was the commissioner's choice to replace Jameer Nelson (injured shoulder) in the All-Star game, and Brian Scalabrine will be out a little longer than he originally expected. When he first addressed his concussion last week, it sounded like he could get back in time for tonight's game in a best-case scenario. That's not going to be the case. He's able to work out on the treadmill and do some light excersizes, and he'll meet with his doctor Tuesday with the hopes of getting cleared to take part in contact drills in practice. He's out at least through the All-Star break, which means we will not see him in the first ever H-O-R-S-E competition.

Giddens sent back to Utah

Posted by Jeff Howe, Feb. 5, 3:11 p.m.

The Celtics assigned rookie J.R. Giddens to the Utah Flash of the Development League today for the second time this season. With Tony Allen back in the fold and fellow rookie Billy Walker ahead of him on the depth chart, it makes the most sense to send Giddens to Utah in order for him to get some minutes. Check back here later for updates throughout the Lakers game.

The Breakdown

Posted by Jeff Howe, Feb. 1, 3:09 p.m.

Analysis after the Celtics beat the Timberwolves, 109-101, here at the Garden to win their 11th consecutive game and improve to 40-9:

Flip the switch. Paul Pierce dropped a game-high 36 points today, including 21 in the second half. It's the fifth time this season he's gone for 30 (the Celtics are 4-1 in those games) and the 13th time he's scored at least 26 points (C's are 9-4). Pierce said after, "You go off and you say, 'I still got it, even at 31.'" There's no question he loves to have huge offensive nights, but he's equally as valuable when he doesn't have to do much scoring at all. More than anything, he doesn't have to work as hard when the offense runs through Kevin Garnett, and that'll give him his legs in the event he's got to go for another 41 against LeBron James in the playoffs. There have been a couple stretches this season when I've really thought Pierce has been playing the best ball of his career because he adds to many dimensions on each end of the court. When he mixes in 36 points, eight rebounds and six assists in a win against the Timberwolves with Garnett at home pounding bottles of OJ, it's hard to argue with that notion.

Noticeable absence. The win looks great on paper, and by all accounts, when the Celtics claim a victory without one of their starters, there's little to find fault with. Glen Davis was superb again, this time clearly in more of a valuable situation as a starter, and Pierce and Allen controlled the tempo from the wings. But you're crazy if you think Al Jefferson scores 34 points with Garnett in the game, or Kevin Love snags 10 rebounds (although, talk about a hard worker who really, legitimately earns those boards). I can't remember the last time -- if ever -- a power forward or center has put up numbers like that on the Celtics, who gave up 44 points in the paint for the first time in 12 games. Sure, the Celtics can get by without Garnett (and I know no one is saying otherwise) and they can make it look pretty nice, too, but his absence was definitely felt.

Two T-Wolves quotes. Kevin Love took a light shot at the Celtics after the game. Asked to compare the Celtics to what he saw in games against the Lakers, Love said, "We can compete with [the Celtics], but the Lakers, they've got those big fellas in there. It's hard to contend with." Hey, don't shoot the messenger. I have no idea whether or not the rookie forgot about Kevin Garnett.

Al Jefferson on returning to Boston: " It’s always fun to come back and play in front of this crowd, play against my guys. They’re my friends, my best friends as a matter of fact. We came into this league together, and we’ll always be family."

C-Notes. Paul Pierce picked the Cardinals to beat the Steelers by 17, saying he thinks Kurt Warner will have a great night. Hey, Pierce has a lot more mojo going than I do right now, but I'm going with the Steelers by a boring, 30-10 margin.

Eleventh heaven

Posted by Jeff Howe, Feb. 1, 2:28 p.m.

The Celtics just disposed of the T-Wolves, 109-101, here at the Garden to win their 11th consecutive game. I'll have the Breakdown coming in a bit.

Weird one here today

Posted by Jeff Howe, Feb. 1, 1:56 p.m.

The T-Wolves put a brief scare into the Celtics here in the third quarter, trimming the Celtics' 21-point lead down to six. But the C's responded with a 10-2 run to grab an 87-73 lead heading into the fourth quarter. So I was thinking. You know what would enhance the atmosphere here at the Garden? A mascot.

I'll be here all night...

This is about right

Posted by Jeff Howe, Feb. 1, 1:12 p.m.

Despite the absence of Kevin Garnett, the Celtics have separated themselves from the Timberwolves and have a 62-44 lead at the half. Paul Pierce has 15 points, five rebounds and five assists, and Ray Allen has 14 points. Tony Allen has been great off the bench for the third consecutive game and has 12 points. Al Jefferson leads all scorers with 16 points.

Celtics grab the lead

Posted by Jeff Howe, Feb. 1, 12:36 p.m.

After going back and forth through most of the first quarter, the Celtics surged late to take a 29-24 lead heading into the second. Both teams were hot early, as they combined to hit 15 of the first 19 field goals taken. As far as the matchup between a pair of best friends is concerned, Kendrick Perkins and Al Jefferson each have eight points, but Perkins has a 5-1 advantage on the boards.

Super Sunday at the Garden

Posted by Jeff Howe, Feb. 1, 12:06 p.m.

We're minutes from tip here at the Garden in a matchup between the Celtics (39-9) and Timberwolves (16-29). It's going to be one of the most unique games we'll see here all year because the crowd is so receptive to T-Wolves coach Kevin McHale and forwards Ryan Gomes and Al Jefferson, who got shipped to Minnesota in exchange for Kevin Garnett.

McHale said he was rooting for the Celtics during their title run last summer.

"Yeah, I got very nervous," he said. "I felt bad for Danny [Ainge] and called him up a couple times during those first series. But I’ve seen it happen a million times. What happened to the Celtics this year was the best thing that could have happened. At some point, you’ve got to struggle. Last year, I don’t think they struggled at all. Then at the end of the season, they started reducing minutes and trying to get ready for the playoffs. And I thought they were completely out of sync the last couple weeks of the season, even when the starters played. I thought they looked kind of funky those first few series. I was happy for Danny. I was happy for KG. I really don’t know Paul [Pierce] or Ray [Allen] at all, but I was happy for the guys. All the guys I knew here, I was happy for [them]."

As I wrote earlier, Garnett is out with the flu, and Kendrick Perkins was fined $10,000 for his Flagrant-2 foul Friday in Detroit. Perkins said he was surprised the fine was so low.

"Yeah, I thought I was going to get fined more, so I thought $10,000 was pretty cool," said Perkins, whose poker face clearly needs some work.

Glen Davis is starting in place of Garnett. One thing I would add here at the Garden is a pregame injury report up on the video boards. The Garnett news came down pretty late this morning, and I'm betting there are at least 15,000 people here who have no idea why Garnett isn't in the lineup. Even the Minnesota TV/radio people behind me are curious where Garnett is right now, which is actually pretty humorous for those of us who got the news from Doc Rivers today.

No KG, Perk fined

Posted by Jeff Howe, Feb. 1, 11:19 a.m.

I'll get to two quick notes first. Kevin Garnett has a pretty bad case of the flu, according to Doc Rivers, and stayed home this morning. Rivers doesn't think Garnett will practice tomorrow, and he's unsure of whether or not he'll play Tuesday in Philly. Rivers said he he thinks Garnett was really just invited to Barack Obama's Super Bowl party and is heading down to DC for an early start.

In other news, Kendrick Perkins said he was fined $10,000 by the league for his Flagrant-2 foul on Jason Maxiell during Friday night's win in Detroit. Perkins will not be suspended. I'll have more coming shortly.