Now are they for real?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mo' Powe Please

The kind people of Minnesota came in droves last night and sold out the Target Center in anticipation of Kevin Garnett's return to his home of 12 years. Sadly, for everyone involved, KG was still in street clothes as he missed his sixth straight game. Without that star power, the game suffered for the first three quarters but the fourth quarter was pretty wild as a severely undermanned Celtics stunned the T-Wolves, 88-86.

Already missing Scot Pollard and KG, the Celts (38-9) lost another big man as Kendrick Perkins (1 point, 5 rebounds, 4 blocks) went down in the third quarter with a shoulder injury. This meant that Leon Powe (16 points, 8 rebounds) got a large share of minutes as Boston scrambled to find healthy big men.

Minnesota (10-38) led 18-16 after a gross first quarter and 45-40 at the break. Al Jefferson (18 points, 9 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 blocks, 2 assists, 6 turnovers) once again was mostly held in check by the Celtics. Ex-BC Eagle Craig Smith (16 points, 7 rebounds) was effective down low since he looks like he's gotten even bigger. Or maybe he's just getting training tips from Oliver Miller. Ryan Gomes (13 points, 6 rebounds) and Corey Brewer (11 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals) were the other standouts for the T-Wolves. Sebastian Telfair (2 points on 1 of 8 shooting, 6 assists, 5 rebounds) looked like the fraud that played for the C's last year.

The Celts got within four after the third quarter, 66-62, setting up the final frame. Paul Pierce (18 points, 6 assists) and Ray Allen (17 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists) did just enough to let the C's hang around. Rajon Rondo (12 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists) continued to improve and Eddie House (14 points, 4 assists) had his best game in recent memory.

Late in the fourth, Jefferson hit back-to-back jumpers to tie it up for the T-Wolves. They had a chance to go ahead but they missed a shot and then Smith saved it from going out of bounds, except it went right to Ray Allen. Allen drove to the hoop and got hacked but there was no call. Powe followed up the shot (and was wide open) and laid it in just before the horn sounded. The C's had stolen another win from the poor Timberwolves.

Thus far, the biggest game of the regular season (which is an oxymoron) is Sunday as the defending champion San Antonio Spurs come to the Garden. Tony Parker is out for the Spurs but the Celts desperately need Perk to guard Tim Duncan. It's an ABC game at 1 p.m. that should be real interesting. Right now, Boston just wants to survive until the All-Star break which is next weekend.

Give Him a Tommy Point: Rondo Can Play

Once in a while, the insane ramblings of Celtics uber-homer announcer Tommy Heinsohn shine some light on an otherwise overlooked fact. Keep in mind, the guy has thought ever scrub, bum and hobo that has suited up for the C's the past few years were sure-fire Hall of Famers but I have to say that he is right about at least one current player: Rajon Rondo is a stud.

In his rookie season (last year), Rondo showed flashes of brilliance as he could seemingly do everything on the court (save for making a non-layup shot). That has all quickly changed as the kid can hit a jumper now and seemingly get to the basket at will. Entering this season, he was the biggest question mark after Boston acquired Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett. We still need a veteran backup point guard but that's beside the point, Rondo is really coming into his own.

Without Garnett for the fifth straight game, Boston took care of the Los Angeles Clippers at the Garden, 111-100. The C's are now 3-2 in KG's absence and as long as there's any question mark with his status, he should sit. He's by far the most valuable player on the team (many would say the NBA too) so if he has to miss the All-Star game, who cares? It's all about the playoffs.

Anyways, back to last night. It wasn't the game of the year as Boston (37-9) was playing for the second night in a row and the Clippers (15-31) are barely treading water in the stacked Western Conference.

Paul Pierce (15 points) wasn't puking into a trash can on the sidelines like the other night in Cleveland but he still wasn't 100 percent. Rondo picked up the slack with a team-high 24 points, eight assists, five rebounds and four steals. Ray Allen added 19 points and five boards while the bench played some serious minutes, including almost all of the fourth quarter. Tony Allen had 17 points and two blocks, Leon Powe had a double-double with 13 points and 10 boards, Eddie House scored seven points and James Posey had six assists.

The Clippers took the first quarter, 29-25 but Boston stepped on their throats in the second quarter: 34-15. Clippers point guard Sam Cassell (10 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds), who would look great in Celtics green and white, had enough and was assessed a flagrant foul on Rondo in the second, meaning he was kicked out of the game.

LA outscored Boston, 33-25 in the third quarter but it didn't really matter. The C's put it away with a 27-19 final frame.

Corey Maggette (33 points, 8 rebounds, 5 steals, 3 assists) put up huge numbers in the loss while caveman Chris Kaman (12 points, 9 rebounds, 6 blocks, 3 assists, 2 steals) was a little less scary with his new haircut. Cuttino Mobley added a deceiving 16 points (on 3 of 15 shooting) while Quinton Ross put up 10.

Without Elton Brand and Shaun Livingston and the season already down the tube, the Clippers have one of the shakiest rosters in the NBA. Guys just hanging onto jobs (Dan Dickau, Brevin Knight, Aaron Williams and Josh Powell) actually get playing time.

Boston shot 53.2% as a team and held Los Angeles to 41.1%. The only reason the Clippers hung around at all and made it somewhat respectable is because they made 34 of 39 free throws while the Celts turned it over 20 times, leading to 23 points.

The Celts travel to Minnesota on Friday in a game that will lose a lot of its luster if KG doesn't play (as expected). Boston has to be weary of the Timberwolves, who have actually been playing good basketball lately and should have beat the C's two weeks ago at the Garden. Al Jefferson was held in check the first time around but he can easily post 30 points and 15+ rebounds on any given night.

The Votes are In: LeBron wins Super Tuesday

When the topic of best player in the NBA comes up, for the last few seasons, I've maintained it's LeBron James. Certainly Kobe Bryant is right up there-I'd say he's the most explosive scorer-but nobody does more with less talent around him currently than James. If I'm starting a team from scratch today, LeBron is my no-brainer first choice.

Last night, the Cavs hosted the Celtics and came away with a 114-113 win. No surprise, James led the way with a game-high 33 points, 12 assists, nine rebounds, five steals, two blocks (and seven turnovers). Playing without Kevin Garnett for the fourth straight game, the C's (36-9) had plenty on offense but couldn't get enough stops at any point in the game. After a slow start to the season, the Cavs (27-20) are starting to heat up as they've won nine of their last 11 games, resembling the team that somehow, someway made the NBA Finals last June.

Ray Allen was the star for the Celtics, recording a team-high 24 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals. Paul Pierce, who was battling the flu, managed 19 points. Rajon Rondo put up 20 points and seven rebounds but he also turned it over five times. Tony Allen had 14 points off the bench and Kendrick Perkins scored 12 points with five boards and four assists. Glen Davis had nine points.

Cleveland led 36-35 after one quarter, a sign that Boston's NBA-best defense was nowhere near Ohio last night. Boston outscored the Cavs by three in the second, taking a two-point lead (66-64) at the break.

LeBron's hit or miss supporting cast had a good showing as Zydrunas Ilgauskas had a double-double, 21 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks. Larry Hughes had 18 points and six assists and Ira Newble scored 15 (which should never happen, ever). Sharp-shooter Daniel Gibson had 11 off the bench and Damon Jones notched eight.

The Cavs used a hint of defense in the third quarter, holding Boston to 21 while scoring 28 of its own. Boston took the final quarter, 26-22 which is a little misleading as James Posey hit a meaningless 3-pointer at the final buzzer to make the four-point game a one-point win.

It's pretty hard to lose when you shoot 56.8% as a team but the Celtics did that. The Cavs are the top rebounding team in the league and it showed as they took that category (39-29) even though Drew Gooden left in the third with a groin injury.

There's no rest for the Celts as they host the Clippers tonight back at the Garden. After a couple good years, the Clippers started to revert back to bumbling form last season and this year they've been awful. Shaun Livingston and Elton Brand have missed every game. Sam Cassell will be in town (someone whose name keeps popping up in trade rumors) so the Celtics front office will have a chance to see if the alien still has anything left in the tank.

Hurtin' for Certain: 18-1

We had become too overconfident. There I said it. Amidst all the plans of a victory parade, the championship books and DVD's accompanying the perfect season (19-0), the Patriots didn't come through with a win in the most important game of the season. The New York Giants beat the New England Patriots, 17-14 in Super Bowl 42, held in Glendale, Arizona. It's too soon (and the wounds are too fresh) to fully comprehend how big an upset this was but let's just say it was one of the great upsets in NFL history and one of the most exciting (albeit not exactly well-played) Super Bowls ever.

Eli Manning (19 of 34, 255 yards, 2 TD's, 1 INT) earned the MVP honors, making it two years in a row that a Manning has knocked the Pats out of the playoffs. Ugh. Aside from the fourth quarter touchdown drive, Tom Brady (29 of 48, 266 yards, 1 TD) never seemed to get into a rhythm as the Giants defensive line (5 sacks) was relentless. That was the story of the game as Michael Strahan, Osi Umenyiora, Justin Tuck and co. dominated New England's hyped offensive line which included three Pro-Bowlers (Matt Light, Logan Mankins and Dan Koppen). The older I get, the more I realize that for all it's X and O's and endless highlights from the skill positions, football games usually come down to the line play. This is rarely as obvious as last night.

The Giants opened the game with the ball and marched 63 yards in 16 plays before stalling in the red zone. Lawrence Tynes started the scoring with a 32-yard kick. Laurence Maroney took the ensuing kickoff 43 yards and eventually finished off the drive with a 1-yard burst on the opening play of the second quarter.

The fact that Las Vegas had New England as 12-point favorites coming into the game was a joke and everyone predicting a high-scoring game already looked stupid by the second quarter.

Manning's one big mistake (that cost him) was an interception by Ellis Hobbs. In truth, it was a decent pass that Giants receiver Steve Smith (5 catches, 50 yards) had go off his hands into Hobbs'. Taking over at their own 33-yard line, the Patriots went three-and-out.

Another disaster was averted by the G-Men as Ahmed Bradshaw fumbled and Patriots backup linebacker Pierre Woods fell on it. Give Bradshaw credit though as he wrestled it away from Woods and the Pats had another missed opportunity.

The Giants had another fumble that didn't hurt them. Adalius Thomas (2 sacks) hit Manning, causing him to fumble. Bradshaw hit it forward and it was recovered by Smith but you can't hit it forward. New York still retained possession.

New England was driving at the end of the half but Umenyiora crushed Brady, forcing the fumble near midfield. The game was 7-3 New England going into halftime and surprisingly it stayed that way into the fourth quarter. One of the key moments came in the third quarter when New England stalled at the Giants 31-yard line. Facing fourth-and-13, Belichick elected to go for it as Brady threw a duck out of bounds in the end zone. That missed three points came back to haunt them big time. It was an impossible call: try a long field goal with a shaky kicker (Gostowski); punt it and risk getting a touchback; or go for the fourth down against a Giants secondary that was keeping the Pats in check? New England obviously has no faith in Stevie which is reason enough to start looking for his replacement this summer.

The Giants put together a six play, 80-yard scoring drive in the fourth, the biggest play being a 45-yard catch and run by rookie tight end Kevin Boss. Receiver David Tyree (3 catches, 43 yards) caught a five-yard touchdown catch to put the Giants up 14-10.

Brady and his receivers finally woke up in the fourth quarter, capping off a 12 play, 80-yard drive with a 6-yard pass to Randy Moss (5 catches, 62 yards). Wes Welker (11 catches, 103 yards) had been unstoppable that possession, repeatedly beating the Giants underneath with beautiful catches and runs. Kevin Faulk (7 catches, 52 yards) made his requisite big plays and all looked in place for a Pats win as they were up 14-10 with 2:43 left.

The stakes couldn't have been any higher and Eli delivered in a drive that will be immortalized forever. The G-Men covered 83 yards in 12 plays in 2:07. It all would have been over if Asante Samuel had held onto a sure-fire pick but he dropped it on the sideline. Without a doubt, the play of the game was delivered by Manning and Tyree right after Samuel's drop. Eli escaped Richard Seymour and Jarvis Green and threw up a prayer that Tyree came down with while Rodney Harrison (12 tackles) did everything he could do to knock it away. It was a 32-yard gain. After Smith converted a third-and-11 by gaining 12 yards, Eli found a wide-open Plaxico Burress with the go-ahead 13-yard touchdown pass. Burress was isolated on Hobbs and with one move completely burned the overmatched cornerback.

New England got it back one more time with 36 seconds left but they didn't have a chance. Jay Alford sacked Brady and after two deep heaves to Moss went incomplete, the game was over.

There were many people to blame for the loss, the Pats O-Line, Maroney (14 carries, 36 yards), Hobbs but eventually you have to admit the Giants deserved it. Between great plays, fortuitous bounces and lack of execution on the Patriots part, New York was the better team.

Will Moss be back next year? Is there any chance the Patriots resign Samuel who will get big bucks somewhere? Will Junior Seau and possibly Tedy Bruschi retire? What will they do with the No. 7 pick in the draft? There are many questions to ponder but for now, it is crazy to think how close New England (19-0) was to something that is next to impossible. This one will sting for awhile folks.

Thank You, E-Li (clap, clap, clap clap clap)

I've been saying this for awhile, but people have been looking at me like I've got three heads when I say it.

Eli Manning, at the end of games, is as clutch as they come.

And it comes down to Eli, little Eli, with a shot to shut everybody up forever, to continue forward, unaware of how everyone else felt about him, with a chance to go down the field and be like Elway, or Aikman, or those guys.

And he does it.

And the defense, the brolic, the diesel, the studly, the massive, the nasty defense.

People are saying this is the biggest upset ever in the NFL?

I'm still watching the highlights, three hours later.

2:40-something to go, Eli needs a TD.

And he fucking does it.

And Plax catches it.

And the 4th down.

And The Throw to Tyree on 3rd and 5 to save the game.

Golly, Eli played a heckuva game, didn't he?

18-1*.

Keyshawn's calling Eli "The DreamKiller." That's good. I can get down with that.

How satisfying, to see Brady laid out like that, beaten and bruised?

"We knew we could do good things to this defense. We weren't intimidated at all...we've played against more physical teams."
-Amani Toomer

"We got a new trademark. 18-1 New York Giants Super Bowl Champions. Write that book."
-Antonio Pierce

(photo from Getty)

Celts beat Mavs without KG

Last night marked the first time that Boston faced one of the top teams in the West (Pheonix, San Antonio, Dallas) as the Mavericks came to the Garden for a TNT nationally-televised contest. Playing once again without Kevin Garnett, the Celts (36-8) got just enough from Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Co. to hold off the Mavs, 96-90 in a game that had the feel of a playoff game in May, especially in the second half.

The All Star reserves were named yesterday and while Pierce deservedly made it, Ray Allen did not (just like I said he shouldn't). Who knows if that was a big motivating factor but Allen came out on fire, scoring 15 in the first quarter and 22 in the first half, on the way to a team-high 26 points. Pierce also had 26 points and six rebounds.

Dirk Nowitzki (game-high 31 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 blocks) made the stacked West all star team but teammate Josh Howard (19 points, 6 rebounds) failed to do so. Dallas (31-14) was starting a tough three game stretch in the East against Boston, Detroit and Orlando, without point guard Devin Harris, who is out for the next few weeks with an ankle injury. The always overrated Jason Terry (13 points, 6 assists) didn't impress.

Boston was up 27-20 after the first quarter but Dallas won the second quarter, 24-17 to send it to halftime tied at 44.

Rajon Rondo (14 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists) had a great all-around game, showing off his crazy athletic ability. James Posey (13 points, 3 rebounds, 3 steals) and Leon Powe (10 points, 4 rebounds) were big sparks off the bench.

The Celts were up one going into the fourth and it stayed tight the rest of the way. The outcome came down to a couple huge plays by some unlikely Boston heroes. First, when it was tied at 90, Rondo ripped away a offensive rebound under the basket from the 7-foot Dirk and put it off the glass for two. Then Posey had steals on back-to-back Mavericks possessions and hit all four of his free throws to ice it.

The Mavs were terrible from 3 (4 of 22) while the Celts were 5 of 11. Both teams were automatic from the line, Boston was 25 of 29, Dallas was 24 of 28. Dallas had more assists (20-13) but they also had more turnovers (13-8). It was a very well-played game between two solid NBA teams.

It was easily one of the best wins of the season for the C's as they proved that they can beat an elite team without KG. It's something that they surely don't want to make a habit of but at least they know they're pretty good by themselves. They have the next few days off and don't play again until Tuesday night in Cleveland against LeBron and the Cavs.