Perk returns as the Celtics eviscerate hapless Cavaliers

As long as they took care of business last night at home against the Cleveland Cavaliers (a nightmare of a team that had lost 17 in a row), the Boston Celtics would be able to punch in and check out on time in one of the most pointless contests of the regular season.

However, this largely meaningless exhibition took on plenty of meaning as right before game-time Twitter blew up with the surprise announcement that Celtics center Kendrick Perkins would return to the TD Garden parquet.

Riding the wave of emotion and momentum with their true center back, the Celts (34-10) rolled to an easy 112-95 win over Cleveland (8-37).

Semih Erden (8 rebounds) started but a few minutes into the game, Celtics head coach Doc Rivers put in Perk and he rightfully received a standing ovation. He only played 17 minutes but Perkins put up a respectable seven points, six rebounds and three assists.

Everybody knows that Perk's game is about defense, toughness and presence inside, things that usually don't pop out on a box score or in stat sheets. One of the great unknowns in Boston sports from the last decade is whether the Celtics would have won Game 6 in last season's NBA Finals or Game 7 with a healthy Perk.

Whatever the case, it was great to see him back and contributing. It was the first time this season that Boston's starting five was intact and it was thanks to Kendrick's remarkable rehabilitation from a torn ACL.

Other than Rajon Rondo (11 points, 10 assists, 4 assists), the rest of the Celtics veterans got to sit for much of the second half. Paul Pierce scored 24 points, Ray Allen added 18 points and Kevin Garnett had 10 points.

The cumulative effect of having a healthy starting five was that Boston's bench suddenly looks much more versatile and deep (funny how that works). Nate Robinson and Glen Davis both scored 11 points while Von Wafer had 10 points and Luke Harangody notched eight points.

Marquis Daniels was out due to a family emergency but he's expected back tomorrow night.

I would never say this but you almost have to feel bad for the Cavaliers. Yes, LeBron had the right to leave their miserable city but he really left the franchise in a bad place that will be tough to crawl out of for years.

A guy named Christian Eyenga (that I'd never heard of) led Cleveland with 15 points. Ramon Sessions added 14 points and seven assists, J.J. Hickson had 12 points and 17 rebounds while Antawn Jamison put up 11 points.

Manny Harris scored 14 points off the bench for the Cavs while Joey Graham and Samardo Samuels each had 10 points.

The Celtics depart for a tricky four-game West Coast trip beginning tomorrow night at Portland. After that they go to Phoenix on Friday, face the Lakers for the first time since the Finals on Sunday then end it in Sacramento on Tuesday. 3-1 is my hope but 2-2 is definitely possible.

The J.J. Hickson/Byron Scott era truly begins in Cleveland

After Tuesday's spectacle vs. the Heat on Opening Night, the Celtics predictably succumbed to the trap game in Cleveland last night.

At Quicken Loans Arena, the Cavs (1-0) began the post-LeBron era with a nice comeback win over the Celts (1-1). Over the course of the season, one of the biggest story lines to focus on for Boston will be how they hold up over back-to-back nights (a ubiquitous part of NBA life).

Mo Williams was out with a groin injury and Antawn Jamison was coming off the bench so I guess the newest marketable star in Cleveland is J.J. Hickson? He did play well, with a game-high 21 points.

Daniel Gibson (haha Boobie) added 16 points off the bench, Ramon Sessions had 14 points while Jamario Moon, Anthony Parker and Ryan Hollins all had 10 points.

Rajon Rondo led the C's with 18 points (never a good sign) while Glen Davis had 14 points off the bench. Looks like the few younger guys on Boston were less fatigued as Paul Pierce (13 points), Ray Allen (12 points) and Kevin Garnett (9 points, 15 rebounds) were not as sharp as they played against Miami.

Boston was up 23-21 after the first quarter and 47-46 at the half. With a decent third quarter (26-22), the C's looked poised to go 2-0 but they had a meltdown in the fourth quarter (27-14).

Even without Rasheed Wallace, odds are the Celtics will be the clubhouse leader in the NBA for technical fouls. They got off to a rousing start last night with two in crunch time (fourth quarter) by Shaq (7 points) and Nate Robinson (8 points). It all started because Robinson kneed Hollins in the balls and Shaq argued the call after Nate picked up a technical foul. Refs are quicker to pull the trigger now on technicals and the Celts will have to adjust somehow since they love to run their mouth after every play/call.

Boston comes home tomorrow night to face the New York Knicks. A team that they've owned in the last couple years but they'll get their first look at Amare Stoudemire.

Can't wait to watch the Cavs lose in the playoffs, again

I can't pinpoint when it happened exactly but I hate LeBron James now. It's not on a Kobe, A-Rod or Peyton Manning level but it grows by the day.

I used to love him, but somewhere between the constant media coverage and the way he so pathetically went out in the playoffs last spring, I realized that he's a complete fraud, just like most professional athletes.

Yesterday's game of the Cavaliers at the Celtics had basically no meaning for Cleveland (60-17) since they locked up the top seed in the East and the NBA already but it was still deeply satisfying to watch the Celts (48-28) beat a good team, 117-113 at the TD Garden on Easter.

LeBron had his usual absurd performance with 42 points, nine assists and seven rebounds and the Celts nearly choked away a 22-point lead but they held on to put an end to their three game home losing streak.

Ray Allen scored a team-high 33 points, including six 3-pointers, Kevin Garnett added 19 points and eight rebounds, Paul Pierce scored 16, Rajon Rondo had 16 points and 14 assists while Kendrick Perkins had 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Boston was up 33-24 after the first quarter and 64-49 at the half but LeBron and Co. are never out of any game since he gets every single possible call (he took 22 free throws, making 14).

Mo Williams scored 17 points for the Cavs while Antawn Jamison (16 points, 10 rebounds) and J.J. Hickson (14 points, 11 rebounds) had double doubles. Anthony Parker and Zydrunas Ilgauskas scored 10 in the loss.

The C's took the third quarter 34-32 but LeBron and the Cavs dominated the fourth (32-19). James even had a chance to tie it with a basket but he chose to be a hero and pull up for a 3-pointer with a few seconds left. He missed it, not surprising since that's his one weakness (going 0-for-9 on threes yesterday) and Garnett hit two free throws to let Boston breath easier up four.

If things stay the way they are, Boston and Cleveland will meet in the second round, assuming both win in the first round of the playoffs. I'd still rather see the Cavs in the Eastern Conference Finals but hopefully that matchup happens this spring.