"It's One Love," Tony Allen after the Celtics won the 2008 NBA Finals

There are some moments in life that you never forget. I'm sure being a first-hand witness to Tony Allen's triumphant return to the TD Garden with the Memphis Grizzlies last night will be one of those precious memories I can take to my grave.

Haha for real though, it was an important game for both teams last night as the Grizzlies (40-32) scratch and claw (lame metaphor alert) for the eighth and final spot in the Western Conference. The Boston Celtics (50-20) came into the game half a game behind the Chicago Bulls for the top spot in the Eastern Conference so the 90-87 setback didn't help one bit for the Green.

It was a weird game with the TD Garden crowd usually sitting on its hands. It was capped off by Glen Davis (12 points, 5 rebounds) missing the tying 3-pointer. Marc Gasol (11 points, 11 rebounds) got the rebound and it looked over as he had two foul shots with under five seconds remaining. Surprisingly, he bricked both free throws and Boston got the rebound and called a timeout. Paul Pierce (22 points) had a chance at a 3-pointer but it bounced harmlessly off the rim.

Tony Allen (8 points, 7 rebounds) and ex-Celtic Leon Powe (13 points) were sparks in the starting lineup and off the bench respectively for the Grizzlies who had six players in double-figures. Zach Randolph took a break from going to strip clubs and rolling blunts to put in 13 points and grab eight rebounds while Sam Young and O.J. Mayo notched 11 points with Darrell Arthur adding 10 points.

The game featured some quintessential Tony Allen and Leon Powe moments. Allen airballed a 3-pointer and a floater while Powe quietly got to the basket at will and scored all those points in only 17 minutes of action.

Ray Allen had 14 points for the Celtics while Kevin Garnett and Jeff Green notched 10 points. Rajon Rondo had a very Rondoesque game with six points, seven steals, 11 rebounds and 11 assists.

Memphis led 20-15 after one quarter but Boston rallied for a slim 45-44 advantage. The Celts won the third quarter (25-23) but the Grizzlies made the plays in the fourth (23-17) and overall seemed to play with more urgency which was curious since this was a vital game to the Celtics as well.

Memphis shot 44.6% to 42.0% for Boston. The Celtics hit four more 3-pointers (7-3) and nine more free throws (22-13). Thanks to seven more offensive rebounds (11-4), the Grizzlies had six more total rebounds (43-37). Rondo helped the Cs get seven more assists (24-17) but honestly there were times when Boston's unselfishness hurt them. Memphis had the only three blocks of the game and twice as many points in the paint (52-26).

Boston tries to get back on track tomorrow night as they host the Charlotte Bobcats, a team that's currently tied for ninth and looking up at the Indiana Pacers for the all-important eighth spot in the Eastern Conference.

Ho hum, Celts win 11th straight and have best record in the NBA

It's funny how fast things can change in the NBA. A few weeks ago, the Celtics looked old and very vulnerable. Well they're still old but after winning their 11th straight last night, 110-105 over the Grizzlies, Boston (20-4) has the best record in the NBA.

Sure, the Celts have thrived against mostly weak teams but still they are 12-1 on the road. Since last night was the final game of a brief three-game road trip and because it was against a team that plays the style that gives Boston the most trouble (young, athletic), a seasoned fan had to know it wouldn't be easy.

It was basically a carbon copy of countless games from the last three seasons; the Celtics made just enough winning plays at the end to come away with the win. The biggest shot was Ray Allen's (18 points) three-pointer off a busted play with 17.5 seconds left.

Paul Pierce led the C's with 19 points and six assists. Rajon Rondo had 18 points and nine assists, Kevin Garnett had 13 points and eight boards while Kendrick Perkins added 13 points and six rebounds before fouling out.

The bench gave Boston a big left as Rasheed Wallace scored 15 and Eddie House had nine points.

Memphis (10-14) has one of the best starting fives in the league, really. Rudy Gay was coming off a career-high 41 point game and he followed that up with a team-high 23 points and seven rebounds. O.J. Mayo had 21 points and Zach Randolph added 20. Marc Gasol, who's much tougher than his older brother Pau, notched 15 points and eight boards while Mike Conley Jr. tossed in 11. Rookie Sam Young had 11 points off the bench.

Memphis led 31-28 after the first quarter and 55-54 at the half. Boston turned it on in the third quarter (31-26) and held on in the fourth (25-24).

The C's come home for three games, starting with Allen Iverson and the Sixers on Friday night.

The Other Allen Lifts Up his Brother from Another Mother

Ray Allen scored two points (0 for 9 from the floor with two late free throws) and Rajon Rondo had six turnovers and shot 2 for 9. Still, the Celtics outlasted the Memphis Grizzlies, 100-96 in Boston last night.

The Celtics (28-3) won their eight straight, they haven't lost since that epic game against the Pistons on December 19.

With Ray having one of the worst games of his career, Tony Allen (no relation that we know of), stepped up and had another stellar game with 20 points and three steals. Paul Pierce (23 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists) and Kevin Garnett (23 points, 5 boards, 5 assists) also showed why they're sure-fire All-Stars come February.

You have to give Memphis (9-23) plenty of credit, they've had a terrible season thus far but they came into the Garden and weren't intimidated by the NBA's best team. Rudy Gay led the Grizzlies with 21 points, five rebounds and three assists while Juan Carlos Navarro (20 points), Mike Miller (16 points, 8 rebounds), Pau Gasol (12 points, 8 boards) and rookie point guard Mike Conley (10 points) also stood out in the loss.

James Posey (9 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals) continued to improve his candidacy for sixth man of the year while Eddie House had eight valuable points.

It wasn't a very memorable game but Boston did enough to win and you have to think they might have been looking ahead a little bit to tonight when they face the Pistons in Detroit. The two teams are clearly the class of the Eastern Conference and probably two of the top three teams (Spurs being the other) in the league at the moment. Detroit is on fire having won 11 in a row including last night over Toronto.

Doc Rivers sat Pierce, Allen and Garnett in the fourth quarter but had to put them back in as Memphis cut it down to four late in the game.

Tonight should be another classic after Detroit took round one in Boston. The Celtics will need more production from their bench tonight (something that was invisible in the first meeting) while also somehow trying to find a way to slow down Chauncey Billups and Richard Hamilton. That's obviously easier said than done.