Bucks decide not to show up, held to franchise low by Celtics

After losing two straight, the Boston Celtics came into last night's game vs. the Milwaukee Bucks at TD Garden in need of a win.

The fact that it turned out to be so one-sided and historical were some nice footnotes to a pathetic showing by the Bucks. The Celtics (47-17) won 87-56.

Milwaukee (26-39) was playing the second leg of a back-to-back on the road so a flight and losing an hour to daylight savings didn't help but come on? There are no excuses for dropping 22 points in the first half against a team that you played pretty hard against a week earlier.

The Bucks were held to a franchise-low point total and the Celtics also set a defensive mark for lowest points allowed in a game.

Oh well. Ray Allen led the hit parade with 17 points while Nenad Krstic continued to be a rebounding machine with 11 points and 14 rebounds. Paul Pierce added 14 points in a short night as the starters got to leave for good in the third quarter.

Jeff Green (11 points) and Troy Murphy (12 points, 7 rebounds) were the standouts off the bench along with Carlos Arroyo (6 assists).

With a back-to-back tonight, in Newark, things will no doubt be much harder for the Cs as they take on the Nets. New Jersey has won their last four games in a row and Deron Williams returns from a few games away (his wife had a baby) so he'll be raring to go. Don't be surprised if this one goes down to the wire. You've seen that script before.

His gross thinning hair could use a trim but Nenad Krstic can play for me any day

Listen, I love Kendrick Perkins but as I made abundantly clear in the aftermath of his trade to Oklahoma City, it was time to let the trade pan out before we make any conclusions.

That is still true, nothing will be settled until at least the playoffs when we see Nenad Krstic and Jeff Green play in games that really count. However, can we at least admit already that Krstic is way better than we all thought? Plus, Green's potential is huge with Rondo in his life and the unselfish ways of the Big Three.

The Celts (46-15) won their fifth straight, 89-83 over the Bucks (23-38) last night at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee.

Krstic had 17 points and Green added 11 points off the bench as Boston continued to survive despite a severe lack of healthy bodies (nine players dressed last night).

The Bucks have injury problems of their own, most notably with Andrew Bogut's large frame parked on the bench. As currently constituted, they're not very good but Brandon Jennings (23 points, six rebounds, five assists) is never an easy matchup when his shot is falling.

Paul Pierce scored 23 points, Kevin Garnett posted 14 points, 11 rebounds and three steals while Ray Allen notched 13 points in his return to his first NBA home (which nobody remembers). Rajon Rondo was held in check by Jennings as he only managed six points, eight assists but eight turnovers. No problem, Pitbull, I mean Carlos Arroyo was signed over the weekend.

The game wasn't sealed until there was less than 30 seconds left in the fourth. KG swatted a layup by Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (19 points), Paul Pierce converted an And-1 off an inbounds play (haha really) and that was it.

John Salmons (11 points) was the only other Buck in double figures for the offensively-challenged team.

Boston led 27-26 after the first quarter but Milwaukee found itself up 49-43 at halftime. The Celts woke up in the third quarter (26-16) and the defense won them this one with a strong fourth quarter (20-18).

Sasha Pavlovic memorably airballed his first shot as a Celtic but he made up for it with a big 3-pointer in the fourth. Troy Murphy is still looking for his first basket, all he's made is three free throws so far.

The Cs shot 51.5% to 41.3% for the Bucks. Milwaukee made three more 3-pointers (8-5) and grabbed six more rebounds (39-33). Boston dished out three more assists (23-20).

Delonte West could be back on Wednesday and Arroyo is expected in uniform when the Celtics host the Los Angeles Clippers at TD Garden.

Pierce reaches elite company in Celtics history

In overtime last night, Paul Pierce joined John Havlicek and Larry Bird as the only Celtics players to reach 20,000 points in their career with just Boston.

It's been a remarkable turnaround for Pierce personally and professionally and save for the occasional wheelchair drama, he's a steady leader that truly loves to play here and appreciates being with one storied franchise for his whole career.

The Celtics (4-1) beat the Bucks (1-4) 105-102 at the TD Garden. It marks the first time this season that Boston has won on back to back nights, something that will be talked about often until they prove it is real or not.

Pierce had a game-high 28 points, Ray Allen scored 23, Rajon Rondo nearly had another triple double (17 points, 15 assists, 8 rebounds) and Kevin Garnett had 13 points and eight rebounds. Glen Davis continued to be the guy off the bench, scoring 14 points and coming up with several great hustle plays.

Despite its poor start, the Bucks are a team to watch this season, particularly if Andrew Bogut (21 points, 13 rebounds) stays healthy. They have a bunch of players not really known around the NBA but they can play.

Carlos Delfino had 15 points, Ersan Ilyasova scored 15 off the bench, Brandon Jennings added 13 points while Corey Maggette (11) and Keyon Dooling (10) were in double figures.

Like almost every NBA game, this one was back and forth. The Celts led 25-16 after one quarter but their old legs showed up in the second quarter (31-22 Milwaukee). It was a gross third quarter (16-15) but Boston seemed to take control in crunch time. They were up six with under two minutes left but the Bucks kept hitting shots and making free throws, hence overtime.

Former Celtics assistant coach Tom Thibodeau returns to Boston tomorrow night with his new team, the Chicago Bulls. This rivalry developed two seasons ago with the epic first round playoff series and it will continue as long as Rondo and Derrick Rose are on these respective teams. Should be a good one and I'm happy to say, I'll be in the building.

Dan Gadzuric, doing it for all his bitches at Governor's Academy

Doc Rivers came to his senses and sat the Big 3 and Kendrick Perkins last night as the Celtics closed out the 2009-2010 regular season with a summer-league scrimmage against the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Bucks (46-36) still had something to play for, seeding, so it was understandable that they won it 106-95 at the TD Garden. Boston will play the Miami Heat in the first round while Milwaukee gets the Atlanta Hawks.

Luke Ridnour and Jerry Stackhouse led Milwaukee with 17 points, Ersan Ilyasova scored 14, Dan Gadzuric notched 14 points and nine rebounds and John Salmons had 12 points.

Rajon Rondo, no idea why he played, led the Celts (50-32) with 21 points, 15 assists and six rebounds. Marquis Daniels was the only other starter in double figures with 13 points. Shelden Williams and Nate Robinson both scored 12 points off the bench.

Great trivia: Boston's starting five last night was Rondo, Daniels, Glen Davis, Rasheed Wallace and Michael Finley. Stump your friends and family with that doozy.

Celtics-Heat Game 1 is on Saturday night at the Garden. Saturday is going to be a great day for Boston sports fans: the weather is supposed to be crappy but the Bruins play the Sabres at 1 (in Game 2), the Sox host the Rays and then the Celts-Heat start it up.

The Eastern Conference: Where Not Every Game Counts

Everything is locked up for the Celtics playoff-wise so Doc Rivers has started resting the starters and giving the bench guys plenty of minutes.

The Celtics (62-15) defeated Milwaukee (26-51), 107-104 in overtime last night in Wisconsin.

I watched about two minutes of the game (it was that exciting) so I don't really know why I'm bothering to write about it. Anyhow, KG led the C's with 21 points in 20 minutes. Tony Allen (17 points), James Posey (16 points, 9 rebounds) and Leon Powe (14 points) were the stars off the bench.

Paul Pierce had 14 points, Ray Allen had 11 points and Kendrick Perkins had 10 rebounds. No starter played more than Ray Allen's 22 minutes.

Michael Redd led the Bucks with a game-high 25 points. Andrew Bogut had the rare triple-double, 15 points, 15 rebounds and 10 turnovers. Desmond Mason scored 14, Ramon Sessions and Bobby Simmons both had 13 while Royal Ivey notched 12.

Both team had 23 turnovers so it truly sounds like it was one of the classic games of the '07-'08 season.

Only five more games of this garbage. The regular season ends next Wednesday and then the real games begin a week from Saturday. The Celts get right back at it tonight in our nation's capital against the Wizards, who have also clinched a playoff spot.

Thanks for Playing Bucks, Drive Home Safely

I was away on vacation in the Outer Banks for the last week so I missed the Celtics games (but I did read about them online and check the scores on the bottom line).

To catch us up to speed, the Celtics (52-13) had four comfortable wins, stretching its win streak to 10 in a row before falling to the Utah Jazz on Friday at the Garden (110-92). Ray Allen hurt his heel in the loss and as a consequence, sat out last night at the Bucks.

It didn't really matter though as the Celtics dominated, 99-77. The Bucks (23-43) completely rolled over and gave a pathetic performance for an NBA team. With March Madness almost upon us, this being Selection Sunday and all, it made you wonder why the NBA even bothers playing games in March? Maybe the league could take a vacation or something because nobody will be paying attention for the next few weeks.

With that said, the Celts have their toughest road trip of the season (not including last night) this week which should make for some great games. They play the Spurs Monday, Houston on Tuesday (who will hopefully be looking for their 23rd straight win), Dallas on Thursday and finally the Hornets on Saturday. 2-2 is a realistic expectation as Boston is going up against four of the best in the West (records not withstanding). They can win every game or they could lose each one.

A little more about the Bucks game. Kevin Garnett led the way with 19 points while Eddie House of all people had 17 points. Paul Pierce had 13 points and seven boards while Rajon Rondo added 13 points, four boards and four assists. The newest members of the team looked good: Sam Cassell had 10 points, five assists and three steals while P.J. Brown had four points, nine boards (six offensive) and four assists.

The outcome was never in doubt as Boston led 25-19 after the first quarter and 53-35 at the half. Nothing changed in the second half with the Celtics taking a 75-52 lead into the fourth.

The Bucks received 16 points from Charlie Bell (one of the Flintstones!), 15 from Michael Redd and 10 from Charlie Villanueva. Speaking of the Flintstones, where do you think Mateen Cleeves is these days? My first two gueses would be working at McDonald's or at Tom Izzo's house, cleaning his toilet and waxing his car.

Milwaukee's season is down the tubes (even in the East which is saying something) with Andrew Bogut and the immortal Yi currently sidelined. This forced Dan Gadzuric (0 points, 4 rebounds in 16 minutes) into the starting lineup while Michael Ruffin and Jake Voskuhl came off the bench. Three of the great stiffs of the last ten years, on the same team, simply amazing.

Boston shot 51.9% while the one-shot and out Bucks were 34.1%. The Celts had 13 more assists (28-15).

In the grand scheme of things, last night meant nothing. It was one of those useless NBA games that dot each team's schedule. Oh well, the real fun starts tomorrow night in San Antonio.

No surprise, Ray Allen proves to be the most expendable of the big three

With Ray Allen out (to rest his ankle), the Celts still rolled over the Bucks last night at the Garden, 104-82. With the win, Boston ties the franchise best start of 12-0 at home (duplicated by the '84-'85 squad) and now has a chance to set the mark on Wednesday when they take on the Pistons (finally another good team!).

This game followed the Celtics (19-2) recent pattern of letting an inferior opponent hang around in the first half before stepping on their throat's in the third quarter and burying them by the fourth quarter.

The C's led 46-44 at the half. In Ray Allen's place, Tony Allen (no relation) started and played his best game of the young season. Tony had 11 points, four steals, three rebounds and two assists. His crowning achievement of the night was holding Bucks star Michael Redd to just seven points. At the end of the half, the play of the game was provided by Allen, Rajon Rondo and Kevin Garnett. Allen stole the ball from Mo Williams and then raced up court in a three-on-one with Rondo on one side and KG trailing. Allen passed to Rondo, who passed it back to him before leaving it for KG, who slammed it home with authority.

In the third quarter, Boston outscored the Bucks (9-13) 32-15. With Redd totally neutralized, nobody else on Milwaukee stepped up on the offensive end. Williams led the team with 14 points.

For the Celts, Paul Pierce played great (32 points) and Rondo (17 points, 8 assists) was excellent after going scoreless against the Kings. Garnett had an efficient 15 points, seven boards, four assists and two steals. Kendrick Perkins was back but pretty invisible (4 points, 5 boards). Eddie House notched nine points and Leon Powe and Gabe Pruitt both had seven in very limited minutes.

Once again, Boston dominated at the free-throw line, shooting 26 of 30 while the Bucks were 10 of 13. The Celtics had 13 turnovers and the Bucks had 20.

Boston travels to Toronto for a matinee against the Raptors (the third time already the teams have met) tomorrow. Ray Allen is expected back but there's no rush as Boston proved they can certainly win without him. Ray has been a good addition chemistry-wise but so far his game has been a little suspect. He's a great shooter but we haven't seen that side of him yet. There's plenty of time left for him to find his game and get back to full health.