Links from last night’s Celtics win over Golden State:

The Celtics bounced back nicely last night after their dreadful loss in Chicago on Saturday night. At TD Banknorth Garden last evening the 14-10 Warriors were in town, and the Celtics rose to the occasion, especially in the fourth quarter, as the defeated Golden State 109-98. Shira Springer notes that an alley-oop from Paul Pierce to Ricky Davis with just under seven minutes left in the game really sparked the Celtics onto the win. Steve Bulpett credits the work on the offensive glass, which netted the Celtics 27 second chance points as a key to the game. Shalise Manza Young adds that the Celtics did everything that Coach Doc Rivers could’ve asked of them last night.

Steve Buckley (subscription only) has a look at big Al Jefferson, who while sometimes displaying the game of a man, is still just a 20 year old kid. Buckley notes Jefferson’s burning desire to be a great player. Peter May says that it all comes down to rebounding, which is about effort. So it would seem that on the nights that the Celtics put forth the effort, they’re successful. So why have they still not won two games in a row yet this season? Lenny Megliola says that the Celtics are in disarray, and the blame starts with the head coach. Bill Reynolds says that it is obvious that the Celtics (and Bruins) just don’t count in the way that they used to anymore. The point guards remain banged up for the Celtics. Buckley looks at Delonte West, who was still a little dizzy after his fall in Chicago on Saturday night. Bulpett reports on Dan Dickau undergoing achilles tendon surgery today.

Springer’s notebook reports that training camp invitee Will Bynum is having a terrific season in the NBDL.She also looks at the health of the Celtics point guards. Bulpett’s notebook has Paul Pierce urging patience, as he realizes it will take time for his young team to learn to play together. Young’s notebook has more on the point guard issues. You can get a look at the game reports from out west on the Bay Area Sports Page.

Halfway through the most difficult month of the Celtics season the C

In their first matchup since game 7 of the first round of last year’s playoffs, the Celtics defeated the Pacers, 85-71 at TD Banknorth Garden. Shira Springer reports on the game, as the Celtics pulled away from the Ron Artest-less Pacers in the fourth quarter. Still, according to Steve Bulpett, Coach Doc Rivers was not happy with the play of his team, as he feels they needed to play better against a flat Indiana team. Lenny Megliola writes that this game was almost entirely devoid of flow. Shalise Manza Young says it may have been an ugly win, but it was a win regardless.

Much focus was of course placed on a player who didn’t even play in the game last night, that being Ron Artest. Peter May and Mark Murphy look at the disgust that his Pacers teammates have for Artest right now, with Jermaine O’Neal being the most vocal in wishing the forward good riddance. Buddy Thomas thinks he knows how any Indiana/Boston trade talks involving Artest must’ve gone. Jackie MacMullan looks at Paul Pierce putting the nightmare of last year’s playoff series with the Pacers in the past. His immediate reaction after the series was to request a trade, but as time went on, he realized Boston was the place for him. In an article that will no doubt please the Get Buckets Brigade, the Globe has a piece by Mindy Pollack-Fusi this morning which looks at Ricky Davis, his home, and his family life, noting that the forward hopes to remain in Boston for some time to come. Murphy has a piece on Mark Blount, and how he was playing so well last night that Davis wanted to do whatever it took to keep him on the floor last night.

Bulpett’s notebook looks at Marcus Banks being held back from last night’s game, and has Stephen Jackson saying good things about Kendrick Perkins. Young’s notebook also looks at the delayed return for Banks. Springer’s notebook examines the friendship that Paul Pierce and Jermaine O’Neal developed over the summer out in Los Angeles. At the end of the notebook, she had a quote from Ron Artest saying that Pierce is the toughest player to guard in the NBA, tougher than McGrady, Kobe or LeBron.

Celtics at the Quarter Pole Mark

By Bruce Allen

On Saturday night in Dallas, the Celtics played their 20th game of the season. In many ways it was a microcosm of the entire season. Close, but no cigar. Some ups and downs, but in the end, they just did not have enough. Their 8-12 record as of this morning puts them in third place in the Atlantic division, only 1 ? games behind the division leading Philadelphia 76ers, who sit at 10-11 on the season. They’re currently 10th in the conference and would not be in the playoffs if they started today. It’s still early, so those numbers and facts are only presented to give you some sort of perspective on how the season has gone thus far. Last take a position-by-position look at the roster to this point in the season.

Centers:
Mark Blount (11.9 ppg, 3.9 rpg) and Kendrick Perkins (2.6, 4.8) have each started games this season at center for the Celtics, but Blount is doubling Perkins in terms of minutes per game, 28 to 14. Blount is third on the team in scoring and has been fairly consistent in knocking down his trademark jumpshots. He has also ventured into the paint on occasion and shown some post moves. He rebounding remains anemic for the most part. His weaknesses are Kendrick Perkins’ strengths. Perkins opened eyes with his 19 rebound performance against Philadelphia recently. When he is on the floor for the Celtics, he adds an element to the club that they have lacked in recent years, an enforcer and physical presence. He picks up a lot of fouls, but opposing players know that if they drive to the hoop they’re likely going to have to pay the price. Perkins’ minutes still seem to fluctuate wildly, and it is at times hard to figure if there is a pattern to his use.

Big Forwards:
I think this has been a position of disappointment overall for the team. Raef LaFrentz (9.7, 4.7) has been inconsistent, something that has shocked me, as he has usually been reliable and steady in the past. His shot not always been there and that is the strength of his game. When his shot is falling the Celtics seem to usually win. (See Nov 13th against Houston) Big Al Jefferson (7.9, 5.2) had a somewhat slow start to the season, but his most recent game was his best, probably the best of his career, with 21 points, 12 rebounds and a pair of blocked shots. He has picked up his game as of late, and his continued growth and development will be a key to this team for the rest of the season. Some games he looks dominant, other times he gets into quick foul trouble and gets taken out of the game, either by Doc Rivers, or mentally. When/If he can develop a consistent game and be a threat to the other team every night, Jefferson will truly be a force in this league. He is fearless, believing that he can score on anyone. Most of the time he can actually do it, too. Brian Scalabrine (1.6 ppg) has not really contributed much to this club yet, despite Doc Rivers saying that the free agent signee deserves and will get more playing time. I frankly fail to see what he has done to deserve increased playing time. Perhaps a visit from the brain doctor is in order.

Small Forwards/Big Guards:
This is clearly the area of strength on this team. Paul Pierce (26.6, 8.7) is enjoying the finest season of his career. After all the offseason trade rumors and stories about his conflicts with Doc Rivers, Pierce has silenced the critics by coming in and showing himself to be a true team player and leader. He and Rivers are obviously more comfortable with each other in their second year together and it shows. A good point was made by Rivers on the WEEI Dennis & Callahan show recently where the coach pointed out that last year was pretty rough on Pierce because it was the first time as a pro that he had to really undergo a coaching change. The Celtics had had three head coaches during his career with the Celtics, but in each case it was an assistant stepping up to fill the head position and the rest of the staff stayed intact. Rick Pitino stepped down and was replaced by Jim O’Brien, who was later replaced for half a season by John Carroll. When Carroll and his staff were not brought back, an entirely new regime, headed by Rivers came in. It took time for Pierce to get to know them and vice versa. In addition to his scoring, Pierce leads the team in rebounding.

The other half of the Celtics dynamic duo has been Ricky Davis, (21.1, 5.4 apg) who is also in the midst of a career season. Davis has done everything that the coaches have asked of him, be it playing second fiddle to Pierce, or chasing after the opposition’s top scorer, or even playing the point position for periods of time. Davis is leading the team in assists. His energy and hustle have sparked the team on a number of occasions, with Davis being awarded “Tommy Points” left and right. A pair of youngsters, Justin Reed (2.4 ppg) and Ryan Gomes (1.8) have each seen spot duty, averaging about 10 minutes a game. Each has had their moments this season, with Reed often being brought it to try to cool off an opposing hot hand. Gomes on the other hand, has been inserted by Doc Rivers a couple times this season in an effort to get a little inside offense or rebounding off the bench. Both players are developing, but are still a ways away from being regular contributors.

Point Guards:
The biggest question mark coming into the season was this position. To this point, Delonte West (8.9, 4.1 apg) has claimed the starting point guard role for himself. In his second year, West has been more consistent than not, and has had a few outstanding games in the first quarter of the season. Two of them have been against Stephon Marbury and the New York Knicks. In an amazing statistic, West also leads the team in blocked shots per game. Does any other team have a point guard as their leader in blocks? If West continues to develop, the Celtics will have a solid contributor at this position for years to come. He has brought toughness, tenacity, and smarts to the floor for the Celtics and is willing to sacrifice himself for team whenever there is an opportunity.

Currently, perhaps the most impressive part of Dan Dickau’s (3.7 ppg, 2.4 apg) contributions is that he is working on a perfect season from the free throw line. He is 15 for 15 from the line this season. He has been used a little more in the course of the game as of late, but has found his most valuable role to the team by serving as their “closer”. In the times that the Celtics have a lead late in a close game, Dickau is bought in to handle the ball, get fouled, and make the shots. The other point guard, Orien Greene (1.7, 1.5) started two games when West had an injured hip, and has not embarrassed himself in his rookie campaign. His numbers are almost non-existent, but they don’t tell the story of his play. He’s handled the ball well, played good defense and helped out on the boards.

Others:
Tony Allen, Marcus Banks and Gerald Green have yet to see the floor for the Celtics this season, Allen and Banks due to injury and Green because the coaching staff doesn’t want to overwhelm him just yet. He has also had a couple of minor injuries that prevented him from being available on nights that he might’ve had a chance to get into the game. Allen appears close to a return, though he had a recent setback after coming close to being activated for a game. We haven’t many status updates on Banks, though we see him on the bench supporting his teammates.

The second quarter of the season takes us to January 21st. This stretch has 10 home games and 11 road games, including a five game West coast trip from December 26th to January 2nd. There are only three division games in this stretch, a game Jan 13th at Philadelphia and a home and home series with New Jersey on January 20 and 21. A nice goal for the second quarter of the season would be to get to the .500 mark and perhaps even above. That would take a 13-8 record over the next 21 games. The team has had plenty of close games and near misses, but hopefully they’re starting to learn from those losses and being to take those close games the other way.

This week sees Indiana coming in on Wednesday, Milwaukee on Friday and then a trip out to Chicago on Saturday. Some tough opponents, but all are winnable games. A 2-1 week would be considered a success and some progress towards that .500 mark.

This report originally appeared on the Fox Sports New England Website.

A happy 49th birthday to the Basketball Jesus.

by Dan

Celtics 102 - Knicks 99

The 10 people that tuned into this game received a true gem of a basketball game. Okay, that