Sudden Road Warriors Clip Lakers In La-La Land

It doesn't have the same impact as in years past, but a Celtic road win over the Lakers is still pretty sweet--particularly a 1-point win, with Paul Pierce (39 points) matching the output of Planet Kobe (40 points). The 112-111 victory was also another shining moment for rookies Delonte West and Ryan Gomes, who each netted 19 points. Recently-acquired Wally Szczerbiak scored 16 in the win that allowed the C's to cap a 3-1 road swing.

So, once again, we are left to wonder: is this team truly coming together, or will they self-destruct again in a few days? One thing we can say for certain: the new road duds are very cool--and (lately) so are the guys wearing them.

Back To Basics

Just when I thought I had the victory formula figured out for these Celtics, (i.e., go with the kids and live or die with that), both Al Jefferson and Kendrick Perkins got hurt. So much for that strategy. Doc Rivers then came up with Plan B--go to the "old" guy, run two basic sets so that the new guy (Wally) doesn't get too confused and let Delonte West (the remaining healthy/proven kid) run the floor.

Guess what? "Plan Simple" is working. With two solid wins in their pockets, the back to basics C's look like they have some flow and consistency. Their 102-94 win over Orlando featured the now expected 30 plus points for Paul Pierce (31, actually) and 24 from Wally Szczerbiak. Even Ryan Gomes got 14 in his first career start on the kid-depleted Celtics.

So, what do we make of this? God knows. Anybody out there is welcome to try and figure out this very strange Green team.

Deep Sixing The Drought

The Celtics ended their dismal six-game win drought with a convincing 115-83 drubbing of the Trail Blazers.

Captain Paul Pierce looked like the 5-time All-Star he is with 35 points (20 in the pivotal 3rd Quarter) and new acquisition Wally Szczerbiak added 21 in the win. Notable also was Raef LaFrentz who scored 18. The Celtics held the worst offensive unit in the NBA to only 19 points in the 3rd frame.

So, is this the quality of play we can expect from ther re-tooled C's, or was this just a happy clash with an even more abysmal team? I've given up trying to predict how this bunch of Celtics will respond on any given night. Maybe Ainge knows. Let's hope so.