Miami Ice?

Box Score Superstars

Tony Allen - He scored 20 points (6-12 from the field, 2-2 from three-point range and 6-7 from the line). He also had 2 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks and only 1 turnover. And while Dwyane Wade clearly was not himself, Allen harassed him all over the court. Finally, there is one underrated aspect of Allen's game. When healthy he can play at a reckless pace for long periods of time.

Rajon Rondo - He scored 23 points (8-9 from the field, 7-9 from the line). He also had 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and only 1 turnover. In general the Celtics played swarming defense, ran the fast break and attacked the rim. Rondo  was a key part in all of those efforts.

Leon Powe - He led the Celtics with 25 points (9-13 from the field, 7-9 from the line).

Eddie House - His 20 points made him the fourth Celtic to break that mark last night. He was efficient as well (7-15 from the field, 5-9 from three point range and 1-2 from the free throw line). House also added 5 rebounds, 3 assists and two steals. Unfortunately he led the Celtics with 4 turnovers.

Beyond the Box Score

James Posey - His final stats were somewhat modest - 9 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, a turnover and, a low for him, 1 personal foul. But Posey was seemingly everywhere as Boston broke the Heat's will. I probably overvalue Posey, but he does more than a lot of people realize.

Interesting Stat of the Night

Luke Jackson was the only player on the Heat with a positive +/- at +12. Meanwhile, Gabe Pruitt was the only Celtic with a negative at -9. Sounds about right.

The believe it or not trivia question

Do you realize that the Celtics started five players - Tony Allen, Kendrick Perkins, Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo and Brian Scalabrine) - that were on the team last year. This was definitely the first time all season that we've seen that.

Injuries that I underestimated

In my game preview I accepted the fact that injuries to Shaq and Alonzo Mourning hurt the Heat. But I figured they were both over the hill. However, as Bob Cousy pointed out, there is no one playing for Miami right now that can protect the rim. Factor in how difficult it is to play perimeter defense in today's NBA, which is a legitimate excuse even after you consider how terrible Miami is at it, and the result is a porous defensive team. I wonder if Dwight Howard currently has blocked more shots (120) than the entire Heat roster? I can't find the exact total for the Miami right now. Damn.

Legend in the House

Bob Cousy was there and he did a great job. I promise to watch this one again and track Cousy's night. The oppressively cynical guy routine has been put away for now and I could not be more excited.

Trust me they played

As I mentioned last night the Celtics had 60 points before Paul Pierce got in on the act. And right around the 6 minute mark of the first quarter I had a "wow I forgot about Pierce and Dwyane Wade" moment. They were both overshadowed for long stretches last night. Weird.

Are we still making that assumption?

Flu like symptoms = hangover. I'm not accusing anyone. I just thought there was a time where people assumed that.

How bad is Miami?

I love the way Boston attacked the rim, moved the ball on offense, defended and ultimately, played as a team. But one has to question the Heat. Miami's performance was shades of the Knicks on TNT versus the Celtics. And after the Seattle's upset of San Antonio last night, the SuperSonics have more wins than Miami.