C's take care of business against the Bucks tonight, 105-90. The first half featured some atrocious shooting (36 percent for Boston, 38 percent for Milwaukee) and was completely forgettable. However, the second half featured...
- A mini-skirmish with 2:35 left in the fourth quarter between Kurt Thomas and Glen Davis. Thomas pulled Davis to the ground, and Davis got up and kind of "shouldered" him in retaliation. Benches didn't clear or anything, and Doc got Davis under control.
- On the very next possession, Jerry Stackhouse appeared to unintentionally take Paul Pierce down as Pierce was flashing towards the ball. Mini-skirmish number two ensued and Scott Skiles got ejected. If these two teams are destined to meet in the playoffs, the seeds of distaste were planted tonight.
- Paul Pierce was ridiculous in the second half tonight. He hit seven of his eight shots over the final two quarters, completely owning Stackhouse in the process. Who says he can't score in ISO situations anymore, because he certainly did tonight. He finished with 24 points and six rebounds.
- Cool to see Rajon Rondo and Brandon Jennings go at it a bit in the third quarter. Nice collection of strong drives to the hoop from both of them. Rondo might have tweaked his left shoulder on a fall with 9:53 left in the third quarter. He got back up and kept playing, so I doubt it's anything serious.
- Fun to watch some small ball in the second half. Rondo + Robinson vs. Jennings + Ridnour.
- Speaking of Nate, he entered the game to back up Rondo before Tony Allen...Rotation? What rotation?
- Good minutes for Tony Allen tonight. Seven points, five rebounds, aggressive drives on offense, and aggressive defense on the other end. Just what we need out of Tony.
- Can't forget about Rasheed Wallace, who was arguably the Celtics' best player in the first half (okay, so it wasn't entirely forgettable). Starting in place of a resting Kevin Garnett, he scored 10 of his 12 points over the first two quarters and grabbed seven rebounds in the process. And the roller coaster ride continues.
Overall, this was a pretty solid win for this group, with the effort being there when it was needed most. However, the Hawks did what the Celtics could not, as they handled the Wizards by 10 tonight, so the C's remain a game behind them for a tie for the third overall seed in the Eastern Conference. If the playoffs started today, the Celtics and Bucks would have a date at the Garden.