Boston 115, New Jersey 111

It's good to pull out a win in a game we almost gave away, but we really can't be happy with the way we're playing right now.

[recap] [box score] [highlights]

Boston's defense tonight was as bad as I've seen it in last season-plus (and I've seen nearly every game during that time). The numbers don't quite show it -- New Jersey shot just under 50 percent from the field -- but trust me, it was terrible, at least until the last couple crucial possessions. In particular, there were several occasions where Nets, notably Vince Carter, encountered nary a green-jerseyed help defender on drives to the basket that originated from outside the three-point arc.

Three offensive stars for the Celtics in this game -- four if you count Ray Allen, who tied the game at 111 with a three-pointer on a well-drawn up play after Boston had squandered a 12-point fourth quarter lead:

-Paul Pierce had 31 points on 12-of-14 from the field, and contributed another cold-blooded game-winner;

-Rajon Rondo, who had 16 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter; and

-Kendrick Perkins, who had 17 points and 13 rebounds in his first really strong game since Kevin Garnett was injured on February 19 against Utah. Perk had nine points in the third quarter -- he and Rondo did most of the scoring in that period -- and recorded his lone block of the game on a Devin Harris layup attempt with 45 seconds remaining and the score tied after Allen's three-pointer.

Boston escaped in this one and will have to play worlds better when they host Cleveland on Friday (viewing alert: 8 p.m. Eastern on ESPN). The Cavs, who like the Celtics clinched a playoff berth with a win Wednesday night, lead the Eastern conference by one game. The teams have split two meetings thus far, with a fourth and final showdown (until the playoffs, and probably the Eastern finals) scheduled for April 12 in Cleveland. It's bad luck that it appears that the Celtics won't have Garnett -- not to mention Tony Allen and Brian Scalabrine -- in the home leg of those two games, as the Cavs are nearly unbeatable at Quicken Loans Arena (27-1 on the year, and the tiebreaker for home court advantage, should the teams finish the regular season with the same overall record, is head-to-head record. Since Boston, even at full strength, cannot reasonably expect to win in Cleveland on a given night, home court may be at stake on Friday night.* And given that Boston, even at full strength, cannot expect to win in Cleveland on a given night, home court advantage might very well decide who represents the East in the Finals.

So yeah, Friday's kind of a big game.

*I don't know what the next tiebreaker is if two teams end up with the same overall record and split the head-to-head series. If anyone knows, I'd appreciate hearing; it may be that it's something that Cleveland has the advantage in, anyway.