Boston 111, Charlotte 109 (2OT)

Strange game.

[recap] [box score] [I'm no longer linking highlights because the Yahoo! stories now have a highlights link]

I've been trying to come up with a real-life analogy for this victory, something I could point to help those who didn't see the game relate to it, but all I could come up with is "Have you ever won a basketball game you had no business winning?" and I'm not sure that's very applicable to the RwH audience.

The Celtics did almost nothing right against the Bobcats. They essentially mailed in the first and third quarters. They committed 24 turnovers, a big chunk of those coming in regulation. They allowed 20 offensive rebounds, including three in a row in the first overtime, which resulted in an 85-second possession and three-point lead for the Bobcats. I don't know how Boston won this game.

I really don't, actually, because I was watching online, and my Internet connection kicked out for a bit with us down 93-87 with around two minutes to go. By the time I got it back, Rajon Rondo was headed to the line with 27 seconds left down 93-91. The 64 percent free throw shooter drained them both.

Overtime belonged to Ray Allen, who hit three three-pointers in the two extra periods, including one that tied it up at the end of the first OT after that long Charlotte possession, and the game-winner with two seconds left in the second OT. Both those shots came right in the eyes of Charlotte's Gerald Wallace, a player I generally like but who was getting on my nerves last night because of his acting on the defensive end, drawing offensive fouls away from the ball.

Even to the very end, Boston tried to lose this game. Charlotte's Raja Bell had a great look at the game-winner, mainly because Allen, who was guarding Bell, the inbounder, turned his head to look at the pass, then got his clock cleaned by a screen as the ball was kicked back out to Bell. Every basketball fan knows that the most dangerous guy on the floor in those spots is the inbounder, and Allen temporarily forgot that.

Anyway, a win is a win, and there are a couple of additional good things to take out of this win in particular. For starters, it did not come on the back of Paul Pierce, as so many of Boston's comeback wins do. Pierce was oustanding through three quarters, scoring 28 points, and made a great pass on Allen's game-winner, but he only had four points in the final 22 minutes of game time. Kevin Garnett is fond of referring to Pierce as Superman, but this game was won by a bunch of Robins in green-and-white.

I know that Robin is Batman's sidekick, but Superman, as far as I can remember, didn't have one.

The second good thing to come out of yesterday is that Boston's back in second place in the East, thanks to Orlando's 99-95 home loss to Toronto, and therefore back to homecourt advantage in the first two rounds of the playoffs.

On to more pressing matters. You've probably heard this, but Garnett didn't play last night, and won't for the rest of the homestand. His knee is still sore and isn't responding the way they thought it would. Doc Rivers has spoken of "shutting him down," causing all Celtics' fans hearts to skip a beat, but it's just unfortunate word choice and they expect him to be back and healthy for the first game of the playoffs.

At one point during last night's telecast, they interviewed Danny Ainge, and Ainge made the point that when Garnett came back briefly, he played well, and that resting him now is more about making sure Garnett is healthy than it is about Garnett being able to contribute. The implication, it seems, is that if this were the playoffs, KG would be out there.

Still, this makes me uneasy. I'm getting tired of Adrian Wojnarowski's constant pot-stirring (he's been in the news recently for alleging recruiting violations at UConn and the general tenor of many columns this season seems designed to drum up controversy), but this, minus the overly dramatic language, sums up how I feel. I'm very nervous.