This was just a very good basketball game and a very good win for the Celtics. After holding a lead for most of the game, the Celtics found themselves down seven points on the road in the fourth quarter. In the past two months, Boston lost a bunch of games that followed this script, with the opposition's run snowballing quickly into a double-digit lead and the game rapidly slipping away. Tonight, however, Boston dug in their heels, executed on both ends, and came away with the win.
Another encouraging sign was that for the second straight night, the team ran real offense in the final minutes, relying heavily on Rajon Rondo, who had several key buckets on his way to 20 points. Paul Pierce got off to a quick start and led the team with 29 points; Ray Allen hit four of eight three-pointers and finished with 21 points; and Kevin Garnett, despite his offensive struggles, grabbed nine rebounds and have five of the team's 11 steals.
Mission accomplished on two-thirds of the team's very tough three-game Western trip. Utah on Monday is as tough a matchup as this one was tonight. The team has already sent a message with two impressive wins on a back-to-back, but a win in Salt Lake City would put the league on notice that the Celtics are not done yet.
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