5.04.2020

17-2 Celts Make it 9 in a Row

December 2, 2008

One by one, they dribble toward the Garden seeking to claim the throne now occupied by the Celtics.
And one by one, they have been turned back, unable to cross the moat that separates them from the defending champions. Nothing, of course, will get decided for this season until the snows fall and then melt into spring, but at the very least, the Celts are getting across the point that they're well-equipped to fight eviction from their castle.



The latest to get that message stamped across their forehead - along with a Spalding imprint - were the Orlando Magic. The Celtics got 24 points from Paul Pierce and 21 from Ray Allen in a direct and thorough 107-88 victory last night.

``It's one thing to talk about it,'' Allen said. ``Like last year for us, there was a lot said about what we were doing. We knew where we wanted to go, but I think we had to go out and do it. We had to get it. We had to grab it. There was not a moment's rest for us. Every night we had to prove what we were capable of. Now, we're still in that same mode, and teams that are saying they're just as good or better than us, they have to prove that. And for us, we're here and we want it every night. We look forward to the challenge every night.''

Rajon Rondo was again huge for the C's with 16 points and 12 assists. The point guard had a big hand on both ends as the Celts outscored the Magic, 12-0, on the fast break. ``I thought our guys played hard,'' Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy said. ``We just got totally outplayed.''  The visitors' only lead was of the 2-0 variety, and it lasted just 56 seconds. Orlando's Rashard Lewis had 30 points but went 2-for-8 on 3-point attempts. Dwight Howard had 14 points, but Van Gundy didn't think his team got its star center the ball enough - which may have been due to Kendrick Perkins and the Green defense.

There were eight technical fouls in the contentious affair, but the Celtics' actions this season - wins over Cleveland, Detroit, Philadelphia and now Orlando - speak louder than any trashy talk. The Magic arrived with the third-best record in the Eastern Conference (2 1/2 games behind the Celtics) but without injured starters Jameer Nelson and Mickael Pietrus. The Celts were determined to take advantage against a team that won the season series from them last year, 2-1.

``You like playing teams like them because it gives your team something, too,'' C's coach Doc Rivers said. ``Both teams are up, and that's always nice when you get that. I call it a free speech night. You don't have to talk a lot before a game when you play teams like that. But they have some injuries, and we understand that, too. And so I thought we took advantage of that a little bit.'' Up two at the half, the C's broke it open with a 29-19 third quarter.

The Magic never recovered. They came in averaging 100.4 points but didn't sniff triple figures.
``We were taking advantage of the matchups,'' Pierce said. ``We saw something that was working and we continued to go with it. My teammates did a good job of setting me up. We ran set plays to get me the ball in a position where I could score, and I took advantage of it.'' Orlando, playing just seven men, went to a bigger lineup to get Lewis inside on Pierce. But in the decisive third, Pierce and the Celts got the better of it.

For a team that has won nine in a row and is now 17-2, that's nothing new. ``The balance tonight on both ends was terrific,'' said Rivers, whose club shot 54.1 percent from the field. ``When you have that combination, you're probably going to have a really good night, and we did.''

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