December 24, 2008
The Celtics will insist they don't know the number, as if the run they have concocted over the last 19 games is little more than fuzzy math. But there's no avoiding history now, both locally and within the NBA.
Their 110-91 win over Philadelphia last night set a team record for consecutive wins (19) and also the best start (27-2) in league history, breaking a three-way tie they had shared with the 1966-67 76ers and 1969-70 Knicks. Ear plugs won't work. With tomorrow's NBA Finals rematch in Los Angeles now throwing heat like a wood-burning stove, the streak is a national phenomenon.
A recurring ``Beat LA'' chant broke out in the first two minutes of the fourth quarter.
Despite some game moments from the 76ers - the same franchise that halted the 1981-82 team's streak at 18 - the Celtics were hot enough that their bench carried No. 19 home over the last 12 minutes. Rajon Rondo (18 points), Kevin Garnett (18) and Ray Allen (16) shot a combined 19-of-33, but their stretch fury was unleashed by Leon Powe.
The power forward scored 11 of his 15 points in the fourth, and was so un-guardable out of the post, he made six trips to the line for a 9-of-10 free throw performance. The third quarter has typically been the time each night when the Celtics carve out a margin that they can carry home. But not even an early quarter 14-2 burst, paced by treys from Pierce and Ray Allen, was enough to discourage Philadelphia.
Trailing by 22 points (74-52), the Sixers came back with a 10-0 run and, courtesy of three hoops from Maurice Speights in the last 1:38, cut the Celtics lead to 78-66 by the end of the quarter. Enter the bench, with Powe leading the procession. The Celtics forward, combining with Brian Scalabrine to fill the reserve spot left by Glen Davis' absence, scored on the Celtics' first three possessions of the fourth, the first two on dunks, with the second a three-point play set up by Tony Allen.
The Celtics were now attacking, and heading to the line as a result. Powe, Eddie House and Scalabrine combined to hit eight straight free throws, and Gabe Pruitt followed up with a tightly guarded trey for an 11-1 run that gave the Celtics an impenetrable 94-71 lead with 6:55 left.
Though playing without Elton Brand (shoulder), the Sixers made it a game early on. With a 7-0 run that included a pair of high-flying dunks from Andre Iguodala, Philly tied it at 37 with 4:52 left in the first half.
But the Sixers were sprouting leaks. They finished the half shooting 46 percent (6-of-13) from the line, including a Reggie Evans air ball that somehow fell wide to the right of the rim. As powerful as Iguodala's second dunk appeared, the Sixers forward was simply heralding the arrival of the Celtics' best run of the first half. Starting with a Ray Allen three-point play, and driven per usual by Rondo, the Celtics fired back with a 9-0 burst. The last three hoops were scored off the break, including two by Rondo and a Kendrick Perkins drive that was assisted by the point guard.
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