Blasted: Bobcats 100, Celtics 74

Before the game, Doc Rivers decided to give Paul Pierce the night off.

Unfortunately, the rest of the team followed suit.

At least we can throw away the theory that the Celtics are a better team without Pierce.

The Celtics (34-29) were outscored 51-28 in the second half and suffered their second consecutive loss at the hands of the Bobcats, 100-74, their second-worst loss of the season.

The Bobcats got a season-high 35 points from Gerald Henderson, namesake and son of former Celtic great Mr. Gerald Henderson.

Boston started out flat, went into the half flat and ended flat. They may have been trailing by only three (49-46) at the half, but the Celtics were just not into this game.

Here's a recap:

The good:

* The Celtics kept their turnovers down. They only turned the ball over 13 times.

* In my game preview, I stressed the need for Jordan Crawford to have a big game. Then he went out there and did it. Crawford easily had his best game as a Celtic, albeit in, for the most part, meaningless minutes. He tied for a team-high 14 points on 4-of-6 in 28 minutes.

* The Celtics shot 51.4% in the first half...

The bad:

* Coming in, the C's needed to keep Charlotte out of the paint. Especially without one of their better rebounders in Pierce, the Celtics had an ultra slim margin for error in the paint. Unfortunately, they were exposed. Big time. Charlotte had the advantage in nearly every category down low, from points in the paint (40-24) to rebounds (48-29) and even offensive rebounds (16-6).

* To say Kevin Garnett has been in a funk of late would be an understatement. In his past two games, Garnett is 7-of-29 from the floor while scoring 15 points. Garnett admitted after the game that he has been pressing at times, but head coach Doc Rivers also feels the Celtics haven't been getting Garnett good shots. He may even be tired. In my opinion, it's a combination of the three. Garnett only played 20 minutes tonight, so I expect him to bounce back soon, whether it be tomorrow or Saturday.

* ...but the Celtics shot 27.6% in the second half.


The last piece of good news? The Celtics can right the ship tomorrow when they get their Captain back and get a shot to redeem themselves at home against the Toronto Raptors. Tipoff is at 7:30.