Final: Nets 85, Celtics 79

With the way they played tonight, the Celtics (15-31) might have done something that many may not have thought to be possible.

They made their fans miss Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce even more.

The two Celtic legends were victorious in their return to Boston, defeating their former squad, 85-79.

During the second timeout, the Celtics honored Garnett with a video tribute on the Jumbotron. They did the same for Pierce between the first and second quarter.

Both played a rather sub-par game, for their standards. Pierce finished with 6 points on 2-of-10 shooting with 4 rebounds and 2 assists. Garnett finished with 6 points on 3-of-6 from the floor with 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals.

His final steal proved to be the biggest play of the game, and a reminder that Garnett remains a difference maker on the defensive end. Down 80-77 with 20.9 seconds remaining, Rajon Rondo's pass was intercepted by Garnett, and he finished off the fast-break himself with a layup to put Brooklyn up 82-77.

Besides the first quarter, the Celtics looked sloppy and stagnant, especially on the offensive end.

Here's a recap:

The good:

* Well, I'll start with KG and Pierce. The two were honored nicely, and the reception they received from the crowd during pregame introductions was amazing. The Celtics staff hit this one out of the park.

* Chris Johnson's 10-day contract expires tonight at midnight. With the way he played tonight, he might have earned himself a second 10-day deal. Johnson led all Celtics bench players with 12 points in 28 minutes to go along with 4 rebounds and a steal. He hit some huge free throws and a clutch three-pointer to keep the game close in the fourth quarter. Since he was signed, Johnson has not only made a big impact on the stat sheet, but also in the hustle department. Johnson has deflected a ton of passes, dove for loose balls, and played stingy defense.

* The Celtics did a nice job of limiting the effectiveness of Brooklyn's top three scorers: Joe Johnson, Deron Williams and Pierce. They combined for only 19 points on 7-of-25 from the floor.


The bad:

* Everything about the Celtics offense from the second quarter until the 8:42 mark of the fourth quarter. There was no movement on offense. There were a lot of bad jump shots late in the shot clock. They looked very disorganized for the majority of the night.

* Rajon Rondo and Jeff Green combined to shoot 7-of-27 with 7 turnovers. Not what you're looking for from your two best players.


The Celtics return to action Tuesday night when they travel to New York to take on the Knicks. Tipoff is 7:30 pm.