Head above water: Celtics 101, Bulls 95

Paul Pierce chipped in 10 points as part of a Celtics' 101-95
victory at the United Center.

In what was probably their best game of the season, the Celtics pulled above .500 for the first time all season as they defeat the Chicago Bulls, 101-95. Rajon Rondo led the charge for the Celtics and did almost everything to guide his team to their second consecutive victory.

The Celtics led the entire game, and although the Bulls cut the lead to three in the final frame, the Celtics showed the kind of late game toughness we've been expecting to see all year-- something that was missing last Wednesday against the Wizards. But, overall, as Doc Rivers put it, "It was a good team win."

The good:

* How can you not start with Rajon Rondo? For the 37 minutes he was on the court, Rondo did just about everything. He had another double-double of 20 points and 10 assists and also had 9 rebounds and 5 steals; he led the team in points, rebounds, and assists. Rondo continued his streak of games with at least 10 assists as he found Brandon Bass on the baseline for an easy dunk in the final seconds. He now has 31 games with at least 10 assists, trailing Magic Johnson (46) and John Stockton (37).

* Jason Terry showed his inner Ray Allen, as he continually came off screens and knocked down some big jumpers in the fourth quarter. He finished with 13 points on 5-of-10 from the field.

* The fact that the Celtics executed the same exact play -- an alley-oop from Rondo to Kevin Garnett that put them up 97-93 -- twice in the same quarter coming out of timeouts is mind-boggling. How could Tom Thibodeau not be ready for that? Nonetheless, great job of execution by the players and great call by Doc Rivers.

* Here's all you need to know about Brandon Bass's night: a dislocated finger at 6:47 in the first quarter, 16 points while missing only one shot, 2 blocks, a couple of deflections, and a big steal. Pretty good, no?

* When things got close, the Celtics clamped down on defense. The 24-second violation on the Bulls with nearly 4 minutes to play was a perfect example of how this team can still get a stop when they desperately need it.

* The defensive rotations were excellent. There is definitely improvement in this area. Phenomenal sign.

* The Celtics are 2-0 with Bass and Terry in the starting lineup. Coincidence? Probably not. As many have echoed after the game, it looks like the Celtics have found something.

* The entire starting lineup was in double figures.

* The team was very active on defense throughout the night, forcing turnovers and getting hands in passing lanes at will.

The bad:

* As far as the Bulls are concerned, their execution was very poor, which was very uncharacteristic of a Tom Thibodeau-coached team. Their offense was stagnant, a lot of bad shots as the shot clock expired, and 4 missed free throws in the final minute of the game. I know the Bulls aren't the same without Derrick Rose, but it was surprising to see poor execution out of them.

* In my opinion, Paul Pierce was on the bench too long in the fourth quarter. I know Rivers has said that his veterans are going to rest whether anyone likes it or not, but after seeing how things were going south and after Pierce's hot start, wouldn't it make sense to put him back in?



The Celtics come home for one game in a matchup with old friend Al Jefferson and the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m.