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The way the Boston Celtics are playing now, it's hard to believe what happened in their first road game of the season. For the Celtics, however, it's probably not hard to remember.
Boston will carry its longest winning streak in more than two decades back to the site of its only road loss this season, as the Indiana Pacers cap off a brutal stretch of their schedule on Sunday with their fourth straight game against one of the NBA's elite.
The Celtics (19-2) only lost three regular-season games by double digits last season, but their third game this fall was a 95-79 defeat at Indiana Nov. 1 in which they shot 34.6 percent from the field and had a season-high 24 turnovers.
"I don't even know what to call it," Boston forward Kevin Garnett said that night.
That loss made the Celtics especially hungry on Wednesday, when they cruised to a 114-96 home win over the Pacers (7-12), who are led by former Boston coach Jim O'Brien.
"We had a great incentive," Paul Pierce said.
Ray Allen scored 31 points and Garnett had 26 and 14 rebounds, but the most impressive performance may have come from point guard Rajon Rondo, who had his first career triple-double with 16 points, 17 assists and 13 rebounds.
The loss was the first in a tough week for the Pacers. After a stunning 118-117 upset of the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday, they faced the defending champions on Wednesday and the red-hot Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday, losing that game 97-73.
The Celtics, Lakers and Cavs have the league's three best records.
"That's part of the NBA schedule," Pacers forward Danny Granger said. "You've got to fight through a lot of it."
Indiana couldn't keep up with Cleveland, trailing by 14 at halftime and allowing the Cavs to shoot 51.4 percent for the game. Granger, the Pacers' leading scorer with 23.3 points per game, was held to single digits for the first time this season, scoring four on 2-of-7 shooting.
He'll face another difficult task in Boston's league-best defense. The Celtics are the NBA's only team whose opponents average fewer than 90 points.
Portland visited the TD Banknorth Garden Friday on a six-game winning streak, but even the Trail Blazers struggled offensively in a 93-78 Celtics victory. Six players scored in double figures as the Celtics opened up a 25-point lead at one point.
"They showed tonight why they're one of the best defensive teams in the league because they pretty much pushed us wherever they wanted to," Portland center Joel Przybilla told the Celtics' official Web site.
Boston's only problem in the easy victory was the struggles of its bench. Coach Doc Rivers had to re-insert his starters in the fourth quarter as the lead started to dwindle, and reserve Glen Davis was emotional on the bench after being confronted by Garnett.
Still, the Celtics have the NBA's best record after winning their 11th straight game for the first time since a 14-game run during the 1985-86 season. Most of the wins have been dominant lately, as their last five opponents have scored 84.8 points per game, losing by an average of 16.2 points.
The loss in Indiana on Nov. 1 was the Celtics' lone defeat against the Pacers over the last two seasons. They won twice at Conseco Fieldhouse in 2007-08, topping 100 points each time.
(Thanks to the Associated Press for the assist)
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Sunday, 07 December 2008
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