The weekend started off rocky for Paul Pierce and the Boston Celtics as they fell to the Orlando Magic on Friday, but the Cs managed to hold off the Knicks at the buzzer in overtime to advance their record to 10-4 on Sunday.

Boston looked to rebound on the road after losing three of their last five home games. They traveled to New York with the expectation to secure a win and they did just that.

Paul scored a game high 33 points on 9-17 from the field and drained 6-7 three-pointers and 9-10 shots from the free throw line. He added nine rebounds, six assists and two blocks in a complete performance.

The Celtics led the Knicks by eight points in the first quarter by dominating play on both sides of the ball to take a 30-22 lead. The second quarter brought about a more aggressive New York team as the Knicks outscored the Celtics by five points, narrowing Boston’s lead to three points at the half, 56-53.

Poor shooting by the Cs after the half put a possible win in jeopardy as they turned the lead over to the Knicks. The Celtics led by as many as 14 points in the third but the Knicks ended the third on fire and a 29-10 run gave New York an 82-77 lead. Looking renewed, the Cs went into overdrive in the fourth, scoring 21 points to tie the game at 98.

THE OT MISDIRECTION
With the game hanging in the balance before overtime began, the Captain strategized how the Cs were going to pull off a win in overtime. The Boston Globe detailed the dialogue around Paul’s game plan for the final minutes of play:

"Doc wanted to do some misdirection stuff," said Kevin Garnett.

Pierce chimed in with a simple suggestion: Run a pick-and-roll for himself and Garnett.

"I know I can get to the basket," Pierce told Rivers. "Or I know I can get Kevin a shot."

Being that No. 34 had scored 33 points in the game and all of the overtime points, the Knicks decided to double-team the Captain, but the Knicks underestimated Kevin Garnett, who appeared to be having an off night. The Boston Globe reports:

Garnett was 3 for 14 from the floor. He had missed eight jumpers, including a handful from his sweet spot, which surprised Rivers – "Kevin on the elbow," Rivers said. "That’s his spot!" – and he had also failed on two shots near the basket.

But with the game on the line, Rivers went with Pierce’s call. Pierce dribbled at the top of the key with Wilson Chandler guarding him. Garnett set a screen to Chandler’s right. When Pierce drifted right, he took Chandler and Garnett’s defender, David Lee, with him. Garnett was inside the 3-point line with a look so open he couldn’t believe it.

Then again, maybe he could.

"I knew I hadn’t made a shot," he said. "So [shoot], I wouldn’t even guard myself either."

The game was tied at 105 with 9 seconds left to play in OT. Kevin was wide open and nailed a jump shot that gave Boston the win over New York, 107-105. Paul praised Kevin for coming thru when it mattered most, NBA.com reports:

"He’s that type of player," Pierce said. "You’re talking about a Hall of Fame player who’s missed millions of shots. He’s going to keep playing and keep shooting the ball. He stepped up big for our team when we needed it."

MAKING THE SHOTS AND THE CALL
KG, with his clutch performance at the buzzer, wasn’t the only player worthy of praise. The Truth had an impressive showing against New York that carried the Cs into overtime and help Boston win its 10th game of the season. A Celtics’ Hub blogger sung Paul's praises:

Not sure where to begin with this one, but since it’s a win let’s start with the good, Paul Pierce. He single handily carried the load in 1st half, lighting it up from downtown (4/4). With the rest of the offense struggling in the 2nd half and overtime, Pierce dominated the possessions in the 2nd half a la the pre Big Three era. Give him credit for still trusting his teammates down the stretch and staying unselfish which ultimately resulted in the game winning open jumper created by Pierce’s penetration. Pierce did work all over the floor with 9 boards, 6 assists, 2 blocks and a steal to go along with his 33 points. Kudos to The Captain.

And kudos to Celtics for pulling off a tough one in Madison Garden. The starting lineup pulled in double digits to contribute to the win over the Knicks.

EASTERN CONFERENCE GRUDGE MATCH
The Orlando Magic came to the Garden Friday high on their three-game winning streak. Memories of the Magic putting an end to the Celtics 2008-2009 season were fresh in the mind of the Captain and the Cs as Orlando won their Eastern Conference Semifinal series in seven games en route to the NBA Finals.

This was the teams’ first meeting since last year and was billed as a grudge match for Boston.

With both teams boasting a 9-3 record, many fans expected that a home court advantage and revenge as fuel would propel the Celtics to victory. However, it was clear shortly after tipoff that many, including the Cs, failed to factor in the Magic’s offseason acquisition, Vince Carter. A Red’s Army blogger reports:

Vince Carter lead the Magic with 26 points on 10-29 shooting. He also had 6 turnovers. But it kills me to say he had 5 big points in the final 5 minutes of the 4th quarter.

Despite the loss, No. 34 dropped 21 points and 3 rebounds in 38 minutes of play, but the Truth was not pleased with his or his teammates’ performance in and 83-78 loss. The Associated Press quotes Paul’s assessment of the C’s as of late:

"The past few weeks we’re not playing well and I think it’s just the little things, the simple things, that we’re not doing," Pierce said before boarding a flight to New York for today’s game against the Knicks. "But, you know we’re going to get it together. This is a confident ball club. We’ve played together, been together for a while, and we’re not worried about it.

"We understand what we’ve got to do and it’s just a matter of going out there and doing it. It’s execution. If you’re setting the picks you’re setting, set them hard; if you show on defense, then show on defense. Those are the little things that we’ve got to do.

Paul doesn't believe anything has changed from the Celtics start the season with the league's best record and as the last team to collect a loss. But he does believe the Cs may have lost a little focus on the little things:

"We’re the same team. It’s about doing little things. Veteran group, been together a long time and it’s about taking care of the little things."

"It’s a long season," Pierce said. "We haven’t reached our peak yet. Obviously, we’re going to try and get better each and every day. I’m not going to push the panic button. We just have to get everybody back on the same page."

UP NEXT
The Celtics next contest is against the Philadelphia 76ers at home Wednesday night. The two teams last met on November 3rd in the City of Brotherly Love. For certain, Philly has no love for the Celtics as they dealt the 76ers a blow, 105-74.

Tip-off from the Garden is scheduled for at 7:30pm and the game can be seen on CSNHD/WEEI.

RELATED STORIES
Celtics aren’t losing faith Confidence remains in face of struggles (Boston Herald, Nov. 22, 09)
http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2009/11/22/celt...
Playoff Basketball in November (Red’s Army, Nov. 20, 2009)
http://www.redsarmy.com/home/2009/11/playoff-basketball-in-november.html
Magic earn victory as Celtics shoot 34.5 percent from field (Associated Press, Nov. 21, 2009)
http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=291120002
Garnett hits winner for C’s in OT against Knicks (NBA.com, Nov. 22, 2009) http://www.nba.com/games/20091122/BOSNYK/gameinfo.html#?ls=iref:nbahpt1
A win is a win: Celtics 107, Knicks 105 (OT) (CelticsHub.com, Nov. 22, 2009)
http://celticshub.com/2009/11/22/a-win-is-a-win-celtics-107-knicks-105-ot/
Good look in OT has Celtics looking good (Boston Globe, Nov. 23, 2009)
http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2009/11/23/good...

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