As captain of the Celtics, Paul's goal every night is to do everything he can to help his team execute perfectly.

To make every pass well, to have every open shot hit nothing but net, to have Boston working at its optimum performance for four straight quarters.

Celebrating the blowout of the Mavs (Getty Images).

No. 34 and his boys achieved just about the closest thing to a perfect performance Sunday night, trouncing the Dallas Mavericks 124-100 at TD Bank North Garden. They were virtually flawless, connecting on almost 60 percent of their three-point attempts, and shooting over 50 perfect from the field as a team.

They needed only 22 minutes of work from the Truth, but he made his presence felt scoring eight points and pulling down five rebounds. He and the rest of the starters watched the fourth quarter from the bench, as their eighth consecutive victory had been decided since they built a 15-point advantage after one period of play.

That would prove to be their smallest lead of the day as they dominated a bewildered Mavericks team in every phase of the game, one of their most complete performances as a team this season.

"It's like a thing of beauty," Paul told the Boston Herald. "It's like we're all on the same page. It's like we're communicating on both ends. It's like perfection. That's what we try for each and every night. We know we're not perfect, but this is something we try to reach for."

MAKING A PITCH FOR MR. HOUSE
All-Star Weekend is approaching, and with it the three-point shooting competition. It's uncertain whether or not Paul's teammate, Ray Allen, will participate, but if he doesn't, the Truth feels fellow teammate Eddie House should represent Boston in the competition.

Paul sang the praises of his sharp-shooting teammate after Sunday's victory, in which House hit seven threes and totaled 23 points.

"I think he needs to go,'' Paul said of his fellow Celtic. "He is one of the quickest triggers in the league, as well as one of the most accurate. It would be nice to have a representative of the team, if Ray doesn't do it.'‘

NEXT UP
No. 34 and the Celtics welcome the Sacramento Kings to the Garden Wednesday night. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 PM Eastern Time.

RELATED STORIES
Celtics blow out Mavericks 124-100 (AP, January 25, 2009)
http://www.nba.com/games/20090125/DALBOS/recap.html
Heady times (Boston Globe, January 26, 2009)
http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2009/01/26/celt...
Celtics set bar high in victory over Mavericks (Boston Herald, January 26, 2009)
http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view/2009_01_26_Gr...

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