Right from the get go, Paul Pierce and the Boston Celtics pounced on the New Jersey Nets and never looked back, storming to 111-87 runaway victory Wednesday night.

With their 11th straight defeat over New Jersey (3-35), the Celtics (27-10) advanced to a 16-5 road record.

The Truth dunks on route to Boston's 27th win of the year (Getty Images).

No. 34 and the Cs set the tone early in the game by getting ahead by 21 in the first quarter.

By halftime, a win seemed apparent for Boston as they led the Nets 71-34.

Despite sustaining a bruised knee, the Truth was the Cs leading scorer with 24 points. He also added three assists and six rebounds. He too felt the need to capitalize off of the down-trodden Nets, as he told the Boston Herald:

"We know New Jersey was struggling, so we wanted to keep them struggling," said Paul Pierce after scoring 24 points in a relatively restful 28 minutes. "We need all we can get right now while we’re injured and depleted. We need all we can get until we get healthy. We’re trying to get through a tough stretch while we’re injured."

Coach Doc Rivers explained to the Boston Globe how having a lean bench factored into the team’s strategy:

"Down on bodies, [against] a team that’s been struggling, our whole thought was, if we can get off to a good start, maybe we can get other guys rest," River said. "And it all came on the defensive end first. And then the ball movement in the first half was as good as it can get."

FALSE EXPECTATIONS
Fans and analysts alike expected the best in the Atlantic Division to beat the worst team in the Atlantic Division, but the Captain told the Boston Herald he didn’t expect such an easy win over New Jersey.

"You never expect to be up by 36 at the half," Pierce said. "But I’ve been on a team that has a losing mentality. You lose your confidence when a team comes in and gets a big lead. I’ve been on the opposite side of that, and it kind of wears on you. You look up at the score and you feel like there’s no way we can win.

"I just thought we executed. We didn’t look at them like a 3-34 team. We looked at this like a game we’ve got to win coming off a loss."

With an impressive performance against the Nets, Boston is now 8-1 in division play.

NEXT UP
The Truth and his Boston brethren take on Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls Thursday night at home. In their last two matchups this season, the Cs beat Chicago by large margins.

On October 30th, the Captain scored 14 points leading Boston to a 118- 90 over Chicago. Paul scored 22 points in a blow out on Dec 12th, defeating the Bulls 106-80. Both games were quite a stark contrast to the thrilling Eastern Conference Semifinals performance they both put on last season. The Cs won the series in seven games.

The Bulls are 16 -10 and rank 8th in the Central Division, but the Bulls’ 120-87 recent defeat over the Detroit Pistons suggest that Derrick Rose is one to watch. Hoops World reported:

Derrick Rose added 22 points on an 11-of-13 shooting performance to go along with nine assists for the Bulls, who have won two in a row following a three-game skid. John Salmons made four three-pointers on his way to 17 points off the bench for Chicago, which shot 57.1 percent from the floor.

TIP OFF
The Boston Celtics and the Chicago Bulls renew their rivalry at the Garden on Thursday, January 14th. Game time is 8pm. The game will air on TNT and WEEI.

RELATED STORIES
Celtics shred Nets Impressive first half sets tone for a rout (Boston Globe, Jan. 14, 2010)
http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2010/01/14/celt...
Celtics rest easy in Jersey Rout just what team needed (Boston Herald, Jan. 14, 2010)
http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view/20100113paul_...
Celtics, Bulls renew rivalry in Beantown (Hoopsworld.com, Jan. 14, 2010)
http://www.hoopsworld.com/TheWireStory.asp?id=22605

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