For a change, real go-getters

You hate to harp on the obvious, but it's so true: it really is all about the rebounding.

The Celtics still haven't won two straight this season, but they also have yet to lose three straight, avoiding that fate last night with a glass-crashing, 109-98 victory over the Golden State Warriors. The Celtics dominated the boards by a 49-37 margin. They had a 27-14 advantage in second-chance points, an eye-popping 60-30 advantage in points in the paint, and a 10-4 (over and out) advantage in blocked shots. That's where this one was won -- in the trenches.

''We had real problems in the paint," offered Warriors coach Mike Montgomery. You think?

It also didn't hurt that the Warriors put up so many stupid shots with no one in position to get a rebound. Often times, after (pick a name) jacked up an ill-advised shot, the Celtics ended up battling each other for the rebound. Watching Golden State, you wonder how it could possibly win 14 games all year, let alone by Christmas.

But coming off a pistol-whipping Saturday night, the Celtics, who have four fewer wins and three more losses than the Warriors, were in no position to gloat. They had to dictate the pace. ''Against Chicago, we laid back a little too much," said Ryan Gomes, who, like everyone else in white, played a strong game. ''At home, you can't do that."

The individual who figures out why some teams come to play on some nights and don't come to play on others is going to make Bill Gates look like he's on the dole. How can you explain the Celtics' noxious effort in Chicago and then, 48 hours hence, witness an inspired, aggressive, ''Why don't they do this more often?" type of performance we saw last night? It's inconsistency, for certain, but the Celtics already have played 24 games, so it's not just that. It's one of the great unknowns in sports.

We saw a similar Celtics' performance last month, when Kendrick Perkins had his (for now) Warholian moment in leading an assault on the glass against the Sixers. Boston obliterated Philadelphia inside and won, 110-103. Was it effective? It was. Did it last or carry over? It did not. The Celtics lost two nights later to the Bulls and got crushed on the glass.

Last night, the Celtics had an advantage of sorts in that the Warriors had played the night before in New Jersey. And last night, they had an across-the-board commitment to hitting the glass and controlling things, so much so that Doc Rivers went over the rebound figures sounding like a proud papa.

Gomes (''He was phenomenal," Rivers gushed) had 7 rebounds in 16 minutes. Perkins had 7 rebounds in 16 minutes. Al Jefferson had 8 in 24 minutes. Mark Blount (5), Paul Pierce (9), and Ricky Davis (5) all chipped in. Even Raef LaFrentz, who managed only three rebounds, made himself known with three blocked shots.

''I love looking at those rebounding numbers," Rivers said. ''Those are good numbers for us. Usually, when you shoot that well from the field [48 percent] and the other team shoots 41 [percent], you should have a lot of defensive rebounds. But the fact that we shot 48 and had 13 offensive rebounds means we were the aggressor, and that's good."

It's also, unfortunately for Rivers and crew, somewhat rare. You put all the numbers and variables into a rebounding Goblet of Fire and it spits out an unflattering number -- the Celtics rank 20th in total rebounding percentage. In total number of rebounds, only four teams collect fewer per game than the Celtics. In other words, they don't have more of the Philadelphia and Golden State games because, well, they're not a particularly efficient rebounding team. But they can be.

Last night, they were a collection of Moses Malones and Dennis Rodmans compared to what the Warriors could offer. I mean, does Adonal Foyle actually cash his checks with a straight face? He makes Blount look Duncanesque. But when you've got an opponent who's willing to be beaten, you better take out the whip and finish the job.

The Warriors put up no resistance inside all night -- except to foul -- and the Celtics capitalized on the mismatch.

''I still think we have a lot of work to do," Rivers said, surprising no one.

''But it was nice that we just played better [than they did in Chicago]. We played solid basketball, and that was good for us."