Celtics deliver encore

Perhaps the future is here to stay.

For the second consecutive game, Al Jefferson (10 points, 10 rebounds) and Kendrick Perkins (11 points, six rebounds) proved instrumental down the stretch. With the young players again complementing the proven talents of Paul Pierce and Ricky Davis, the Celtics defeated the Nets, 99-96, last night at the TD Banknorth Garden.

Combined with a 103-96 win over Minnesota Wednesday, it was just the second time this season that Boston has recorded consecutive victories. But this winning streak feels more substantial, especially with Jefferson and Perkins now demonstrating some consistency. Some might even dare call the last two wins a turning point.

''I believe Wednesday was the beginning of something," said Jefferson. ''I think then [coach] Doc [Rivers] started to trust us. We've got to keep that trust. We're put in at the end, so we've got to play hard. As long as we're playing hard, it's going to be like that for a long time."

Although the Celtics have been a case study in why young teams and close games are generally not a good combination, victories over New Jersey and Minnesota hint that inexperience in the fourth quarter may be a thing of the past. Or, at least, something that is less of a problem. For the second straight game, the Celtics saw a sizable lead (12 points against the Nets, 8 points against the Timberwolves) evaporate before the closing minutes.

With the Celtics struggling from the free throw line (20 for 34) against the Nets and both teams experiencing difficulties from the field, the game stood tied at 92 with 2 minutes 46 seconds remaining after a pair of free throws by New Jersey's Vince Carter. On the Celtics' next possession, Perkins grabbed an offensive rebound and pushed his team ahead for good, 94-92, with a layup. He had a chance at a 3-point play, but the Celtics' free throw troubles were clearly contagious as he missed from the line.

After a free throw by Carter, Davis went to the line to extend the Celtics' lead. He missed the second of two foul shots, but Jefferson snatched the rebound and scored on a layup. Jefferson also had a shot at a 3-point play but could not make good on the free throw. Still, the Celtics held a 97-93 lead with 85 seconds remaining. At the other end, Carter missed a layup and Jefferson again came up with a big rebound.

''These guys are starting to gain confidence by the hour, by the second," said Pierce (25 points, 12 rebounds), who led six Celtics in double figures. ''For them to play the way they did down the stretch with the big rebounds, the big [hoops plus fouls], that's tremendous."

The Celtics, however, committed a turnover (bad pass by Pierce) before they could get off a shot to stretch their lead. Then, Jason Kidd (24 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists) heaved a 3-pointer and bumped into Pierce at the arc, setting up the veteran point guard for a 4-point play. But Kidd, too, missed from the line, and the Celtics had the ball and a 97-96 lead with 38.1 seconds remaining.

The ball went to Davis on the ensuing possession and he front-rimmed a 16-footer, giving the Nets one last chance in regulation. Carter went in for a runner and missed, and Davis swallowed up the rebound and was immediately fouled. He went to line and made both shots to give Boston a 3-pont lead with 3.1 seconds left. Then, the sellout crowd and the Celtics held their collective breath as Carter missed a long 3-pointer at the buzzer that would have sent the game to overtime.

Carter has handed the Celtics a considerable amount of heartbreak in recent years, but not this time. He scored just 5 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter.

''When it left his hand I said, 'No,' " said Jefferson. ''When it was halfway in the air, I was like, 'Oh, it's Vince Carter. He's known for that.' Once it hit the rim, it was like a release. [I thought], 'Things are going to go our way.' "

Neither Jefferson nor anyone else wearing a Celtics uniform last night could be blamed for thinking otherwise in the third quarter. After entering halftime ahead, 53-44, the Celtics fell behind, 68-67, for the first time since the game's opening seconds when Cliff Robinson hit a 17-footer with 4:44 left in the third. It took New Jersey (21-16) almost three quarters to start playing like the Atlantic Division leader and winners of 12 of its previous 15 games. But to its credit, Boston (16-23) looked like a team trying to make a statement and prove that it can still earn a playoff spot in the unpredictable East, and what the players believe to be a wide-open division. Boston finished the third quarter ahead, 77-74, and refused to fold in the fourth.

''It was nice that after [the Nets] fought back and took the lead, we kept our composure, we kept fighting," said Rivers. ''Good things happen when you do that. Good things happen when you play with effort. That's two [games] in row that we've done it.

''I do think we're growing."