Celtics lower boom on defenseless Sonics

Typically, the Celtics spend most of halftime reviewing video clips of defensive miscues made during the first and second quarters. Video coordinator Jamie Young had the edits ready last night when coach Doc Rivers said, "I'm not watching that. There's too many of them." Instead, Rivers pointed to Kendrick Perkins and said, "If you don't play defense, we don't play defense."

Knowing he can set the tone defensively, Perkins took the criticism well, picking up his play after the break. Al Jefferson, Gerald Green, Rajon Rondo, and the rest of the Celtics did the same. As a result, the Seattle SuperSonics went from shooting 66 percent in the first half to 31 percent in the second. While Rivers called the Celtics' second-half defense "phenomenal," Sonics coach Bob Hill said the second half represented his team's worst defensive performance of the season.

Thus, Boston rallied from a 16-point, second-quarter deficit, shot 68 percent in the second half, and defeated Seattle, 118-103, at TD Banknorth Garden. After a franchise-record 18-game losing streak, the Celtics have won five of their last six. But more than that, they have increasing confidence that players such as Jefferson, Green, Rondo (starting in place of the injured Delonte West), and Perkins can get the job done.

"I guess we finally listened to what Doc was talking about," said Jefferson (31 points, 16 rebounds). "He's been preaching [the importance of defense] all year. If we're going to win games, it's going to be because of defense. It's not about who got the most points, but who got the most stops. The more we got stops, the easier it was to score."

The third proved the decisive quarter for the Celtics (18-43) as they shut down the Sonics (25-37) for nearly all of the final seven minutes, and regained the lead for the first time since early in the opening quarter. Boston went ahead during a 17-0 run when Jefferson scored on a hook shot with 2:15 remaining in the third. Boston took an 84-79 lead when Pierce capped the run with a fast-break layup with 44.6 seconds left.

As the Celtics were busy retaking the lead, the Sonics were struggling through a scoring drought that started after Rashard Lewis nailed a 3-pointer to give Seattle a 79-67 advantage with 6:41 left in the third. It was not until Earl Watson knocked down a 3-pointer with 34.8 seconds remaining in the quarter that the dry spell ended. The Sonics had little to show in the quarter, shooting just 27 percent (6 for 22). Ray Allen (22 points), who led the Seattle offense as it established a double-digit lead in the first half, went 0 for 5 in the third while playing the entire quarter.

"I don't think there's a single guy that didn't give us something," said Rivers. "Allan Ray and Gerald Green did a terrific job harassing Ray Allen, just denying the catch. We felt once he caught it, it would be tough to guard him. Al woke up in the second half defensively and he was fantastic. In the first half, he was as bad as he was good in the second half."

From the rebounding of Jefferson to the dunks of Green (19 points) and Leon Powe (6 points in 13 minutes) to the steals of Rondo, there was a lot to enjoy as the Celtics stretched their lead throughout the fourth. Jefferson ensured the win by scoring 14 points in the quarter as Boston shot 75 percent (12 for 16).

"We lost two key guys [West and Ryan Gomes], so for the young guys to come in and step up and keep the lead in the fourth quarter was good," said Pierce (21 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists). "At one point, Doc was going to put me in the game, and I told him to leave the guys out there a little bit longer because they were playing so well."

Undoubtedly, Pierce was not as content to sit and watch during the first half. After a slow start, Allen made his presence felt, capping an 8-1 run to start the second quarter with a driving layup followed by a 19-footer. In the Sonics' second big run of the quarter, Allen scored 7 points during an 11-2 spurt. But Boston closed the quarter with a 10-3 run and entered halftime behind, 66-57.

"We've learned to stick with it and not get discouraged," said Pierce. "We know that Seattle is not that great of a defensive team, so if we could make a stand, we knew we could get back in the game."