Celtics have will and Ray

INDIANAPOLIS - After winning the NBA championship last season, the Celtics felt they needed to repeat in order to be regarded among the franchise's best teams. But after taking a 122-117 overtime win over Indiana last night, this group has established itself, at least statistically.

The Celtics (20-2) recorded their 12th straight victory to match the best start to a season set by the 1963-64 team, becoming the first Celtic team to win 20 of its first 22 contests in successive years.

Ray Allen (35 points) outscored the Pacers, 7-6, in the first 4:31 of overtime to clinch the result. Allen converted a 3-pointer with :03 left on the shot clock and 43 seconds remaining, then hit two foul shots 14 seconds later for a 118-111 Celtics lead. Though the Pacers rallied with a 4-point possession, their 2-for-5 foul shooting earlier in OT was decisive.

"We just found a way to win," coach Doc Rivers said. "[The Pacers] played terrific. We stole that one and that feels great. Ray's just on fire - he had a great game and great overtime, he hit all the shots when we needed him to."

Though they dominated the overtime, the Celtics were on the verge of defeat late in regulation. Paul Pierce misfired and Kendrick Perkins missed two foul shots after grabbing the offensive rebound with 23 seconds to go.

During a timeout, Rivers told the team, "We're still not out of the game," and he was right.

Allen's missed 3-pointer would have been their last gasp - but Eddie House controlled the rebound and found Pierce for a 3-pointer to tie the score at 105 with 7.4 seconds to go.

In the final seconds of overtime, Pierce (17 points) hit two free throws to move into fourth on the all-time team list with 17,336 points (one more than Kevin McHale) and Kevin Garnett (17 points) grabbed his 20th rebound of the game and added two more free throws.

"We spread the wealth," Allen said. "Paul or KG, if one of us has it going, that person can take a lot of shots. We got a little lucky [in overtime], scoring first and just making them play a little more on their heels by attacking them. Then, we got some stops when we needed to."

Perkins's free throw gave the Celtics the lead 18 seconds into OT, after Rajon Rondo took possession of Perkins's tip.

Rondo gave the Celtics some breathing room with a drive for a 113-110 edge with 2:14 to go. Then, the Celtics' defense forced an airball in the lane by Marquis Daniels and a turnover by Rasho Nesterovic followed by Jarrett Jack's make and miss at the line with 1:13 left. Allen then capped a 30-second possession with a straight-on 3-pointer.

The Celtics struggled offensively, though not as much as they did in a 95-79 loss to Indiana in the Pacers' home opener last month, often failing to move the ball quickly enough to the weak side. But the Celtics defense was tenacious enough when it counted. Boston held the Pacers without a field goal for the final 5:03 of regulation. Only Jack's six foul shots - after Troy Murphy's jumper provided Indiana with a 99-97 edge - kept the Pacers alive.

Indiana (7-13) was resourceful, Daniels beating the buzzer with a 3-pointer before halftime for a 57-55 lead and Jack countering Brian Scalabrine's 3-pointer with a buzzer-beating drive and an 81-78 edge after three quarters. But Jack launched an airball as the Pacers took the final regulation-time shot after gaining possession with 0.8 seconds on the clock following a Celtic inbounding turnover.

The Celtics started strong, Indiana's sixth turnover in less than six minutes leading to a Perkins free throw and a 17-9 lead, a minute before Allen's 3-pointer extended the advantage to 22-13 with 4:58 to go in the first quarter. The Celtics closed the quarter with an 8-1 run, Pierce's free throw providing a 32-22 advantage with 57 seconds to play.

But the Pacers went on a 13-3 spurt over 3:47 to start the second quarter, tying the scoreat 35 on Daniels's 3-point play off an inbounds feed. Garnett then keyed a Celtic rally, Perkins giving them a 52-45 edge with 2:10 to play. But the Celtics would score only once more in the half, House and Daniels trading 3-pointers in the final three seconds, the Pacers scoring 9 successive points and taking that 57-55 halftime lead.

The Celtic defense seemed to be putting the squeeze on early in the second half, Indiana converting only twice from the field in the first 4:56. But the Pacers' defending was also vise-like, forcing the Celtics to be resourceful, Pierce's drive with :02 on the shot clock giving them a 66-62 edge 3:08 into the half. But Daniels's drive tied the score with 7:04 remaining, Nesterovic then capping an 11-3 run for a 73-69 Indiana edge with 4:32 left in the quarter. The Celtics had a 4:18 span without a field goal before Allen's 3-pointer tied it, 75-75, with 2:22 to go.

"I'm actually surprised to see that their record is what it is," Allen said of the Pacers. "They are better than what it shows. It's a testament to our team that we didn't come in looking at their record and expecting to walk over them. We came in respecting them and knowing it was going to be a tough game."