Celtics (almost) halfway there

All signs point to the Celtics being the home team when they meet the New Jersey Nets at the TD Banknorth Garden Wednesday night. But if the Celtics are heeding Rajon Rondo's advice, they will be wary. Rondo, for one, knows the Nets are among the few teams in professional sport with a better road record than home record.

"New Jersey is a great team, and they play better on the road than at home," Rondo said after a morning shootaround in Waltham.

The Nets (19-19), who have a 10-7 away record, improved to 9-12 at home with a 103-99 overtime victory against Oklahoma City Monday.

Rondo's attention is focused on orchestrating the Celtics' offense on the court, but he makes it a priority to be aware of the team's situation off the court, also.

"I might be one of the only guys on the team who noticed," Rondo said, "but after this game, we're halfway through the season."

A victory over the Nets would leave the Celtics (31-9) on a 64-win pace, two less than last season.