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Print | Comments () Posted by Ian Rider February 24, 2008 11:54 PM

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Sorry for not posting in a while. I was actually traded from Boston.com and had to wait 30 days for my contract to be bought out before I could come back, only I didn’t open my yap about it like Stackhouse.

Early Sunday evening Paul Pierce and the Celtics got their first win since the All-Star break over the Portland Trailblazers. Early on it looked like the Celtics were in for another West Coast whoopin’ when the Blazers dominated them on the boards in the first half and had a 17-point lead in the second quarter.

The slow start was primarily due to Kendrick Perkins getting into early foul trouble. This forced Scot Pollard to be the first man off the bench for the Celtics. Never a good sign. I never really understood what the Celtics saw in Pollard, from watching him in preseason, basically, he barely ambled up and down the court fast enough to foul somebody. Early in the season, though, he actually pitched in some solid minutes in a few games. On Sunday, however, he came in and was a good three steps late on defensive rotations, and couldn’t grab a rebound if it fell in his lap. Literally. Watch the tape. Nothing is more deflating to a defense than giving up second-chance opportunities.

Once Doc realized it and pulled the Receding Hairline Samurai from the game, the rebounds evened out and the Celtics’ defensive intensity picked up, it was clear sailing from there on out.

After one of his worst games of the year against Phoenix, Paul Pierce torched Portland’s Brandon Roy, Travis Outlaw, and any other defender they threw at him, for 30 points, seven boards, and five assists Sunday. Ray Allen and James Posey supplied the open three pointers when the Blazers collapsed on Pierce and the Celtics looked like they did in the first half of the season. Against the Nuggets and Warriors earlier in the week the offense played well, and against the Suns, the defense returned. It finally all came together against the Blazers in a true return to form for the C’s.

Even after losing three straight, the Celtics maintained the best record in the league, leading Detroit by two games. The C’s have one left against the Clippers on Monday, and then it’s back home, while the Pistons have the next four on the road in the West. Hopefully the Celtics can open up the lead up for the East’s best record during that time.

Three things I thought while admiring Greg Oden’s frohawk…

The Celtics’ 12 losses have been by a combined 52 points, seven more than the 45points they beat the Knicks by earlier in the season.

Watching the teams the Celtics have played on this West Coast trip, it is shocking that the C’s have such a good record with Kendrick Perkins as their center. Now, I’m not hating Perk, he is a serviceable NBA player, but he shouldn’t be starting anywhere in the league, let alone on a title contender. I would take Andris Biedrins, Marcus Camby, Joe Pryzbilla, and LaMarcus Aldridge over Perk as our starting center. With Rajon Rondo’s improved play, I really feel that the starting center spot is the most dire need on the team. A veteran PG is a close second.

I’d like to go on record and say that Ray Allen was robbed for the All-Star MVP. He played half the minutes LeBron did, and without Ray getting hot at the end, the East loses. Fact!

tags Boston Celtics, Portland Trail Blazers