19 for 19

After snapping their franchise-record 19-game win streak on Christmas, and blowing a double-digit lead in a loss to the Warriors, Boston responded by bludgeoning the Sacramento Kings by 45 points.

The Celtics' tight loss to the Lakers was foreseeable, but the loss to the Warriors sent them careening back to earth, which is right where we like them. The key is that after they got punched in the face, they bounced back.

The tune-up in Sacramento should leave the C's with fresh legs (no starter played more than 24 minutes) for Tuesday night's showdown with Portland. Good thing. The Blazers will be looking to avenge the embarrassing loss to the Celtics earlier this month.

To commemorate the longest winning streak in franchise history, I give you the 19-bullet point salute. That's right, 19 lines of random randomness. You're welcome.

• PERK IS A BEAST! I freely admit that now. The big man's game has turned a corner this season. Everyone knows what he can do on the defensive end, but it's Perk's offense that has made the difference to me this season. He is shooting 60 percent from the field again this season and is taking two more shots per game. Perk is patient and under control around the basket. His hook has gotten some arc, he hits the elbow jumper when he is left alone, and has added a little fade away that seems to fall every time. Put it this way, if Perk played against the Warriors, the Celtics are 29-3. And if you thought for one second that this was going to be the longest bullet point paragraph, you'd be right.
• I have nothing bad to say about Brian Scalabrine's contributions off the bench. That's the best you are going to get out of me. Ever.
• Contrary to most, I think the C's need a backup point guard more than another big man, but I don't think Stephon Marbury is the answer. Boston already has an offense-first "point guard" in Eddie House. We need a point guard who can push the ball like Rajon Rondo, get in the lane, and distribute and keep the offense moving. Watching the bench run an offensive set is like running into an ex-girlfriend. It's uncomfortable, awkward, and there's no chance of scoring.
• Speaking of Marbury, what is the deal with that tattoo on his head? My theory is that he got really drunk one night and passed out and one of his buddies had the logo of his ugly shoes tattooed on his head as a prank.
• The Pistons sent four players to the All-Star game in 2006, tying a record. The Celtics could arguably send their entire starting five this season. My prediction is only two, Pierce and Garnett, make the team, with Ray Allen staying home even as the leading scorer on the Celtics.
• The two best wins of the season, in my mind, are both games against the Atlanta Hawks. The Celtics, with the losing streak aside, have made closing out games offensively an art form during the early part of this season. It's a beautiful thing to watch, and just another large improvement from last year, when Boston relied on getting stops on the other end to finish games. Good stuff. I hate the Hawks.
• If Rondo doesn't make the All-Star game it will be the biggest travesty since Brett Favre made the Pro Bowl last week.
• I still can't get over the fact that Kobe Bryant is celebrated as a national hero.
• Pau Gasol is the ugliest human being alive. If you watch the end of the game on Christmas Day in slow motion, Gasol doesn't block Ray Allen's shot, the ball just refuses to come close to his horribly ugly face and changes directions in mid air. I can't believe the C's lost at the hands of Gasol's homeliness!
• Seriously, look at this thing. Yikes!
• When people talk about Michael Jordan being the most competitive athlete of all time, they often reference the dust ups with teammates in practices, and I agree that is intense. But did he ever berate a second-year player so badly that the player went to the end of the bench and cried for the remainder of the fourth quarter on national television?
• Oh yeah, it was a 10-point Celtics lead in the fourth quarter at the time.
• After the big game against the Lakers, we only have to wait until Jan. 9 for the next hyped match up, when Boston visits the Cavaliers. So while 1/9/09 may not have the commercial appeal of Christmas, it is former Red Sox legend Otis Nixon's 50th birthday.
• The Celtics have dropped to #2 in Marc Stein's power rankings for the first time this season, but they don't give out hardware for topping the power rankings. If they did, I think John Hollinger's trophy should be a bronze-dipped graphing calculator.
• Sam I am ... never going to play, apparently. Do you think Sam Cassell has his uniform on under those warm ups? Is he still wearing his dress socks? My guess: He is wearing his street clothes under his warm ups. Seriously, is he ever going to play?
• Al Jefferson dropped 38 and 16 in an overtime victory over the Grizzlies. I love Big Al. I'm still OK with the trade, I'm just saying he's good.
• So the Warriors' victory must have felt good for the fans of Golden State. They watched their depleted team with only one good player beat a championship caliber squad against all odds. Sounds a lot like that victory over the Spurs in 2006, which still is one of the most enjoyable Celtics victories this decade.
• It looks like the Celtics won't be signing Dikembe Mutumbo. Doc Rivers continues to tell the media that he believes Mutumbo will return to the Rockets. At least Houston won't hold off until the last minute, swoop in and land Mutumbo for $180 million for 8 years just when we all thought he was coming to Boston. I mean, what kind of jerks would do a thing like that?
• I wish there was something to commemorate the Celtics winning the 19 straight games without a loss. I was going to make t-shirts that said 19-0 on them but someone else already had the rights. What can you do?