Celtics, 105-94 (final)
Now the real fun starts.
The Celtics dispatched of the New Jersey Nets 105-91 tonight at the TD Banknorth Garden, finishing the regular season with a 66-16 record as they enter their first round series with the Atlanta Hawks.
Tonight’s contest was less of a game and more of a party to celebrate the team’s 66-win regular season. Fans didn’t come to see the Celtics face the Nets. They came to rally behind their troops for what they hope is a successful playoff run.
Let’s get the game details out of the way. The Nets played sloppy basketball (11 turnovers) in the first half and trailed by six at the break. The closed the gap in the third quarter, but solid play by Leon Powe, Tony Allen, and Eddie House off the Boston bench was enough to hold on against a lackluster Nets team.
Despite not playing much, the Big Three were involved in the game throughout. At one point, Kevin Garnett ran from the bench to help Powe to his feet after Powe was fouled under the basket. Powe led the Celtics with 27 points and 11 rebounds in 34 minutes.
Brian Scalabrine logged 29 minutes, and at one point heard chants of “Scalabrine” from the home crowd.
Richard Jefferson had 24 points for New Jersey.
Fans were surprisingly enthusiastic for this meaningless Wednesday-night tilt. Most of the familiar season ticket holders were in attendance. And let’s face it: with Celtics tickets getting harder and harder to come by, many fans were probably seeing their first game at the Garden this season.
The crowd gave the team a standing ovation as it exited the court.
Gino made a triumphant appearance when the game was well in hand, and a curly-haired young fan sporting a Gino shirt showed us the best impersonation we’ve seen all season. Now that’s what the fans came to see.
The Celtics will find out the date and time of their first playoff game late tonight/early tomorrow morning, but it’ll either be on Saturday or Sunday here against the Atlanta Hawks.
We’re headed to the locker room for some last-chance playoff insights from the players and coaches. Back in a bit.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com