Final: Celtics 99, Sixers 82

By Gary Dzen, Boston.com Staff

Fans looking for a contrast to last night’s NCAA championship game between UConn and Butler probably liked the first half of tonight’s Celtics-Sixers tilt. Plenty of offense. Made shots. No pesky defense to get in the way.

But you can bet Doc Rivers hated it. It’s bad basketball when you let the other team’s guards combine to make 7 of 10 shots in the first quarter. It’s bad basketball when you shoot 67 percent as a team in the second quarter and lead by just four.

So coaches and fans alike could enjoy what the Celtics did in the second half, putting a vice grip on the Sixers on the defensive end en route to a 99-82 win in a potential first-round playoff preview. Four Celtics starters scored in double-figures on the win, while Jermaine O’Neal (9 points) and Nenad Krstic (8 points) shared the center duties admirably.

The Celtics put the first half behind them and cranked up their defense in the third quarter to build a 13-point lead, holding Philadelphia without a field goal until Elton’s Brand’s jumper with 6:19 remaining in the quarter. The Sixers didn’t exit the third quietly, cutting the lead to four points, but Rajon Rondo floated in a shot to beat the buzzer and put the Celtics up 10 after three.

Highlight-reel plays book-ended the end of the end of the third quarter and the start of the fourth. At the 10:47 mark in the fourth, Glen Davis found Jeff Green for an alley-oop that once again elevated the energy level in the building. Boston’s starters were able to come back in to finish what they started and preserve the win.

Offense wasn’t a problem for the Celtics in the first half, but stopping dribble penetration was. Sixers guards Jrue Holiday and Jodie Meeks combined for 18 points in the first quarter, with their scores coming mostly on drives to the basket. The Celtics shot 67 percent in the second but managed only a 54-50 lead at the break.

The came the clamps. Holiday never made another shot after the first quarter. Meeks finished the game with 10 points. Rajon Rondo paced the Celtics with 14 points and 13 assists in 32 minutes. Kevin Garnett played a very reasonable 24 minutes.

Next up for the Celtics is a big game at Chicago on Thursday night. It’s a game they need to win if they have any hope of getting the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.

2:50 4th quarter, Celtics 95-78: Ray Allen for three. It’s almost Gino time.

9:34 4th quarter, Celtics 79-67: Glen Davis finds Jeff Green for the highlight-reel ally-oop. Another great momentum play. This may be nitpicking, but Ray Allen’s taken only five shots. That’s fewer than every other Celtic except Delonte West. Allen needs to get more involved.

End 3d quarter, Celtics 75-65: Rajon Rondo beats the buzzer with a floater to put the Celtics up 10. Huge huge shot for momentum. This hasn’t been a particularly energetic game, but the building is alive right now.

4:53 3d quarter, Celtics 64-58: And just like that it’s coming too easily for Philadelphia. Glen Davis just picked up his fourth personal but is staying in the game. Troy Murphy is available, but Doc’s not calling his number.

6:28 3d quarter, Celtics 63-50: The Celtics have cranked up the help defense. Lots to like here.

9:44 3d quarter, Celtics 61-50: A 7-0 to start the second half for the Celtics. The Celtics are spreading the scoring: Pierce, Rondo, and Garnett are in double-figures, while ALlen and O’Neal have 8 and 9 points, respectively.

Halftime, Celtics 54-50: Kevin Garnett finishes the half with a pair of free throws as the Celtics go into the locker room feeling good about themselves.

Two standouts for the Celtics: Rajon Rondo, whose 12 points and 9 assists have controlled the game, and Jermaine O’Neal. Eight points and two rebounds in the first half for O’Neal. That’ll more than do in the scoring department. The Celtics are up to 56-percent shooting after being held under 50 percent in the first quarter. Now they’ve just got to step up their defense.

2:22 2d quarter, Celtics 45-44: Great challenge by Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett on a layup attempt by Andre Iguodala Allen was called for the foul, but the fact that Allen and Garnett were able to get back and contest when Philadelphia had a few steps on the break is a testament ot the health and conditioning of each player.

4:48 2d quarter, Tied at 39: Rajon Rondo just took it coast to coast without much resistance. He’s looked sharp tonight in 13 minutes: 10 points on 3-of-4 shooting.

8:32 2d quarter, Sixers 32-31: The Celtics had a lineup of West, Pierce, Green, Davis, and Krstic on the floor. before subbing in Ray Allen for Krstic. Smallest lineup we’ve seen all season I think.

End 1st quarter, Sixers 26-24: The Celtics would be doing fine if they could stop dribble penetration. Interested to see how the second unit does to start this quarter.

2:41 1st quarter, Celtics 24-22: After a scoreless interlude from Glen Davis, Nenad Krstic checks in and picks up where starter Jermaine O’Neal left off, getting two easy buckets. A lot of that undue pressure on Krstic comes from playing too many minutes. In a rotation with O’Neal, he could look pretty good.

4:29 1st quarter, Sixers 20-16: Doc Rivers can’t like his team’s defense. Jrue Holiday is 4 for 4 and the Sixers are shooting 53 percent.

7:19 1st quarter, Celtics 10-9: KG’s dropping dimes now. A brilliant look by Garnett to Jermaine O’Neal after KG got two defenders in the air and found J.O. wide open in the middle of the paint. Loving the ball movement so far.

9:09 1st quarter, Celtics 6-4: Rajon Rondo just faked himself into a sore lower back, his up-fake causing Jrue Holiday to bite and land awkwardly on Rondo. Rondo converts both free throws.

Pregame:
We’re ready to go here at TD Garden. Twelve players (plus Willie May) in uniform for the Celtics during the anthem. As Doc Rivers said before the game, “We have enough guys.” Play ball.