BOSTON — The Celtics haven’t had two days off between home games for more than a month — and won’t again until April — so the process of building a cohesive team capable of contending in the Eastern Conference continues for head coach Doc Rivers in Waltham on Monday and Tuesday.

“If you want quality product, you have to give time for quality product to be quality. And you have to have time for that,” said Kevin Garnett, who totaled 13 points, 12 rebounds, four blocks and three assists in Sunday’s win over the Bulls. “It’s not just something just because you have four guys who have been together — you’ve got a whole group of guys that’s in here, and chemistry is everything. And I’m not going to back off that. So, we have some days where we do have some practice time, and you’ll see a better, more quality product, so I’m happy for that.”

Of course, the same was said on Jan. 7 when the Celtics had a stretch of four days off between home games, and then promptly lost four straight to cap the longest losing streak of this Big Three era (5 games). Since then, though, the Celtics have won 11 of their last 15 games — including a string of nine out of 10 — capped by the 95-91 victory against the Bulls, albeit without reigning MVP Derrick Rose in the lineup.

“That team is very experienced, and I think that they’re playing at a very high level,” said Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau, who served as an assistant under Rivers during the 2007-10 glory years. “As I said before the game, even in the Lakers game I thought they played very well and could’ve won that, of course they won the nine out of 10 and I throw out the Toronto game because to me that was a scheduling game. They had back-to-back — a late start here and then the travel to Toronto — so that was a tough game for them.

“Throw that one out, they’re playing at a very high level,” added Thibs. “When you have [Paul] Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin and [Rajon] Rondo running the team, their bench has been playing very well, they’ve been getting a number of contributions from different people, so they’re going to be a dangerous team.”

Kevin Garnett liked the energy his Celtics teammates brought from the start in their victory against the Bulls. (AP)

That’s coming from a guy who has led the Bulls to an NBA-best 85-27 regular-season record since the start of last season. The Celtics are now 15-12 after a horrid 5-9 start to this season, climbing to the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference and only 3.5 games behind the 76ers in the Atlantic Division.

But things don’t get any easier. The C’s play once more at home, against the Pistons (8-21), before a five-game road trip that includes stops in Chicago, Dallas and Oklahoma City sandwiched around the NBA All-Star Game in late February.

And March is worse. The Celtics have already played 18 of their 33 home games, so 11 of their 17 games next month are on the road, including an eight-game road trip that will put almost 8,000 miles towards their frequent flyer program. In essence, these next two days are invaluable to Rivers, who won’t have two off days at home again until April 2-3 between a pair of tough games against the Heat and Spurs.

These next 48 hours could also benefit a group Keyon Dooling dubbed “the walking wounded.” Celtics starters have already missed 21 games this season (Rondo 8, Jermaine O’Neal 6, Allen 4 and Pierce 3). Off the bench, key contributors Brandon Bass (knee; out up to two weeks), Avery Bradley (shoulder), Chris Wilcox (shoulder, calf), Sasha Pavlovic (wrist), Marquis Daniels (ankle) and Dooling (knee, hip) have all missed time.

Only Garnett has played all 27 games. Still, Sunday’s victory was another sign that, as Garnett said, “we played like the old Celtics that I know we are.” Somehow, even without all of them healthy at the same time, Rivers has developed a nine-man rotation — the starters plus Mickael Pietrus, Bass, Wilcox and Bradley off the bench — that could compete in the Eastern Conference playoffs if healthy. Not to mention the occasional contributions from rookies JaJuan Johnson (10 points in 33 minutes agains the Bulls), E’Twaun Moore and Greg Stiemsma.

“I think Paul’s healthy, so that’s the big thing,” said Thibodeau. “Rondo’s healthy. Kevin’s been at a high level all year. And Ray’s had a spectacular year. But I think the big thing is their bench has had time now to get acclimated to their system, get comfortable playing with each other, so I think when you have a shortened camp like everybody did and if you have new players it’s going to take time, but I think the big thing is Paul’s health.”

Pierce is averaging 18.8 points, 6.1 assists, 5.8 rebounds and 1.5 steals in his last 10 games, obviously a huge reason the Celtics have turned their season around. On top of that, the C’s bench is averaging 27.3 points and holding opposing reserves to 24.0 points per game. Compare that to the other four seasons during the Garnett era.

• 2007-08: Celtics bench 27.8, Opponents bench 26.1
• 2008-09: Celtics bench 26.2, Opponents bench 27.9
• 2009-10: Celtics bench 26.8, Opponents bench 26.1
• 2010-11: Celtics bench 26.1, Opponents bench 28.3
• 2011-12: Celtics bench 27.3, Opponents bench 24.0

This year’s reserves have the largest point differential in the past five years, have held opponents to fewer points than any other C’s bench in this Big Three era and have averaged more points than any other group since the 2008 NBA title team. Not only that, but Garnett believes practice time like these next two days can only improve the team’s continuity, considering he cited “miscommunication between the bench and the players who were on the floor” as one factor for the Celtics nearly coughing up a 14-point lead late in the fourth quarter on Sunday.

“They know the system,” added Garnett. “They understand what we’re trying to do here. It’s been told countless times what we do here. The opportunity is a whole ‘nother thing.”

These next two days off might make those opportunities a whole lot more effective. And who knows? If Rivers ever has his full rotation available, maybe, just maybe these Celtics could give a team like the Bulls a run for its money in the Eastern Conference playoffs, when days off between games won’t be so rare.

(Have a question, concern or conception for tomorrow’s Irish Coffee? Send a message to @brohrbach on Twitter.)

The Celtics were without Jermaine O’Neal and Brandon Bass Sunday. They were going up against a front-court of Joakim Noah, Luol Deng and Carlos Boozer that destroyed them on Jan. 13 in Boston in Chicago’s win over the Celtics.

You figured the Celtics were in for a long afternoon-into-night. You figured wrong.

Chris Wilcox got the start and scored 11 points and grabbed nine rebounds in 26 minutes while rookie JaJuan Johnson had 12 points in 33 remarkable minutes off the bench as the Celtics stunned the Bulls, 95-91. The Bulls only outscored the Celtics, 40-38, in the paint. Wilcox ran the floor, finishing four Rajon Rondo fast breaks with dunks, while Johnson had the biggest game of his rookie year out of Purdue. Those were two big reasons why.

“I think anybody can run. I mean, [Kareem Abdul-Jabbar] was running at 37, 38, and 40,” Doc Rivers joked. “So it’s not that – whatever your speed is, you’ve just got to do it every time. And I think it’s the consistency of doing it every single time. Chris was phenomenal, though, with his speed, and so was JaJuan. I mean, both of them. The one things we did know when those two were in – you know, our post defense was what it was, and I thought JuJuan overall, except for the very beginning when he first got in, they he kind of – then he kind of caught on, and got into it. After that, I thought his speed and Chris’ athleticism, both of them, had a major impact.”

As for Johnson, Rivers wants to see more.

“Yeah, but he’s got to keep doing it. You know, one game doesn’t make a star. One season doesn’t make a star. So you’ve just got to keep doing it, and he’s got to do it consistently. He will, like I keep saying, he’s a great kid and he wants to do it. He’s young and he’s still learning focus and all that. But he’s a good player.

“And be able to catch. I mean, they both have pretty good hands, okay hands, but, yeah it helps. It really helps. And you know what people miss is I thought Paul and Ray ran – and because they run, and we showed them on the film, we showed old games today on the film – that when the two guards run, Ray and Paul, and it puts them in the dilemma: do they stay out, wide, in the break and take away their threes? If they do that, if one of our bigs run, then we’re going to get it. I don’t believe two bigs on the other team is going to run every single time, is the point I keep making. Someone eventually is going to say, ‘I’m not running back.’ One of those bigs. And we’re going to get a lay-up.”

“It was great,” Johnson said of the team’s energy. “I think one of the things that caused it was just Doc telling everyone to run. I think we got easy buckets in transition. When you get those transition buckets, dunks, layups, I think it gets the crowd into it too. So I think that was a big key to this game.”

As for his own game, Johnson was proud.

“I played good,” Johnson said. “I think, next to Rondo, I didn’t play good at all. I played not that many minutes, but when I was out there I definitely didn’t play the best I could.”

“Yeah, that’s what I’ve got to do, night in, night out, just got to keep on running, keep getting aggressive,” Wilcox said. “And I think that’s one of the advantages I do have with a lot of guys – I do run the floor well and that’s what I’ve got to keep doing, you know, to help this team win. And that’s what I’m willing to do.”

The crowd inside the Celtics locker room waited and waited and then waited some more. But Rajon Rondo never came out and talked about his second triple-double of the season Sunday.

And the Celtics needed every bit of his 32 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds to hold on for dear life in a 95-91 win over the Bulls, providing Boston with arguably its biggest win of the season.

After approximately an hour wait in the dressing room, Kevin Garnett finally came out and gave a clue as to why Rondo was radio silent.

“He had a bit of a rough day but he played through it,” Garnett said. “He was professional. I thought he… played with that edge.”

Asked to clarify what the rough day meant afterward, Garnett would only smile and joke, spinning the following answer: “I’d love to have that kind of rough day.”

Garnett also spoke at length about a tough film session coach Doc Rivers gave to the team before the game, less than 48 hours after Rondo put up a very mediocre performance in an 86-74 loss in Toronto Friday night.

Rondo was 2-of-10 from the field, finishing with five points, seven assists and five rebounds and five turnovers in 41 minutes.

Sunday, he posted his ninth career triple-double. Quite the turnaround.

Was Rondo extra motivated?

“Oh, I don’t know. I’m going to let you guys be that deep,” Rivers said. “I wish I could get in someone’s head that deep. I just think he wanted to win. And I thought we played at a better pace today. You could see it: we were trying to run today. And that’s how we have to play. [If] we didn’t turn the ball over we would’ve had far more points. But I just liked our pace and that’s all we talked about after the game in Toronto and today in our morning walk-through – was enough of the walking. And it was not Rondo, it’s the team. The bigs have to run the floor. [Paul Pierce] and [Ray Allen] have to run the floor.”

Then came another clue as to what might have transpired to contribute to Rondo’s “rough day.”

“It does a lot of things,” Rivers said of Rondo running the fast break. “We get early posts from our bigs, we get jump shots from the break, and we get Rondo in the open court. And when you walk, it’s easy to guard.”

Hmmm. The Celtics finished the game with a 33-7 advantage in fast break points, converting all 13 chances.

BOSTON — Receiving little help from Paul Pierce and Ray Allen through the first three quarters, Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo put the team on his back, taking advantage of reigning MVP Derrick Rose‘s absence and recording a triple-double in leading the C’s to victory against the visiting Bulls, 95-91.

Rondo finished with a season highs of 32 points (11-22 FG, 10-13 FT) and 15 assists to go along with his 10 rebounds. His 4-for-4 free throw shooting down the stretch helped the Celtics snap a two-game losing streak and improved to 15-12.

While Pierce and Allen combined for just 10 points (3-11 FG) and one rebound through the third quarter, they totaled 10 points in the fourth quarter as the C’s built a double-digit lead that nearly disappeared. Fourth amigo Kevin Garnett (13 points, 12 rebounds) contributed a double-double to provide a Robin to Rondo’s Batman.

Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah combined for 38 points and 16 rebounds for the Bulls (23-7) with Rose sidelined by back spasms.

WHAT WENT RIGHT

Rondo goes: With Rose nursing his back spasms, Rondo had free reign against Bulls backup point guards C.J. Watson and John Lucas. In the first 10 minutes, Rondo amassed 11 points, two assists and two rebounds as the Celtics PA announcer seemingly called his name every time down the floor. His first-quarter effort staked the C’s to a 28-23 lead. The Celtics entered the game with a 10-2 record when leading after the opening 12 minutes.

Automatic transition: Likewise, without Rose running the floor, Rondo & Co. roamed free on the fast break. The Celtics entered the game averaging just 10.3 fast break points per game (ranked 25th in the NBA). They outscored the Bulls by a 33-7 margin — with Rondo’s layups and alley-oop assists leading the way.

Willing Wilcox: With Jermaine O’Neal and Brandon Bass both sidelined by knee injuries, Chris Wilcox got his first start in a Celtics uniform. He rose to the occasion, totaling 11 points (5-6 FG) and nine rebounds.

WHAT WENT WRONG

Frontcourt depth: In the absences of O’Neal and Bass, Celtics head coach Doc Rivers was forced to turn to both Greg Stiemsma and JaJuan Johnson for minutes as soon as the first quarter, and neither has fully grasped the team’s sets yet. However, in a season-high 33 minutes, Johnson totaled 12 points and four boards — showing signs he’s gaining confidence in the jump shot that made him so successful at the collegiate level.

Second chances: The Celtics entered the game allowing just over 11 offensive rebounds per game — not a very good number. By halftime, Chicago had already amassed 11 offensive boards. The Bulls finished with 15 offensive rebounds and outscored the Celtics 20-6 on second-chance points.

Carelessness: The Celtics committed 19 turnovers, leading to 18 Bulls points. It’s a wonder they led almost the entire game.

However, all four of those wins had been at the Garden and their two losses — at New Orleans and Indiana — ranked as two of the worst losses of the season. You can add Friday night’s 86-74 loss in Toronto to the list as the Celtics looked not only old and tired, but disorganized and ineffective.

They scored 14 points in the first quarter and 17 in the third, placing the blame squarely on the shoulders of the starting five.

WHAT WENT WRONG

– Rajon Rondo put together perhaps his most ineffective nine minutes as a Celtic, taking two shots, missing both and turning the ball over four times with no assists. He wasn’t much better in the second quarter, either. Or the third, or the fourth. In what was Rondo’s worst game of the season, he scored five points on 2-for-10 shooting, while allowing Jose Calderon to score 17 points and hand out 13 assists.

– It wasn’t just Rondo. Ray Allen and Paul Pierce combined to shoot 7-for-19. Rondo, Allen and Pierce were outscored by Calderon, DeMar DeRozan and James Johnson by a combined score of 52-23.

– Jermaine O’Neal joined Keyon Dooling and Sasha Pavlovic on the injured list. O’Neal has somewhat remarkably missed only five games this season and has already played 49 more regular season minutes than he did all of last season. Somehow, someway the Celtics have to get through the rest of the season with O’Neal playing 75 percent of the games.

– The Celtics switched to a zone to get more shooting on the floor, but they didn’t play it well. The Raptors made just 1-of-11 3-pointers through the first three quarters, but buried 4-of-8 in the fourth.

WHAT WENT RIGHT

– Avery Bradley, on the other hand, did what Avery Bradley does. He caused havoc on the defensive end, brought the ball up the court without incident on the offensive end and then got out of the way. Unfortunately, Bradley could only give them seven minutes because of an injured shoulder.

– Kevin Garnett scored 17 points and had eight rebounds, but it wasn’t nearly enough.

BOSTON — He might look like a llama, but he sure doesn’t play like one.

Lakers forward Pau Gasol recorded 25 points and 14 rebounds against the Celtics on Thursday night, but his biggest play of the 88-87 Los Angeles victory came when he blocked Ray Allen‘s put-back attempt off a Paul Pierce miss as the overtime buzzer sounded.

“Probably, for sure,” Gasol said when asked if he thought Allen’s attempt would have sunk the Lakers had he not blocked the shot. “I think he had momentum, he was going to the rim, he’s obviously got amazing touch and I continued to play. I made a big play down the stretch, which could have cost the game.”

The Lakers wouldn’t have been in position to win the game had it not been for Gasol and center Andrew Bynum‘s combined 41 points and 31 rebounds — 20 of which came on the offensive end.

“We try to play hard and dominate every game and be a dominating couple every game,” added Gasol. “I think with our size and our level of skills, we can be. Sometimes we get to do it. Sometimes it doesn’t work both ways, but I think tonight obviously we got a great effort from Andrew. … I was able to be effective, too.”

By sending a second defender Kobe Bryant‘s way each time he touched the ball, the scheme designed by Celtics head coach Doc Rivers & Co. dared Gasol and Bynum to beat them.

Lakers forward Pau Gasol ran wild like a llama in the paint against Kevin Garnett and the Celtics. (AP)

Which they did. The Lakers outscored the Celtics 46-38 in the paint and 24-13 on second-chance points. Jermaine O’Neal posted a paltry 8.7 percent rebounding rate, and C’s teammate Rajon Rondo — one of the best rebounding guards in the NBA — failed to corral a rebound until three minutes remained in the fourth quarter.

“We were just active,” said Gasol. “They do a good job on being really aggressive loading the strong side of the floor, and obviously Kobe created so much attention. Sometimes they took the bodies off us, and we just took advantage of that, trying to pursue the ball and get those loose balls and those rebounds and put them back.”

When it comes to the Celtics, size matters. The C’s are 10-2 when they out-rebound opponents. When they don’t? They’re 4-9. Simple as that. Which is why the Lakers have given them problems since the 2008 NBA title (5-9 vs. L.A. since) and even guys like Marcin Gortat and Anderson Varejao have given the Celtics problems all year. Any team that throws out a skilled big man gives them trouble, and the Lakers happen to have two of them.

“They’re big, man,” said Kevin Garnett. “Bynum is coming into his own. It’s good to see a big guy like that kind of reestablish the big man back in our league. He and Pau have a great chemistry. They work really well together. The second-chance points hurt us, but we knew that coming into the game. Trying to contain Kobe and our schemes and stuff, you leave those options open, so you’re going to give something up. Overall, I thought we played really well at times and in spurts. We’ve just got to put 48 minutes together.”

At least the Celtics are traveling to Toronto on Friday to take on the Raptors, whose best big man, Andrea Bargnani — allergic to the basket anyhow — hasn’t played since Jan. 25 with a strained left calf.

Despite his team emerging victors by an ugly 88-87 margin in an overtime game, Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant sounded more impressed by the Celtics than his own squad when asked if the two once great and now aging championship clubs mirrored one another.

“I don’t know,” said Bryant, who finished with 25 points on 24 shots. “They’ve got three Hall of Famers and a fourth one coming. That don’t look too familiar to me over here.”

Not only did Bryant sound off about his own teammates, but he pulled no punches on the topics of Rob Gronkowski, Austin Rivers and Jeremy Lin (particularly priceless stuff), among other subjects thrown his way. The following are highlights from the Black Mamba’s postgame interview.

Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant called Ray Allen and the Celtics "old school." (AP)

ON THE CELTICS

“We know each other so well. The unit we had on the floor, and their unit — we’ve played against each other so many darn times. We know what’s coming before it happens.”

[Asked again about the rivalry:] “It’s always a brawl in every fight. It’s ugly. It’s physical. I’ve enjoyed competing against them. I like all of them personally. On the court, that personal stuff goes out the window. It’s been fun.”

[And again:] “It’s a throwback in the sense that we’re old school. Ray [Allen] is old school. Paul [Pierce] is old school. Kevin [Garnett] is old school. And so is Rajon [Rondo]. How we prepare for the game, how much the game means to us, you can see the emotion that they pour into it, how much they put into the game, you don’t really see that too much from the young guys nowadays.”

[And again:] “It’s been great. It’s been a dream come true growing up and watching it. Here I am part of it. It’s great. The only difference between us and the ‘80s is that guys over there in the other locker room I actually know and like. That’s the big difference between this time around and the ‘80s.”

[And again:] “They’ve been playing extremely well. They’ve won nine out of their last 10 games coming into tonight, so they’re figuring things out obviously. Us, we’re still searching. It’s a whole new system. We’re trying to figure things out still. You kind of see it on the court. You kind of see things that are kind of botched plays every now and then, miscommunication now and then, because we’re kind of practicing things on the fly. But all in all, we’ll be Ok. Both of us will.”

ON PAU GASOL
[Gasol did not make the All-Star Game for the first time since 2008.]

“It’s going to be extremely weird. I really don’t know how to react to it without saying anything that’s disrespectful to some of our peers and contemporaries. I feel Pau deserves to be there, and he deserves to be there simply because he’s one of the best players in the league.”

[Gasol totaled 25 points and 14 rebounds.] “He took 20 shots. That’s phenomenal. We’ve kind of been urging him to be aggressive. He took what the defense gave him, and he also dictated some offense to the defense. He played a phenomenal game.”

ON RAJON RONDO

“Rajon is a one-man fast break. He makes so many plays for guys in transition off of makes and misses. There aren’t too many guys walking around the league that can do that.”

ON TRADE RUMORS
[A Gasol for Rondo report that Celtics president Danny Ainge called bogus circulated earlier this week.]

“I let management dictate that. My dedication hopefully becomes infectious with the guys in the locker room, and whatever they decide to do, they decide to do. But the motivation stays the same. Regardless of who’s in this locker room, we have to push forward.”

ON DOUBLE TEAMS

“I didn’t have much of a choice. Every time I touched it, they sent a guy over, so I didn’t have much of a choice. If they’re going to send guys at me 25 from the hoop, somebody’s gotta be open. And my guys have to make plays.”

ON LAKERS LENGTH

“We’ve got five guys that can post up and command double teams. No other team in the league has that.”

ON POSTGAME CELEBRATIONS

“I don’t know about the other guys, but I’m not walking around doing jumping jacks. What the hell do I care? It’s a regular-season game. It’s always a little bit more exciting to beat them, because it’s such a challenge to beat them, because they’re particularly good. Other than that, it’s …” [shrug]

ON CHAMPIONSHIP ASPIRATIONS

“You’ve got to scrape the plate. As long as I’m playing, the goal is to win a championship. Everything else is just not an option.”

ON LONGEVITY

“It starts from the beginning. You can’t just try to do it now. It starts from when I was 17 years old — the work, the preparation and all that stuff. Because of that, I can play at a high level still. It’s physical. The mental part with injuries comes when — like last year I had a serious knee injury and this year with the wrist and stuff like that — but still, in all, if you try to battle through that, if you’re not in condition or you’re not in shape to play at a high level, you’re not going to be able to do it.”

ON PAUL PIERCE
[Pierce passed Larry Bird on Thursday for No. 2 on the Celtics all-time scoring list. Bryant passed Shaquille O'Neal for fifth among the NBA's career points leaders.]

“I just told him congratulations. That means we’re both getting very old.”

ON SHAQUILLE O’NEAL
[NBA.com reported Thursday that the Lakers would retire Shaq's No. 34 next season.]

“It’s deserved, rightfully deserved.”

ON AUSTIN RIVERS
[Celtics coach Doc Rivers son made a buzzer-beating 3 to lift Duke over North Carolina on Wednesday.]

“I told him his son has got some big cojones. He shoud be proud of him.”

ON ROB GRONKOWSKI
[The Patriots tight end sat courtside in the Garden, and the two exchanged words.]

“I said the Eagles need a tight end. That’s what I told him. I’m recruiting. He’s phenomenally talented — just a freak athlete. He shouted at me. I shouted back. It’s fun to have those conversations with athletes that you respect.”

[Asked again about Gronk] “I told him he should go play for the Eagles. That’s what I told him. I just told him congratulations on a great year. He’s obviously a phenomenal talent with the work ethic to match. It’s funny. I’m so old, most of the guys watched me when they were in middle school.”

ON THE SUPER BOWL

“I was rooting for the Patriots, just because of Bill Belichick and Tom [Brady] and those guys. I hadn’t met Gronkowski. I haven’t met Wes [Welker] before, but I was pulling for them. I wanted to see them do well, wanted to see them get another one, and they just fell a little bit short.”

ON JEREMY LIN
[The former Harvard and current Knicks guard has averaged 25.3 points and 8.3 assists in his last three games. The Knicks and Lakers face each other in New York on Friday night.]

“I know who he is, but I don’t really know what’s going on too much with him. I don’t even know what he’s done. Like, I have no idea what you guys are talking about. I’ll take a look at it tonight though.”

[Asked again about Lin] “I don’t even know what the [fudge] is going on. What the [fudge] is going on? Who is this kid? I’ve heard about him and stuff like that, but what’s he been doing? Is he getting like triple doubles or some [stuff]? He’s averaging 28 and eight? No [stuff]. If he’s playing well, I’ll just have to deal with him.”

[Would he consider guarding Lin?] “Jesus Christ. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”

(Have a question, concern or conception for tomorrow’s Irish Coffee? Send a message to @brohrbach on Twitter.)

Usually, even after a gut-punching loss like Thursday night to the Lakers, Doc Rivers can put a positive spin on things.

Such was definitely not the case after his team looked old and slow to loose balls and rebounds in an 88-87 overtime loss at the Garden.

Part of the problem was in the stat sheet where both teams shot 39 percent in a game that had just 11 combined points in the five-minute overtime.

“Listen, both teams shot 39 percent,” Rivers said. “Someone had to win. That’s how it looked. Game looked in slow motion at times. So, I’m sure all the jokes [are out there about] two old teams and Jurassic Park.”

Another issue was the Celtics’ inability to deal with the Lakers’ size in the front court, as the visitors outrebounded the Green, 55-45.

One bright spot, however, was the defense of Mickael Pietrus on Kobe Bryant for most of the night. Bryant finished with a game-high 27 points but was 11-of-24 from the field and didn’t get a shot off until 2:54 left in the first quarter.

“They’re tough,” Rivers said. “They’re really long. They’re good. I thought we did a pretty good job on Kobe, overall. We mixed up our coverages. I thought every time we did trap, they got an offensive rebound because we’re scrambling as far as our rotations. I thought Pietrus did a phenomenal job on him.”

But oh, those rebounds, loose balls and intangibles when you play a team like the Lakers, even if they’re getting old, too. The Celtics were beaten in the paint, 46-38, and on second-chance points, 24-13.

“We talked about it before the game: longer teams, you’ve got to go hit them,” Rivers said. “You’ve got to put a body on them. If you think you can just turn and rebound when a guy’s five inches taller than you, it’s not going to happen. I bet they got four or five rebounds where we were actually in the inside position; they just reached over us. But you know, if you drive them back, they can’t get those. Then it’s over your back.”

When the Celtics look back at their 88-87 overtime defeat to the Lakers, there will be plenty of missed opportunities to point to for the loss. Particularly frustrating was the execution during last play of regulation.

Tied with the Lakers at 82 with just under 10 seconds left in regulation, Doc Rivers called a timeout. In the Big Three era, Celtics fans have grown accustomed to seeing one of two plays in this situation: A Paul Pierce step back jumper from the elbow, or a set screen to spring Ray Allen open for a game-winning jump shot.

The play was unfolding in front of the Garden faithful as expected. Pierce dribbled to his right, and Allen was set free by a Kevin Garnett pick. The only problem was the pass never came. Pierce hesitated and picked up his dribble because he was unsure if Allen was free on the wing.

“We set a pick and roll there with me and Ray,” Pierce said. “Ray was the flare. I didn’t think he was open. I shouldn’t have picked up my dribble, and I just kind of broke up the play when I picked up my dribble.”

Once the play stalled, Pierce was forced to hand-off to Mickael Pietrus who attempted a wild shot well behind the 3-point arc. The low percentage shot left the Celtics scratching their heads, especially Allen.

“I’d like to look at it again,” Allen said. “I was wide open. As Paul started dribbling off, both of those guys stayed with him, and I was just sitting there wide open. As he was going, he didn’t want to throw the ball. He was kind of a in a bad position. It’s just the way he went off. If  he knew they were going to jump up so hard and double, I’m sure he would have veered off a little bit more so he could have had a better passing angle.”

More confounding to the Celtics was that they had an opportunity to close out the game just seconds earlier. After an Allen 3-pointer put Boston up 82-80, the Lakers answered with a Pau Gasol put-back off a Kobe Bryant miss. Pierce said Gasol and Andrew Bynum‘s length gave the Celtics problems all night. They combined for 11 offensive rebounds, none more crucial than Gasol’s game-tying basket.

After the Celtics failed to convert on the subsequent possession, the game went to overtime. Trailing 88-87, the Celtics were presented with yet another chance to win, but Gasol came to the rescue again, blocking Allen’s put back attempt off a Pierce miss which would have won the game.

“I was in a perfect situation,” Allen said. “And he came out of nowhere.”