For a first quarter recap, check out Paul’s blog.

- Interesting match up to start the second quarter. Tony Allen is guarding James Posey, the very player who ate up his minutes last season. Now TA is the Celtics first option at the wing off the bench, and tonight will be a test to see how far he has come since last season.

- Trivia tidbit … Leon Powe and Sean Marks are both alumni of the University of the California. Marks, who has spent a quiet 10 years in the league, is only the second New Zealand native to play in the NBA. Kirk Penney played a total of six games for the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Clippers a few years back.

- The look on Devin Brown’s face was classic when Rajon Rondo blew past the Hornets defenders on a drive to the hoop. After the lay-in Brown stood in the paint in confusion, as if looking at his teammates for an explanation of how that just happened.

- This summer Posey proved basketball is a business and tonight Pierce followed in his footsteps. Pierce drained a three in the face of his former teammate. He hit another one over three-point king Peja Stojakovic, which was cause for a high-five between Eddie House and Sam Cassell.

- Give the Hornets more credit than a 12-win team. They have a one-point lead at halftime and have the Celtics looking scrambled in the first 24 minutes. The Celtics simply aren’t going inside, instead settling for 4-for-11 shooting from three-point range. To that note, Pierce has just one basket in the paint. Too many passes away from the basket have the Celtics forcing low-percentage shots and struggling to grasp a consistent lead.

At the half … Hornets 40, Celtics 39

Back to Paul for the third …