Ray Allen’s clutch performance on Sunday night was a thing of beauty – to fans and teammates alike.

Just ask Kevin Garnett who watched as Allen’s back-to-back 3-pointers helped the Celtics erase a 13-point-hole in the final six minutes and come away with an 86-83 win over Washington.

“A huge weapon,” Garnett said. “You know him and P [Paul Pierce] can put up a lot of points in a hurry. That’s big. We have to get them open. You know our job is to get them open. I thought that once he got into a nice, little rhythm, I think that everyone else, you know fed off of that a little bit. When it was time to really get him opened for the three, we got him open, and he hit a big shot.”

Garnett has seen Allen suddenly get hot after the All-Star break, carrying the Celtics offense while Pierce nursed a sore thumb.

“I can just say that each player has their time where they play up and down,” Garnett said. “That is the nature of the season. You know, you guys don’t know but he deals with a lot of different things with injuries, you know we all deal with different types of physical stuff. He is no different than that. At the same time he had talks of business, about where he was going to be in his future and stuff. I can just tell that he is a lot more healthier. Everything that he is doing is a lot more fluid. He is not thinking a lot, he is just reacting and his beautiful basketball.”

Paul Pierce had a slightly different take.

While happy with the win, Pierce realizes the team should have had that intensity all along against a Washington team that has just 21 wins this season. Read the rest of this entry »

Bobcats coach Larry Brown has a simple message for Celtics fans and others proclaiming an early demise for the Green in early March. Just relax.

“They buried us two games,” Brown said after his team lost 104-80 Wednesday night. In Boston’s home opener on Oct. 28, the Celtics prevailed, 92-59.

“But I don’t buy all this stuff that they’re in trouble.  They’ve had some injuries.  They’re just starting to get healthy.  They got some new players like [Marquis] Daniels and Nate [Robinson] now, Rasheed [Wallace].  They’re gonna be fine.  They got a great coach, they got great chemistry.  They’re gonna be fine.  I think everybody has bad periods but when you put the injuries they faced, all that’s done is develop depth.”

[Click here to hear Larry Brown rave about the Celtics.]

Brown has heard the naysayers proclaim the Celtics aren’t going anywhere because they’re old, because they can’t win at home and because they’ve lost the fire of a champion. Paul Pierce came out on fire Wednesday, scoring 27 points, one point for each minute he played.

“They’re gonna be alright,” Brown continued. “They play like this, this is the way Paul Pierce plays.  Garnett was phenomenal.  But I just like all the little pieces they have because I think Danny [Ainge] has done a tremendous job putting them in a position where they can play with just about anybody.”

“I don’t think anyone could have played in that environment,” Brown added. “They played great, they made shots, they executed great.  We played hard but there were too many obstacles. But they played great.  One time I think they were 10 for 12 from three.  They shot 60% in the first half.  Shared the ball.  There bench was great.  There bench was great last night.  So if we had played our best I don’t know if that would have been good enough.”

Before Wednesday’s game, Celtics captain Paul Pierce made it a point to speak out for his team, letting them all know that nothing less than dominance at home would be acceptable the rest of the way.

During the game, that vocal spirit apparently offended Charlotte’s Stephen Jackson.

Following Wednesday night’s blowout 104-80 win by the Celtics, Jackson took issue with trash-talking by the Celtics and Pierce in particular.

“It turned disrespectful when certain things were said,” Jackson said. “You can be emotional in the game and you talk to your teammates and do all that but when you get personal and direct certain things to people as far as their manhood, that’s when the problems come up. And I guarantee you that if I wasn’t in this gym, that wouldn’t have been said to me.”

Pierce and Jackson got into a verbal battle and were each called for technical fouls with 7:31 remaining in the third quarter as Jackson was preparing to shoot free throws

[Click here to listen to Stephen Jackson speak out against the Celtics.]

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WALTHAM — Paul Pierce practiced on Monday and said afterward he is ready to go for the team’s game in Detroit on Tuesday after missing the last three games with a sprained right thumb.

“I would have been back for the Cleveland game, please believe me, as much as I love to play against Cleveland, as much as I love to play against LeBron,” Pierce said. “I even went out there and shot before the Cleveland game because I wanted to be out there so bad. I don’t think I’m rushing back. I think this is perfect timing. My body feels good, my hand feels good and I’m ready to go.”

The Celtics won their first game without Pierce against New York last Tuesday before dropping home games to Cleveland and New Jersey.

Doc Rivers said before Saturday’s game against New Jersey that Paul Pierce would miss his third straight game with a sprained right thumb but the coach is hopeful Pierce could return by the team’s next game on Tuesday in Detroit.

Paul Pierce will miss his second straight game with a sprained right thumb while Marquis Daniels will start after missing Wednesday’s practice with flu-like symptoms. Doc Rivers made the announcement in his pre-game chat with reporters.