Mar 6, 2013; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Boston Celtics forward Kevin Garnett (5) guards Indiana Pacers center Roy Hibbert (55) at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

The Celtics managed to muster up their fourth straight win with a victory over the Indiana Pacer 83-81. The Celtics managed to close the game out with an 11-0 run to just eke past the 2nd seeded Pacers.

This gives the Celtics a big boost of confidence going on into the season. They know that they have a shot in beating the Pacers now. If the playoffs started today, the Celtics would have to face Indiana. After tonights game, you can tell they really have a chance.

Kevin Garnett was the team’s top performer with 18 points and 10 rebounds. There was no play more important than the last one, though. Kevin Garnett delivered a pin point pass from the high post to a cutting Jeff Green for the game winning layup.

It was a beautifully designed play by Doc Rivers that won the Celtics the game. The grit and grind the Celtics showcased to win this game shows that they’re in the proper mindset for playoff basketball.

This team is playing with loads of confidence right now and no one really wants to see them in the postseason.

Jan 30, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics power forward Brandon Bass (30) drives the ball against Sacramento Kings power forward Thomas Robinson (0) during the second quarter at the TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

The Boston Celtics started off the post-ACL part of their season with a bang. They destroy the Sacramento Kings with an oddly working offense that did the trick. The offense uses the post as a feature instead of Rajon’s penetration. Is this a sustainable feature? We don’t know. Lets just focus on the here and now.

This game was a much needed one for the Celtics. It gives thema chance to flex their pride and skill against a team that’s obviously one of the weaker ones. More importantly, it gives them a blueprint of how things should be without Rondo on the floor. This offense is a totally different one. They play point guard by committee and they play from the free throw line down. The Celtics had just three makes form beyond the break tonight.

Starters

Courtney Lee: B-

Lee had only nine points on 3-8 shooting from the floor. He also had three assists to pitch in to the grand total of 22 for the team. What was most impressive from Lee was his activity on the defensive end on the floor. He stopped a lot of dribble penetration tonight. Its something that the Kings’ offense depends on and something that has killed the Celtics all year long.

Avery Bradley: B

Avery Bradley had 11 points on 5-11 shooting on the night. He only shot 1-5 from beyond the arch and contributed five rebounds to the 38 board effort tonight. He was impressive on the defensive end tonight and that’s what earned him his grade. He had a monster blcok early on in the game that will probably be on a lot of highlight shows tomorrow morning.

Paul Pierce: A

Pierce had his best night in a while. He wasn’t forcing things and looking for his shot, finishing the game with only nine shots. He scored 16 points on five makes, contributed four assists, and 10 rebounds as well. His total on the boards was the most impressive. He closed the game out in the fourth quarter for the C’s.

Jared Sullinger: Incomplete

Jared Sullinger got hurt early on in the game. He had trouble with back spasms–something that was a concern before the C’s drafted him–and only played four minutes tonight. Hopefully, nothing else develops from this and he’ll be able to return soon. We’ll keep  you posted.

Kevin Garnett: A+

Once again, Kevin Garnett does so much in so little possessions. In only 28 minutes Garnett finished with 13 points, five assists, and nine rebounds. He shot 6-10 from the field after setting the tempo for Boston early going 4-4 from the field in the first quarter. Garnett played inside and outside, facilitated, defended, and rebounded. I don’t think you could ask for much more of a complete game.

Sixth Man & Bench

Jason Terry: A

This was easily Terry’s greatest game as a Celtic. He went 5-7 from the field and provided 12 points from off the bench. He played a lot more on the ball which is really where he belongs. With Rondo out for the year, look for him to play more point guard and be more involved in the screen game. He provided four assists tonight as well.

Jeff Green: B

Jeff Green went 5-5 early on in the game and was making great decisions from out of the post. He provided the Celtics with 12 points from off the bench finishing  6-11 from the field.

Leandro Barbosa: C

Barbosa provided a nice effort off of the bench with seven points on 3-6 shooting. He didn’t really impact the game but he didn’t do much to hurt the effort either.

Brandon Bass: A+

Brandon Bass played a great game and played the most minutes out of anyone tonight. In the absence of Jared Sullinger, Bass stepped in beautifully playing 37 minutes tonight. He made 4-7 shots for 12 points and went 4-5 from the free throw line. He also provided the Celtics with four rebounds off the bench.

Chris Wilcox: A

Chris WIlcox played 17 minutes tonight and scored six points. He grabbed five rebounds and had three steals as well. His diving presence at the rim is something that the Celtics really needed to provide them with some offensive versatility.

Nov 28, 2012; Boston, MA, USA; Brooklyn Nets shooting guard Joe Johnson (7) drives to the hoop against Boston Celtics power forward Brandon Bass (30) during the first half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-US PRESSWIRE

The final score of this game makes it seem closer than it actually was. The Celtics were flat out awful tonight in many facets of the game and were down by as many as 21 points. The boiling point of the game was in the second quarter where Rajon Rondo lost his temper after a Kris Humphries foul on Kevin Garnett and intentionally shoved Kris Humphries back into the stands.

We can expect to see a suspension coming within the next 24-48 hours for the Celtics star point guard as he initiated an incident that got three technical fouls issued between Humphries, Gerald Wallace, and Kevin Garnett and those techs led to the ejections of Wallace and Humphries as well as Rondo.

This wasn’t a particularly good night for either side as the Nets only shot 40% from the field and the C’s only shot 42%. Kevin Garnett led the team in scoring with 16 points and also had 10 rebounds to go with those points. He went 7-13 from the field and went 2-2 from the free throw line.

The Celtics lost the rebounding battle which is becoming more important than ever before since the Celtics have shown very little tenacity on the defensive end. The Nets outrebounded the Celtics 50-40 and allowed the Nets to corral 17 rebounds on the offensive end. Andray Blatche even had 10 rebounds through one and a half quarters.

This game could prove to be huge immediately and in the future. The Celtics are probably going to lose the services of Rajon Rondo in the short term for an unforeseen amount of time. His temper has gotten the best of him too often in his career and that’s something that the Celtics need to manage. Having one of the best point guards in the NBA isn’t going to matter if he can’t stay in the game because of his temper.

The Cetlics are now fourth in the Atlantic division after another slow start sitting at 8-7. The Knicks and the Nets are each 10-3 with the Celtics sitting two and a half games back. Of course, its still very early in the season and the Celtics could catch them still but in the case of a tie breaker one or two games in within a division can make a huge difference in seeding.

With Rondo’s expulsion from the game today his double double streak will end at 37 tying  John Stockton once again and falling 10 short of Magic Johnson’s streak of 47. The Celtics will look to rebound next on Friday when they play against the Portland Trail Blazers.