Celtics @ Knicks Stat Pack

*Going into Tuesday’s game against the Celtics, the Knicks were 5.3 points worse per 100 possessions without Tyson Chandler on the floor.
–Now on Sunday, the Knicks are just 4.0 points worse per 100 possessions without Chandler on the floor.

*Via CSNNE: This is Paul Pierce’s 14^th consecutive season averaging at least 18 points per game.
–Only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, Karl Malone, and Kobe Bryant have done that.

*The Knicks are close to ending the Celtics’ 5-year reign as Atlantic Division champions.
–The Knicks are on their way to finishing atop the Atlantic Division for the first time since 1993-94 (Pat Riley coached that team to a 57-25 regular season record; lost in NBA Finals that year).

*Via NY Times: With one more victory, the Knicks can claim the season series against the Celtics for the first time in 9 years.
–2003-04: Knicks took 3 of 4 from the Celtics that year.
–Including the playoffs, the Celtics are 30-9 against the Knicks since the beginning of the 2004-05 season.

*The Knicks’ 7-game winning streak coming into Sunday is the longest current winning streak in the NBA as well as the team’s longest this season.

*On Tuesday, the Knicks pushed their winning streak to 5 games, giving the Celtics their 5^th consecutive loss.
–Since that game, both teams have gone 2-0.

*Via Elias: J.R. Smith is the first player with 3 consecutive games of at least 30 points off the bench since Ricky Pierce in 1990.

*The Knicks have 2 of the 4 highest scorers over the last 10 games.
–Carmelo Anthony (2^nd, 29.6 PPG).
–J.R. Smith (4^th, 28.6 PPG).

*The Knicks have 2 of the 17 highest plus/minus players per 100 possessions over the last 10 games.
–Pablo Prigioni (10^th, +16.9).
–Steve Novak (17^th, +13.7).

*Via David Locke: The last NBA player to be drafted first overall and play all 4 years in college is Kenyon Martin.

*The Celtics are now 4-0 this season when making 11+ 3-pointers.
–Boston’s 11 made 3-pointers on Friday tied the team’s most in regulation this season.

*Friday was Jeff Green’s 3^rd-highest scoring performance as a Celtic.
–On Friday, Green showed his aggressiveness as his 20 field goal attempts were his 2^nd-most in a game this season.

*Going into Friday, Shavlik Randolph averaged 14 rebounds per 36 minutes in a Celtics uniform. He is now up to 16 per 36 minutes.
–He became just the 3^rd Celtic reserve in almost 30 years to grab at least 13 rebounds in 22 or fewer minutes (Danny Fortson did it twice in 2000 and Bill Walton once in 1985).
–In addition, Shavlik is the first Celtics bench player in over 10 years to grab at least 7 offensive rebounds in that little of playing time.

*Friday was Paul Pierce’s 9^th career regular-season triple-double. The Celtics are now 9-0 in those games.
–The Celtics also moved to 33-6 in the regular season since 2007-08 when Paul Pierce gets a double-double.

*Via Elias: Paul Pierce’s 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists against the Hawks on Friday night gave the Celtics their league-high 8^th triple-double of the season: 5 by Rajon Rondo and 3 by Pierce.
–Rondo and Pierce are the first pair of NBA teammates each with at least 3 triple- doubles in one season since Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler of the 1995-96 Rockets.

*On Friday, Jason Terry hit 5 three-pointers, tied for his most in a Celtics uniform.
–The other time that he did that was the 5-of-14 performance in triple-OT against Denver.

*Recent Meetings: Celtics vs. Knicks
–For the first time in more than 60 games, the Celtics and Knicks have 2 meetings within 5 days.
–They played on back-to-back days in 1997 (January 10 and 11) – the Knicks won both games.

*Milestone Watch:

–All-Time NBA Three-Pointers Made–
4. Jason Terry 1,903
5. Chauncey Billups 1,813
6. Paul Pierce 1,810                        (Pierce needs 3 to tie Billups for 5^th place)

Celtics vs. Hawks Stat Pack

*Without Al Horford this season, the Hawks are 1-2.
–Without Horford on the floor in 2012-13, Atlanta is 8.9 points worse per 100 possessions (9.2 worse per 100 offensive possessions).

*Tom Thibodeau is now 26-20 in the regular season and playoffs all-time against LeBron James (only applies to games that LeBron has played).
–2010-11 to 2012-13 with the Bulls: 6-3 in regular season
–2010-11 to 2012-13 with the Bulls: 1-4 in playoffs
–2007-08 to 2009-10 with the Celtics: 5-6 in regular season
–2007-08 to 2009-10 with the Celtics: 8-5 in playoffs
–2003-04 to 2006-07 with the Rockets: 6-2 in regular season
–2003-04 to 2006-07 with the Rockets: Thibodeau did not face LeBron in the playoffs in any of these seasons.

*Wednesday was tied for Jeff Green’s 3^rd-highest scoring performance as a Celtic.
–In addition, it was the first time that Jeff Green scored at least 20 points and dished out 5 assists in the same game.
–Jeff Green has scored double-digit points in his last 9 games, by far his best streak as a Celtic. It is his longest streak since December 2010.

*On Wednesday, the Celtics moved to 32-6 in the regular season since 2007-08 when Paul Pierce gets a double-double.

*On Wednesday, Brandon Bass went for season-high in points with 22 and it tied his most as a Celtic.

*Shavlik Randolph is averaging 14 rebounds per 36 minutes as a Celtic.

*Recent Meetings: Celtics vs. Hawks
–The Celtics are looking to win the season series over the Hawks for the 3^rd consecutive season.

*Milestone Watch:

–All-Time NBA Three-Pointers Made–
4. Jason Terry 1,898
5. Chauncey Billups 1,813
6. Paul Pierce 1,808                        (Pierce needs 5 to tie Billups for 6^th place)

Celtics @ Cavaliers Stat Pack

*The Celtics’ longest losing streak since the beginning of the 2007-08 season is 6 games.
–The last time the Celtics lost more than 6 games in a row: their 18-game streak in January and February 2007.

*As expected, the Celtics are bad on defense without Kevin Garnett this season.
–The Celtics are more than 7 points worse per 100 defensive possessions with Garnett on the bench.
–The Celtics defensive rebounding percentage is 4.3% worse with Garnett on the bench.
–However, the Celtics are 2.9 points better per 100 offensive possessions with Garnett on the bench.

*On Tuesday, Jeff Green got his 2^nd double-double as a Boston Celtic.
–Via Jessica Camerato: That was Jeff Green’s first double-double since April 11, 2011. He started that game with Jermaine O’Neal, Big Baby, Wafer, Delonte West vs. the Wizards.
–In addition, for only the 2^nd time in his career, Green put up at least 10 points and 10 rebounds with more than 5 assists.

*Tomorrow’s birthday boy: Luke Walton will turn age 33 on March 28.

*Recent Meetings: Celtics vs. Cavaliers
–Since LeBron has left Cleveland, the Cavaliers have yet to beat the Celtics in 2 consecutive games.

*Milestone Watch:

–All-Time NBA Three-Pointers Made–
4. Jason Terry 1,897
5. Chauncey Billups 1,810
6. Paul Pierce 1,807                        (Pierce needs 3 to tie Billups for 6^th place)

Celtics vs. Knicks Stat Pack

*The Knicks per 100 possessions without Tyson Chandler this season.
–The Knicks are 5.3 points per 100 possessions worse without Chandler on the floor.
–The Knicks are 6.5 points per 100 offensive possessions worse without Chandler on the floor.
–The Knicks are 1.2 points per 100 defensive possessions better without Chandler on the floor.

*The Celtics have lost their last 5 away games and are riding a 4-game losing streak overall.
–Both of which are the worst current losing skids among projected playoff teams.

*Tuesday’s contest against the Knicks is the beginning of a 13-game stretch in which Boston will face 12 Eastern Conference opponents to finish the season.

*Over the last 4 seasons, the Celtics are 17-17 in the regular season without Kevin Garnett (2-2 in 2012-13 … 2-4 in 2011-12 … 7-4 in 2010-11 … 6-7 in 2009-10).
–The only playoff game that Garnett missed since the beginning of the 2010 playoffs was Game 2 of the first-round series against the Heat in 2010 (Celtics won, 106-77).

*The Celtics are 10-5 this season when Paul Pierce scores at least 25 points.

*The Celtics are 15-5 this season when Pierce makes at least three 3-pointers.

*Pierce’s best career scoring average against an Eastern Conference team is his 23.5 points per game against the Knicks.

*Recent Meetings: Celtics vs. Knicks
–For the first time in more than 60 games, the Celtics and Knicks will have 2 meetings within 5 days.
–They played on back-to-back days in 1997 (January 10 and 11) – the Knicks won both games.

*Milestone Watch:

–All-Time NBA Three-Pointers Made–
4. Jason Terry 1,895
5. Chauncey Billups 1,810
6. Paul Pierce 1,806                        (Pierce needs 4 to tie Billups for 6^th place)

Celtics @ Grizzlies Stat Pack

*Team Offensive Efficiency: 22^nd and 20^th

–Boston: 100.4 points/100 possessions (22^nd)
–Memphis: 101.1 points/100 possessions (20^th)

*Team Defensive Efficiency: 4^th and 2^nd
–Boston: 99.4 points allowed/100 possessions (4^th)
–Memphis: 97.3 points allowed/100 possessions (2^nd)

*The Celtics had a terrible offensive performance against the Mavericks’ subpar defense.
–The Celtics have now shot worse than 42 percent from the field 12 times on the road this season.
–They are 1-11 in those games.
–When shooting that poorly at home, they are actually 4-3.

*Losses have been a rarity recently for the Rudy Gay-less Grizzlies.
–Since dropping 2 of their first 3 games in February, they have gone 16-4 in their last 20 games.

*The Grizzlies have won 9 consecutive games at FedEx Forum.
–This home streak for Memphis is its 3^rd-longest one in franchise history.

*Recent Meetings: Celtics vs. Grizzlies
–The Celtics are hoping to prevent the Grizzlies from sweeping the season series for the first time in 12 years.

Celtics @ Mavericks Stat Pack

*2^nd-worst Rebounding Rate in NBA this season: Celtics (47.6%); Tied for 3^rd-worst: Mavericks (48.1%).
–16^th-best Defensive Rebounding Rate: Celtics (73.5%); Tied for 11^th-best: Mavericks (73.9%).
*Jason Terry scored zero points on Wednesday (also scored zero points on January 14 against the Bobcats).
–The last time Terry scored zero points twice in a season: 2003-04.

*Terry: 11.6 PPG, 49% FG%, 43% 3P% in 34 home games this season (28.2 minutes per home game).
–8.8 PPG, 38% FG%, 33% 3P% in 33 road games this season (26.4 minutes per road game).

*Recent Meetings: Celtics vs. Mavericks
–The Mavericks are tied for the best winning percentage (5-2, .714) of any team against the Celtics since the beginning of the 2009-10 season (Hornets now also 5-2).
–Before the Celtics 117-115 OT victory in December, the Mavericks had won 4 consecutive games against the Celtics.

*Celtics in overtime this season: 7-4; Mavericks in overtime: 1-8.
–That 1-8 record in overtime is the worst among all NBA teams this season (minimum: 6 overtime games).

*Milestone Watch:

–All-Time NBA Blocked Shots–
17. Larry Nance 2,027
T-18. Theo Ratliff 1,968
T-18. Kevin Garnett 1,968            (Garnett needs 1 to move into sole possession of 18^th place)

–All-Time NBA Offensive Rebounds–
21. Elton Brand 3,161
22. David Robinson 3,083
23. Kevin Garnett 3,082            (Garnett needs 1 to tie Robinson for 22^nd place)

Celtics @ Hornets Stat Pack

*The only teams yet to beat New Orleans this season: Charlotte, Detroit, Sacramento and Boston.


*The Celtics on the road this season: 12-20.
–The Hornets at home this season: 12-21.

*In 6 of their last 12 games, Boston has made double-digit 3-pointers.
–The Celtics were unable to make at least 10 shots from 3-point distance in any of their first 46 games this season.
–They enter Wednesday’s game having made double-digit 3-pointers in consecutive games for the 2^nd time in the last 3 seasons.

*The Hornets own the worst record in the Western Conference.
–In addition, New Orleans has won just 3 of its last 15 games.
–On Monday, the Hornets fell to the Golden State Warriors by 21 points at New Orleans Arena, which tied their worst home loss since December.

*An interesting set of games here for the Celtics regarding the records of their opponents.
–On Saturday, the Celtics faced the worst team in the NBA.
–On Monday, the Celtics faced the best team in the NBA.
–On Wednesday, the Celtics face the worst team in the Western Conference.

*On Monday, Jeff Green became only the 2^nd Celtic in last 17 seasons to score 40+ PTS on fewer than 24 attempts.

*Ray Allen went 0-for-3 from 3-point on Monday.
–The last time Ray had zero 3PM in Boston as opponent: 1998.
–Miami is now just 6-4 when Ray has played and had zero 3PM.

*Jeff Green got to the free throw line very well on Monday (shot 10-of-13 from there).
–Just the 3^rd time in his career with 10+ FTM.
–2^nd time with 13+ FTA.

*Some crazy statistics about the Celtics and Heat from @ESPNStatsInfo
–@ESPNStatsInfo: Entering Monday, LeBron’s teams were 2-105 in games they trailed by 13+ points with 8 minutes or fewer left in the 4th quarter
–@ESPNStatsInfo: Since Paul Pierce was drafted in ’98, Celtics were 316-2 when leading by 13+ points with 8 minutes or fewer left in game before Monday’s loss
–@ESPNStatsInfo: Since joining the Heat LeBron James in regular season is 5-for-18 on game-tying or go-ahead FGA with less than 11 seconds in 4th quarter/OT

*Recent Meetings: Celtics vs. Hornets
–The Hornets have the 2^nd-best winning percentage (4-2, .667) of any team against the Celtics since the beginning of the 2009-10 season.
–Best team against the Celtics since 2009-10: Mavericks (5-2, .714).

*Earlier this season, the trend continued as Monty Williams’ squad went into TD Garden and upset the Celtics, 90-78.
–That remains tied for Boston’s largest home defeat in 2012-13.
–In that contest, the Hornets dominated the boards, 48 to 33. That rebound differential is the worst for the Celtics at home this calendar year.

*Milestone Watch:

–All-Time NBA Blocked Shots–
17. Larry Nance 2,027
T-18. Theo Ratliff 1,968
T-18. Kevin Garnett 1,968            (Garnett needs 1 to move into sole possession of 18^th place)

–All-Time NBA Offensive Rebounds–
21. Elton Brand 3,159
22. David Robinson 3,083
23. Kevin Garnett 3,081            (Garnett needs 2 to tie Robinson for 22^nd place)

Celtics vs. Heat Stat Pack

*On Saturday, the Celtics faced a 14-51 Bobcats team.
–On Monday, the Celtics face a 51-14 Heat team.

*Today is the 35^th birthday for Celtics broadcaster Brian Scalabrine (March 18, 1978).
–Sunday was the 50^th anniversary of Bob Cousy’s Retirement Ceremony (March 17, 1963).
–In addition, Sunday was the 54^th birthday for Celtics President of Basketball Operations and former player Danny Ainge (March 17, 1959).

*After beginning the season 11-11 on the road, Miami has reeled off 10 consecutive wins away from home.
–It is the longest road winning streak for any NBA team over the last two seasons.
–Miami now gets to test its 10-game road winning streak against the only other team over the last 5 seasons to win 10 straight road games, the Celtics.
–The last regular season road winning streak of at least 10 games in NBA: Heat (10 games: 2011 to 2012)
–The last road winning streak of at least 10 games before that: Heat (13 games: 2010 to 2011)
–The last road winning streak of at least 10 games before that: Celtics (10 games: 2008)

*The Celtics will hope that they can make it a perfect 11-0 record against the Heat in regular season games at home in the Kevin Garnett era.
–Garnett has already missed 3 of the 10 previous meetings between the Celtics and Heat in Beantown, and he may miss Monday night’s game due to a strained adductor.

*The Celtics are 7-3 in their last 10 games.
–That is the 2^nd-best such record among Eastern Conference teams (obviously 10-0 by the Heat).

*The Celtics are 4-1 on Mondays this season, their best record for any day for Boston in 2012-13.

*Over his last 10 games, Dwyane Wade leads the NBA with a +18.7 plus/minus per 100 possessions.
–2^nd: Mario Chalmers (+18.6)
–Tied-3^rd: Chris Bosh (+18.2)
–Tied-3^rd: Donatas Motiejunas (+18.2)

*Wade has scored at least 20 points in each of his last 13 games.
–It is his longest streak in the LeBron James era in Miami.
–Last time Wade scored at least 20 points in at least 13 games: 2009.

*Miami is an NBA-best 24-11 this season against teams that are .500 or better.
–Miami is also an NBA-best 37-2 when scoring at least 100 points this season.
–Miami is also an NBA-best 37-4 when having fewer turnovers than their opponent this season.

*From Elias: The only Celtics starter who failed to make at least half of his shots on Saturday was Avery Bradley, whose mystifying disparity between his home and road field-goal percentage widened further.
–Bradley is now shooting only 36.5% in games at TD Garden, compared with 47.1% on the road. In the Celtics’ long history, only one player has finished a season shooting with a field-goal percentage at least 10 percentage points lower at home than on the road (minimum: 150 shots in each category). In the 1995-96 season, David Wesley shot 40.9% at home, 51.1% on the road.

*Via @ESPNStatsInfo: Miami is in the midst of a 3-game stretch in which they are facing Chris Bosh’s former team (Raptors on Sunday, March 17), Ray Allen’s former team (Celtics on Monday, March 18) and LeBron James’ former team (Cavaliers on Wednesday, March 20).
–All 3 of those games are on the road as well

*Best Winning Percentage on 2^nd Day of Back-to-back Games in NBA history
–1. 2006-07: Mavericks: 15-1 (.938)
–2. 1995-96: Bulls: 21-2 (.913)
–3. 2012-13: Heat: 10-1 (.909)

*On Wednesday, the Celtics hope to win their 12^th consecutive home game, which would extend their longest home winning streak of the last 4 seasons.
–Last time they won 12 home games in a row: November 2008 to January 2009 (13 games).

*Via @BrianAintLyin: The Celtics ended the Rockets’ 22-game winning streak on March 18, 2008. The Celtics will now have the chance to end Miami’s 22-game winning streak on March 18, 2013.

*Recent Meetings: Celtics vs. Heat
–The Celtics are 5-0 in the regular season at TD Garden against the Heat (8-2 including the playoffs).



*Milestone Watch:

–All-Time NBA Blocked Shots–
17. Larry Nance 2,027
T-18. Theo Ratliff 1,968
T-18. Kevin Garnett 1,968            (Garnett needs 1 to move into sole possession of 18^th place)

–All-Time NBA Offensive Rebounds–
21. Elton Brand 3,159
22. David Robinson 3,083
23. Kevin Garnett 3,081            (Garnett needs 2 to tie Robinson for 22^nd place)

3/16/12: Celtics vs. Bobcats Stat Pack

*The Celtics are 15.5-point favorites over the Bobcats for this game.
–The last time the Celtics were at least 15.5-point favorites over a team was January 25, 2011 against the Cavaliers. Boston won, 112-95, and covered the 16.5-point spread.


*The Celtics have won 4 consecutive games on exactly 2 days’ rest.
–Boston started the season 0-5 on exactly 2 days’ rest.
–The Celtics’ first victory on 2 days’ rest this season: January 14 at TD Garden against Bobcats.

*Jeff Green has attempted at least 11 shots in each of his last 5 games, the longest streak of his Celtics career.

*The Bobcats are currently on a 6-game road losing streak.
–Charlotte has 6 total road wins this season.

*The Bobcats are 3-14 on the second day of back-to-backs in 2012-13.

*Via: @ESPNStatsInfo: Since the start of February, the Bobcats are 2-0 vs. the Celtics and 1-17 vs. everyone else.

*On Wednesday, the Celtics hope to win their 11^th consecutive home game, which would extend their longest home winning streak of the last 4 seasons.
–Last time they won more than 11 home games in a row: November 2008 to January 2009 (13 games).

*Via @BrianAintLyin: The Celtics ended the Rockets’ 22-game winning streak on March 18, 2008. If Miami gets to 22 games in a row, the Celtics have a chance to end it on March 18.

*Recent Meetings: Celtics vs. Bobcats
–In their last meeting, the Celtics scored 74 points, their 2^nd-fewest points this season.
–Those 74 points were the Celtics fewest against the Bobcats in a game ever.
–The Celtics are 0-5 all-time against the Bobcats when scoring fewer than 89 points.
–The Celtics are 17-0 all-time against the Bobcats when scoring at least 92 points in regulation.


*Milestone Watch:

–All-Time NBA Blocked Shots–
17. Larry Nance 2,027
T-18. Theo Ratliff 1,968
T-18. Kevin Garnett 1,968            (Garnett needs 1 to move into sole possession of 18^th place)

–All-Time NBA Offensive Rebounds–
21. Elton Brand 3,156
22. David Robinson 3,083
23. Kevin Garnett 3,081            (Garnett needs 2 to tie Robinson for 22^nd place)

3/13/12: Celtics vs. Raptors Stat Pack

*Via Celtics play-by-play radio voice Sean Grande: Coming into Wednesday, the Celtics have won 16 consecutive home games on the 2^nd night of back-to-backs.

*After the Celtics loss Tuesday, the Celtics are back to a negative point differential this season.

*On Wednesday, the Celtics hope to win their 10^th consecutive home game, which would extend their longest home winning streak of the last 4 seasons.
–Last time they won at least 10 straight home games in a row: November 2008 to January 2009 (13 games)

*Since starting 7-3 with Rudy Gay, the Raptors are 1-5 since when he has played.

*The Raptors are 9-27 this season against teams that are .500 or better.

*The Raptors are 2-27 this season when allowing their opponent to score at least 100 points.

*Via @BrianAintLyin: The Celtics ended the Rockets’ 22-game winning streak on March 18^th, 2008. If Miami gets to 22 games in a row, the Celtics have a chance to end it on March 18^th.

*Well I did not think that Kevin Garnett would have a duplicate performance of Sunday on Tuesday. Well, he was actually worse – percentage-wise.
–It was only the 4^th time in his career that he shot that poorly in consecutive games.
–The other 3 times happened in the first 2 months of his rookie year.

*Garnett’s season-low 5 points on Tuesday marked just the second time in his career that he scored 5 or fewer points on at least 10 field goal attempts.
–Other time: March 8, 2002 (Timberwolves @ Suns) – In that game, Garnett had 4 points on 2-of-17 shooting, but went for 18 rebounds and 6 assists.

*Before Tuesday, the Celtics’ largest loss to the Bobcats in franchise history was 12 points. Bobcats have been in existence since 2004-05.
–That was also the Bobcats’ largest victory in franchise history in which they scored 100 points or fewer.

*Recent Meetings: Celtics vs. Raptors
–The Celtics are 18-4 against the Raptors since 2007-08.
–Those 18 regular season wins are tied for the most for the Celtics against an opponent in that span (also 18 vs. Nets).

*Milestone Watch:

–All-Time NBA Points Scored–
14. Reggie Miller 25,279
15. Jerry West 25,192
16. Kevin Garnett 25,189            (Garnett needs 4 to move into 15^th place)

–All-Time NBA Points Scored–
19. Allen Iverson 24,368
20. Charles Barkley 23,757
21. Paul Pierce 23,748            (Pierce needs 10 to move into 20^th place)

–All-Time NBA Blocked Shots–
17. Larry Nance 2,027
T-18. Theo Ratliff 1,968
T-18. Kevin Garnett 1,968            (Garnett needs 1 to pass Ratliff for 18^th place)

–All-Time NBA Offensive Rebounds–
21. Elton Brand 3,156
22. David Robinson 3,083
23. Kevin Garnett 3,081            (Garnett needs 2 to tie Robinson for 22^nd place)

–All-Time NBA Free Throws Made–
T-8. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Dolph Schayes 6,712
10. Allen Iverson 6,375
11. Paul Pierce 6,368                        (Pierce needs 8 to move into 10^th place)

3/12/12: Celtics @ Bobcats Stat Pack

*For the second consecutive NBA season, the Bobcats are the first team to 50 losses.

*During the Bobcats’ current 10-game losing streak, they have had a worse field goal percentage than their opponent in each of those games.

--The Bobcats’ 10-game streak of being outshot by their opponent is tied for the longest streak by an NBA team this season (Cavaliers: 10 games from November to December 2012).

--The Celtics are 29-7 this season when outshooting their opponent.

*The Celtics are seeking their 13^th road victory of 2012-13.

--Coming into Tuesday, the Bobcats have 13 total wins this season.

*This is Paul Pierce’s first missed start of 2012-13.

--He is the last Celtic to start every game this season.

--Coming into this game, the only Celtics to play every game this season are Pierce, Jason Terry, Brandon Bass, Jeff Green and Courtney Lee.

*Sunday’s performance was a rare one for Kevin Garnett.

--It was only the 4^th time as a Celtic that he shot worse than 30% from the field on at least 15 field goal attempts while only scoring 10 or fewer points.

*Via @ESPNStatsInfo: Before Sunday, the Bobcats had not allowed an opposing player to score 25 points in any of their previous 15 games (was longest active streak in NBA).

--Trevor Ariza scored 26 points on Saturday to break Charlotte’s streak.

*Recent Meetings: Celtics vs. Bobcats

--The last time these teams played each other, Charlotte outscored Boston, 33-24, in the third quarter.

--Byron Mullins led the way that quarter with a game-high 12 points in the third.

*Mullins finished with a game-high 25 points and Ramon Sessions chipped in 19 off the bench in that game.

--However, Sessions is now sidelined with a sprained MCL and no one is sure how much Mike Dunlap will play Mullins.

--After starting the previous 14 games, Mullins came off the bench to play just 5 minutes on Saturday.

*Milestone Watch:

--All-Time NBA Points Scored--

14. Reggie Miller 25,279

15. Jerry West 25,192

16. Kevin Garnett 25,184            (Garnett needs 9 to move into 15^th place)

--All-Time NBA Blocked Shots--

17. Larry Nance 2,027

T-18. Theo Ratliff 1,968

T-18. Kevin Garnett 1,968            (Garnett needs 1 to pass Ratliff for 18^th place)

--All-Time NBA Offensive Rebounds--

21. Elton Brand 3,156

22. David Robinson 3,083

23. Kevin Garnett 3,080            (Garnett needs 3 to tie Robinson for 22^nd place)

Jason Terry Joins Exclusive Company

On Sunday, Jason Terry made two 3-pointers in the Boston Celtics loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder to give him 100 in the 2012-13 season. He became the fourth player in NBA history to hit triple digits in 3-pointers made in 13 different seasons.

Terry joined the exclusive company of Ray Allen (16 different seasons), Reggie Miller (15) and Paul Pierce (13). In addition, all four of those 3-point shooters are among the top six in 3-pointers made all-time.

Interestingly, the 3-point shot has been in existence since only 1979-80. Therefore, we are now seeing the height of the outside shot. Statistically, a lot of successful teams have performed well from 3-point range.

The Celtics have made 10 or more 3-pointers in four of their last eight games. This is the first time that they have had made at least 10 shots from beyond the arc four times in an eight-game stretch since 2009. The Celtics did not even have one game in which they made double-digit 3-pointers in their first 45 games this season.

Overall, the Celtics have succeeded when shooting well from downtown. They are 6-0 when making at least 10 shots from deep this season. If the Celtics want to go far in the playoffs in 2012-13, they will have to live (and die) by the 3-pointer.

3/10/12: Celtics @ Thunder Stat Pack

*Heading into Sunday, the Celtics have won their last 3 road games, tying their longest streak over the past 2 seasons.
–The last time they won 4 consecutive away games was 2010.

*Boston and Oklahoma City have 2 of the 5 longest current winning streaks in the NBA.
–In addition, they are both 9-1 in their last 10 home games and 5-5 in their last 10 road games.

*Oklahoma City has more blocks than their opponent in 14 consecutive games.
–It is the longest regular season streak by a team since the Pistons went 15 games in a row in 2006.

*In the Celtics’ first 20 road games this season, opponents shot 39% from deep.
–However, in the last 10 away games, opponents have hit only 31% of those shots.

*The Celtics already have as many wins on the road without Rajon Rondo (6) as they did with him this season.

*Via Kevin Pelton: Since Rondo went down, Pierce is averaging 40 percent more assists per minute than at any other time of his career.

*The Thunder are 20-0 this season when holding opponents to fewer than 100 points at home.
–34-2 overall when doing so.

*Oklahoma City has had just 4 different starting lineups this season.
–For 59 of their 62 games, they have had Westbrook, Sefolosha, Durant, Ibaka and Perkins start.

*Kendrick Perkins has a plus/minus of +119 over his last 10 games, the 5^th-best in the NBA.
–Sefolosha and Westbrook are tied for 12^th in plus/minus (+99) over their last 10 games.

*The Celtics are 11-4 (.733) with the starting lineup of Bradley, Lee, Pierce, Bass and Garnett.
–That starting lineup has the most wins and has the best winning percentage among all Celtics lineups this season.

*On Friday, the Celtics shot at least 50% from 3-point with at least 20 attempts for the first time this season.

*The Celtics have made double-digit 3-pointers in 3 of their last 5 road games.
–This is the first time that they have had made at least 10 shots from beyond the arc in 3 games of a 5-game road stretch since 2009.
–The Celtics did not even have one game in which they made double-digit 3-pointers in their first 25 games away from TD Garden this season.
–Overall, the Celtics have succeeded when shooting well from downtown. They are 3-0 on the road this season when making double-digit 3-pointers, and 6-0 overall when doing so.

*Paul Pierce went for 27 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists on Friday. It was the 4^th time in the last 3 months that the Captain hit those plateaus. By the way, the Celtics have won all 4 of those games.
–It was the first time that Pierce has hit these plateaus 4 times within 3 months since 2003-04.

*Paul Piece has now had at least 7 rebounds in 6 consecutive games. That is his longest streak for him since November 2006 (also 6 games).
–Last time with 7-game streak of at least 7 rebounds: January 2005 (9 games).

*Jason Terry is now two 3-pointers away from his 13^th straight season (2000-01 to 2012-13) of making at least 100 shots from downtown.
–Paul Pierce and Ray Allen are the only players to do so from 2000-01 to 2012-13.
–No other NBA players will be able to make it at least a 13^th straight such season in 2012-13.
–The record for the most consecutive seasons of making 100 shots from deep is held by Reggie Miller: 15 seasons (1989-90 to 2003-04).

*Recent Meetings: Celtics vs. Thunder
–The Celtics head to Oklahoma City hoping to sweep the series against the Thunder for the first time since the 2008-09 season.

*Milestone Watch:

–Paul Pierce is 1 offensive rebound away from 1,000 for his career–

–All-Time NBA Minutes–
6. John Stockton 47,764
7. Reggie Miller 47,619
8. Kevin Garnett 47,602            (Garnett needs 18 to move into 7^th place)

–All-Time NBA Blocked Shots–
17. Larry Nance 2,027
18. Theo Ratliff 1,968
19. Kevin Garnett 1,967            (Garnett needs 1 to tie Ratliff for 18^th place)

–All-Time NBA Points Scored–
14. Reggie Miller 25,279
15. Jerry West 25,192
16. Kevin Garnett 25,174            (Garnett needs 19 to move into 15^th place)

–All-Time NBA Points Scored–
19. Allen Iverson 24,368
20. Charles Barkley 23,757
21. Paul Pierce 23,728            (Pierce needs 30 to move into 20^th place)

–All-Time NBA Free Throws Made–
T-8. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Dolph Schayes 6,712
10. Allen Iverson 6,375
11. Paul Pierce 6,362                        (Pierce needs 14 to move into 10^th place)

By The Numbers: The Celtics on the Road

The Celtics are flying high as they head into Oklahoma City hoping to sweep the series against the Thunder for the first time since the 2008-09 season. It will be no easy task for Boston, a team that had struggled on the road before their most recent stretch. At the All-Star break, the Celtics had been losers of 12 of their previous 16 games away from home. However, after falling to the Nuggets at the Pepsi Center and the Lakers at the Staples Center, Boston has gone on to win four of their last five away games. This has been the team’s best road stretch in almost a year.

The Celtics already have as many wins on the road — six — without Rajon Rondo as they did with him this season. In addition, just a few weeks ago, the Celtics were the only projected playoff team with fewer than 10 road wins in 2012-13. Now, they have a respectable 12-18 away record. In comparison, the Indiana Pacers are just two games better on the road than the Celtics.

One of the reasons for the Celtics’ strong performance recently is their 3-point offense and defense. The Celtics have made double-digit 3-pointers in three of their last five road games. This is the first time that they have had made at least 10 shots from beyond the arc three times in a five-game stretch since 2009. The Celtics didn’t even have one game in which they made double-digit 3-pointers in their first 25 games away from TD Garden this season. Overall, the Celtics have succeeded when shooting well from downtown. They are 3-0 on the road this season when making double-digit 3-pointers, and 6-0 overall when doing so.

Regarding the outside shot, there is one player in particular to look for on Sunday. Jason Terry is now just two 3-pointers made away from his 13th consecutive season of making at least 100 shots from downtown. Paul Pierce and Ray Allen are the only other players to do so from 2000-01 to 2012-13. The record for the most consecutive seasons of at least 100 three pointers made is held by Reggie Miller (15 seasons: 1989-90 to 2003-04).

The Celtics’ 3-point defense has vastly improved over the last six weeks. In their first 20 road games this season, opponents shot 39% from deep. However, in the last 10 away games, opponents have put up only 31% on those shots. After beginning the season as one of the worst 3-point defenses, the Celtics are now a top-tier one, as Brian discussed earlier this week.

While Boston is one of the worst overall rebounding teams, their defensive rebounding percentage is in the middle of the pack this season. The key for the Celtics is to avoid losing the rebounding battle by a large margin. In three of the last five road games, Boston has kept the battle close and won each of those contests. The Celtics are now 22-12 overall this season when either winning the rebound battle or losing it by five or fewer.

Rebounding along with 3-point shooting and defense against 3-pointers will be important going forward for the 2012-13 Celtics. Boston has been playing fantastically lately and will hope to continue their strong road play on Sunday at Oklahoma City on ABC.

3/8/12: Celtics vs. Hawks Stat Pack

*On Friday, the Celtics hope to win their 9^th consecutive home game, which would be their longest regular season home winning streak over the last 4 seasons.
–Last time they won 9 straight home games: 2009

*Via Chris Forsberg: The Celtics “pitched a shutout over the final 4 minutes, 36 seconds of Wednesday’s come-from-behind triumph in Indiana. The Pacers didn’t score on their final 10 possessions, missing seven shots and turning the ball over three times.”
–“In the small sample, Synergy data has the Celtics allowing a microscopic 0.4 points per play [in their zone]. To put that in perspective, Boston is allowing 0.822 points per play overall during this winning streak and 0.892 for the season (fifth best in the league). Synergy has Boston at 0.747 points per play overall in zone this season.”

*Via @STATS_Hoops: “The @ATLHawks Josh Smith has had a double-double in each of his last 5 games against the Celtics, the longest active streak against them”

*Via research from Phillip Maymin and his colleagues at NYU Polytechnic Institute, the Celtics had the highest acceleration among all NBA teams during the 2011-12 season (as explained fully in this YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGKRtCmoqdk).
–Paul Pierce was the most frequent accelerating small forward (29.06%) during last season.
–Ray Allen was the 2^nd-most accelerating shooting guard (25.56%) during last season.

*The Celtics are now 22-12 this season when “hanging in the there” with rebounding, meaning they either won the rebounding battle or lost it by 5 or fewer rebounds.

*Paul Piece now has had at least 7 rebounds in 5 consecutive games. This is now tied for the longest streak for him in the Kevin Garnett era.

*Jason Terry is now five 3-pointers away from his 13^th straight season (2000-01 to 2011-13) of making at least 100 shots from downtown.
–Paul Pierce and Ray Allen are the only players to do so from 2000-01 to 2012-13.
–No other NBA players will be able to make it at least a 13^th straight such season in 2012-13.
–The record for the most consecutive seasons of at least 100 three pointers made is held by Reggie Miller: 15 seasons (1989-90 to 2003-04).

*Recent Meetings: Celtics vs. Hawks
–Wednesday at Indiana was the Celtics’ 2^nd-largest comeback this season.
–We all remember the 33-9 third quarter in the January 5 victory over the Hawks in Atlanta.
–That comeback was on the 2^nd night of a back-to-back. The team on the first end of that back-to-back: the Pacers.

*Milestone Watch:

–Paul Pierce is 1 offensive rebound away from 1,000 for his career–

–All-Time NBA Blocked Shots–
17. Larry Nance 2,027
18. Theo Ratliff 1,968
19. Kevin Garnett 1,967            (Garnett needs 1 to tie Ratliff for 18^th place)

–All-Time NBA Minutes–
25. Charles Oakley 40,280
26. Otis Thorpe 39,822
27. Paul Pierce 39,819            (Pierce needs 4 to move into 26^th place)

3/6/12: Celtics @ Pacers Stat Pack

*The Celtics have won 3 of their last 4 road games.
–In those 3 victories, the Celtics have registered an offensive efficiency of at least 7 points better than their average this season.

*Indiana is the best defensive efficiency team in the NBA this season.
–The Pacers’ current defensive efficiency is on pace to be their 2^nd-best one in franchise history.

*The Pacers have a league-best 52.7 rebounding rate (according to Hollinger’s stats).

*Indiana has a 25-6 home record this season, the 5^th-best in the league.

*For just the 3^rd time since 2007-08, Paul Pierce has scored at least 18 points and grabbed at least 7 rebounds in 4 consecutive contests.

*Jason Terry is now seven 3-pointers away from his 13^th straight season (2000-01 to 2011-13) of making at least 100 three-pointers.
–Paul Pierce became the first player to do so from 2000-01 to 2012-13.
–Ray Allen: one 3-pointer away from his 14^th straight such season (1999-2000 to 2011-13).
–No other NBA players will be able to make it at least a 13^th straight such season in 2012-13.
–The record for the most consecutive seasons of at least 100 three pointers made is held by Reggie Miller: 15 seasons (1989-90 to 2003-04).

*The Celtics have had fewer offensive rebounds than their opponent in 18 consecutive games, now the longest streak of any team since 1985-86.

*Recent Meetings: Celtics vs. Pacers
–The Celtics won their last three meetings against the Pacers.

*Milestone Watch:

–All-Time NBA Rebounds–
9. Walt Bellamy 14,241
10. Wes Unseld 13,769
11. Kevin Garnett 13,764            (Garnett needs 6 to move into 10^th place)

–All-Time NBA Minutes–
26. Otis Thorpe 39,822
27. Hal Greer 39,788
28. Paul Pierce 39,786            (Pierce needs 3 to move into 27^th place)

3/5/12: Celtics @ 76ers Stat Pack

*Via Sean Grande: “On March 4, 2002, the Celtics came to Philadelphia 31-27, they won & closed 18-6. On March 4, 2013, the Celtics come to Philadelphia 31-27.”
–Boston won that 2002 game, 100-94, behind a game-high 28 points from Paul Pierce.
–In 2002, the Celtics then defeated the 76ers in 5 games in the first round of the playoffs (3-2 when the first-round series was a 5-gamer).
–In 2002, Boston advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals that year, but lost to New Jersey in 6 games.
–In 2001-02, Jim O’Brien was the coach and the starting lineup for that March 4, 2002 game was Kenny Anderson, Tony Delk, Pierce, Antoine Walker and Vitaly Potapenko.
–The only remaining Celtic from that 2001-02 team is Pierce.

*Although the 76ers are in 9^th place in the Eastern Conference, they have the 5^th-worst scoring differential (-3.7) in the NBA this season.

*Not too long ago the Celtics were closer to missing the playoffs than getting home court.
–The Celtics are now just 2 games out of the 4^th spot (Bulls and Nets) in the Eastern Conference standings.
–The Celtics are 8 games above the 76ers (9^th place).

*The Celtics are 5-1 in their last 6 games in which they played on at least 3 days rest.

*While the 76ers have lost their last 10 contests on the road, the 76ers are still an above .500 home squad.
-One of their 17 home victories this season was their 95-94 overtime win against the Celtics in December.

*Jason Terry is just eight 3-pointers away from his 13^th straight season (2000-01 to 2011-13) of making at least 100 three-pointers.
–Paul Pierce became the first player to do so from 2000-01 to 2012-13.
–Ray Allen: one 3-pointer away from his 14^th straight such season (1999-2000 to 2011-13).
–No other NBA players will be able to make it at least a 13^th straight such season in 2012-13.
–The record for the most consecutive seasons of at least 100 three pointers made is held by Reggie Miller: 15 seasons (1989-90 to 2003-04).

*The Celtics have had fewer offensive rebounds than their opponent in 17 consecutive games, tied for the longest streak of any team since 1985-86.
–Teams also with 17 straight games: Golden State Warriors (2012) and Toronto Raptors (2003-04).

*Recent Meetings: Celtics vs. 76ers
–A win for the 76ers Tuesday would mean that Philadelphia takes the season series from the Celtics, 3-1.
–The last time the 76ers won a regular season series of at least 4 games against the Celtics was 2006-07 (also 3-1).

*Milestone Watch:

–Chris Wilcox is 2 rebounds away from 3,000 for his career–

–All-Time NBA Rebounds–
9. Walt Bellamy 14,241
10. Hal Greer 13,769
11. Kevin Garnett 13,758            (Garnett needs 12 to move into 27^th place)

–All-Time NBA Minutes–
26. Otis Thorpe 39,822
27. Hal Greer 39,788
28. Paul Pierce 39,756            (Pierce needs 33 to move into 27^th place)

Podcast: Bobby and Adam on the Eastern Conference Race

Bobby and Adam discuss the intriguing race in the NBA Eastern Conference.

2013 March 3: The NBA Eastern Conference Race

(Podcast Recorded on Sunday, March 3rd, 2013 – after the Miami @ New York game)

3/1/12: Celtics vs. Warriors Stat Pack

*On Friday, the Celtics hope to win their eighth consecutive home game, which would tie their longest regular season home winning streak over the last four seasons.

*Golden State finished February with a 4-8 record, by far their worst month this season.
–In addition, the Warriors gave up 109.4 points per game in those 12 games after giving up about 10 fewer points per game from October to January.

*The Warriors sport a 15-7 record against Eastern Conference opponents in 2012-13 in comparison to the Warriors being 18-18 against the Western Conference.

*The Celtics have had fewer offensive rebounds than their opponent in 16 consecutive games, the longest streak of any team this season and the 2^nd-longest streak in the NBA since 2004-05.
–The only longer such streak since 2004-05: Golden State Warriors (17 games in 2012).
–Less than one year ago, Mark Jackson’s Warriors set that futile offensive rebounding record for the last decade.

*Recent Meetings: Celtics vs. Warriors
–The Celtics’ have played well at home against the Warriors in the Kevin Garnett era.
–On Friday, Boston hopes to make it a perfect 5-0 against Golden State since 2007-08.

*Milestone Watch:

–All-Time NBA Free Throws Made–
10. Allen Iverson 6,375
11. Charles Barkley 6,349
12. Paul Pierce 6,346                        (Pierce needs 4 to move into 11^th place)