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Gerald Wallace isn't having a great season, but one thing he is doing well is keeping opposing SFs in check.
So when he left the TD Garden floor with a left heel contusion, Paul Pierce was no doubt licking his chops.
But Boston needed much more than Pierce's 23 points to match the Nets' big three of Deron Williams, Joe Johnson and Brook Lopez. Those three combined for 70 of the Nets' 101 points as Brooklyn dominated the Celtics on their home floor.
Williams was spectacular, scoring 29 on 9-18 shooting, going 10-10 from the line and adding 12 assists. His current play is a great sign for a Nets team whose playoff success will likely be determined by how far he can lead them.
Let's look at some other reasons why the Celtics were no match for the Nets tonight.
- Both teams shot well from the line, but the Nets made 12 more than the Celtics, going a sparkling 25-28.
- The Celtics starting frontcourt of Kevin Garnett, Jeff Green and Brandon Bass combined to shoot 14-39, leaving Pierce to fend for himself offensively.
- Johnson and Lopez, on the other hand, combined to shoot 16-29 and took advantage of mismatches against the undersized Celtics all night - providing Williams with the help he needed.
- The Nets had a great 2nd quarter, continued to play well in the 3rd quarter, and never allowed the run they have given up so many times in the 2nd half this season. They were consistent on both ends for the entire game - not something we've seen regularly, but another great sign with the playoffs approaching.
- Reggie Evans didn't miss a single shot. (OK. He didn't take one. But still!)
The Nets look good for the 4th spot in the East. As of right now, they would host the Chicago Bulls, who are tied with the Atlanta Hawks for the 5th seed but own the tiebreaker over the Hawks. The Celtics will almost assuredly be beginning the playoffs in Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks. (There is still an outside chance that the Indiana Pacers could pass the red-hot Knicks, in which case Boston would go to Indianapolis.)
For more on the Celtics, see: CelticsBlog
- Box Score - NBA.com
- Wallace Leaves the Floor (Video) - NBA.com
- Lopez Goes Strong (Video) - NBA.com
- Rebound and Slam (Video) - NBA.com
- D-Will, The Corner Man (Video) - NBA.com
- Bass Jam (Video) - NBA.com
- Brooklyn Nets tickets - TiqIQ
- Williams carries Nets to 101-93 win over Celtics - Ken Powtak - AP
- Nets Beat Celtics, Moving Closer to No. 4 Seed in East - Peter May - New York Times
- Deron, Nets handle Celtics - Tim Bontemps - New York Post
- Castoff Joseph enjoys return to Beantown - Tim Bontemps - New York Post
- Deron Williams, Joe Johnson and Brook Lopez lead Brooklyn Nets in win over Boston Celtics - Seth Walder - New York Daily News
- Deron Williams takes Celtics apart as Nets win, 101-93 - Rod Boone - Newsday
- Nets rebounding star Reggie Evans adds offense to his game - Rod Boone - Newsday
- New Injury Extends Rough Stretch For Gerald Wallace - Josh Newman - SNY Nets
- Rapid Recap: #Nets 101, #Celtics 93 - Jim Mancari - SNY Nets
- Rapid Reaction: Nets 101, Celtics 93 - Mike Mazzeo - ESPN New York
- Bogans (back) out for second straight game - Mike Mazzeo - ESPN New York
- Gerald Wallace of Brooklyn Nets suffers heel contusion against Boston Celtics - Mike Mazzeo - ESPN New York
- Nets Take Season Series: Nets 101, Celtics 93 (Game Grades) - Devin Kharpertian - The Brooklyn Game
- Led by Deron Williams, Brooklyn Defeats the Boston Celtics 101-93 - Kevin O'Connor - CelticsBlog
- Rapid Reaction: Nets 101, Celtics 93 - Chris Forsberg - ESPN Boston
- Notebook: Whistles slow Bradley - Chris Forsberg - ESPN Boston
- Garnett shaking the rust - Greg Payne - ESPN Boston
- Celtics can’t contain the Nets - Gary Washburn - Boston Globe
- Avery Bradley must tone it down for the good of the Celtics - Gary Washburn - Boston Globe
- Nets defeat Celtics, 101-93 - Baxter Holmes - Boston Globe
- P.J. Carlesimo gushes over Jeff Green - Baxter Holmes - Boston Globe
- Williams' journey for success through life of struggle - Jessica Camerato - Comcast Sports Net
- Celts cut down by Nets - Mark Murphy - Boston Herald