The Celtics' 122-88 thumping of the Wizards on Thursday added another historic notch to Boston's 2008-09 campaign. With 21 wins in their first 23 games, the Celtics eclipsed their franchise record for the best start to a season. Six more wins against New Orleans, Utah, Atlanta, Chicago, the Knicks, and Philadelphia -- five of them at home -- and they'll stand alone atop history, besting the 1969-70 Knicks and the 1966-67 Sixers, who each started 26-2. The 13-game win streak is Boston's longest since winning 14 straight late in the 1985-86 season.
Of course, the Celtics are no strangers to rarified air. Head coach Doc Rivers told the Boston Globe that a stellar finish is far more important to the team than a jackrabbit start. Championships have a way of trivializing the novel, and nothing accomplished in autumn for the title-holders can offer any measure of fulfillment.
Thursday night, the Celtics shot a blistering 55.7 percent and generated 31 assists off their 44 made shots. After Kevin Garnett hit Kendrick Perkins on a perfect backdoor cut with 2:54 left in the first, the Wizards never sniffed single digits. Boston managed to rest four of its five starters for the entire fourth quarter. Ray Allen settled matters early, beating his defenders off screens to drain four shots from beyond the arc in the first quarter. He finished with 22 points. Paul Pierce wasn't graceful but still tormented the Wizards' defense, earning six trips to the line [off fouls committed by six different Wizards] to also finish with 22 points.
What's made the Celtics so devastating this season is their ability to vary their offense so effortlessly. The Celtics beat opponents with a kick-and-drive scheme initiated by Rajon Rondo. But they're just as apt to come down with a lot of fluid ball motion. At times, they employ an almost Sloan-like flex offense. Everyone in the starting lineup understands how to use space, even the hulking Perkins, who can navigate the baseline and fill a vacant spot underneath as well as any big man. All these offensive principles were at work last season. Even though opponents have since learned the Celtics' playbook, they're still powerless because Boston's execution is so precise.
Perhaps Washington isn't the best measuring stick to gauge the C's force. The Wizards were unable to build on a solid home win over Detroit on Tuesday night and dropped to 4-16 on the season. Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison, who picked up the slack last season during Gilbert Arenas' absence, appeared worn down, though they combined for 36 points. The Wizards were slow to the ball all night. The team gave up 12 offensive boards, but collected only 20 defensive rebounds -- an atrocious ratio.
Help arrived for Washington's thin backcourt on Wednesday, when the Wizards acquired Memphis castaways Mike James and Javaris Crittenton. Both saw action ... in a manner of speaking. James went 0-for-6 from the field in 11 minutes, while Crittenton committed four turnovers in six minutes without a point, rebound, or assist.
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