Boston Celtics forward Paul Pierce (34) drives the baseline around Toronto Raptors forward James Johnson (2) as Celtic's Chris Wilcox (44) looks on during the first half of their NBA basketball game in Boston, Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2012. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)

With Andrea Bargnani sitting out due to a  calf injury, the Toronto Raptors looked more like D-Leaguers than a bonafide NBA team Wednesday night at the TD Garden.

The Celtics outclassed the Raptors in every facet of the game, encountering very little resistance as they marched to a 100-64 victory which put Boston above .500 for the first time since January 4th.

Paul Pierce once again took hold of the offense in Rajon Rondo’s absence (Rondo is expected to return Friday), registering eight assists and six rebounds to go along with 17 points. Pierce canned four of the Celtics 12 three-pointers, which tied the team’s season-high for made three-pointers.

Boston shot just as well from inside the arc, establishing a 22-point halftime lead after shooting 62% from the field. With the exception of Chris Wilcox (who hauled in five rebounds), each Celtic player scored at least one basket. Boston assisted on 30 of its 39 field goals, while committing just 10 turnovers.

Holding a 28-point lead entering the fourth quarter, Doc Rivers elected to rest the Big Three and give extended minutes to the bench players. Rookie JaJuan Johnson took advantage of his opportunity, making all five of his shots for 10 points in 10 minutes.

Johnson has a feathery touch from both the post and out to 15-feet, but he lacks the strength to compete on the defensive end. If Johnson can fill out and develop his lower-body strength, he’ll have no trouble cracking the rotation down the road. After all, he was the Big 10 Defensive Player of the Year last season.

Considering the starters played fewer minutes than they are accustomed to, and the Celtics have an off-day on Thursday before hosting the reeling New York Knicks on Friday, Boston seems to be in a good position to avenge their loss in the season-opener. The Knicks have lost nine of their last 11 games, and will be playing the second night of a back-to-back after they host Chicago on Thursday night.

Boston Celtics forward Kevin Garnett, left, and Orlando Magic power forward Glen Davis, his former teammate, look for the bounce on a rebound during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Boston Monday, Jan. 23, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

For the first time since the infamous Kendrick Perkins trade last February, the Boston Celtics matched up with the Dwight Howard-led Orlando Magic Monday night at the TD Garden–and they played without Rajon Rondo (“sore” right wrist) and Ray Allen (jammed left ankle).

The Celtics missed Perkins’ lauded post-defense about as much as they missed Rondo and Allen. Not so much. Led by an impressive effort from Jermaine O’Neal, the Boston frontcourt forced Howard into 4-15 shooting, while Avery Bradley disrupted Jameer Nelson and the Magic half-court offense in a much-needed 87-56 win.

The oft-criticized Bradley and the much-maligned Sasha Pavlovic started in place of Rondo and Allen, outscoring their Orlando counterparts (Nelson and Jason Richardon), while playing praise-worthy defense. Bradley’s defense was so good, he’s in danger of being sued by Nelson and his cohorts for harassment.

In addition to three steals, Bradley’s ball-pressure pushed Nelson to start the offense from well beyond the three-point arc after wasting pressure time on the shot clock. Pavlovic, meanwhile, was credited with two monster blocks (though I could have sworn I counted three) and two steals. Bradley and Pavlovic were a major part of a defense that held Orlando to 24.6% from the field and 25% on three-point field goals, while forcing 23 turnovers.

While the defense was a team effort (O’Neal and Kevin Garnett each added two blocks, while Garnett swiped five steals as well), the offense was led by Paul Pierce and Brandon Bass. Despite garnering most of the attention of the Magic defense, Pierce mustered 19 points, 7 assists, and 5 rebounds. He scored six quick points early in the third quarter to get the blowout ball rolling.

After weeks of watching Pierce plod into the lane and front-rim countless shots, it was encouraging to see him sinking a turnaround, baseline fadeaway and a couple of his patented step-back elbow jumpers. Pierce finally appears to be rounding into form–and it couldn’t come at a better time for a banged up Boston.

For his part, Bass made Orlando GM Otis Smith rethink swapping him for Glen Davis (if Glen Davis hadn’t already done that when he dropped trow in protest of a foul call). He made 8-14 shots, scoring 19 points to go along with eight rebounds.

Bass’ boyhood buddy Davis scored six points and hauled in 11 rebounds in his emotional return to Boston. Davis was nearly brought to tears during a 35-second tribute video on the Jumbotron in which he received a standing ovation.

Wait, what? Doc Rivers almost fought Horace Grant? While he was coaching him? Why did I never know this before?

According to a great piece Mark Murphy wrote for the Boston Herald, Rivers was sick of Grant’s attitude. Grant was a veteran who was set in his ways and didn’t want to change. By baiting his teammates with what Murphy called “withering sarcasm,” Grant (and I assume his rec specs, too) were becoming a problem.

Doc confronted Grant about his bad attitude on the team plane, and the two had to be separated by fellow coaches and players before any punches were thrown. Not that Rivers was against a nice brawl.

“We never came to blows, but I was willing to,” Rivers said. “It escalated, and honestly it was more me being the aggressor. I approached him for sure. I was young and far more emotional. It was about another player. He was saying things to another player about the other player. It had nothing to do with me. But I wasn’t having that, because it disrupts your team.

“One of the other guys said, ’Well, Horace does that,’ but I said, ’Not here,’ ” Rivers said. “I confronted him about it and he tried to get out of it, and I said we’re not going to have that.

“It’s funny, a year later I saw Horace and we talked a long time,” said Rivers. “(Expletive) happens in a year. Some you laugh at, some you wish didn’t happen. I still, to this day, know that Horace is a good guy, but in that instance he was a veteran set in his ways who didn’t want to change.”

I re-watched Year of the Bull (my favorite YouTube clip ever) for the 9,000th time yesterday, and the football coach in that clip (after spear-tackling one of his own back-talking players), explained his behavior: “Before I let you lose respect for me, I will lose my job and I will fight you.” The coach continued, “Once they see you [act out], they’re going to do it. And after we have that reputation, that’s it man. They’ve got us. They’ve got us. Still, I love you. I love you like a son.”

The other Orlando Magic player tried to rationalize Horace Grant’s behavior by saing, “Well, Horace does that.” But Rivers couldn’t let Horace do something Rivers discouraged, even if it was just Horace being Horace. He had to keep the locker room’s respect and hold players accountable for every action. If he’d let Horace get away with all that withering sarcasm crap, Rivers would have lost his locker room’s respect. And after he has that reputation, that’s it man. They’ve got him. They’ve got him.

We tend to look at Doc Rivers as a players’ coach, someone who lets his players get away with a lot. But there’s a reason Rivers has kept control of a locker room with so many zany personalities. He commands respect. Before he lets you lose respect for him, he will lose his job and he will fight you.

“Well, Horace does that.”

“Not here.”

"I'm looking at you, Boston."

Jermaine O’Neal has listed the Boston Celtics as one of the favorites to sign him this offseason, according to Mark Stein of ESPN.

Free-agent center Jermaine O’Neal said Wednesday that he expects to sign with one of the three following teams in coming days: Dallas, Denver or Boston.

“Those are my favorites,” O’Neal told ESPN.com “Those are teams that are going to compete [for a championship] next year.”

O’Neal said he’s still deliberating between the three teams — all believed to be offering a portion of the mid-level exception to sign him — and called the decision perhaps “the most important of my career because I know this is kind of my last run at it” in terms of title-chasing.

O’Neal’s interest in Boston–for only a portion of the mid-level exception– is great news for the Celtics and their fans. Because Boston is over the salary cap, they can only sign free agents (exluding their own) with their mid-level exception, or with minimum contracts. If O’Neal is willing to take less than the full mid-level exception, it would allow the Celtics to use the rest of the MLE on another free agent. Other potential big men the Celtics have showed interest in–Brad Miller, Shaquille O’Neal– would likely require th full MLE to sign.

O”Neal is an unrestricted free agent who started at center for the Miami Heat this past season, averaging 13.6 ppg and 6.9 rpg. O’Neal would provide much needed frontcourt depth for the Celtics who will likely be without starting center Kendrick Perkins until December because of a torn ACL and also lost backup center Rasheed Wallace to retirement.

"Heywood leads the league in most offensive categories, including nose hair. When this guy sneezes, he looks like a party favor. "

Ever wondered what movie the Celtics would be if they were a movie?

Me neither.

But Jared Wade from Hardwood Paroxysm had the perfect comparison: The Celtics are ‘Major League,’ plain and simple.

Kevin Garnett is Jake Taylor. (“Is that you, Tolbert? Look, I am hung over, my knees are killing me and if you’re gonna pull this shit at least you can say you’re from the Yankees.”)

Paul Pierce is Rick “Wild Thing” Vaughn. (“Forget about the curve ball Ricky, give him the heater.”)

Doc Rivers is Lou Brown. (“All right people, we got 10 minutes ’till game time, let’s all gather ’round. I’m not much for giving inspirational addresses, but I’d just like to point out that every newspaper in the country has picked us to finish last. The local press seems to think that we’d save everyone the time and trouble if we just went out and shot ourselves. Me, I’m for wasting sportswriters’ time. So I figured we ought to hang around for a while and see if we can give ‘em all a nice big shitburger to eat!”)

Rajon Rondo is Willie “Mayes” Hayes. (“The American Express card: Don’t steal home without it.”)

Ray Allen is Pedro Cerrano. (“Bats, they are sick. I cannot hit curveball. Straightball, I hit it very much. Curveball, bats are afraid. I ask Jobu to come, take fear from bats. I offer him cigar, rum. He will come.”)

And Rasheed Wallace is Roger Dorn. (“Ya know Dorn, I liked you so much better when you were just a ballplayer. If you wanna be an interior decorator now that’s none of my business. But some of us still need this team. Now you listen to me! This is my last shot at a winner and for some of the younger guys it could be their only shot. I don’t know what happened to you. But if you ever, ever tank another play like you did today, I’m gonna cut your nuts off and stuff em down your f—ing throat!”)

The Celtics could do worse than Major League; those guys were pathetic for awhile, too, but banded together just in time to win the pennant.  I wouldn’t mind that happening in Boston.

I just hope Pierce doesn’t end up accidentally sleeping with Wallace’s wife.

Preseason Schedule/Results
OCTOBER OPPONENT TIME (ET) TV (CSNNE unless otherwise noted)
Wed, Oct 6 Philadelphia 7:30 PM
Thu, Oct 7 @ New Jersey 7:00 PM
Sun, Oct 10 Toronto 6:00 PM
Tue, Oct 12 @ Philadelphia 7:00 PM
Wed, Oct 13 @ NY Knicks 7:30 PM
Fri, Oct 15 @ Toronto 7:00 PM
Sat, Oct 16 NY Knicks 7:30 PM
Wed, Oct 20 New Jersey 7:30 PM
Regular Season Schedule/Results
OCTOBER OPPONENT TIME (ET) TV
Tue, Oct 26 Miami 7:30 PM TNT
Wed, Oct 27 @ Cleveland 7:00 PM
Fri, Oct 29 NY Knicks 7:30 PM
NOVEMBER OPPONENT TIME (ET) TV
Tue, Nov 2 @ Detroit 7:30 PM
Wed, Nov 3 Milwaukee 8:00 PM
Fri, Nov 5 Chicago 8:00 PM
Sun, Nov 7 @ Oklahoma City 7:00 PM NBA TV
Mon, Nov 8 @ Dallas 8:30 PM
Thu, Nov 11 @ Miami 8:00 PM TNT
Sat, Nov 13 @ Memphis 8:00 PM
Wed, Nov 17 Washington 7:30 PM
Fri, Nov 19 Oklahoma City 7:00 PM
Sun, Nov 21 @ Toronto 1:00 PM
Mon, Nov 22 @ Atlanta 7:00 PM
Wed, Nov 24 New Jersey 7:30 PM
Fri, Nov 26 Toronto 7:30 PM
Tue, Nov 30 @ Cleveland 7:00 PM
DECEMBER OPPONENT TIME (ET) TV
Wed, Dec 1 Portland 7:30 PM NBA TV
Fri, Dec 3 Chicago 8:00 PM
Sun, Dec 5 @ New Jersey 1:00 PM
Wed, Dec 8 Denver 7:00 PM
Thu, Dec 9 @ Philadelphia 8:00 PM TNT
Sat, Dec 11 @ Charlotte 7:00 PM
Wed, Dec 15 @ NY Knicks 7:00 PM
Thu, Dec 16 Atlanta 8:00 PM TNT
Sun, Dec 19 Indiana 1:00 PM
Wed, Dec 22 Philadelphia 7:30 PM
Sat, Dec 25 @ Orlando 2:30 PM
Tue, Dec 28 @ Indiana 7:00 PM
Wed, Dec 29 @ Detroit 7:30 PM
Fri, Dec 31 New Orleans 3:00 PM
JANUARY OPPONENT TIME (ET) TV
Sun, Jan 2 @ Toronto 6:00 PM
Mon, Jan 3 Minnesota 7:30 PM
Wed, Jan 5 San Antonio 7:30 PM
Fri, Jan 7 Toronto 7:30 PM
Sat, Jan 8 @ Chicago 8:00 PM NBA TV
Mon, Jan 10 Houston 7:30 PM NBA TV
Wed, Jan 12 Sacramento 7:30 PM
Fri, Jan 14 Charlotte 7:30 PM
Mon, Jan 17 Orlando 8:00 PM TNT
Wed, Jan 19 Detroit 7:30 PM
Fri, Jan 21 Utah 7:30 PM
Sat, Jan 22 @ Washington 7:00 PM
Tue, Jan 25 Cleveland 7:30 PM
Thu, Jan 27 @ Portland 10:30 PM TNT
Fri, Jan 28 @ Phoenix 10:30 PM
Sun, Jan 30 @ LA Lakers 3:30 PM
FEBRUARY OPPONENT TIME (ET) TV
Tue, Feb 1 @ Sacramento 10:00 PM
Fri, Feb 4 Dallas 8:00 PM
Sun, Feb 6 Orlando 2:30 PM
Mon, Feb 7 @ Charlotte 7:00 PM
Thu, Feb 10 LA Lakers 8:00 PM TNT
Sun, Feb 13 Miami 1:00 PM
Wed, Feb 16 New Jersey 7:30 PM
Tue, Feb 22 @ Golden State 10:30 PM
Thu, Feb 24 @ Denver 10:30 PM TNT
Sat, Feb 26 @ LA Clippers 10:30 PM
Mon, Feb 28 @ Utah 9:00 PM NBA TV
MARCH OPPONENT TIME (ET) TV
Wed, Mar 2 Phoenix 7:30 PM NBA TV
Fri, Mar 4 Golden State 7:30 PM
Sun, Mar 6 @ Milwaukee 9:00 PM
Wed, Mar 9 LA Clippers 7:30 PM
Fri, Mar 11 @ Philadelphia 7:00 PM
Sun, Mar 13 Milwaukee 6:00 PM NBA TV
Mon, Mar 14 @ New Jersey 7:00 PM
Wed, Mar 16 Indiana 7:30 PM
Fri, Mar 18 @ Houston 8:30 PM
Sat, Mar 19 @ New Orleans 8:00 PM
Mon, Mar 21 @ NY Knicks 7:30 PM NBA TV
Wed, Mar 23 Memphis 7:30 PM
Fri, Mar 25 Charlotte 7:30 PM
Sun, Mar 27 @ Minnesota 7:00 PM
Mon, Mar 28 @ Indiana 7:00 PM
Thu, Mar 31 @ San Antonio 8:00 PM TNT
APRIL OPPONENT TIME (ET) TV
Fri, Apr 1 @ Atlanta 8:00 PM
Sun, Apr 3 Detroit 6:00 PM
Tue, Apr 5 Philadelphia 7:30 PM
Thu, Apr 7 @ Chicago 8:00 PM TNT
Fri, Apr 8 Washington 7:30 PM
Sun, Apr 10 @ Miami 3:30 PM
Mon, Apr 11 @ Washington 7:00 PM
Wed, Apr 13 NY Knicks 8:00 PM