The Celtics have gotten rid of their morning walkthrough, but that doesn’t mean we have to. Here are a few Celtics links, and maybe even an NBA link or two, to help wake you up and get you focused for the day.

Deron Williams is a tough matchup for the Diminutive Dunker. (AP Photo/Danny Chan La)

Ross Siler, Salt Lake Tribune – “The Jazz scored the last seven points going into halftime and the first nine points coming back from the break. They took off from there, snapping Boston’s four-game winning streak and closing within a half-game of No. 3 Dallas, which lost to New Orleans. ‘We came out like a bullet out of a gun,’ Carlos Boozer said of the Jazz’s second-half surge, adding, ‘I hope everybody in this locker room had fun tonight because we played against a championship-caliber team and beat them.’”

Julian Benbow, Boston Globe – “The tale of the first half was free throw shooting (Boston 13 of 18, Utah 13 of 14), rebounds (Boston 21, Utah 13) and second chances (Boston 11 points, Utah 4). But in second half, Utah dominated every category, finishing with 40 boards, 7 of 21 3-pointers, and 16 second-chance points. The Celtics took their feet off the pedal after Ray Allen drilled a three from the corner with 2:01 left in the first half, turning the ball over, missing layups, and allowing the Jazz to go into the break down just 54-49. ‘I thought the second quarter we closed out terribly,’ Rivers said. ‘I thought what we did was give them hope.’”

Mark Murphy, Boston Herald – “Kevin Garnett was clearly angry after a frustrating night of chasing Mehmet Okur into the corners. ‘They started the third quarter pretty electric,’ he said. ‘But that was something you had to anticipate. As many times as I have played (in Utah), they have always come out like that. They were pretty aggressive in the first half, so you had to anticipate them coming out with some energy. When you are aggressive like that the refs are going to give you the whistle. We just didn’t put 48 minutes of basketball together.’”

Paul Flannery, WEEI – “It was typical for the last game of a short but grueling trip. But did it mean anything? Every Celtics win and loss has prompted a new twist in the ‘turn it on, turn it off’ saga that has dominated the second half of the season. As he has for the last month, Rivers has resisted the urge to play that game. He’s not going to get into short-term analysis. ‘It was a good trip,’ Rivers told reporters after the game. ‘We’re not counting the trip. We’re not counting games. We’re just trying to get better.’ Still, there were interesting developments on a night when Rivers concluded, ‘They outplayed us. Give them credit. They were the better team.’”

Mark Murphy, Boston Herald – “Judging from his last three games, during which Pierce took a week-long “vacation” from talking to the media, the go-to element in Pierce’s game has resurfaced. ‘For the most part I’m healthy now,’ Pierce said. ‘I played a lot of games I shouldn’t have played in and I’m really starting to come around as far as my foot, knee and my hand. When you play less than 100 percent it’s tough, especially at the age I am now. I could bounce back when I was younger. But I learned a lot about myself this year with these injuries and I probably need to take more time off when I have these types of injuries.’”

Gary Washburn, Boston Globe – “Pierce’s sentiments were understandable. The Celtics were struggling and needed offensive punch. They were blowing second-half leads and looked ragged and uninterested at times. But what Rivers stressed — many times to deaf ears — was there was plenty of time to recapture that confidence and swagger — that same swagger Pierce showed when he strutted back to the bench after draining that 3-pointer against Dallas. ‘I’m always motivated,’ he said. ‘This is a crucial part of the year when you are trying to battle for playoff position, and at this time you really want to start playing some of your best basketball. We’re starting to show a lot of signs of things that we did earlier in the year.’ And the same could be said for Pierce, who personifies the Celtics.”

Julian Benbow, Boston Globe – “The Celtics are essentially hosting an open house for potential playoff teams the next two weeks with Denver, San Antonio, Oklahoma City, and Cleveland all due at the Garden. They faired well on the road, but Pierce would have preferred taking all three games on the trip. ‘We’re trying to be greedy, especially at this point in the season,’ Pierce said. ‘We need every win we can get, especially with the seeding being so important. By no means are we satisfied with losing today. We don’t come on a trip saying we win two lose one. Our goal is to win every game. So we’re disappointed for losing this game. We’ve got to get back to the drawing board, and look at the last couple games that we played well, and continue to build. We can’t get discouraged from one loss to a Utah team – who is tough and at home – we’ve got to keep building for the rest of the season.’”

Mark Murphy, Boston Herald – “The Celtics’ 105-86 win against the Jazz at the Garden on Nov. 11 ranks as a night of infamy for Utah players. According to point guard Deron Williams, the players gathered at a restaurant afterward, went over the box score and noted that there wasn’t a Celtic with 18 points in the game. They also witnessed the Celtics having a bit too much of a good time – probably grooving a little too much on the Gino dance video – late in the game. This humiliation, according to Williams, was the start of Utah’s turnaround.”

Have a link I might want to look at? Send it my way by email (jayking@celticstown.com) or Twitter.

Mehmet Okur balled out of his mind tonight.

The Utah Jazz came out of halftime like a midsummer California forest fire: Flaming hot and viciously destructive.

Before you could say Mehmet Okur, a five-point halftime lead for the Boston Celtics had turned into a 10-point deficit, and a very winnable game was suddenly headed to the ‘L’ column.  The final score would be even worse, 110-97.

Just before halftime, the Celtics had seemed headed for their fifth straight impressive win.  A Ray Allen three-bomb put the Celtics up 12, and they were threatening to break the game wide open.  Just when it seemed they might put the Jazz away for good, the Celtics took their foot off the gas and allowed the Jazz right back into the game.  The 12-point lead disintegrated to five by the intermission, and the table was set for Utah’s second-half onslaught.

For the Celtics, it was a disappointing loss, but far from the end of the world.  A 3-0 road trip would have been delicious, but 2-1 is nothing to be ashamed of.  Beating the Jazz in Utah is exceedingly tough, but beating them in Utah when Okur plays like Reggie Miller, Hakeem Olajuwon and Dennis Rodman all rolled into one is next to impossible.  Ohkur was everywhere, blocking shots, snatching rebounds, and draining three-pointers from all angles. 

The Celtics looked like a team ready to fly home and embark on a six-game homestand, while the Jazz looked like a team thirstily trying to defend its homecourt.  In the end, that was the difference.  It wasn’t that Utah was a better team, or that they have more talent, but simply that they wanted it more.  It was that simple.  Had Boston kept the turnovers to a minimum in a sloppy first half, Utah might have faced an insurmountable halftime deficit.  But they didn’t, and they didn’t. 

I’ve spent half a season urging Boston to find the heart to exert effort throughout every play of each game, but tonight was the most excusable loss Boston has had in awhile.  I don’t want to let them off the hook after another second-half meltdown, but this one was understandable.  On the last leg of a road trip, playing a very good Utah team in a hostile environment, with a six-game road trip waiting on the horizon, it all added up to a second half devoid of any energy.  I don’t condone it, but I can see why it happened.

If the Celtics don’t bring their hardhats and lunchpails on Wednesday, though, there’s something wrong.  Playing a Nuggets team that all but bent the Celtics over and spanked them last time the two teams met, the Celtics should be out for blood.  It should help that it’s in the Garden, but playing at home hasn’t always been a good sign this season. 

After seeing the Jazz play the Celtics like a fiddle in the final 24 minutes of tonight’s game, spectators might think this was another night the Celtics got overrun by a better opponent.  I wouldn’t read too much into the loss, though.  It was one game, and one game only.  Really, it was one half and one half only.  The Celtics live to play another day.

The next time the Celtics take the court, they should thank their lucky stars they don’t have to play Mehmet Miller Olajuwon Rodman Okur.  He’s a killer.

*****

• Doc Rivers was tossed out of the game with a minute or so left after receiving his second technical foul, and mockingly applauded the referee after his dismissal.
• Ray Allen led the Celtics with 15 points.  Paul Pierce, the reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Week, scored only 11 on 3-13 shooting.

Box Score