The Morning Walkthrough is a set of links to Boston Celtics articles throughout the internet, designed to get your day started the right way.

Steve Bulpett, Boston Herald – “‘I mean, I said to somebody else that we look like a totally different team out there just with Kevin on the court,’ said Pierce. ‘You can’t replace what Kevin gives to a ball club. He doesn’t always show up with his numbers, but his presence and his feel for the game and everything he does for this team goes far beyond the numbers, and you see it tonight. We look like a team who is ready, who is energized, who is locked in, and, you know, that’s the culture he’s brought here since Day 1. He raises everybody’s level of play when he’s on the court.’”

Ben Rohrbach, WEEI – “After all the hullabaloo over who’s the real Superman, there’s no wonder Dwight Howard rolls his eyes when he’s asked about Shaquille O’Neal. Thinking for a moment, the Magic center made a bold prediction. ‘The matchup is awesome,’ said Howard, tongue firmly planted in cheek. ‘He won the victory tonight, but we will win the war.’”

Peter May, ESPN Boston – “I know. I know. I know. The Boston Celtics think of themselves as a defensive team. They pride themselves on being a defensive power and understand that stopping the other guy is the best and surest way to add another banner to the franchise collection. All of that is true. But oh my goodness, they are doing things at the other end of the floor that make you want to call the championship flag seamstress and tell her to start working. If these guys can continue to shoot the ball the way they have over the first 40 games and their defense, already pretty good, comes around when everyone is (hopefully) healthy, we have the makings of a hardwood leviathan.”

Gary Washburn, Boston Globe – “While other clubs reconstruct themselves with trades, the Celtics are doing it with good health. To a man, every Celtic acknowledged Sunday’s practice was motivational because Perkins and Garnett were back, and the team was whole. Glen Davis came off the bench last night and took shots in rhythm, after uncharacteristically turning into World B. Free in Garnett’s absence. And Shaquille O’Neal didn’t have to defend Dwight Howard one-on-one for the entire night. Garnett offered help, especially in the fourth quarter. The Celtics are approaching their natural order and that gives coach Doc Rivers a feeling of comfort. He tends to harp on injuries too much, as every NBA coach does, but without Perkins as an option and injuries to Rajon Rondo and Garnett, the starting five has undergone more cast changes than ‘General Hospital.’”

Mike Petraglia, WEEI - “‘You get out of it what it what you put into it,’ Garnett said. ‘These two weeks have been dark days for me, trying to keep my morale up, be around the guys, travel. But being hurt is not one of my things I like to be a part of. I hate it. I don’t deal with it well. But as I get older, along with these knuckleheads here keeping it real light for me, keeping my spirits up, I just worked through it. Tonight, I just felt stronger and I’m going to continue to build on this and not have any mishaps.’”

Mike Petraglia, WEEI – “Rivers didn’t feel the two teams played very good defense in the first 45 minutes, the last three were what mattered in a 109-106 Celtics win Monday night over the team they eliminated in the Eastern Finals last year. So, Garnett yelling out defensive calls and making plays like a steal on Jameer Nelson with 10 seconds remaining to seal the win was music to Rivers’ ears. ‘Listen, they all talk, but no one talks like Kevin,’ Rivers said. ‘He’s the best talker in the league. When you’re talking defense. And I think Perk [Kendrick Perkins] may be the second best. So, it is clear tonight – and I didn’t think we had a great defensive night; I thought we were actually average – but it was clear the communication, especially those last four possessions, you could hear it. He was calling their sets out. He’s a defensive coach on the floor.’ Rivers had no doubt the energy would be there. His stamina and effectiveness were another thing altogether. ‘I knew he’d play with energy,’ Rivers said after Garnett scored 19 points and hauled in eight rebounds in 30 intensity-filled minutes. ‘You could see that. You could see it [Sunday], and I was telling guys that our practice was just crazy with energy. And so, you knew that. I was concerned about his wind; I wasn’t concerned about his health at all.’”

Julian Benbow, Boston Globe – “But there’s something about the waning moments of games that wakes Pierce up. He dealt the Knicks a dagger last month, drilling the game-winner over Amare Stoudemire from the right elbow. Last night, he victimized Jason Richardson, getting to his sweet spot, drilling an 18-footer, getting the foul, and converting a 3-point play that helped the Celtics seal their 109-106 win. ‘I’ve been in those situations a number of times,’ Pierce said. ‘I really don’t get rattled. I try to keep cool and calm about myself especially in the last two minutes, when the crowd’s frantic and everybody’s going crazy. I just try to zone in at that point in the game and just keep my focus.’ Pierce acknowledges that in his younger days, he would have been calling for shots. ‘Even though I got all the shots,’ Pierce said jokingly.”

Steve Buckley, Boston Herald – “But wake up, Boston: As of right now, and with apologies to the Bruins, and with the Red Sox still a few weeks away from revving up the equipment truck for Fort Myers, the Celtics represent Boston’s best shot for the next championship. The Celtics still have their Big Three. They have Rajon Rondo. And they have Shaq, who the other day did what we all have done: He slipped on the ice, and then cursed, and then got up, and then went to work.”

Chris Forsberg, ESPN Boston – “Rivers confirmed that reserve center Jermaine O’Neal trekked to New York on Monday to receive another opinion on his ailing left knee, which has sidelined him for 22 games this season. ‘What I think will happen is he’ll get some information then bring it back,’ Rivers said. ‘And [team physician] Dr. [Brian] McKeon, [trainer] Eddie [Lacerte] and J.O. will talk and come to a conclusion.’ Rivers said Sunday he thinks that unless O’Neal can find a doctor that can operate and get him back on the court before the playoffs the 32-year-old center will elect to follow a non-surgery path and play with the pain and limitations of the sore knee the rest of the season.”

Got a tip? An article you think should be included? Send an email to jayking@celticstown.com or hit me up on Twitter @CelticsTown.

Jason Richardson couldn’t miss, and Jameer Nelson stopped to shovel his scorching-hot teammate a pass. Richardson’s primary defender was lost behind a screen, and a three-pointer would have tied the back-and-forth game at 107-107.

Except the ball never found Richardson. Before it could, there was Kevin Garnett’s spaghetti strand arm, reaching in to poke the pass away and ultimately steal it. Garnett floated a pass to Ray Allen, who was fouled and made two free throws to seal Boston’s 109-106 win.

Have you seen a better-played NBA game this season? This was Rocky vs. Apollo Creed, two heavyweights duking it out, throwing haymaker after haymaker while somehow managing to stand on their feet for a full 15 rounds — or, in this case, 48 minutes. If you look at the stats and never watched the game, you would expect two abysmal defenses forgetting rotations left and right, leaving shooters wide open and dunkers underneath the basket unimpeded. But for the majority of the night, this was just two efficient offenses getting the better of stiff defensive units.

Look at the fourth quarter. Every play was an adventure. Hedo Turkoglu would drain a fadeaway three-pointer, then Ray Allen would come back and drill one from the corner. Jameer Nelson would come off a pick-and-roll to hit an elbow jumper, then Paul Pierce would step back, up fake, and drill an and-one. Every shot had an answer, every great play was followed by its equal or better.

Think this game meant something special? Check Dwight Howard and KG, jawing at each other the whole game. Check Jason Richardson, killing himself — quite futilely — to fight over screens. Check Ray Allen, throwing out three fingers in front of the Orlando Magic bench, after a late three-point make. Check Paul Pierce, wild’ing out after his late and one. Check Stan Van Gundy, telling his players they need a little extra in a game like this. Check Doc Rivers, uncharacteristically losing his shit after Ryan Anderson — yes, Ryan Anderson — went off.

The way Boston plays with KG, you wonder how they get by when he’s not around. We talk about his defense a lot, because he’s one of the league’s best defenders and has been for 15 years. But what about the offense? These Celtics just shot 60% against the NBA’s fourth-most efficient defense. They moved the ball so splendidly, so gorgeously, so beautifully, that I almost wept tears of joy.

One play in the fourth quarter exhibited both the Garnett effect and the Celtics’ pristine offense. Ray Allen caught a pass on the right wing, outside the three-point arc. Since Ray’s hit 19 million straight jump shots since the New Year began (or something like that), Ryan Anderson decided to jump at Ray while Jason Richardson chased him to catch up. Allen, not looking to force offense despite the flames jumping from his right hand, rifled a pass to KG at the free throw line. A defender ran to stop KG, but the Celtics had numbers because Ray drew two defenders. KG mustered all his unselfishness and great court vision in his wiry body, sending a pass to the open Glen Davis underneath the hoop. Davis would not make the layup, but his free throws were a result of the C’s rare collective unselfishness.

Though the C’s gave up 106 points, I have few complaints about their defensive output. Intensity was high and, for the most part, the execution wasn’t bad. My one major qualm was this: If you single-team Dwight Howard, that’s fine. He can score 33 points and haul in 13 rebounds, and you can live with that because his teammates don’t get open for three. But when you single-team Dwight Howard and his teammates still get loose from behind the arc, there’s something wrong. You allow one to take away the other. If Howard has 33, his teammates should be tossing bricks with hands waving in their faces. If his teammates make 11 threes and shoot 41% from the land of Antoine Walker, Howard shouldn’t find scoring so easy.

But my complaints, after this night, are slim and few. The Celtics just won one of the season’s most well-played games, and they did it in a way I couldn’t have scripted any better. Garnett looked completely healthy in his return. Ray Allen continues to shoot the ball like it’s a net-seeking missile. Rondo posted yet another double-double. Glen Davis returned to his bench role with grace. Shaq continued to display a pulse. And Paul Pierce continues to be The Mother-Fucking Truth.

In the Celtics’ locker room on Friday night, Nate Robinson asked Marquis Daniels, “Who we playing on Monday?”

Daniels told him they were playing Orlando, and Robinson, who shot 2-15 against Orlando on Christmas Day, responded, “Good. I owe them [dudes].” (Note: The word Robinson actually used was one I can’t ever say, and especially not on Martin Luther King Day.)

Robinson didn’t do his part. He shot 2-8, and took a couple shots that probably had Red Auerbach rolling over in his grave.

But he and his team owed Orlando one, and, if you ask me, that debt’s been paid back. Mr. Garnett, it’s nice to have you back.

What did losing Kevin Garnett mean to the Boston Celtics? (ESPN Boston)

“It’s like losing your best defensive player, your best talker, your quarterback,” Rivers said Sunday before deadpanning that “outside of that, it’s not that big of a deal.”

In other words, losing Garnett meant everything. And getting him back tonight (hopefully) should solve many issues. It should push Glen Davis back into a more natural role, improve the C’s rebounding, improve the C’s defense, and solve the world’s recent shortage in sports-related cussing.

As John from Red’s Army noted, most arguments about the C’s MVP this season come down to two names: Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo. Though Rondo is piecing together one of the most prolific passing campaigns in NBA history, it’s difficult to look at everything Garnett provides — from on-court chatter, to pure heart, to voltage levels that exceed legal limits — and say Number Five is anything but the C’s most important player. I’m not saying I would choose Garnett in that “Celtics MVP” conversation, and I’m not saying otherwise. But his presence means so much to these Celtics. Even Stevie Wonder can see that.

When the C’s last played the Orlando Magic, on Christmas Day, what resulted was a 48-minute batch of ugliness that ended in Celtics defeat. Rondo’s absence hurt the C’s that day, but couldn’t explain all the shoddy play.

“We played horrible down the stretch,” Rivers admitted. “Listen, that game down there, I don’t think either team was proud of the way they played. I think both teams were proud of the way they competed; it just wasn’t played very well.

“Honestly, we got great possessions down the stretch. We showed [the players on film Sunday]. If we replayed that game and got the exact same shots, I guarantee our guys would take them. We missed great shots, but I think we were more upset that we gave up 29 points in [the fourth quarter of] a game [when] no one was scoring.”

I’m a basketball fiend, and thus enjoy watching games even when the Minnesota Timberwolves spar toe-to-toe with the lowly Cleveland Cavaliers. So when the Boston Celtics host the Orlando Magic, and Kevin Garnett returns on the same night (hopefully), my blood tends to boil like this guy’s skin.

The Eastern Conference championship won’t be won tonight. I know that, you know that, and both teams know that. But if you want to tell me this game’s just a normal regular season game, save your breath. When these two Eastern Conference titans meet each other, it means something more. Something better.

And if Garnett still doesn’t play tonight, three weeks after Danny Ainge set Garnett’s timetable as “two weeks, and I think that’s on a very conservative side”?

Maybe it’s time to worry.

The Morning Walkthrough is a set of links to Boston Celtics articles throughout the internet, designed to get your day started the right way.

A. Sherrod Blakely, CSNNE – “That late-January to early-February return that Perkins was talking about recently? He’s sounding – and looking – like a guy who may be given the green light to resume playing sooner than that. ‘I don’t know,’ Perkins said. ‘Since I got on the court, I think my (return) date probably got pushed up a bit.’ When asked if he was still looking to return next month, he said, ‘hopefully.’”

Steve Bulpett, Boston Herald – “But while he was more than a little angry with the officiating, the NBA’s refs may have Shaq to kick around a while longer. He said upon his arrival on the Celtics [team stats] that he’d be done when his two-year deal was up, but yesterday he opened the door to the future beyond that contract. ‘I’m on a team where I don’t have to do it all,’ Shaq said. ‘Everyone, especially around the city of Boston, knows my role. I’m not taking 28 shots anymore. I’ve missed 21⁄2 years’ worth of games, so even though I’ve played 18 years I’ve only played 16 years. My role is different. I’m not taking every shot. I’m playing limited minutes. So if I’m with this team and playing like this, I can probably play two or three more years. I have two years left, but I’ll know. And everybody else will know, too, because I’ll do a hell of a (expletive) press conference.’”

A. Sherrod Blakely, CSNNE – “And yet if you listen to the Celtics afterward, you would think they just lost to the Los Angeles Clippers and not a team that, when the season began, was on everyone’s short list as a title contender. ‘They can’t beat us,’ said Boston’s Glen Davis after Orlando, well, beat them. Davis clarified his words moments later by adding, ‘they came out and played better than us today, but if you are talking about a seven-game series, I don’t think they can beat us.’ … When you talked to Celtics players afterward, limiting Howard was not a surprise nor was it something they felt was overly impressive. ‘I have been playing Dwight since 2004, when I was playing against him in the AAU circuit,’ Davis said. ‘His game hasn’t really changed. It’s not like has a jump shot, or a new spin move. He has the same moves since high school. He has the same post moves.’ Kevin Garnett, a former league defensive player of the Year, didn’t see the C’s doing anything special against Howard, either. ‘I thought everybody who guarded him did a good job on him,’ Garnett said. ‘It is not like he has a ton of moves. He is either going to jump-hook you, spin-lob … he is very predictable.’”

Chris Mannix, Sports Illustrated – “There will be many factors that will influence Howard’s decision but none bigger than this: Winning. Yes, Orlando’s best chance to keep its franchise center in Magic blue is to win and emerge as the class of the Eastern Conference, outgunning Chicago, Miami and most importantly, Boston. The Magic understand this. It’s why GM Otis Smith detonated a pretty good team last week and put the fate of the franchise in Gilbert Arenas’s thrice surgically repaired left knee and Hedo Turkoglu’s slowly fading game. Maybe they were good enough to beat Chicago or Miami with the old group. But not Boston. They knew it after the Celtics wiped the floor with them in last season’s conference finals and became even more convinced of it after watching Boston boost its frontcourt depth with the additions of Shaquille O’Neal, Jermaine O’Neal and Semih Erdin. The Celtics, you see, will be as involved in Howard’s future as any prospective suitor. Not because Boston is a threat to sign Howard; but by beating up on the Magic over the next two postseasons, they could effectively punch his ticket out of town. It’s what makes every game against the Celtics important, every win a reason to exhale. Saturday’s 86-78 win wasn’t artistic but it looks a heck of a lot better than a loss.”

A. Sherrod Blakely, CSNNE – “If you’ve paid any attention to Shaquille O’Neal since he joined the Boston Celtics, you know by now that he’s a pretty generous dude. That generosity will likely extend to writing a hefty check to the league office following comments he made after Boston’s 86-78 loss to Orlando on Christmas Day. O’Neal finished with two points in just under 13 minutes of action. After scoring his lone basket of the game, he fouled out just three seconds later. Needless to say, O’Neal had some choice words for the officiating. ‘I guess they came out to see number 26 today,’ O’Neal said. The only No. 26 on the floor Saturday was official Bob Delaney. ‘He (No. 26) was a great player out there today,’ O’Neal said.”

Josh Robbins, Orlando Sentinel – “Like I told the guys at the beginning of the season, we’ve got to be tough,’ Howard said. ‘Not just physically tough but mentally tough, especially against teams like Boston, who’s going to come at us from all different angles. They’re going to attack us mentally, they’re going to attack us physically and they’re going to try to punk us.’”

Mark Murphy, Boston Herald – “The run was so long, Kevin Garnett felt like he had lost track of time at a craps table. ‘When you’ve been throwing the dice for this long, they’re going to bring the cooler over and sit him at your table, and he’s going to cool you off,’ the Celtics forward said, shaking his head. ‘We got the cooler today. Ah, we got the cooler today.’”

Rich Levine, CSNNE – “Even as recently as Wednesday night, Doc lamented how, despite all the wins, the Celtics weren’t improving. And as a result, neither were our expectations. It was the oddest feeling. The Celtics went a month without losing, but you couldn’t feel any better about their chances. There were games when they played great; games when they just played well enough to win; games when they didn’t even play well enough to win, but still managed to get the W. But regardless of how it happened, most of the time, those wins just left us feeling neutral. When we spoke of the streak, it was never, ‘Look out, NBA! The Celtics are on a rampage!’ It was ‘How the hell do they keep winning all these games?’ There was no rhyme or reason to how they were doing it. Sometimes the defense was great, but they also allowed more than 100 points in eight of 14. Sometimes the offense was clicking, but then it would disappear for long stretches. There were plenty of positives along the way. Of course, there were positives. And there certainly weren’t enough negatives to create any level of concern. But still, it was still strangely unsatisfying. You wanted to get feel better about it. But you just couldn’t. I guess that’s just life with the 2010-2011 Celtics.”

Julian Benbow, Boston Globe – “It was one of the Magic’s cornerstones: Jameer Nelson, who scored 10 of his 12 points in the fourth quarter. Sprinting down the floor and pulling up not far from the Boston bench, he knocked down a 3-pointer with 1:19 left that staggered the Celtics. They’d never recover. ‘Jameer willed that game for them,’ said Rivers. ‘He’s got the biggest heart on the team. He’s just a warrior and he does it all the time. Give him the credit. I thought he was phenomenal. I thought he was on the floor and he just kept pushing that team. You could see it. That’s what he does. A lot of people miss that in him.’”

Mark Murphy, Boston Herald – “That’s why, when veterans such as Garnett and Paul Pierce [stats] tell the O’Neals to take a long-term view, the newcomers listen. It obviously helps that Garnett, Pierce and Ray Allen have been healthy enough to carry the load. ‘Paul said the other day that it’s going to be scary in February,’ Shaq said. ‘We go to the bench and you’re going to see JO, Perk, Delonte (West), oh, my God. That’s the good thing about this organization — Ed (Lacerte, the trainer), B-Doo (Brian Doo, the strength and conditioning coach) have me working out twice a day. It’s a blessing in disguise.’ For this Celtics team, the oldest in the NBA, it’s also vital. ‘I don’t ever feel like I was rushed back any time I’ve been out,’ Allen said. ‘(But) I think Ed Lacerte is a trainer who, as much as we want guys out there, he’s not going to compromise guys’ health. As all trainers should, he has the hearts and the minds of the players in his best interests. The players have to be 100 percent on the floor. He knows what he’s dealing with, and he’s giving us the best opportunity and options to see if we can go through the rigors of a game. I think he truly cares, and in some organizations the trainer might be for the coach, or the trainer might be for the owner. But I’ve been on teams mostly where the trainers are for the players.’”

Julian Benbow, Boston Globe – “The effects of seven weeks off were evident in Jermaine O’Neal’s return. He went 1 of 4 from the floor, but his biggest issue was timing, either not being ready for passes or bobbling them. ‘It looked and felt like it was my first game back in almost two months,’ O’Neal said. ‘Sometimes your mind is moving a little bit faster than your actual body. I left quite a few passes behind me that were very good passes. But you expect that. I’ve only had three practices, four practices. So I look forward to trying to build from it. It’s all about timing, it’s all about getting into the flow of things.’ O’Neal played just 10 minutes, and Rivers could sense O’Neal’s attitude dipping. ‘You could see he was kind of down,’ Rivers said.”

Mark Murphy, Boston Herald – “Yesterday’s 86-78 loss at the Magic stands as Exhibit A. The Celtics [team stats] are in a struggle to find their offensive flow without Rajon Rondo [stats]. That doesn’t change Doc Rivers’ plan for the point guard, who is recovering from a sprained left ankle. ‘Rondo is still going to be out until he’s 100 percent,’ said the Celtics coach, who a day earlier had said Rondo would probably miss more time than the two-week timeframe that had originally been set. ‘I’m not going to push him back. We’re not going to push anyone back.’ The Celtics’ current trouble, according to Rivers, goes deeper than Rondo’s absence. ‘It’s not just Rajon, and that’s the point you guys miss,’ Rivers said. ‘It’s Delonte (West) and Rajon. It’s more than just Rondo. We always thought we could lose one of those three guards. We knew it was going to be very difficult if we lost two of them.’”

Gary Washburn, Boston Globe – “So if Shaq is going to stay the same, soak up fouls and give the bench a 300-pound cheerleader, then Perkins needs to come back faster than expected or Jermaine O’Neal can’t take several weeks to blend into the system. Yesterday was his eighth game and it’s difficult to determine whether Jermaine O’Neal can make a significant contribution. He wants to be more involved in the offense, but coach Doc Rivers made it clear in training camp that they don’t need O’Neal reliving his glory days. In 10 minutes against the Magic, he missed three shots and committed four fouls. Davis, indeed, is the Celtics’ most productive and reliable center and that’s a discouraging sign for Ainge and Rivers. The O’Neals have to respond with better defense, more rebounding, and savvier play. Shaquille O’Neal can’t stand there with his hands raised and chest bump an opponent driving to the basket and expect to draw a charge. And standing there with that “Who me?’’ look isn’t exactly reminiscent of the acting of Sir Laurence Olivier. Somehow, Shaquille has to swallow his pride and understand his importance to the depth of this team.”

Got a tip? An article you think should be included? Send an email to jayking@celticstown.com or hit me up on Twitter @CelticsTown.

The Morning Walkthrough is a set of links to Boston Celtics articles throughout the internet, designed to get your day started the right way.

Mark Murphy, Boston Herald – “Rivers also disputed the original time frame for a Rondo return. According to the initial projection, Rondo would be ready for a return late next week, perhaps for the New Year’s Eve matinee at the Garden against the New Orleans Hornets. ‘That was (general manager) Danny (Ainge’s) window — I never said that,’ Rivers said. ‘He’s not going to make it back in two weeks. At least it doesn’t sound like it. I think he ran the other day, but he could only run straight, and that’s not his game. He’s going to wait. After (Wednesday’s win over Philadelphia) he voiced some frustration about it, but he has to be patient. Everything is good now except for the ankle. Rondo is a great point guard because he has great speed and he has great cuts, but if you take the cuts away he gets hurt. I just don’t want to take the risk.’ Rondo, though, is of a different mind. ‘I might play tomorrow — see how it goes at practice,’ Rondo said. ‘It might take me three or four months to be 100 percent.’”

Steve Bulpett, Boston Herald – “The Magic knew they’d lost to the Celtics in the conference finals last May, and they knew the Celtics had gotten better. The Magic were, therefore, looking for ways to keep up with — and surpass — the Shamrocks. ‘I think that’s exactly right,’ said coach Stan Van Gundy, who welcomed Gilbert Arenas, Jason Richardson, Hedo Turkoglu and Earl Clark, and said goodbye to Rashard Lewis, Vince Carter, Marcin Gortat and Mikael Pietrus in trades with Washington and Phoenix. ‘I think that we felt like we had a chance with the deal to get a little better and have a better chance. The East has gotten a lot better. Obviously Boston and Miami are at the top. That’s clear and they’re playing great. But then with Chicago, New York and Atlanta, you’ve got a lot of teams playing well. I don’t think we felt like we had to do something. I think we felt like if we could do something we thought could help us, we needed to be on the lookout.’ Van Gundy added, ‘Neither Otis (Smith, the general manager) nor I said we can’t do it with this group,’ but it wasn’t looking good. Though Orlando is now still very much a work in progress, it will get its first chance to stand next to the Celtics this afternoon. How the Magic measure up is still open to debate. ‘I think it’s too early to tell,’ said Van Gundy. ‘We’ve always had trouble scoring on them. Everybody has trouble scoring on them. I do think we have more ways to score, but with Marcin gone, we’re also smaller against the biggest team in the East. So I think it’s yet to be seen which way it goes on that. I really don’t know.’”

Chris Forsberg, ESPN Boston – “Celtics coach Doc Rivers hasn’t hid from the fact that much of Boston’s success this season, particularly in the face of injuries, is a result of a healthy Kevin Garnett. While plus/minus is a flawed stat, it helps show Garnett’s impact on the team this year: He’s second in the NBA at a whopping plus-293 (only trailing Miami’s Chris Bosh). ’He’s better than he was the last two years,’ admitted Rivers. ‘Health-wise, I think he’s pretty much back to where he was three years ago [during the 2008 championships season]. In a lot of ways, he may be better with the team. Now the team is better and that makes him even better. He sees the floor, he’s a point guard on defense. He sees coverages, smells this out. He’s just good.’ Asked if he’s the best defensive player in the league this season, Rivers wouldn’t disagree. Garnett is helping Boston average the second best defensive efficiency in the league, allowing only 0.99 points per possession. ‘Dwight Howard is pretty good, too, but they’re different,’ said Rivers. ‘Definitely, I think he’s the best linebacker in the league, very much like Mike Singletary with the [NFL's Chicago] Bears. He’s our eyes, calling out coverages, that’s what he is.’

Mark Murphy, Boston Herald – “Perhaps the Celtics [team stats] didn’t have to throw away all of their Orlando scouting reports, after all. Only the faces have changed in the wake of last week’s league-shaking trades, which replaced Rashard Lewis, Marcin Gortat, Mickael Pietrus and Vince Carter in the lineup with Jason Richardson, Hedo Turkoglu and Gilbert Arenas. ‘They’re the same team, they just have different guys doing it, better guys doing it,’ said C’s coach Doc Rivers. ‘They still run the high pick and roll for Dwight (Howard). I don’t think you have to change a lot with what we do. We don’t change a lot anyway. We play the same with our defense, so it really doesn’t matter what the jersey is. Any team right now with any bench, we’re in trouble,’ he said. ‘Puts us in a tough spot. Right now we have Avery (Bradley), Semih (Erden) and Luke (Harangody) coming off our bench against Arenas and those guys. But we’re still finding ways to win.’ Rivers admits that one move did change Orlando’s look significantly — the trade of Lewis to Washington for Arenas. The Magic now start a far more traditional power forward in Brandon Bass. ‘It gives them a different look, but they’ve been going big anyway,’ said Rivers.”

Josh Robbins, Orlando Sentinel – “Boston coach Doc Rivers was asked Friday whether he thinks Orlando’s recent moves will help the Magic match-up better against the Celtics. ‘I’m not sure how since they’ve gotten smaller, what sense that makes,’ Rivers answered. ‘They’re a better team, to me, in the long run, because they’ve added more talent.’”

Julian Benbow, Boston Globe – “Shaquille O’Neal played 27 minutes in the win over the 76ers Wednesday night, scoring 13 points, grabbing nine rebounds, and blocking two shots. It was his second game back after missing four straight. Jermaine O’Neal hasn’t played since taking himself out of the game in Dallas Nov. 8 because of pain in his knee. Rivers will get a chance to use them both on the floor, but he knows there will be limitations, especially since Jermaine O’Neal’s practice time has been minimal. ‘I don’t know if it’s a luxury or not yet,’ Rivers said. ‘We’ll find that out. They haven’t played, so we don’t know the group and how well they’ll do. Throwing Jermaine into a game when he hasn’t played — I don’t know when the last time he’s played — that’ll be difficult.’”

A. Sherrod Blakely, CSNNE – “While his teammates loosened up before practice, Boston Celtics guard Ray Allen was on the sideline, deeply engrossed in conversation. He was on the phone delivering a last-minute Christmas present of sorts to thousands of military troops stationed on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln which is in the waters of Southwest Asia. The Celtics received an email earlier this week from Lt. Cmdr. Paul Brawley, Navy Community Outreach-Boston. That led to Allen delivering his Christmas Eve message to the troops via Lt. Cmdr. William Marks on the USS Abraham Lincoln. Allen said his message to the troops was simple. ‘We just appreciated them fighting for our freedoms, to be in another country, being in the ocean fighting for our freedoms,’ Allen said. ‘We want to do whatever we can to provide entertainment for them while they’re overseas serving us.’ Having grown up in a military family – Allen has a number of family members who have served in the various armed forces, including his father, Walter Allen, who was a Master Sgt. in the Air Force – Allen admits he has a soft spot for the military. ‘It means a great deal to me knowing … we’re over here complaining about playing on Christmas day. We’re home, basically on American soil, able to be in close proximity to our families,’ Allen said. ‘These guys probably haven’t seen their families, some years, months, whatever it may be … it always gives me proper perspective. We get to play this game that we love; we get to play it every single day. There are so many people who are fighting for our freedom who are away from their family, and that’s the sacrifice that they make. All this talk about playing on Christmas day, it’s pebbles compared to what our soldiers are dealing with.’”

Josh Robbins, Orlando Sentinel – “A couple of sailors asked Allen about another Christmas Day game, the highly anticipated matchup between the Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Lakers. They wanted to know if Allen was rooting for the Heat or for the Lakers. ‘Is it possible for both of them to lose?’ Allen recalled saying.”

Julian Benbow, Boston Globe – “What is one to make of the Eastern Conference when one of the best teams more or less guts its starting lineup in Orlando; the dark horse fires its coach in Charlotte; the newly formed superpower in Miami is still trying to figure out how to work all the gadgets; New York scores like the Suns but also plays defense like them, too; Milwaukee isn’t nearly as pesky without its point guard; and the Celtics, the conference’s best team, have put together 14 straight wins with nearly a third of their roster wearing gauze as winter fashion? It’s a chaotic collage, with winning streaks and scoring streaks colliding with injuries and upsets. A third of the way through the season, coaches and players already have come and gone. No team in the league has more question marks than the Magic, whom the Celtics face today, and they’ll freely admit it. ‘I think we’re a total unknown,’ said Magic coach Stan Van Gundy, not sounding sure if that’s a good or bad thing. ‘I think the most unknown is us right now because of the moves we’ve made. I don’t think anybody knows how we’re going to fit into that whole thing.’”

Got a tip? An article you think should be included? Send an email to jayking@celticstown.com or hit me up on Twitter @CelticsTown.

On a day when Kendrick Perkins walked through some plays in practice (and even dunked a couple times, and might even be back by late January), I finally discuss the Orlando Magic’s trades.

Why didn’t I write about them before? For a couple reasons: 1) Life sometimes interferes even with the most dedicated bloggers, and 2) I needed some time to wrap my head around the thought of Malik Allen being a number one backup center.

Okay, on to the roster overhaul. First, I have no idea whether it will work. My guess would be that it doesn’t — mostly because, for it to work, Gilbert Arenas needs to return to ’06-’07 Agent Zero, and Hedo Turkoglu needs to revert to the walking mismatch who was Orlando’s go-to playmaker in their 2009 Finals run. To expect either of them to return to their former selves requires a leap of faith I’m not ready to make.

More likely, Jason Richardson will end up being Orlando’s most important acquisition from the trades. Which is fine… unless you’re actually trying to win an NBA championship, in which case you need at least one player who can create at the end of games. Richardson isn’t that guy, and neither is the Arenas we’ve seen since his return, and neither is the zombie living in Hedo’s body the past two seasons.

It’s clear Orlando made these moves to win an NBA championship now, and to entice Dwight Howard to stick around when his contract expires. But how much closer are they to a championship? They have SO many question marks in their lineup now.

How do Jameer Nelson and Gilbert Arenas fit in the same backcourt? Who becomes the playmaker come crunch time? Can this team stop anyone? Will Dwight Howard get into more foul trouble than ever before because his perimeter defenders act as a funnel straight to him? Is the trio of Ryan Anderson, Malik Allen and Daniel Orton REALLY Orlando’s only backcourt bench help? Is one ball going to be enough for this psychotic, half-crazy (entirely crazy?), shot-happy (no pun intended for Gilbert) crew? Does Hedo Turkoglu’s heart even still beat?

Okay, so the Magic probably aren’t done trading yet. I don’t see J.J. Redick sticking around (there isn’t really a spot for him anymore), so he’ll probably get swapped for some big man help. Even so, the perimeter questions still stand. All of them. Call me crazy, but I don’t see any of these new Magicians A) fitting in well with Stan Van Gundy’s style, B) stopping a soul, or C) taking over come crunch time. In their primes, yes. But these folks aren’t in their primes anymore. In their Magic opener, Hedo (shocking nobody in Toronto or Phoenix) still sucked, and Arenas came off the bench and shot 2-11 (also shocking nobody). Will they improve with time? I assume. But don’t expect any of these guys to be stars, in Orlando. And the Magic need at least one of them to be capable of star production.

(Side note: Malik Allen played 13 minutes in his first post-trade action, registering 0 points and 1 rebound. That next trade can’t come soon enough.)

In conclusion, I like the motives behind the trades, but not the trades themselves. Otis Smith knew his Magic, as they were constructed, weren’t going to win a championship. So he pulled the trigger, drastically changing a team that was only a step shy of a championship in the first place. More GMs should be built like that. The NBA should be about winning championships, and anything else should be uncivilized.

Just take a look at the Atlanta Hawks. As presently constructed, they have zero shot of winning a championship or even coming close. But they just signed Joe Johnson for $120 million, apparently so they can continue their string of first- and second-round playoff runs for the foreseeable future. It’s like when the Celtics traded away Joe Johnson so they could rent Tony Delk and Rodney Rodgers. Sure, the trade helped them reach the Eastern Conference Finals, but I promise: no matter what happened, a lineup of Kenny Anderson, Paul Pierce, Tony Delk, Antoine Walker and Tony Battie was never taking down the Shaq-Kobe Los Angeles Lakers. What’s better — reaching the Eastern Conference Finals or keeping your most promising rookie since Paul Pierce? What’s more important — reaching a low ceiling, or trying to make that ceiling a little higher?

Back to the Magic, I admire the stones Otis Smith displayed while trying to shake things up. But the overhaul seems a lot more like Steve Kerr’s failed Shaq experiment in Phoenix, rather than the Rasheed Wallace trade that spurred Detroit to the 2004 title. Trading for big names doesn’t always equate to success, and I have a feeling Otis Smith will soon kick himself that he didn’t spend more time trying to acquire Carmelo Anthony.

Basically, the Magic traded two old, over-the-hill big names (and Marcin Gortat) for two old, over-the-hill big names (and Jason Richardson). They changed, indeed.

But are they any closer to the elusive NBA championship? I think not.