ESPN

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Kendrick Perkins started to hear it from his new teammates when he walked into the Thunder's practice facility wearing sneakers that were Celtics green.

It didn't take long to remedy that.

By the end of his first practice with Oklahoma City on Saturday, he was wearing new shoes with bright orange on them and talking about his desire to stay with the Thunder long term.

Perkins knows he's going to miss the brotherhood he formed during a run to the championship and then back to the NBA finals in Boston, but the Celtics are no longer at the top of his list when he becomes a free agent at the end of the season.

"I hope I can be here. I want to be here," Perkins said of Oklahoma City. "I couldn't find a better situation for myself. I really want to be here and this is just a great organization, just learning every day, just being around, it's overwhelming.

"I do want to be here and hopefully we can work something out. They are the first option, the first team on my plate with free agency coming up or whatever it may be. I just know Oklahoma City will be my first option."

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With Kevin Durant sidelined, the Celtics vs. Thunder matchup was a battle of the point guards. And Russell Westbrook took the cake this time writes ESPN Boston's Jackie MacMullan:

Brian Babineau/NBAE/GettyRussell Westbrook had a game-high 31 points as the Thunder beat the Celtics on Friday.

So here's how Russell Westbrook's night went on Friday.

He dropped 31 points on the Boston Celtics, scorching league darling Rajon Rondo for many of them, calmly sank the game's most critical free throws to clinch an Oklahoma City Thunder victory for his young club on the hallowed Garden parquet, and still managed to miss all seven shots he took in the fourth quarter.

Oh, and did I mention he turned the ball over a game-high seven times?

Or that he completely befuddled Boston by slowing Oklahoma City's normally frenetic tempo to a virtual waltz, hoping that would offset the glaring absence of Kevin Durant, who didn't dress because of a bum ankle?

It's an adventure to ride the Westbrook train, alternately exhilarating and exasperating, and then exhilarating again. He's a gifted scorer, an explosive player, a young guy who wants to get there now, not later -- which can lead to brilliant plays, crazy shots, bunches of turnovers and a stat sheet that's never malnourished.

Consider this: Westbrook is one of only three players in the league who is averaging 20 points, five rebounds and five assists a night. The other two? Kobe Bryant and LeBron James.

"He's not the finished product, by any means,'' conceded Oklahoma City coach Scotty Brooks shortly after his boys stunned the Celtics at TD Garden, 89-84. "But he's a talented guy who never, never stops working.''

Sounds familiar. Boston boasts its own cat-quick, supremely talented point guard who is also impatient to assume his rightful place among the league's elite.

It has been Rondo's modus operandi since he bounded into the NBA to get particularly juiced over matchups with opponents who feature talented point guards.

Click HERE to read the full story.

Read on for more on how the Celtics spited the basketball gods and were smitten in return.

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BOSTON -- A collection of news and notes after the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Boston Celtics 89-84 Friday night at the TD Garden:

The rundown (a quick look at postgame headlines)
* Adding injury to insult: Rondo, KG dinged up in loss
* West offers high praise watching Durant develop into star
* Loose balls: Pierce's game ball for 20,000th point; Shaq's flagrant

--ADDING INJURY TO INSULT: RONDO, KG DINGED UP IN LOSS--



Celtics guard Rajon Rondo suffered what the team termed a strained left hamstring and sat out the final 4:44 of Friday's game, while forward Kevin Garnett endured an elbow to the back of the head that sidelined him for a 14-minute stretch, including nearly the entire first quarter.

Rondo is day-to-day and will be re-evaluated after receiving treatment Saturday, but expects to travel when the team departs for a brief two-game road trip to Toronto and Atlanta. Garnett returned to play 30 minutes against the Thunder and seemed no worse for the wear after the game.

Rondo crashed to the floor clutching the lower part of his left hamstring after Oklahoma City's Royal Ivey absorbed a charge with 6:19 to play in the game. Rondo got examined on the bench, but returned soon after. He played only 13 seconds before he was swapped out in favor of Delonte West as the Celtics tried feverishly to rally.

Asked about the strained hamstring, Rondo answered, "That's what the doctor said." Asked for a prognosis, he said only, "I'll just get treatment [Saturday] and we'll see."

Rondo suggested it was coach Doc Rivers' decision to pull him from the game. Asked after about Rondo's condition, Rivers said, "I don’t know how Rondo is; I have no idea. I just knew he wasn’t running right and had to come out."

Rondo finished with 14 points on 7-of-10 shooting with seven assists over 33:25. Garnett chipped in 16 points (hitting 10 of 10 free throws, but just 3 of 6 shots) while adding two rebounds, a steal, and a block. Despite the unsightly lump on the back-right side of his skull, he seemed fine after the game.

“I just got [an elbow] man, and a hell of a ‘bow at that," he said. "It’s part of the game. No one out there is 100 percent. I'm no different from that. I came back. I continued the game and tried to get my team with it.”

Rivers said he wrestled with the decision to initially re-insert Garnett.

"I didn’t know if I should play him," said Rivers. "I still don’t know if I should have played him, even though he played OK. He was having headaches there for a minute. [Celtics trainer] Eddie [Lacerte] said he remembered everything and he did whatever tests that they do. But I was very concerned with that. So all that, obviously, throws you off a little bit."

--WEST OFFERS HIGH PRAISE WATCHING DURANT DEVELOP INTO STAR--



Even with Kevin Durant sitting out Friday's game with a left ankle injury, West offered a unique take on Oklahoma City's young superstar, having watched him grow up in the D.C. region (both attended high school in Maryland) and having spent his rookie season with him in Seattle.

"I’ve watched Kevin grow up," said West, detailing the similar backgrounds. "The guy keeps getting better and better... He's one of hardest workers been around, first in gym, last to go home. I'm not hyping him up either, he really is. He practices like he's the worst guy on the team. If he keeps up that attitude, the sky’s the limit for him."

That attitude sounds a bit like West, who is routinely the last one out of Boston's practice space. While West is five years older than Durant, he watched him develop from "the tall and lanky kid" in Maryland. He noted how "the game came so easy to him" and how Durant always operated as a guard, even as he skyrocketed to near 7 feet tall.

With Durant keeping that swingman label along the way, that meant West (at 6-foot-3) got the opportunity to defend him at times in Seattle, including a few 1-on-1 games during practice time.

"In Seattle, we did [play 1-on-1] a little bit," said West. "The guy's 6-11, there's nothing you can do about it. I got my tricks of the trade, but a guy that's 6-11 that can handle the ball like a guard -- he can cross over, step back, and shoot it from anywhere -- I don't care how tough a defender you are or how much grit you have, the guy has answers to any question you can ask.

"You know me, I don't care who you are, I'm going to try to stop you from being you. But he's one of those guys... He has what you call 'better offense.' You hear quotes like, 'good defense, but better offense.' He's in that category. Guys play tough on him, but he just has 'better offense.'"

--LOOSE BALLS: PIERCE'S GAME BALL FOR 20,000TH; SHAQ'S FLAGRANT--



* Before Friday's tip-off, Rivers awarded Paul Pierce the game ball from Boston's overtime triumph over Milwaukee on Nov. 3 in which Boston's captain scored his 20,000th career point.

* Glen Davis absorbed two more charges Friday night (enduring shoulder plows from James Harden and Russell Westbrook) to bring his season charge-taken total to 19. Davis has taken a charge in all 12 games this season and this was his seventh two-charge contest of the year.

* Celtics center Shaquille O'Neal earned his second flagrant foul in little more than a week for a hard foul on Westbrook with 4:30 remaining in Friday's game. O'Neal appeared to go straight up with his arms, but the impact of a driving Westbrook resulted in the flagrant-1 designation (which didn't aid Boston's comeback attempt). O'Neal earned (and the NBA upheld) a flagrant-1 for a hard foul on LeBron James during last Thursday's win over the Miami Heat. The league reviews all flagrant fouls and, on the surface, it appears this one could be downgraded to a basic foul. For each flagrant-1, players earn a one-point penance and suspensions begin after five points are accrued during the regular season.

BOSTON -- First impressions after the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Boston Celtics 89-84 Friday night at the TD Garden:

HOW THE GAME WAS WON
The Thunder entered the game dead last in the league in 3-point shooting at 26.5 percent, then proceeded to hit six of their first seven trifectas helping to build a double-digit, third-quarter advantage -- even without the services of Kevin Durant and Jeff Green. Boston made a feverish rally in the fourth quarter, but Delonte West -- playing in place of injured Rajon Rondo -- missed a 3-pointer in the final seconds that could have tied the game.

TURNING POINT
Rondo's arena-rattling putback slam with little more than a minute to play trimmed Boston's deficit to six, but a short time later, after Rondo appeared to strip Westbrook with the shot clock winding down, but Royal Ivey collected the ball and threw a desperation 3-point heave at the hoop that banked in for a 77-67 advantage. Ivey summed up Oklahoma City's night with a wry smile as he trotted back up court.

STAT OF THE GAME
The Celtics and Thunder combined for a mere four fourth-quarter field goals (two apiece) and neither team put the ball in the basket over the final 9:27 of play as the game deteriorated to a free throw shooting contest.

UNSUNG HERO
West did all he could to keep Boston in the game, playing outstanding defense on Westbrook in the fourth quarter when Rondo appeared to tweak his hamstring while committing a charge. West finished with seven points over 17 minutes, but missed three shots -- all 3-pointers -- including the potential tying attempt from the corner.

WHAT IT MEANS
It sorta felt like 2009-10 here, when the Celtics struggled mightily to win games on Friday nights, especially games they should have won. Call it "one of those nights," but everything that could have gone wrong seemed to for Boston and the shorthanded Thunder escaped with the win.

BOSTON -- A collection of pregame news and notes before the Boston Celtics hosted the Oklahoma City Thunder Friday night at the TD Garden:



Celtics coach Doc Rivers said his team won't overreact to the news that Kevin Durant (left ankle) won't suit up for the visiting Thunder.

"Well, we'll trap the guy coming off the pick, whoever that will be," Rivers joked when asked what adjustments his team will make. "We don't change as much as people think from game to game, defensively. We throw some wrinkles, but that's about it. We are who we are and, when we're good at it, we're a good defensive team. And when we're bad at it, it doesn't matter who we're playing, we're a bad defensive team."

Even with both Durant and Jeff Green out of the lineup, Rivers said he shouldn't have to remind his team to not take the Thunder lightly.

"If I don't, [the Thunder] will," said Rivers. "They'll know pretty quickly. If you have to remind your guys to be ready to play, then you have more issues than you need to know, at least on that given night."

Durant warmed up at the Garden and initially suggested he'd play in Friday's game. But after getting treatment in the locker room, he reversed course and media relations announced he was sitting out a little less than an hour before tip-off.

"We’re not going to put him in a position to limit himself or set him back," Thunder coach Scott Brooks said before the decision was made. "If he’s ready to go, he’s ready to go. Right now, we don’t know.... that's not just coachspeak either; We're not trying to intimidate Doc or anything."

A couple other quick hits from pregame:

* Rivers said there is no update on center Jermaine O'Neal (left knee soreness), sticking with the 2-3 week absence offered earlier this week. "There's no change since the last one we gave and whatever time period that was," said Rivers, who often notes how he defers to the medical staff in these situations. "I don't talk about it, I really don't. I try to stay away from the whole injury thing when players are injured. The last thing they need is the coach on them about injuries. I always talk to them about the [Chicago] Bears from '73, stuff like that."

* Rivers admitted that O'Neal's absence does leave him feeling a little uneasy. "There's a fear, too, because you know with him out, and [Shaquille O'Neal] being his age and [rookie center] Semih [Erden] with his shoulder [injury], you feel like -- at least I have the last three or four games -- that you're playing on a thin sheet of ice. There may be a game that we have no centers in it. That could be soon. You just don't know."

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant will not play Friday night against the Boston Celtics.

Durant twisted his left ankle Wednesday night in the Thunder's 116-99 win over the Houston Rockets.

To read the rest of this story, CLICK HERE.

Here are 10 facts and figures to keep in mind for Friday's Celtics vs. Thunder clash (ESPN, 7 p.m) at the TD Garden (information researched for ESPN by Elias Sports Bureau, Inc.):

1. Rajon Rondo has registered 10-or-more assists in each of his last nine games. That is the longest such streak in Boston’s franchise history. The previous Celtics record in that category was seven straight games by Nate Archibald (1981-82), Bob Cousy (1959-60), and Rondo (2009-10).

2. Only seven NBA players have scored at least 15 points in every game this season. The only team with two players in that group is Oklahoma City: Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. The others: Monta Ellis, Pau Gasol, LeBron James, Kevin Martin and Derrick Rose.

3. Durant and Westbrook are the first teammates to score at least 15 points in each of their team’s first 10 games since Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis did it for the Seattle Sonics in 2006. (Prior to that, no one had done it since 1994).

4. Jeff Green is out for Friday's game, but the Thunder are a different team with him. Green in combination with Durant and Westbrook gives Oklahoma City a “Big Three” to rival those in Boston and Miami. Last season, Durant, Westbrook, and Green accounted for 60 percent of the Thunder’s scoring. That was the highest such percentage by any three NBA teammates over the past four seasons (2006–2007 through 2009–2010).

5. Even with Green sidelined for five games, Durant, Westbrook, and Serge Ibaka have the highest “Big Three" scoring percentage in the NBA this season (61 percent). Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, and Chris Bosh have produced 60 percent of Miami’s scoring this season, to rank second in the NBA; Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Kevin Garnett have accounted for 54 percent of Boston’s points and rank eighth.

6. Rondo and Westbrook have each led their team (or tied for the lead) in assists in all of their team’s games this season. Only four other players in the league can make that claim: D.J. Augustin, Derrick Rose, Jason Kidd and Deron Williams.

7. Durant, questionable for Friday's game, scored 37 points in his only trip to Boston last season. That tied the Thunder’s franchise record for the most points scored in a game against the Celtics in Boston. Durant shares the mark with three other players: Bob Rule (1968), Lonnie Shelton (1982) and Dale Ellis (1987), all of whom scored 37 points against the Celtics at the Boston Garden.

8. Allen has played 243 games with Boston after appearing in 296 games with the Seattle SuperSonics earlier in his career. Only four other players have appeared in at least 200 games with each of these franchises: Dana Barros, Dennis Johnson, Xavier McDaniel, and Paul Silas.

9. The Blazers announced on Wednesday that Greg Oden would miss the entire 2010–11 season. After being drafted No. 1 overall, Oden’s total of 82 NBA games through four seasons is the lowest since the NBA abolished the territorial draft in 1966. So it’s worth mentioning the Thunder’s good fortune in Durant falling to No. 2 in the 2007 draft. Durant’s scoring average in his first three seasons was the second-highest recorded by any No. 2 overall pick in the first three seasons after he was drafted (also since 1966).

10. The top five (draft year in parentheses): Bob McAdoo, 27.7 (1972); Durant, 25.3 (2007); Earl Monroe, 24.5 (1967); Sidney Wicks, 23.6 (1971); Dave Bing, 23.5 (1966).

According to the Oklahoma City Thunder's team website, Kevin Durant is questionable for Friday's Celtics-Thunder showdown due to an ankle injury, while Jeff Green is out with the same ailment.

Our friends at http://www.DailyThunder.com, part of ESPN's True Hoop network, offer their thoughts on Durant's potential absence:

If Durant misses the Celtics game, it would be the first game he has missed since the spring of 2009. That’s one reason why I wouldn’t worry too much about Durant missing the game, if I had to bet on it. If this is the same ankle injury he suffered that caused him to spend a little time on the floor Wednesday against the Rockets and slowly walk it off, then we know he’s already played on the ankle. But it could certainly have stiffened up after he cooled down following the game and the team took almost as lengthy an NBA flight the Thunder will have on the trip to Boston...

Serge Ibaka will surely start again for Green. It would be interesting to see what lineup and rotation changes Scott Brooks comes up with if Durant has to sit, although “interesting” is a relative term because I don’t know if Oklahoma City could compete with Boston on the road if Durant can’t play. James Harden would be a good bet to start at shooting guard with Thabo Sefolosha sliding over to small forward, or the two would act interchangeably depending on what the offensive and defensive sets called for. Maybe Oklahoma City would go small for a big portion of the game.

(9-2, 5-0 home)

-- vs. --

(7-4, 3-1 away)

at TD Garden, 7 p.m. | ESPN, WEEI (850 AM)
GAME PREVIEW (via Stats Inc.)

Kevin Durant's ability to get to the free-throw line in last season's win at Boston drew some harsh words from Celtics forward Kevin Garnett. Durant had another big game in losing to the Celtics earlier this month.

The league's leading scorer returns to Boston as the Thunder try to end the Celtics' 5-0 home start Friday night.

When the Thunder snapped a six-game losing streak to the Celtics on March 31, Durant led the way with 37 points and made all 15 free throws. Boston went 13 for 17 from the line.

"I thought we were playing Michael [expletive] Jordan the way he was getting the whistle," said Garnett after the game. "Durant damn near shot more free throws than our whole team."

Boston withstood a 34-point performance from Durant, who tops the NBA with 28.0 per game, to earn a 92-83 road victory Nov. 7. Garnett was a non-factor with eight points and eight rebounds, and the Celtics used a 37-point effort from their bench to overcome his lack of production.

Durant is averaging 35.7 points in his last three games against the Celtics after averaging 19.8 in his first four.

"The fact that I think he's seven feet tall and shoots the ball the way he shoots the ball, it makes him a (tough) matchup," Boston coach Doc Rivers said. "Seven-foot players who can shoot the way he can shoot and not move are very good players in our league. But he can move and shoot and he's seven feet tall."

Both teams cruised to home victories Wednesday in which the coaches were able to give their regulars plenty of rest.

Read the full preview HERE.

FORSBERG'S THREE THINGS TO WATCH

• Keep 'em off the line: The Thunder have dipped to second in the league in free throws attempted (31.5 attempts per game) thanks in part to Boston limiting them to a mere 17 attempts during a win in Oklahoma City earlier this month. The Thunder shoot a league-best 87.9 percent at the stripe -- only one other team is even above 80 percent (Lakers, 81.4 percent). Incredibly, every Thunder player is shooting at least 80% from the free throw line except for rookie Cole Aldrich (50 percent).
• Durant Show, but don't forget Westbrook: According to our friends at ESPN Stats and Info, only three players this season are averaging 20-5-5: Kobe Bryant (26.3 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 5 assists), LeBron James (22.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, 8.9 assists), and Russell Westbrook (23.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, 8.1 assists). That's excellent company for Westbrook, who produced 16-4-10 in the first meeting.
• Return of the Mob: The key story line after Boston's victory in Oklahoma City? The inspired play of a bench that outscored the Thunder, 33-12. Now sprinkle in Delonte West and it will be interesting to see if the second unit can thrive again.

In the video above, ESPN analyst Tim Legler previews tonight’s matchup between the Boston Celtics and Oklahoma City Thunder (7 p.m. on ESPN and ESPN3). In a nutshell, Leger doesn’t think the Thunder has the maturity to beat a team like the Celtics on the road.

“The Celtics will beat the Thunder if they are committed defensively the way that they normally are and they don’t allow isolation basketball beat them,” Legler explains. “The Oklahoma City Thunder don’t move the basketball, change sides of the floor with it, and be committed themselves to a great defensive effort. The Celtics should be able to get this win.”

OKLAHOMA CITY -- A trio of leftovers after the Boston Celtics defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder Sunday night at the Ford Center:

• THE DAGGER: After the Thunder rallied within six in the fourth quarter, Glen Davis hit a pair of jumpers to quickly push the lead back to double digits. But the play Celtics coach Doc Rivers liked best came a short time later and essentially sealed Boston's victory. Hauling in an offensive rebound off a Nate Robinson miss, Davis keenly decided against going up in traffic and instead kicked the the ball back out to Ray Allen, who splashed a 3-pointers for an 88-71 advantage with just over seven minutes remaining, forcing Oklahoma City to call timeout as the game slipped away.
  
  "One of the thing that I love that we’re finally doing is, on offensive rebounds in traffic, we’re kicking it back out," said Rivers. "That’s something we talk about a lot. I think it was Baby who got an offensive rebound and, last year he would have tried to fight the trees and go into traffic. [This time] he kicked it out and 3-point shooters are always open on offensive rebounds. That was a big play."
• No charity from C's: The Celtics came into the game with a primary goal of keeping the free throw-happy Thunder off the charity stripe and, thanks in large part to quality offensive possessions and valuing the ball (maybe outside of the third quarter), they achieved that goal. Boston forced Oklahoma City to operate largely out of a halfcourt set and limited transition opportunities, which prevented them from racing to the rim and drawing fouls (keeping OKC off the offensive glass, beyond the third quarter, helped that cause as well). The Thunder settled for a mere 17 free throw attempts, nearly half the league-best 34.8 attempts they averaged per game entering Sunday's tilt.
• See you again, soon: Being a Western Conference foe, Sunday was Boston's only visit to Oklahoma City this season, but the Thunder trek to Boston on Nov. 19. Celtics coach heaped praise all over Oklahoma City and thinks they'll it'll get its season on track sooner than later. But he wouldn't mind if that came after the second meeting.
  
  "They’ll be fine," said Rivers. "Everybody is gunning for them right now. It’ll be an adjustment period, but they’ll be right back up there by the end of the year. They’re so talented, so well-coached. They’ll be fine. I’m glad we only see them twice."

The Celtics were nursing a two-point lead entering the final minute of the first quarter Monday night in Oklahoma City, but utilizing one of the team's simpler sets, Nate Robinson helped Boston generate five points that capped a 12-4 burst to end the frame and put the Celtics out front to stay.

It's a play called "45" and it's name isn't hard to decipher. With a point guard dribbling up top, the two wings bury themselves in the corner, spreading the floor. Power forward Glen Davis (the 4) comes towards center Semih Erden (the 5) giving the appearance he's setting a pick to free Erden, but both players then rush out to the top of the key to set a double pick on the point guard's defender (with their own defenders chasing through the paint).

Robinson gets to pick which way he wants to come off the double-pick, with his preference likely being whichever side the opposing big is lower on. In the first instance that Boston ran the play, Cole Aldrich is caught sinking too low to prevent the drive and Robinson pulls up and buries a 15-foot jumper from the left elbow for a 25-21 lead.

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OKLAHOMA CITY -- Sometimes it's the little things that separate the good teams from the great ones.

The Celtics were already up 18 on the Thunder Sunday night when assistant coach Lawrence Frank sprang from his seat to remind coach Doc Rivers that, with Oklahoma City set for a final first-half possession after the second of two Jermaine O'Neal free throws, he should sub Marquis Daniels in for Paul Pierce (Boston's captain had two fouls and there was no sense risking a third in the defensive end).

Durant ultimately made a bad pass, zipping the ball out of bounds and turning it over at the other end of the floor with 2.3 seconds to play. To most, it would have been a chance to simply inbound the ball, hoist up a prayer, and get into the break with a monster lead.

But the Celtics instead quickly subbed back in Pierce and Nate Robinson, catching the Thunder with matchup problems. Robinson made it hurt when he split a pair of bigs -- Cole Aldrich and Nenad Krstic -- before banking in a circus shot 3-pointer at the buzzer for a 58-37 advantage.

Rivers breaks the play down: "We always do that if it’s the last shot, we try to throw all guards on the floor and try to get them in before the other team can't sub and get the bigs out. It's like snapping the ball [in football] before the [other team can institute a] replay [challenge], before they throw the red flag out. With two seconds left, it was nice to get the shot, because we had matchups. I think it was Krstic or whoever guarding Nate. It was still only two seconds, but we’ll take the luck though."

With Rondo blanketed by Westbrook, taking away the first option of having him sprint the length of the floor, Robinson slipped quietly into the backcourt, hauling in the long inbound feed from Garnett a few strides from the center stripe. He made two dribbles before hoisting the shot, his body turning to shield himself from a scrambling Krstic.

Robinson adds his perspective: "They denied Rondo [the ball], but they didn't have any other guards in. They had a big guy -- Krstic -- and the other guy -- Aldrich -- they came up and I just let it go. It felt good."

The shot itself didn't look particularly pretty out of his hand, but Robinson banked it home hard. After the shot, and with still boasting a full head of steam, he made a leaping motion as he neared the end of the Boston bench, then sprinted down the hallway to the locker room.

"I was still running at full speed; I couldn't stop," said Robinson. "I tried to jump on [rookie] Luke [Harangody]. It was funny."

Watch the entire play HERE.

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Christened the "Boston Bench Mob" by Shaquille O'Neal at the onset of training camp, the Celtics' reserves took great pride in the potential to be the best second unit in the league.

But through five games, the mob designation just didn't seem fitting, particularly if you go by Webster's definition:

mob | |mäb | noun
a large crowd of people, esp one that is disorderly and intent on causing trouble

Because of injuries and suspensions, the Celtics' reserves were limited in number and certainly didn't seem to be causing too much of a ruckus (save maybe for Glen Davis, who totaled nearly half of the bench's total point production over the first five games, thanks in large part to extended minutes with the starting unit).

But even as Boston waits for the return of O'Neal, the unofficial ringleader of this posse who has missed the past four games with a bruised right knee, and Delonte West, who proved to be the glue of the second unit during the preseason but is serving a 10-game suspension, the Celtics' bench is starting to bond.

For the first time this season, Boston received balanced output from a four-man bench of Davis (8 points), Nate Robinson (9), Semih Erden (9) and Marquis Daniels (7). The unit combined for 33 points -- the bench's second-biggest outburst of the season -- while lifting Boston to a 92-83 triumph over Oklahoma City on Sunday night at the Ford Center.

"That's our whole thing: the bench mob," said Daniels, who had a pair of layups late in the first quarter to spark a 12-4 burst that rallied Boston out of a three-point hole -- the Thunder's largest lead of the night -- that ultimately became a 21-point halftime advantage.

"We want to be the best bench, regardless of whether the starters are playing great or not. We want to pick them up. Like Nate was saying earlier [this year], we're a tag team. He helps [Rajon] Rondo; I help Paul [Pierce] and Ray [Allen], and so on. We've got each other's backs."

Click HERE to read the full story.

OKLAHOMA CITY -- A collection of postgame news and notes after the Boston Celtics defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 92-83 Sunday night at the Ford Center:

The rundown (a quick look at postgame headlines)
* For one half, Celtics show potential to be great
* Erden making strides with extended floor time
* Loose balls: J.O'Neal's ailing knee; Rondo's feet still fine

--FOR ONE HALF, CELTICS SHOW POTENTIAL TO BE GREAT--



Before Sunday's game, Celtics coach Doc Rivers detailed how, despite Boston's early season success, he felt there was room for great improvement from his team. He figured it would take the remaining 76 games of the season to bring them to max efficiency.

Instead, that potential came gushing out over a 15-minute stretch spanning into the second quarter in which Boston erased a three-point deficit, while building a 21-point halftime advantage. Before they could even get too pleased with themselves, the Celtics tempered all the good feelings by disappearing in the third frame and nearly letting the entire game slip away.

"We came out in the first half and played as well as a team can play," said Rivers. "We were defending; We kept them off the glass; We played with great energy; We were running the ball up the floor and getting into our offense early. Then we did the exact reverse in the third quarter; We reversed. Just kind of let them play and they’re too good to let your guard down. We did that and a veteran team should never do that. We got away with it and, even though we won by a big margin, you can’t do that."

The Celtics were prone to allowing big second-half runs last season and it's been more of the same at the start of the 2010-11 campaign, but Rivers doesn't seem overly concerned quite yet.

"We’re winning the games, and that’s one thing I will say, in this league, everyone loses leads," said Rivers. "Not the way we did today. The other games, it was more our execution, I thought we had good focus. Today, it was just us. We got up on a great team, then you have to keep playing that way to win the game and stay up, and we kinda let up. You can get away with that against a lot of teams, not with a team with [Russell] Westbrook and [Kevin] Durant on it. You definitely can’t do that."

Kevin Garnett realized the starters spoiled a chance to put a great effort together, but took the positives out of the start.

"I thought the third quarter, we had a little lapse there," said Garnett. "But they’re at home, we knew they were going to make a run. We could have opened the game up in the third quarter, but for the most part we started the game off solid."

Added Ray Allen: "It does seem like we’ve been holding on, like we’ve been doing what we need to do for the long haul for 48 minutes. That’s the important thing: Just [doing] whatever we’ve been doing to win games. Sometimes it’s not pretty, sometimes it’s not executed the way we want, but that’s the objective."

Like Rivers said, there's 75 more games to work out the kinks. The Celtics can win ugly now, then win pretty later.



--ERDEN MAKING STRIDES WITH EXTENDED FLOOR TIME--

With Shaquille O’Neal sitting out his fourth consecutive game due to a bruised right knee, rookie center Semih Erden continued to log extended minutes, which are aiding his rapid development.

In the first quarter of Sunday’s game, Erden helped cap a little 12-4 run to end the first quarter when Boston rallied from the biggest deficit it would face (3 points). First, Erden set a pick that set up a Nate Robinson jumper. When the Celtics ran the same exact play on a final-possession opportunity the next trip down, Robinson dished to Erden on the roll for the and-1 layup that put Boston up, 28-21.

Early in the second quarter, Erden outraced Durant on a little-too-long lead pass from Glen Davis, and when Durant stumbled out of bounds on the chase, Erden delivered an easy dunk.

"Tonight, [Erden] was phenomenal," said Rivers. "He’s just great. He’s starting to understand this role. With all the shooters on the floor, we’re just trying to teach him how to roll -- just roll hard on every pick. I tell him: He has to look at himself like a human pinball. Just go pick everybody and roll hard to the basket. And he’s starting to do that. Now he’s starting to rebound for us as well. And he makes free throws."

Now if he can just master the language. Kevin Garnett said to be weary of that.

"Don't let Semih fool you; He speaks English very well, and understands it very well," said Garnett. "I don't know if he's got all the plays under his belt, but he's playing hard. Really, really hard."

Added Rivers: “I think traveling is actually helping him [learn the language], being on the plane with the guys. He’s getting it, it’s just going to take time. We’re going to play him, regardless. He’s going to make mistakes and you just gotta try to let him play through mistakes. He needs to be on the floor.”

--LOOSE BALLS: J.O'NEAL'S AILING KNEE; RONDO'S FEET STILL FINE--



* Jermaine O'Neal drew his fourth consecutive start with Shaq sidelined, but played only 21:32 and labored at times. He connected on 1-of-5 shots for five points, but did haul in a team-high nine rebounds and blocked two shots. Jermaine O'Neal has battled a cocktail of injuries, including torn cartilage in his left wrist and a sore left knee that began bothering him after a loss in Cleveland. He told CSNNE.com after Sunday's game that he underwent a "minor" procedure on his left knee and that could be limiting his effectiveness (and minutes).

* Rajon Rondo continues to insist that his sore feet are fine. Battling what Rivers dubbed a "minor" case of plantar fasciitis, Rondo produced another double-double (10 points, 10 assists) over 36:14 against the Thunder.

"I don't know if it's going to go away, but I'm not going to rest any time soon," Rondo said when asked if he might need to miss time eventually to allow the pain to subside. "It's not as painful as it was [last week]."

Rondo noted after Friday's win over the Bulls that he won't allow the injury to slow him, particularly in key matchups like Sunday's against Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook. While their head-to-head joust ultimately proved to be a secondary story line, Westbrook overcame a sluggish first half (0 field goals, 1 point) to aid the Thunders' third-quarter rally. He finished with 16 points and 10 assists over 43:24.

* Add two more charges to Glen Davis' season total. That's his sixth two-charge game in seven contests this season. Davis boasts a total of 13 charges taken overall.