Sports Redux: There Can Be Only One (NBA Edition)

You may have heard that the Patriots are undefeated, the only team so remaining in the NFL, and are causing many a sleepless night among the '72 Dolphins champagne brigade.

It may not be as flashy - it may not even last 'til tomorrow - but the Boston Celtics enjoy a similar distinction. With their brushing off of the Hawks last night, combined with the Clippers' (!) loss to Detroit, the C's begin today as the last undefeated team in the NBA. At 4-0, it's their best start since '86-'87, back in the days when success was measured in terms of Finals won and not T-shirts thrown into the crowd. We'd very much like to have those days back again.

The game, while not the soul-satisfying blowout the C's put on Denver Wednesday, was never in a lot of doubt. Kevin Garnett (who makes us feel positively giddy) had nearly notched a double-double by the end of the first quarter. Paul Pierce chipped in with some sweet slashing and driving, and whenever it seemed like the Celts hit a dead spot and were struggling, Eddie House provided a crucial 3-pointer.

The defense was up to the task, holding Joe Johnson to 16 on 6-of-14 shooting and Josh Smith (who seems to think he's a lot better than he is) to a crummy 3-for-13. The worst moment for the Celtics came near the end, when Brian Scalabrine wound up on the wrong end of an errant Al Horford backhand and crumpled on the court for a few minutes. He got up, though, and walked to the locker room under his own power. Though it looked like he wanted to stay on the bench and watch the end. He's got a concussion, but not as bad as Patrice Bergeron's.

Perhaps the toughest test of the young season comes tonight; the Celtics travel to New Jersey for their first back-to-back of the year, against the Nets, who also rely on three stars. But our stars are better than theirs. Should be a good game.

The Patriots are taking a week off, building up a good hate for Buffalo. If you need your Pats jones satisfied, though, take a look at Bill Simmons' column from yesterday, where he talks about the ridiculous officiating in the Indy game, and offers insight into the minds of a team and its fandom, who are perfect so far and yet not nearly satisfied. There were a few fist pumps and "Amen!"s 'round here while reading this, we can tell you.

The Bruins host the Sabres tonight; by our count, this is the 45th time these two have met this season.

Image from Amazon.