Any objective observer would agree that last night's game was a game the Celtics honestly didn't deserve to win. They didn't shoot well, they looked tired after the Laker game, and they were facing a Bobcat team that may have no identity whatsoever, but played with spunk and energy the whole time.

Things looked especially dismal down two with five seconds to go. Paul Pierce missed a game-tying shot, and Charlotte got the rebound. Boston quickly fouled, but they weren't over the limit yet, so the C's couldn't even hope for a Bobcat miss at the free-throw line; no, somehow, they'd have to get the ball back and score with 4.7 seconds left.

So that's exactly what they did. Eddie House tipped the inbounds pass to Pierce, who whizzed the ball over to a wide-open Ray Allen. Allen had had an awful night shooting (3-for-14 as he caught the ball), but when they absolutely needed it, he nailed it. Nothing but net. 3 points. Game over.

Of the eleven wins of the young season, we've seen eight routs, one game of pure survival (Miami) and two games won by Ray Allen at the buzzer. Not too shabby.

On Long Island, the Bruins didn't enjoy similar luck; they didn't play well, and it showed. Tim Thomas once again put them in good shape, giving up only two goals, but only P.J. Axelsson could solve Islander goalie Rick DiPietro, and the Islanders salvaged a split of the back-to-backs.

A big day in college football. BC beat Miami for the first time since the Flutie Era, and has a date with Virginia Tech for the ACC Title. The Hokies, no doubt, are still wondering how they blew the game against BC earlier this year. UConn got stomped flat by West Virginia; so much for their Big East title. And Missouri beat Kansas in the unlikeliest big-time Big XII matchup ever.

And tonight, if the turkey/tofurkey leftovers are all gone, New England fans will be treated to a late dinner of Eagle cutlets. Philly.com isn't even trying to rally the troops: "The Eagles will lose tonight; no shame there," says columnist Bob Ford. Eagles QB Donovan McNabb, questionable all week, weighed the pros and cons of testing himself against the Pats, and decided this maybe wasn't the week to push himself too hard. (Another Philly columnist says, "Boston, you've changed, man". This one's pretty good.)

Image from Celtics.com