Sports Redux: None Shall Pass

One of the few remaining regular-season goals left for the Celtics is checked off. They've seen every NBA team; they've beaten every NBA team. The Hornets were the last stragglers, winning in New Orleans last week. Last night, they found out what 2008 Celtics basketball is really all about. The game was close at halftime, but the C's clamped down the defense, completely took out the Hornets' stars, and rallied to their 2nd straight 20-point win over one of the West's best.

Want a list of Celtic standouts? Just scroll down the roster. Pierce finished with 27/6/9, and would have had a shot at a triple-double if the fourth quarter had been competitive. Garnett had 21, Rondo 17, Leon Powe 12, and Eddie House two key three-pointers to all but finish the Hornets off.

So what's left for the C's to accomplish this season? The magic number stands at four for homecourt throughout. But looming as a distinct possibility is this, which radio guy Sean Grande pointed out last night: the Celtics famously won 24 games all of last season. So far, this year's team has won 20 games...by 20 points or more. Five more of those would be really cool, and with the rest of the schedule consisting mostly of Eastern cupcakes, five more blowouts in the next ten games doesn't seem too much to ask. The godawful Heat, for instance, play here on Sunday; they'd have been a 13-seed if they had qualified for the NCAA tournament.

The Bruins continue their fight for life today against Ottawa. Just in case you had any hope of a medical miracle, forget it; Patrice Bergeron may well play again, but it won't be this regular season. Bergeron will be reevaluated in a couple of weeks, when there's (we guess) a theoretical possibility the Bruins season will still be going on. We're trying to temper our expectations.

The Revolution are back! When last we saw them, they were suffering another heartbreaker in the championship. Back in the glory days of the fall when we thought local teams could, in fact, win 'em all. Then the Revs lost, and the Patriots...we still aren't prepared to discuss that. So, in a way, the Revolution took our innocence. In a small way. They host Houston today in Foxboro; Frank Dell'Appa covers the team's changes and fortunes.

The Red Sox lost to the Dodgers, but it doesn't count. Bartolo Colon pitched a solid four innings, striking out four and giving hope he may work out as a fifth starter. Good luck, Bartolo, and ignore the old wag at our local corner store who said it would be cheaper to pay you than to feed you.