Sports Redux: Happy Days Are Here Again

Our long regional nightmare is over! After a five-game local losing streak, the Celtics - finally, eventually - shook off the civic torpor and wound up blasting the Golden State Warriors 109-95.

Not that it was as easy as the 14-point win sounded. Golden State (a) isn't a very good team, (b) is at the end of a long road trip, and (c) had only eight healthy players. Yet, the C's spent the first half warily circling them like a team that had lost its confidence. Wonder why.

But in the third quarter, the C's put the clamps down, outscoring the Warriors 31-19 and rolling mostly on the play of Rajon Rondo, who scored 12 in the quarter en route to 18 for the game. "I thought he changed the momentum of the game," said Kevin Garnett. "He was terrific in the second half," added Doc Rivers. Rondo also shook his own personal demons when he hit a free throw, breaking a streak of 10 misses in a row. Golden State's Mikki Moore, who spent a few months here last season, was duly impressed: "That might be the only player in the league who can average a triple-double for a season." His final numbers: 18/7/12. Needs a little work, Mikki, but we appreciate the sentiment.

Now it's the Bruins' turn to get their act together. They visit Atlanta tonight; the Thrashers are similar to the B's in that they're right on the outside of the playoff race looking in (really, only the Leafs and Hurricanes are way back of the pack right now). It's possible Milan Lucic will be well enough to play tonight (Looch has to justify his artistic love), and GM Peter Chiarelli says that will be nice, since it's unfair to judge his team so far due to the injuries. He must be new here.

Then there's the Patriots. They haven't lost two in a row since 2006, and they haven't forgotten that they lost to the Jets in Week Two. Of course, the last time they lost two in a row, the second was to the Jets at home, but we'll let that slide. The Jets have gone from "surprising contender" to "the Jets" since that Week Two meeting, and things in Jersey are spiralling enough to make their coach weep at a press conference. You never go full Glenn Beck, Rex. This is serious business. We're confident that the Patriots and their fans will provide Rex with a hanky or two before the afternoon is over.