Did I jump into my hot tub time machine and land back in 2008?
The Celtics outscored the Mavericks 27-11 over the final 8 minutes of the 4th quarter. Thanks to clutch shooting and suffocating defense, they turned an 82-75 deficit into a 102-93 win.
Rajon Rondo was clutch. He scored 10 of his 20 points (10 rebounds, 5 assists) during that stretch. He went past Jason Kidd and scored in the teeth of the Dallas defense on three successive possessions late in the game.
Paul Pierce (29 points, 10-17 FG, 5 assists) was brilliant, yet again. His 3-pointer with 1:44 left and subsequent steal and assist (to Rondo) were the daggers.
Ray Allen (21 points, 4-8 3FG) was steady all night. Kevin Garnett struggled offensively (8 points on 3-9 FG) but delivered with 9 rebounds, 5 steals and steady defense on Dirk Nowitzki.
The bench (13 total points) nearly cost the team this game. They could not get into an offensive rhythm.
Is this the most impressive (back to back, on the road, against the hottest team in the league) win of the
season? Yes it is.