Ray Allen shines as Celtics rout Nets

The panic in Beantown following the Celtics’ recent swoon is starting to subside as the team regains their footing and starts to string together some victories. On Saturday night in the Meadowlands, the defending NBA champions were in control from the outset as they thumped the New Jersey Nets 105-85 for their fourth consecutive victory.

The victory also represented their seventh straight win over the Nets, and their second in three days. Boston won by 32 at home on Wednesday night, and started Saturday’s game right where they left off leading 29-15 after the first quarter and opening up a 68-39 halftime advantage. From there, they were able to give the bench valuable minutes and give their starters much needed rest as they coasted to another lopsided victory.

The Celtics were led by 25 points from Ray Allen in just 30 minutes of playing time. Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Brian Scalabrine, Leon Powe and Eddie House each contributed double digits, with Garnett adding 10 rebounds and Rajon Rondo producing 14 assists. The Nets’ Brook Lopez scored 28 points to lead all scorers and hauled in 10 rebounds. The only other Net to score in double figures was reserve forward Jarvis Hayes with 15.

Ray Allen suggested that despite the easy win at home on Wednesday that they didn’t anticipate another rout. He gave credit to a four quarter team effort for the easy win:

"From our vantage point, we didn't look at this as a game that would play out like it did in Boston. They have been playing well together and they've won some big games. We know first hand that if teams get out and get confidence, they can keep it going the whole game. We've lost a couple of games this year that way. It was a group effort, and a four-quarter effort."

Celtics coach Doc Rivers noted that he’s been stressing the importance of getting off to a good start, which definitely paid dividends here:

"It was a great start. It's one of the things we talked about. If you get off to a good start, it gives you a chance to play well the whole game. I thought the whole team was running well."

Nets’ coach Lawrence Frank, meanwhile, benched two starters for the second half and called his team’s performance "embarrassing":

"I was totally embarrassed by our performance. It starts with me and goes on to our main players. It was an embarrassing start to the game I decided to go in another direction."

New Jersey will hit the road for their next three games, with stops in New Orleans, San Antonio and Memphis. Boston will host the Phoenix Suns on Monday before heading to Florida later in the week for games against the Miami Heat on Wednesday and the Orlando Magic on Thursday.