ESPNBoston.com – “I respect them as a team, they’re a great team and they play hard, but when they get to a point where they get to disrespecting people, and it’s not about basketball, that’s where I have a problem,” Jackson said after the game. “Everybody knows me as a basketball player, but everybody knows me off the court, too. So if it’s about basketball, I’m cool, I respect everybody on their team, and I respect them as being a good team. But when it gets to the point where you’re disrespecting [me] as a man, that’s another problem.”

While implying it was Pierce that set him off, Jackson did not name the Celtics’ captain by name and did not elaborate on what was said.

“Certain things were said, quotes by certain people, and there’s no need for me to drop names, they know what was said,” Jackson said. “Me personally, I can take getting beat, if it’s about basketball. But when it gets to the point where you’re being personal, and being disrespectful as a man to another man, that’s when I have a problem. The person I’m talking about, he knows it because I said what I had to say to him.

“It turned disrespectful when certain things were said. You can be emotional, talk to your teammates, and do all that, but when it’s getting personal and you’re directing certain things to people as far as their manhood, that’s when a problem comes up. And I guarantee you, if I wasn’t in this gym, that wouldn’t have been said to me.”

It’s a well known fact that the Celtics are some of the biggest trash talkers in the game, but by no means are they the only ones dishing it out. The way Jackson is talking here makes it sound like the Celtics are the men’s varsity team rubbing it in the faces of the freshman girls team. If you don’t want your manhood questioned then step up and score more points, make a stop, grab a steal, anything. Don’t sit in the locker room after the game whining about it, especially after you just got your shit stomped on the court. Let’s not forget that Jackson isn’t exactly a model citizen either. It wasn’t too long ago that he ran into the stands in Detroit and started throwing haymakers at the fans. Long story short, I hate complaining after a loss, especially from a scumbag like Jackson, so just shut up and get out of town.

- Chris

Recap – It certainly wasn’t pretty, but a win in LA is huge whether it be by one point or 20, even if Kobe doesn’t play a single minute. I was convinced that this game was going to end up in a loss for the Celtics the entire way. It had all of the makings of your typical 2010 Celtics loss. They came out hot building a quick lead only to give it away minutes into the second quarter. In true Celtic fashion they figured their shit out and went into halftime up by five. Once again the lead was given away early in the third quarter but something was special about last night. The old 2010 Celtics would have folded, especially in a hostile environment like LA, but they roared back and headed into the fourth quarter up by seven. The offense decided to take the fourth off only scoring 11 points but the fans were reminded that tough defense ultimately will win you just as many games as a great offense as we saw a tremendous team effort to hold the Lakers to only 17 points and a loss despite the Celtics not scoring in the final three minutes.

What I liked

- While I would have liked to see more out of the offense, it was encouraging to see the defense step it up. Even without Kobe, the Lakers are a hell of a team. To hold them to 86 points on their home court is no small feat. The Lakers only shot 40% from the field and 25% from beyond the arc. This was a typical 2007 win. Score enough and out play them defensively. Love it.

- Ray Allen looked rejuvenated last night. Maybe it is because he finally knows where he is going to spend the rest of the season, but whatever the reason, we saw the Ray Ray of old. He went 10-15 from the field and 3-5 from three point land. He totaled 24 points on the night leading all scorers and was guarding Derek Fisher when he missed the final shot of the game. It’s impossible to tell is this was just a one night flash, but the Celtics could definitely use more of the Ray Allen we saw last night.

- Kendrick Perkins had a big night pulling down 14 boards, 3 offensive, and scoring 13 points to go along with 2 blocks. Perk had been struggling a little since KG and Big Baby came back from injuries as all of his stats have taken a hit from January to February. Playing against Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum is no easy feat, and to put up big numbers against them should not be taken lightly.

What I Didn’t Like

- Rasheed Wallace needs to find his place on this team. Right now all he does is throw up three pointers and miss the majority of the time. He lacklusterly plays defense, and when he does try, he just ends up getting into scuffles at mid court and gets a technical. He is now only one away from an automatic suspense after he and Gasol got into it a bit last night. He may complain that Gasol was just as much at fault and deserved a foul as well, but that still doesn’t negate the fact that he has 13 on the year. Wallace needs to start doing what he does best, posting up. When Sheeds gets down on the block he has the ability to score a lot of points. He needs to use his range from outside as a secondary weapon. Right now defenders can play right up in his face because they know he isn’t going to try and bring them down low. This needs to change.

- Chris

ESPNBoston.com – The sources cautioned that nothing is imminent, but said the clubs are having discussions. The Bobcats have been searching for a power forward, and the 6-foot-9 Davis could be their man. The Celtics, meanwhile, have been longing for a backup point guard, and Augustin, who’s fallen out of favor with Charlotte coach Larry Brown, would be more than adequate. A straight-up trade would not work because Davis is a base-year compensation player, so other players would have to be involved to meet the financial requirements. That could be a sticking point in the deal. While teams don’t typically trade big for small, Boston is a bit aggravated with Davis, who’s had a few off-the-court problems this season. Most notably, he missed the first 27 games of the season after breaking his thumb in an early morning scuffle with a friend.

I’m not sure how I feel about this one. While the Big Baby act has gotten a little old, I feel much more comfortable knowing we have him as an emergency backup plan should KG miss any extended amount of time. That being said, if we really are relying on someone to fill KG’s shoes then we are probably fucked anyways. Augustin is a former lottery pick going ninth overall to the Bobcats in the 2008 draft. He is a solid point guard out of Texas with much more potential than Davis has. In terms of overall talent, Augustin has Davis beat and it really isn’t close. But for whatever reason Larry Brown would rather have Brian Scalabrine running the point than Augustin. Still, I’m torn. I want Rondo on the floor as much as possible, but as long as Augustin isn’t stealing any significant minutes then it could work well in the long run, especially once Ray leaves town.

This rumor serves as a reminder that Danny Ainge is nothing short of fearless when it comes to making a splash in the trade market. As crazy as trading Ray Allen and or Glen Davis sounds, knowing Danny, it really wouldn’t be surprising to see both of them gone by the time the trade deadline rolls around. That being said, he is also very likely to stand pat. Now, we can do nothing but speculate, and wait.

- Chris

This was taken from his twitter account:

@SheldenWilliams: Man when it rains it pours!!! Yall will find out what I mean soon!!!!

This just hours after we heard that Paul Pierce will likely miss significant time with a broken foot. Is Williams implying that Pierce is the rain and there is worse news to come? Or does he simply think we are out of the loop and Pierce missing time is the real bad news. Either way, things are not looking up for the Celtics. Pierce is out for a couple of months, KG is a shell of his healthy self, and Ray Allen is having a terrible season by his standards. With Allen, KG, and Pierce set to become free agents after 2010, 2011, and 2012, this was really the last chance for the big three to hang another banner. At this pace, they will likely end up a bottom seed in the playoffs and will NEED to get 100% healthy in order to make a run. I am usually one of the more optimistic people in this city, but things are not looking up for the Celtics.

- Chris

BOSTON - DECEMBER 22: Paul Pierce #34 of the Boston Celtics goes up for a shot during the game against the Indiana Pacers on December 22, 2009 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. Copyright 2009 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)

Going into halftime the Celtics saw themselves in a 15-point deficit to the Indiana Pacers at home Tuesday night. Surprised? I know I was. The Celtics just lost a home game to the Philadelphia 76ers last Friday but came out big on the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday.

Tuesday night saw a different perspective, being down by a lot to a team that has already beaten them earlier in the year. It was a true test for the Celtics and Donny Marshall even said during the game that “This will be a good test for the Celtics. To be down by a lot early and to come back and win will really show their maturity.” Of course he was predicting a Celtics win and he’s lucky that they did come back and win.

The Celtics ended up winning the game 103-94 by outscoring the Pacers 61-37 in the second half. The win improved the Celtics to 22-5 on the year while Indiana fell to 9-18.

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Philadelphia 76ers center Samuel Dalembert (1), guard Allen Iverson and guard Jrue Holiday, right, laugh from the bench during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Golden State Warriors, Monday, Dec. 14, 2009, in Philadelphia. The 76ers won 117-101. (AP Photo/Michael Perez)

On the eve of hosting the Philadelphia 76ers, the buzz of having Allen Iverson back in the Garden playing for his former team is no longer there. That is because he won’t be playing tomorrow night. Tragic, simply tragic. “The Answer” apparently doesn’t have the answer for his knee arthritis and a left shoulder contusion. So that means that the struggling 76ers will be without any experienced point guard with both Iverson and Lou Williams out for the game. It will give the Celtics a good look at rookie Jrue Holiday and I am sure Rondo will expose him early and often. Holiday is a quick guard out of UCLA, but he has seen limited minutes thus far this season and will likely struggle against Rondo and his quickness. It’s too bad that Iverson isn’t playing though. It would have been nice to hear the crowd give him an ovation when he was introduced, maybe not standing ovation but probably a lot of cheers. I guess I’ll just have to wait for next time, but for tomorrow’s game I look for an absolute blowout for the Celtics. The 76ers have lost 13 of their past 14 and have no experience controlling the ball. Should be fun to watch. Go C’s!

By Greg Petersen

San Antonio Spurs' Michael Finley (4) is defended by Boston Celtics' Marquis Daniels (7) during the second quarter of an NBA basketball game in San Antonio, Thursday, Dec. 3, 2009. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

So with the Celtics streaking (in terms of wins that is) they have hit a major problem; Marquis Daniels is out for the time being with a wrist/thumb injury and in his place Doc Rivers needs to insert (gulp) Brian Scalabrine and Tony Allen. Daniels said that he keeps injuring his wrist in games and during practice and Rajon Rondo’s fastball passes didn’t help Daniels stay healthy and have resulted in missed games for the back-up swingman.

For the year, Daniels is averaging 5.7 points, 2 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. Those numbers may not be overly impressive but his role off the bench is very important. He comes into the game, plays strong defense and is able to score when needed. He can slash to the rim or take the jumpshot, either way he can score when necessary. Now his replacements are no slouches when it comes to knowing the Celtics system but they have never been very good at it.

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Chris Bosh certainly will think twice before getting on the tracks while a train is coming through next time around.

BOSTON - NOVEMBER 27: Kevin Garnett #5 of the Boston Celtics drives to the basket against Andrea Bargnani #7 of the Toronto Raptors on November 27, 2009 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2009 NBAE (Photo by Steve Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)

Currently the Boston Celtics sit atop the Atlantic Division with a record of 12-4 but a lot of those wins came in very close games and to not very good teams. Well the Toronto Raptors are now 7-10 on the year after the C’s handed them a 116-103 loss last night at the TD Garden. It was actually the first game the Raptors played against a division rival, too bad it was the Celtics, otherwise they might have had a chance to start off with a win. The win, on the other hand, was the Celtics’ third in a row and hopefully they can return to their winning ways that they started off the season with.

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We are introducing a new feature here on the Pulse in the form of a weekly podcast covering the week that was. This will be recorded along with The Booze from BoozeWorthy.com with selected guests each week. This was a first attempt, so it’s obviously sloppy, but we will get better. It can’t be any worse than ‘EEI and they have millions of listeners every day.

Here is the link, enjoy.

- Chris