Pierce, who in his return from a bruised right heel had 12 points and five assists in 23 minutes, wasn’t the only Celtic who made a triumphant comeback. Sure, O’Neal played in the Celtics’ first three games, but that’s being generous. O’Neal was a microcosm of the Celtics’ 0-3 start - he looked slow, aged, and past his prime.
Last night, O’Neal was a symbol of the Celtics’ renaissance, scoring a team-high 19 points and pulling down seven rebounds in what qualified as his best game in a Boston uniform.
“Jermaine was super tonight,’’ said Kevin Garnett. “He had a lot of energy to begin with. He was active. The things he was able to do for us tonight was tremendous on both ends.’’
His best sequence of the night came late in the third quarter. O’Neal blocked a baseline drive by Rodney Stuckey - one of his two blocks - and then on the other end converted a driving layup while being fouled. His 3-point play gave the Celtics their largest lead of 25 points. That excited a crowd that included Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine. (Bobby V got a large ovation in the second quarter. No word on whether Valentine was critiquing Rajon Rondo’s shooting stroke or complaining that Pierce took too long at the free throw line.)
The Celtics turned the game into a laugher in the third quarter, shooting a scorching 71.4 percent to end the frame with a 22-point lead (86-64). At that point, O’Neal had poured in 17 points and pulled down all seven of his boards. He entered the game with just 8 points on the season.
O’Neal is not the linchpin of the Celtics. This team is still about Pierce, the ageless Ray Allen, Rondo’s continued evolution, and most crucially just how much Garnett has left in the tank after more than 44,000 minutes of NBA basketball.
