Maybe it was because the tease of Kevin Garnett‘s return from injury turned out to be just a tease. Maybe it was because Kevin Martin (wrist) sat out as a late scratch. Maybe it was because Marquis Daniels (19 pts) led Boston in scoring and Jordan Hill played starter’s minutes for Houston. Or maybe it was because the BCS National Championship Game made it so nobody was really thinking about the NBA last night. Whatever the reason, Rockets/Celtics felt like a preseason game, and the C’s appeared appropriately disinterested … Aaron Brooks (24 pts) led a Rockets squad that went small out of necessity — Brooks started at two-guard while Kyle Lowry (17 pts, 8 asts) ran point — and they kept the score just out of reach most of the way before the Celtics tried to rally at the end. Down 10 with two minutes left, Ray Allen hit a three and Paul Pierce added another to cut the lead to four. With about 30 seconds left, Houston was still clinging to that lead, but Boston wouldn’t let them complete an inbound pass or get it across midcourt. They came within a blink of an eight-second violation, and after a few tries finally got it in to Brooks, who was able to ice it at the free throw line. And you wouldn’t believe this, but Tommy Heinsohn didn’t like some of the calls down the stretch. He’s usually so understanding of the referee’s plight … Big Baby and Patrick Patterson starred in the Ed’s Big & Tall Theater production of Rondo vs. White Chocolate, when Baby made a diving save of a loose ball right at Patterson’s feet that looked almost exactly like Rajon Rondo‘s famous play from last year’s playoffs. Instead of getting up, unleashing a crossover and scoring, though, Big Baby passed ahead to Von Wafer for a highlight-reel dunk … The Chicago Bulls are developing an identity, and fortunately it’s one that will still work once Joakim Noah comes back from injury: They are a two-and-a-half-man team on offense that wins ballgames when they play tough defense. Noah doesn’t need to be involved offensively and he thrives on D, which is perfect for him … Derrick Rose (29 pts, 7 asts) and Carlos Boozer (27 pts, 11 rebs) were again the alpha and omega for Chicago’s offense against the Pistons last night, while Luol Deng chipped in 17 points. Meanwhile, the defense shut down Detroit to the tune of just 27 points in the second half …
Just like Carmelo Anthony did on Sunday, Rip Hamilton had an oddly quiet game in what might be his last time suiting up for the Pistons. He was 0-for-5 and scored 2 points off the bench. Last we heard, the rumored three-team trade that would send Carmelo, Rip and Chauncey Billups to New Jersey was still in the discussion phase. But it should be noted that Chauncey and Troy Murphy (who would end up in Detroit) happened to miss their respective team practices yesterday for suspicious reasons … Whether they’re challenging for a playoff spot or bringing up the rear of their respective conferences, the Grizzlies and Bobcats have always been good for empty-arena jokes and League Pass games where you can hear vendors yelling “Cotton candy!” through the TV. So naturally, the Griz and ‘Cats were the two teams on the court as maybe 1,000 fans showed up for last night’s game in snow-covered Charlotte … Seeing as Memphis is a typical young team often swayed by the crowd — good at home (11-6), not so good on the road (6-15) — they were as lifeless as birds in Arkansas while getting beat convincingly. Coach Lionel Hollins had the funniest line: “Everybody that shot the ball for them made buckets. Guys that hadn’t shot in two years made buckets.” Presumably he was talking about Matt Carroll, who dusted off the cobwebs on his sneakers and scored 12 points … Fresh from being named Western Conference Player of the Week, Zach Randolph posted 15 points and 15 boards. Speaking of, did anybody watch Auburn defensive tackle Nick Fairley dominate the national title game and see shades of Z-Bo? The dude is a beast who is slow but quick, he often can’t be stopped, he looks like an oversized child in the face, and he’s kind of a goon … Fairley spearheaded Auburn’s defense in essentially shutting down Oregon’s high-powered offense, but (like Zach has been prone to do) almost blew it in crunch-time with a mental error when he jumped offsides while Oregon was inside the five-yard line late in the fourth quarter. The Ducks scored a few plays later to tie it up, but Auburn drove down and kicked the title-winning field goal as time expired … We’re out like Cam Newton …
