Celtics-Nuggets and Heat-Jazz

Out of all the games across the NBA last night, two caught my eye in particular, and both involved East Coast teams. Going into last night's contests, the Celtics and Heat had put together 12 consecutive wins in a row. After wins by both, that total is now up to 14, and an interesting battle has started to shape up in the Eastern Conference.

But, Boston still sits atop the East Coast, and it's not hard to see why. At several points throughout the game last night, the Celts had four 20,000-plus point scorers on the floor, with Shaquille O'Neal, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce all playing significant minutes together. That kind of experience and skill is hard to beat. In this one, Pierce led the way, with 20 of his 26 points coming in the first half. The rest of the season, Boston's depth will be tough to match, and on a night when Glen Davis played for the first time since Sunday and Rajon Rondo scored a mere four points, the Celtics still outscored Denver by 30 from inside the paint. At one point, they led by as much as 41. The absence of Carmelo Anthony was clearly a big factor in this result, but I'll match up the Celtics against the Western Conference anytime with the way they're rolling right now.

Going into last night's showdown with the Jazz, Miami had delivered each of its five straight victories by an average of 17.2 points, and they won this one by double-digits as well, knocking off the Jazz 111-98. Through that stretch of wins, LeBron James and Dwayne Wade have played with much more chemistry, and they certainly played on the same page last night. The duo combined for 61 points on 21-of-34 shooting, and keyed a 15-5 fourth-quarter run which ultimately resulted in a win. I think efforts like those could propel the Heat to more long winning streaks, and possibly great postseason achievements. When on top of their game, Miami should be able to play with anyone, especially considering their talent level. That includes the Celtics, and when it comes to that rivalry, I don’t think we’ve heard the last of it.

--Beau