he Celtics picked the midway point of the season to play a game unlike any they've played all season. The result was the same as it has been so often - some might say surprisingly so. They won, 98-94, last night over the Pacers.

They're on a 50-win pace, which no one could have predicted or anticipated.

For the first 40 games, the Celtics were essentially a two-man offensive show with occasional support - and a communal defensive team that was a source of enormous pride. Last night, they pulled away down the stretch in a close game against a good team and won without getting a point from either Antoine Walker or Paul Pierce in the final 8 minutes 44 seconds. They won the way they've won most of their games this season - by stopping the other guys