There was obvious concern before the game.

The Celtics had gone from the Big Three to missing three, facing the Raptors without Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo in the starting lineup.

That concern didn't last very long.

“If we were shorthanded tonight, it didn't feel like it at all,” Ray Allen said after the Celtics' 103-96 win.

After gaining a two-point advantage in the first quarter, the Celtics entered halftime up by 10. Even without Garnett in uniform and Kendrick Perkins benched with early foul trouble, the C's took an early 23-13 advantage on the boards.

The Raptors tried to fight back in the third at the line, shooting 10-of-12 from the charity stripe, but still trailed by 11 heading into the final 12 minutes. And although the Raptors cut the lead to five late in the fourth quarter, the Celtics kept them at bay with 3-point shooting from Ray Allen (team-high 23 points) and aggressive post play from Perkins, Tony Allen, and Rasheed Wallace.

In the end, the Celtics dominated the paint (48 points to 30) and ruled the fast break (13-3) en route to their 24th win of the season.

Here are three things we learned from their undermanned victory:

CELTICS GET THE POINT

There are ways to compensate for scoring, but running the floor? There was a glaring hole at the point guard position with the hamstring injury to Rondo. Not only were the Celtics missing their floor leader, they also were down an average of nearly 10 assists per game.

Without a true backup at the 1 spot, they would have to get creative to fill that void. So Doc Rivers switched up his backcourt players and shifted them around on the floor, finding combinations that worked to move the ball.

“The beautiful thing is, yesterday when we went through practice we were going through plays and it is a little different for  certain guys being in different positions,” Ray Allen explained after the game. “Having J.R. [Giddens] in there the whole time really learning the 2 spot and the 3 spot, Tony is going from the 1 to 3, and I went from the 1 to 3, so we were just interchangeable, bringing the ball up the floor. It gives us a lot of different looks.”

Allen's breakdown may sound complex, but the Celtics made it look easy.

They got the entire team involved early — six players recorded an assist compared to just three for the Raptors. The C's finished the game with 26 assists, nearly two more than their season average. Tony Allen led the team with seven dimes.

“I think it was, it started from practice,” Tony Allen said. “We had a lot of, like, just dummy offenses, a lot of hard sets we had to run without defense knowing our assists and we had to defend them as well. I just think it started from practice. Everybody knew we were going to be shorthanded and we went hard in practice and it carried over to today.”

Rather than overcompensating for the depleted lineup, the C's found success by being unselfish with the ball. By doing so, they returned to the kind of basketball that has paid off so many times before.

“We did what we wanted to do,” Ray Allen said. “Our game plan was exactly what we did tonight.”

GIDDENS GETS LONG-AWAITED OPPORTUNITY

J.R. Giddens got an early start on his first start in the NBA.

“I woke up pretty early, probably like 7 or 8,” he said before the game. “I slept with my dog last night so I needed a little extra snuggle, so he was wiggling this morning and got me up a little early. I think he wanted to go for a walk or something.”

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Audio on Demand

• JaJuan Johnson with Grande & Max post-win
• Grande & Max with Doris Burke

Columns

• The Rajon Rondo conundrum
• Sun begins to set on Celtics, Lakers

Tickets

02/15/2012

Boston Celtics vs Detroit Pistons - TD Garden, Boston, MA
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02/29/2012

Boston Celtics vs Milwaukee Bucks - TD Garden, Boston, MA
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03/2/2012

Boston Celtics vs New Jersey Nets - TD Garden, Boston, MA
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Perhaps the dog picked up on Giddens' anxiousness. After all, this is the same player who tattooed a shamrock behind an ear after draft day. He tried to keep his cool on Saturday but he couldn't help but feel a bit overcome with emotion when he heard his name in the starting lineup.

“It was really funny,” he said with a laugh. “I didn't know whether to sit down on the bench or stand up like I normally do. I was kind of in between, but you just sit down, try to get my thoughts together. But it was a dream come true, especially in the Boston Garden, under these lights. And then we get a 'W,' so it was a great start.” 

Those emotions never left the sophomore during his 20 minutes on the court. (He had previously played just 61 minutes in 15 games.) After he watched so many contests from the bench, these were the moments he had been working toward.

“I think I was kind of nervous all game,” he said. “I kept that calm, collected face, but I realize that it's just a game, but at the same time, I'm out here trying to get more minutes and show Doc and my teammates that they can trust me. I think I'm probably overthinking myself at times, but I'm going to settle down, keep that under wraps.”

Giddens finished the game with two points (1-for-3 FG), two rebounds, two fouls and a steal. He admitted that there were shots he should have attempted and laughed that he usually takes more shots in less minutes. But that's part of the learning process. In addition to focusing on defense, he will review film to help find that balance of being a team player while also capitalizing on open opportunities to score.

Not only was this Giddens' first NBA start, it also was the start to a new step in his career.

Said Giddens: “I feel like after watching film tonight and getting some minutes, next time I hit the court hopefully I'll be more mature, getting better with time." 

NO BABY STEPS FOR DAVIS

On Friday, he was “functioning.” On Saturday, he was playing with reckless abandonment.

Glen Davis donned tape on his right thumb and right ankle against the Raptors and played as if nothing was bothering him. He masked the pain of his lingering injuries when in all reality the ligament in his thumb was still recovering and the ankle sprain was just a few days old.

Davis said on Friday that he would be able to play through the pain. “As long as I can function, I’ll play. I’m good enough to do something out there,” he said. So he leaped, he hit the ground and he fought with the intensity of a healthy athlete.

“Yeah, that’s what he does,” Rivers said. “We always — ‘Belichickian,’ I guess I’ll call it — you know, do your job completely.  And I got on Baby early in the game because he came in, I think the first time he touched it, he took a jump shot, second time he got in, he wanted the ball on the post. And that’s not what he does. 

“He goes out and he sets picks and he pops, those are his shots. I thought after that he was absolutely fantastic. He did hit the wall a couple of times, but that’s fine. And each time out, you don’t know what the minutes will be for him. We’ve just got to gauge fatigue, and sometimes that’s tough to see.”

The big man contributed nine points, three rebounds and a steal in 12 first-half minutes alone. He also got to the line three times in that stretch. Davis co-anchored the third quarter with Ray Allen and added six points. Only two came off of a field goal; the other four were earned at the line. Despite sitting out the final quarter, he finished the game with 15 points and five rebounds.

By the end of the night, the line between functioning and playing was blurred. It didn't really matter to Davis, as long as the Celtics got the win.

“I played,” he said. “I might not be functioning, but if I'm playing, I'm functioning.”