Before the game, Celtics coach Doc Rivers said the Spurs were a team he wanted the Celtics to emulate. He pointed to their consistency, and the way in which Gregg Popovich has continually coached them to success.

After the game, he had another reason to want to be like the Spurs: They got the win.

“It was one of those nights,” he said following the Celtics' 94-73 loss at home (click here for the full recap). “We played awful. I thought they wanted to play.”

The Spurs proved that in the second half. The Celtics entered the third down by just one, 44-43 but were outscored 33-17 over the course of the quarter. In the third, the Spurs shot 65 percent compared to 29 percent by the C’s.

But Boston's struggles went beyond the third quarter. The C's finished the game shooting just 37 percent from the field and 7 percent from 3-point range (1-for-14). Only two starters finished in double digits, and Shelden Williams was the team’s third-highest scorer with 11 points. The Spurs, on the other hand, were led by Manu Ginobili (28 points) and backed up by Richard Jefferson (16) and George Hill (15).

“They made the extra effort plays tonight that we usually make,” said Paul Pierce, who led the Celtics with 18 points. “The team that you saw, San Antonio, they way they played is the way we usually play and we just got an old-fashioned butt-whupping.”

Here are three other things we learned:

THE LOSS OF KENDRICK PERKINS LEAVES A BIG VOID

The Spurs were playing without Tony Parker, but the Celtics were shorthanded, too. Kendrick Perkins was sidelined with for the second game in a row with a tendonitis in left knee. He told WEEI.com after the game he expects to practice on Tuesday and play on Wednesday. In the meantime, the absence of the Celtics leading rebounder was obvious, as the Spurs outrebounded the Celtics, 48-37.

Richard Jefferson and DeJuan Blair (who Rivers called “a one-man wrecking crew”) both grabbed 11 apiece, while Tim Duncan added another nine. Even though Kevin Garnett snagged 10 and Rasheed Wallace pulled down eight, no one else on the Celtics had more than three rebounds.

Rajon Rondo noticed Perkins’ absence on the offensive end as well.

“Perk’s our defensive enforcer. He holds the paint down usually along with Kevin,” he said. “He’s finishing a lot better each year. He’s always shot a high percentage from the field, but he’s doing a lot better catching and finishing.”

Even though the Celtics missed Perkins in the paint, they don’t want him to push himself. They need him for the playoff run, not just games in March.

“I would say [we missed] his defensive tenacity, but it’s no rush with Perk," Wallace said. “These last few games, we’re already set. These last few games, they mean something but they don’t mean [anything], if you get what I’m saying. But our main thing is to get Perk healthy, take a couple games off, lay off them knees for a minute, and come back with some fresh legs.”

SHELDEN WILLIAMS MAKES MOST OF MINUTES

Throughout the entire season, Shelden Williams has stressed the importance of staying professional and preparing himself to play. That approach paid off against the Spurs. Williams has played in less than 50 games this season, but the injury of Perkins has created an opportunity for him Sunday night.

Williams performance was one off the bright spots in the Celtics loss. He shot a perfect 5-for-5 (11 points) in less than 12 minutes off the bench and was the team’s third-highest scorer.

“When my name is called, just go out there and do my best whether I’m playing a couple of minutes or I’m playing 10, 15 minutes,” he said. “I have to go out there and do the same things I’ve been doing.”

With the playoffs quickly approaching, Williams is taking advantage of the opportunities he receives to build his rhythm should the team need him down the line.

“I think it’s very important,“ he said. “This is coming down the stretch. We have the playoffs coming in less than a month now and for us to get ready for the big push, I think it’s very important. Perk’s out and I had a chance to take advantage of those minutes, so I tried to do as much as I can. We don’t know what’s going to happen later on, but all I can do is be ready if my name is called.”

MICHAEL FINLEY IS MISSED BY THE SPURS

Facing his former team was just another game for Michael Finley. He has been in the league long enough to understand that match ups against players he once shared a locker room with are just part of the business.

“No,” he replied when asked if he felt any extra emotions playing against the Spurs. “It’s always good to see old friends, but I talked to them before tonight so it wasn’t that big of a deal.”

While Finley may have been nonchalant about playing against the Spurs, his former teammates were very expressive about their feelings toward their former veteran leader. To them, he was more than just another teammate. With all of his experience, he also took on the role of player-coach both in the locker room and on the sidelines.

“It’s in him,” said San Antonio’s Roger Mason. “His first game in Boston, I watched the game and I had to laugh to myself. He wasn’t even in a jersey yet and he’s standing up, helping guys, and I said, ‘That’s Fin being Fin.’”

Finley’s experience was one of his assets Doc Rivers emphasized following his signing. The Celtics benefited from the veteran leadership of P.J. Brown and Sam Cassell in the past, and they knew they could expect the same from Finley.

“He was definitely a leader,” said Matt Bonner, adding, “[He taught me] a lot of the subtleties of the game, just a lots of stuff with spacing, being aware of situations on the court. … Just stuff like that that are kind of subtle and only a player with a lot of experience would know.”

Mason noted that Finley’s professionalism rubbed off on the Spurs. From his approach to the game to his knowledge of players around the league, Finley’s experience was always received warmly.

“He’s been there,” said Mason. “He’s been there, done that. He’s been a star player, he’s been an All-Star player, he’s been a role player, he’s been a champion, so he’s been in a lot of situations that you can respect as a player. You just know he’s an all-around great guy.”