At times this season, the Celtics have struggled against mediocre teams. Fortunately for them, the Nets aren’t mediocre. They’re awful. It’s been a long time since epic Nets failures of the past such as Dennis Hopson and Dave Feitl roamed what is now called the Izod Center. Time and the Jason Kidd era may have made people forget that stretch of futility, but this year’s Nets seem determined to outdo even the worst of those teams.

The final Wednesday night was 111-87, but in truth the Celtics could have named their score because the Nets clearly didn’t want to be there.

The Nets had no chance in this game, and to the Celtics credit, they didn’t give them any. Early in the game Ray Allen went up for a jump shot and there wasn’t a New Jersey defender within five feet of him. It’s one thing to be devoid of talent, it’s another to not compete.

The Celtics will take any kind of win they can get right now, but it can’t be minimized that the Nets were an embarrassment.

On to our three things:

THE NBA IS SENDING MIXED MESSAGES

The league announced before the game that it was fining Celtics coach Doc Rivers $25,000 for arguing with officials, and then it changed the call that led to the argument. So, Rivers was wrong for being right. Or something.

On Monday against the Hawks, Glen Davis was assessed a Flagrant 1 foul after he took down Marvin Williams on his way to the basket.

The NBA rescinded it to a regular personal foul, which is fine, but once the call had been made the Hawks were awarded two shots and the ball and once Rivers protested the call he was assessed two technical fouls and ejected. Mild-mannered assistant Armond Hill also was assessed a technical foul. The effect of all that was five free throws (the Hawks made four) and possession of the ball in what had been a double-digit lead for the Celtics.

Without the erroneous Flagrant 1 call, none of that would have happened.

“Of all the fines I've ever had, this is by far the most disappointing,” Rivers told reporters in New Jersey. “I just don't get this one. I watched a couple of coaches last week run out on the floor and no fine. I get fined for being right.”

The NBA has a perception problem when it comes to the referees, and things such as Monday’s actions don’t help. In truth, both teams were frustrated by the inconsistency of the officials, and it was a hard, physical game to officiate.

That said, there’s no defending the fact that the turning point of a competitive game between two good teams was an overturned call that ultimately resulted in all that chaos and all that money out of Rivers’ pocket.

BABY STEPS FOR GLEN DAVIS

Since his return to the court, Glen Davis has had the usual ups and downs. A good game follows a bad one. One night his shot is there, and the next he can’t get anything to go.

But one game after scoring 13 points, Davis did it again against the Nets. The Celtics need all the help they can get from any of their big men right now with both Kevin Garnett and Rasheed Wallace out of the lineup, but in the long term Davis’ scoring punch will be a big factor off the bench in the regular rotation.

It still remains to be seen how Davis and Wallace will work together as the backup big man combination, but in theory it will be an interesting blend. While Davis lacks Wallace’s low-post game and 3-point range, he is better off the dribble and lives in the mid-range area for jump shots.

The only concern for the Celtics was the hard shot he took from new Net Kris Humphries late in the fourth quarter when Humphries came down hard across his arm and got a piece of his surgically-repaired thumb. Davis missed both free throws before checking out of the game.

FREE BILL WALKER?

Bill Walker finally got some playing time and played well in six minutes of mop-up action. He had six points and rivaled Tony Allen for the dunk of the night when he took the ball down the middle of the lane for a tomahawk stuff. (Allen still won, hands down, for his elevate-behind-the-backboard one-handed alley-oop jam.) 

There has been a small outcry for Walker to get more minutes, but barring any type of injury situation it just doesn’t look like it’s going to happen this season. The knee surgery he had in training camp set him back, and he has fallen behind J.R. Giddens in the young-player derby, which is a dubious honor since Giddens doesn’t play much, either.

There are a lot of reasons to root for Walker to get his chance. He has been active in the community with the Celtics' charitable endeavors, and in his limited interaction with the media he has come across as thoughtful and understanding of the situation he’s in.

A few weeks ago he was asked if he would rather be on a team that allowed him a chance to play, but Walker said he’d rather be on a winner. That’s the kind of talk that gets people on your side, and it seems to be genuine.

Walker will get his chance eventually, whether it’s here or somewhere else. And when he does, he’ll be ready for it.