And on the next day, the Celtics played Cleveland. What a strange, eerie feeling it must have been to be back in the place where they caused so much devastation last spring.

The last time the Celtics played a game in Ohio they caused a mass exodus of fans, but not before those same fans turned on their team and left LeBron James and company awash in a sea of boos and catcalls.

The Celtics were greeted as conquering heroes after vanquishing LeBron the night before, but the real cheers of the Cleveland faithful were reserved for their new-look Cavaliers, who rallied from a fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Celtics, 95-87. (Click here for a full recap).

The play that will receive the most attention happened when Anthony Parker drained a contested 3 that was either right at the end of the shot clock or a second late. Doc Rivers protested the call but the officials reviewed it and determined it was good. They had taken away a Glen Davis 3 at the end of the first quarter.

True, the Celtics didn’t get the call, and true, they were playing the second night of a back-to-back on the road, but they have no real excuses for the way they played against the Cavs.

Much like last season, the culprits were turnovers (19) and second-chance points (16). And like last season, the Celtics bench failed to provide a lift in the second half as a double-digit lead whittled away.

If he had so chosen, Rivers could have relied on his starters to pull this game out, but he kept them on the bench through the early part of the fourth quarter. This is the compromise that Boston will have to play through with all those veterans.

DOC WILL PICK HIS SPOTS

Rivers knew what he was doing Tuesday when he rode Ray Allen and Paul Pierce for 40 minutes and Kevin Garnett for 35 more. He also knew what he was doing Wednesday when those minutes dropped by about five apiece.

Five minutes may not seem like much, but they add up over the course of 82 games, especially when they are “hard minutes,” like the kind the Celtics faced early in the fourth quarter while the Cavs were making their run.

Rivers elected to let his bench play through the run and they couldn’t get the job done. Nate Robinson shot 1-for-6 and picked up an untimely technical foul (Shaquille O’Neal got another for arguing the call). Jermaine O’Neal also had a rough night, fouling out after just 12 minutes, two rebounds and three turnovers.

This was a prime example of how much the Celtics will miss Delonte West, who is now two games into a 10-game suspension. Rivers would much rather have Robinson play off the ball and concentrate on scoring, but without West, he is locked into the backup point guard spot.

West also could have made a difference against Daniel Gibson, who shook off an 0-for-7 first half to finish with 16 points.

The second unit had its moments. Glen Davis turned in another fine performance with 14 points and five rebounds in 33 minutes of action, while Marquis Daniels went about his business with a very Daniels-like performance. At this early juncture, Davis and Daniels are the two constants in Rivers’ rotation. 

The bench is going to have to play for the Celtics and this is the time to let them try to work things out on the court. It may have cost them the game Wednesday, but that’s all part of the process for this team.

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Boston Celtics vs New York Knicks - TD Garden, Boston, MA
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Contrary to some opinions, Garnett was not a disaster last season. He wasn’t the KG of old, but he was still better than the majority of power forwards in the league. The problem is that Garnett has set such a high standard for himself that any amount of slippage -- and there was a noticeable decline -- made him appear old and washed up.

Nowhere was this more evident than with his rebounding numbers, both per game and in terms of the more reliable rate statistics (measured in possessions and available boards, instead of minutes).

The Celtics have been telling anyone who will listen that Garnett has been a monster in training camp and those assessments are ringing truer by the game. He followed up a 10-and-10 opening night performance with 15 rebounds against the Cavs.

While it’s true that Cleveland doesn’t have much rebounding muscle, those numbers look even better when you consider that Garnett didn’t have a single 15-rebound game all of last season.

The lift seems back in his legs and his defense is returning to previous levels. Where Garnett still needs to make his mark is on offense. There were opportunities for him to go to work on the block against the Cavs, just as there were throughout the playoffs, but he remained mostly on the perimeter.

Still, that part of his game will come in time. If the Celtics can continue to get double-digit rebounding games from Garnett consistently, they will be more than happy with the 2010-11 version.

RAJON RONDO GETS HIS SCORING ON

A funny thing happened Tuesday night in a game that was watched and scrutinized by so many: Rajon Rondo almost escaped notice. There was a mention here and brief there about the fact that Rondo dished out 17 assists, which was two more than the entire Heat squad, but other than that, Rondo’s contributions were washed over in favor of the bigger issues of the day.

Rondo switched from facilitator mode to scorer against the Cavs, which made sense because Cleveland doesn’t have anyone who can either stay with him or get in his way. He scored 18 points on 8-for-12 shooting and had nine assists, which just shows how versatile he can be.

The one quibble with Rondo Wednesday was that he could have been even more aggressive offensively. If the Celtics were going to win this game, Rondo was the man to do it.

Rivers is trying to draw even more out of Rondo this season. He’s been operating out of the post at times and with Robinson in a small backcourt. Both of those experiments are going to take some time, but again, that’s what this part of the season is for.

We’re two games into what should be an epic season and the Celtics have already shown some of the things that made them great in the postseason, and some of the traits that caused so much angst in the regular season. We’ll have a much better handle on who they are by the time West returns, but for now they remain a work in progress.