It’s not often that the Celtics are able to enjoy a laugher on weekend afternoons. They have a well-worn reputation for playing down to their level of competition when the sun is still out. Take two weeks ago in Toronto, for example, which not coincidentally was the last time the Celtics lost a game.

They had little problem with New Jersey, blowing them out 100-75 in Newark, Sunday afternoon. (Click here for a full recap).

Only Nate Robinson, who was starting in place of Rajon Rondo (sore hamstring), played more than 30 minutes as the veteran starters earned a well-deserved break for the entire fourth quarter.

The Celtics have now won seven straight games since that loss to the Raptors and are 16-4, one game ahead of Orlando for the best record in the Eastern Conference. These wins will take on more importance when the conference race really heats up in the spring.

The important thing is that they have taken care of business in the first quarter of the NBA season and accomplished their most important early-season goal of getting off to a fast start. The more wins they put in the bank now, the easier it will be to ease off a bit in the second half of the season.

Here are three things to take away from Sunday’s performance:

NATE ROBINSON ANSWERS THE CALL

The Celtics have won three of the four games that Rondo has sat out and Nate Robinson has been a big reason for that success. Against the Nets, Robinson scored eight points in the first five minutes and got the Celtics out of the gate quickly.

He also launched a couple of ill-timed 3-pointers, including one where he stepped back on the fast break to launch from deep. That’s part of the overall package with Robinson, and Doc Rivers has encouraged him to just be himself when he’s out on the floor because the reserve unit needs his scoring punch.

Robinson settled in as the game developed and he had his finest overall game as a Celtic scoring 21 points, grabbing six rebounds and dishing out six assists with only two turnovers. No doubt playing with the starting lineup helps Robinson find his groove. In four games as a starter he is shooting 25-for-40 from the floor and 11-for-19 from beyond the arc for 66 points and 22 assists.

Robinson’s play has helped alleviate a little bit of the concern about Rondo who is clearly going to be dealing with physical issues throughout the season. It’s unfair to ask Robinson to carry over that kind of production with the second unit because, as Rivers noted in his postgame talk with reporters, he’s not a focal point of defenses when he’s on the court with Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett.

But Robinson has proven his worth in games that Rondo has missed and he has already earned back the investment that the Celtics made in him this offseason.

SECOND UNIT GAME-CHANGERS

This was the lineup Rivers had on the floor to start the second quarter: Avery Bradley, Von Wafer, Marquis Daniels, Glen Davis and Shaquille O’Neal. The score was 27-25 and Rivers was determined to give his starters a break. So he told his assistant coaches to hang on tight and hope for the best.

What they saw was a monster defensive effort, particularly from Bradley. “Avery created three offensive fouls with his ball pressure,” Rivers said.

Eventually the points started to come for the Celtics, especially once Glen Davis went to work on rookie Derrick Favors in the post. But more important from Rivers perspective was that the bench players turned the game around with their defense. “The second unit in the second quarter changed the whole game,” Rivers said.

The Celtics outscored New Jersey, 30-12 in the second quarter and were never threatened in the second half, which allowed Rivers to rest his starters and keep O’Neal out of the game in the second half with a sore calf. (Shaq told Rivers he normally wouldn’t have played but he could give him a few minutes here and there).

Bradley played 15 minutes, the longest outing of his young career, and while he looked appropriately young on offense, he was a force on defense. The offensive part of the game will just take time for him to learn and it’s important to remember that he didn’t even play the point in his one year at Texas.

The other encouraging development was Wafer logging 18 minutes, also a season-high, and displaying aggressiveness on defense. He stepped in front of a pass and created a turnover and also had a block from the weakside. It’s slowly coming together for Wafer and the Celtics are going to need him while Delonte West recuperates from a broken wrist.

KEVIN GARNETT’S REBOUNDING PROWESS

The Nets missed a whopping 45 shots and came down with only five offensive rebounds. Garnett was a huge reason why as he racked up another monster game on the boards with 14 rebounds and 13 of those came on the defensive end.

That marked Garnett’s 11th double-digit rebounding game of the season, tying his output from all of last season, further evidence that the KG of old is indeed back in fine form.

Rondo’s play has been sensational. Pierce and Allen have continued to be efficient scorers and Shaq has given the Celtics more than they even probably anticipated. But the single most important key for the Celtics has been Garnett’s renewed ability on the glass.

Even with Kendrick Perkins out of the lineup, the Celtics have once again become a strong defensive rebounding team and, like Garnett himself, they are night and day from the team that was routinely beat for offensive boards last season.