If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like if Rajon Rondo were allowed to play in a wide-open Western Conference system, you got your answer Tuesday night.

Rondo was everywhere in the Celtics' 115-93 win over the Warriors (click here for a full recap), scoring 19 points on 9-for-12 shooting, handing out 15 assists and grabbing six rebounds. No player does more with open space than Rondo, and he used every inch of the huge passing lanes allowed by Golden State to create scoring opportunities for himself and his teammates. 

This is the kind of play the Celtics need from Rondo if they are going to make a serious run at the top spot in the Eastern Conference over the last 27 games of the season. Not only does he have young legs (he turned 25 Tuesday), but he has also begun to master the art of giving the Celtics what they need, when they need it.

The last time the Celtics won in Oakland was December of 2003, and Tuesday’s game followed a familiar script. The C’s stormed out to an early lead against the defensively deficient Warriors, but they also got suckered into playing Golden State’s game.

It wasn’t long before Golden State settled into its comfortable rhythm of quick shots and run-outs, and the Celtics were simply ill-equipped to keep up the frantic pace. But Rondo re-established what makes them so good as they put the defensive hammer down in the second half — allowing just 33 points — and executing in the halfcourt.

“I thought Rondo, leadership-wise throughout the game, he was staying on guys,” Doc Rivers told reporters in Oakland. “He was a coach on the floor.”

The last month and a half should be Rondo’s time to shine. He has steadily progressed throughout the season, with a drop in play owing more to injuries than anything else the only blip in an otherwise outstanding season.

Now is the time to bring all of his creatively-controlled impulses to the forefront and navigate the Celtics through the rest of the regular season.

Here are three more points:

DELONTE WEST AND SEMIH ERDEN WILL NEED TIME

There were so many expectations put on Delonte West since he’s been out with a broken wrist that it would have been impossible for him to live up to all of them in one night.

The checklist is as a follows: Provide stability to the second unit that desperately needs some. Transform Nate Robinson back into a responsible scoring threat. Become a playmaker and de-facto second point guard, and while he’s at it, help offset the perimeter loss of Marquis Daniels.

Now comes the reality. West played just nine minutes and looked rusty. He took one shot and missed it badly when he double-clutched on a wide-open 3-pointer from the corner. That’s to be expected for a player who had appeared in only five games and missed three months of the season. West will get better. He just needs time to reacclimate himself on the court and learn the offense in real time.

Semih Erden, on the other hand, looked lost. He left early for the break to be with his ailing mother in Turkey. He has also battled several injuries including a strained stomach muscle, a bruised shoulder and groin issue.

This is a tough time for Erden, who is also dealing with the expected rookie wall, but the Celtics need him. Shaquille O’Neal isn’t expected to be back on the West Coast trip and Jermaine O’Neal remains sidelined while he recovers from knee surgery.

Rivers noted after the game that the C's have to get him back to being aggressive, which is something he has struggled with this season. But Erden needs to be able to give them competent play up front because there’s also a new injury issue for Kendrick Perkins.  

TROUBLE FOR PERK?

There’s good news and bad news for Perkins. The bad news is that he banged knees with Steph Curry early in the second half and didn’t return. The Celtics are calling it a bruised left knee and there’s some doubt as to his availability for Thursday’s game with Denver.

The good news is that it wasn’t his surgically repaired right knee. But any injury for Perkins is trouble right now with the Celtics depleted frontline. 

In his absence, Glen Davis recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds and was particularly strong on the glass. It was a reminder that despite his ups and downs, Davis remains the Celtics best reserve and a deserving candidate for Sixth Man of the Year consideration.

The Celtics can scrape along for a little while if Perkins is unable to play, but if it lingers, there simply aren’t enough big bodies for them to survive for long.

THE LATEST TRADE CHATTER

Now that Carmelo Anthony has finally been moved, the trade floodgates have opened. Where that leaves the Celtics is still unknown.

There was a report that they tried to get involved in the back-end of the Anthony deal in an attempt to grab former Minnesota swingman Corey Brewer, who would bring defense and athleticism to backup Paul Pierce.

Brewer is with the Knicks now as part of the ‘Melo haul, and Celtics president Danny Ainge worked out a deal at the deadline last winter with his New York counterpart Donnie Walsh that brought Nate Robinson to Boston. The door may not be closed on that one just yet.

In a seemingly minor transaction, the Bulls swapped James Johnson to Toronto for a first-round draft pick. The pick belonged to Miami via the Chris Bosh signing and not only gave the Bulls an asset for a player they didn’t want, it also opened up enough cap space to afford Cleveland’s Anthony Parker, another rumored Celtics target.

There was still more late Tuesday night. Yahoo’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Nets had agreed to trade Troy Murphy to the Warriors, where he is expected to be bought out of the final year of his contract. The list of potential Murphy suitors includes Miami, Orlando and Boston.

There will be more trades and before Thursday’s 3 p.m. deadline, and then the market for veterans who are bought out of their deals will open. It seems almost certain that the Celtics will make a move, but in many ways the maneuvering has only just begun.