After the Celtics escaped Milwaukee with an overtime win on Nov. 15, they stood at 9-2 on the young season. They had just completed an arduous stretch in which they played eight games in 12 days, and won seven of those. But something didn’t feel right about the Celtics’ solid start as defending champions.

Sure, they were winning games, but often they played from behind or needed dramatic fourth quarter flourishes by Paul Pierce to make it happen. The buzzer-to-buzzer blowouts that characterized the 2007-08 season seemed like a thing of the past.

There were a number of theories for why this was happening, with the most prevalent the desire of opposing teams to make their mark against the champs, the sheer volume of games and the corresponding lack of practice time.

But with a day off, and a full practice, the Celtics opened things up against New York last Tuesday, and then scored double-digit wins over Detroit, Minnesota and Toronto. Their point differential, which stood at a modest +4 when the week began, jumped to +7.3, third behind Cleveland and Los Angeles.

What changed? In a word, balance.

The Celtics of the first 11 games were slightly out of their alignment offensively. The balanced scoring offense had been replaced by a heavy workload for Pierce and Kevin Garnett. Sometimes, as in the case of the Toronto and Atlanta games, that was by necessity.

Rajon Rondo, in particular, struggled to be a part of the offense, but against the Knicks everything began to change. Playing without Garnett, the Celtics had four starters and five players in double figures. Against Detroit and Minnesota, the Celtics again had five players score in double digits and against the Raptors, seven different Celtics scored more than 10 points. During the entire stretch no one has taken more than 14 shots in a game.

Lest anyone think that was indictment on KG, the Big Ticket has been the most efficient Celtic during the run. Since his return from his one-game suspension Garnett is shooting 66 percent (21-for-32).

So, what’s happening?

1. Rondo has had the biggest turnaround, averaging 15 points, 4.5 rebounds and 6 assists in the last four games after shooting a combined 5-for-25 in his previous four outings. This was Doc Rivers' take after the Toronto game:

"It is just the speed we are playing right now. I think the whole thing is set up around Rondo--I really do. When he pushes the ball up the floor, every single possession, we score out of our sets and we score out of our routes, and that makes us really good offensively.

"I thought the defensive pressure, pushing the ball up the floor, was huge for us. (Rondo) has done that three or four games in a row and we are winning by big margins. I really believe that is the reason."


2. The bench play of Leon Powe and Tony Allen in particular has been stellar. Combined, the duo is averaging 20 points and 10 rebounds over the last four games. Powe has been especially efficient, converting 19 of 23 field goal attempts. (The free throw line is another matter: Powe is 9-for-19 at the line during that stretch).

The bench has gone from saving the starters to extending leads, which is a far easier way for the second unit to play.


3. A week ago the Celtics were near the bottom of the NBA in most shooting stats, particularly 3-point shooting. Ray Allen had a bust-out game against the Raptors, knocking down 5-of-7 shots from beyond the arc, while Eddie House has steadily improved after starting the year 1-for-14. Since then he’s making his deep shots at a rate of almost 40 percent.

When the 3’s are falling, the defense has to extend, and that opens up all kinds of room for everything else to happen.


4. The Knicks, Pistons, T-Wolves and Raptors are all in the bottom third in defensive efficiency. Shots that were so hard to come by earlier in the season magically opened up this past week. While not as free-flowing as Mike D’Antoni’s team, the Celtics offense operates best in space, as opposed to a grind-it-out halfcourt game, which is how they had been playing.

If there is still a cause for concern for the Celtics, it’s not free-throw shooting, it’s turnovers. The Celtics rank dead last in turnovers, coughing it up almost 17 times per game. The biggest offenders? Pierce, Kendrick Perkins and Garnett.

Turnovers have always been a problem for the Celtics, one that is mitigated by their defense, which is fourth in the league at causing turnovers. But the recent surge suggests the higher rate of turnovers was a symptom of the Celtics' offensive imbalance. Garnett had two turnover-free games last week, and Rondo’s assist-turnover ratio is better than 3-1, which is stellar.

Technically speaking: On a whole other matter, the Celtics are blowing teams out of the water in another statistic: Technical fouls. The C’s have picked up 31 T’s so far this year, 13 more than the next closest teams (Milwaukee and Phoenix). The biggest offender isn’t Perkins (who has eight T’s). It’s Defensive 3 Seconds, for which the Celtics have been called 12 times this year.

Picking up Defensive 3 Seconds techs is a sign of an aggressive defensive team, but there is no question the refs are watching the Celtics closely.

The NY Daily News had a blind item Sunday suggesting that Garnett was being targeted (third item down on the right), which may explain the rationale behind his one-game suspension last week.

Either way, the Celtics are earning a reputation for being a hot-headed team. Technical fouls aren’t always a bad thing; they can be used to great effect if employed judiciously, particularly by star players and coaches. (I’m sure Larry Brown is working on a new book: Getting T’s the ‘Right Way’).

If they haven’t figured it out by now, the Celtics are on notice with the league. It’s up to them to change that.

Paul Flannery is a regular contributor for WEEI.com.