FOURTH QUARTER:

** Nice job of gathering a defensive rebound in traffic for Turiaf.

** Such an unnecessary turnover for Belinelli there. Just a waste.

** Great defensive possession for the Warriors: Jackson stymies Pierce on the switch, and then when Pierce does get free, Biedrins closes out to force a missed jumper.

** Belinelli looks like a stuntman on some of these illegal pick calls that he’s drawing; there is contact, certainly, but he’s maximizing the effects to trick the camera — or, in this case, the referee.

** It was such a good first quarter for Jackson, but it’s all gone downhill from there. That drive showed the hardheadedness that derails Jack at key times.

** And then, of course, he comes up with a spectacular block to make up for it.

** Assuming that’s a designed blitz by Biedrins on the screen-roll, Azubuike HAS to overplay Rondo better to the other side.

** The Celtics are getting no pressure on the offensive glass with their small lineup this time around.

** And that’s the Warriors’ first lead since 9:40 of the first.

** I know they’re without Kendrick Perkins, but I really am surprised that Doc’s going to stay small. That lineup is not working for him tonight. Where’s Leon?

** Erik: Yeah, he still is, although it’s been far from perfect. Which is kind of the way it’s been for much of the team: Marco’s been great at recognizing when the 3-ball’s open versus when to pass, but he’s had way too many silly turnovers. Brandan Wright dished out the ball to a couple of open shooters on the 3-point line, but shot below par, especially by his standard.

** The Celtics’ tiredness is showing — Rondo short-arms a wide-open layup that would have ended the Warriors’ 13-0 run. The Warriors have to take advantage.

** C.J. Watson hits a pair of contested pullups in a row? The Warriors must be fated to win this game.

** Great effort by Azubuike to keep Eddie House from getting a second open look, rewarded with a block that, as it turns out, has sealed the game.

** And Patrick O’Bryant adds one more game to his total as Don Nelson’s human victory cigar.

THIRD QUARTER:

** I believe that extends the Warriors’ lead over the rest of the league in “Offensive Rebounds Allowed Off Opponents’ Missed Free Throws.”

** That’s two assists in as many minutes for Brandan Wright.

** Nice slalom for a 1-on-2 bucket by Belinelli after Rondo gets a little too fancy. But I wonder how fast he would have gotten pulled if he’d blown that shot?

** Belinelli did some playacting off a Leon Powe screen and got rewarded for it. Next time, he tries the same thing, only with more theatrics. Except it’s KG setting this screen, and Belinelli takes a tumble with nothing to so for it but the bruises.

** There are next to no easy passes going up against the Celtics.

** Nice decision by Belinelli to pass up the false idea of an open 3 (the Celtics were going to close HARD on that stuff) and find Turiaf for a pair of free throws instead.

** Paul Pierce is just too strong for any of the Warriors’ small-ball 3s to handle defensively.

** As soon as I say that, they force him into an ugly turnover.

** That’s a brutally bad call by Phil Robinson. Potentially game-changing, too: five down going into the fourth versus eight is a mighty big difference.

HALFTIME:

** Celtics shooting 55.6 percent (80 on 3s) with 9 turnovers, Warriors at 39.5 and 20 with 11. Frankly, given those numbers, I’m surprised it’s only a 12-point deficit at this juncture.

SECOND QUARTER:

** Take away Jackson’s 4-for-7, and the Warriors are 6-for-18 as a team. And it’s not just that they’re missing shots, it’s the quality of shots they’re getting that is, for the most part, distressing.

** Too many steals along the perimeter for the Celtics — the latest being Powe picking Turiaf clean — although Turiaf avenged himself with a block of Powe and then by drawing an offensive foul against him.

** The Warriors aren’t able to swing the ball out fast enough to take advantage of double-teams.

** Even when you play Biedrins and Turiaf together, you’re not going to get defensive boards if Belinelli lets Rondo crash with impunity.

** Two of Kelenna Azubuike’s thre shots have come off the dribble at the left elbow after a curl around the top of the key. I’ll be interested to see if that becomes a new comfort zone for him.

** A miscommunication leads to an easy steal: That can happen to any NBA team. The fact that the Celtics make sure the Warriors pay by getting Ray Allen open for a 3-pointer is what makes them a 27-3 team as opposed to 8-22.

** Another difference: Rondo gets WORKED by Wright, who was just lurking and waiting like the CHP on 280, but sticks with the play, salvages the offensive rebound from Watson and feeds Powe for a second-chance bucket.

FIRST QUARTER:

** Apparently, the time off hasn’t helped Jackson’s 3-point shooting.

** If the Celtics want to give the ball to Leon Powe in the low block rahter than try to exploit the other matchups (Kevin Garnett vs. Brandan Wright and Rajon Rondo vs. C.J. Watson, just to name two), the Warriors will take that.

** Talk about no respect for a guy’s handle: Ray Allen is daring Marco Belinelli to get by him.

** Brandan has GOT to go up stronger than that. You can’t allow yourself to get stripped on the way up that easily, even if it is KG.

** Honestly, if ever there is a time that a substandard team can be given a decent shot of knocking off a championship-level squad, it’s a situation such as this one: Second half of a road back-to-back for the better team, while the underdog is coming off two days of rest at home.

** Nice up-fake on the break by Jackson to lose Pierce and get to the rim.

** I joked about Jackson at the start of the quarter, but he has been the Warriors’ best player, at least offensively, by a wide margin.

** Powe facials Anthony Randolph on a mano y mano confrontation at the end of the quarter: I don’t think that’s what those front-office sources were seeing when they told Ric Bucher that Randolph could be better than Derrick Rose.

PREGAME:

** Sorry for the absence over Christmas. Had some celebrating that needed to take place.

** Another new starting lineup with Stephen Jackson back . . . wonder if it’ll be any more successful?

– Geoff