Celtics Get Ass Kicking in Indianapolis

"Indiana just came out and kicked our behinds," said Celtics Jared Sullinger after the game.  No truer words have been spoken.  After back-to-back to losses last week, including their first home loss of the season, the Pacers have been on a mission to re-stake their claim as the best NBA in the Eastern Conference - if not in all of the NBA.  On Friday, the Pacers dismantled the Houston Rockets by winning with a 41-point margin and did much the same with the Celtics (the Pacers' lead was as high as 38 points on Sunday).  This was the second time the Celtics have faced the Pacers.  The first time ended was a 97-82 loss at the Garden where the Celtics held an 8-point lead at halftime.  This time the Celtics didn't last as long, maintaining a tie at 23-23 less than midway through the second quarter before the Pacers pulled away for good.  But as much as Indiana ran away with the score, their success stemmed from their vaunted defense.  The Pacers held the Celtics to 38% shooting.  The Celtics have now lost three in a row and have dropped to an overall record of 12 and 17.  The Celtics are off until Saturday, December 28 when they host the Cavaliers.