With a win over the New Orleans Hornets tonight, the Boston Celtics have beat every team in the league this season at least once and set a new mark for most teams defeated. This is the first time the club has accomplished this feat in over 15 years, dating back to the 1990-1991 season. There were only 27 teams in that league at that time compared to 29 today.

Paul Pierce also set a personal record tonight. His 5,553rd free throw attempt tied him for second in franchise history with Bob Cousy.  Kendrick Perkins continued his quest for best field goal percentage in Celtics history in a single season. He shot 3-for-4 from the field, adding to his 62.1% mark prior to tonight's game.

The Celtics took this game by storm in the second half with aggressive defense. The Hornets had not committed a single turnover at halftime and finished the game with seven. Byron Scott called his team's defensive efforts in the paint "a terrible job individually."

The Hornets took notice of the raucous Celtics home crowd tonight. This came after the Celtics were shot down in front of the largest Hornets' home crowd in franchise history. Guess that's home court advantage paying off.

To no surprise, the Celtics locker room was filled with energy after the game. What is surprising is that they will practice tomorrow. Rivers said before the game that he wants Sam Cassell to learn more than just the same play, so there is still work to be done regardless of how many wins they have.

I checked in with Tony Allen  to see about his fall in the first half. He assured me that he's ok. Then again, he isn't the type of person who would admit feeling any pain.

The Celtics will host the hobbled Miami Heat on Sunday and the Hornets will travel to Toronto to play the Raptors.

There are defensive games and there are offensive games. This is an offensive game as the two teams have scored a combined 116 points in the first half.

Three players are tied with 13 points, followed by Chris Paul with 12 and Rajon Rondo with 11. Despite just a four point difference, the Hornets are dominating the Celtics from beyond the arc. They have outshot the Cs 39% to 17%, but the Celtics have the advantage at the line, 85% to 70%.

In the final minute of the half Tony Allen went up to block a Peja Stojakovic shot. The two battled mid-air and Allen landed awkwardly, falling to the floor. He lay on his stomach as Rajon Rondo sprinted down the court for the fast break. After running out of bounds in an attempt to block another shot on the next possession, he gingerly walked off the court as Rivers subbed in Eddie House. Check back for an update after the game …

I had fun tonight. Before every game I scour the court to see who is getting in some extra practice time and what they are working on. There were the usual suspects at the Celtics basket -- P.J. Brown down low, Eddie House on the wing, James Posey at the top of the key. At the other end of the court Chris Paul warmed up from beyond the arc. Swish. Swish. Swish. I saw a sampling of this at the All-Star Game last month but his shot looks that much smoother when you're only a few feet away.

Needless to say, Paul was the topic of conversation tonight. No one denied how deserving he is of the MVP Award -- his numbers are impossible to ignore. But Celtics coach Doc Rivers refused to give this too much attention. He won't make an argument for his own player, Kevin Garnett, as MVP -- he is focused tonight's game, not the award -- and said there are seven or so guys in the league who could be considered. Hornets coach Byron Scott said he can only hope that he'll still be coaching the team when Paul reaches his potential.

The Hornets are the third running team that the Celtics have faced this week. Rajon Rondo said the hardest part is having to get back on defense so quickly. He likes to crash the boards with the rest of the big guys and he hasn't been able to. The Celtics are 1-1 this week against up-tempo ball clubs … will they finish above .500 tonight?

Over on the Hornets side the players looked loose. Tonight's game is at the forefront of their mind but one member of the team is thinking about another match up, too. Michigan State alum Mo Peterson is overly excited for tonight's NCAA Tournament battle against #1-seeded Memphis. Peterson will be traveling when the game is on but he is anxious for his alma mater to get the W. What does he have to say to those who doubt MSU, like UConn alum Hilton Armstrong? "What is a Husky, a sled dog? Everyone knows what a Spartan is." Enough said.

Tip off is just a few minutes away so be sure to check back at halftime for all the sights and sounds of the first two quarters.

The New Orleans Hornets beat the Boston Celtics last weekend and haven't looked back. The Celtics blew out the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday and they don't want to look back either. Both contenders are sitting at the top of their conferences but one must go down Friday night in Boston.

The Celtics succumbed to the Hornets comeback and the largest home crowd ever at the New Orleans Arena. Can the Hornets overcome the same type of pressures they will face at the TD BankNorth Garden?

Tip-off is at 7:30 tonight. Be sure to post your questions and comments early in often in the box below. Or, shoot me an email at jcamerato@hoopsworld.com.