The Charlotte Bobcats went to Boston Wednesday night with an Eastern Conference worst 1-11 record on the road. The Celtics came into the game posting the best record in the NBA and at 29-3, were off to one of the best starts in NBA history.

But that’s why you play the game. Jason Richardson led the Bobcats with 34 points and nine rebounds as Charlotte handed the Celtics just their first double digit loss of the season. The 95-83 loss for Boston was their worst since the assemblance of the big three.

The Celtics were without Ray Allen, who drilled a three-pointer at the buzzer in Charlotte to edge the Bobcats 96-95 back on November 24, due to a pinched nerve. Not only were they without Allen, they were facing a team that seemed to remember that stinging loss, a game Charlotte let slip away.

The Bobcats played the Celtics tough for the second time this season as they took the lead in the second quarter, one they would be able to maintain and even extend in the fourth quarter as they wound up pulling away from Boston.

While Paul Pierce was just 1-9 from three point land and finished with only thirteen points, Charlotte continued their hot shooting. While they couldn’t match the 58% they shot in their win over New Jersey, they were able to shoot close to 50% against the Celtics’ normally stingy defense.

Most encouraging to Bobcats fans has to be the fact that Celtics coach Doc Rivers felt like it wasn’t an issue of his team not showing up, rather, as he stated in his press conference, “I thought Charlotte just played better…their players did a better job than our players. Give them credit.”

The Bobcats are now 13-21 with the win and will at Cleveland on Friday to take on LeBron James and the Cavaliers.

Photo: (CFSR File) Bobcats scrimmage at Trask Coliseum

- JESSE JONES, CAPE FEAR SPORTS REPORT