"Nate Robinson played 41 minutes tonight in the absence of Rajon Rondo, well above his season average of 16.5 minutes per game. He joked about the last time he saw that much court time.

"Probably with the Knicks," Robinson said of his days as the star on a bad team.

Robinson had an up-and-down game. He scored 14 points but made only 6-of-15 shots from the floor. He had 5 assists and 6 turnovers.

"He was having an off-the-mark night with passes," said Celtics coach Doc Rivers.

But Robinson's 41 minutes were a team-high. They were absolutely necessary in the absence of Rondo. It's a tough situation to put any player in -- to replace an All-Star point guard -- but for the most part Robinson handled it well.

"Nate has always been good," said Kevin Garnett. "You know, you put him with responsibility and he finds a way to deal with it.""