by By STEVE BULPETT , The Boston Herald

They went into a tryptophan coma in the second quarter, getting outscored by 20 points, but when their little guy came up big after the break, the Celts were able to avoid a holiday embarrassment last night with a 119-111 victory over the Woolworth Warriors (they're 5 and 10).

Rondo had 22 points and the Celtics were a plus-18 with him on the court. Ray Allen led with 25 points, while Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce added 21 apiece. But Rondo added eight rebounds including a game-high four on the offensive end to pace a 24-6 edge in second-chance points.

``I think when he's on like tonight, we're unbeatable,'' said Pierce. ``With what me, Kevin and Ray bring on a night-in and night-out basis, Rajon is now starting to develop that consistency as a player. It's something that you search for when you come into the league. He's starting to establish himself as one of the best point guards in the NBA. I wouldn't be surprised if he made the All-Star team this year.''

(``Regardless if Gary Payton likes him or not,'' added Garnett in a playful shot at GP, who's been critical of Rondo.)

The C's scored 100 points in quarters one, three and four and held Golden State to 44 points in the second half after letting the guests get 39 in the second period alone.

Rondo came back into the game with a bit more than six minutes left. The Celts had just taken back the lead on a Tony Allen three-point play, and Rondo was a key in making sure they didn't lose the edge again. He didn't win a jump ball with Ronny Turiaf, but he deserves a little something for tying up a guy whose biceps is bigger than Rondo's torso.

``That's OK,'' said Garnett, ``Rajon's heart is bigger than Africa. We know the kid has a lot of toughness in him. He plays very, very hard.''

After a Garnett inside three-point trip, Rondo rebounded a Pierce miss and gave the C's a 108-102 advantage. The lead would grow as high as 10 down the stretch.

``It was a good lesson for us,'' said coach Doc Rivers. ``We had six deflections in the first half. We had 17 in the second half. Same team. It's amazing. And I thought it started with Rondo picking up the ball pressure and just attacking and using his speed. He played an inspired second half.''

Rondo brought the Celts back from the edge with 16 points and six rebounds in the third quarter, scoring on a series of aggressive moves to the bucket and making his presence felt at the other end, too (he had two steals). And his team certainly needed every drop of his energy.

The Celtics didn't just take a break at the half, they had to take a standing eight count. The Warriors wailed on them with 39 points, easily surpassing the C's opponent high for a frame (34 in the fourth by the Bucks on Nov. 15).

Golden State more than doubled the Celts' 19 points, hitting 12 of its 19 field goals and 14 of its 17 free throws. The vaunted Shamrocks defense allowed the visitors to score on 12 straight possessions near the end of the frame.

The Celts fell back by 14 points early in the third period, and things were looking even worse when Pierce turned and threw a pass to front row season ticket-holder Marty Joyce (there were no teammates in the same zip code).

But with the margin at 12 and a bit less than seven minutes left in the quarter, the Celtics found their groove - again. They began with eight straight points and a 12-1 run that got them within 77-76. After two exchanges, Pierce took a Kendrick Perkins feed and scored inside for an 82-81 lead. Pierce and Rondo scored in the final minute to get the lead to 86-83 heading into the last quarter.

``They're the world champs,'' said Warriors coach Don Nelson. ``They're terrific.''

- sbulpett@bostonherald.com

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