Glen Davis not such a baby anymore

No Garnett, No Powe, No problem.

The biggest surprise this season, aside from the Marbury pickup, has been the ability of Glen Davis to not only play better than last season, but completely step up his game to a higher and better level, stepping in to relieve the Celt's with two big men down. On second thought, Scalabrine is still out too.

Davis' progression is evident through his durability, toughness, maturity and his 18-ft jump shot, which looks prettier every time. For a big man-and big as in bulky- his shot has improved so much that I am confident on any given night he'll hit it 95% of the time, and he doesn't seem to be letting up anytime soon.

In Sunday's game Davis got his, as Celt's spokesman Jeff Twiss put it, "first, unofficial triple-double in [his] career: 19 points, 10 rebounds - and 10 stitches. For the game summary see http://www.nba.com/games/20090329/OKCBOS/recap.html

In the closing minutes of the third quarter, Oklahoma City forward Kevin Durant came down on Davis' head with an elbow, unintentionally, while scrambling for a rebound. Davis, as stated above, received 10 stitches, but not before gushing blood. He would return at the end of the quarter, donning a giant bandage on his head.

Upon his return, he scored 8 of the Celtics 10 points on one run, on a second, 13 of 18, and at one point scored 11 consecutive points, breaking the game open similarly to his head.

This was Davis' breakthrough game; he was playing extraordinarily hard and well all season, but Sunday's game was a real testament to how much not only he has matured as a player but as a person, and he is ready and willing to take on all the baggage that comes with being the Celtics last real hope for a power forward who can make a significant different.