Comcast SportsNet couldn't have had better timing. During the opening minutes of CSN New England's coverage of last night's Nets-Celtics game, the station aired a mini-feature of sound bites of Stephon Marbury and Eddie House talking about how much each enjoys playing with the other. Highlights of the two making plays off the Celtics' bench accompanied the interview clips. This was especially fun to watch because a) Marbury nicknamed Eddie House "the bumblebee" and b) any opportunity to see Eddie talking on screen is worth taking (he's right up there with Kendrick Perkins in that department on this team as there is just something particularly enjoyable about listening to those two guys). Less than an hour later, the two diminutive guards returned to the New Garden floor to prove that they aren't just paying lip service to the idea of on-floor chemistry. This is real. On four occasions in the second quarter, Eddie House canned one of his hallmark quick-release jumpers. In all four instances, Marbury delivered the ball to him. Playing exclusively off the ball once again, House was free to do what he does best: drift to open spots on the perimeter, and cash in on deep looks when his penetrating teammates draw the defense's attention away from him. Marbury played the latter role to a tee. He used his still-quick first step to attack the lane and pressure the defense to react to him. As the Nets' help leaned toward Marbury, he kept his head up and moved the rock to the open man, namely House. The play that epitomized the combo's night came shortly after the midway point of the second quarter. Marbury drove from the right block across the lane underneath the basket and began to elevate from the left side. But as he did, he realized that he had drawn multiple defenders, including center Brook Lopez. So Marbury changed course in midair and kicked the ball straight out to House waiting alone offset left of the top of the circle. Threeeeeee! When Marbury left the floor after his stint in the second quarter, the pair had played 8:52 together, and the Celtics had turned a 10-point deficit into a one-point lead. House scored 11 points on 4-for-7 shooting (including 3-for-4 from beyond the arc) in that span, and Marbury had dished out four assists against just one turnover while knocking down a jumper and slicing through the Nets' defense for an easy lay-in. House would hit two more shots to extend the lead in the second half. Marbury would continue to play controlled team basketball at the point, which included another defense-dicing drive that led to an uncontested dunk for Kendrick Perkins. In less than 16 minutes apiece, House tallied a plus-17 and Marbury a plus-13 in the Celtics' 106-104 win. Stephon Marbury and Eddie House are far from flawless, and their size issues and defensive deficiencies leave the Celtics vulnerable when they play as a tandem. But for two guys who supposedly weren't each other's biggest fans in years past, they sure do look more in sync offensively each time they take the floor together. --

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