Thursday tidbits.

From Baylor to Brady, here’s a look back at some of the storylines and scorelines from Wednesday.

‘96 Bulls Can Rest Easy: After a 114-112 overtime loss to the Raptors last night, the Celtics dropped to a modest 33-7 on the season. It was their fourth loss in the last eight games, so they’re coming back down to earth, if only slightly.

72-10 might be out of reach now, because it’s hard to see them going 39-3 over the rest of the season (then again, 29-3 was as well). But 60 to 65 wins is pretty realistic, and that should be more than enough to get them the #1 seed in the East.

Current Bulls Yo-Yoing Continues: Speaking of the Bulls, after following up a 16-point win over Detroit with a 14-point loss to Memphis, Chicago knocked off Indiana 108-95 last night to go to 17-24. It was the first game of a four-game homestand for the Bulls, right before a six-game road trip that starts next Wednesday at Minnesota.

Last night’s win came without Ben Gordon (wrist) and Luol Deng (Achilles), but Kirk Hinrich picked up the slack with 38 points. Just as notably, Joakim Noah got his most action thus far, and produced, going for 14 points and 15 boards in 34 minutes.

If Deng’s out for a few weeks, and Gordon keeps on being bothered by his wrist, the Bulls are going to need those guys to keep on stepping up if they want to harbor any thoughts of getting to and over .500 anytime soon.

Still, when it’s all said and done, it’d be a surprise to not see them in the playoffs.

Cleveland Puts a Spell on the Wizards: The Cavaliers laid the wood on Washington last night with a 121-85 beating.

It was only 52-46 Cleveland at halftime, but the Cavs completely dominated the third quarter, outscoring the Wizards 43-17.

Cleveland had 39 assists and only six turnovers last night - that’s an NBA record, dating back to when turnovers became an official stat 30 years ago.

Baylor’s Bearing Down on a Big Dance Berth: I’ve got to give some love to the Baylor hoopsters, who celebrated their #25 ranking by going to College Station and beating Texas A&M 116-110 - in five overtimes.

The Bears have already surpassed their win total from last season (15-16), and have their most wins since the 2000-01 NIT team went 19-12. And, with their 4-0 start in conference play, they’re tied atop the Big 12 standings with Kansas. Whether or not they can actually stay there, we’ll find out soon, when they have to play Texas and Kansas over the next few weeks.

But, they’re looking all the more like a team to watch out for come March, not for the NIT, but for the Big Dance.

After all that program has gone through, you can’t help but root for them, even if you’re a fan of a rival school.

As of now, Scott Drew is hands-down the National Coach of the Year.

Brady’s Injury Non-Issue: Okay, can people stop trying to make an issue out of Tom Brady and the walking boot?

Yes, he may have an ankle injury, I’m not disputing that fact. But, here’s the one fact that should prevail: Brady will play against the Giants, and even if he’s in pain, he will gut it out, and lead his team. So, it’s pretty pointless to ask Belichick about the injury, or try to track down Brady, or the person who gave him the boot.

I’m not a Patriots fan in the least, but this much I do know - unless Brady’s legs are broken, he’s not missing the game. Hell, even if his legs were broken, he’d wheel himself under center and probably still do better than a lot of QBs would if they were upright.

A minor post-Christmas miracle.

I’ve never really been a big Randy Moss fan, given his personal ownage of my favorite team, the Dallas Cowboys, and the way that he’s presented himself at times over the years.

But, for once, and maybe this is the only time that I’ll ever do it - I’m actually siding with resurgent Randy, the real MVP of the New England Patriots and the NFL (something I'll comment on in an upcoming post).

After touchdown catches #22 and #23 in the Patriots’ regular-season finale to breka Jerry Rice’s record of 22, set in 1987, the always brutally (and many times at his own expense), Moss put out this little conversation starter.

"I don't think me breaking Jerry Rice's record is special," Moss said. "I think shutting you guys up is what made it special, all the negativity, all my critics."

Rice, the rarely disputed greatest receiver of all time, responded by saying, “It’s almost like a little slap in the face, but it’s typical of Randy Moss.”

The only thing that’s typical Randy Moss about it is him not saying what many people want to hear. He’s never been one to do that, and he likely never will be.

But, after a lot of people had left this guy for dead after a couple of so-so seasons in Oakland with the Raiders, he does a seemingly un-Randy Moss-like thing and takes a huge pay cut to join the Patriots.

Finally on a serious championship contender again, he goes back to being Randy, not randy Randy, but DB-dominator Randy, catching pass, scoring touchdowns, making things look as easy as they used to for him. 30-year old Randy looking as good as 21-year old Randy did when he was a rookie with the Vikings in ‘98.

And now, people are trying to find another reason to hate on the guy again, and for what?

After he’d become a forgotten man, a has-been, for him to turn around and do this just like that, he can be afforded some personal gratification, even though he has brought some of the past criticisms and controversies upon himself - which even he could admit - though some of them weren’t as malicious as they were made to seem. But, instead of literally bending over like he did to the Packers fans, he’s done it on the field.

And he’s right. Personal records aren’t everything. If there’s something of Rice’s that Moss is after, it’s the three championship rings Rice has.

That’s what Moss is after, not personal records. That’s why he wasn’t happy in Oakland. That’s why he walked off of the field in Minnesota. If he wasn’t winning, he wasn’t happy. That’s what any athlete wants, amateur or professional.

In the past Moss has expressed it a little more than others, which got him in some trouble, along with undoubtedly being a little immature, to say the least, and that little problem with tactlessness.

Now, he’s winning, and he’s got one of the NFL’s greatest all-time quarterbacks throwing to him. Once he gets that ring, he’ll have nothing to prove to anyone, detractors or himself.

I can understand where Rice might be offended. But for him to counter what he thought was a cheap shot with another one wasn’t the right thing to do. I’ve got a lot of love for Jerry, considering that I was born and raised no more than a stone’s throw from where he grew up. But, I can’t join the hate parade this time.

You know what they say about mountains and molehills. So pat it down, and let it go, because if he hasn’t said what you want to hear, he never will. Holy hell, an athlete told the truth! Run for your lives!

Seriously though, as allergic as some athletes seem to be to honesty, here's one guy who isn't, even if it gets him in trouble, and as laughable as it is sometimes, it's also mildly refreshing.

Now, excuse me while I go pull out my anti-Randy Moss signs and remind myself that I don’t like him.