After Rajon Rondo and Michael Beasley put their stamp on last night’s Heat/Celtics game (more on that later), the old guys took over when it mattered most. Boston was up one with about two minutes left when Kevin Garnett hit a jumper to extend the lead to three, then after D-Wade missed a three, Ray Allen knocked down a triple that he was wide open for since Wade was flattened by a Kendrick Perkins screen. Wade got himself to the line and made a pair of free throws, but when Jermaine O’Neal had a chance to cut the lead in half with a minute left, he bricked both of his freebies. With 38 seconds left, Garnett (24 pts, 11-12 FG) hit another jumper that was essentially the dagger and celebrated by, um, smacking himself on the head multiple times like he was trying to shake some cobwebs out. That dude is stone-cold crazy and we love him for it … The RCA Universal Remote Control PAUSE of the Night came via that one Heat announcer who always sounds like a used-car salesman: “These fans are giving Beasley all the love he can handle right now!” No, he wasn’t describing a typical night at Ray J’s house, but the crowd reaction after Beasley was in the middle of a fourth-quarter run where he scored 11 straight Miami points, including a three in Rasheed Wallace’s eye, a driving layup where he blew past ‘Sheed, and a rebound off his own missed free throw that led to another trip to the line. Beasley (18 pts) had Miami ahead well into the fourth before Rondo (13 pts, 11 asts) scored two straight circus layups to tie it up — one where he gave Mario Chalmers a Euro Step and got off a shot from an impossible angle — then dimed Perkins on a dunk for the go-ahead bucket … Another grizzled vet putting in work was Ben Wallace. While the Pistons were missing Rip Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince and Ben Gordon against the Hawks, Big Ben led them to an upset win by pulling down 18 boards (11 offensive) to go with 10 points. It’s not like Ben is quicker or longer or can jump higher than Josh Smith and Al Horford; he just outhustled them, always got in the right position, and was a straight bulldog … One time Charlie Villanueva got clocked in the face by Ben while going up for a shot where he also got fouled, so he had to shoot his free throws with what looked like a wristband shoved up his nose to stop the bleeding before he could leave the game … Contrary to earlier reports, the Nets went ahead and fired Lawrence Frank before last night’s game against the Lakers, allowing interim coach Tom Barrise to get thrown into the hottest of fires right off the bat. Trying to avoid a 17th straight loss that would tie the record for the worst start in NBA history, the Nets played hard, but simply had no answers for Kobe. He put up 30 points, eight boards and seven assists in less than three whole quarters, as L.A. went up double-digits in the first and cruised to a win … And naturally the Wolves let the Nets steal their spotlight on the one day they actually won a game. Ryan Gomes scored 27 as Minnesota snapped its 15-game losing streak and got its first W since the season opener against (of course) New Jersey … Having watched his team give up a 14-point halftime lead in literally about three minutes and lose to a squad they usually dominate, George Karl sounded ready to snap, calling the Nuggets an “embarrassment,” among other things. “Tell me the five guys that I can put on the court to play hard every possession,” Karl sarcastically asked reporters. “Tell me. I had it last year. I had a play-hard team last year. I don’t have a play-hard team this year and it’s making me very angry.” It’s hard to believe this would even be an issue on a roster that includes Chauncey Billups, K-Mart and Birdman … Other notable stat lines from Sunday: Steve Nash had 20 points and 16 assists in a win at Toronto, while Chris Bosh posted 30 and 17 rebounds in the loss; Eric Gordon scored 29 to lead the Clippers past Memphis; Aaron Brooks had 21 points and five steals to beat the Thunder, while Kevin Durant posted 25 points, nine boards, six assists and three blocks; Jason Thompson had 22 points and 14 rebounds as the Kings beat the Hornets; and Tim Duncan scored 22 in a win over the slumping Sixers … Some of the Dime crew was at MSG for Magic/Knicks, which Orlando won behind Dwight Howard’s 20 points and 14 boards. Funny moment during pre-game warmups when Jason Williams had Dwight give him a boost so he could dunk (was White Chocolate able to throw down before the knees got creaky?), followed by a surreal sequence where J.J. Redick was getting above the rim on his own and snapping off reverse and backwards dunks … After the game we overheard Anthony Anderson (“Law & Order,” Barbershop) chatting up Vince Carter outside the locker room. Anderson asked Vince for his game shoes, and when a clearly hesitant Vince said he’d check and see what he could do before making his exit, Anderson said, “At least get me some shoelaces.” … We’re out like begging celebrities …