Celtics blast Pacers, 92-77

NBA. If only Larry Bird could have seen this one.

The Pacers’ president skipped his team’s trip to the TD Banknorth Garden last night, and he ended up missing the Celtics accomplish something they hadn’t done since Bird ran the show in Boston.

The C’s trumped Indiana, 92-77, to win their 60th game of the season for the 12th time in team history and first time in 22 years. And after winning just 24 times last season, the Celtics’ 36-win improvement this year ties the 1997-98 Spurs for the biggest turnaround in league history.

Perhaps more importantly, the C’s will clinch the best record in the NBA with either one more win or a Pistons loss, and the Celtics (60-15) will get their first crack at that accomplishment when they kick off a three-game road trip against the Bobcats on Saturday.

Kevin Garnett led the Celtics with 20 points and 11 rebounds, while Paul Pierce added 13 points, five boards and five assists.

Danny Granger scored 14 points for the Pacers, whose all-around effort — or lack thereof — made Dr. James Naismith roll over in his grave.

In theory, the Pacers are trying to earn the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, which would likely pit them against the Celtics in the first round, but Indiana hardly forced the C’s to put forth a full night’s work.

The Pacers, who would have impressed the Knicks with their ineptitude, scored a season-low 30 points while shooting 25 percent from the field in the first half, and they had 11 turnovers compared to four assists before the break.

Pierce, whose Celtics swept the three-game season series with the Pacers, gave the C’s an insurmountable 3-0 lead 26 seconds into the one-sided affair. And Boston jumped on top, 49-30, at the half and led by as many as 26 points before the game mercifully ended, giving the Pacers a chance to stop embarrassing themselves.