Posey hit the hardwood, just like his team.

The Celtics may have cheered their former sixth man when he received his championship ring during a brief ceremony last night, but no amount of sentimentality would keep them from their 14th straight win, 94-82 against the Hornets at the Garden.

The C's tied the fourth-longest winning streak in franchise history (a mark also achieved by the 1957-58 and the 1985-86 teams). And, to top it off, they extended their franchise-record start to 22-2.

Yet last night was also about a marquee matchup - the sort that now drives Rajon Rondo.

``The thing I'm happy about is that they're calling it a matchup,'' Celts coach Doc Rivers said of Rondo's duel with New Orleans' Chris Paul. ``Last year when they played against each other they didn't call it anything. The fact that they're calling it a matchup means that Rajon has moved up.''

Not last night, though.

In addition to basically doubling Rondo in points (20 to 10) and lapping him in assists (14 to two), the playmaker Byron Scott calls the best in the NBA made his coach's words shine.

That said, games are not won on individual matchups. Despite Paul's near-impeccable performance against Rondo, who is still one of the league's hottest point guards, the Hornets simply couldn't survive the overall matchup of firepower.

Pierce knocked the wind out of their sails by scoring 13 of his 28 points in the third quarter, and the big shots kept coming from a variety of sources after that.

Eddie House's second trey of the night was good for a 75-66 lead with 10:32 left, and his third made it 82-69 just under three minutes later.

The Hornets made a brief comeback with a 7-0 run that included a Paul three-point play. But Rondo, back on the floor, hit two free throws for a 91-82 edge with 2:09 left. Just to be sure, Garnett tip-dunked a Ray Allen pass on the next possession.

An angry Paul charged into Kendrick Perkins, the two had words, and it could have been to say goodnight.

After struggling for any sort of offensive rhythm in the first half, the Celtics made up for every mistake in the third quarter. They came out with their strongest move of the night, springing to their first 10-point lead (56-46) thanks to an extended 17-4 run that featured 8-of-10 shooting and six points each from Pierce and Perkins.

Building on that edge was another story.

The Celtics were lucky to carry a 69-64 advantage out of the third after Paul drove the Hornets on a 7-1 run in the last 1:21 of the quarter.

- mrmurphy@bostonherald.com