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Final Score: Boston 101 - Charlotte 78

Charlotte, NC (Sports Network) - Leon Powe scored 22 points and hauled in nine rebounds as the Boston Celtics crushed the Charlotte Bobcats, 101-78, to clinch the top seed in the Eastern Conference.

James Posey poured in a season-high 19 points for the Celtics, who have won six straight and will have home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. Eddie House gave 16 points off the bench, while Tony Allen recorded 12 points.

"They played with an unbelievable spirit and emotion tonight," Boston head coach Doc Rivers said. "You could see it early. If you could write a script for clinching home-court, this would probably be it."

With the win, the Celtics also set an NBA record for the biggest single-season turnaround. With a 61-15 mark, Boston has collected 37 more victories than it did last season, when it finished with a 24-58 record.

The visitors were never challenged, despite the absence of their big three. Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett were given the night off and Paul Pierce was in Boston as his wife gave birth on Friday.

"There could have been some psychological something there," Charlotte head coach Sam Vincent said. "We've played this team a lot tougher than we did tonight."

Emeka Okafor netted 17 points for the Bobcats, who have dropped three of four. Earl Boykins ended with 15 points, and Raymond Felton had 11 and 10 boards. Jared Dudley finished with 10 points in defeat.

The Celtics jumped out to a 37-25 lead after the first quarter, and increased that margin to 64-50 at halftime.

A Jason Richardson trey brought Charlotte within eight, 64-56, with about 9 1/2 minutes left in the third frame.

The teams exchanged baskets and Boston's lead hovered around 10, until two Powe free throws and a jumper from Sam Cassell put the Celtics up 82-69 heading into the final 12 minutes of play.

Glen Davis' layup, followed by a pair of free throws from Cassell, put the Celtics up 86-71 with 10:20 left in the game.

The Bobcats later closed within 11, until a Brian Scalabrine free throw shut the door on nine unanswered points that gave Boston a 21-point lead, 97-76, with about 5 1/2 minutes left in regulation. Davis had four points, House hit a three and P.J. Brown added a free throw on the surge.

The Celtics cruised to an easy victory from that point on.