And why not? The man being serenaded by the masses, Eddie House, did more than put on a show last night with his glittering array of 3-point shots. He also continued his campaign for inclusion in the 3-point competition at the NBA All-Star Game Feb. 15 in Phoenix.

``It would be a lot of fun,'' said House, who happens to live in Scottsdale, Ariz. ``I'm going to be home anyway, so I might as well go and do something and try to win it. If they invite me, great. If they don't invite me, it will be time to rest up and get my arm right and spend some time with my family.''

Let's be clear on this: House wants to be in that competition. Celts coach Doc Rivers, ever with the quip, noted that House wants to be included because ``knowing how cheap he is, he's looking forward to the free flight to Arizona.''

But one gets the feeling the guy would go if the 3-point derby were being held in Anchorage.

``I'm making a strong case to get in there,'' House said, ``but that's not the main thing.''

In scoring 28 points in 21 minutes last night, House connected on eight treys. And four of them came in the fourth quarter, which is why Eddie Mania took over the Garden with 5:35 left.

And when House came out of the game with 4:02 remaining, he was greeted with what might well be the most rousing ovation he has received in the 18 months he has been with the Celtics.

``It feels good, but it feels better to get the win,'' House said. ``It put us in a position to win. I'm all about wins, and not too much into personal adulation. I just like winning. Nothing beats it.''

Fine, but the chant was continuing long after the game had ended, with Sam Cassell marching through the locker room, shouting, ``Ed-die! Ed-die! Ed-die!'' (Turns out Cassell has some experience here, being a big Eddie Murray fan as a kid growing up in Baltimore.)

And while Celtics fans were putting their hands together for Eddie House, they were also coming to the joyous conclusion that this latest run is no fluke. In his past four games, House is 22-for-32 from the land of the trey. In three of his past four, he has connected on seven or more 3s.

``My teammates are doing a real good job of finding me in rhythm and finding me when I'm open,'' he said. ``The bigs and Ray (Allen) . . . they put a lot of pressure on the defense and they have to make a choice.

``For whatever reason,'' he said, ``I'm finding open shots, and the ball kept finding me in that open spot. . . . I've never had that many 3-point opportunities in four games.''

Said Kings coach Kenny Natt, ``I wish I could have thrown a net out there and held him on one end of the floor. Give the guy credit: He is a great shooter and his teammates looked for him.''

- sbuckley@bostonherald.com

BOX: STEADY EDDIE:

It's no secret that Celtics guard Eddie House can shoot the 3. In fact, his 38.4 career shooting percentage from downtown ranks ahead of even Larry Bird (37.6). But House's performance from beyond the arc the past four games -- 22-of-32, or 68.8 percent, has been other-worldly. Here's a look at his numbers:

DATE FG 3-PT FT POINTS RESULT

Jan. 21 9-15 7-11 25 98-83 win vs. Heat

Jan. 22 0-3 0-1 0 90-80 win vs. Magic

Jan. 25 8-14 7-11 23 124-100 win vs. Mavericks

Jan. 28 10-13 8-9 28 119-100 win vs. Kings

TOTALS 27-45 22-32 19.5