By: Rich Levine
CSNNE.com
ORLANDO, FlaThe Celtics lost an ugly one on Saturday.
They lost a game in which they never found a rhythm. They lost a game in which they showed flashes of brillianceglimpses of the team that you hope theyll be come springbut couldnt hold it together. They lost a game that, outside of a few signature moments, lacked any lasting significance. (After all, its not even January and theyre not completely healthy). They lost a game that, for a number of reasons beyond your or even their control, left you feeling unsatisfied.
In other words, they lost a game completely befitting of the win streak that preceded it.
That might look weirdcomparing a 14-game win streak to an ugly 86-78 loss, but honestly, when you look back, wasnt the Celtics streak just about as odd and unsatisfying as the teams Christmas Day defeat?
Dont get me wrong, it was fun while it lasted, but just as Saturdays loss wont change the way you feel about these Celtics, did the streak really change anything, either?
Did you feel any better about their chances to win a title on Christmas morning than you did on Thanksgiving morning? Did the fact that 14 straight games ended with the Celtics on top make you more confident that thats where theyll finish the season?
Boston Celtics
Sure, wins were better than losses. But the way those wins came never blew you away. From time to time, yes, there were games where the Cs flexed their muscles and showed you how great they can be. But just like Saturdays game, the streak was all over the place. They never really found a rhythm. Outside of KGs lay-up against Philly and Pierces game-winner at MSG, there was nothing that happened that will really stand the test of time; nothing that youll remember past this season. Nothing that happened was actually significant. After all, its not even January, and the Celtics werent completely healthy.
Even as recently as Wednesday night, Doc lamented how, despite all the wins, the Celtics werent improving. And as a result, neither were our expectations. It was the oddest feeling. The Celtics went a month without losing, but you couldnt feel any better about their chances. There were games when they played great; games when they just played well enough to win; games when they didnt even play well enough to win, but still managed to get the W.
But regardless of how it happened, most of the time, those wins just left us feeling neutral. When we spoke of the streak, it was never, Look out, NBA! The Celtics are on a rampage! It was How the hell do they keep winning all these games?
There was no rhyme or reason to how they were doing it. Sometimes the defense was great, but they also allowed more than 100 points in eight of 14. Sometimes the offense was clicking, but then it would disappear for long stretches. There were plenty of positives along the way. Of course, there were positives. And there certainly werent enough negatives to create any level of concern. But still, it was still strangely unsatisfying. You wanted to get feel better about it. But you just couldnt.
I guess thats just life with the 2010-2011 Celtics.
Basically, even though its only December, we already know what this team is capable of. We already have our expectations set in stone, and know that if theyre healthy, theres no reason why they cant get there. On top of that, we learned last year that what happens in the regular seasonespecially this earlyhas little to no effect on the end game. We wasted far too much time overreacting to the day-to-day grind of last season, and this time around, we wont fall for it. We know how good this team can be. And we wont let 14 wins or one loss change that. Nothing will.
And in the meantime, well follow intently and wait patiently for the playoffs to begin, becausewhether it's a gift or a cursewe now know that's all that matters.
Rich Levine's column runs each Monday, Wednesday and Friday on CSNNE.com. Rich can be reached at rlevine@comcastsportsnet.com. Follow Rich on Twitter at http:twitter.comrlevine33