Celtics prepare for the best of the West

The Celtics started off the season winning 29 of their first 32 games, prompting the question; can these guys actually compete for the best record in the history of the NBA with the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls?

Since then, the Celtics have lost five of their last 10 games, falling to 34-8 and silencing those who thought they could continue at the pace that they were at. ESPN.com even has a webpage comparing the '07-'08 Celtics and the '95-'96 Bulls. I'm not going to lie; I checked the site after every game, wondering what the Bulls did on the same day that year. I think the Celtics mini "skid" is actually a blessing in disguise. It is unfair to think that this team could continue on the pace that they were on, and quite frankly it is unnecessary. I think that Boston sports fans are just so used to winning, that we can't handle the letdown when we lose. Fortunately for me, I was a Celtics fan last year and got my fair share of losses.

Look, the New England Patriots are one of, if not the, best teams ever assembled in professional sports (Sunday night will determine that or not). A great regular season is nice, but nobody takes pride in being the division champs- it's all about the playoffs. The Pats go 16-0 and lose to the Jaguars at home… and suddenly nobody cares that they went undefeated in the regular season. They'll have to win the Super Bowl to make it worth anything, and they know that- everyone does. The Pats took the one game at a time approach and it's safe to say that it has worked. It was Tedy Bruschi who said that the Patriots were on a bunch of one game winning streaks, not one long winning streak. I think that's how the Celtics have to look at their season as well. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to know that the Celtics are a playoff team. Even though we lost to the Orlando Magic twice, I only consider the Pistons as a real threat for the number one playoff spot in the East. Also, there's no doubt the Celtics would have won Sunday afternoon if Kevin Garnett was starting and not the cult hero Brian Scalabrine.

By the way, am I the only one wondering why he has his own basketball camp? Can I get my own basketball camp too? Honestly… what can this guy possibly teach? I can picture it now… "Today we're going to learn how to do everything wrong on the court, but show a lot of heart and effort while doing it. After years of trying this method, I eventually started to hear my name echoing throughout the entire TD BankNorth Garden as I consistently shot bricks from behind the three point line!" The only way I would send my kid to this camp is if he was slacking off in school and I wanted to teach him a lesson. Thankfully Scals mostly plays meaningless minutes when the Celtics are winning, so he gets the benefit of the doubt.

Anyways, the Celtics are in a position where they can cut back on the minutes that Pierce, Ray, and Garnett log in every night. Unfortunately, Pierce and Allen are playing over 38 minutes per game while KG plays over 35 per. I have never been a big Doc Rivers supporter. Last year I did not agree with a lot of things that he did or didn't do during the games and he's pretty damn lucky that somehow Danny Ainge showed up at his front door with Allen and Garnett. Not even Rick Pitino could mess up this team right now.

It's no secret that Pierce, Garnett, and Allen (PGA, if you will) do not have a lot of experience in the playoffs. Teams like Detroit, Dallas, Phoenix, and San Antonio do. Nobody on Detroit is averaging more minutes per game (mpg) than PGA. Dirk Nowitzki and Josh Howard average one more mpg than Garnett but neither play more than Pierce or Allen. Don't forget - Howard is only 27 years old while our guys are in their 30's. Only one player on Phoenix, Shawn Marion with 36.7, is averaging more mpg than Garnett. Finally, the champion Spurs do not have a single player averaging 35 mpg.

These teams are consistently successful. Their coaches do not overwork their players like Doc Rivers seems to be doing. I understand that they were on a record pace for wins and all that jazz, but its just not smart basketball. The NBA playoffs are long, too long. We are talking up to 28 more games being played after the regular season. Twenty-eight games multiplied by 38 minutes per game = a dead Ray Allen. Are we going to wheel Ray Allen out on the floor for the NBA Finals if we are lucky enough to get there? Can we check the rulebook on that? The bottom line is that the Celtics need to find a way to cut back the minutes of PGA and still remain competitive. I'm not saying take them out of games during the closing minutes of a close game. I am saying take them out when we have healthy leads. Garnett has seen fewer minutes since the first month of the season, but Pierce has seen an increase in minutes played every month. Ray Allen is also still consistently playing a significant amount of minutes. I understand that this team wants to win, and I want them to win too, I just hope that they still have some gas left in the tank come playoff time.

The Dallas Mavericks won 67 games last year. The Celtics will be lucky if they win that many games this year, but it won't mean anything. The Mavs were upset by Baron Davis and the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the playoffs and you can bet nobody was saying, "Oh well, they had a great regular season!".

Those same Dallas Mavericks come into the Garden on Thursday night to face the Celts. You can be sure that these two playoff bound teams will fight to the buzzer, as they both have something to prove. Although owning the best record in the league, the C's still need to prove that they can run with the big boys in the West. The Celtics are 19-4 at home while the Mavericks have had 10 of their 13 losses come on the road.

Two out of the next three home games are against Dallas and San Antonio. With a healthy and rested lineup we could very well see one of these teams again in June.