The Boston Celtics

What the hell is wrong with the Celts? Six losses in their last eight games, and it will only get worse against LeBron and the Cavs tonight.

Doc Rivers needs to go, and fast. The Celts bench is terrible; Glen Davis is a crybaby, Tony Allen is a punk, and Leon Powe just hasn't been into it lately.

The one bright spot for me this season is Gabe Pruitt. He's going to be better than Rondo - he can shoot!

I have no idea what's wrong...HATE Big Baby Davis...shoulda got rid of Perk instead of Al Jefferson who's a BEAST. Powe will turn it around though because he's the hardest worker. Rondo is fantastic...just turnover prone if his head's not in the game.

It's ok though because of the 5 longest winning streaks of all time (not including the celtics of this year) they all went on to lose at least 4 of their next 6...one Lakers team lost 9 of their next 11!! So of those 5 winning streaks...and subsequent losing streaks...3 went on to win the title anyway!!

I'm not too scare then.

I'm not worried at all. Come April these guys are going to be fine. Jan. and Feb. are known for these types of slides. They usually don't mean a whole lot.

Doc Rivers has done a fine job with this team. Getting rid of him at this point would be a huge mistake. You risk bringing in someone who will mess up the chemistry.

There is no chance that Gabe Pruitt will be better than Rondo. Rondo is a pure pg who can do it all except shoot. Reminds me of another guy who everyone said would never be a top pg because he couldn't shoot, his name was Jason Kidd, I think he turned out ok. Pruitt will be a solid pg but will never be great.

As for keeping Jefferson instead of Perk, there's no way that could've happened. Jefferson was the centerpiece of that deal, no Jefferson meant no deal.

Celtics will be fine as long as they stay healthy.

Although the Celts seem to have turned it around, I still think they need to pick up some people for the stretch run. Yes that means Starbury and Dikembe Mutombo. Please Danny Ainge do what's right. Don't screw it up after such a great year last year.

They can't pick up Dikembe, he signed with the Rockets. They need another center on the bench more than anything else.

The Celts have now won 8 in a row after completely dismantling the Mavs at the Garden this afternoon. Not only that, but they once again have the best record in the league.

With all that said, they still need to pick up somebody to add depth to the bench.

The Celts go for 9 in a row tonight in the Garden against the Kings. Will it happen? I think so. Not to hard of an opponent.

Well it's 9 in a row for the Celts...a completely dominant game. Things are looking beautiful for them right now.

According to Marbury the Celtics have given him their word that if he becomes available they will sign him. The Celtics have denied this and at this point it's difficult to believe anything that comes out of the guy's mouth.

Ya I heard the same thing. I hope Marbury's not lying because I truly think that they Celts need him for the stretch run/playoffs.

I think he's too big of a gamble. He's as big of a gamble as adding Artest. Marbury's not going to punch anyone out on the court but he's an even bigger threat at destroying a locker room. He's destroyed every locker room he's ever been in and he's in been in quite a few. I would prefer they add a reliable backup frontcourt player than add a guard.

i can't say i agree with that. the celts have a lot more depth up front. garnett and pierce are two of the best at their position, perk is growing into this role (although too slow for my liking), leon powe is a machine, glen davis is a hard worker, scalabrine is a big man w/ range, and bill walker and patrick o'bryant are already proving their worth, as rookies no less.

let's take a look at the guards now. where does all the consistency come from? 3 players, at most. ray allen is obviously a future hall of famer. rondo is one of the most underrated point guards in the league. so those are the two obvious ones. my 3rd hesitant choice would be eddie house. we can't deny that he is a major threat from behind the arc, but where is the ball handling? not to be seen.

where is the true back up point guard on the roster? tony allen? i don't think so. he's a good guard, but he's no point guard. sam cassell? he's like 95 years old. j.r. giddens? he's in the NBDL. gabe pruitt? sure he's going to be good, but he's still young.

The celts need experience coming off the bench. stephon marbury would be exactly that. there would be no way he would become a locker room distraction. i know he's used to being the #1 on a team, but do you think he's going to try and mess with the likes of KG, Ray Ray, and Pierce. He knows that if he goes there, he will have to fit in a certain role. he wants to win a championship. he is not going to mess that opportunity up if he joins this team. this team is classy, hardworking, and doesn't put up with the drama that "Star"bury is so used to creating on his former teams.

But the Celts won't be adding Starbury, they will be adding Stephon Marbury. He would be a fantastic addition to the team. he would be a fantastic back up point guard, and he could play on the floor at the same time as rondo. Could you imagine the possibilities of this lineup: PG-Marbury, SG-Ray Ray, SF-Pierce, PF-Garnett, C-Perkins? Complete domination.

First off, I'd just like to mention that O'Bryant is not a rookie. This is his third year in the league and so far has been a major lottery bust. He has been blasted this season for his laziness at practice and not being able to play the team defense. How has he shown his worth? The coaching staff has no confidence in him and that's why he's been riding the bench.

Leon Powe and Glen Davis are both hard workers but you can't expect them to guard guys who are 6'10'' or bigger on a consistant basis. The same goes for Scal and Walker.

Pierce has played at the 3 this season as well as last season but keep in mind that he has played the majority of his career at the 2 guard. He's a guard playing the 3, not uncommon these days in the NBA.

As for Perk, he proved long ago that he is starting center in this league.

We need a big guy like P.J. Brown who can defend centers. Sure, KG can do it but we'd be better off with him defending a PF instead of wasting fouls on guarding a center.

Now for Marbury. You asked if I thought he would mess with KG. Well we all know the answer is yes since he has done so in the past. Those 2 were teammates with the Wolves. You know why Marbury was traded? Because he said Minnesotta wasn't big enough for the 2 of them.

Can I imagine a lineup of PG-Marbury, SG-Ray Ray, SF-Pierce, PF-Garnett, C-Perkins? Yeah I can, complete disaster.

Please, I beg you. Do some research on Marbury. He's a terrible teammate.

O'Bryant may not be a rookie, but he is certainly young enough to keep on improving. And as far as laziness in practice goes, KG has taken O'Bryant under his wing, and both players constantly stay after practice and work on fundamentals. Pruitt has often been a part of these extra practices too.

As far as the Powe and Davis comment...just see how Big Baby shut Shaq down a few weeks ago. And I hate Glen Davis.

Pierce is not a guard. End of. He carried the ball for the Celts a lot in his career only because the Celts were terrible and had no one else who could handle the ball. He is not a guard. I repeat: he is not a guard.

If you admit KG can defend centers, but you say we shouldn't waste his fouls...if he rarely fouls out then why worry about that? If he can do the job, and it's working (an NBA title!), then let him.

If Marbury is dedicated to the cause and wants to win an NBA championship, you can put your mortgage on him behaving. For once he wouldn't be the star on a team, and he'd look around the locker room and see guys that he himself probably respects. Would you be a cancer in a locker room full of Figo, Ronaldo, and Deco? I think not, because you respect them. I'm sure it's the same for Marbury.

Ok so I slipped up on O'Bryant being a rookie...no big deal. he is very young and has been proving himself slowly but surely. He has been getting playing time, granted it's in garbage time, but he is still going up against NBA caliber talent. he's not a hotshot star like KG or Pierce, but he is getting the job done. He has been a great addition to the Celts, and I am eager to see what he does should he get a shot in the playoffs.

Although I don't like Big Baby, he does has his bright spots. As far as Leon Powe goes, there is no stopping him. When he goes out on the court, his job isn't to score a ton of points or block a ton of shots. His job is to go out and mess up the other team's equilibrium. He may not out shoot you, but he will outwork you. If you go inside, he will punish you. You may score, but he will send a message to you that it won't be easy EVER.

Also, I don't see why you backed up Perk. That just adds to my argument that we need more depth at the guard position than in the front court. The Celts have all the tools to stop other teams opposing centers: KG, Perk, O'Bryant, and Powe.

Marbury would certainly not create a mess in Boston. I'll say it once, and I'll keep on saying it until I'm blue in the face or until I'm proven wrong. When Marbury was in Minnesota ('96-'99) he was an arrogant jerk who didn't like the fact that KG was the face of the franchise. Then he moved onto the Nets ('99-01) where he blossomed into an All-Star and showed that he was one of the best guards in the league. Then he moved onto the Suns, where he played from 2001-2004. He played extremely well alongside Shawn Marion and Amare Stoudemire. It wasn't until Mike D'Antoni took over in 2003 that things turned sour. He fueded with D'Antoni, which led to the trade that sent him to the Knicks in January 2004. He never clicked with the Knicks and feuded with coaches (Larry Brown, Isiah Thomas, and now Mike D'Antoni again). Great job Donnie Walsh.

With all that said, he has realized he is not one of the best anymore, and a change of scenery is necessary to resurrect his career. He needs a title to help change part of his very damaged image. The only way to do that is to conform to another team's system and grow up. He has said that he will do all of that. he will work with KG, Pierce, Ray Ray, Doc, Ainge, and the rest of the crew to bring another championship banner into the Garden. Believe me. I do not like Stephon Marbury as a person, but as a basketball player he would bring much needed experience and skill.

If after I rant and rave about all of this I am proven wrong, I will be the first to admit it, but until then, I would love to see Stephon Marbury on the Boston Celtics.

How has O'Bryant been a great addition to the Celtics? He's done pretty much nothing since getting here except lose his job as the backup center. Garbage time and playing when it actually matters are 2 completely different things. Garbage is exactly what it is...garbage.

Perk is the starter. He needs a backup. He sometimes gets in foul trouble and that's when you need another big guy. Do you really think Powe can guard a Dwight Howard or Al Horford? He just doesn't have the size to effectively guard them for a prolonged period of time. I live Powe, I think he's a great role player but he's not a backup center and neither is Davis.

Pierce never had anyone on the Celtics who could carry the ball? How about Kenny Anderson? Or Antoine Walker. Yeah I know, laugh all you want about how he's fat and washed up. But he one's of the best forwards ever when it comes to ball handling ability. How is Pierce not a guard? He's a SG/SF. He can play both and it just so happens that he's played the majority of his career at the 2.

How often did you see KG defend centers in last years playoffs? Not often. One of the reasons he doesn't fould out or get many fouls is because he doesn't cover centers. If he starts covering centers you're going to see the fouls go up.

Figo, yeah, he took quite a while to gain my respect after some of his comments and actions from 7 years ago. But that's a whole other matter. Also, are you trying to compare me (a sane and reasonable person) to Marbury? I've heard Marbury say in the past that he was wrong and that he needed to change his ways and it seems every time he does it he just gets even worst.

You reaffirmed my thoughts...I said Pierce only played point when the Celts had no one else with the ball handling ability to carry it up the court. You countered that by saying Antoine Walker is a great ball handling forward. Exactly. There were no great ball handling guards. That's why Pierce did it. Imagine a chunky Antoine Walker running up the court...

I never said Pierce was a PG, I said he played 2 guard for most of his career. Pierce has never played PG in his career. Also, I did mention a PG who could handle the ball, Kenny Anderson.

Right, which is exactly why we're all clamoring for the Celts to sign Marbury!

Kenny Anderson doesn't play for the Celts anymore. That's why we need a solid back up that can play PG and SG.

Ok let's take a little break to see who you think will win tonight. The Celts are going for their 10th straight. It won't be easy though since they are going up against AI and the Pistons at The Palace at Auburn Hills.

I think they'll come away with the win though. It won't be easy, but we do like double-digit win streaks here in Boston so keep them coming.

And now it's 10 straight. Their next game is tomorrow against the T-Wolves in the Garden. I don't see why they won't make it 11 straight.

After another Celtics victory, let's see what their upcoming schedule looks like. They play the 76ers on Tuesday, and then the Lakers roll into town on Thursday. I think they will beat the 6ers, but the Lakers will be a real test. The Lakers took Round 1 this year, so let's even it up.

It definitely will be tough, and I can't pick a winner as much as I would like to pick the Celtics outright.

Haha don't pick the Celtics Taylor...any man with decent intellect will pick the team that is classier, more determined, and just outright better - THE LA LAKERS.

Now you can do all you want to praise your winning streak, but it will be over Thursday night and the entire Garden will be silent or tearful....because you said it right, the Lakers will be in the town!

O wait Zain...i'm sorry...is KG on the Lakers? What? he's not? so how can they be classier...more determined...or better?

The Lakers are in no way classier than the Celts. Who can beat Ray Allen in classiness? Certainly not Kobe. Ball hogs aren't classy. I can name plenty of teams classier than the Lakers...and the Celts are numero uno on the list.

I really don't care who wins on Thursday because it's all about who wins come playoff time. You can sweep the season series from us, have the best record in the NBA, and get home-court advantage, and we'll still kick you too the curb in the Finals, that's if you can even make it there.

We both know that both teams have practically clinched playoff berths. Both teams will play it smart the rest of the season. If it means that we concede the game to you guys come Thursday, so be it. Banner 18 will be put up in the rafters at the beginning of next season.