Everyone is waiting for Boston to make that inevitable run that the team always seems to have within it. The Celtics are a veteran team with championship aspirations and knows exactly how to pace themselves.
Something though seems off about the 20-20 Celtics and they seem much more in the thick of the fight near the bottom of the Eastern Conference.
In perhaps a motivational ploy, Doc Rivers took to the microphone to say enough was enough following a 103-88 loss at Detroit on Sunday.
Rivers ended his press conference with that. Something for the media and the Celtics to stew on. The main ultimatum though, as A. Sherrod Blakely of CSN Northeast puts it, is this:
I gotta either find the right combination or the right guys, or we're going to get some guys out of here," said a visibly upset Rivers after the Celtics lost their third straight game. "That's the bottom line. This group right now, they're not playing right. It's in them to play right. But right now they haven't been either because I'm not getting to them, or they're not getting to each other.
Boston has been pretty active in trade discussions. There are lots of players the Celtics are reportedly targeting to get better.
Danny Ainge put some stop to those rumors by saying the Celtics do not plan on any major moves. That is likely because they are unwilling to part with Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce or Rajon Rondo — in some cases, nobody wants those players.
The Celtics are going to have to rely on their players buying into the system and playing better defense like they did during their glory days the last five years. Otherwise, this team will age into the bottom of the Eastern Conference. And that will only increase the frustration from the Celtics' greats.
