Wow. It was only a couple weeks ago that I was making jokes about looking like a namby-pamby nitpicker if you had the nerve to criticize this team. 19 game winning streaks will prompt that sort of commentary. Then the team inexplicably devolved into a bizarro version of “the Denver Nuggets in the playoffs” and there are suddenly more flaws in evidence than a pawn shop diamond. Seriously, what happened? These are the defending world champions and yet over the past two weeks, with the exception of blowouts against the lowly Kings and Wizards, the team has gone down to the wire in five games and lost each and every one of them. If that isn’t a reflection of mental toughness, or a sudden lack thereof, and an absence of team chemistry, then I’m a Chinese fighter pilot.

My esteemed colleague Thomas Halzack just laid down some compelling evidence that served to outline much of what has been wrong with the team during this recent stretch of futility. Now, I’m generally not a fan of A) over-reacting, or B) piling on, but this play of late by the Celtics simply does not and cannot warrant a free pass. There have just been too many instances of “Wow, they just got out hustled again” and “Now, what exactly is the game plan here?” and “Boy, they just wilted down the stretch” lately.  Therefore, as a companion piece to Tom’s, I provide a fresh serving of blame pie, with an abundance of slices to go around the table.

Ray Allen

Okay, at what point do we officially become worried about the shooting of Ray Allen? I personally reached that point during the second half of the loss against the lowly Charlotte Bobcats, during which Allen airmailed TWO jumpers from beyond the arc. Again, he didn’t just miss them. He air-balled them. Now, this may not be so surprising coming off the hands of notorious bricklayers like Rajon Rondo or Tony Allen. However, when a player that is arguably the best pure shooter of his generation misses two shots so badly and so close together, one has to stand up and take notice. Over the past couple weeks in general, since the Lakers’ game on Christmas, Allen has clearly not been himself. During that stretch, he’s missed countless lay ups and far too many open looks. All shooters, even the great ones, go through bad stretches but this appears to be rooted in something deeper. Only time will tell if the cause behind Allen’s poor play is due to fatigue, the continued impact on his lift from lingering ankle woes or a more serious but as of yet undisclosed injury.

Rajon Rondo

Hmm, all that talk about Rondo’s All-Star candidacy sure dissipated in rapid fashion. Mostly, it’s because Rondo has reverted back to that greatest folly of so many young players: inconsistency. Maybe it’s because teams are now justifiably focusing on him (Exhibit A: the most recent Knicks game) as a primary part of their strategy. That part of the equation, meaning the offensive part of Rondo’s game, may be excusable to a certain degree. However, to me, it’s his defense that has shown the biggest drop-off of late. As noted by Tommy Heinsohn recently, Rondo has been expending less effort in applying extended court pressure, thus allowing opponents more shot clock availability to set up their offense. However, the larger issue has been his failure to stay in front of his man (clearly, this is by design because Rondo has the foot speed to keep up with just about anyone) almost to the point of ignoring his defensive assignment in favor of applying random help defense and openly prowling the passing lanes. Let me put it bluntly: It’s not working. The fact that Steve Blake lit him up like a Christmas tree last week should have been enough to underline that point. I’d contend that the main problem stem’s from Rondo’s addiction to steals. Hey, I think we can all agree that steals are nice when Rondo’s “allow his man to move past him before poking the ball out from behind” move actually works. However, it’s far too often that  he instead draws a senseless foul or hangs his interior defenders out to dry. It’s unfair to blame Rondo for the team’s overall defensive woes but his renewed commitment to effective man-to-man "D" sure would help to right the ship.

The Bench

Yes, it’s true that James Posey was expensive and wanted a lot of years for guy his age. Then again, the Celtics simply would not have won Banner 17 without him. It was a tough call whether or not to sign him but in letting him go, the team essentially rolled the dice on the idea that the remaining bench players would be able to improve sufficiently to offset his loss. Guess what? Snake eyes, fellas. Thus far this year as compared to last, Leon Powe is down statistically in every meaningful category. On a regular basis, Glen Davis has been a weak link on both ends of the floor. Tony Allen has progressed physically from last year but that hasn’t translated into better or more consistent play.  Eddie House has had his moments but as an assassin shooter, which is the main facet of his game, he hasn’t been sufficiently reliable. Then there’s that mental toughness issue I alluded to earlier. If James Posey has a resume, the top line must read: “Provides killer three pointers, great defense and an obscene amount of poise and mental fortitude.” As we see now, those qualities are deeply missed on the present roster, especially now that things have turned a bit sour. Seriously, how do you submit a lacking effort after receiving an extended hug/motivational speech by James Posey? Which leads me to my final slice of criticism…

Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett

This has less to do with their on-court play and more to do with how things have unfolded around them. If the team has become dysfunctional in its defense, passing and overall execution, I look toward the Captain and the widely acknowledged king of intensity to right the ship. It hasn’t happened. On a consistent basis, opponents are beating the Celtics to the ball and breaking through the cracks in team defense (How many times during recent road games have you heard Mike Gorman say something to the effect of “Wow, that was too easy” in the wake of an uncontested dunk by an opponent?). In short, it’s time for the team leaders to do some actual leading and hold themselves and their fellow players to a higher standard.

Understand, this is not a call to panic. It’s acknowledged that the team does need some greater depth but at the end of the day, there are a number of reasons to have faith that the path will be straightened by the time that April comes around. I believe Danny Ainge will indeed improve the roster and I also believe that the Big Three will indeed get their groove back, thus setting the right tone for rest of their teammates. Until that happens, however, the blame pie needs to be served as just desserts for the truly uninspired level of play on the road as of late.