More photos » by Elise Amendola - AP

I am, if nothing else, an optimist.

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It is easy to predict good things when things are going well and to complain when things are going poorly.  Or said another way, it is easy to yell "buy" when the market is going up and "sell" when it is going down.  But it takes a special kind of talent (read: luck) to guess when the market has bottomed out or topped off.

I'm making a few bold and contrarian predictions right now.  The Celtics will win at least 5 games in a row starting Sunday night against the Knicks.  They will also lose at most 3 of the 14 games before meeting the Magic again on Christmas (so that's at least an 11-3 run).

Despite the team's recent woes, I feel pretty confident in these predictions for a few reasons.  For one thing, the competition isn't all that great over the next few weeks.  The Knicks, 76ers, and Raps don't exactly strike fear into anyone.  Sure, on any given night any team can beat anyone and the C's have already lost to the Pacers, but the Celtics should at least be favored in the majority of these games.  The Spurs are the best team on paper in that stretch and they are struggling worse than we are right now.

For another thing there aren't many back to backs in that stretch.  Of course the bad news is that there are two road trips in that stretch but I don't think that will be too much of a problem.

This team has been humbled.  They know what they need to do.  They just have to go out and  do it.  They have a chance to get back on track against some of the lesser teams in the league and once they start rolling, they'll pick up momentum and start rounding into form.

At least that's what I think is going to happen.  So feel free to bookmark this and come back in a few weeks and remind me of it.  I'll either be a genius or exposed as a pathetically blind homer.  Which is cool with me either way.

So how about you?  Are you on board with this prediction?

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Per a Celtics press release:

The Boston Celtics announced today that forward Bill Walker has been assigned to the Maine Red Claws of the NBA Development League. Walker is the team’s first assignment to the NBA Development League this season.

More photos » by Winslow Townson - AP

Rasheed wasn't smiling after Friday's loss to the Magic. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

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I recently chronicled the atrocious three-point shooting slump of Rasheed Wallace.   I wondered if he simply needed to shoot his way out to break this colder-than-ice stretch. After last night's 83-78 loss to the Orlando Magic, that method probably shouldn't be Wallace's first option. He shot eight three-pointers against the Magic last night and made...zero of them, good for a new season-low.

This slump is completely and utterly perplexing at this point because the majority of the threes 'Sheed took last night were good shots. They came within the flow of the offense and the majority of them were not hurried or forced, but for whatever reason they simply are not falling right now. It got to the point where he received the ball at the top of the key late in the game when the Celtics were making their comeback and he set up to shoot a three and I blurted out, "No!" I took that as a bad sign, personally.

I think we are all in the same weird place with Rasheed right now. On the one hand, I honestly have confidence in him every time he shoots from three-point nation. His career resume speaks for itself. He's been a solid and reliable three-point shooter for the majority of his career. It's arguably his claim to fame.

But on the other hand, while that strange sense of confidence is still there for me with Rasheed, at the same time, I honestly do not want him to take three-pointers right now. The stats back up this argument, as he's simply not making them. Period. This is such a strange slump. How can I still be so confident in him, but also cringe when he decides to take a three-pointer? I can't ever remember feeling this way about a player before. I'm officially lost on this one.

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Herald    Newest trick for Celtics is a disappearing act
This Green group still a mystery
Kevin Garnett’s burst takes night off
Red-hot Hawks edge Rockets
Globe    FINAL: Magic 83, Celtics 78
Rivers defends House/Rondo decision
Dwight Howard on KG
Postgame chatter
Video: Pierce, Garnett on loss to Magic
Video: Rivers: 'We don't deserve to win games'
Clips' broadcasters suspended for Haddadi remarks
Ellis leads Warriors over Blazers
Video: Ryan: Celtics must improve quickly
Finding combinations hasn’t been a lock
Wallace is unable to zero in
Disorganized from start, they need to regroup
Out of synch

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More photos » by Charles Krupa - AP

Ugh

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While it is still too early to panic, there is also plenty of time to worry.  There are plenty of reasons to worry as well.  I'm not even talking about the normal age and tired legs issues either.  This is beyond that.  These are issues that can and should be worked on soon.  Lets right to the list, shall we?

Defense:

This is a really odd item to put in a list of Celtics weaknesses, (especially when we are near the top of the league in points allowed and point differential) but hear me out.  This team still locks down teams for stretches of games, but there have been far too many stretches where the defense disappears or looks disinterested.  I know that teams make runs but the Celtics of the larger part of the last two years never let those runs last that long.  The lack of consistency is what is killing this team right now.  

Consistency is absolutely mandatory for a defensive team.  Guys have to know, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that help defense is going to be in the right spot.  If they don't know that, they may gamble or hedge or make bad decisions trying to compensate for the fact that the other guys won't be there to stop their man.  Which sometimes works but usually gives up easy baskets.

Frankly I care little about the offense.  If the defense is consistent, we would win these types of games.

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More photos » by Michael Dwyer - AP

That pretty much sums it up.

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It was the third disappointing Friday night in a row at the TD Garden, as the Boston Celtics fell to the Orlando Magic, 83-79.

Again, the Celtics failed to show up in the first quarter, allowing the Magic to score 29 points, while they could only muster up 13. For that reason, they spent the rest of the game playing catch-up, and could never gain the lead for the rest of the game.

The Celtics shot only 34.5% from the field, including 2-19 from 3-point range. Rasheed Wallace contributed to that by going 0-8 from behind the arc, missing several open looks in the process.

"We played for three quarters, that's what it came down to," Paul Pierce said. "You're talking about a team that shot 60-70% from the floor in the first quarter, and for the game 41%."

While Pierce points to a poor first quarter performance as the main reason for the loss tonight, coach Doc Rivers feels that it isn't just the first quarter that the Celtics perform poorly in, it's throughout the game.

"I just think our team's playing awful overall," Rivers stated. "I don't think it's the beginning of the games. I've been saying it for a week now. We're making up stuff on the floor on offense and defense. We're not executing. We're not trusting each other. And we're going to win games still, but we're not going to win against good teams."

"We have to go out there and put minutes of good defense together," said Rasheed Wallace. "It comes in spurts with us. We get down a couple points then we decide alright we're going to play now then once we play, get back into it, then we might let up a little bit or we might not. So we just have to get our consistency together and put good minutes of defense together."

Rivers make a good point there. Three of the four Celtics losses have come against the best teams in the league right now. The Hawks, Suns, and Magic have come into the Garden the past three Fridays and taken it to the Celtics. For a team trying to win a championship, that is unacceptable. When the playoffs come around, it will be teams like the Magic and Hawks that the Celtics will have to worry about, not the Bobcats and Jazz.

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More photos » by Michael Dwyer - AP

It was a really weird night.

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I have no idea how this team was even in the game tonight.  They played horribly for most of the game with brief spurts of brilliance.  The Magic just played a little less bad and earned a key early season win.  

Some bullet points:

• Doc tells Sheed to take fewer 3's and the very next game he goes 0-8.  With that said, most of them were good, open shots.
• Sheed seemed to do all the other little things right.  It was that kind of night.
• Perkins picking up two quick fouls in the 3rd were big but Howard never really took advantage.
• Rondo sat for most of the 4th quarter.  Was Doc sending a message or did he just want Eddie's shooting on the floor?
• I really like the little things that Marquis Daniels does on the floor.  He won't fill up a stat sheet, but he helps you win games.  That is when you aren't doing everything else to lose them.
• KG seemed to tweak his knee early in the 4th but he looked alright after that.
• Kept waiting for someone like Pierce or Ray or Rondo to take over the game and nobody did.
• I really don't like Vince Carter.  Almost goes without saying, but I'm going to keep saying it.
• We really need a more consistent effort on defense.  The offense will come and go, no big deal, but if we make stops more often, we win going away.

First quarter couldn't have looked worse.  The second quarter was great.  What's with the bi-polar basketball?  Where's the Brain Doctor when you need him?

The Magic couldn't miss in the first quarter and the Celtics looked slow, disorganized, and disinterested.  Then they started playing defense, got a few transition opportunities, and shifted the momentum right back in their favor.

If the 2nd half is anything like the first I'm going to need to open a thesaurus to find some new ways to describe this team, because I'm out of words.

More photos » by Charles Krupa - AP

at work

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This is good to hear.  His free throw shooting has been worse than terrible.

Rondo, an early arrival, hard at work - Celtics Blog - Boston.com

With Orlando in town again tonight for the first time since that playoff series, Rondo sat on the bench watching film of his free throws with Celtics assistant coach Armond Hill more than 3 1/2 hours before gametime. The pair then took to the court to practice Rondo's form. "That's too much," Rondo said of his grip on the ball, his right hand cocked out awkwardly to his right side. "Just square it up," said Hill, a patient teacher. "I'm straight!" Rondo shouted back, taking another free throw. "My elbow is straight." "You think its straight," said Hill. "I can show you right on film, right now." How concerning is Rondo's current free-throw percentage (currently at 25 percent)? Celtics GM Danny Ainge came out to check on the lesson, giving Hill and Rondo a putting analogy from golf. Hill, who played eight seasons in the NBA, took the time to put his hands on Rondo's elbow to shift it into the right position.

Herald    Thursday practice notes
Celtics have new trick for Magic
Scouting report: Magic at Celtics
Former NBA player Sam Bowie applies to be first black member at club
Gasol scores 24 in debut, Lakers top Bulls 108-93
Knicks in no rush to bring Allen Iverson into the fold
Globe     Celtics believe in Magic
Magic thumbnails
Tough for Celtics not to believe in Magic
A few more observations from Bird’s nest

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