Doc: A "Team Building Loss"

Like most of you, I consider "moral victories" to be another term for "loss." However, I can see what Doc is trying to do here, so I'll cut him some slack.

C’s certainly not OK - BostonHerald.com

"I just loved the spirit," coach Doc Rivers said. "I told them after the game, if we play like that in the second half of the season healthy, it’s going to be tough to beat us, anybody. Every once in a while you have a team-building game even though you lose, and tonight was a team-building game. I don’t like moral victories, but that was an absolute team-builder in our locker room tonight."

Paul Pierce seemed to echo the same sentiment.

Observations: A healthy rally for C's - Boston Celtics Blog - ESPN Boston

“I like the way we played in the second half [on Wednesday]," captain Paul Pierce told reporters. "We could have let down and packed it in, knowing that the All-Star break was here after the game. But we didn’t. If we would have withstood that run in the first quarter, I think we could have had a chance to win. I hurt us by getting into foul trouble early, but overall I saw positive things from this game.”

I will say that some of this team's best stretches have been against some of the best teams in the league. The problem is that some of the worst stretches are as well - and usually in the same game. I just can't get over how this team can look so good and so bad in the same game. Mind boggling.