However, the Celtics obtained the rights to to an undersized big man who was considered overweight and borderline useless. After a year learning the ropes of the game from Kendrick Perkins and Kevin Garnett, Glen Davis emerged.

Currently, “Big Baby” is one of the league’s best sixth men. He can put points on the board, take charges and defend multiple positions. Essentially, he’s always the spark of energy for the generally older Celtics team.

As of now, it seems reasonable to consider Glen Davis a candidate for the sixth-man of the year award. Davis is currently averaging 10.8 points per game, 5.2 rebounds per game, .94 steals per game and 1.4 assists per game.

What makes Davis so dangerous is his versatility. He has the physical size to guard power forwards and some centers, but the quickness and speed to guard small forwards. Davis is quick to the ball and arguably the best player in the NBA at taking charges.

Charges are huge momentum swingers, and basketball is a game of runs and momentum. A charge results in a loss of possession (potentially a 5-point swing) and puts a team in foul trouble.

Considering Davis only averages 29 minutes per game, he is putting up some impressive numbers.

Losing a 13-point lead from the third quarter, suffering some frustrating calls from Joey Crawford’s crew, and running an offense that seemed stuck on isolations can be pretty painful.

Still, there is a lot to be proud of. Obviously, in Game Seven of the NBA Finals, winning is the only thing that matters, but I think it’s fair to say the Celtics had a great run in the playoffs to even make a Game Seven in the first place.

Looking back, every Celtics player has something to hang his hat on. Rasheed Wallace turned it on the playoffs, Rajon Rondo was clutch throughout the postseason, and, despite his offensive struggles, Ray Allen held the best player in the world to below 35 percent shooting. That’s resiliency.

Paul Pierce, trying to will the C’s back into it at the end of the game, couldn’t get a late call but still gave a gutsy performance. Kendrick Perkins was huge inside, Glen “Big Baby” Davis was, too, and Nate Robinson was effective off the bench.

Of course, Tony Allen, my favorite reserve, played great defense on #24.

Lastly, Kevin Garnett played well after being dominated in Games One and Two by Gasol.

There comes a point in time when you have to look at a basketball series and appreciate it for what it was, win or lose.

I will only complain about one thing—the calls that Pau Gasol gets are ridiculous. You cannot look me in the eyes and say that’s not true. Sorry.

There’s a point when I think the last game turned in favor of the Lakers. I think it’s going to be overlooked, but at the end of a quarter, Brian Scalabrine played terrific defense against Lamar Odom, forcing a bad Laker possession and an eventual airball.

Davis snagged the rebound aggressively, but he was unable to make a good pass to Rondo, and the C’s lost the opportunity to close the quarter with a bang.

The window might have closed on the Celtics, with the futures of Ray Allen, Doc Rivers, and even Pierce unknown, but you will always be able to look back to Game Seven and know you saw amazing happen.

As a Celtics fan, the team played well, they played with heart. The scoring should have come, but it just wasn’t meant to be. Credit the Laker defense.

Although, one must credit the Celtics’ defense, too. Throughout the course of the series, except for Game Six, the Celtics’ defense was solid.

For a team that was not supposed to make it out of the Eastern Conference Semifinals? A gritty Game Seven performance is not a devastating heartbreaker.

Sleep well, Celtics fans. There’s a lot to be proud of.

Throughout the second half, they lazily closed out three point shots, were unable to keep up with Hornets’ players, and were unable to score. The team missed over 10 free throws in the second half, and turned the ball over 23 times.

This is not a team that will win a championship, and at this rate this team may not even be playing deep in the playoffs.

Looking at the team, it is obvious that there is very little camaraderie and a small amount of chemistry on the court. And, why shouldn’t there be?

For all of December Paul Pierce or Kevin Garnett were out, and Marquis Daniels only recently returned. On top of that, Ray Allen missed his first game with back spasms, so the C’s have not had the time to develop chemistry.

Essentially, what you have is a team with a lot of skill, but very little chemistry, something that will not get you far.

Look at the 2004 Yankees (Red Sox won the WS that year, winning four straight games in the ALCS against New York).

The defense is lacking in the 2nd half, the offense seems energy-less, as players jack up seemingly random jump shots, and the free throw shooting is abysmal.

In terms of defense, the entire third quarter was marked by open Hornets players in the corners drilling threes, with Celtics players barely entering the frame at times. Late close outs, and an inability to stick with their opponents is the reason the Celtics need to worry.

But, looking at what I just said, what seems to be the problem? Why does this team seemingly lose every big lead they have, in the second half, especially the third quarter?

Well, that’s just it. The third quarter. All week I have been trying to figure out why Boston has been lifeless, when it occurred to me that this team is old. The core players, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce, are all past their prime.

Kevin Garnett is clearly slowed by his injury, and with the rest at halftime his knee ends up cooling down and as a result he is not explosive in the second half. Same with Pierce, who is unable to quickly change directions due to a foot injury, and banged up knees.

Ray Allen, while playing every game, has had to take a lot of the load with Pierce and Garnett injured, and as a result has logged the highest minutes per game total on the team.

Remember, he 34.

It is the second half where these injuries start to act up, after playing a full half of basketball despite them.

Further supporting this idea is that the trouble generally occurs in the third quarter. Tonight, losing by 17 points in the 3rd. The C’s only lost by 3 in the fourth, 21-18.

Essentially, after warming up their injuries, guys like KG and Pierce could become major factors once again, and play well in the final period.

Against the Magic, on Sunday, they lost 34-11 in the 3rd, but won the 4th quarter. Again, when the injuries were warmed up, they began to play better.

So, you might ask, what about Allen, why is he not the same player in the 4th, despite having the opportunity to warm up again?

Well, being a 34-year-old, he is just nagged by the wear-and-tear which his body is taking (but really shouldn’t be), and thus unable to make plays he normally would be able to.

Perkins and Rondo, the other two of the starting five, can try to pick up as much slack as they can, but they both have free throw shooting troubles, meaning the normally game-changing three-point plays they pick-up are neutralized.

Off the bench, Rasheed Wallace is very inconsistent. At times draining big shots, and others throwing the ball out of bounds. When the team starts to play more games together, on the court (no injuries), then this will improve.

The good signs? Tony Allen is a spark, as is Marquis Daniels.

They both showed their defensive presence and made themselves known offensively as they slashed to the basket. Glen Davis is beginning to play well again, as well, as he grabbed some rebounds tonight, and showed his scoring ability by dropping some fall away jumpers.

Morale of the story? The All-Star break could not have come at a better time. This team needs the rest, so that their older players can re-obtain the explosiveness they had in the second half. The team is clearly talented enough, shown by their previous victories against the Cavs and Magic, albeit early in the season.

Based on the 3rd quarter struggles, it seems that this team just needs rest so that that they have the energy to play with come the 3rd quarter. Let Allen get some rest to heal his body, and allow KG and Pierce to heal their ailments, or at least further recover from them, and I think that you  might see a team playing with energy and passion once again. Furthermore, Marquis Daniels gets a few days of rest, and at a perfect time.

He played some games, and definitely wore down his thumb a little bit, so this rest will help him out, as well.

Hopefully, the excitement of his first All-Star game and the confidence he will gain calms Rondo at the free throw line, so he can go back to shooting, maybe 60-65% from the charity stripe, but to me, that is still a major question.

Should Danny Ainge pull the trigger on a trade? Yes, and I think he will, but it will probably be for a small addition off the bench, to maybe add some length and rebounding or defense.

I don’t think the break will completely fix Boston, but I do think that it will give them the means to recover and thus regain their previous quarter of dominance.

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• Inability to Close Games: The Boston Celtics
  

Unfortunately, the Celtics are just 12th in the league in 3rd quarter score margin, and 21st in the league in their 4th quarter margin. On average, the Celtics gain a half a point on their opponents in the third quarter.

Essentially, the team wins the quarter by 0.5 points, on average.

In the fourth quarter, however, the C’s average point differential is -0.5, or they lose the fourth quarter by an average of 0.5 points.

The Celtics are not putting teams away in the third (a point differential of 0.5 points won’t cut it) and are losing ground in the fourth. This team is unable to play with a lead.

Over the past three games (Magic, Hawks and Lakers), the Celtics have lost the fourth quarter by an average of 6.7 points, or 3+ possessions.

Obviously, Kevin Garnett is not yet 100%, which is a major factor for their lack of dominance, but even in previous seasons with KG hurt, the Celtics have been solid at closing out games.

Again, an unfortunate Boston Sports theme is erupting. An inability to close out games when leading. Talk to the Patriots, 66-1 going into this past season with a lead at half, lost seemingly countless games despite leading at the mid point. They lost in a heart-breaker to Indy, and in a game that went into overtime against the Broncos.

And then there are the Red Sox. Of course, there are no half times in baseball, but there were blown leads and scares.

Jonathan Papelbon, despite putting up 38 saves, had a career high in walks and fewest number of strikeouts since his rookie season in 2006.

He seemed to lack his normal dominance, and in the playoffs surrendered his first post season runs and gave up a stunning game three loss against the Angels.

Call it coincidence, but the Sox, C’s and Pats have all had legitimate trouble closing out games. How do you know when you’ve lost a game that was failed to be put away?

You feel it in your heart. After the final play, your heart drops. For instance think about the feeling after the Pats lost to the Giants in the Super Bowl(sorry about that). That same feeling (on a lesser scale) is when you can tell that your team “blew it”.

The parallel between the Celtics and Patriots is undeniable. Both are seemingly in a better position to lose games when holding leads halfway through games.

Statistically this is not true, demonstrated by the teams’ respective win-loss percentages when leading at the half, but there is certainly question in a fan’s mind during a game about whether either team will be able to finish a game.

This is not normal. Not for the Patriots, and certainly not for these Celtics.

Now, back to the Celtics.

Against the Lakers tonight, despite another halftime lead, were unable to hold on for a win. Ray Allen had 7 points, and went 2-10 from the field. He is having his worst career season in terms of three-point shooting (0-6 tonight, including a potential game winner).

Now, I’m not calling for his head, as he did play solid defense tonight, but he really needs to find a way to step it up. I think he has played too many minutes considering his age and the fact that Pierce and KG have both been injured.

I expect there to be games where he will get rest after the game is out of reach for either team, and this would really benefit his legs.

After going 0-3 in this huge stretch, the Celtics have dug themselves into a hole, and have major questions to answer.

Will they be able to compete with the big teams?

I say yes, considering they beat the best teams when fully healthy earlier this season (other than Atlanta, a team that has caught the Celtics in awkward periods, like in the second night of a back-to-back, but match up well with Boston).

But it is just frustrating to watch the Celtics blow these leads. Whether it be a 16 point lead against the Magic or a five point lead against the Lakers, the C’s should be able to close out games. Obviously, there was a questionable call on Pierce tonight, but I think that there is an underlying problem with this team. Two, in fact, which have been causing Boston to lose games they shouldn’t be.

First, they allow too many offensive rebounds. With Kevin Garnett and Glen Davis missing extended periods of time, this becomes slightly more excusable. Plus, they demonstrated an ability to control the glass tonight against LA (a very good rebounding team), winning the rebound battle 39-36.

However, they have had trouble pulling down boards, and this solid play NEEDS to continue for Boston to have success.

Secondly, they turn the ball over too often. Against the Lakers, especially, that cannot happen. 18 turnovers were committed in tonight’s game. They are 26th in the league in turnovers, with 14.7 per game.

Again, part of this can be because of KG’s absence as a large part of the C’s offense is passing down low, something Garnett excels in. Despite this, the team still needs to find a way to control the ball.

Garnett was playing today, wasn’t he? The Celtics committed an unacceptable 18 turnovers.

I think the problem lies with too much dependence on the skip pass, as good defending teams can easily pick off bounced passes across the length of the floor.

The only way to fix the passing problem is to coach it, and I think Doc Rivers will be able to fix it, and bring the Celtics’ turnover numbers down to the middle of the league.

However, the Celtics should be expected to grab a rebounding player in the trade market, as Rasheed Wallace seems to have little interest crashing the boards. Sheed can shoot, but the C’s really need a rebounding player.

The Celtics will definitely make the playoffs despite their recent struggles, and in a few weeks, with the team healthy again, should win these tighter games.

I expect them to rely on solid 6-10 game win streaks to build camaraderie essential in the playoffs, but again, there are two major problems that need fixing

At this point, however, I think that if the playoffs started now, the Celtics would make it through the first round and be bounced in the second.

Not only has Perk improved defensively, but his offensive skills look much more refined, he is playing with more control, and he is keeping his head  in the game. Kendrick still does display a disgusted look after a questionable foul call, but he is rarely involved in technical fouls.

Also, after losing some weight in the off-season, he is much more athletic. Multiple times this year I have seen Perk fade away from a few feet off the basket and drain a little hook shot. While it doesn’t seem like much, he is keeping defenders honest by adding a second offensive dimension.

Previously, he had trouble even with simple layups, his only weapon, so defenders could play him to his weakness, a shot from a little farther out.

Now, Perk has been giving defenses fits by draining the shots when the opportunity presents itself.

Why is this important to the Celtics?

As I already mentioned, he presents another defensive threat down low to complement Kevin Garnett, and has become a shot blocking player. On offense, he just adds to the complexity of the Boston offense, one that features Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and the ever improving Rajon Rondo.

Not only have his skills scoring, rebounding and defending improved, but he has also become a strong pick setter. He is very controlled when stepping in on a defender as a pick, and always has his feet set before taking a body. This gives guys like Ray Allen and Eddie House open looks and very often lead to three pointers or uncontested drives to the basket.

In all, Perkins is just another piece of the puzzle while Boston tries to build a championship run, but his presence can never again be looked over as opposing teams try to plan for the Green.

The signing of Wallace is probably a way for the Celtics to stay stable in terms of big men, even if Glen Davis chooses to part ways with the team.

Assuming that Davis is not brought back, the Celtics will have Kevin Garnett, Kendrick Perkins, and now Wallace as the major pieces of their big-man rotation. Rasheed is well out of his prime, but he still brings veteran experience and talent to the table. Last season, he averaged 12 points per game and 7.4 rebounds per game.

Wallace led the league in technical fouls last season, and was followed closely by another Celtic: center Kendrick Perkins. Perk did a good job toward the end of last season keeping his language (both words and body) in check. I don’t expect to see Rasheed getting as many techs this season as he did last year, simply because Garnett will whack him if he hurts the team.

I expect Wallace’s attitude to follow suit as Stephon Marbury’s did last season, as Marbury was instantly humbled with a championship opportunity. Rasheed declined bigger money offers from teams such as the Oklahoma City Thunder, obviously so he could get one more shot at a title.

I like the signing of Rasheed, because he brings a similar amount of talent for a cheaper price than Glen Davis. Davis certainly would be a sign for the future, but there are many teams in the league (Sacramento Kings, Thunder) who would gladly pay more than the Celtics would be willing to give for the talented forward. Rasheed Wallace, for instance, took less many than was offered by Oklahoma City to sign with Boston.

Granted, Glen may well return, as the Celtics have the right to offer him as much as any other team does. If Davis does come back, Wallace will be a solid complement, as defenses will have to be aware of both of their long-range ability, Wallace’s rebounding, and Davis presence down low.

The signing of Sheed adds a perimeter shooting threat for the Celtics’ second unit. This means that while KG, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen are resting, the Celtics will not only have the streaky shooting of Eddie House and a possibly rejuvenated Stephon Marbury, but a player who can post inside or hit the long-range dagger. If Big Baby is re-signed by Boston, then Rasheed’s perimeter shooting allows Glen Davis to be active down low, and will not force him to be a jump shooter. Glen did a great job in the post season with jumpshots, but there is no denying that he is more comfortable down low.

Rasheed was basically signed by Boston concerning Glen Davis. If he leaves, then Boston will still have three competent big-men (not named Mikki Moore) and, Wallace can be used as leverage in contract negotiations with Davis. If Davis stays, then Boston is in a perfect situation, as they have four solid big men. Another benefit is the Celts can re-sign Davis is that it will give Rasheed Wallace and the Boston Celtics an easier time determining his role, as he would probably assume Leon Powe’s position on the team. Of course, being a player of a higher-caliber, he will probably have the opportunity to play more minutes per game than Powe.

In all, the Celtics have found a solution for the recent Leon Powe walk.