The Celtics came out flat in New Jersey allowing the Nets to get out to a 20 point lead. We didn't score until over 8 minutes had passed in the first quarter when Gomes connected on a jumper. It looked like we were going to be blown out but then the bench came in and they brought the Celtics back and the Celtics were down only 3 at the half.

Celtics stayed with the Suns most of the game and even led at points. Of course, the Suns were tired from a double OT game the night before but still, the Celtics played hard the whole game to stay with them. Hopefully it is a sign that they are coming together and maybe going to pull it together.

In spite of promising to play Green more and all his talk about how Green is earning more minutes and how he has to be out on the floor, Doc played him only 17 minutes. Green played very well in those 17 minutes with 6 points and 5 rebounds. I don't understand why Doc makes such a big deal about playing him and then doesn't.

The Herald leads off with another article on Scal. All of the papers have been giving him a lot of print these days. He did play very well against Memphis and deserved the cheers that he got when he fouled out. Scal plays hard all the time and I think some times tries too hard and that leads to the mistakes he makes. If he plays like he did in the last game, I could even start to like the guy instead of tolerating him. But, still, when he gets a lot of playing time, it means that Powe isn't and Powe needs those minutes for our future.

The Globe promises that Green is due more playing time. He has progressed way quicker than most believed he would last season. He is moving well without the ball, is playing solid defense and is shooting the ball very well. Hopefully Wednesday's game will be the beginning of many, many more dominant performances by Gerald. Celtics.com and The Patriot Ledger also have articles on Green and how his play is opening a lot of eyes and is demanding more minutes for him. The fact that he is emerging much quicker than expected is a very good thing.

Celtics Blog asks if Doc will quit. I just don't see him walking away from this team. If we get a new coach, I think it will have to be because Doc and Wyc decide that enough is enough and Doc isn't working out for us. Doc seems to like this team and I think he will stick it it out unless he is fired.

The Lowell Sun asks if the Celtics have hit rock bottom. I don't think we are that bad. I think we still have a lot of talent, we have a lot of trade chips, we have a lot of injuries that affect the team as a whole. We aren't in near as bad shape as our record would indicate.

JB over on CelticsStuff Live has a good article with discussion on Pierce's elbows and contributions among other things. JB's articles are always interesting and worth the read. Some good insights here.

Peter Vescey is at it again. The NY Post is reporting that Iverson has asked for a trade.

According to two agents whose clients play for the 76ers, Iverson went to team president Billy King this past Tuesday and demanded to be traded, something he professed repeatedly over the years he'd never do.

According to two general managers King contacted yesterday, the 76ers are aggressively attempting to accommodate their forlorn franchise player, whose prohibitive salary (currently $17.1 million with $19M and $20.8M remaining) makes him a difficult sell despite a 31-point average - at least if the Sixers hope to harvest relatively equal value

Iverson may not blame Cheeks for the 76ers' worst record in the Atlantic Division, but there's no question they've got differences that aren't going away. One of them pertains to Iverson's lack of attention to detail, lack of respect for authority and unwillingness to practice hard.

Following a conflict at workout last week, Iverson stormed out of the building. That evening he failed to show for a mandatory team function for corporate sponsors and prime season ticket holders

It is hard to stay positive these days. There are plenty of negatives to focus on. We are losing. We don't seem to be playing with heart or any toughness. Our coach continues to make poor decisions and shows more and more that we need a coaching change. We continually blow leads and lose close games. Our "best" player is 4th in the league in turnvoers averaging just under 4 TO's a game. (Allen Iverson is #1 with 4.4 per game. Yes, there are a lot of negatives to focus on. But there are also positives if you look hard enough.

Back in '77, the Seattle Supersonics started the season 5 and 17. Then they fired the coach and hired Lenny Wilkens. They went to Boston and kicked their ass. That started a run of success that led them to game 7 loss of the NBA finals to the Washington Bullets in 1978 and the Sonics won the title in 1979 just before Bird and Magic entered the NBA.

As Tommy says, this game was a roller coaster. The Celtics went up by 15 behind some great play by the bench. Then they let the lead slip away and the Grizzlies went up by as many as 17. In the 4th quarter, the Celtics came back from 14 down behind some inspired play by Green and Rondo and tied the game but Rudy Gay hit a shot in the lane to go ahead with 2 seconds left. We lost but the team didn't put its head down and kept playing to the end.

Pierce played 40 minutes but for the most part, was more a part of the problem than the solution. He shot 7 of 17 from the floor and had 9 turnovers. Tony Allen didn't make the best of his start and was pretty much a non factor with 0 points, 2 rebounds and 2 turnovers.

You just have to love Perk. First there was his work ethic that helped to make him into a well sculpted muscular center from a slightly puffy high school kid. He works harder than just about anyone else in the league. When he was fouling too much he watched film until he pinpointed what he was doing wrong.

"It seems like we've got too many chiefs, not enough Indians," said Perkins. "That's the best way I can put it. Everybody with their own agenda, instead of sticking with the team and winning.

"You've got to do your role to help the team win and, in the end, everybody gets a piece of the pie. You can't really go on how many shot attempts you get or what your stats look like because you can't win like that. Like Shaq [O'Neal] said, his best games are when he starts forgetting about the stats. Lose yourself in the team and we win games. Let the game come to you. That's including me, the team as a whole.

"I ain't trying to single anybody out. It's everybody as a team. Everybody needs to go home, watch film, and see where they messed up. I'm not pointing a finger at who did this or what somebody else did wrong. Just go watch yourself and see what you did wrong. That's where we get better. As long as we keep pointing the finger, being sensitive every time coach says something to us, we can't win."