Celtics must take a stand after slip

The Celtics' three-game losing streak elicits various levels of concern, ranging from the unperturbed perspective of coach Doc Rivers to the better-now-than-in-the-playoffs opinion of Gary Payton. Absent is any sense of panic or despair.

The Celtics seem philosophical about their recent failures, recognizing that everything that goes up must come down.

But there was no better high than when Boston won 11 of 12 games after Antoine Walker returned. And with the three-game skid on the heels of such success, there has been no more frustrating low this season.

The Celtics do not play again until Wednesday, when the Mavericks visit the FleetCenter, giving the Atlantic Division leaders time to regroup and reevaluate. Boston goes back to work today with defensive improvement a must and questions about team chemistry surfacing.

When asked what the Celtics need to do to return to the form that pushed them nine games above .500, Payton said, "No. 1 is defense. No. 2 is being together. And I think we've got to be more patient. Those would be the top three things. When we get behind, we seem to think that one person has to do the job. We need to trust in everybody.

"When you win 11 out of 12 games, you're coming on the bus and you think [you're unbeatable]. That's what happens. We got that. Now, it's back to reality. These three games should tell people the reality is that we can slide quick. As fast as we got up is as fast as we can go down. We've got to come back and win basketball games and try to fight off this Philly team. [The Sixers] can come back and sneak up on us and we can move from third to [the] six, seven, or eight [spot] really quick."

While Payton questioned the Celtics' cohesiveness on the court, Walker tried to take a more positive approach. He noted two of the next three games are at home, where friendly fans might help inspire better play. And despite the final result Saturday night at the Palace of Auburn Hills, where Boston lost, 105-99, in overtime, the Detroit game represented a marked improvement in effort from losses to New York and Chicago.

"To be honest with you, we've got to stay away from [negative] comments like that [about team chemistry] and believing that," said Walker. "We just lost. You're playing against New York, Chicago, and Detroit. Every team is fighting for the playoffs. As a team, we've got to understand that. Our energy level has to be up for 48 minutes. And we have to maintain it. We can't think about that [chemistry] stuff. We've got to get back and practice hard against each other. Nobody can get frustrated.

"It's not the end of the world. We're still on top of the Atlantic Division. We've just lost three in a row and the only way you can stop the bleeding is by getting a win."

Walker believes all Boston needs is "fine-tuning," not "second-guessing." The fine-tuning undoubtedly will start on the defensive end, considering the Celtics have allowed opponents to average 102.0 points per game and shoot 46 percent (108 for 235) during the losing streak. Still, those numbers are only slightly higher than Boston's season averages (100.2 points allowed, 44 percent).

Rivers never worries about the Boston offense, nor should he with the team's scoring depth. But with key scorers struggling from the field, the Celtics have shot just 41 percent (103 for 253) and averaged 89.0 points during the skid.

Whether the Celtics can quickly correct what ails them will be an important test. This is the team's first taste of adversity since Walker arrived and playoff expectations soared. A week ago, the Celtics appeared to be a virtual lock for the Atlantic title. Boston now holds a 2 1/2-game lead on Philadelphia with Jim O'Brien and Co. scheduled to visit the FleetCenter Sunday for a matinee. By then, the Celtics hope to be back in winning form.

"It's a good lesson to learn right now, so that we can understand that we [play like] this and we can go home real quick," said Payton. "They're talking about us going deep in the playoffs, but we could go home quick. I'm glad this is happening now. Let's get it out of our system. We've got 12 games to go, let's go ahead and play, and play hard."