Silence not golden for Celtics

Amid the wreckage of this Celtics season, Paul Pierce has found something positive to salvage. The captain noted the absence of finger-pointing in the locker room.

The Celtics (18-31) have not gone the way of the Knicks, whose players and coach have publicly called each other out. The closest they came was coach Doc Rivers blaming the bench for Monday night's loss to the Heat.

With the Celtics mired in a six-game losing streak -- they're 1-6 since the trade with Minnesota -- you would expect just a little frustration to leak out. But it hasn't happened. Not yet.

''You see on most of the teams that go through these types of struggles there's a lot of arguing, a lot of finger-pointing, a lot of things said in the media that maybe they don't mean," said Pierce. ''But this team, with the kind of character guys that we've got, we remain positive for the most part. We don't get into that kind of stuff."

In the past, Pierce has been prone to soul-searching postgame monologues rather than finger-pointing. Last year when the Celtics struggled, he wondered aloud about the direction of the team and his future here. He waxed nostalgic about relatively successful seasons past. He talked about the need for continuity, hoping the Celtics core would remain in place long-term.

But this season, Pierce has been as diplomatic as the rest of his teammates. In fact, it was left to Antoine Walker to talk about the difficulties facing Pierce before Monday's game.

What is going on here?

Maybe the Celtics are simply smart enough to know that finger-pointing probably won't change anything on the court. Maybe the character and intelligence on the team is that high. Or maybe they have given up on the season and don't want to waste time and energy blaming each other when they could be together for some time. Maybe they know precisely who or what is at fault and don't want to say so for fear of losing playing time or being perceived as a malcontent.

In some ways, there might be more optimism about the season if some angry words were uttered every now and again. Remember when Kendrick Perkins got in Pierce's face during halftime of the Minnesota game Jan. 18? Perkins helped spur Pierce, and in turn the Celtics, to a strong second half and a 103-96 victory. That also was the last time Boston scored more than 100 points.

And there are plenty of discouraging trends worthy of some venting.

Even though Boston still ranks near the top of the league in shooting percentage (46 percent), the numbers don't reflect what has happened since the arrival of Wally Szczerbiak and Michael Olowokandi Jan. 26. Only twice in the last seven games have the Celtics shot better than 42 percent. On the other end, opponents consistently shoot better than 50 percent; in the last five games, Boston has held only one opponent below 50 percent (Phoenix shot 46 percent in its win last Wednesday).

But the Celtics simply say the same things when offering analysis of recent games. They talk about missing shots they usually make, learning experiences, integrating new players, playing with more urgency, etc. If their play doesn't improve after what Rivers promises will be intense practices today and tomorrow, then maybe some players will speak up.

Until then, there are the not-so-reassuring words of executive director of basketball operations Danny Ainge. Aside from ''roster adjustments" in light of the Al Jefferson injury and Minnesota trade leaving the Celtics somewhat shorthanded, Ainge doesn't anticipate doing anything before the Feb. 23 trading deadline because ''there's nothing there to do right now."

One likely future deal might involve moving the weighty contract of Raef LaFrentz in a package with some first-round picks, though that is not usually the kind of deal that gets done at the deadline.

Still, Ainge, like everyone else, realizes the Celtics have a ways to go.

''I'm looking to do something until we're a contending team," said Ainge. ''I only want to do things that will improve our team. I think we have holes in our team. That's all I will say."

When all's quiet, it's usually a good thing in the NBA. But it doesn't seem that way for the Celtics.