Play points to Rondo having a Star chance

WALTHAM - There might not be enough statistics to go around to qualify more than three Celtics for the All-Star Game. But if measured by quality rather than quantity, Rajon Rondo could have a chance to be named to play in the Feb. 15 game in Phoenix.

"He's the best point guard in the Eastern Conference," Ray Allen said of his teammate yesterday. "He's been fun to watch, and the record of the team supports it."

Said Paul Pierce, "[Rondo] is playing like an All-Star; he's one of the top point guards in the NBA. He's full of confidence; coming off a championship does that to young players. I hope he continues to get better - it's only his third year - and that he doesn't get complacent and he continues to grow."

The Celtics take a 20-2 record into tonight's visit to Washington, and Rondo has been a driving force as they have shifted into a higher gear.

But Rondo's numbers - 10.3 points and 7.6 assists per game - would be low for an All-Star selection. Allen, Pierce, and Kevin Garnett, who dominate the Celtics' stat charts, performed in the All-Star Game last year and are strong candidates to repeat.

"If I don't make it, it's not a big deal," Rondo said. "My goal is to be on the All-Defensive team and win a championship.

"You can look at box scores, but you actually have to watch games and see matchups to see who really is the defensive stopper . . . But a lot of times they go off steals, but I don't think that's what counts."

Among Rondo's most effective tactics is poking away dribbles from behind, a play that often leads to Celtic fast breaks.

"It's a gamble," Rondo said. "Either I get it or it's a foul, one or the other. The coaches don't like it, but I think I have a talent for stealing the ball. Sometimes it's a bad thing to do, but a lot of times I do get the ball.

"I try to make plays. I try to get the ball and I think I'm good at doing that. It leads to fast-break points, you get the momentum going, and you get a stop defensively."

Celtics named All-Stars despite low numbers have included Bill Russell (who averaged 9.9 points per game in 1968-69) and Paul Silas (10.6 ppg in 1974-75). Detroit's Ben Wallace averaged 7.3 points in the 2005-06 season, when he was among four Pistons chosen for the All-Star Game. The Celtics could become the first team since Detroit with four All-Stars and, like that group of Pistons, have no All-Star starters. Garnett led the voting last season but he is competing at the forward position with Cleveland's LeBron James and New Jersey's Yi Jianlian of China. Voting concludes Jan. 19.

Washington is expected to test the Celtics, despite having a 4-15 record. They replaced coach Eddie Jordan with Ed Tapscott after a 1-10 start.

"They played us well last year, they took it to us," said Celtics coach Doc Rivers. "They are aggressive and they'll be like that [tonight]. They are coming off an unbelievable win over Detroit, down 15 and came back and won, [107-94]. That's an impressive win. They are playing differently - defense, you can say that's their focus right now, becoming a better defensive team. When there is a new coach, guys tend to have more energy for a while. [Tapscott] has been around the game long enough, he's a jack-of-all-trades, and he's been everywhere. That probably makes him more qualified."

The Celtics have winning streaks of 12 games overall and eight games on the road.

"You don't get anything for being 20-2. I tell the players that all the time," Rivers said. "You get a lot of guys telling you how great you are and you get caught up in that."

The Celtics returned from Indiana early Monday morning and had consecutive practice days for just the second time since the opening week of the season.

"We almost got into a game rhythm, so it was a shock to the system of all of us," Rivers said. "Guys wanted to play [yesterday], but it was nice to have a chance to get adjusted. It does break the rhythm a little bit, and we have to get that going quickly, because we have tough games [tonight] and [tomorrow, against New Orleans]."

Pierce detected no drop-off in the Celtics' concentration.

"You can tell guys are really focused, day in and day out, at practice," Pierce said. "There's no complacency, no letdown."

Marc J. Spears of the Globe staff contributed to this report.