We're all disappointed right now, of course, but hopefully we've all cooled off a bit. I have. I feel like I can see things more clearly now, and here's where my thinking stands (caution: it's kinda long, and also subject to change).

My initial thinking -- severely clouded by rage -- was that Danny should blow this team up. Hey, if  this older team couldn't get it done this year, it stands to reason that it won't be able to get it done next season, when every old player on this team is a year older. Right?

I have to admit, though, that I don't want to see Ray, Paul and KG go. I guess I'd be open to it, if Danny could find anyone sucker enough to take any of these big contracts in exchange for some good young talent, but I don't think that's gonna happen. Plus, I believe that all three can still contribute. The key, though, is taking a new approach with these guys.

Ray's in great shape -- the best in the NBA, in my opinion -- and he can still shoot the lights out on any given night. KG looked more like vintage KG this season than he had in a couple of seasons. Paul had another good season shooting the ball, and he's the captain. And all three were pretty much injury-free this season.

All that said, none of these guys is still at the point where he can play 30+ minutes a game for an 82-game regular season and still have enough gas for the playoffs. Age, though not silencing them, at least limited them that much.

The solution, then, is to limit their minutes to no more than 25 a game. Whether they start or come off bench is another matter, perhaps an irrelevant one, but their legs have to be preserved.

Furthermore, there are other guys -- including some on the current roster -- who should be playing more, starting with Delonte West. He should be resigned, and hopefully he stays healthy, because when he's got his legs and is comfortable and in rhythm -- as he appeared to be in the last couple games of The Series That Shall Not Be Named -- he can be dynamite: he's at least as crafty and slippery as Rondo, and can shoot from long range and drive, and is a good defender. He should play 30 minutes a game between the 1 and 2 positions.

The other guy I'm thinking of is Jeff Green. I know, I know, he didn't exactly light it up, but I'm eager to see him after a full training camp, and I think he deserves that chance. He runs like a gazelle, can jump, has a great post game for his position, and even showed some good slashing ability in the last couple games of TSTSNBN. I think he should be resigned -- though not at a break-the-bank cost -- and given 30 minutes a game, most of that at the 3.

The Celtics are in clear need of getting some more younger players, guys with roughly the athletic ability of West and Green, and the top priority among these yet-to-be-acquired youngsters should be a center. I like JO, and I'll be glad if he stays; I think he'll make a good No. 2 center. I'm even fine with keeping Curly as our No. 3 center, provided he comes cheap, but Boston needs a young, healthy, athletic buck to man the middle. I realize that there aren't a lot of good options available to fit this bill, but Boston needs to try for this. Two things that Boston must absolutely, positively NOT do this offseason are acquiring players older than 30, and acquiring players with significant injury history. At this point, I'd rather take someone less talented but who's athletic, young and able to stay injury-free. Sam Dalembert would be ideal.

If Shaq could get and stay healthy, I'd love to see him around, but from what I'm hearing, that's likely to not happen. That's sad, because I like him, and because he played so well when he was healthy, but maybe it's for the best. Boston needs a long-armed leaper who can block shots, grab rebounds and just generally wreak lots of havoc in the paint.

Glen Davis must go. Even without the added weight he was a liability -- too short and lead-footed to block shots on defense, too short and lead-footed to be a force on offense. Furthermore, he became a drain on the team, and on the fans: with every missed layup, every shot he had swatted back in his face, every stumblin', bumblin', foolish thing he did (and there were lots), another gallon of energy bled from the team.

Davis, though, is the only "must go." There are certainly several other guys whom Boston doesn't need to keep, and I guess I wouldn't be hurt if they were sent packing, but whom Danny should think long and hard about before giving them pink slips. Von Wafer, for example: he got better defensively as the season went along, he can light it up when's he on, and he's a good third option at the 2 guard behind Ray and Delonte. Why look any further to fill that need?

And since Boston spent about three seasons looking for a true backup point guard, it might be wise to keep Carlos Arroyo -- unless Doc is ready to give Bradley a real shot at the 1. Arroyo's a savvy vet who can knock down the open 3 and can handle the ball well -- just what you need in a third-string PG.

That leaves Pavolic and Murphy to consider. Another of Boston's big needs over the past three seasons, after a legit backup point guard, is sufficient wing depth. If Boston re-signs Green to spell Pierce (which I think is a good idea), I think Pavlovic would make a good third option at the 3 -- he can shoot the 3, has some slashing ability, and is pretty good defensively. Murphy, I admit, was a big disappointment, but he was coming off a long layoff and didn't get much run with Boston. As with Green, I'm eager to see what Murphy could do with a full Boston training camp under his belt, because he's only 30, and has a good track record with rebounding, which is something Boston desperately, desperately needs. Plus, he can stick the 3.

A lot of what I just wrote, though, has to do with looking forward, but I don't want to forget to take a few moments to look back. Each of the last three seasons ended in disappointment, and I burned with rage each time, and I didn't get the 2 or 3 or 4 titles that we could've (or should've) had, but I'm thankful for what the last four years have been like for the Celtics and their fans: four seasons in which Boston was a legitimate title contender, including two Finals trips and one ring; four seasons when Celtics had something to really cheer about; four season in which we got to see several future Hall of Famers put up good numbers and good games while producing lots of Ws. I'm so glad I've had the privilege of watching KG and Ray in Celtic green, and I've come to have a greater appreciation for now-(mostly)mature Pierce. Now that I've had a bit of separation from TSTSNBN, I appreciate those guys more, and what they've done, particularly how they've changed the culture and brought the best franchise in NBA history back to respectability. I look forward to the offseason, to seeing what tricks Danny has up his sleeve, to seeing the beginning of a youth movement in Beantown and the continuation of a good thing with the Big 3, and to seeing the mixed concoction thereof that will take the court next fall.

A big thank-you to Jeff and Roy, and thanks also to everyone else who made meaningful contributions to CelticsBlog this season and who'll continue to do so.

Well, Rondo's shooting jumpers in a "quick-fix" attempt at cutting Miami's 13-point lead with less than three minutes left, so I guess that makes it official: the C's are done ... for this game, and for the series.

Pessimistic? Yes, but let's be real: Boston's not suddenly going to start playing a whole lot better simply because they go home, so it's likely that Miami takes one of two there, meaning Boston will have to win three straight to finish the series in seven, and that's not gonna happen -- not that this Miami team can't be beaten in three straight, but because Boston has decided to not focus, to not concentrate, to not put everything it has into this series. The bumbling and stumbling, the failure to secure rebounds (try using two hands, you guys), the sloppy play, the failure to secure loose balls most of the time ... and allowing a 13-0 run late in the fourth after tying the game? Not the marks of a championship team.

I tried hard to enjoy this season, I really did, but with Shaq out for so long, and the mental softness that's apparently the new hallmark of this squad, I think the run is over. Prepare to watch either the hated Lakers or the hated Heat win the title this season, then settle in for the lockout next season (hey, at least the Heat and Lakers won't be able to win it, either), and hope that the new coach and new GM can make wise use of what will be decent salary-cap space. Then, I figure, it'll be at least a couple years before they're again ready to be serious contenders, unless they somehow score two HUGE free agents to go along with Rondo and Green (please, Danny, ship Baby out of town ASAP) -- then, perhaps, they'll be back in the Finals sooner.

As for this year, though, it's over, and I don't care if you think I'm just being a huge Debbie Downer.

I really need some help. Not in a "talk me off the ledge" sense, but in a "I really don't get it" sense. Really. I don't understand. And I hope someone can help me.

Why does Doc insist on continuing to use Baby even when the big fella falls in love with his jumper, to the detriment of his post game, and even when he's matched up against guys (such as Boozer) who can just shoot over him?

Why doesn't Doc (or someone -- ANYONE!) get in Rondo's grill and make him be consistently aggressive?

Why do the C's so often go away from post play and dribble penetration? Why do they not follow a consistent strategy of getting into the bonus early, and getting the opposition's key players in foul trouble? I think Deng had 3 fouls in the first half, but Boston stopped targeting him in the second half.

Why does no one from the bench (outside of Davis, and we know how often that fails to work out) ever take the initiative and get aggressive? Delonte seems content to dribble around the perimeter, hardly ever shooting and even less frequently driving the lane; Green often seems to just "be there," like a bump on a log; and Curly isn't doing a good job of getting in there and getting his nose dirty.

I guess there are more "whys" I could pose, but what's the use? I was starting to feel good about this team again -- they'd won 3 out of 4, Rondo had played well in all 4, and JO looked solid in all 4 -- but here we go again with another lackluster, "I'm bored, just get me to the playoffs, higher seeding be darned" effort. With the exception of Shaq, this team is now as healthy as an NBA team can be at this point in the season, from top to bottom, so the health excuse was pretty much off the table tonight ... and they still lost. Like all Celtics fans, I continue to hope that the C's again "flip the switch" come playoff time, but this apathetic attitude toward the latter part of the regular season -- even when health is basically not an issue -- is maddening to me. Hopefully my worrying is all for naught, and only time will tell, but I sure wish these guys would show some fire on a consistent basis.

I'm sure we all want KG to have a big year, and that we all hope he'll have a big year, but opinions may differ on whether he will. Me? I've had a feeling for some time now that KG will be dynamite this season.

I realize that there's always the health factor, as well as age, and I also realize that I could simply be succumbing to a massive case of wishful thinking and/or homerism. Over the last few weeks, though, I've had a persistent sense that we're going to be seeing a lot of Classic KG this season, and there are a couple of tangible, less-emotional factors to back me up. First (again barring injury) is a deeper bench, which should mean more rest for KG, which should mean better production when he does play -- and less risk of injury.

The second factor is KG's numbers from last season. Below are his monthly averages from the '09-'10 campaign (points, FG%, rebounds, assists), with number of games played that month in parentheses. Analysis follows.

October (3):          13.0   .531    7.0    1.3
November (14):     14.4   .524    7.4    2.6
December (12):     16.3   .580    8.0    2.7
January (5):          12.2   .469    5.8    2.8
February (12):       14.0   .550    7.6    3.3
March (17):           14.1   .508    8.0    2.5
April (6):               14.3   .419    4.8    2.7

During the first three months of the season, KG's numbers steadily climbed, culminating with an impressive December. Then, however, came the hyperextended right knee, which kept him out for the majority of January. His numbers, as you might suspect, were down significantly upon his return, but then they began to climb again before fading a bit at the end of the regular season, which I attribute (nonscientifically, of course) to fatigue from playing a full season after missing a large chunk of the previous campaign.

What all this suggests to me is that even though KG may not ever again be the freak he was at his physical peak, he's got plenty left in the tank when healthy, and that last season may have been an '07-'08-like performance if it wasn't for the recurring knee problem. KG is now, however, more than a full year removed from surgery, which is usually how much time it takes to fully recover from such a setback, and this, combined with his statistical increases after both his injury periods, makes me think that KG, barring the catastrophe we all fear, will make his presence felt in a big way this season.

By a miracle of quantum physics (for details, see LOST), I managed to secure a copy of tonight's postgame comments from various Celtics perpetrators -- I mean players. Here's a sampling.

From Paul Pierce: "I got no answers for tonight. But you know, we'll get the kinks worked out and be ready by the time the playoffs roll around. (indiscernable comment in the background) What? Oh, yeah, that's right. The playoffs are already here. (awkward silence) Umm, no comment."

From Kevin Garnett: "No excuses. We've just gotta play harder. (another indiscernable comment) Well, yeah, I know I've been saying that all season, but it's only May, you know what I'm sayin'? We'll get it right."

And from Doc Rivers: "We just didn't have the energy tonight. That three-day layoff between games wasn't enough, especially with all the injuries we've had this season. But we'll be alright. These are veteran guys; they know how to hit the switch when the time comes."

Bobby Jackson is retiring! Bobby Jackson is retiring! According to The Associated Press, Bobby Jackson is retiring. Not that the Celtics had definite plans to go after him at any point this season, but this gives us the answer to at least one potential question. I wish him well, and hopefully things pan out just fine for him as well as for the C's. 

The AP story:

"Bobby Jackson is retiring from the NBA.
The 12-year veteran guard, who spent six seasons with Sacramento, made the announcement Friday night
before the Kings’ preseason finale against the Utah Jazz.
Jackson averaged 9.7 points per game in his career. He was the league’s Sixth Man of the Year in
2002-03 with averages of 15.2 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists.
The former University of Minnesota star played for Sacramento last season but was not re-signed in the
offseason.
“It’s a tough day for me because I’m retiring from professionally playing the game I love,” he said.
“But it’s also a happy day because I’m retiring on my own terms.”
Jackson will work with the Kings as an ambassador, promoting the team in local appearances and handling
some scouting.