Celtics’ final 20 regular-season games could tell much about this team

For Boston Celtics fans still attempting to figure out who this team is, my message to you is simple. Stop. There is not one basketball mind this side of Red Auerbach that could figure this bunch out. While the goal of returnuing to the NBA Finals may still be within their grasp, it certainly will not be an easy nor a predictable road for the Green. From a distance, the Celtics hold a terrific record (40-22) and with four consecutive wins before last night’s loss to Milwaukee, they appear to be trending in the right direction. Still so many questions remain, and with time running out on the regular season the urgency for answers is rising to a boil.A bright spot for the Celtics has been the sudden reemergence of Ray Allen. The fact is, the Celtics’ 34-year-old shooting guard has been scorching hot since not being traded at the February deadline, including 57 percent shooting from the field and a blistering 44 percent on three-point shooting. Allen is starting to see parallels between this Celtics team and the 2008 NBA championship team.”I compare my feeling now opposed to if we lost that game,” Allen said. “It definitely makes my food later taste a lot better. We just keep building, keep building. I have been reflecting on the championship year – losing to Washington three times, Charlotte beat us a couple times, and we were just so dejected because of it. But sometimes it’s just matchups; we just have to move forward.”Also helping the Celtics has been the acquisition of the explosive Nate Robinson. In his handful of games his offense has helped stabilize the second unit while allowing Rasheed Wallace to step away from the three-point line, and step back into the paint.There is no quick fix to what has ailed the Green this season. They have battled age, injury and each other. Still, the fact remains the Celtics have at least managed to keep themselves in the championship conversation. For a team that has kept its fans on the edge all season long, its recent play may be an indication that it is not as ready to fade into obscurity as we once believed. Then again, for the first time all season, coach Doc Rivers has his entire roster healthy and at his disposal. While judging the Celtics based upon their first 60 games may be the logical thing to do, it is becoming ever clearer that it will be the remaining 20 games that tell the tale of the 2009-2010 Boston Celtics.