Celtics’ 2-1 road trip bodes well for stretch run

“Two out of three ain’t bad,” as Southerners like to say. Especially when the two wins came as part of a Texas two-step including victories against the Rockets and the red-hot Dallas Mavericks. Although the Celtics lost a tough game in Utah Monday night, Celtics fans have many reasons for optimism heading into the season’s stretch run.With only a couple of weeks left in the regular season, the Celtics appear to have something that they have been lacking all season: their health. It is no secret both Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce have been plagued with injuries for the majority of the 2009-10 campaign. Although Pierce did not miss as much time as Garnett, he is now telling the media that maybe he should have, saying, “For the most part I think I am just healthy now. I played in a lot of games that I shouldn’t have played in, and I feel it’s starting to come around as far as my knee, my hand, and my foot. When you play at less than 100 percent, it hurts, especially at the age I am at right now.”The fact remains that the Celtics were a relatively healthy bunch through their first 30 games, which led to a league-best 23-5 start, including wins over Cleveland, Orlando, and the Lakers. It is that healthy version of the Celtics that coach Doc Rivers is trying to get his team back to, and given the history of his team’s starting lineup he is confident that the C’s will get there.”I’m still concerned, but I believe it’s going to come together,” Rivers said. “One thing I like about this group, especially our starting five, is they know what a good Celtics team looks like. That gives us a chance.””A chance” is what this recent stretch of quality basketball has once again given the Celtics; “a chance” to quiet their critics, “a chance” to be special, and most importantly “a chance” to contend. Yes, the Celtics do have a legitimate chance to make a lot of noise this spring, and for a team that has losses to the likes of the Clippers, the Warriors and the historically dreadful Nets the Celtics should consider themselves lucky that they do indeed have a chance at postseason success.The Green have “a chance” to continue gaining playoff momentum tonight at the Garden against the always difficult Denver Nuggets.