(AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

Last night we saw the Celtics dominate their opponent in every aspect of the game. The offense was crisp and focused while the defense was smothering. Since the big three were assembled before the 2007-2008 season, we have grown accustomed to games like this. Through the first five games of the season the Celtics were 5-0 and averaging 25 more points than their opponents and well on their way to another post season appearance. The three games that followed told a different tale. The Celtics looked their age and it wasn’t pretty. You saw laziness on the court, passes were weak, the offense was slow to develop, the defense was slow to help, and the elevation just wasn’t there on jump shots and rebounds.

After watching last nights game, it is clear that when fully rested, there is no team better in the NBA. But what is going to happen come playoff time? These guys looked exhausted only five games into the season. They should be fresh after having not played all summer. Because of this, Doc Rivers is going to have a hell of a job managing everyone’s minutes because unfortunately, the days of Paul Pierce playing 48 minutes every night seem to be over. While Rasheed Wallace is predicting 70+ wins for the season, they may be better off taking advantage of blowouts and a presumed early playoff clinch and rest the hell out of everyone for the last month. I can’t think of anything worse than winning 65 games and then having nothing left in the tank for the playoff run.

Even with appropriate minute management, there is no way to be sure how these guys are feeling come April, May, and June. They look amazing right now, but there is no denying that the NBA season is a grind. Everyone knew the window to win a championship was going to be small when they made these deals, lets just hope we can keep it open for another season or two.

- Chris