"Here's proof the Celtics are stuck right in the middle of this rich man/poor man league.

For every Oklahoma City there are even more teams like Toronto. As the Celtics discovered, no team can plunge much deeper than a five-game losing streak before one of the NBA's truly poor relations takes its place in line.

As a result of last night's 96-73 win at the Garden, the Celtics broke the worst streak of the new but rapidly aging Big Three era. And the Raptors, who came in with a matching slump, left town with a six-game losing streak."