"Doc Rivers keeps talking up the positives. He keeps saying that he likes this team, as if emotional reinforcement will pull the Celtics out of their non-athletic daze.

In that respect, their fifth straight loss was different from the previous four. The C's had moments where they challenged the hottest team in the league in last night's 97-88 loss to Oklahoma City.

But on Martin Luther King Day — also known as Kendrick Perkins Homecoming Day — no amount of challenging play could overcome an inevitable barrage."