Well said Jon.
Seriously, how awesome was it to watch the first half, knowing that when the team cares, they could put a whupping on the Cavs? Jamison got swallowed up by KG. Mo got owned by Rondo. Shaq was largely ineffective. The entire game turned, and the only glimmer of hope the Cavs had, was when Varejao came in the game and started playing with crazy energy. (I hate that guy).
Anyway, once this Celtics team knows it is better than an opponent, everyone chills out, having satisfied their competitive instinct. You can see it in their faces in 3rd quarters. Wait until the playoffs when they actually care, will be relatively rested between games, and have long t.v. timeouts to spare them. Things will get much better.
I don't see how the Hawks, Orlando, or Cleveland would beat a healthy, motivated Celtics team.