For a team that has lost the following for the season:

1. Jermaine - you're starting Center
2. Jeff Green - a potential starter or probably 6th man
3. Chris Wilcox - Sometime starter or first big off the bench

4. Pietrus to start the season and now for extended time
5. Ray Allen - for 7 games and counting
6. Pierce for 7 games and another 5-6 while working into shape
7. Rondo for 10-12 games

To still be within a 7-8 games of sniffing the best record in the league... Not bad, not too bad...

I really enjoy watching this team play - just a ton of heart.
These guys, particularly KG, Pierce and Ray are kind of like the heartbreak hotel gang.

With just a little bit better luck with health, and mostly not with regards to them, they could be:

1. Holding two to three rings right now

2. Pushing on the outside for a possible run this year, even with all things considered - being older and being the single most injured team this year - name another team who's lost three key rotation guys, for the season... and had a slew of other guys still walking that have had serious injury time away from the team.

3. With a couple of nice off season moves - such as adding one healthy, half decent big man, another Vet and a few nice young draft picks, could be very much in the thick of it again next year...

They haven't had the best luck health wise, KG & Powe in '09, Perkins in 2010, Shaq and Rondo in 2011, Jermaine, Green, Wilcox, Pietrus in 2012...but they've got a ton of heart and that makes them just a real joy to watch night in and night out.

Question:
Does the heartbreak hotel have a mystery run in them this year?

Answer:
* KG switches to Center...
* Bass comes in at PF
* Stiemsma and Bradley kind of come out of nowhere to be real contributors
* Ryan Hollins just runs the floor as hard as he can and generally throws down at least one lob a game.
* Most importantly, really great chemistry and just a feisty bunch of guys.
* And somehow they keep winning games.

I don't know the answer but they have that "little engine that could" feel about them. Just a scrappy group of guys, 1-9, that refuses to give up.

Name another team in the league with a group of guys, 1-9, that is as scrappy and mentally tough as the following:
KG, Stiemsma, Bass, Pierce, Pietrus, Rondo, Bradley, Dooling and even Pavlovic. They're all "in your grill" players. It's like playing against 9 Dennis Rodmans.

I can tell you I wouldn't want any part of them come playoff time because they've established this brawler type of identity with their defense and you know it's just going to be the ultimate dog fight every game.

I'm diggin' it.