The Celtics head into the all star break and probably have to be happy about that because it could not have came at a better time.  Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo will head to Orlando to participate in the game on Sunday (well deserved) but the rest of the Celtics will use these 5 days to rest and get key players healthy.

Right now if the season ended today the Celtics would make the playoffs but would be the #8 seed and would have to play the Miami Heat in the first round.  The Celtics will want to avoid the #7 and #8 seeds so they can avoid the Heat and Bulls in the opening round.  I am confident that if healthy the Celtics can compete and beat any other team in the eastern conference.  Being the die hard fan that I am I am also hopefull if healthy they can beat those top two teams but it really would be a challenge that is close to impossible to do.  The Heat and Bulls are younger teams with athletic players all over the board.  Add the fact that they are both hungry for a championship.

Rajon Rondo has missed some time with the wrist injury and just recently served his two game suspension for throwing a basketball at the official.  These last two games have shown how important Rajon Rondo is to the Celtics.  He is their best overall player and puts the other players in positions to score and be effective.  He is also a one man fast break and a terror on the defensive end.  He is needed on the court if the Celtics are going to even think about competitng for a championship and is the future of the organization.

Brandon Bass who has been the 6th man for this team and a pleasant surprise has been sidelined for the last two weeks with a knee injury and they Celtics bench has really been  hurt with his absence.  Bass is averaging nearly 12 points a game and 6 rebounds and has really been a spark off the bench.  Bass is expected to return on Tuesday and that will be big to give the Celtics more depth.

Jermaine O'Neal has dealt with nagging injuries all season and has missed some time most recently with a wrist injury.  O'Neal is a defensive threat blocking 1.7 shots per game and also is a veteran who can rebound and hit an open jump shot.  More importantly he is the starting center and gives the Celtics defense length and someone who knows the system from having played in it last year.  He was listed as day to day for last night's game at the Thunder so I would expect that he is ready to go on Tuesday.

Chris Wilcox who has been very good for the Celtics missed some games and really shortened their bench because he was forced into a starting role for a few games while Garnett missed time and with Bass and O'Neal  being out.  Wilcox missed Wednesday's game with adductor strain.  He was averaging 10.5 points and 5 rebounds in his last 4 games and really gave the Celtics someone who could run the floor with Rondo and was always an option for an alley oop.

So the Celtics should be getting back to full strength coming out of the all star break which is a welcoming site for the older guys because they won't need to play as many minutes and they will be fresh for the stretch run.  Some of the younger guys on the Celtics also gained valuable experience so far this season which might benefit the Celtics in the future years.  Avery Bradley, JuJuan Johnson, E'Twuan Moore are all players who could have bigger roles next season.

The Celtics open their second half against the team that trails them for the #8 seed right now the Cleveland Cavaliers.  They also have the Bucks and Nets right after so it gives the Celtics a good opportunity to win some games and gain some seperation from the Cavaliers and possibly gain on some of the teams ahead of them.  They go on a brutal 8 game road trip that starts out west where they have games against the Lakers, Clippers, Warriors, Kings, Nuggets, Hawks, Bucks, and Sixers.  This road trip could be the make or break part of the season.  They also have to brace for their lone back to back to back of the season.  They benefit in the fact that they play weaker teams but it will still take it's tole on the old Celtics as the season winds down.

They have a tough schedule down the stretch playing the Heat 3 times in the final month and also have matchups with the Spurs, Bulls, Magic, Hawks, 76ers and Pacers.  They need to take care of business early on in the second half of the season and gain a comfortable margin on their competition or they will be in for a battle as they head down the stretch.

I still think this team has the potential to win a playoff series or two and the optimist in me has them going on 1 last run but they need to stay healthy and fresh and they will need to catch a break or two for that to happen.  It will be interesting to see if Danny Ainge makes any kind of move at the trade deadline or if he stands pat and lets this team play it out 1 last time.