"The Celtics/Knicks matchup has gone from a Christmas Day centerpiece to an intriguing warmup slipped in two days before Super Bowl Sunday, and the players on the losing end of the last meeting believe much on their end has changed.

For one thing, the Celtics, who may miss Rajon Rondo for the eighth straight game tonight at the Garden, are now 6-2 without their starting point guard, who is still suffering from a sprained right wrist.