Celtics complete their California trip with another big loss to Kings: 96-118

Rondo's return did not help things at all.

Remember the game back in March against Kings? Oh, OK, then you didn't have to see this one. In case you don't remember how that one ended, well, Celtics lost again as they were not able to handle a depleted Kings backcourt. No Aaron Brooks, no Tyreke Evans, no Marcus Thornton (in second half)? No problem. They had Isaiah Thomas (especially him), John Salmons, an Allen Iverson look-alike and Jimmer Fredette to shine.

I miss the good old Celtics that wouldn't let the other team score more than 24 per quarter (well, for at least 3 quarters any given game). The current Celtics are the exact opposite of that. We give away too many 3 point opportunities, we cannot defend in the paint (yeah, experiment Collins is shockingly failing), the opponents cut and penetrate like crazy. Celtics won't win anything as long as they continue to defend this way. It's as simple as that.

If you're looking for a silver lining, here it is: Terry (20 pts), Garnett (16 pts and 12 rbds) and Pierce (20 points) all shot above .500 and in double digits. Green (16 pts) and Sullinger (10 pts and 6 rbds) continued to contribute as well. I can't say the same for Rondo who only had 2 points and 10 assists. If Rondo only has 2, then he needs to have 15+ assists. Oh, and Lee shot 0-6, the exact opposite of what he has shown last night. Well, isn't this the story of Celtics this year? No consistency whatsoever.

This was the last game before Bradley returns. We'll see whether this team will get its defensive identity back in January. If not, get ready to see some major changes.

Happy new years. Make sure you have a lot of fun tomorrow night to forget about this terrible, horrible three game losing streak.