With the Boston Celtics losing streak at a franchise record 16 games and counting, it begs the question: how bad can you be?  

Let us just say that Paul Pierce’s left elbow infection is just the tip of the iceberg.

Things are so bad in Boston that the few fans that go to the Garden for games started an M-V-P chant for Kobe Bryant the other night. It’s pretty bad when your own fans start cheering for a visiting star, but who ever thought we’d see the day when a Celtic’s crowd was rooting for a LAKER?!?!

These may be not be the Celtics of old, but they’re also a lot worse than the mediocre Celtics of more recent vintage.

During the current losing streak, only once has a Celt starter scored over 30 points, and it came in an overtime loss at that.  Moreover, if it weren’t for winning two of three games to start January, the Celts would be winless in 2007. That’s right, the green and white are playing at a 2-17 clip in the New Year.

Even opponents like former Celtic Antoine Walker are starting to sweat at the fact of being on the wrong end of a Celtics victory (which one would imagine has to happen one of these days).  Walker tried to avoid talking about the Celtics losing streak before the Heat played in Boston Wednesday night, fearful that Miami would be the team that the Celts finally beat.
 
The Celtics are so bad, they’re beyond the point where they can blame it on injuries.  No, Wally Szczerbiak’s nagging ankle injury is not the problem, and neither is the season-ending injury that Tony Allen suffered.

And as for the coach, Doc Rivers? It’s impossible to imagine how he still has a job, but he’ll be long gone before Greg Oden or Kevin Durant  suit up for the Celtics. Oden or Durant will, of course, be the player the Celtics draft with the number one pick in the draft. Of course, since Rivers is driving the runaway train of losing that is getting the Celtics closer to that pick on a daily basis, Boston fans will no who to thank when they snag one of the two college stars.

The Celts look like they might shatter the NBA record of 23 consecutive losses held by Vancouver and Denver.  They do have the All-Star break to mope, but they better not . mope for too long since, starting February 20th, they play five games in seven days against the likes of Phoenix, Utah and Houston.

So how good can Boston really be? Well, if they lose to the Rockets on February 26, they’ll be the worst ever. By one measure at least: it will be their 24th straight loss.