ROLES REVERSED

Though the Bruins are having a solid year by most standards, the Celtics have been untouchable. So more often than not the Green Machine goes undefeated over a period of a week and the Bruins not so much. Well, at least for one week, things are different in the Boston sports scene.
The Celtics had last weekend off for the All-Star Weekend and had a 41-9 record. Even better, they were 16-0 against the vaunted Western Conference. Well, with All-Star KG back in the lineup for a 5 game West Coast trip, things looked bright.
Reality check. The Celtics went 0-3 this week. They lost a high scoring affair 124-118 to the Nuggets and then lost to Golden State on a Baron Davis buzzer beater 119-117. Oh well. No big deal. Both opponents are rather good and sellout road matches can be tough. The Celtics are the best team in the NBA and much like the Patriots, have a bulls-eye on them from every opponent here on out.
The Celtics had a chance to redeem themselves against Nash, Stoudemire and the recently acquired Shaq. Well, they got smoked 85-77, as Allen and Pierce looked horrific shooting the ball.
So the Celtics went 0-3. They are now 41-12 and 16-3 vs. the West. No real reason to panic. They played 3 straight playoff opponents on the road. The only discerning event was that Phoenix welcomed in the Celts only Eastern Conference challenger, Detroit, 2 days later and the Suns lost by 30. Not a pleasant sign. With the win, Detroit is within 1.5 games of the Celts. The Celtics play Portland tonight and LA Clippers tomorrow. Then they head home for for the Cavs.
So what did we learn as fans this week? The Celts, while still great, will have a tough time winning the Finals vs. whoever comes out of the West. It's humbling. But 3 games matter little at this point.
So the green went winless. Hoe about the Bruins? This is where the roles are reversed for once. After losing 4 in a row at home, the 5 game trip started off good. They beat the Pens then got a point in Toronto. They had 3 games left- all taking place this week. The went to Carolina and held a 2-0 lead all game. But with just about 1 minute left, Thomas lost the shutout after Carolina pulled their goalie. Then, as time was expiring, they scored again and suddenly it was tied. Saving face, they won in the shootout. Then the club went to Florida to take on the Panthers and Lightning. The Bruins found themselves down 4-2 after 2 periods and made a change as they entered the final frame. They pulled Thomas and put in Auld. Auld held the Panthers off the scoreboard allowing the B's to tie it. In the shootout, Auld was perfect and Sturm beat Vokoun and thus, the Bruins won again.
Last night, Auld was in net again and the Bruins got 2 goals from Murray en route to a 5-3 win.
The Bruins finished the trip 4-0-1. So you can see, they're young and inconsistent. How do you lose 4 in a row at home then go out West and not lose? A note- the Providence Bruins are a whopping 41-12 in the AHL. The future looks bright, eh?
The team heads home with momentum and an outside shot at the division and conference. They host Ottawa, Pittsburgh and Atlanta this week. Here are the conference standings (top 8 of 15) with roughly 20 games left.
1. New Jersey 79
2. Ottawa 78
3. Carolina 69
4. Pittsburgh 77
5. Montreal 75
6. Boston 70
7. NYR 70
8. Buffalo 68