Why the Celtics are on a Winning Streak

Your Atlantic Division leading Boston Celtics have won five in a row. Need I remind you that four of those five were on the road? Before we all make space in the rafters for the 2006-07 Division Champions banner, let's look at possible reasons for their longest winning streak since March of 2005. (BTW - I am pulling hard for the C's to win the division with a losing record just to see how far away they'll place the banner from the NBA Championship ones. I love division banners.)

The Iverson Factor: Rumors of Iverson possibly going to the C's have been running high the past week. The excitement alone is causing extra effort and focus on the floor. It seems like every night a different player is starring for the team. Even Scalabrine had a decent game filling in for Gomes against Charlotte.

Al Jefferson Starting: The C's are 5-2 since Doc Rivers put Al Jefferson in the starting line-up. And one of those losses was by five against Phoenix, the hottest team in the NBA. Jefferson's fully recovered from the appendix surgery and has averaged 19.8 points and 11.8 rebounds during the winning streak. His future is once again looking bright.

Soft Schedule: The win over Denver was impressive, but the other four teams' combined record is a paltry 29-66. Even the Florida Gators football team would have a tougher non-conference schedule than that... no they wouldn't. Take the wins while you can. After Christmas, the Celtics play seven of eight on the road with six of those against the tougher Western Conference.

Danny Ainge's Vote of Confidence: I wrote last week that Danny Ainge vowing not to fire Doc Rivers was "putting out any flicker of hope within the Celtics' fan base." Instead what this did was to guarantee that Rivers would have the players' attention. Rather than blowing off a lame duck, they know that Rivers will control the most important factor for the rest of the season, the players' minutes.

Whatever the reason, they have a good chance of extending the streak up to Christmas as they host Golden State on Wednesday and Philadelphia on Friday.