A game that should have been so much about Ray Allen’s return to Boston and the clash of two Eastern Conference rivals is so much not about that.

The reality is, the Celtics are ill-prepared for Sunday’s matchup with the Miami Heat, having lost six consecutive games. At this point, they can’t beat the Pistons or the Cavaliers or the Knicks. Even more ghastly, they couldn’t hold a 27-point lead against the less-than-rugged Atlanta Hawks.