Celtics haven't lived up to their championship expectations

BOSTON -- It's a simple question.

Are the Boston Celtics championship material?

Even if the Celtics beat Cleveland in Game 7 on Sunday, the answer still could be no.

Somewhere, while attempting to restrain Rasheed Wallace from attacking a ref, the Detroit Pistons must be laughing their asses off.

"These are the guys," they must be thinking, "who are going to beat us?"

After one of the more impressive regular-season runs in recent NBA history, the Celtics barely beat the dreg-like Atlanta Hawks and failed to stomp on the necks of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Boston, it seems, also couldn't perform on the postseason road if Annie Savoy welcomed them to her hotel room.

No team has won an NBA championship without winning at least one postseason game away from home. Indeed, only three teams captured just one playoff road game en route to a title: the 1954 Syracuse Nationals, the 1955 Philadelphia Warriors and the 1964 Celtics. That's the kind of fire Boston has been playing with.

Sam Cassell's experience might be what the Celtics are missing on the road. (Getty Images)

It might be time to reevaluate the team so many of us -- including me -- thought would be practically unbeatable in the playoffs and ride a magic carpet to the NBA Finals.

They still could end up doing just that. If Boston defeats the Cleveland, it matches up well with Detroit, and it remains wholly possible the Celtics could cure their Andromeda Strain of a road virus.

Still they have some glaring road-infused flaws.

Here are 10 serious (and some not-so serious) ways the Celtics could cure their road ills:

10. Play Sam Cassell more. He's experienced and fearless. The raucous crowds don't faze him.

9. Don't buy the Eddie House hype. The Celtics point guard is good off the bench, but I'll still take Cassell, defensive shortcomings and all.

8. In big moments, give the ball to Kevin Garnett. He's the superstar. Let him have the big shots.

7. Rent the movie The Road Warrior. Or any movies with the word "road" in it like Road House. Or The Wizard of Oz because there is a Yellow Brick Road. It's a psychological thing.

6. Stop complaining about the refs. Although game officials didn't have their best day in Game 6 against Cleveland, the Celtics did too much crying about foul calls during the game and somewhat afterward. Championship teams don't let questionable calls get under their skin.

5. Change the road routine. Whatever Doc Rivers and the Celtics are doing now isn't working. Shake up the routine completely. If you already have, do it again.

4. Invite a former Celtic great to speak to the team before every road game. It could inspire the troops.

3. Pull a Lawrence Taylor. In a 60 Minutes interview, the former New York Giants linebacking great said he used to send prostitutes to the room of a key opposing player the night before a game. In the next round, should they advance, the Celtics should send one to 'Sheed.

2. More Glen Davis off the bench. Tends to foul too much but he hits the boards hard and provides toughness.

1. Get nastier. I think this is the biggest thing for Boston. At home, they are a brutal, suffocating force. On the road, they're timid. They need to keep their nastiness when they cross the Massachusetts state line.

We'll discover a great deal about the Celtics in their climatic Game 7 and possibly beyond.

Mostly, we'll get the answer to the question, at some point soon. Is this team a title contender?