The Celtics lost in miserable fashion tonight. They threw the ball away. Let it bounce off their fingers. KG disappeared for most of the game. Jeff Green put the finishing touches on a Celtics era that probably cost him tens of millions of dollars. Shaq most likely ended his career in a suit.

So what's next?

This shouldn't come as a surprise since I've never been a huge fan of Rajon Rondo but the first move I'd look at making is trading him. If the C's can somehow move him for Deron Williams or Chris Paul, I think the Celtics have to make that move. Yes, CP3 would be another injury prone player on a team of walking wounded but he's a beast, will fit in defensively, and can add much needed shooting to the Celtics lineup. More importantly, if the Celtics can lock up Paul, they'll have him and Paul Pierce and little else on their ledger in 2012, when Dwight Howard becomes a free agent.

But barring a Rondo move, I'm really not sure what the Celtics can do besides giving it one more college try or blow the whole thing to pieces. If you lose Garnett, you'll have lost the defensive personality of this squad. I don't know how Boston intends to trade Ray Allen and get something of value and also replace his shooting/scoring. I'll be somewhat stunned if Paul Pierce doesn't retire a Celtic. And beyond those three and Rondo, there's not much else. Half the team is unsigned and the other half is fairly untradeable. Of course, this is also the problem with staying the course. The Celtics are likely to lose either Jeff Green or Big Baby and there's not that much out there in free agency to replace them, nevermind fill the bigger void of finding another consistent scorer (ideally, in the post.) Danny Ainge is going to have to work some magic to tread water while the Heat and Bulls will most certainly improve their rosters.

The fact of the matter is that this current Big Three Era is over. Unless they somehow turn back the clock and Rondo learns how to shoot, I'm not sure this team is going to have a real shot at getting out of the East. A rebuild on the fly also looks unlikely unless Ainge can make some insane wheeling and dealing moves that replace the talents of the departed Big Three while also adding to the roster. So unless Boston can somehow manage to move Rondo into Deron or CP3, I think next year will be more of the same, both in terms of the roster and disappointing finish.