Five off-day thoughts as we ready for the end of an era, the beginning of the best Boston sports comeback since 2004 or a stay of execution ... 

1. The number that stands out from Game 4 is 17 -- the number of points the Celtics scored in the final 17 minutes and the differential in rebounding between the two teams. (It was 45-28, and the Celtics had just three offensive rebounds in 53 minutes. Each of the Miami Big Three had as many offensive boards as the Celtics team.) 

2. In the final 14 minutes of the game, the Celtics attempted two shots from inside 10 feet -- the missed layup by Rondo and the layup by Pierce that tied the game at 86-86 with 41 seconds left. That's it. We can argue if that is part a product of an injured Rondo and a worn-down Pierce, but of this there is zero doubt: Kevin Garnett -- who dominated Game 3 by planting himself in the post and killing Chris Bosh -- had zero interest in getting down in the blocks on Monday. 

Garnett had 10 field-goal attempts in Game 3, the shortest of which was a 13-footer. He made one -- his first attempt, a 21-foot first-quarter jumper. (Game 3? Garnett took 20 shots -- 13 of which were 10 feet or closer.) I get that he has never been and never will be Kevin McHale as a post force, but isn't there some point in a 1-for-10 shooting night when you come to the realization that maybe you should go back to the formula that led to 28 points just 48 hours earlier? Is Joel Anthony -- a swell supporting piece, but come on -- really such a game-changer defensively that he can impose his will on Garnett? 

3. And you have to give Doc Rivers -- who gets the kid-glove treatment around here (understandably, he's been a terrific coach, obviously, but he's equally good with the press and is usually quick to give himself a hit) -- some blame for not forcing the issue with Garnett on Monday night. 

If you are Rivers and there is absolutely no post presence, don't you make sure Garnett gets at least two or three looks inside after what he did in Game 3? Not a vintage night from Doc, who played Big Baby too much (more on him later) and didn't play Jeff Green (quietly having a nice series) enough.

Also this: If Bosh/Wade/James butchered the final possession of regulation the way Pierce/Allen/Garnett did, the first shot TNT would show would be of Erik Spoelstra. The second? Pat Riley and his "kind of cougar in an older sister of Linda Holliday sort of way" wife. And the snarky "Hey, Spoelstra will be a nice addition to NBA TV next year!" tweets would be flying around. But in this series there have been two games -- Game 2 and Game 4 -- when the outcome was in doubt with eight minutes left. The Heat have won both. Having the two best players in the series playing at their peak helps, of course, but can someone tell me a major mistake Spoelstra has made in this series? And if we are going to universally get together and write love letters to Doc regarding his ability to draw up inbounds plays -- and I've contributed lyrics -- don't we have to be consistent and knock him when it goes wrong, as we saw in Game 4?

4. Aren't we all tired of Big Baby's act now? We had to live with it during the whole Shrek and Donkey routine last year because Davis was actually productive, but does anyone want to hear him talk about the need to "find Glen" at this point? If you have an overwhelming desire to vomit, I'd suggest watching the video of Davis talking to the media last night. What a hideous pity party. Save the Oprah magazine self-help talk and start playing basketball. What happened to guy who led the NBA in charges taken, or the guy who was a legitimate Sixth Man of the Year candidate for most of the season? 

There's always been more than a whiff of fraud around Davis -- who has the emotional maturity of the third baseman on your son's Tee-Ball Team -- but again, you were OK with his mugging for the camera and crying when his teammates berated him when he screwed up.

In reality, it's always been easy to find Glen, but thanks to -- I'm guessing -- an extra 15-20 pounds it's actually impossible to miss him as he does nothing on the court. It's like he and Shaq are on a bizzaro "Biggest Loser" race to 400 pounds, with Thomas Hamilton and Buster Douglas as the celebrity trainers. 

I don't think we are entering massive stretch territory to suggest that Big Baby -- who complained about his role on this team on media day in October -- might not land on Doc's Mount Rushmore of favorite players to coach. I'd be awfully surprised if the final game of this series (or season, I guess, if they find a way to win three in a row) isn't the last game Davis plays as a member of the Celtics. A shame, really, because if he was smart enough to stay in shape and keep his mouth shut he could be a solid No. 3 or No. 4 type of guy, think 14-8 with tons of energy, in a post-Big Three World. But I think we are watching a man finishing up some serious bridge burning.

5. I think this series ends Wednesday, so I suppose we should wait until at least Thursday to write the Changing of the Guard stuff. And this isn't the time for this, either, but this is Year 4 of a group that most thought had a window of two, three years at the most to be a title contender. I know the idea of house money isn't going to be real helpful if you have to sit there and watch LeBron break out his carefully choreographed "I've finally knocked off big brother" look at the end of the game on Wednesday, but no matter how this series concludes it's been an immensely satisfying four years by any reasonable measure. A long way from Sebastian Telfair, Kevin Pinkney, and the art of tanking.