At what point does a string of bad performances become a problem that can’t be fixed? At what point does the Celtics' run of uninspired second-half play inspire Danny Ainge to do something to change the mix?

Ainge was a guest on The Big Show hours before the Celtics collapsed (again) in the third quarter of a 93-85 loss to the Hornets Wednesday night and said he was “not ready to blow it up.” (Click here for a full transcript.) If the Orlando breakdown wasn’t enough to change Ainge’s mind, was this one?

The Celtics have been outscored 65-23 in the third quarter of the last two games, which is an overwhelmingly alarming statistic. Especially considering their latest misadventure came three days after an epic collapse that induced all kinds of soul-searching quotes and reactions. 

There’s a week to go before the trade deadline and the Celtics have shown few signs of breaking out of their funk, which has now stretched to 23 games. They are 10-13 during that span.

Is this the real Celtics team, or is it the one that started the season winning 22 of the first 27 games?

That’s the question Ainge has to answer, and time is running out.

Here are three more things after yet another missed opportunity to get this thing turned around:

THE MYTH OF THE P.J. BROWN TYPE

At the very least, Ainge is likely to acquire at least one more player off the veteran scrap heap to fill out the roster. Ever since the team waived Lester Hudson there has been an open spot on the roster with Buyout Veteran X’s name all over it.

Over and over again, we keep hearing about the team acquiring a “P.J. Brown type of player,” and while that’s great in theory, there’s a reason why guys like that are hard to find.

Brown spent his entire underappreciated career as the kind of defense-first rebounding machine that other players should emulate, but few succeed in becoming. He was only available simply because he had decided to retire. If he hadn’t, no one in their right mind would have given him away.

At the beginning of his C's run, P.J. Brown wasn’t even a P.J. Brown type of player. He seemed old and slow and had to scrap for every available minute. But gradually, as he rounded into shape, the fine details of his game became more and more evident as the playoffs progressed.

His knack for getting timely rebounds. His ability to block shots. His subtle but oh-so-effective manner of intentionally fouling players by wrapping up their arms in a way that didn’t cause a riot or invite scrutiny from the officials. Not to mention his clothesline jump shots that he made with uncanny accuracy.

All these things have loosely been defined as intangibles, but they were in fact the tangible essence of Brown’s 15-year career, and they are not easily duplicated. (See: Moore, Mikki for further evidence).

The list of names will become clearer after the trading deadline has passed and buyouts become more prevalent. There could be some interesting names on the list, such as Bobby Simmons and one-time Celtic Tony Battie. Players like that can help, but don’t expect them to make an impact like P.J. Brown.

HEALTH CONCERNS

Ray Allen had started and played in every game before he missed Wednesday’s game with back spasms. He was the only member of the Big Three to answer the bell for each game.

While Allen was back at the team hotel, Paul Pierce struggled through another game in which he played well for a half but didn’t have much left for the second half. His injured left foot is clearly an issue, and while it’s admirable that Pierce insists on playing every game he can, it also may have been wise to have given him an extended break.

Kevin Garnett also struggled through a tough game. Garnett was just 2-for-9 from the field and finished with seven points. He has now played 10 games since returning from his hyper-extended right knee and he has not scored 20 points or had 10 rebounds in any of them.

The Celtics are 5-5 since his return and while it can be argued that they would have been much worse without him, they have not been that much better, either.

Ainge believes the Celtics will get healthier as the season goes along, but that may be just so much blind faith.

Ainge also believes, rightly, that the Celtics can still win if Garnett plays as well as he did earlier in the season. While it wasn’t at his 2007-08 level when he was a legit MVP candidate, the December version of Garnett was good enough for the Celtics to play at an elite level.

One thing is certain. Big deal, small deal or no deal, if the Celtics can’t get healthy, particularly Garnett, they won’t win big in the playoffs. 

BIG HONOR FOR PERK, BIG SNUB FOR RONDO

Kendrick Perkins finally got a little of that respect that he craves when it was announced Wednesday that he was one of the 27 members of the U.S. national team roster.

A lot can happen between now and then, but Perkins would seem to be a longshot for the Olympic team in 2012 considering how loaded the roster is with eight Olympians from the 2008 team.

But what’s important for Perkins is that he is being recognized as an emerging young player. It also won’t hurt his development to be able to spend a summer playing against the best the league has to offer.

Perkins made a reasonably strong case for the All-Star team this season and should easily be a member of the All-Defensive team when it is announced at the end of the season. His success is a testament to all of his hard work, and in his seventh season in the NBA it is all finally paying off with this well-deserved nod.

What was surprising was that Rajon Rondo was not on the team.

USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo said that, “Rondo was not responsive to inquiries regarding his interest. We just assumed that was the case.”

According to Colangelo, Lakers center Andrew Bynum also didn’t respond to requests from USA Basketball.

Colangelo has made it clear during his time in charge of USA Basketball that playing for the team is a privilege, not a right of passage afforded to every emerging young player. Leaving Rondo off the team helps reinforce that message.

It’s worth noting that there are three spots still to be filled, so the opportunity still may be there if Rondo changes his tune. It’s also worth noting that this is a two-way commitment and Rondo has every right to not play, if that’s what he wants to do.

It won’t help his standing in the NBA community at large, but Rondo always has marched to the beat of his own drummer.