They all had to know this was coming.

Each and every person in the Celtics organization, from the players to the coaches to the front office, had to know that when the calendar turned to March and the final countdown to the trade deadline began there would be one rumor after another. A five-year run of exceptional basketball led by iconic players is coming to an end, and that makes this a little different than, say, Portland.

That doesn’t make it any easier. From their objection to various modifiers like “aggressively” to the more mundane out-there rumors like the one that sort of had Kevin Garnett involved in some kind of deal for Atlanta’s Josh Smith, the Celtics have been dealing with the incessantly churning rumor mill and will continue to do so until March 15.

“It’s like déjà vu,” Rajon Rondo said after the Celtics enjoyed a much-needed 107-94 blowout win against the Nets on Friday night.

Before the game, coach Doc Rivers once again voiced his displeasure with the latest round of reports that they were “aggressively shopping” Rondo.

“Here’s my take on any of it. I don’t mind any rumors that are true. I think I’m pretty up front with you guys. I do get upset when they’re not true,” Rivers said. “In my opinion, sometimes news is created and then people report on the news that they created. When that happens, I’m not real happy with it. In this case, and in the [Pau] Gasol case, that’s two already I haven’t been real happy with. There’s no truth to it. The Gasol rumor was even crazier. I don’t know where it came from.”

As for the Garnett-Smith rumor, Rivers said it was the first he had heard of it. They can’t deny every rumor, although their vociferous reactions to the Rondo rumors shouldn’t be taken lightly.

One more time: They are not actively shopping Rondo. If someone wants to offer the sun, moon and Dwight Howard, then of course Danny Ainge will listen. If not, they will move forward with their point guard. Call it semantics if you like, but that’s where they are and the stress has been evident.

“I don’t know where people get their information from,” Rondo said. “But it was big of Doc to come out with a statement [of support]. People are still going to say that me and Doc have problems, but even after that comment and the statement he made, they are still going to say what they want to say. It’s just part of life.”

They’ve all been involved in trade rumors. As Paul Pierce said, he was part of the rumor mill for several years and may be again before it’s all over.

“We hear it, but it’s out of our hands, man,” Garnett said. “We try to get everybody that are in the talks, try to make sure that they stay focused and enjoy it and enjoy the guys that are here. Management is going to do what they have to do. As players, we have to all come together in this locker room and understand that we are players and we’re all in the same boat. We all support one another. At the end of the day, we’re C’s and everyone in here understands that.”

There’s also an interesting dynamic that has been taking place since the All-Star break. No, they haven’t played anyone of note, but there have been positive signs during their modest three-game winning streak. It started in the third quarter of their win over the Bucks on Wednesday when they once again functioned like a cohesive offensive basketball team, and it continued through all four quarters against the Nets on Friday.

Rondo had 14 points and 13 assists. Pierce scored 27 points and shot 10-for-14 from the floor. Garnett had 20 and 10 rebounds and made 10 of his 13 shots. It was Garnett’s fifth double-double in his last six games. For a team that was getting blown out routinely and dealing with a raft of injuries, the last week has been therapeutic.

“I don’t know why,” Rivers said. “Our locker room is good. I think they know this is the stretch and they’re really into it.”

It starts with Rondo, as always. Rivers said he’s backed off calling plays in the half court and has let Rondo assert his leadership. It was Rondo who suggested they try a zone press back into a man defense that caused so much havoc on the Nets in a blitzkrieg second quarter of turnovers and breakaway dunks.

“I can’t really tell you right now,” Rondo said when asked about the strategy. “I don’t want to give away our secrets. We’re finally starting to click, I don’t want to give everything away.”

When he was told that Rivers mentioned that it was his call, Rondo said, “Oh he did? Oh damn, Doc already said it. Well OK, it was zone back to man.”

Offensively, Rivers said that his point guard has been doing a better job running through sets and getting to all their options, something that clearly was not happening in the first half of the season. “I want him to make the call,” Rivers said. “I want him to think the game and control the team and I think he’s doing a fantastic job.”

The Celtics have been operating on two tracks all year: The struggle to stay relevant now against the backdrop of an impending breakup. There’s nothing like a modest winning streak to allow players to take a deep breath at what is the most stressful time of the year, and maybe it’s possible that they’re coming together because of the uncertainty.

“I don’t think anything will happen but I think there will be a lot of talk about stuff happening,” Rivers said. “And I just hope we have the strength to block it out.”