Four wins over four not-so-good teams isn’t reason enough for the Boston Celtics to rejoice about their recent success.

But there’s another reason why this stretch should excite Celtic Nation.

The C’s are back to talking trash, as clear a sign as any that they’re inching closer to regaining that championship-caliber swagger we’ve come to know and opponents have come to loathe.

Of course, the trash talk is only good because it is symbolic of everything the Celtics are at their best: Bold, brave, confident, tough, and swaggerific. Once upon a time, Boston was ten points ahead at the start of games because of its tough-guy reputation. The Celtics would rub people the wrong way, talk and shove other teams out of their game, and back up all the bush-league stunts with great play. For Boston, trash talking isn’t just a bunch of annoying words strung together; it’s a weapon designed to help the C’s play their ‘A’ game and opponents to lose focus.

Guys like Stephen Jackson and Andray Blatche may feel “disrespected as men” by all the smack coming from the Celtics, but I’m with Blakely: Boston is a better team when it has an us-against-the-world mentality and plays the part of the evil villain.