Nate has played a big role in each of the Celtics’ last two wins. I still don’t trust him all the time, but Nate — when he brings it — can be a hell of a spark-plug off the bench.

My friend asked me the other day why Nate wasn’t getting more minutes. “Nate can score all day,” he said. “He seems to help the C’s every time he’s on the floor.”

Yes, Nate can help the Celtics, but there’s a reason he isn’t on the floor too often: He and Rondo are too small to play together (what, do you want Nate guarding Kobe?) and Rondo needs to play at least 40 minutes a game. It’s that simple.