Ray Allen (photo. Bootsy Holler)

Having already clinched the division title, the Celtics are weeks away from a must-win game. But tonight’s rematch with Phoenix (7 PM, ESPN) is as close to it as possible on a number of fronts.

* After tonight, Boston has only one more game against a Western Conference foe (New Orleans, Friday 3/28). The C’s can wait until Miami on March 30th to turn on autopilot.

* The only time that the Celtics have dropped three straight games this season was February 22nd, when the Suns bruised Boston on the glass 50-32, for an uncharacteristic grind-it-out 85-77 win. And having lost two in a row against New Orleans and Philly, the Celtics could match their longest skid of the season with another L tonight. Plus, no one likes to be swept.

* During their last two games, the C’s have slipped into the bad habit of settling for long-distance jumpers. In those two losses to Philly and New Orleans, the Celtics have combined for 41 attempts from beyond the three. During the previous four wins, they tried 53 triples combined.

* The vaunted Boston defense hasn’t proved its menacing ability to shut down their opponent’s top scorer since their last must-win game. That was the 94-74 streak-ender over Houston, in which Tracy McGrady only mustered 8 points in 35 minutes. Since then, Dirk hung 22 points and 19 boards, David West went crazy for 37 points, and Andre Iguodala posted 28 points. KG has something to prove tonight as he’ll handle Amare, who contributed 28 points during their last meeting.

* In all likeliness, Boston’s five-game lead over Detroit is enough to maintain the 1-seed in the East. But the Pistons have six games against teams with at least a .500 record remaining on their schedule. The Celtics have three. If they win tonight, they’ll likely lock it up.

* It’s dangerous to go on cruise control at this stage given the new additions. Even though they’re seasoned veterans, both Sam Cassell and P.J. Brown have been green for just over two weeks. They need to continue building chemistry with the Big Three as quickly as possible.

* In fact, the Celtics’ young guns probably shouldn’t let off the gas at all. If they turn it off, they might not know how to turn it back on. Plus, tonight is another invaluable experience for Rajon Rondo to go against Steve Nash. He needs to be firing on all cylinders for that match-up.