Doc Rivers can't stand mediocrity. If his Boston Celtics don't shape up soon, he wants some of his players shipped out.

Rivers, the Celtics' coach, was mortified by his team's third straight loss, a 103-88 thumping by the Detroit Pistons at The Palace on Sunday. His club never had a lead as it sank to .500 nearing the season's midway point.

"We're taking the wrong approach," he said. "I've either got to find the right combination, the right guys, or we're going to get some guys out of here. This group right now, they're not playing right."

The Celtics' 20-20 record would still good enough for the eighth and last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. But with three perennial All-Stars in the lineup, they expect a whole lot more from themselves.

"We're playing awful," Rivers said. "I'm clearly not doing my job with this team. I'm serious. I'm not trying to take a bullet for the team. I told them I think we've got to find something where every night all 12 guys play the same way.

"I don't think we have the commitment to be a good basketball team. This team wants everything easy, they want the easy way out. They want to win easy, but the only way you're going to win easy is you're going to have to play hard."