Show time for Celtics

So we forgave their foibles. We watched them lose home games to the lowly Nets and Wizards.

We saw them blow double-digit leads in the fourth quarter with alarming regularity. We saw them saunter through games and wondered wheth er Doc Rivers would rather not be around them next year. And Doc said little to dispute that notion.

But it’s all OK. As long as they peak in the playoffs.

Now it’s time. Now we find out if they can flip the switch, or if they’ve been kidding themselves over the last 5 1/2 months. We’re going to find out fairly soon if the Celtics are legit — or fraudulent.

“We’ll find out who we really are,’’ said Rivers. “I hope we’re more consistent, but the No. 1 thing is, we’ll be healthy.’’

I’ve been a buyer all year long with these guys. Going through the motions through the holidays was just fine with me. I just wanted to see Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen still running the floor in April. So here we are. And they’re all healthy. Sort of.

Why can’t we make a case for them? The Celtics have the same starting five they had two years ago when they won the NBA championship. Rondo, Kendrick Perkins, and sub Glen Davis are significantly better than they were two years ago. Garnett, Pierce, and Allen are two years older — sure, the miles have taken a toll on all three — but these are Hall of Fame-bound veterans who should play their best ball now that the games matter. Playoff schedules favor older teams because there are a lot of offdays packed into each series.

“Going into the playoffs, I don’t think there’s a team that our players feel we can’t beat,’’ said team president Danny Ainge. “Sure, it’s going to be a challenge. You look at teams that won 60 games and went on to win a championship vs. teams that won 50 [the Celtics finished 50-32], and there’s a big difference there.’’

I’m picking the old green guys to at least make it to the Eastern Conference finals. That means they’ll beat Miami in the first round, then beat Cleveland in the second round.