Following a setback a week later against Dallas, it was overheard coming out of the mouth of a TD Garden usher.
And it was likely on the lips of everyone inside the Palace of Auburn Hills on Wednesday night as the Celtics once again frittered away a big lead after the break in a 92-86 loss to the Detroit Pistons.
A frustrated Doc Rivers put his own spin on the latest in a run of carbon-copy collapses.
"We get a lead and we feel like we can just put it on cruise," Rivers said. "In the NBA you just can't do that and we've never done that and that's what is so troubling to me. But it's clear right now when we get a lead we go to individual ball, guys trying to get numbers, and then a loss of focus."
The changeover from team-oriented, fluid basketball to stat-sheet stuffing comes at a definitive juncture in each game. While you grab a snack, visit the restroom and check your messages, the conversion takes place, for whatever reason, inside the Celtics' locker room.
During its current 1-4 stretch, Boston has outscored its opponents by an average of 10.8 points in the first half, only to lose the second halves by an average of 12.8 points.
That's a 23.6-point turnaround, on average, between the first and second halves, a trend Rivers called "a tired act."
On Wednesday, the shorthanded Pistons trailed by as many as 12 points in the first half and were down eight with less than nine minutes left in the third quarter. However, facing long stretches against a Detroit zone defense, Boston managed just one basket in a stretch of 8:32 and suddenly trailed by five.
The C's rallied to score the last five points of the third and seven in a row early in the fourth to reclaim a 76-71 advantage. Just for good measure, they blew that lead as well, allowing the Pistons to post a 13-0 run.
The listless Green went almost nine minutes without a point.
Rivers refused to pin any hopes for a turnaround on the expected return of Kevin Garnett, who may play Friday against Portland. Boston is just 4-6 since Garnett hurt his right knee Dec. 28 at Golden State.
Instead, the C's coach cited an identity crisis among the ranks, coining a Dennis Green-like phrase to sum up his team's issues.
"I think we think we're better than what we are," Rivers said.
In the first half, at least, they are. The second tells a different tale.
