Say It Ain't So.

The Celtics have climbed into the handbasket to... you know. It's hard to take. First came Larry Legend wine. Now this:

The Celtics may or may not put a winning team on the parquet next season, but they will have a dance team on the floor at TD Banknorth Garden. Looking to improve the peripheral entertainment on game nights, the team announced the formation of the Celtics Dancers.

According to Rich Gotham, the team's executive vice president of sales and marketing, ''The Celtics Dancers will contribute to the exciting in-game experience for our fans."

In the past, basketball purists, team president Red Auerbach among them, took considerable pride in the fact the Celtics were the only NBA team without dancers.

Frank Deford offers his reflections.