It's been a tough season for most Celtics fans. The awful start tempered the enthusiasm of even the most hardcore Green-teamers.
We've been distracted by a lot of trade talk. The Chris Paul/Rajon Rondo rumors dominated training camp. From there, we jumped into the blow-it-up debate as the Cs lost 8 of their first 12 games.
Even when the Celtics rattled off 9 wins in 10 games, I didn't hear a lot of bold claims about this team's playoff chances.
The Celtics currently sit in 2nd place in the Atlantic Division, 4 games behind the 76ers. They hold the 7th spot in the conference, 2 games behind Orlando and 2.5 games ahead of the Knicks. Aside from Chicago and Miami, the field is wide open for playoff seeds 3 – 8.
The Celtics are ranked 10th in the latest ESPN Power Rankings by Marc Stein:
Here's why no one likes playing 'em no matter how old they are: Despite its rebounding issues, Boston has held its past 25 opponents under 100 — good for the seventh-longest streak in the shot-clock era — and came within a point Sunday against Chicago of keeping a record 12 in a row to 90 points or fewer.
Those are some pretty impressive defensive numbers. Even more so for a team that is still getting into shape and rounding into form.
I'm not hear to proclaim them favorites in the East. But with Derrick Rose's balky back and Dwyane Wade's shaky ankles, anything is possible.
Don't throw dirt on the Celtics just yet.
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