Celtics up to #9 in ESPN power rankings

#9 is the C's top spot since pre-season
A 3-1 week that saw Boston knock off Philly, Indiana, and Atlanta, and lose a hard fought battle in Oklahoma City has lifted the Celtics (34-28) to the #9 spot in Marc Stein's ESPN NBA power rankings.  After passing the Knicks (38-22) and Rockets (34-30) since being #11 a week ago, the C's are now the 3rd highest ranked team in the Eastern Conference behind the #1 Heat (47-14) and #7 Pacers (39-24).  Stein continues to love the Lakers (33-31), again placing them just ahead of Boston in the #8 position (is he on board with my NBA Finals destiny theory?).

Six weeks ago on the Monday after Rajon Rondo was lost for the season, the Celtics found themselves buried down at #19 in the power rankings.  Who would have ever thought they'd rebound all the way back to #9 without #9?

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