Celtics and Bulls Cope with Injuries

The Boston Celtics aren't just surviving without Rajon Rondo right now; they are thriving. Since Rondo was diagnosed with a torn ACL, which will keep him out for the remainder of the season, the Celtics haven't lost a game.
With their 106-104 home victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday afternoon, Boston has gone the opposite direction of what people assumed the team would do without their fearless point guard. The Celtics are surging toward the playoffs instead of wilting away from one of the top eight spots in the Eastern Conference.
The Celtics are full of veterans, such as Paul Pierce, Jason Terry, and Kevin Garnett. Before Rondo went down, the Celtics had improved a problem that plagued them over the years. In the previous five seasons, Boston had been in the bottom 11 of the league for turnover percentage each season and has often been in the bottom seven. This season, they were turning the ball over 15.3 percent of their possessions before Rajon went down.
But the team has bonded together with the help of KG and Paul Pierce. KG has been deadly from the field, making 56.0 percent of his shots without Rondo, and Pierce has taken over the role player of doing it all on the court.
The question is how long can the Celtics keep this up? With Sunday's win, they crept over the .500 mark at 24-23. They've taken advantage of a home-heavy schedule with all four wins coming at home.
This has been a turn of events, because Rondo's season is over, but Derrick Rose is returning for the Chicago Bulls. Rose's return from a torn ACL in his left knee will come with some trepidation. Will he have the same explosiveness, vertical leap and relentless aggressiveness that made him the NBA's most valuable player at 22?
The Bulls lead the Central Division. They stand just one game behind the Knicks for the second seed in the East. They woke up last Sunday morning just 2 1/2 games behind the defending champion Heat for the top spot in the conference, although I don't think the Heat are trying very hard at the moment.
Miami is a smart team. They want to stay healthy until the playoffs come around. No injuries, no worries.
Nevertheless, these Bulls, even without Derrick Rose, mind you, still own the third spot in the Eastern Conference.
Here's what that means. The NBA needs a new Eastern Conference. First, let me say some nice things about this Bulls team that tries so hard that you just want to pet it.
These Rose-less Bulls are making a case for fundamental basketball. They are smart and selfless. So I can only imagine what will happen when everyone's favorite point guard, Derrick Rose, returns.