Now what?

Rajon Rondo and his coach, Doc Rivers, share an emotional moment after
Sunday's win over the Miami Heat.

So, what's next?

Where do they go from here?

Is this finally the end of the line? 

Rajon Rondo's anterior-cruciate-ligament tear leaves many questions, but as of now there are no answers to these questions. 

But, now that it appears that Boston's championship aspirations are no longer feasible for the 2012-2013 season, the Celtics are finally faced with the harsh reality that it's time to break up the band. 

Today, I will try to make sense of it all. So, here goes nothing...

In my opinion, the Celtics are best off leaving the team as it is currently constructed. They should pursue free-agent guard Delonte West due to the gaping hole at the point guard spot, along with his familiarity with the system. They will most likely use Paul Pierce as the primary ball-handler when the ball crosses halfcourt for the immediate future -- his triple-double on Sunday is further evidence of Pierce's versatility. But they should not break the band up. At least not yet.

What we saw yesterday afternoon was typical of this season's Boston Celtics, and what we've come to see as the norm for recent Celtics teams. They know how it goes. They understand the need to play well and form chemistry, but they take it easy during the regular season, playing up and down to competition -- playing well against the big names and powers of the league, then getting obliterated by the lowly Sacramento Kings -- and then make their money during the postseason (a player's salary does not include postseason, but you get the cliche). They underestimate the abilities' of their opponents during the regular season and tend to take their foot off the gas on occasion. Then comes the postseason. The lights get a little bit brighter, the switch is flipped, the intensity is kicked up a few notches, and they use their veteran prowess and playoff experience to get the better of upstart teams such as the Atlanta Hawks and New York Knicks of the world.

This season is different. They've had their ups and downs, peaks and pits, or whichever term you'd like to use. Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett have shown their age, the bench has been inconsistent at best, and their coach has been unable to reach them after calling them out on several occasions. First, coach Doc Rivers called his team soft after their melee with the Brooklyn Nets back on November 28. He didn't exactly reach his players with that striking comment, as they went on to go 4-5 in their next 9 games, a stretch that even included a three-game losing streak. Then, on January 20 after an embarrassing loss to the Detroit Pistons and in the midst of what would become a six-game losing streak, Rivers threatened changes if his team's play didn't improve. Boston went on to lose to the New York Knicks after poor offensive execution near the end of the game with Paul Pierce's two turnovers on the final two possessions of the game were the highlights of Boston's inefficiency on offense. It all culminated in Atlanta in a game that may have been their worst loss of the season, they blew a season-high 27-point lead to the Atlanta Hawks on their way to their sixth-straight loss.

That night in Atlanta will also be remembered for another loss, because that is the night in which Rajon Rondo played his final game of the season after tearing his right ACL apparently at the 2:10 mark of the fourth quarter after landing awkwardly on his right leg after a drive to the basket. Comcast Sportnet New England had the video first, which is shown below.

What's remarkable is that Rondo went on to play 12 minutes with a torn ACL. Although his stats in those 12 minutes are not eye-popping (2 points on 1-of-5 from the floor, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 5 turnovers, and 2 fouls), considering the circumstances, Rondo's effort is simply remarkable.

“It means he’s pretty tough," Rivers said of Rondo continuing to play with the injury. Rivers himself endured an ACL injury during his time with the Knicks. "I know when I tore mine, I was crying on the floor like a little baby."

"Rajon’s played through a lot of different things that you guys have no idea about nor will I share," said Garnett after the game. "And, after the game, we’d kind of look at him and be like, ‘What are you doing?’ In Sacramento [playing through a hip injury in December], he shouldn’t have even played that game. ... He’s a tough kid, I learned that the first day I got here. It’s no surprise, that’s why the first thing I said to him was, 'Don’t play hero. You’re a human being, take care of yourself.'

What's even more remarkable is the fact that Rondo was in the lineup a mere 24 minutes before Sunday's game and participated in the team's shootaround before the game. And even more insane is the fact that Rondo thought he had a hamstring injury. Rondo was receiving treatment and icing his hamstring before the game. Rivers described what happened next: "Doc [Brian] McKeon took a look and started moving it around and said to me, 'I'm telling you, that's an ACL. I'm pretty sure.'"

From there, Rondo went to get an MRI, unaware that his season was over. The only ones who knew were Rivers and McKeon. ESPN's Jackie MacMullan approached him in the hallway of the TD Garden as Rondo was about to get his MRI results when she said to him, "Hey, people are reporting you have a torn ACL."

"Who said that?" Rondo responded. "A torn ACL? I don't even have the results yet. I'm going to see the doc right now."

Rondo added, "Could I be walking around like this with a torn ACL?"

MacMullan simply responded, "Yes."

At that point (2:38 p.m.), Rondo went to get his results. Three minutes later, Celtics public media relations Jeff Twiss made it official.

The game went on, the Celtics displayed "grit and balls," and pulled off a rather impressive victory without their leader, who they all thought had a hyper-extended knee. The atmosphere in the locker room after the game was similar to how this season has gone: up, then quickly down.

So now the Celtics must carry on without their floor general, their walking triple-double, someone who may be the best point guard in the league.

However, I believe this team will be better defensively without Rondo. The combination of Courtney Lee and Avery Bradley in the backcourt has given opponents a pain in the rear due to their tenacity.

Maybe this is a blessing in disguise. Danny Ainge and company have struggled with the idea of keeping this team together or breaking it up. Maybe this finally gives Ainge a good reason to break up the core.

Or maybe it doesn't.

Kevin Garnett has a full-trade clause, and he has expressed his desire to finish his career under Doc Rivers, so he's not going anywhere. Paul Pierce has one year remaining on his deal, and only $4 million is guaranteed, which makes him a potential asset to trade, but the move may not sit well with fans. Ever since he was drafted, Paul Pierce has been the Boston Celtics. Simple as that. Jeff Green's contract is ridiculous and no team would want to take on that sort of money, unless you're the Los Angeles Dodgers. Jason Terry is a 35-year-old guard who has been on the decline over the past two seasons. Avery Bradley has been injury prone, with his ankle injury during his rookie season and his shoulder issues over the past two seasons. Doc and Danny have mentioned how they want to build around Jared Sullinger. Courtney Lee is having a down year by his standards.

Those are all the Celtics valuable assets. In layman's terms, the Celtics should stand pat.

Think about this.

When the Celtics contemplated breaking up the core over the past few seasons, the Celtics chose not to. Why? One reason was due to the fact that the aging veterans' performance during past seasons and playoff runs -- this group has always made it past the first round -- gave Ainge hope that there was more left in the tank.

The other reason was the simple fact that it was their best option. Last offseason, the Celtics best opportunity to be competitive was to reload around Kevin Garnett due to the lack of attractive trade opportunities and free agents. Since the summer of 2010, there have been no big-time free agents worth spending huge dollars on. Plus, with the new salary cap restraints as a result of the new CBA, it would be difficult to take on large contracts.

Why else should the Celtics stick together? Well, the East isn't all that competitive this season. Boston has proven it can play with Miami, Chicago, New York, Atlanta, Brooklyn, and Indiana, all teams that are ahead of them in the conference standings. Two-and-a-half games separate the 2-7 teams in the conference, so if Boston can go on a little bit of a run and play inspired basketball over the next few weeks, with 5 of their next 7 games coming against teams under .500.

Plus, since the start of 2009-2010, Boston is 21-13 without their All-Star point guard. That's a pretty good sample size.

Also, making the playoffs as, at worst, an eighth seed and getting bounced in the first round beats the alternative, which would be tanking the season and hoping for a lottery selection (how did that work out in 2007? That wasn't a lot of fun)

Let's face it: the Celtics will not be raising banner 18 on opening night next season. It's simply the truth. There's no way to replace a player like Rajon Rondo, someone who Rivers has said on multiple occasions is the smartest player he's ever been around and is the engine that makes this Ferrari go. Boston may have beaten the best team in the East yesterday, but that was only one game. Asking this team to win 4 out of 7 games against a team in Miami with two of the best players in the world with more games most likely being played in Miami than Boston is way too much out of this group without Rondo.

But by no means does that signify that the Celtics are waving the white flag.

Celtics' radio play-by-play announcer tweeted after yesterday's game, "On the day they lose Rondo, the Celtics found their heat. That simple." Over the next few weeks, we're going to find out how true that statement really is. It's about time that certain players (cough, Jason Terry, Courtney Lee, Leandro Barbosa, Jeff Green, cough) finally step up. The opportunity has presented itself, and now they must seize it. Maybe this gives the team a reason to unite, to come together and play with a purpose.

Rivers said after Sunday's game that he thinks the team, as currently assembled, is capable of being competitive. “Listen, when something like this happens, we’ll find someone that’s already in our locker room that’s going to play terrific. And I have no idea who it is. [Sunday] it was [Leandro Barbosa] and the team [as a whole]. And that’s what we’re going to have to do.”

Rivers wants to give this team a chance, adding, "I still like my team."

These Celtics will not go down without a fight. Whenever their season does end, they will have wreaked some havoc and caused some problems. They won't pack it in; not on Doc's watch.

The Celtics will make some noise. Maybe in some sick way, the Celtics will come together and make this season unlike any other.