As noted in the link below, the Celtics have finally managed to at least claim a share of first place in the Atlantic Division.

Green Street » The Celtics are in first place, can they stay there?

On Jan. 20, the Celtics scored 71 points in a home loss to Phoenix that put their record at 5-9. A month later, they capped off a road trip from hell with a 15-point loss to Oklahoma City that left this proud team talking about moral victories. That’s how sub .500 teams talk, which is what they were, lugging a 15-17 mark into the All-Star break.

A month after that, they’re in first place after beating the Bobcats, 102-95. The Sixers hold the tiebreaker, so technically the Celtics still have a game to make up on Philadelphia, but the accomplishment is still worth acknowledging. Did anyone really see this coming?

This is a team that showed up out of shape with a makeshift roster constructed for the main purpose of not being here after this season. They’ve had two five-game losing streaks – the first time that’s ever happened in the Big 3 era — and they lost two crucial players to heart conditions, their starting center to season-ending wrist surgery and just had another get carted off the court in a stretcher.

It has taken all of 49 games to get here, but the Celtics can finally claim they are in first place. This is something that we've expected and witnessed from this team each of the past four seasons, but this accomplishment should be appreciated for the time being. What matters most is whether they can solely grasp this top spot in the Atlantic Division by season's end. Philly will not make it easy for them considering the schedule that the Celtics will encounter these next several weeks. Circle this date on your calendars: Sunday, April 8th, 2012. The 76ers visit Boston for a 6pm game where our Celtics will be looking for some serious revenge after losing their last two meetings by a combined 45 points. You can sign me in for attendance to this game. Time to go look for some tickets!