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If things weren't bad enough for the stumbling Celtics, who could barely beat any team with a winning record, another nail in the coffin came in the form of a torn anterior cruciate ligament for star point-guard Rajon Rondo in a 123-111 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Jan. 25. Every expert and analyst called the injury the end of the Celtics season. Rondo was thought to bring youth to an aging Celtics team. However, the Celtics have been undefeated, going 7-0 since Rondo was injured.
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The first game Rondo was injured for was a rematch of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat, a series in which Rondo kept the Celtics in lead, scoring for the team in four out of the seven games, including a 44-point night. Furthermore, shooting guard Ray Allen had left Boston for Miami, making a Celtics win seem even more impossible.
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However, the Celtics stayed in the game all through the first half, with forward Paul Pierce making a last second rebound to tie the game at the half. The game remained a back-and-forth battle in the second half, with neither team being able to pull away. Boston had a three-point lead with 19 seconds left to play, but it was 2012 NBA Most Valuable Player, forward LeBron James, who sank a three with just seconds to go, leading the game to overtime. With time winding down, Kevin Garnett was able to tie the game and force a second overtime. Pierce gave the Celtics a two-point lead after a jumper and a foul, giving the Heat one chance to score. 
The Heat gave the ball not to James, or star shooting guard Dwyane Wade, but to guard Shane Battier, who couldn't sink the shot, giving Boston a huge upset win, 100-98.
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The Celtics were then able to breeze by the stumbling Sacramento Kings (winning 99-81) and Orlando Magic (97-84), making them 3-0 without Rondo and broke even with a record of 23-23. 
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The challenge came against the high-flying Los Angeles Clippers, who feature stars such as point guard Chris Paul and power forward Blake Griffin. The Celtics took advantage of several turnovers and began to take a commanding lead of the game, up by 19 at the half, 59-40. However, the Clippers, led by point guard Eric Bledsoe, went on a 13-2 scoring run early in the fourth quarter, shrinking the Celtics' lead to single digits. A couple of missed shots by the Celtics and fast break points from Griffin and forward Jamal Crawford and the Clippers were only down by three. Then, Bledsoe quickly responded to Boston guard Jason Terry's jump shot by knocking down a crucial three-pointer, making the game a two-point game. Pierce ended the game by making a three-pointer with two-and-a-half seconds remaining, giving Boston another win without Rondo and bringing them above a .500 record. The Celtics had an extremely strong showing from their bench with Terry, guard Leandro Barbosa and forward Jeff Green all having 13 or more points.
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The Celtics then came out on top again against their division opponent, the Toronto Raptors, 99-95, who had just gotten back their star player, center Andrea Bargnani.
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On Thursday night, the Celtics went up against perhaps their most storied rival, the Los Angeles Lakers. The game, however, was not one to remember for the Lakers, with the Celtics leading by at least 20 points for most of the matchup. Pierce had an very strong showing, leading the Celtics' scoring with 24 points, as did Green who was second in scoring with 19 points. Most importantly, forward Kevin Garnett became the 16th player in NBA history to score 2,500 points. 
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The Celtics then beat the Denver Nuggets in triple overtime on Sunday, 118-114, in a game which featured a triple-double from Pierce.
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While losing a star NBA player for an already struggling team would normally spell certain doom, the Celtics have managed to not only make the most of it, but put themselves back in the playoff race and continue to upset and shock the rest of the NBA.