Before the 1:00 p.m. Sunday tipoff on ABC where the Boston Celtics hosted the defending champion, Miami Heat, the Celtics seemed to be in disarray.
Since their struggles, there has been rumblings throughout the NBA that suggested Doc Rivers or GM Danny Ainge wanted to shake things up in the organization, whether it were by a trade or lineup changes.
However, now there is even more room for concerned in Beantown.
All-Star point guard, Rajon Rondo, tore his ACL -- even though he seems to be quite mobile on his torn appenditure -- and now the future looks even more bleak for the 20-23 Celtics.
However, something very interesting could be happening in Boston.
The Celtics spent this past offseason acquiring a myriad of talented and quality guards in former NBA Champion Jason Terry, the young and exciting Courtney Lee and former sixth man of the year Leonardo Barbosa.
All of these players require major minutes on the floor, and when you add in the defensive stalwart and versatile Avery Bradley into the equation, there seems to be a squeeze at the point guard and shooting guard positions.
Now that the league leader in assists is out for the remainder of the season, the Celtics have a chance to develop their chemistry and their camaraderie with more of their key guards playing major minutes in meaningful moments of the ball game.
With Rondo out, the permitter now belongs to Avery Bradley, Terry and Lee.
This trio of Celtics will dictate how games will be played from here on out.
The Celtics will miss the versatility and captainship of Rondo and his ability to get everyone involved, but this may serve as a benefit for the Green team in the short term.
Let's start with Avery Bradley. AB is the best defender in the league, and it is not even close. Yes, there are a handful of players that impact a game on a nightly basis, but there is not one player in the league, other than 17-year veteran Kobe Bryant, who can suffocate a ball handler for the entire 94-feet of the hardwood.
On top of Bradley's defensive prowess, he is a master at the corner three, like Ray Allen was before him, and is athletic enough to create his own shot and take games over when Paul Pierce is having an off night.
Jason Terry, the former NBA Finals star (for three games at least), is ready to take on the Heat and win a championship with the Celtics.
With Rondo sidelined, that will move Bradley over to the point guard and Terry may start more games at the two, either way he should have a significant increase in the number of minutes played per game.
Terry is a big shot-maker and is a competitive player that tends to increase the confidence on his team's in tight game situations. Terry will need to carry the load offensively and from behind the arc. He is in Boston to replace Ray Allen, but now he has to an even greater burden, getting his teammates involved while on the court.
Bradley and Terry both have areas of expertise, and are arguably elite in each category, shooting the ball and defending the ball. However, Courtney Lee posses both qualities.
Coming out of Western Kentucky, Lee was a bona fide scorer, and in his NBA Finals run in 2009, Lee illustrated that he can play on the big stage and come through and play stellar ball on both ends of the court
Now that he is in Boston and a key guard has fallen to a major injury, he has the ability to rise to the challenge and help Boston make another run in the postseason come April.
The Celtics still hold the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, but now that the time demands for the team to step up, perhaps they can ride their trio of guards back to the NBA Finals.
Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett are playing the best basketball they each have played in over a year.
Pierce is averaging 18.8 points per game with 5.7 rebounds per contest and Garnett is having a quiet, yet impactful 14.7 points and 7.2 rebounds per game.
The Celtics were infused with youth in the offseason with the signing of Jeff Green and Lee, and adding an impressive rookie Sullinger and improved Avery Bradley, the Celtics are not far off from making another deep postseason run.
In Boston's double overtime win against the defending champion Heat, the Celtics looked like they may be a classic example of addition by subtraction.
Now that Rondo is out, the other guards will have an opportunity to perform and produce. Lee, Barbosa, Terry and Bradley combined for 33 points, 7 assists, 7 rebounds and 5 steals. Not monster numbers, but enough to fill the void while Kevin Garnett turns back the clock and has a vintage "Big Ticket" game with 24 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 3 blocks.
But this may turn Paul Pierce back into a primary play maker, which could be a good sign since he led the Celtics to victory with 17 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists while registering for his 7th career triple double.
The future may seem bleak in Boston with the Red Sox still being a mystery, the Patriots losing in the AFC Championship game, and Rajon Rondo tearing his ACL, however, there is a silver lining with the Celitcs.
If their trio of guards can step up and fill the void Rondo left behind, the Celtics should be just fine come playoff time.