PHILADELPHIA — With Tuesday night’s 109-101 win over the Sixers making the Celtics 12-4 since Rajon Rondo tore his right ACL, some have said the team is better without him. But the Celtics say his absence created more of a sense of urgency, which has sparked their rise in the Eastern Conference standings.

The Celtics began Tuesday two games from the fourth playoff spot in the Eastern Conference and home-court advantage in the first round, which is stunning considering Boston was 20-23 when Rondo went down and was expected to sink in the second half.