Another night, another city, another Celtics victory.
 
The Celtics have played a dozen road games so far this season and they have left town with a victory 11 times. The only time the C’s suffered a defeat on the road was four weeks ago in Indiana. There was no danger of a repeat performance in a 106-80 win over the Bulls on Saturday (recap), and not just because the Celtics have figured out the road game better than every other team in the NBA.
 
In Chicago, the Celtics caught a team playing the second night of a back-to-back, with the night before going to overtime. More than that, the Bulls are a team in crisis mode. The double-digit losses are mounting and it may only be a matter of time before they start looking for a new coach.
 
Credit the Celtics with doing what they needed to do and continuing their winning ways on the road, but there’s no denying that the Bulls are in big trouble.

The Celtics have no such problems. They have now won 10 straight games and are beginning to build a lead in the race for the best record in the Eastern Conference. They did it on a night when no one scored more than 16 points and seven players cracked double figures.

With all due respect to colleague Michael Holley, he’s got the wrong team atop his power rankings this week.

Here are three more things we learned from a beatdown in Chi-town:

RAJON RONDO IS THE BEST POINT GUARD IN THE EAST

After last season’s thrilling playoff duel between Rajon Rondo and Derrick Rose, most pundits and observers were split on who would emerge to replace Chauncey Billups as the top point guard in the Eastern Conference.

In reality it’s not really that close. Rondo was better last season, he was better in the playoffs and he’s been much better this season.

In Rose’s defense, part of it can be blamed on a lingering ankle injury that he is still fighting through, and part of it is the simple fact that Rondo is two years older and more experienced.

But, it’s past time for the rest of the NBA to recognize that Rajon Rondo is the best player at his position in his conference. His line – 16 points, 14 assists, seven rebounds and three steals – was typical Rondo these days. A little from column A, a little from column B, and some from columns C and D for good measure.

“He was tremendous,” Doc Rivers told reporters after the game. “Good pace. Knew when to drive, knew when to keep the pressure on. It’s great where he’s at mentally with our team.”

Early in the game, Bulls enforcer Brad Miller took Rondo down around the shoulders. Perhaps it was a little playback for the shot to the chops that Rondo delivered to Miller that drew blood during the playoffs last season.

If Miller was sending a message, Rondo didn’t want to hear it. Instead he continued to attack the middle of the Bulls defense and Miller never laid a hand on him the rest of the game.

In the second quarter Rondo and Rose played a little one-on-one. On two straight possessions, Rose went right past Rondo and scored. The next time, Rondo bounced off him as Rose pulled up for a jump shot. It was a dramatic example of the kind of talent and ability Rose possesses. But on the next trip down, Rondo set him up and stripped him clean leading to a fast break the other way.

In the midst of that, Rondo broke Rose down, dishing off once to Shelden Williams for a layup and then finishing with a floater over the Bulls big men.

Clearly, Rose has the tools to go head to head with Rondo, as he showed in the playoffs last spring. But just like last season, Rondo came out ahead Saturday night. This matchup has the potential to be as good as it gets in the NBA and at some point Rose may wind up the winner, but not right now. This is Rondo’s time.

KEVIN GARNETT CONTINUES TO LOOK KG-LIKE

On the face of things, 12 points and 10 rebounds in 27 minutes is just another night’s work for Kevin Garnett. He took eight shots and made six of them, which continued his stretch of hot shooting.

That was nice, but what is far more encouraging for KG watchers is the energy and athleticism he’s shown in the last few weeks.

While everyone was worried if we’d ever see the old Garnett again – and with good reason – Garnett has quietly begun to put together strong defensive performances. His shooting has received most of the attention, but his help defense is returning to vintage KG levels and that’s the most important thing for him, and for the Celtics.

You would have to go all the way back to Nov. 22 against the Knicks to find a truly subpar Garnett performance and that game ironically ended with a Garnett game-winning jumper.

Many people have traced his revitalized play back to that shot, but that’s a bit of a stretch. Rivers said last week that part of his problem was that he was setting up too deep for his jump shots and that moving in a foot or two has helped his field goal accuracy. That is a far more plausible explanation than the notion that a 14-year veteran and former MVP gained “confidence” from making a big shot.

But offense is not what defines Garnett. It’s his defense, and he is beginning to look like his old self once again.

THE TRUE IMPACT OF MARQUIS DANIELS IS BEGINNING TO BE FELT

It’s not all peaches and cream, to steal a favorite Garnett line, and without Marquis Daniels, the lack of a ballhandler for the second unit could become an issue.

When Daniels was healthy he was able to take that burden off Eddie House and allow House to do what he does best: spot up behind the arc and knock down 3’s. Without Daniels, there is no clear-cut offensive initiator for the second unit.

House took his turns bringing the ball up and was solid in that role, but so did Tony Allen and there were moments when it wasn’t pretty. To be sure, it’s unfair to expect Allen to come back from injury and be at full strength, especially when ballhandling has never been an area in which he has excelled.

The Celtics are playing well enough to mask that particular deficiency right now and the bench was superb against the Bulls, but over time this could continue to be a problem.

Rivers had been actively experimenting with different lineup combinations even before Daniels had surgery for his wrist, which often resulted in Rondo playing with the second unit, or having Paul Pierce or Ray Allen bring the ball up the floor.

They can get by with that for the time being, but if Daniels’ injury lingers there are very few options available for Rivers long-term.