Forget tanking. Disregard the “gap year” talk.

Even without Jayson Tatum and with a roster far less talented than previous iterations, the Celtics look like genuine contenders in the wide-open Eastern Conference.

Sunday’s 121-113 win over the Toronto Raptors — Boston’s fifth straight and 10th in its last 12 games — pushed the 15-9 Celtics up to third place in the East. They’ve beaten both of the teams ahead of them (the Detroit Pistons and New York Knicks) within the last two weeks and also took down two other projected conference front-runners in the Cleveland Cavaliers and Orlando Magic.

As of Monday, the Celtics ranked second in the NBA in offensive rating, fifth in net rating and fifth in point differential. Since dropping their first three games to open the season, they own the NBA

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