Eastern Conference contender tiers: Pistons deserve respect but Celtics in a class of their own

We're roughly three weeks out from the conclusion of the NBA regular season and the start of the playoffs. With that, it's time for another installment of Contender Tiers. This round will be slightly different than our last edition. Eastern Conference Contender Tiers are featured today, followed by the Western Conference tiers tomorrow. As always, a note that this is not a power ranking of the entire conference. Only teams that have a chance to make a run in the postseason appear here, though your mileage may vary on who qualifies. Tier 1: Don't Call it a Comeback Boston Celtics To borrow the rest of the line from the poet LL Cool J, they've been here for years. And yet this wasn't supposed...