One particular game is never "critical." Especially when it's past the deadline and no real changes can be made until the off-season.
I think it is critical because they played p--- poor Wednesday night and looked like the team that lost 6 in a row before it won 7 in a row. And, against the Nuggets, while the game was close, there was no ball movement on offense and they looked lost much of the game. Obviously it is not a must win, but if they cannot beat the awful Suns, it is not a good sign.
Plus, I thought now that the trade deadline is passed, all of the players can now stop worrying and they will begin to play awesome basketball? At least I read that a lot on this here blog.
Well, my point is that one game is not going to decide whether they are the team they were before Rondo's injury or the one that showed up immediately after.
That will be demonstrated over the rest of the season.
My guess is somewhere in between. Not a great team, but not a truly mediocre one, either. They'll be competitive in a post-season series but as soon as they face the Heat or Pacers they'll be done. The Knicks or Nets would probably handle them in a seven game series, too, considering that they'd have home court advantage.