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| Rondo put on an inspiration performance Saturday in Boston after dislocating his left arm. |
After taking the regular season series from the Miami Heat three games to one, Boston has looked old in games one and two. The TD Garden would provide a much need boost for this aging Celtics team.
Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo was the reason for Boston's success in the regular season against Miami, averaging 12 assists per game. Ineffective in Game 1, Rondo came to life in Game 2 conducting the Boston offense with 12 assists.
In Game 3, the smallest guy on the floor Saturday night showed the biggest heart and courage.
At the 7:02 minute mark of the third quarter, the Celtics experienced the biggest scare of their season when Miami Heat guard Dwayne Wade and Rondo were caught in a skirmish, causing him to fall awkwardly on his left arm.
Rondo lay on the Garden floor in intense and obvious pain, before being helped off and into the locker room.
Boston's season was in shambles already down two games in the series and without their perennial All-Star point guard to finish the game, sucking the air out of the Boson arena.
Then out came Rondo of the Boston locker room showing reminisce of the 1970 NBA Finals, when New York Knicks superstar Willis Reed returned from injury, inspiring New York to a Game 7 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.
That's exactly what Rondo did for the Celtics Saturday night.
With their season hanging in the balance, for the simple fact that no team has ever come back to win a seven game series after dropping the first three, Rondo exemplified his team's resiliency. The diagnosis was a dislocated left elbow and was popped back into place for his return to the pivotal Game 3. Rondo made his impact felt with 11 assists in 35 minutes, catching every pass with his right arm.
After his return was made, his one and only steal of the night came at a crucial moment of the game, poking the ball away from Chris Bosh with his injured left arm. The former Kentucky Wildcat had already come into the game with an a stiff back, and faced yet another obstacle with his injury in the third quarter.
The quarterback of this Boston Celtic team continues to be the X-factor moving forward, and won't need to ask him to fight through the pain as he already has demonstrated he will do so.
A former first-round pick of the Phoenix Suns back in 2006, Rondo put together his best NBA season, leading the league in assists for the first time at 11.2 per contest. Over his five seasons in Boston, the 6-foot-1 guard has slowly become a leader on this veteran Celtic team.
With their win convincing 97-81 win in Boston, the Celtics have now made this a series and shown there is no place like home. Miami knows the defending Eastern Conference champions they will not go down without a fight.
Saturday's game also marked the return of 15-time All-Star and former NBA Most Valuable Player, Shaquille O'Neal. O'Neal had not played in a game since April 3 during the regular season. Even though O'Neal only played eight minutes and scored just two points, his presence in the paint will only make the Celtics already suffocating defense better.
Forward Kevin Garnett put in his best game of the series by scoring a game-high 28 points on 13-of-20 shooting and grabbing 18 rebounds.
Boston will need more of the same if they want to win this series and raise their 18th championship banner to the rafters in the TD Garden. The Celtics will look to even up the series Monday night at home before heading back on the road to South Beach.
As for their 25-year-old point guard, on this night, he was truly a man among boys.
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