As inspiring as any moment has ever been in the playoffs, the Boston Celtics’ Rajon Rondo returned from the locker room to finish the game against the Miami Heat.
The shocking part is that his left elbow had been dislocated no more than ten minutes before he slipped past LeBron James for a layup with his right hand.
His left arm was dangling beside his body, but his right arm and legs caused problems for everyone in a Miami jersey. Rondo may have played with more heart after his injury than before.
The heart of a champion.
The sole reason for the Boston win lies in the preceding statement. How many fans actually believe that if Rondo had not shown up in the fourth quarter, the Heat would not have surged?
Even though the Heat were down double digits, that is nothing that a few key three-pointers and drawn-fouls cannot cure. When Rajon stepped back onto the court, he gave the crowd and his team an energy that Miami was not prepared to match, and with an injury that would make most athletes cringe.
Why did he come back out? Why did he risk sustaining a more intense injury in the playoffs when he is such a key part of his team’s success?
Rondo understood that even though Delonte West and Jeff Green were doing well offensively, Boston would need more than a couple of bench players to make a statement. At the moment he stepped back out to play, he said something to all Miami supporters:
It is going to take more than that to break me down.
Rajon Rondo has been facing more criticism than any Celtic because of his inconsistency. One night he will carry the team to victory, and the next he will look insignificant. His quality has been questioned continuously, and most wondered when they would see the Rondo of last year’s postseason resurface.
No one really respected him much until his speed and athleticism took center stage in Boston’s trip to the finals. Last year put the elite stamp on his career. But, when the original squad was rocked and new players arrived, he wilted.
His knees seemed to buckle. Talk of Derrick Rose began to cloud his past success. No one was expecting much from him.
No matter how many bad games Boston may endure at Rondo's hands, no Celtic player will say that they would rather have someone else by their side when it matters most.
The true value of a player cannot be determined by his numbers, but by how influential he was on the outcome of the game. He had six points in the entire game, shot 3-of-7, and did not make it to the free throw line.
His five early turnovers threatened to give Miami a 3-0 series lead. Two one-armed baskets late in the fourth quarter injected emotion into a game dominated by Boston, giving them the adrenaline necessary to close out against a team who constantly threatened a comeback.
Rondo’s direction was the key to close. Believe wholeheartedly in the Boston movement. They can never be counted out. Miami needs more than a faulty third option in Chris Bosh to advance past the Celtics.
Noureen DeWulf Nicollette Sheridan Amber Heard Veronica Kay Mýa
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