Celtic Prideless: Rondo Should Miss Game Seven

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Everyone saw the forearm shiver that the Orlando Magic's Dwight Howard laid on the Philadelphia 76ers' Samuel Dalembert the other night, and everyone could assume he was going to get that one-game suspension. But why does he face such a penalty when something just as bad happened that same night and went unreprimanded?

Yes, Howard's elbow was a blatant cheap shot, and he later apologized for it and accepted the game off as his punishment.

But what about the cheap shot that Rajon Rondo delivered to Brad Miller with on the last play of Game Five of the Bulls-Cetlics series?

Rondo, a 6-foot guard with long arms, was trailing the near-7 footer Miller as the newly-acquired Bull drove the lane and with a good two steps on his Celtic defender. Miller extended the ball for the lay-up, putting the rock two or three feet from Rondo's reach.

So Rajon struck Brad clearly in the face, yet was assessed only a normal foul. Had the refs done their job correctly they would have given him a flagrant-1 foul, which is two shots and the ball.

With a better call, I think the outcome of that game could have gone in Chicago's favor.

Then, the very next night in the Miami-Atlanta game, Dwyane Wade was assessed a flagrant-1 for an attempted block on Maurice Evans' fast break.

It might well have been the worst call of thses Playoffs; the refs were just obviously wrong. Wade, who led the league in blocks for players under 6'5", showed no malicious intent on this play. In the replay, he clearly did not push Evans from behind; he simply went for a block and kept his other hand off to avoid the foul. 

If that was deemed a flagrant-1, then how could the refs not give Rondo a flagrant-2 when he threw Kirk Hinrich into the scorers' table last night? Apparently, the Celtic point guard simply could not take being boxed out and decided to grab his opponent by the forearm and throw him into a courtside table.

Hinrich took offense, as he should have, and went after Rondo, who was backing up in fear. When the refs went to look at it on the replay, how could they not see malicious intent to injure? He took a crow-hop step and threw someone into the stands!

If Rondo had have received a flagrant-2 (which is what he deserved), there would have been no way for the Celtics to come back and force overtime. Rajon should be suspended for Game Seven if the league wants to be fair about the situation.

Hey, if they can suspend the Defensive Player of the Year for an elbow, then they should suspend the most overrated guard in the NBA for a red-rover-like cheap shot.

It will not surprise me if the league looks the other way on this, though, because of the type of series that it has been. The association wants people to watch, and people will be watching Game Seven after the antics of the last two games. 

What should happen is a suspension of Rondo and a blowout win for the Bulls, but what I think will happen is Garnett will suit up and come into the game right after halftime if the Celtics are losing to get the fans into the game.

He will play a few minutes and scream to make the crowd go crazy, but it will do absolutely nothing. 

Prediction is the Bulls win by 5 and Heinrich has 17 in the win while Rondo finished with 35 in a losing effort.

Watch game 6 cheap shot->     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NlaJ4Ot-VY

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