76ers vs. Celtics Game 2: Rajon Rondo Is Boston's Top X-Factor

The Celtics may be facing the worst seed in the East, but beating the 76ers in order to advance to the conference finals will be no easy task, as they proved with their slim 92-91 win in Game 1 on Saturday night.

And without Rajon Rondo's heroics, Boston would be singing a very different tune.

The Celtics badly needed a home win in Game 1 of the conference semifinals. They needed to maintain their home-court advantage, and they needed to get started on the right foot after a knockdown, drag-out fight with the Hawks in their first-round series.

For most of the game, it looked like they weren't going to get the win. Then, Rondo took things into his own hands.

The Celtics point guard has often taken heat for his less-than-perfect jumper, and he's never been the guy Boston relies upon to knock down the game-winner in a tight situation. But somehow, after three quarters of futility, Rondo found his shot in the last six minutes of Game 1, helping Boston officially bury what was left of a 13-point deficit and secure the win.

He finished with 13 points, 12 rebounds and 17 assists, racking up yet another triple-double. 

Afterward, head coach Doc Rivers told ESPNBoston.com's Chris Forsberg, "He wanted those shots."

Backup point guard Keyon Dooling added: 

"

He's the smartest player in the game. If you look, he's a coach on the floor. I watched him the whole last five possessions, and he was coaching everybody. It kinda reminded me of [head coach] Doc [Rivers], the way he was calling each person, giving them eye contact, telling them what to do, what to look for. It's pretty amazing to see him on the court—he's not so quiet and reserved when he's dictating policy on the court.

"

Rondo's role against the Sixers is already crucial. He must be able to match a young, athletic team that, after knocking off the top seed in the East, is playing with more hunger and aggression than ever before. If the Celtics are going to have a chance, he has to limit the turnovers and neutralize Jrue Holliday, who keyed the Sixers' first-round upset of the Bulls. 

As Dooling said, Rondo is responsible for direction traffic, for setting the tone against a team that can probably run circles around them in terms of stamina.

That is where the Celtics are fortunate, because there are few better floor generals in the game. Even without the offense, Rondo is a nearly impossible force to contend with because of his passing and his defense, especially on the boards. But when his shot is falling—as he proved at the end of Saturday's game—he is capable of turning the Celtics into a different team.

Rondo took them from being a No. 4 seed about to lose Game 1 at home and turned them back into a legitimate contender. As long as he's playing like he did on Saturday, they'll always be a contender.