Celtics vs. Heat: Rajon Rondo Must Shine for Boston to Advance

Rajon Rondo is The Big One.

No longer are Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen the face of the Boston Celtics. If they defeat the Miami Heat, it’ll be on the back of their All-World floor general.

In Game 7 against the Philadelphia 76ers, Rondo carried the Celtics to the Eastern Conference finals. Facing elimination, he recorded his ninth career playoff triple-double with 18 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds. Only three players boast more playoff triple-doubles in NBA history.

In the 2012 postseason, the former Kentucky Wildcat is averaging 15.3 points, 12.3 dimes and 7.4 boards per game. Rondo must continue that dominance if the Celtics want to have any chance to upset the Heat.

LeBron James and Dwyane Wade were unstoppable against the Indiana Pacers. The pair of stars combined for a jaw-dropping 198 points in the final three contests of the series. Boston hasn’t received similar offensive production out of their trio of scorers—not even close.

Comparatively, Pierce, Garnett and Allen have only scored a total of 138 points in the past three games. Pierce and Allen won’t get going anytime soon with LeBron and D-Wade checking them. And Garnett is only capable of doing so much at his age.

Rondo is their only hope.

Frank Dell’apa of the Boston Globe reported that the point guard shared his opinion on the Celtics’ shot to shock the Heat. He said:

"

Last year is in the past. This year, we are a totally different team. We feel we can beat Miami. Obviously, we got to this point. There’s no doubt in my mind that we can, so we’ve got to go down there and take care of business.

"

Rondo is right.

Boston is a totally different team. They’re less athletic and less deep. He’s now the only Celtic talented enough to takeover a series, and that’s exactly what he must do in order for them to advance.

David Daniels is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report and a syndicated writer.

Follow @TheRealDDaniels