NBA Playoffs 2011: Would a Healthy Rajon Rondo Make Difference in Heat vs. Cs?
Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo suffered a dislocated elbow in the second half of the Game 3 victory against the Miami Heat in what was a memorable game in Celtics history.
After countless replays of Rondo's elbow popping out of place and being told by doctors he would sit the rest of the game, Rondo would make a Paul Pierce-esque comeback (NBA Finals 2008 against the Lakers) and would help lead the Celtics to a 97-81 win.
After being listed as day-to-day by the Celtics team, Rondo would play a whopping 38 minutes. The problem was, the Rondo-type numbers were not there.
In the near 40 minutes of play Rondo would put up 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting, 5 assists, 2 rebounds, and 3 turnovers. Second behind Chris Paul in steals in the regular season, Rondo was without one in the Game 4 contest.
It was impressive to see Rondo was able to even make an appearance in the contest . Not to mention Rondo played 38 minutes with one arm. Yet the fact is, Rondo was hurt, and as a result the Celtics did not have the pace on either end of the floor to compete with the LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and the Miami Heat in the final minutes of Game 4.
In the fourth quarter and overtime combined, Rondo had no assists and two points for the Celtics. The Celtics as a team had just two assists, both coming from Paul Pierce in the fourth quarter.
A top-five team in assists per game during the regular season could not get movement and good looks on the offensive end, as Rondo was not able to push the pace or penetrate the Heat defense for the Celtics in the fourth quarter and overtime. There were several occasions where Pierce would bring the ball up the court, which slowed down the offense even more.
Rondo was much too slow defensively as well. Despite not putting up impressive numbers on the stat line, Heat point guards Mike Bibby and Mario Chalmers dealt with much less ball pressure bringing the ball up. The defense that won the Celtics the game in Game 3 had much to with the tough, full-court ball pressure applied by both Rondo and Delonte West.
It's not a factor that shows up on the stat sheet, but it made a difference in the ball game. It also allowed Bibby and Chalmers more room to split the lane, finding open shooters and getting into the teeth of the Celtics defense. If the Celtics expect to make the improbable comeback against the Heat, it will take better perimeter defense from Rondo and West, as was present in the Game 3 win.
A healthy Rajon Rondo would have enabled the Celtics to apply more pressure on the Heat back court with better full-court defense and perimeter defense. Rondo provides length and size defensively that forces guards to give the ball up quickly.
Offensively, Rondo's ability to slash to the basket with an explosive first step opens more passing lanes for the Celtics and allows shooters to spot-up from the outside on kick-outs off of penetration. Shooters like Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and even Kevin Garnett would then get better looks offensively, something the Celtics lacked in the last 17 minutes of the Game 4 loss.
Rondo staying healthy is arguably as significant a factor as any in the Celtics hopes to stay alive in the series.
Had Wade not taken Rondo to the floor with him, Game 4 would have been a different story, as the Celtics offense would have had more fluidity and put more pressure on the Heat defense at the end of the game. Fatigue would get the best of Rondo in the loss.
Now down 3-1, the Celtics have to hope Rondo is well enough to help send the series back to Boston Friday night.
