Rajon Rondo said the Celtics needed to play tougher after Game 1 and they sure did. Basketball is a game of runs, and last night proved that as the Celtics would take the lead, then the Heat, then the Celtics would come storming back. This back and forth between the two teams went on all the way up until the final seconds of the game where it was 99-99. This was the moment that LeBron critics and fans all wanted to see, LeBron have the ball with the game on the line to see whether he would deliver or not. After a switch on defense where Rondo now guarded James, LeBron opted for a fade away jumpshot that he missed.
Critics would say that’s a terrible shot he should’ve drove to the rim, and some people didn’t have a problem with the shot as a jumpshot over a smaller defender isn’t a terrible play. Regardless the game went into overtime, there the Heat were too much for the Celtics as Rondo hit a three that the referees later reviewed and ruled a two proved to be a very big point change another big play was a complete no call on Rondo as he drove to the hoop and got smacked in the face. Those two plays not going the Celtics way were two of the biggest momentum shifts. Free throws proved to be a key factor in the game as the Heat outshot the Celtics at the free throw line 47-29. Rajon Rondo’s spectacular performance of 44pts, 8rebs, and 10asts gets overshadowed by the fact they lost the game. Another note on that Rondo was consistently hitting his jumpshot, which means bad news for the rest of the league as his case for best point guard in the league is now even stronger when he’s hitting his jumpers.
For the Heat LeBron poured in 34pts, 10rebs, and 7asts alongside Udonis Haslem’s big performance off the bench with 13pts and 11rebs, two of those points coming from a clutch jumper in OT. Game 3 is in Boston on Friday, tip-off is at 8:30 pm ET on ESPN.
