Rajon Rondo has arguably become the most important player on the roster for the Boston Celtics. His ability as a playmaker and clutch scorer have earned him the right to be vocal about his teammates play and after Thursday night’s loss to the Chicago Bulls, Rondo sounded off on his team’s playoff chances to the Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn.
“It better be a wakeup call, if not, we won’t make it far. We’re a completely different team (than last year). It’s not the same team. We’re not going to be able to turn it on like we did year. I don’t know what we’re waiting on but these types of games we have to find a way to win. It’s a roller-caster and right now we went back down today.”
Shortly after making those statements, Rondo had a one-on-one meeting with head coach Doc Rivers, presumably to figure out how to instill that sense of urgency. Maybe they should have walked over to the Bulls’ locker room and asked Brian Scalabrine.
The former Celtic was a guest on a Boston-area talk show and suggested that trading Kendrick Perkins to the Oklahoma City Thunder has a lot to do with the Celtics’ situation right now. Not that he or his Chicago teammates are shedding any tears over it.
Via Red’s Army:
“We’ve only lost three games since Kendrick got traded. We feel like we have an unbelievable opportunity in front of us. We felt more confident that we have an opportunity.”
Scalabrine added that Derrick Rose was particularly excited about the trade, exclaiming that without Perkins in the paint, he could get to the basket easier. Scal also weighed in on the Miami Heat’s chances, saying Chris Bosh is “just a bad fit. He’s an isolation player and those two guys (LeBron James and Dwyane Wade) can only do pick and roll.”
It’s amazing what you can see from the perch atop the Eastern Conference standings.
As for the Celtics, whatever ailing them needs to be solved real quick. With just four games left in the regular season, Boston is tied with Miami for the second seed in the East. That would mean a first-round matchup with the struggling Philadelphia 76ers. A drop to the third seed would likely pit the Celtics against the surging New York Knicks.
Maybe Doc Rivers should have stashed some cash at the United Center as motivation.