HANG TIME PLAYOFF HEADQUARTERS – With a slim three-point lead and their closer heading to the bench with four minutes and change left to play, few people inside TD Garden would have chosen Rajon Rondo as the man to save the Celtics’ Game 7 bacon against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Rondo was mysteriously missing in action for most of the first 44 minutes of the biggest game, to date, of the Celtics’ season. But he turned it on when it mattered most, scoring 11 of the 12 points, including nine straight, in the three minutes after Paul Pierce fouled out with 4:16 to play.
The Celtics’ famed Big 3 is officially a Plus-1 now, since they’re moving on to the Eastern Conference finals to face the Miami Heat Monday night because of the late-game heroics of the one member of the band least known for his offensive prowess.
Rondo knocked down a driving layup and two deep jumpers (one was initially called a 3-pointer but later changed to a 2-pointer after being reviewed and the second was a 3-pointer well behind the line) to extend the Celtics’ lead back to double digits while Pierce was still getting settled in his seat on the bench to watch the final minutes of the Celtics’ 85-75 win.
Celtics coach Doc Rivers had no fear with Rondo stepping up for both shots, the first to beat the shot clock and the second a dagger Rondo stepped into like he was as sharpshooter instead of an All-Star point guard known best for setting the table for his teammates and being one of the best defensive and rebounding points guards in league history.
“Go in, please,” Rivers said when asked what went through his mind seeing Rondo raise up for both of those crunch time 3-pointers. “I’m not above praying … When you get him in rhythm he’s a good shooter. I’ve been saying for that last couple of years. The first [3-pointer] he didn’t have a choice because of the shot clock. The first one he had to take. The second one, he wanted that shot. He stepped into it. And it was big. Big.”
HANG TIME PLAYOFF HEADQUARTERS – How many times have you heard someone say it, “that one play didn’t cost us the game?”
Don’t care to count?
No?
We understand.
Technically speaking, one play might not cost you the game. But one crucial play at the right time in a tight game can certainly have a more significant impact on the outcome of said game. And that was indeed the case in Boston last night for Celtics’ forward Kevin Garnett. He was called for an offensive foul on a moving screen on Andre Iguodala as he tried to make space for Paul Pierce with 10 seconds to play in a game the Philadelphia 76ers led 78-75.
The call, made by Michael Smith after Garnett had already been warned by Danny Crawford to watch the moving screens, helped seal the deal for the Sixers.
“I just thought in that situation you let the players decide the game,” Garnett said after his illegal pick took the air out of the building and a spirited, fourth quarter rally from the home team. “But if he felt like that was an illegal pick, then that’s what it is.”
It was glaring (check the video above). But not necessarily a call anyone expected in that situation. To his credit, Garnett tried his best not to make a huge fuss about it afterwards, choosing instead the common refrain that it was one of many mistakes made that led to the final outcome.
“Danny had already given me a warning about how I was setting the picks,” Garnett said. “I’m going to continue to set picks. I’m going to continue to get guys open. That wasn’t, to me, the game. We did things going up to that point in determining the game.”
The Heat go from a Big 3 to a Big 2 of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade for at least Tuesday’s Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Indiana Pacers and potentially, for the remainder of the series.
The word “indefinitely” will lead to speculation that Bosh could be out even longer. And if that’s the case, the Heat’s road to The Finals gets considerably tougher. They’ll have to get through a Pacers team with a frontcourt that boasts All-Star center Roy Hibbert and David West and then have to face either the Celtics or 76ers in the Eastern Conference finals. The Thunder, Clippers, Lakers or Spurs could be waiting for them if they clear that hurdle.
The Heat did manage rather well without Bosh after he left Game 1 against the Pacers Sunday.
But what does the prospect of a Bosh-less Heat team for the remainder of this postseason do to the Heat … and your playoff bracket?
HANG TIME PLAYOFF HEADQUARTERS – The next time Hawks co-owner Michael Gearon speaks about Kevin Garnett, he might want to do it in private. Better yet, he might want to keep Garnett’s name out of his mouth after the way Garnett made the Hawks eat his words Thursday night.
Gearon called Garnett the “dirtiest player in the league” on the eve of the biggest game of his team’s season. Garnett’s response was the delivery of an absolutely inspired performance for the raucous home crowd in Game 6 of this first round series.
Garnett was filthy, in a good way, against the Hawks. He filled up the stat sheet, working the Hawks over for a season-high 28 points and 14 rebounds in the Celtics’ 83-80 series-clinching win. He also added five blocks and three steals to carry the Celtics, who advance to face the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference semifinals. The 76ers won a Game 6 of their own, finishing off their upset of the top-seeded Chicago Bulls.
Garnett, however, had Gearon on his mind by the time he made it to the interview room after the game.
“Thank you to their owner for giving me some extra gas tonight,” Garnett said. “My only advice to him is next time he opens his mouth to know what he’s talking about with X’s and O’s versus checkbooks and bottom lines.”
HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS – Not that this series needed any more fire, but those passionate fans the Hawks will see in Boston tonight got a little extra incentive from Atlanta.
When Hawks co-owner Michael Gearon called Celtics forward Kevin Garnett the “dirtiest player in the league” during a speech Wednesday, he tossed even more kindling onto an already raging fan fire.
It doesn’t matter that most of those fans in Boston wouldn’t be able to pick Gearon out of a lineup, or that his comments were supposedly made “off the record” during a luncheon sponsored by an Atlanta-based non-profit organization.
All anyone will know by tipoff of Game 6 tonight in Boston is that the other team’s owner called out the guy universally regarded as the emotional heart and soul of the Celtics the night before they have a chance to close out the Hawks and move on to the Eastern Conference semifinals.
On media coverage of Hawks’ playoff series against the Celtics
“Did you see what Al Horford did last night? The timeline for recovery for his injury is another three months. He’s not even supposed to be playing and Josh [Smith] should not be playing.Zaza [Pachulia] can’t stand up, but if we can get past this round there is a chance that we can get him back. So this is a team that is overcoming adversity. I wish . . . some of the national media or even some of the local media, more the paper than the TV guys, recognize how hard these guys are playing based on how injured they are.
“On top of all that, we don’t get any calls, which I know everybody always hears. But I’ll give you a stat. Last night, we are playing this old physical team. They are old. I know what happens when you play basketball, old guys foul. [Kevin] Garnett is the dirtiest guy in the league. We are playing Boston last night and they had two fouls the whole first half. We had five times that and we’re athletic.”
HANG TIME PLAYOFF HEADQUARTERS – Survival came in the form of a furious 6-foot-10, 245-pound package for the Atlanta Hawks. You might remember him. His name is Al Horford. He’d been missing from the scene for months, stuck on the Hawks’ bench in a suit, courtesy of a torn pectoral muscle that cost the All-Star center all but 11 regular season games.
Horford made up for lost time Tuesday night, though, scoring the final four points and saving the Hawks’ season with a last second defensive stop on Rajon Rondo to preserve his team’s 87-86 win over the Boston Celtics to push this series to a Game 6 Thursday night in Boston.
Rondo’s steal of a Josh Smith inbounds pass intended for Joe Johnson with 9.5 seconds to play was thwarted when Horford closed off all driving lanes on the sideline in front of the Hawks’ bench. Rondo lost his dribble and then flung a pass to Kevin Garnett that Smith batted out of bounds before laying his head on the scorer’s table, knowing full well that Horford had just saved him from being the Hawks’ playoff goat.
In his first full-game action in four months, Horford battled his way to 19 points, 11 rebounds, three assist, three steals and three blocks. It helped the Hawks stave off elimination and provided their fans a glimmer of hope that the home-court advantage Horford’s teammates earned in his absence might still be available for use by the weekend.
HANG TIME PLAYOFF HEADQUARTERS – When the playoff pairings came into focus late in the regular season, we knew there was the potential for this when the Boston Celtics and Atlanta Hawks got locked into the No. 4-5 battle in the Eastern Conference.
An era was coming to an end. A five-year run for one of these two franchises would continue on for at least another series and that same five-year run (that began in their epic first-round series in 2008) for the other franchise would have run its course.
Well, it’s time for the Hawks to face the reality of their own situation and turn the page. The Hawks are facing more than just elimination after their disastrous 101-79 Game 4 showing in Boston Sunday night. Most compassionate observers turned away from when the Celtics’ lead grew to 37 points … with more than a quarter and a half to play remaining.
How many times can you hear about a team talk about “not responding” or “we just didn’t have it” or “our energy and effort was nonexistent” in a big game situation before it sinks in?
The Hawks have dropped 12 playoff games by 20-plus points since 2008, a staggering number that does not include all of the games they lost by 16, 17, 18 and 19 points.
They’d fight back with stats of their own — such as along with the Celtics and Lakers, they are one of just three teams to reach the second round in each of the past three seasons. But that would foolishly suggest that the Hawks belong in the same sentence with two franchises that have won championships in the past four seasons.
The Celtics won it all in 2008 while the Lakers won back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010. The Hawks, for all of their accomplishments during this same stretch, have been escorted from the postseason in an ugly fashion each and every time, without once truly breaking through with this current core group.
They’ll tell anyone willing to listen that this series is far from over at 3-1 with Game 5 Tuesday night at Philips Arena. And with their history against these Celtics, it might be worth a listen. They played seven games in 2008, with each team taking turns ruling their home floors all the way through to Game 7.
But this time is different. As much as you’d like to believe these limping Hawks have a chance to make a series out of this one, the stench of inevitability is floating in the air after that Game 4 debacle in Boston.
OKLAHOMA CITY – The wheels of NBA justice didn’t need long to churn out a decision on Celtics All-Star point guard Rajon Rondo.
He’s been suspended for Tuesday night’s Game 2 of the Celtics series against the Hawks for “making contact with a game official,” the league announced this afternoon.
Rondo argued with game official Marc Davis with 41 seconds to play in Sunday night’s Game 1 and was ejected after he chest bumped into Davis from behind. That bump came after Rondo stumbled over the foot of Brandon Bass. Rondo said he accidentally made contact with Davis after tripping over someone’s foot; he wasn’t sure whose it was at the time.
Without him the Celtics are in a bind. Shooting guard Ray Allen is still recovering from an ankle injury that kept him out of uniform for Game 1, a contest the Hawks won 83-74 after leading by as many 19 points. Rondo will return for Game 3 Friday night in Boston.
“Obviously, from a competitive stand point we are disappointed with the league’s decision to suspend Rondo,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said via statement. “He plays a valuable part in our team’s success.We accept the punishment and will use it as a learning tool for our players.”
OKLAHOMA CITY – The decision on whether or not Rajon Rondo sees the floor in Game 2 of the Celtics series against the Hawks will ultimately come from another place, namely NBA headquarters in New York.
Rondo lost his cool after Brandon Bass was called for a foul on Josh Smith late and was sent to the showers early for screaming at and then bumping one of the game officials. Whether or not he meant to bump Marc Davis from behind will be debated from Buckhead to Bunker Hill (not to mention the rest of the NBA universe).
I’d tell you the video doesn’t lie and that Rondo’s bump was the result of him stepping on the foot of Davis or Bass and his momentum sending him into Davis accidentally. Celtics fans would probably agree with that theory.
Hawks fans, on the other hand, saw a guy that could have avoided Davis bit stuck his chest out and went right into Davis to complete his protest. And they’d love to see him miss Game 2 Tuesday night in Atlanta.
The incident will require a thorough examination by the league’s “Dean of Discipline,” VP of Basketball Operations Stu Jackson,and his staff. He’ll also have to factor in Rondo’s recent past — he was suspended two games earlier this season for throwing the ball at an official — the same way they did Metta World Peace‘s extensive history when they handed down his 7-game unpaid vacation for that elbow he landed to the side of the head of Thunder swingman James Harden.
League rules stipulate that “any intentional contact with a game officials” results in a one-game unpaid vacation for the violator of the rule. So the discussion will center on whether or not Rondo’s chest bump was “intentional’ or not.
While we await his ruling, we’re going to do our own little experiment here and take the pulse of the people …
HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS – Don’t take our word for it — one of the greatest coaches of all time thinks Spurs coach Gregg Popovich ranks among the best of the best.
Larry Brown (above) speaks glowingly about the job Popovich has done throughout his career. And much like NBA.com’s Steve Aschburner, we think this season has been one of Pop’s best ever (not that he cares what we or anyone else in the media thinks). Good enough to edge reigning Coach of The Year Tom Thibodeau for the honor this season.
There were a number of strong candidates in addition to Popovich and Thibodeau. Frank Vogel guided the Pacers to a top three seed in the Eastern Conference. Doc Rivers revived the Celtics from an early season funk and finished with the Atlantic Division title. Scott Brooks has led Oklahoma City to the top of the Western Conference heap, a hair behind Pop’s Spurs. And you know we couldn’t forget our guy Lionel Hollins and the job he did with the Hang Time Grizzlies this season.
And those are just the guys who made the final cut.
