Mr. Triple Double. Rondo was equal parts Bob Cousy, Tiny Archibald, and Magic Johnson. He was Oscar Robertson. He was a 6-foot-1-inch Larry Bird. At the end of the day, he even had a little Manny Ramirez in him.
The only thing missing was Derrick Rose. Chicago’s All-World guard was on the sideline because of a back injury, which took a lot away from what could have been a dream matchup.
With Rose out of the mix, Rondo was free to do everything. And he did. Boston’s flossy guard made 11 of 22 shots from the floor and 10 of 13 from the line (take that, President Obama), playing all but eight minutes of a game in which the Celtics never trailed.
The absence of Rose demonstrates one of the problems with this lockout-shortened NBA season. Somebody is always missing. You buy your tickets hoping to see all the stars, but invariably, one of the great players is watching in street clothes.
“I think that’s happened in every one of our games,’’ said Celtics coach Doc Rivers. “I don’t think there’s been one game where both sides had everybody.’’
Still, it was a post-Super Bowl, pre-pitchers-and-catchers treat. The Celtics bolted to an 18-7 lead and never looked back. Getting a great contribution from JaJuan Johnson (12 points), they led by 14 with less than five minutes to play when Chicago made its final run. Chicago shaved the lead to 3 but never pulled ahead. Rondo sealed it with four free throws in the final 21 seconds.
Four for four from the line at the finish. That was no small achievement for a baller who has been Chamberlain-esque at the line.
“He was not worried about getting fouled, which was good,’’ said Rivers.
The coach was asked about Rondo perhaps having a little extra motivation in the wake of a week of snubs.
“Oh, I don’t know,’’ said Rivers, a longtime Rondo babysitter. “I’m going to let you guys be that deep. I wish I could get in someone’s head that deep. I just think he wanted to win.’’
