Getty Images The good news for the Celtics: An MRI of Rajon Rondo’s left elbow showed no break. Basically, it’s not going to get worse.
The bad news: As expected, the swelling and pain got worse on Sunday, Doc Rivers said. There was a lot of ice and a lot of pain medication, as reported by the New York Times.
Rondo is officially a game time decision, but if you think he is going to sit out then I am a Nigerian Prince with a can’t miss financial offer for you. He was on the court for shootaround Monday but did not speak to the media. Carlos Arroyo said he is ready to go, CSN New England’s A. Sherrod Blakely reported.
The bigger question is how effective he can be as a one-armed point guard? In Game 3 his return to the court in the fourth quarter was inspirational for the Celtics, but just having him out there in Game 4 will not be enough.
Defensively, the Heat may change strategy on Rondo. Before, they laid off him and basically dared him to shoot the jumper. But now, don’t be shocked if the Heat shade him heavily and try to force him to go left. Make him use is bad arm, go to his bad side.
Also, Miami may try to attack with whomever Rondo is guarding. Not with Mike Bibby off the dribble, but rather running him off screens from big men — dare Rondo to deal with contact rubbing off those screens. Be physical with Rondo. Not Andrew Bynum cheep-shot physical, but don’t shy away from the contact.
Boston needs to get more production out of the point guard position, and that means Delonte West (and his sore shoulder) need to step up. Rondo may get a couple of points in transition, he will get some assists, but he is not going to provide the production. West needs to off the bench. They also need Paul Pierce and Ray Allen to step up with big games.
Miami is going to play better than they did in Game 3. This will be the Celtics biggest test. And what they get out of Rondo will go a long way to them passing it.
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Reuters
Jeremy Lin is a priority for the Knicks. They would like to sign him using his Bird rights, meaning they still would have their mid-level exception to use on another player (say… Steve Nash?). But under the way the new CBA is actually written they don’t have Lin’s Bird rights (because they got him off…
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Knicks fans all over the globe just felt a cold chill go down their spine. Isiah Thomas is out of a job after getting fired from Florida International University. So what is next? ESPNChicago.com asked him. “I definitely want to be in basketball again whether it be coaching or as a general manager,” Thomas said…
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AP
I hope you like iso ‘Melo Knicks fans. The New York Knicks announced late Friday that coach Mike Woodson has been given a multiyear contract extension to continue as coach of the team. The details of the years and money are not yet known. This move was expected after Woodson turned the team around to…
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You want to read a $25,000 quote? “The league does not have a problem with hard fouls on our two main guys. In nine games now there’s been over a dozen hard fouls to the face, some of the tomahawk variety, some have drawn blood. They don’t have a problem with it so we don’t…
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AP
Sports tradition calls for you to say, “We’re just happy to be here, both teams present challenges and we will just try to be ready.” That’s… organic fertilizer from male cows. NBA players and coaches have preferences. And like the rest of us in life what they are rooting for is the easiest path to…
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Reuters
With the Heat down 2-1 to the Indiana Pacers and no Chris Bosh on the horizon, LeBron James channeled his Cleveland self and, along with Dwyane Wade, carried the Heat into the Eastern Conference finals. For LeBron’s legions of detractors it does not matter, because nothing he does will matter until he wins rings. Plural.…
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Reuters
We can sometimes overanalyze what happened in a regular season game when trying to look at a playoff matchp. It’s like comparing Suzanne Collins and José Saramago novels, technically they are the same art form but one of these things is not like the other. However, the Feb. 4 meeting of the Spurs and Thunder…
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This is the first of PBT’s review of players in the 2012 NBA draft, we will be running these regularly up through draft day, with plenty of other content to follow. Austin Rivers is not a guy sliding under the radar in this draft — he’s the son of former NBA player and Celtics coach…
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Derrick Rose is approaching rehab of his knee like he attacks the rim — with energy and undivided focus. Did you expect otherwise? Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau was on ESPN Radio in Chicago Friday and was asked about Rose’s recovery from knee surgery (transcription via ESPNChicago.com). “He has a great support system,” Thibodeau said on…
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Jeff Van Gundy is sticking up for his brother, Stan, who got fired because Dwight Howard didn’t like him. Sure, both the Magic and Howard deny that, but does anybody believe them? Jeff Van Gundy doesn’t. And the current ABC color analyst got on a roll ripping the Magic CEO Alex Martins and how they…
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Here is our daily look around the NBA — links to stories worth reading and notes to check out (stuff that did not get its own post here at PBT) — done in bullet point form. Because bloggers love bullet points. • Dwyane Wade wore pink pants to the game on Friday. Yea… not working…
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AP
If you need surgery, and there is a four-month recovery you need to get through, you don’t put it off. Boston guard Avery Bradley is to undergo surgery Friday to repair his injured left shoulder, tweets Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald. That has been confirmed by Doc Rivers. So no, he’s probably not available…
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Reuters
Let’s be honest, you’re not doing any work today. You’re already planning your early escape for the three-day weekend. You’re planning to grill a porterhouse and drink a nice Stone IPA. Well, I am. You may just run off to Vegas for the weekend. Since you’re not working, how about just watching NBA.com’s compilation of…
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What’s the best name for the soap opera going on in Orlando right now: As the Magic Turn? The Bold and the Magic? The Days of our Magic? I give up on the name, but I feel like every Magic story now should have melodramatic music playing in the background while you read it to…
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AP
San Antonio vs. Oklahoma City comes with great storylines — the young gunslingers trying to take the crown away from the grizzled veterans. Russell Westbrook vs. Tony Parker. Brains vs. athleticism (although really, both teams have both). Above is a preview of the finals with myself and Tiffany. For a more detailed one, you can…
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Reuters
The Knicks J.R. Smith was arrested in South Beach when the car in which he was a passenger was pulled over by officers and they discovered an outstanding bench warrant for not having a valid driver’s license. There are not a lot of details, but according to the Associated Press Smith was in a car…
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I’ll admit that the thought of 70-year-old Jerry Sloan’s old-school ways coaching a young Bobcats roster strikes me as a poor fit. I’ll admit that to see Sloan wanting back in the game so bad that he’s not picky about the job he’ll take is a little sad. But Sloan, the long time Utah Jazz…
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Reuters
It was the Dwyane Wade show Thursday night. He was knocking down jump shots, which opened up his driving lanes to the rim. He had 41 points and pushed the Heat to a win and into the next round. It was a virtuoso performance and there was nothing the Pacers could do about it (especially…
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SEASON RECORDS San Antonio 50-16 (1 seed) Oklahoma City 47-19 (2 seed) SEASON SERIES San Antonio took the season series 2-1, however Manu Ginobili missed all of them (which might worry Thunder fans), the games were in March and earlier, bottom line these teams are different now. OFFENSE/DEFENSE RANKINGS (points per 100 possession) San Antonio:…
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Reuters
After the Lakers were eliminated from the playoffs, Lakers fans took to the Internet like locust trying to find a way to trade Pau Gasol and make their team better. About the same time came word that Deron Williams had the Lakers on his list of teams he would consider. So, a Gasol or Deron…
