In what may have been the worst playoff game in league history, the Celtics beat the Hawks 90-84 in overtime.
The C's have won ugly all season long. But nothing, I repeat, nothing compared to this game. We were treated to spectacularly bad turnovers and horrific defensive lapses, the likes of which haven't been seen since the mid 2000s.
Rajon Rondo (17 points, 14 rebounds, 12 assists, 4 steals) recorded his 7th playoff triple-double. As brilliant as he was at times, he was equally awful for stretches. According to ESPN Stats Info, Rondo is tied with LeBron James for 2nd-most playoff triple-doubles among active players (Jason Kidd leads with 11).
Loved Kevin Garnett's (42 minutes, 20 points, 13 rebounds, 4 blocks) effort tonight. His put-back dunk with 28 seconds left sealed the game.
Ray Allen (13 points, 6 rebounds) played his first game in nearly a month and looked fairly comfortable. After playing 37 minutes, he told Sean Grande, "My ankle is on fire right now." (Full audio here)
Avery Bradley suffered a shoulder injury in the 3rd quarter and did not return. The official word from the team is "sore shoulder." In the post game presser, Doc Rivers said Avery's shoulder "went out" and the medical staff was unable to pop it back in. Ouch.
UPDATE: Source close to Bradley tells Globe that AB suffered "stinger" type of injury, shoulder's not separated. Should play Sunday
Let's all pray for Avery and Ray.
Paul Pierce (21 points, 3-12 FG, 47 minutes) missed a step-back elbow jumper at the buzzer that would have won the game in regulation. Not sure why he shyed away from contact after getting Joe Johnson in the air. Would have been an easy call and FTs for the win.
I'm thoroughly annoyed with references to the Hawks' injuries. Ray Allen missed two games in this series and Rajon Rondo missed one. If your going to mention the loss of Zaza Pachulia, how about mentioning Chris Wilcox? Al Horford? How about Jeff Green?
Box score | Recap | Highlights
Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
