Everywhere we look, someone is gushing over Rajon Rondo… and deservedly so. He did a lot of amazing things on the floor last night. But one of his more impressive accomplishments might be the overshadowing of another great game out of Paul Pierce.
It wasn't great in a typical Paul Pierce sense. He didn't pull the "Pierce has scored the last 10 points" kinda stuff. The shots he hit came at the right times. They were the kinds of shots that made the Magic hang their heads. But it was really Pierce's all round game that made last night's performance great.
He was there when the Magic tried to get the ball to Dwight Howard… rotating over and getting his hands on passes. He was part of a swarming team defense that forced 17 turnovers… leading to 19 Celtics points.
He was a beast on the boards, helping the Celtics do what none of us thought would be possible considering how this season had gone: Keep the Magic off the boards.
They had 3 offensive rebounds in the game.
THREE.
The Celtics used to give up 3 offensive rebounds on single possessions earlier in the season. So the Magic weren't just cold, they always had to run back on D when they missed. And who was the game's leading rebounder?
#34.
Rajon Rondo provided the highlights in last night's game. But Paul Pierce was the driving force behind the complete team effort. He did what needed to be done.
That's what the Captain of a championship team does.
Photo by Elsa/Getty Images
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