I trust Rasheed Wallace.
There, I said it.
I know damn well what he did this regular season. I know damn well how much he's coasted and how old he is and how he's not what he used to be.
But dammit, I trust him tonight.
Here's the thing about Rasheed Wallace. He knows damn well where the line is and what needs to be done. It's actually a testament to how good he is. People were pissed at him all year long for bullshitting his way through the regular season… and rightfully so. He dogged it. He took stupid shots and didn't play hard on D.
But we've already seen the beginning of the transformation. We've already seen him play better and be kind of the guy we were looking for all this time. The line is the beginning of the playoffs. The line is 6 technical fouls. And wherever that line happens to be, Sheed will find it. He'll cozy up to it. He'll run his toe along it.
But he won't really cross it… even though it looks like he is.
And tonight… tonight is the culmination of it all. Tonight is Sheed's time. Rasheed Wallace doing what we got him to do. To quote our infrequent contributor yet somehow still good friend Rob G:
"How poetic is it that the C's title hopes now rest largely on the shoulders of season-long fan favorite SHEEEEEEEED?!"
Poetic ideed. And perfect. Tonight, Sheed gets to show the old Sheed. Tonight, he gets to shut people up. We keep talking about him having a "JD Drew" moment… well… this is it. The bases are loaded for him right now… and this entire game is his at bat.
You can accuse me of wearing the green glasses if you want. This is why we got him, and he knows it. And that's enough for me. I trust Rasheed Wallace in this spot.
Photo by Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images
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