Rondo Out Game 5 (Merged Threads)

[Somebody]

Even if we don't slap his hand we'll foul him and make him shoot FTs till he wants to be on the bench

[Androslav]

If I were his agent (Bill Duffy), I would push (convince, "suggest") him to sit out.
Why?
He can't possibly be looking better as a contributor to a team that is winning a playoff series, 2-0 with him, 0-2 at home without him, then he does now. Probabilities are strong that he won't be able to repeat that impact if he returns. Celtics will adjust, he has an injury. If he never returns, the narrative that would stick would be - if Rondo was healthy, Bulls would advance. Nice narrative to have during the free agency. Also, there is a possibility for him to reaggravate the injury and that never has a positive effect on players future contract.
I know that RR is a competitor and that he would do all in his power to play (he played with a dislocated elbow. OMG, I was in shock when I saw him suit up that night, one of the craziest things of this decade), but he might get a few extra millions if he sits it out.

[SuddenFame]

LMBO...so Rondo had a few good games now he's their superstar savior?  Now that we're out of the grieving period and appear to be locked in again, I WELCOME superstar #9.  PLEASE let him play tomorrow! Diagnosed with a broken thumb and in a cast to playing 2 days later? How really broken was his thumb to begin with.  Fake drama...tomorrow can't get here soon enough!

Too funny.
Knew this revisionist history was coming.  Excuses excuses....
The healthy version of the Bulls thoroughly beat this Celtics squad, and were well on their way to brooming them until their starting point guard got hurt. 
Deep down YOU KNOW IT and so does everyone else.

The fact that Isiah Thomas scored 33 points in game one completely negates your "grieving" excuse.
Moreover, what flimsy reason do you have for the C's getting blown out at home in game 2??

I'm glad to see the C's turning this thing around, and would very much like to see CBS rack up a bunch of playoff wins this year, but let's be real . . . and this crazy chest-pounding, it's kinda embarrassing.

[SuddenFame]

Besides..IT is back in form and seems to have moved on from the passing of his sister so Rondo or no Rondo IT will still have his way.

He had his way in game one . . . yet the Celtics lost

[playdream]

LMBO...so Rondo had a few good games now he's their superstar savior?  Now that we're out of the grieving period and appear to be locked in again, I WELCOME superstar #9.  PLEASE let him play tomorrow! Diagnosed with a broken thumb and in a cast to playing 2 days later? How really broken was his thumb to begin with.  Fake drama...tomorrow can't get here soon enough!

Too funny.
Knew this revisionist history was coming.  Excuses excuses....
The healthy version of the Bulls thoroughly beat this Celtics squad, and were well on their way to brooming them until their starting point guard got hurt. 
Deep down YOU KNOW IT and so does everyone else.

The fact that Isiah Thomas scored 33 points in game one completely negates your "grieving" excuse.
Moreover, what flimsy reason do you have for the C's getting blown out at home in game 2??

I'm glad to see the C's turning this thing around, and would very much like to see CBS rack up a bunch of playoff wins this year, but let's be real . . . and this crazy chest-pounding, it's kinda embarrassing.

You can't ignore the fact IT's sister died just before the first game, and the whole team is feeling the same thing with him because they are like a family
Without the tragedy maybe they can take one game but it's still gonna be 3:1 by now, with or without Rondo

[Drucci]

I'm sure Rondo will play tonight, and be quite effective. Hopefully we've really managed to get the series back in control and can sustain his return to win.

My biggest concern remains IT's struggles to guard him, Rondo feasted in the paint in the first two games and even though he will probably have a hard time scoring, the big issue remains the way he finds easy/open shots for his teammates once he's there.

[SuddenFame]

You can't ignore the fact IT's sister died just before the first game, and the whole team is feeling the same thing with him because they are like a family
Without the tragedy maybe they can take one game but it's still gonna be 3:1 by now, with or without Rondo

Yeeeeaaaaaaah okay.  Suuuuuure buddy.

You do realize the Celtics lost both games in Chicago during the regular season, right?

Also, it's a faulty notion to state that the Bulls automatically lose both at home even if Rondo is healthy.  You have no way to back that up, there's no frame of reference --since the Celtics have yet to beat the Bulls in Chicago with a healthy Rondo.

[mnshyn]

You can't ignore the fact IT's sister died just before the first game, and the whole team is feeling the same thing with him because they are like a family
Without the tragedy maybe they can take one game but it's still gonna be 3:1 by now, with or without Rondo

Yeeeeaaaaaaah okay.  Suuuuuure buddy.

You do realize the Celtics lost both games in Chicago during the regular season, right?

Also, it's a faulty notion to state that the Bulls automatically lose both at home even if Rondo is healthy.  You have no way to back that up, there's no frame of reference --since the Celtics have yet to beat the Bulls in Chicago with a healthy Rondo.

It should be 1-1 in games in Chicago... one of those games was that ridiculous foul on Smart right before the game clock expired that sent Butler to the free throw line.

[JohnBoy65]

You can't ignore the fact IT's sister died just before the first game, and the whole team is feeling the same thing with him because they are like a family
Without the tragedy maybe they can take one game but it's still gonna be 3:1 by now, with or without Rondo

Yeeeeaaaaaaah okay.  Suuuuuure buddy.

You do realize the Celtics lost both games in Chicago during the regular season, right?

Also, it's a faulty notion to state that the Bulls automatically lose both at home even if Rondo is healthy.  You have no way to back that up, there's no frame of reference --since the Celtics have yet to beat the Bulls in Chicago with a healthy Rondo.

Are you a celtics fan? Or are you the bulls version of that annoying Cavs fan that came on the blog a couple years ago before we played Cleveland? I'd have trouble picking which one you were.

I think it's totally fair to say the following things about games 1 and 2

1) We had an enormous emotional cloud over the entire team. It seems as though everyone was trying too hard to 'be there' for IT, and came out of their roles. Everyone seemed to know IT needed to get home and be with family.

2) The Bulls role players played at all star levels. Bobby Portis in Game 1, Lopez in game 2, Zipser was making shots, everything was going for them. If those guys continued to play that way we were never going to win the series anyway.

3) Rondo controlled the tempo of both games. I think if Rondo had played game 3, there would have been something drastically different in the game plan, but of course we'll never know.

As others have mentioned before, the first 2 games weren't as much about the Bulls being that much better than us, the gap was the way it was because they played well and we didn't. Tough to overcome that gap.


P.S. Sure, the bulls won both their games at home, but the first game we lost 105-99 without Marcus. If you're talking about the Bulls lack of success without Rondo it's fair to return the nod to the Celtics no? 2nd game was the infamous 'Jimmy Butler foul game' we got robbed, and the NBA announced it wasn't a foul. Oh yeah, and we played without Bradley. So your 'Celtics hadn't won in Chicago with Rondo this year!' argument is not as sound as you'd like people to believe.

[JohnBoy65]

You can't ignore the fact IT's sister died just before the first game, and the whole team is feeling the same thing with him because they are like a family
Without the tragedy maybe they can take one game but it's still gonna be 3:1 by now, with or without Rondo

Yeeeeaaaaaaah okay.  Suuuuuure buddy.

You do realize the Celtics lost both games in Chicago during the regular season, right?

Also, it's a faulty notion to state that the Bulls automatically lose both at home even if Rondo is healthy.  You have no way to back that up, there's no frame of reference --since the Celtics have yet to beat the Bulls in Chicago with a healthy Rondo.

Are you a celtics fan? Or are you the bulls version of that annoying Cavs fan that came on the blog a couple years ago before we played Cleveland? I'd have trouble picking which one you were.

I think it's totally fair to say the following things about games 1 and 2

1) We had an enormous emotional cloud over the entire team. It seems as though everyone was trying too hard to 'be there' for IT, and came out of their roles. Everyone seemed to know IT needed to get home and be with family.

2) The Bulls role players played at all star levels. Bobby Portis in Game 1, Lopez in game 2, Zipser was making shots, everything was going for them. If those guys continued to play that way we were never going to win the series anyway.

3) Rondo controlled the tempo of both games. I think if Rondo had played game 3, there would have been something drastically different in the game plan, but of course we'll never know.

As others have mentioned before, the first 2 games weren't as much about the Bulls being that much better than us, the gap was the way it was because they played well and we didn't. Tough to overcome that gap.


P.S. Sure, the bulls won both their games at home, but the first game we lost 105-99 without Marcus. If you're talking about the Bulls lack of success without Rondo it's fair to return the nod to the Celtics no? 2nd game was the infamous 'Jimmy Butler foul game' we got robbed, and the NBA announced it wasn't a foul. Oh yeah, and we played without Bradley. So your 'Celtics hadn't won in Chicago with Rondo this year!' argument is not as sound as you'd like people to believe.

Sorry, but I'm not gonna pound my chest like a zealot. No matter what any of you Teamers say, the Bulls had the C's dead-to-rights in this series before the Rondo injury.  It's an indisputable fact.
 
You can accuse me of being a covert fan all you want. Doesn't bug me in the least. One thing is for sure: I'll never be a Green Teamer and obfuscate the facts and shortcomings of the Celtics.

As for the Chicago games:
It doesn't work that way. 
You never leave the game close enough to let ONE bad call decide the outcome. 
That loss in Chicago is completely on the Celtics.  Yeah, I was annoyed by that call, but then I realized the Celtics should have done their job and won it outright.  It was another typical, dumbass road-loss to a team they are better than.

Injuries: all teams play with injuries, not just the Celtics.  Didn't Dwayne Wade also miss that Jimmy Butler game?

Bold point 1: So you'd agree that the bulls didn't do enough to win either because you should never 'leave a game close enough to let one bad call' give you the win?

Bold point 2: Injuries happen all the time you're right, so then you'd be happy to admit the Celtics are now playing good basketball and Rondo being injured is irrelevant because teams play with injuries all the time.

[SuddenFame]

Bold point 2:
It's not even a debate.
Losing your starting point guard in the playoffs is crippling to a team. As opposed to losing an offensive millstone like Marcus Smart. Don't make me laugh.
 Your logic is completely specious.

[SuddenFame]

Bold Point 1:  Brad Stevens after that Chicago game: "We didn't do a good job of running down balls"
Celtics outrebounded by 20 in the game.  That's a desire issue.  Sorry, Celtics OWN THAT LOSS, especially with no Wade and Zipser

[JohnBoy65]

It's not even a debate.
Losing your starting point guard in the playoffs is crippling to a team. As opposed to losing an offensive millstone like Marcus Smart. Don't make me laugh.
 Your logic is completely specious.

I am using your words, so I am glad you make yourself laugh.

Marcus Smart '16 - '17 Games 79, 10/4/4.6  PER: 12.0 win shares 3.2
Rajon Rondo '16 - '17 Games 69 8/5/7 PER: 13.6 win shares 2.3

Starter sure, that much better than Smart? Debatable.

[SuddenFame]

It's not even a debate.
Losing your starting point guard in the playoffs is crippling to a team. As opposed to losing an offensive millstone like Marcus Smart. Don't make me laugh.
 Your logic is completely specious.

I am using your words, so I am glad you make yourself laugh.

Marcus Smart '16 - '17 Games 79, 10/4/4.6  PER: 12.0 win shares 3.2
Rajon Rondo '16 - '17 Games 69 8/5/7 PER: 13.6 win shares 2.3

Starter sure, that much better than Smart? Debatable.

He's the catalyst for their offense. 
They were trash this year when Hoiberg was toying with different point guards. 
The Bulls jelled in the last quarter of the season once Hoiberg stopped jerkin Rondo around.
It's unassailable who is more important to their team at the moment, answer being Rajon Rondo.
I'm not saying he's a better player, just saying he's incredibly vital to the Bulls right now and green teamers are dismissing his importance out-of-hand, and that's just fraudulent & hypocritical.

[celtics2030]

It's not even a debate.
Losing your starting point guard in the playoffs is crippling to a team. As opposed to losing an offensive millstone like Marcus Smart. Don't make me laugh.
 Your logic is completely specious.

I am using your words, so I am glad you make yourself laugh.

Marcus Smart '16 - '17 Games 79, 10/4/4.6  PER: 12.0 win shares 3.2
Rajon Rondo '16 - '17 Games 69 8/5/7 PER: 13.6 win shares 2.3

Starter sure, that much better than Smart? Debatable.

Smart backers always finding loopholes to make him better than he is lol.


Rondo got benched during the season. Rondo was playing like 14 minutes a game for a serious stretch.

I think you know this but you still want to see if you can squeak by those numbers as an achievement for Smart.

Didn't Smart have one of the worst +/- for the 2nd half of the NBA season?



You know what though.....Rondo is still better than Marcus.