Rondo had a vintage Jason Kidd line (minus the whole beating wife and kid looking like a rat thing...): 19, 14, and 15.
We could have given up when we came out flat the first two quarters. We could have given up when Dirk was knocking down everything. We could have given up after digging ourselves a 15-point hole heading into the 4th quarter. We could have given up after KG got hit with a technical after picking up his 4th and 5th fouls in the third. We could have given up when Doc got thrown out of the game. Emphasis on the "could have."
The C's needed a fire lit under them and Doc gave it to them, getting two T's. "Yay Mr. Ref!"
As the TNT announcers said, this is a game where champions are made, and the Celtics showed that they were up to the task. Two years ago, the young Celtics and Pierce would certainly have let this one go after shooting like crap and playing no defense, especially since this was the second of a back-to-back road game and the last before the All-Star break. The guys certainly had a lot on their minds heading into the vacation period, but they stuck it together and got the win. That's what a veteran team does...a championship team does.
The Mavs came out on fire and Dirk couldn't really be stopped, even by the reigning Defensive Player of the Year in KG. We were forced to go to our bench early as we continued to pick up (stupid) fouls. Leon Powe did an amazing job, especially in the fourth on Dirk, holding him to just 6 points in the period. Basically, the fourth quarter was where it was at, so I'm not even gonna bother going over the first three.
KG had trouble slowing down Dirk, but Powe stepped in and put Zee German in his place.
Pierce was the catalyst, sparking the offense that was non-existent until the melee that occurred in the third (Doc getting thrown out arguing 2 quick fouls on KG, bringing his total up to 5--he wouldn't return until about 4 minutes left in the fourth quarter). He scored 18 in the final frame, one more than the entire Mavericks team. Overall, he got 31 points, including 2 HUGE vintage fadeaways against their "defensive specialist" in Devean George. And that, my friends, is why he wears the "C" on his uniform (even though he doesn't, that's what I always like to say...).
Make fun of his facial expressions all you want. Best all-around game in the league. THA TRUTH!
The Celtics are now 44-11, just the 3rd team EVER to have 44 wins heading into the All-Star break. Word, son.
Oh, and Rondo had another big trip-doub with 19 points, 14 assists, and 15 rebounds. Big Four, anyone?
Rondo even got an assist for passing it into the ground while doing a Michael Jackson impression. Yeah, he kinda did it all...
Have a good long weekend/vacation.
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