Dwyane Wade shrugs off the controversial game-3 tumble with Rajon Rondo
Miami Heat’s shooting guard Dwyane Wade is not backing down for his foul that resulted in Rajon Rondo’s elbow injury, even if the Boston Celtics plan any retribution on him.
The Celtics’ point guard dislocated his elbow following a chippy interaction with Wade, with 7:02 left in the third quarter. Wade and Rondo both fell on the court following a scuffle on the key. However, Rondo landed with all his
weight on the left arm, which bent awkwardly. He was in clear pain at once as the replays showed the extent to which his arm bent.
The training staff assisted the All-star to the locker room. To every one’s surprise Rondo returned after in the game and single-handedly, literally, inspired the Celtics to a comprehensive 97-81 victory.
Rondo had a MRI done on his elbow after the game. The test showed a dislocation and the injury has now rendered him doubtful for game-4 and the rest of the series.
Wade however was not convinced with the notion that it was a dirty play. As the replays showed, Rajon nudged the ball from Dwyane and apparently it was Rondo, who made the first move by grabbing Wade’s waist and pulling him away
from the loose ball. Dwyane responded by pulling Rajon backwards which caused Rajon to crash on the floor. Bemused by the notion of Celtics revenge, Miami’s sharp-shooter said.
"It's basketball. Keep them back from what? Are they going to beat me up? For what? Did anyone watch the replay? Obviously I watched it. I'm done, I've moved on from that." Dwyane said after Miami’s practice on Sunday.
Doc Rivers, the Boston Celtics coach, said that the players, especially Kevin Garnett, became angry followed by the incident and he had to talk them out to calm down the situation. Dwyane also had a dialogue with Boston’s bench
a moment after the play.
"It was a hard foul. Let's put it like this. He didn't intend to hurt Rondo. I don't honestly believe in 99 percent of cases in our league the player ever intends to hurt anybody. But he did and it just happens." Rivers said.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra backed his superstar and said that there were more physical plays all around the court however, due to Rajon’s nasty injury; Wade-Rondo entanglement received more attention.
It looked like a normal contact foul; he just landed on it wrong. Those things happen. There's a lot of contact. There's a lot more plays more physical than that where guys didn't get hurt." Spoelstra said
After watching the footages by Sunday afternoon, the coaches seem to be looking forward and cool down the tempers. Wade has been specifically aggressive since the game 1 of the best-of-seven series and spearheaded the Heat strikingly
for two straight wins.
Boston Celtics and Miami Heat will take on each other for game-4, on Monday night at the TD Garden. The game is going to depict more physical play and it will be interesting to see how these teams will react in the upcoming showdown.
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