Rajon Rondo: Boston Celtics aware of Philadelphia 76ers pedigree before defeat – NBA Playoffs Update
Boston Celtics star Rajon Rondo has lavished praise on Philadelphia 76ers after the latter beat his side in the second game of their second round playoffs series. Rondo also contended that the Celtics did not take Philadelphia lightly and they did not need
the defeat to tell them of the toughness of their opponents.
The Boston Celtics won game-1 of their Eastern Conference second round matchup with the Sixers but lost game-2 right at the death, with an 82 – 81 margin. The Celtics were seen as favourites for the series by some analysts and the close defeat surprised
them.
Not Rondo though, who always knew that Philadelphia are a tough outfit who would push any team they come up against.
“That’s the playoffs,” Rajon Rondo said Monday night. “It’s up and down. You’re not going to win 16 straight games so. Give them Philly a lot of credit. They are not a pushover team. They’re in the second round for a reason. Like I’ve said this is a tough
series.”
The Celtics defeated Atlanta Hawks to progress to the second round while the 76ers beat the Chicago Bulls. Chicago had finished on top of the Eastern Conference standings in the regular season and were heavy favourites against Philadelphia. Injuries to key
players though handicapped them and Philadelphia took full advantage.
The Celtics have battled against injuries all season long and are not looking for excuses. Rondo stated that the Sixers won because they were the better team on the night.
“We made some plays but they won,” Rondo said. “We give them credit. Basketball is a game of rhythms… a game of runs. We made our runs, and then they made their runs.”
A feature of the game-2 was the way Philadelphia hounded Rondo and veteran teammate Kevin Garnett right from the start. Garnett has been huge for the Celtics since the All-Star Weekend and although still registered a double-double, he wasn’t as effective
against Philadelphia as some fans might have hoped for.
Rondo though didn’t have that on his mind and when asked if the Celtics would look to get him more involved in game-3; Rajon replied in the negative.
“Nothing really, KG is an unselfish player. He could have taken a lot more shots than he did,”
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