The Boston Celtics are in trouble and struggled mightily against LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The Celts dropped the series opener 93-79 and never led for the duration, looking vulnerable at four of the five positions on court. Kevin Garnett held his own for Boston but the rest of the crew were ordinary at best.
Don’t be fooled by some of the stat lines either. For every Kendrick Perkins-esque game that reaps way more value than a box score suggests, there’s always games like Rondo dished up in Game 1. Lots of action for little influence, as was the case in this game.
Rajon Rondo finished with 16 points, nine rebounds and seven assists but it’s fair to say some of his drives to the basket were sub-standard. His inability to influence the game stuck out like a sore thumb in this one, highlighted for the most part by the fact Boston NEED Rondo at high output to stay competitive in the series.
It may be a lot of pressure but it's literally "Rondo or bust" for Boston in this series.
LeBron James was again the main man for the Heat, posting a game-high 32 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. The Celtics didn’t really have an answer for him at all, which isn’t terribly surprising. LeBron is on a tear right now and looks more focused than ever on winning his first championship.
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