From time to time, I need to get a few of things off of my chest…this is the second installment…
• The extreme surreality of yesterday’s Celtics live viewing experience is staggering to think about. As I recall each iteration of the 12:30 PM – 4:00 PM EST telecast a day later, I remain dumbfounded. Beginning with the sudden announcement of the late game scratch, to when the news of Rajon Rondo’s ACL tear went from twitter rumors to Doris Burke confirmations (courtesy of Celtics PR guru Jeff Twiss), to watching Bill Simmons bury his head during the half-time show in fear of the worst, to how Celtics’ on-court play kept matching the defending champs in regulation and then into two overtimes in what had to be the biggest win of the season, and finally to post game questions about who knew what when, I am still awestruck by all that happened. Although we are not sure which dominoes are now going to fall in wake of the devastating Rondo injury news, January 27, 2013 will always be one of the most unforgettable and emotional days etched in my long history with the Boston Celtics.
• It is no surprise that Jackie MacMallun was at the center of the information flow on this infamous day. Based on her account, she was responsible for sharing the news with Dwayne Wade and the Miami Heat bench and even more bizarrely, with Rajon Rondo himself (who had yet to hear the MRI results). Again, this is another bizarre element to this story.
• One of the most dramatic aspects of yesterday’s information flow concerned the Celtics players who did not know about Rajon’s season ending injury until after the game. Watch Paul Pierce’s reaction when Doris Burke shares the fateful news…
• Where do we go from here? I am choosing, at least for a few days, to take a breath (yesterday took a lot out of me) before I can properly put into prospective the ramifications that this injury may have on our current version (and the KG era for that matter) of the Boston Celtics. If you want to read what the smartest NBA writer alive has to say, read Zach Lowe here on Grantland.com. Be warned: much time is given to scenarios in which Paul Pierce is traded.
• Removing my intellectualized viewing of the NBA and looking at this situation as just a pure fan, I am going to miss watching Rajon Rondo play basketball for as long as he is injured. There is no player in the modern NBA who I enjoy watching more. His incredible court sense and passing ability are wholly unique and can only be matched by a handful of players in the history of the league. Let us hope that Rondo is made of the same ilk as Adrian Peterson (if anyone is, it is Rondo), and can recover quickly and even better than before. It is no surprise that Rondo was walking on a torn ACL for a few days and just thought he was nursing a minor hamstring.
• Finally, the Boston Globe sneakily released this article on Robert Parish a few days ago. It is a must read for any fan of the 1980s Celtics who have wondered what ever happened to the Chief. This is pretty sad stuff, especially his feelings about his ex-teammates.
It is a sad day in Celtics nation. Rajon, get better soon.
David J. Bloom can be reached on twitter @davidbloom7 and writes about pop culture and the NBA for Bishop and Company. He writes weekly TV columns on Afterbuzztv.com and his weekly THE CHALLENGE: BATTLE OF THE SEASONS Power Rankings can be read on Derek Kosinski’s ultimatechallengeradio.com.
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