Tommy Heinsohn was going apoplectic on the sideline, begging for Rondo not to settle for jumpers, to take it to the hoop against Rip. And then Rondo did just that.
In the absolute signature play of the game, Rondo exploited his speed mismatch against Rip and threw down a dunk, taking a hard foul from Maxiell in the process. The play completely fired up the team and sent the crowd into a frenzy. I thought it was a big time play by a young player under the bright lights, and showed the grasp of the game that is so critical in turning a young athlete into a Chauncey Billups.
Another instance was either late in the third or in the fourth when Garnett had the ball against ‘Sheed and ‘Sheed fouled him, giving the Pistons 4 team fouls. Tommy immediately exhorted the C’s to take the ball to the hoop to draw that 5th team foul, and presto, Garnett was backing down Sheed and drawing that foul.
Over the years, how often have we listened to Tommy yell out instructions to the team as they are melting down, and the instructions make perfect sense, and it’s all the more frustrating because the team never seemed to listen.
Last night was a great example of the team listening.
--From http://celtics.bostonsportsmedia.com
It is true that Tommy has always been offering out his .02. That's what he's paid to do. On the other hand, you have to wonder, given how long it's been since the last banner, whether Tommy's competive juices have been invigorated to such an extent that he is actually directing his instructions, er, commentary, to particular players.
Very interesting.
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