Rondo will play, Shaq out
MIAMI — Rajon Rondo will get the start for the Celtics tonight in Game 5, while Shaquille O’Neal is out as expected. Celtics coach Doc Rivers said Rondo’s dislocated left elbow hasn’t gotten any better.
“In some ways he’s actually in more pain than he was before Game 4,” said Rivers. “But I think he at least has an idea on how to deal with it more. We’re hoping that he can give us something. And if he can’t then we’ll have to make a decision on the floor.”
Rivers admitted that Rondo’s injury affected his ability to play perimeter defense in Game 4, opening up driving lanes for the Heat.
“We can’t afford that,” said Rivers. “We have to keep him out of those positions if possible, or he just has to do it. If not then we have to make a decision.”
Rivers heaped praise on Delonte West’s performance in Game 4, and given his quotes about Rondo, it might be fair to guess that West will play a bigger role tonight.
“He’s had a lot of highs and lows in his life,” said Rivers. “But the one thing that we knew about him, and we knew it the day we signed him, is that if it came to tenacity and toughness then he would be the guy who was still standing.”
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