Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Van Gundy's Star Call

During Game 3 of the Boston Celtics' first-round playoff series against the Miami Heat, there was a play where Rajon Rondo got an offensive rebound and made a play for his team.

Dwyane Wade was the Miami Heat player responsible for keeping Rondo off the glass on that play. This was during a sequence when Rondo was murdering Miami with offensive rebounds.

In analyzing the play during the ABC telecast of the game, Jeff Van Gundy talked about how Wade wasn't paying as much attention to Rondo as "maybe" he should.

Maybe?!

Rondo was killing the Heat with these offensive rebounds! A strong argument can be made that those offensive rebounds were the entire difference in the game.

Dwyane Wade absolutely, beyond any shadow of a doubt, should have been paying more attention to Rondo; and there is no "maybe" about it.

But because Dwyane Wade is a superstar, or "maybe" because he likes Dwyane Wade, Jeff Van Gundy softened his criticism and didn't call Wade out like he was supposed to for failing to box out.

In the NBA, it appears that officials aren't the only ones who make "star" calls.

Correction: On the play where Van Gundy says "maybe," Rondo didn't secure the offensive rebound and make a play for his team; he beat Wade to the ball but was unable to control it, and the ball went out of bounds to the Heat (8:15). The play where Wade failed to box out Rondo and might have cost his team the victory is at 5:18.


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