Celtics Take Game 3

In the Karate Kid, Daniel Larusso was going to have to foreit the All-Valley Karate Championship after his leg was hurt by one of his rivals from the Cobra Kai. It looked like the biggest bully on Cobra Kai, Johnny Lawrence, would win the tournament by default but Larusso limped out, displaying the courage of a champion, and defeated his nemesis to win the trophy.

With their backs against the wall and facing the reality that their season would be over if they lost tonight and went down 3-0 to the Heat, the Boston Celtics responded with a 97-81 Game 3 victory. It might not have been a game that decided a trophy but if the Celtics win this series and go on to win the NBA title this year, tonight's game will be considered the turning point.

This was a game highlighted by vintage performances from Kevin Garnett (28 points and 18 rebounds) and Paul Pierce (27 points, 5-for-7 from behind the arc). The Celtics also were helped out by a gutsy return from a visibly stiff Shaquille O'Neal (2 points in 8 minutes) and inspired play off of the bench from Jeff Green and Delonte West.

However, years from now, this win will be remembered as the Rondo Game. As the Celtics began to build their lead in the third quarter, Rondo was slammed to the ground by Dwayne Wade and dislocated/broke his left elbow on the crash. It looked like Rondo would be done for the night but as the fourth quarter started, the Celtics point guard was back on the floor and helped put the Heat away.

As a kid I remember watching Larry Bird return to the floor after banging his head off the floor in the do-or-die Game 5 against the Pacers. It was a powerful moment that ignited the Boston Garden crowd and lifted his teammates to a win. I had missed out on Bird's glory days in the 1980's because I was too young to know what was going on so that Sunday afternoon marked the moment that I understood what Bird meant to the Celtics and to the city of Boston.

Those memories came rushing back tonight as Rondo put the exclamation point on an important win. The Celtics may or may not win this series but watching Rondo play through obvious pain while Garnett and Pierce were playing like 20-somethings made this a memorable night.

The Heat have made the mistake of allowing the Celtics to fight their way back into this series and have wasted the opportunity to deliver the knock out blow. The Miami "Big 3" did not come to play and now the Celtics have new life.