Rivers Wants Rondo in Attack Mode
As goes (Rajon) Rondo, so go the Celtics.
“He’s got to be in attack,” admitted Celtics coach Doc Rivers. “I thought the second quarter he was attacking and attacking. I thought he was reading a lot instead of playing on instincts. I think sometimes his IQ hurts him at times. He’s trying to read the defense, but you can’t read and play with speed at the same time.
“We go through it a lot — at least Rondo and I — about, ‘Rondo, just trust your instincts. Your speed has to be part of it. Your instincts will take over. You’ll make the right decision.’”
Rivers admitted that Rondo’s teammates need to make shots, noting how the Heat gave space to wings like Ray Allen and Mickael Pietrus — a combined 1-for-8 for seven points — then clogged the paint to detour Rondo from driving.
For his part, Rondo said the Celtics simply dumbed things down in the second quarter, taking some of the thinking out of the game.
“We called maybe two or three sets, kept it simple and got good looks,” he said.
Asked why, then, the Celtics struggled so much in the second half, Rondo offered, “We’re human.”
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