Rondo Injury Devastating
Rajon Rondo went down with a fractured right thumb suffered in the Bulls Game 2 victory over the Celtics. Chicago certainly felt the absence of their offensive facilitator in Game 3, as the Bulls fell on their home court to the Celtics 104-87. With a 2-1 series lead and the next game in their arena, the Bulls should feel like they're in the driver's seat. However, with Rondo sidelined for an undisclosed amount of time, I am not so sure they will survive this series.
Both Jimmy Butler and Dwyane Wade (still!) are superstars. They can score with the best of them. The problem is neither is a pure point guard and would feel uncomfortable being the primary ball-handler. This forces Fred Hoiberg to play one of : Cameron Payne, Michael Carter-Williams, or Denzel Valentine at the point. Put simply: none of these three should sniff the court for a team that is serious about winning a playoff series. Like I said, Butler and Wade are great, but they need someone to orchestrate the offense. Without Rondo, they have no one. Yes, they own a 2-1 series lead, but I think the Celtics are in prime position to take control of this series. Who in their right mind would've thought earlier this season that Rajon Rondo would tip the balance of power in the NBA Playoffs? Well, he has, and the Chicago Bulls without him are struggling to stay afloat.
