It was the first quarter of Game Three of the NBA Finals and the hometown Boston Celtics had the home crowd shouting with boundless glee.
The Celtics had jumped out to a lead behind the effective field generalship of point guard Rajon Rondo.
The speedy Kentuckian had hurt the Los Angeles Lakers in two key areas, by running a skilled transition offense and taking the ball to the hoop for lay-ups.
Wily Laker coach Phil Jackson knows when a timeout is needed, and this was one of those occasions.
After the teams came back on the floor, the Celtic momentum was checked and the visitors swung things back in their direction for a 91-84 victory.
They assumed a 2-1 edge and regained the home court advantage that had been taken from them in Game Two in Los Angeles, when they were overcome by the superb point guard craftsmanship of Rondo and a red hot shooting night by Ray Allen.
So what made the difference in Game Three?
During that crucial timeout Jackson made a switch. Kobe Bryant began guarding Rondo, and his freedom of movement promptly dissipated.
Bryant stood back at a distance from ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by Bill Hare
2010 NBA Finals, Game 4: Is Kobe Bryant on Rajon Rondo a Series Changer?
June 10th, 2010 by Bill Hare Leave a reply »
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