Rajon Rondo out for season, leaving Celtics in hard spot

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 14px;">Jeff Zillgitt, USA TODAY Sports From: </span><a href="http://www.usatoday.com/">http://www.usatoday.com</a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Rondo 1-27-13" src="http://www.gannett-cdn.com/media/USATODAY/gameon/2013/01/27/rondo-1-27-13-4_3_r536_c534.jpg?1b79b3da202957124496e3768cfb7b67cdb10c81" /></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 60px;">Boston Celtics All-Star point guard Rajon Rondo has a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and will miss the rest of season, dealing the Celtics a serious blow to their playoff chances.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 60px;">The injury was announced Sunday during the Celtics' home game against the Miami Heat. No date has been set for Rondo's surgery.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 60px;">"Oh my God," Pierce told ABC's Doris Burke when she informed him of Rondo's injury after the Celtics defeated the Heat 100-98 in double overtime.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 60px;"><b>WATCH: </b><a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/gameon/2013/01/27/paul-pierce-doris-burke-rajon-rondo-injury-acl-tear/1868437/" style="color: #1990e5; text-decoration: none;" title="http://www.usatoday.com/story/gameon/2013/01/27/paul-pierce-doris-burke-rajon-rondo-injury-acl-tear/1868437/">See Pierce's face-twisting reaction</a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 60px;">Pierce sounded and looked like he was hearing the news for the first time.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 60px;">"We've just got to rally around each other," Pierce said. "I feel for him. He was having such a great season, making the All-Star team. It's disappointing news. Guys just have to step up."</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 60px;"><b>MORE NBA: </b><a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/allstar/2013/01/24/reserves-tim-duncan-russell-westbrook-kyrie-irving-james-harden/1862917/" style="color: #1990e5; text-decoration: none;" title="http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/allstar/2013/01/24/reserves-tim-duncan-russell-westbrook-kyrie-irving-james-harden/1862917/">All-Star teams announced</a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 60px;">Rondo was said to have hyperextended his right knee in Friday's 123-111 double-overtime loss at the Atlanta Hawks. Rondo played 45 minutes and recorded his second triple-double in a row.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 60px;">Rondo, Boston's most important player, was a late scratch Sunday after gingerly working out before the game and left for New England Baptist for the MRI, which confirmed the injury. He told Burke that he was just bothered by soreness and never considered he had torn his ACL. The Celtics were concerned enough to send Rondo for the MRI.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 60px;">Rondo's agent, Billy Duffy, said he expects Rondo to return to form just as Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson did from a similar injury – just as good and possibly even better than before the injury.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 60px;">"Of course, until there's surgery, we don't know the gravity of it," Duffy told USA TODAY Sports. "But under any circumstance, I expect him, with his work ethic and body, to come back stronger than ever."</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 60px;">Rondo, who watched the final minutes of the Heat-Celtics game from courtside, is averaging 13.7 points, an NBA-high 11.1 assists and 5.6 rebounds in 38 games.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 60px;">Celtics coach Doc Rivers received the news before the game but did not tell his players.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 60px;">"Obviously, the Rondo news is tough. … Obviously, it was pretty emotional," Rivers told news reporters after the game. "We'll find someone who's ready in our locker room who will step up. You can write the obituary (on this season), but I'm not."</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 60px;">Rivers and Duffy are on the same page.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 60px;">"We've got a guy in the NFL, Adrian Peterson, who we can look at," Rivers said. "Whatever he did, we'll do."</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 60px;">The Celtics defeated the Eastern Conference-leading Heat by compensating for Rondo's absence with strong performances from forwards Kevin Garnett (24 points) and Paul Pierce (17 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists).</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 60px;">It was the second double-overtime game in a row for the Celtics, who ended their six-game losing streak, the longest in the Garnett era.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 60px;">Guard Courtney Lee started in Rondo's place but had just four points on 1-of-7 shooting. Heat forward LeBron James had 34 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 60px;">The Celtics began Sunday in eighth place in the Eastern Conference at 20-23. They had been just two games ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers and four games ahead of the Detroit Pistons. Could the Celtics be in the draft lottery year?</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 60px;"><b>PHOTOS: Injured NBA stars</b></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 60px;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.gannett-cdn.com/media/USATODAY/USATODAY/2013/01/27/usp-nba_-boston-celtics-at-atlanta-hawks-4_3_rx512_c680x510.jpg?0f5c31de35bf4ef88a50c2e35ee3bc4da4bf3083" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="None" border="0" height="300" src="http://www.gannett-cdn.com/media/USATODAY/USATODAY/2013/01/27/usp-nba_-boston-celtics-at-atlanta-hawks-4_3_rx512_c680x510.jpg?0f5c31de35bf4ef88a50c2e35ee3bc4da4bf3083" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 60px;">The Celtics have made the playoffs five consecutive seasons, winning the title in 2008, advancing to the Finals in 2010 and reaching the conference finals last season.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 60px;">Without guard Ray Allen, who left in the offseason for the Heat, the Celtics have struggled as they added several players, including guard Jason Terry, Lee, forward Jeff Green (back after missing all of last season) and rookie big man Jared Sullinger.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 60px;">Now that Rondo's injury impacts the rest of Boston's season, Celtics President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge could make franchising-altering moves before the trade deadline expires Feb. 21.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 60px;">Does this give Ainge more incentive to trade Pierce and end another strong era for the Celtics? Garnett has a no-trade clause in his contract. Ainge recently said he will not make a trade just for the sake of it, but Rondo's injury changes the dynamics.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 60px;">The season-ending injury will prevent Rondo from playing in the All-Star game Feb. 17 in Houston. He was voted a starter for the Eastern Conference.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 60px;">NBA Commissioner David Stern will select Rondo's replacement – possibly Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez, who was not selected by fans or the coaches. Either the Philadelphia 76ers' Jrue Holiday or Cleveland Cavaliers' Kyrie Irving likely will start in Rondo's place.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 60px;"><b>PHOTOS: </b>Eastern Conference All-Stars</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 60px;"><img alt="None" src="http://www.gannett-cdn.com/media/USATODAY/USATODAY/2013/01/27/usp-nba_-boston-celtics-at-new-york-knicks-4_3_rx512_c680x510.jpg?0f5c31de35bf4ef88a50c2e35ee3bc4da4bf3083" /></div></div>

NBA Rajon Rondo Rajon Rondo out for season, leaving Celtics in hard spot

Jeff Zillgitt, USA TODAY Sports From: http://www.usatoday.comBoston Celtics All-Star point guard Rajon Rondo has a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and will miss the rest of season, dealing the Celtics a serious blow to their playoff…

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