Rajon Rondo was called for a flagrant foul during the Miami Heat’s win over the Boston Celtics after he wrapped Dwyane Wade up to prevent him from walking in for a layup. It was somewhat of a hard foul as Rondo certainly wasn’t playing the ball, and Wade ripped Rondo after the game and called it a “punk play.”
Not surprisingly, Rondo saw it differently. In fact, he thinks Wade’s complaints are a bit hypocritical.
“I don’t think it was a hard foul,” the Celtics guard said according to WEEI.com. “He sold it a little bit, and that’s basketball. They were up, he drove to the hole and I didn’t want to give up a layup. Simple as that. I didn’t yank him down or dirty plays that you’ve seen him play in the past, so that’s what it is.”
Rondo has a point. Whether the foul was out of line or not, Wade has quietly become one of the dirtier players in the NBA. In last year’s NBA playoffs, he completely laid out Darren Collison of the Pacers when Collison had a clear path to the basket. D-Wade also broke Kobe Bryant’s nose last year with a hard foul — in an All-Star game no less.
Compared to some of the dirty plays Wade has committed in the past, Rondo’s foul was nothing. Wade said he is going to remember it next time the Heat and Celtics play each other. One has to wonder if that’s going to be his excuse for yet another dirty play.
