Terry Rozier paid tribute to former New England Patriots quarterback Drew Bledsoe before the Boston Celtics began their second round playoff series on Monday night, but anyone who has been paying attention to the NBA postseason knows there was a lot more to it than that.
After the Celtics defeated the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 1, Rozier was asked about the significance of wearing a Bledsoe jersey. He played coy.
Terry Rozier’s explanation for wearing a Drew Bledsoe jersey to the game tonight pic.twitter.com/xXdp0DRjr0
— Rob Perez (@World_Wide_Wob) May 1, 2018
“I got love for my man Drew Bledsoe,” Rozier said with a big smile. “Even though we haven’t talked, I think he knows who I am and I know who he is, so that’s all that matters.”
Of course, Rozier was really taking a shot at Milwaukee Bucks guard Eric Bledsoe. The two players went back and forth both on and off the court in their seven-game series, and the feud really heated up when Bledsoe pretended to not know who Rozier is. A couple of on-court scuffles followed, but Bledsoe and Rozier ultimately gave each other respect once the series ended.
Had the Celtics lost to the Sixers on Monday, you might be able to make an argument that Rozier was too focused on last series and needs to move forward. But considering he scored a team-high 29 points to go along with eight assists, we can probably say Bledsoe’s words are still motivating Rozier.
