The Bruins moved on to the Eastern Conference Finals on Friday, and the Celtics regained the momentum in their Eastern Conference Semifinals matchup with Miami on Saturday, but each of those successes came with a major blow.
Patrice Bergeron incurred a mild concussion on a hit from Claude Giroux and, after a tangle with Dwyane Wade, Rajon Rondo suffered a dislocated left elbow. While neither injury is expected to be season-ending, both will certainly impact their respective team’s chances.
Who, though, is more important to their team?
Prior to Friday’s injury, Bergeron had scored a point in each game during the Flyers series, as well as all four victories of the Canadiens series. With 12 points in the playoffs, the alternate captain is the team’s leading scorer. If he’s on the shelf, rookie Tyler Seguin will find himself in quite the pressure situation as a fill-in.
Replacing Rajon Rondo in the Celtics lineup, though, may be even more difficult. With all due respect to Delonte West, if Doc Rivers had confidence in his reserve guard options, it’s hard to believe that he’d have let Rondo play with one arm. Rondo, however, did stay on the court, and he was accordingly able to preserve the victory for the C’s — evidence that he may be the Celtics’ most important player.
Who do you think is more important to his team’s championship hopes? Leave your thoughts below.
Who is more important to his team's championship hopes?online survey
