Celtics - Heat Game Seven Top 40 Takeaways

40) Rajon Rondo clowned Dwyane Wade even more than usual in the first half for the Celtics first points

39) I'm not saying that Paul Pierce looked old in the first quarter, but the theme from "Sanford and Son" was playing in my mind when he drove the lane

38) Ray Allen's first points took all of the paint off the rim

37) Shane Battier made his first two three point attempts, which is usually a leading indicator of an easy Miami win

36) Between Haslem, Allen and Battier in the first quarter, you have to wonder who put in the double-wide rims

35) Boston took an early 7-point lead despite the Heat shooting 50% from the floor, because they played dramatically better defense than Game Six

34) I'm still not convinced that the best way to guard Rondo in the half court is to give him ten feet of space at the top of the arc, so he's got all the room in the world to throw passes

33) Wade's and one with 3:40 left in the first quarter might be his first good first half moment of the series

32) James' chasedown block at the end of the first quarter was trademark for him, as was the Rondo heavy flop from the post-block knee (and if you think I'm just a Celtic Hater for calling Rondo's move a flop, consider his incredible, soccer player-esque full recovery fifteen seconds later)

31) Garnett's second foul is something he gets away with all the time, in that Garnett is a cheap shot artiste

30) I'm starting to dislike bitter Cav Fan nearly as much as Celtic Fan, but we'll have common cause in a few days

29) Rondo's 8 assists in the first 18.5 minutes is the reason why the Celtics lead, and his 2 for 7 is why they didn't lead by a lot

28) James not having big numbers in the first half woke up all of the He's Not Clutch trolls, while the He's Not Anything trolls for Wade stayed away

27) Brandon Bass's 5 for 6 start was otherworldly, and caused Jeff van Gundy to go with an MC Hammer reference, just to prove to the national audience that this wasn't actually really happening

26) When Miami isn't bringing the A game on defense, you can do some things on offense

25) Pierce's push-off for the offensive rebound and score with 2 minutes caused Miami Fan to show that they, too, can chant at the refs

24) Rondo and Wade went for their usual mutual unlikable technicals, which immunized them from getting any other technicals tonight

23) James to Wade to James with 40 seconds left was amazing, and made Heat Fan jump on each other in a way that America found disturbing

22) If this series went on long enough, Ray Allen would have had the full Benjamin Button experience; as is, he might have shown enough to get another year in Boston

21) Pierce kept Wade down for a five count after a loose ball save without a call, because, well, why not, it's Game 7

20) A minute later, Pierce held James for a five count as the crowd grew more and more irate, until inertia demanded a foul call

19) Rondo really might be the best PG in the world if he ever learned to shoot free throws

18) Wade is this Miami team in microcosm; unconscionable swings in performance, production, intensity and intelligence

17) I still don't quite know how Celtic Fan pules about the foul trouble that his team gets into, given that they contest everything physically on every play

16) The game was tied after three quarters, in case you needed some manufactured tension or something

15) Even Celtics Fans in my Twitter feed are starting to admit Garnett's moving screens (they call it "Veteran Savvy")

14) How a 6'-1" point guard wins a jump ball against a 6'-8" power forward, we'll never know

13) The James slam with 7:55 left was runaway trainish

12) Chris Bosh picked a good time for a career high in three pointers made, and the idea that Bosh was Mr. Clutch has to be just all kinds of fun for Celtic Fan

11) Wade's back tap turnover, instead of just catching the offensive rebound with 6:25 left, was a gift

10) James from 30 feet with 5:45 left was inhuman, and more or less the perfect killshot

9) Wade's fourth quarter nearly redeemed the first three

8) The Heat didn't have a fourth quarter turnover until one second after ESPN mentioned this fact

7) Hack A Bron might have been a better defense for the Celtics tonight

6) I thoroughly detest both of these teams, and as much as it galls me to admit it, it was a much better series than anyone could ever guess

5) The Heat fans gave it up for the Celtics' stars tonight, but remember, only Boston Fan is classy

4) James did look gassed in the stretch of this game, which was, well, kind of understandable and all

3) ESPN showed Rajon Rondo throwing towels while the game was still going on, because, um, well, they are ESPN

2) The Celtics' star players left the floor early without shaking hands, which will cause them to be buried by the national media... in my dreams

1) The biggest untold story is how much more Boston will pay for all of these unused suits in the luggage on the flight back home