Rajon Rondo played 53 minutes on Wednesday, and that was just too long for Doc's taste.
Minutes mounted for Celtics’ Big Three - Sports - Boston.com
"I thought the biggest mistake I made, actually, was keeping Rondo in that long," Rivers said. "I took the gamble. Sometimes it’s a good one. Sometimes it’s a bad one. I didn’t think this was a good one. I just thought he got tired." As Rivers said, "I thought we started walking the ball up the floor. I thought our tempo changed in the fourth quarter . . . I thought that had an impact on him, and on the speed of the game."