Rust In Peace: Game 1 Loss And Rondo's Ejection

We went from praising the rest to blaming the rust in 1 quarter. Now there's a loss in the record books and worry over Rondo perhaps missing the next game.

Green Street " Fast Break: C’s lose their cool in Hot-Lanta

Several times — especially in the opening stages of the second half — the C’s looked primed to make a run and cut the deficit to single digits. The Hawks did a great job thwarting those attempts, and it wasn’t until late in the fourth quarter that Boston closed the gap to five following a 21-7 run. The Celtics then dwindled the advantage down to as little as four with just over a minute left, but Rondo’s subsequent ejection was the final undoing for Boston.

Rapid Reaction: Hawks 83, C's 74 (Game 1) - Boston Celtics Blog - ESPN Boston

With 41 seconds to play, Rondo took umbrage with a loose ball foul on Bass, who was trying to force a jump ball with Smith on the floor trying to protect the ball in a scramble. When referee Marc Davis whistled the call, Rondo immediately disputed the call, getting tagged with a technical, then appeared to bump Davis, earning a second technical and automatic ejection. Now the league will have to determine if Rondo deserves a suspension for his actions (he was already suspended two games earlier this season for throwing a ball at a game official).

Not good times.