Rasheed Wallace, lest we forget, was part of a dynastic Detroit Pistons team that made six consecutive runs to the Eastern Conference finals this past decade. When they won the Finals in '04, Rasheed was 29 years old. He's now 35, and Celtics fans had been wondering all season whether he could ever find it in him to play like a young man again.
Fight for position on the low post. Work to create good shots. Scramble for rebounds, for loose balls. Play tough defense.
Hustle.
When you're getting paid almost $6 million a year to play this game, it doesn't seem like too much to ask. And on Monday night in Cleveland, the veteran proved that he still had a little bit of Rasheed the Champion alive in him.
Wallace was a sparkplug for the Celtics' bench in the first half of the C's Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. He came into the game late in the first quarter and immediately made his presence known.
He knocked down shot after shot after shot. First, he hit a 3 from the top of the key; then another. Then he worked his way down low and banged home a short jumper off an assist from Michael Finley. He just kept scoring, and before you knew it, the Celtics had a double-digit lead. They held on, earning a 104-86 victory over the Cavaliers in Game 2.
Wallace finished with 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the field, 3-of-4 from 3-point range. Quietly, he emerged as Boston's third-leading scorer in the game. It was one of his best performances in a Celtics uniform to date.
If it was just Wallace's scoring that made an impact in Game 2, then you'd have reason to worry about the Celtics going forward. Give the guy too much confidence, and he gets carried away. Let him jack up too many shots, and he wrecks the offense.
But this time, the C's have reason to believe that Wallace has emerged as a true team player. He's got good timing.
Wallace changed Game 2 with his effort. He worked hard to establish post position, he played hard on defense, and he even crashed the boards effectively despite finishing with a measly two rebounds. He's just now starting to work hard and help this team win.
The Celtics will need him this postseason. To beat the Cavaliers, you don't just have to beat LeBron James — you've got to match up with the beastly Shaquille O'Neal and energetic bigs like Anderson Varejao and J.J. Hickson.
If the C's make it past the Cavs, it's Dwight Howard and the Magic that likely await them next. If they reach the finals, they're liable to face the Lakers and their triplet towers of Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom.
The rest of the way, this much is clear: The Celtics need another capable big man. And Wallace, if he plays as hard from here on out as he did on Monday night, can be that man.
This was why the Celtics brought in Wallace in the first place. He's here to be a battle-tested veteran big man that can help bring a championship to Boston.
A few months (or even weeks) ago, no one saw Rasheed Wallace being a difference-maker in the playoffs. But Monday night was a glimmer of hope.
