Rondo, Rivers fire back Wade for “punk play” comment

That’s the play in question.

Rajon Rondo, for much of the Celtics season opener against the Heat, felt he wasn’t getting the calls when he drove the lane, particularly on contact with Dwyane Wade. So with the game out of reach in the final minute, a frustrated he gave a little of what he felt he was getting to Wade.

Rondo got a flagrant for that. After the game, Wade called it a “punk play.”

Thursday, both Doc Rivers and Rajon Rondo fired back.

Rivers — who has said previously he didn’t think Rondo deserved a flagrant for that, said he thought Wade was tougher than this, via the twitter of A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com.

“My thought was Wade, I know where he grew up. I thought he was tougher than that."-#Celtics Doc Rivers on Wade’s “punk play” comment.

— A. Sherrod Blakely (@SherrodbCSN) November 1, 2012

Then there was what Rondo said after Thursday’s practice, videoed by ESPN (hat tip to The Point Forward):

“I mean, I don’t think it was a hard foul. [Wade] sold it a little bit, and that’s basketball. They were up, he drove to the hole, I didn’t want to give up a layup. Simple as that. I didn’t yank him down, or, dirty plays that you’ve seen him play in the past. So that’s what it is.”

It’s pretty clear Rondo was referring to the play in the playoffs a couple years back where Wade and Rondo got tangled up and went to the ground and Rondo ended up with his elbow bent backwards. An injury that took Rondo a long time to recover from. This feud has some history to it.

This Celtics vs. Heat feud — whether it is Rondo and Wade or Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen — is going to go on all season. But if the Celtics want real revenge there is only one way to get it, and in that first game Miami showed Boston where the benchmark is.