Delonte West was limited in tonight’s loss to the Pacers, and ended up playing just 12 minutes as a result of flu like symptoms. After coming out of the locker room at halftime, Delonte was shown on the bench in his warm ups wearing an expression of discomfort for those used to seeing the third year guard committed to the game at hand.
Unfortunately, Delonte was limited after essentially guaranteeing a win for the Celtics tonight. After the game, Jermaine O’Neal commented on Delonte’s guarantee:
“When players like Delonte come in and guarantee wins, it’s a motivator,” O’Neal said. “I didn’t really see him at all in the second half. It’s a hard way to guarantee a victory when you have the flu. Don’t put your team out there bad if you’re not going to be out there to help them.”
While I understand where Jermaine is coming from on this, I think it’s tough to forecast when you’ll end up feeling nauseous. It’d be one thing if Delonte’s character or commitment were ever questioned — but clearly West brings an enormous amount of pride and determination into every game he plays.
While I’m sure that sounds like I’m being a homer, I’m sure many Pacers’ fans could say the same about O’Neal’s commitment to the team, to the game, and to his nightly contributions.
With the 103-96 loss to the Pacers, the Celtics have now lost twelve straight games. The C’s will return home tomorrow night to take on the Los Angeles Lakers in a 7:30PM game at the TD BankNorth Garden.
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