Rondo has nothing but love for booing Boston fans
BOSTON - Even though he spent nine years playing for the Celtics, Rajon Rondo was loudly booed during introductions before Game 1 in Boston. On Tuesday, Rondo responded with love.
"Getting booed? Well, these fans are great, I wouldn't expect anything else," Rondo said at Bulls shootaround before Game 2. :"A couple nice words were said when I walked out of the tunnel, but hey, that's Boston. They were doing that for me for the nine years I was here, so I don't expect anything less."
Away from the arena, Rondo said he's felt more appreciated in Boston.
"I've been actually walking the streets the last couple days and it's been a pretty good welcoming back," he said. "Talks and pictures, so they have to boo me. Obviously I've got on a red jersey, so it's part of it."
Meanwhile, Rondo was asked about his future with the Bulls. He is under contract for next season at $13.4 million, but the Bulls could also choose to buy him out for $3 million, since the contract is not fully guaranteed.
At midseason, when Rondo was pulled from the starting lineup, it seemed to be a foregone conclusion he wouldn't be back. But now that he's finished the season strong and bonded with his younger teammates, it's probably a toss up whether the Bulls decide to honor the second year of Rondo's contract.
"I like where I'm at," he said. "I think we have a really good team. We made a big trade halfway through the season. All the things this year with 45 different lineups, we still made it to the playoffs.
"I think organizations have to give guys a little bit of time to grow and learn each other. Everyone is not going to be San Antonio. Always keep your guys together as long as possible so they can develop chemistry and make deep runs in the playoffs and go through things together and grow. If that's the case here, that'd be great. If not, it's up to those guys (Bulls management)."
Butler recalls Marquette:
Jimmy Butler didn't match up with former Marquette teammate Jae Crowder very often in Game 1. Avery Bradley guarded Butler almost exclusively on Sunday.
Crowder and Butler were college teammates for a year in 2010-11. Like Butler, Crowder played junior college basketball before transferring. After being asked several questions about Crowder on Tuesday, Butler looked back at his own college days.
"I just imagine how bad of a player I was at one point in time," Butler said. "Wes (Matthews) was so much better than me, Jae was so much better than me. Probably everybody on my team was. I just worked and it was fun. I was a kid back then. I didn't know any better than to do what I was told and that was to get the ball and give it to the good players. That's literally what Buzz used to tell me."
Butler said his college coach Buzz Williams, who is now at Virginia Tech, is planning to attend Game 3 of the series in Chicago.
Celtics feeling loss:
Boston's all-star guard Isaiah Thomas planned to return home to the Seattle area after Game 2, then go straight to Chicago before Friday's Game 3. Thomas' younger sister Chyna died in a car accident on Saturday and Celtics coach Brad Stevens said he didn't think funeral arrangements had been finalized.
Before Game 2, Stevens was asked what it has been like to prepare for playoff games when the mood among the players is despondent.
"The bottom line, it's quiet," Stevens said. "But hey, everybody really feels for the guy. We're together all the time, it's a great group of guys and we realize we have a job to do and we have to prepare to do our job as well as we can. At the same time, there's a strong relationship there."
Rondo speaks carefully:
Rajon Rondo on his role as leader or mentor to the Bulls' younger players: "If those guys want to listen, I try to give as much advice as possible. I remember when I was a younger cat, I always thought the veteran guys talked too much. I don't want to always be the guy who is talking. But when they ask questions, I always try to give my best advice."
Bulls drop coin flip:
The Bulls lost a coin flip with Portland for draft position on Tuesday. So they'll have the No. 16 pick in the June 22 NBA Draft, while the Blazers choose 15th.
Thanks to the trade with Brooklyn that sent Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to the Nets a few years back, the Celtics have the best chance to win the draft lottery at 25 percent, followed by Phoenix, the Lakers and Philadelphia. The draft lottery is set for May 16.