While much of the talk after the Heat's 115-111 win over the Celtics on Wednesday night will center around Rajon Rondo's all-time performance (44 points, 10 assists, 8 rebounds in 53 minutes), his counterpart, Mario Chalmers, was a big reason why Rondo's famous game was all for naught.
Chalmers had his last big game in game three of the series against Indiana, the last time Miami lost a game in the postseason. As Andre C. Fernandez of the Miami Herald writes:
His performance Wednesday night against the Celtics meant a lot more.
Chalmers finished with 22 points, including 14 in the first half, to keep the Heat afloat long enough to rally for a 115-111 overtime victory in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals. Chalmers also had six assists, four rebounds and two steals.
"[The first half stretch] was very important because we had to play catch-up and that's not something we're accustomed to," Chalmers said. "I just tried to pick up the slack. That's my job to provide energy."
Stick with this StoryStream here at SB Nation Tampa Bay for news and updates throughout the Eastern Conference Finals. For more analysis and discussion on the Heat, visit Peninsula Is Mightier. Visit CelticsBlog and SB Nation Boston for the opponent's perspective during the series. For all your Conference Finals analysis, visit SB Nation's NBA hub.