Delonte West: The Unsung Hero

Yes, Kevin Garnett turned back time last night tallying 28 points and 18 rebounds. Yes, Paul Pierce dropped 27 on LeBron James and held the "King Without A Crown" to just 15 points on 6-16 shooting.  And yes, the Celtics rallied around Rajon Rondo, who played with virtually one arm for the large part of the 2nd half.

However, the unsung hero in Boston's Game 3 win over the Heat was undoubtedly Delonte West. The reserve guard's scoring line may not look that impressive: 11 PTS, 4-7 FG, 2-4 3PT, 3 AST, but his 25 minutes of efficient basketball can't be measured with any number. 

West played big time minutes down the stretch despite reaggravating a bruised left shoulder in the 1st half. He canned a three-pointer just moments after the injury. West's heart and passion for the game of basketball are often overlooked in favor of some of his more questionable off-court decisions.

''The playoffs are here. This is what it's about: Bruises, whatever, you've got to keep on going,'' West said. ''I think that light clicked on for us today.''

All of Celtic Nation hopes that switch stays on. Boston will need to maintain their top-notch effort throughout the series if they want to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Celtics coach Doc Rivers said West should be ready to go for Game 4 Monday night. West agreed, and doesn't plan on using the injury as an excuse for not getting another victory.

"It’s all right — it’s still lingering, but it’s nothing to slow me up," West said. 
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Stephen Bailey designed Beantown Banter, writes the majority of the pieces for the site, and controls the social networking among other things. Bailey is currently a freshman at Syracuse University majoring in Sport Management. He is a diehard Celtics and Red Sox fan, but also actively follows the Bruins and Patriots. Additionally, he serves as a contributing writer at Celtics Life. Earlier in 2010, Bailey interned in the Sports Department of the New Haven Register, interviewed multiple athletes, including ex-Celtic Ryan Gomes, and worked as part of a team to get the section done every weeknight. He covers both Swimming & Diving and Women's Tennis for The Daily Orange, SU's school paper. In his free time, Bailey enjoys playing pickup basketball, beating his floormates in NBA 2K11, and sporcling for hours on end. Although he is unsure exactly what he wants to do for a career, it has always been his dream to cover the Celts and Sox.