Looking for Spark, Rivers Makes House Call

By Scott Tribble
Celtics.com Correspondent
June 10, 2008

When Rajon Rondo suffered an ankle injury early in the third quarter of the Celtics' Game 3 loss to the Lakers, Coach Doc Rivers made another House call, and, once again, the veteran guard responded with a high-energy performance.

After playing only six seconds in the first half -- his first appearance thus far in the NBA Finals -- Eddie House entered the game cold, but heated up quickly. The eight-year veteran was everywhere during the Celtics' third-quarter comeback, pulling down two rebounds, dishing out an assist, and intercepting an errant Kobe Bryant pass for a steal. More critically, House directed the offensive attack -- and hit a key three-pointer -- during a 12-2 run that gave the Celtics a 51-49 lead.

"I thought Eddie House gave us a great lift tonight," Rivers said. "Rondo was the guy that obviously [the Lakers] decided they were going to live off and live with whatever he makes. What Rondo and our team has to do when that happens is...make more plays through Rondo. I think Eddie did a good job of that...Eddie was terrific."

Even while calling House's number, Rivers expected to hand the reins over eventually to Sam Cassell, who, as Rondo's primary backup, played seven minutes in the first half. After the game, Rivers shared his thinking with reporters.

"I went with [House] because, when Rondo went out so early, I thought, 'Go with Eddie, we may come back with Sam,' because, at the time, I didn't think Rondo was coming back, and I just needed someone to stretch the floor to take them out of their double team."

Rondo eventually did come back, but House played so well during his third-quarter audition that Rivers kept him in the game for most of the final frame.

"Eddie was playing well, and that was it," Rivers said. "I just thought Eddie stretched the floor better for us."

All told, House played 20 minutes on the night, scoring six points on two of eight shooting and leading the team with a plus-5 rating -- his first real impact since Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. House acknowledged some frustration with his so-so shooting, but remained hopeful about seeing action in Thursday's Game 4 matchup.

"You always like to get out and compete," House said. "It felt good to get out there. I had some chances to knock down some shots that I usually knock down, but, hey, it didn't go down. I'll get some extra shots up tomorrow and be ready for Thursday if my number gets called."