Amongst all the attention Rondo is (deservedly) getting, the continued excellence of the Big 3, and the re-emergence of Tony Allen (this season) and Sheed (the last 8 games), we tend to forget about one key contributor - Glen aka "Big Baby" aka "Ticket Stub" aka "Dancing Bear" aka "Lucius Leftfoot" (wait, different Big fella) Davis.
Baby's numbers haven't been overwhelming for the playoffs - 8 pts, 4 rebounds, 48% from the floor, assists, blocks, and steals all negligible. But he's been a great asset off the bench for our team. We resigned him to be the 2nd big off the bench, play solid D at the 4 and 5, crash the offensive boards, and score efficiently off feeds inside and mid-range jumpers. So far, he's filled this role wonderfully in the playoffs, and has arguably been our 2nd best big for the run. He's even had a signature game - Game 2 against Miami, when a lot of people thought we'd struggle with KG suspended, Baby symbolized the effort of the team, bulldozing Heat defenders repeatedly on the way to the rim in a game that was never competitive. And don't forget, he was our high scorer last night.
But BBD's best, most indispensable quality, is that he is not afraid of big games and big moments, not in the least. From some big 4th quarters against Detroit in 2008, to that huge jumper against Orlando last season, to this year's performance, Glen raises his game when it matters most. That's much more important than some headscratching quotes, a stupid preseason fight, and maddening inconsistency around the rim in the regular season put together. That's the type of player that championship teams need in a secondary role.
Put it this way - for the rest of the playoff run (not the long-term), how many backup bigs among playoff teams would you rather have than Baby? I've got Odom, Varejao, and Millsap, and everyone below them (Gortat, Haslem, Hickson, etc) is debatable at best. And if you had to sign the checks you might not even want those three.
Glen's taken a lot of heat here this season, but it's time we gave him some much-deserved love - like the team, he's redeemed his regular season these past few weeks.
