NBA

Leandro Barbosa Was Carried Off The Court Tonight, So Can You Play Guard For The Celtics?

When Rajon Rondo went down for the year with an ACL, it was the end of days for the Boston Celtics. But the C’s had gone 7-0 between Rondo’s injury and tonight’s loss against the Bobcats, with Brazilian vet Leandro Barbosa holding down the backcourt. Barbosa was playing a healthy 20 minutes, scoring in double figures in each of the Celtics’ last three contests, but he himself got injured and had to be carried off the court with 11 seconds left in the third quarter Monday night.

Barbosa did not return to the game, and all of a sudden, the Celtics’ backcourt has gotten perilously thin. Not like it wasn’t without Rondo, but their 7-1 run in the time since his injury bolstered them out of mediocrity and perhaps into the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff picture.

While Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett were busy reminding the public they were great players before Rajon Rondo entered the picture, Barbosa was also doing his part to ensure the team didn’t go into full implosion mode. The 30-year-old’s injury hasn’t been diagnosed yet, so the fate of the Celtics’ backcourt remains to be seen. Barbosa was performing well in his role though, and losing him would be a tough blow to the already Rondo-less team.

It begs the question: Can you play guard for the Celtics? They might be in the business for one.

[SB Nation, Getty Images]