Eric Bledsoe may not know Terry Rozier’s name, but he will never forget his play
Terry Rozier is setting new standards for what can be expected of him as a player in this series, and there has been nothing Eric Bledsoe can do to stop him. Everyone saw the step back in game one that left Bledsoe completely helpless, but he has been dominating him this entire series.
The two of them are going head to head much of the time, so there is always going to be competition there, and Bledsoe has to be frustrated with the results on both sides. The little feud between them was amplified after Rozier called him Drew Bledsoe, in what might have been an honest mistake.
Bledsoe responded by claiming he had no idea who Rozier was and, quite frankly, that makes Bledsoe look significantly worse than Rozier.
Bledsoe may claim to not know who Rozier is, who is much younger and has actually played in more playoff games, while having a bigger impact this season than Bledsoe has had at any point in his career, so he better start paying attention
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That being said, it is not as if Rozier was a household name going into this. The most people talk about him is because of how much people hated Danny Ainge’s decision to select him with the 16th pick in the draft.
In these playoffs however, Rozier is making sure everyone will recognize his name, and that has everything to do with how he is playing, and not seeking attention in the media. Rozier responded to Bledsoe’s silly comments by making sure to stay focused on the series, and that is why Bledsoe is never going to forget who Rozier is, no matter what he says about recognizing him.
On both ends, Rozier is utterly dominating Bledsoe. Bledsoe has always been a streaky payer, but he is not even slightly close to Rozier in these playoffs. Bledsoe’s game has regressed in every way in the playoffs, and much of that has come with Rozier guarding and successful shutting him down.
The Celtics have dominated the back court battle more than most would have expected, and Bledsoe has not been able to slow down Rozier in any way, who has improved every aspect of his game in the playoffs.
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I highly doubt we will get any more sound clips, because Rozier is going to stay focused on getting the next two wins, and Bledsoe has been humiliated enough, and should do everything to keep the attention away from the fact that Rozier has dominated him any time they have shared the court in this series.