BOSTON - The unsung hero of the playoffs thus far for the Celtics is clearly Rajon Rondo.

That may be news to the rest of the NBA but not to the Celts or to Miami coach Erik Spoelstra. The Heat coach has gone out of his way to praise the Celtics point guard throughout the series and with good reason. Rondo, by himself, has totally out-played the Heat duo of Carlos Arroyo and Mario Chalmers.

Spoelstra said he's a big fan of Rondo's and pointed out that he probably needs to be seen for long stretches, in person, to be fully appreciated.

"He is dynamic," the Miami coach said. "You can have three players in front of him and, similar to our guy (Dwyane Wade), he'll find that crack to the rim."

As for Rondo's trademark blazing quickness, Spoelstra said, "unless you see him live, it's like watching someone in fast forward."

In the first four games of the series, Rondo was outscoring (58-52), out-assisting (39-20), out-rebounding (23-14) and totaled more steals (8-6) than Miami's point guards. He offered more of the same in Game Five. As the Celtics jumped out to a 10-point halftime lead, Rondo was the star. He filled the stat line with in the half with 12 points, 8 rebounds, 4 steals and 3 assists.