With his 44 point, 10 assist, 8 rebound performance in game 2 of the hotly contested Eastern Conference Finals, Rajon Rondo put the league on blast. Rondo's performance embodied the phrase "statement game," and jammed some inconvenient truths down the throat of basketball pundits and naysayers nationwide. Rondo's performance forced the talking heads to attempt to find superlatives for a player that has been routinely shopped at the traded deadline, thrown under the bus for shooting problems, and suffered under the scrutiny of "attitude questions" throughout his career. What goes on in backrooms, lockerooms, in players' heads, and in media circles amounts to be little more than conjecture, but what happens on that 96' by 46' slice of heaven known as a basketball court, as always, is undeniable.
53 minutes of GAME time after the game 2 tip-off, the world knew that Rondo is the best playmaker in the NBA, the most creative and unique player in the game, and when his confidence and determination are turned up, quite possibly the best player in the world. What other player has the audacity to stand up to (and nearly derail) LeBron and D-Wade, single-handedly, when the newly christened "Demolition Duo" is firing on all cylinders? Only Rondo. What other player can make the sublime, the impossible, the pinpoint, seem routine? Only Rondo. Yes, the Celtics lost Game 2 in heartbreaking fashion on overtime, but were quite obviously bolstered by the confidence Rondo instilled in them as they stormed back to win games 3, 4, and 5. His numbers (21-10-6 in game 3, 15-15-5 in game 4, and 7-13-6 in game 5) seemed tame in comparison to game 2's classic performance, but to watch the games was to watch a true master at work.
Chris Paul may be better at the surgical drive-the-lane-and-kick game, but Rondo's passes are not merely the work of a tactician, rather they are the maddening crescendo of a basketball composer. Rondo's vision takes into account not only the positioning and tendencies of the defender, but also the offensive capabilities of his teammates, and a keen understanding of the geometry of each situation. When Joel Anthony fronted Garnett early in the 3rd quarter of game 4, Rondo not only understood the history of KG's plant and cut alley-oop move, but also KG's decreased leaping ability, as the maestro lofted a pass directly in front of the room for Garnett, the ball landing in his hand perfectly in stride for the easy lay-in. When Paul Pierce spotted up for a transition 3, Rondo knew the defense expected him to waft to the three point line and demanded that he cut. Pierce complied, and the ball was delivered via perfect bounce pass for the easy duece. Lefty, Righty, Bounce pass, behind-the-the-back, over-the-shoulder, perfect chest pass hitting the shooter in stride off the curl- Rondo's passing arsenal is untouchable. C'mon now, "The shit's chess, not checkers!!!"
It's hard to sneak up on people when you're a three-time all star, the starting pg for a championship team, have led the league in steals and assists, and are 4x all-defense. But somehow, that's exactly what Rondo has done. For whatever reason, he is just another one of the "unlikable" Boston Celtics bullies. You know, Those bullies who care more about winning and sacrificing for the good of the team than accruing twitter followers and building a global brand. While the media pans him for his sometimes prickly demeanor and quiet, seething arrogance, basketball purists are positively tumescent over the art, majesty, and determination with which Rondo plays the beautiful game. It's not often you see the player who leads the league in assists voted as the 2nd toughest player in the game (via this poll of GM's).
And as for the knock that he can't shoot? Anyone who routinely watches the Celtics knows that when Rondo shoots the ball with confidence he is a very good jump shooter who can get a 15-18 foot pull-up whenever he wants. If Rondo finds consistent confidence in his jumper, what is the ceiling? 24 pts and 12 assists? 1st team All-NBA? MVP? Only time will tell. All I know is if I was a young free agent looking to leave my mark on the game, Rondo would be at the top of the list of players I'd like to play with. The opportunity to reach basketball immortality comes along only every so often, and Rondo could easily give someone like Rudy Gay, Kevin Love, or James Harden the opportunity to grab it.
And as for the Celtics' best player being on the block again anytime soon, Rondo's predecessor, the great Bob Cousy said it best: "unless the kid's a serial killer, there's no way you trade him." Sometimes it takes a creative genius to recognize one of their own. The Cous' endorsement is just one more undeniable piece of evidence that we've got something truly special here in Boston. Here's hoping The Celtics do everything in their power to keep the artist on the parquet for years to come.
No comments:
Post a Comment