Boston Celtics Rajon Rondo Bounces Back Strong With Triple Double
After Thursday’s a tough game against the Lakers, the Celtics needed Rajon Rondo to come up big against the Raptors on Friday. The team is not young and that Laker game clearly took a lot out of the veteran core of Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and even Kevin Garnett. The Celtics needed their young star in the making to carry them to a victory. They needed Rondo to come in and carry the offense by not looking to create easy baskets for teammates, but look to score.
The problem was Rondo played with no energy like his much older battle worn teammates. Instead of carrying play, Rondo looked like a statue at the three point line waiting for his teammates that were not moving to move. After enough time passed Rondo would either drive wildly and turn the ball over or pull up for a jump shot that was no where near the mark. The 2-10 stat line for 5 points and 5 turnovers clearly shows just how bad of a game that he had. Doc Rivers was clearly angry at Rondo and he let him know by having him find the pine for the injured Avery Bradley. The result was another Boston loss.
The result of his play was that many Rondo detractors got ammunition that he is not a star. Stars carry teams when they need to. Boston needed Rondo that night and he failed. I am sure Doc Rivers made that abundantly clear to his young point guard.
The failure of Friday must have really got into Rondo’s head because he came out Sunday and rebounded like a super star would. Rondo against the Bulls was an absolute beast. Rondo played a complete game at both ends of the floor and this stat line showed it. Rondo would carry the team with his ninth career triple double scoring 32 points, collecting 15 assists, and grabbing 10 rebounds.
Rondo would set the tone early attacking the basket and using his teammates as perfect picks and screens. As his teammates acted like road blocks, Rondo would drive around them for easy baskets. Rondo would come off the picks and hit his jump shot. However, he was at his best pushing the ball in transition and getting to the hoop for easy baskets as the Bulls just could not keep up with him. Granted D-Rose did not play, but on this night it would not have mattered. Rondo was hell bent on scoring.
However, he did not just score. Rondo would make all the right plays to set his teammates up. He would run the floor and guys like Wilcox and JaJuan Johnson (he had an incredible ally oop dunk in transition off a feed from Rondo) feasted with easy dunks. He would recognize early on that the Bulls defensive game plans were to double Ray Allen and Paul Pierce on the perimeter. This meant that it was either Rondo beating them or the Boston’s power forwards and center combinations of KG, Chris Wilcox, and JaJuan Johnson. Rondo would hit KG early for easy jump shots. Rondo would also hit Wilcox streaking multiple times for easy baskets. However, his best work was with JaJuan Johnson. As Ray Allen was getting doubled off his usual picks and screens, ROndo would calmly show faith in his rookie three straight times. Johnson easily knocked down the fifteen foot jump shot that the Bulls gave him.
Rondo also defended hard the entire night. C.J. Watson may have scored 22 points, but he worked for all of them. Watson only shot 8-23 and if he Watson was not gifted to the line, he would have had a lot less points. Rondo also jumped the passing lanes and had active hands. He was rewarded with two steals. He also got dirty on the glass as he recorded eight defensive rebounds. Rondo’s was a huge help as Boston not only kept Chicago off the offensive glass, but won the rebounding war.
In the NBA the team with the best player on the court that plays the best usually wins. This was the case on Sunday as Rondo led the Celtics past the Bulls looking like the best player on the court. This means the Celtics need the ultra talented Rondo to play like this every night. He does not need to get a triple double, but he needs to play smart and in attack mode. If he does, it does not matter who is tired or who the defense takes out because Boston will have a clear advantage with Rondo being one if not the best players on the court. Remember Go Green Or Go Home!!!!!!!!!
Leave a Rant
and oh, if you want a pic to show with your comment, go get a gravatar!
FEATURED PARTNERS
- Stop Looking At This Cat's Girlfriend
- 10 Lessons From The Premiere Of "Girls"
- 33 Animals With Stuffed Animals Of Themselves
- Dwight Howard's Baby Mama Royce Reed -- Dear Judge ... Please Let Me Trash My Ex!!!
- Brian 'The Boz' Bosworth Sued Over Poop System Disaster in Mansion from 'The OC'
- Metta World Peace -- Sued for Stiffing Ex-Employee
- Jose Canseco’s Twitter Rant About Global Warming and the ‘Titanic’ Is Classic Jose Canseco
- Student of Comedy Eli Manning Will Host ‘Saturday Night Live’
- The 10 Fashion Commandments All Bros Should Follow