Let's talk about that last play

[Jaycelt]

 What the hell was Rondo doing?
 Four seconds left in the game, a huge defensive possession, and he guards absolutley NOBODY!
Anyone like to try to explain that to me?

Ok, so maybe Doc told the guys not to switch.  But what was Perkins suppose to do when he saw Gordon wide open and Rondo nowhere in sight?  He did the right thing.  When Rondo found himself out of position and Perkins going to his man, he should have automatically picked up Perks man.  Instead he sood there doing nothing.  And it's not like Miller was going to the hoop with blazing speed.  Rondo had more than enough time to react BEFORE he had to foul from behind.

That very well could have cost us the game, yet not a single soul is talking about this today.  Only what a great foul it was (Doc), or it should have been flagrant (Vinnie).

Where was Rondo's head?

[crownsy]

What the hell was Rondo doing?
 Four seconds left in the game, a huge defensive possession, and he guards absolutley NOBODY!
Anyone like to try to explain that to me?

Ok, so maybe Doc told the guys not to switch.  But what was Perkins suppose to do when he saw Gordon wide open and Rondo nowhere in sight?  He did the right thing.  When Rondo found himself out of position and Perkins going to his man, he should have automatically picked up Perks man.  Instead he sood there doing nothing.  And it's not like Miller was going to the hoop with blazing speed.  Rondo had more than enough time to react BEFORE he had to foul from behind.

That very well could have cost us the game, yet not a single soul is talking about this today.  Only what a great foul it was (Doc), or it should have been flagrant (Vinnie).

Where was Rondo's head?

with ben gordon, who he was guarding....

He lined up on gordon pre-inbounds and chased him through miller's screen and into a double team with paul to deny him the in bounds.

Rondo wasen' "guarding no one!" he was assigned the job of making sure gordon didn't get the in bounds pass, which he did. he then tried to recover to miller after he got the ball, and fouled, a bit excessively. whats the problem?

[vagrantwade]

They were guarding the perimeter and doubling gordon.

[Atzar]

Brad Miller got Rondo on another of those moving screens that Doc lost $25,000 on.  That's where Rondo was.  They both tried to recover to Ben Gordon, and left Brad Miller wide open.

[Jaycelt]

 Watch again.  Rondo never tried to recover to Gordon.  He stood in the middle of the court and watched as Perkins ran after him.  He also never tried to pick up Miller until Miller had already done the slow waltz to the basket, therefore being a good two steep behind the slow footed Miller.

[BballTim]

Watch again.  Rondo never tried to recover to Gordon.  He stood in the middle of the court and watched as Perkins ran after him.  He also never tried to pick up Miller until Miller had already done the slow waltz to the basket, therefore being a good two steep behind the slow footed Miller.

  Rondo made it almost all the way over to Gordon before he ran back to Miller. There's a youtube clip in the "Flagrant Foul" thread.

[CelticsWhat35]

Watch again.  Rondo never tried to recover to Gordon.  He stood in the middle of the court and watched as Perkins ran after him.  He also never tried to pick up Miller until Miller had already done the slow waltz to the basket, therefore being a good two steep behind the slow footed Miller.

You're just plain wrong.  Rondo tried fighting through the screen to stay with Gordon.  I'm not sure what Doc said in the huddle, but my guess is that Ben Gordon was the primary focus, so I definitely have no problem with Perk switching on the pick, and if Doc said to switch on everything, then Rondo was in the wrong in that regard.  But to say that he was just standing around twiddling his thumbs is wrong.  What if Rondo assumes that Perk will switch and then he doesn't?  Then you've got Ben Gordon open for a 3 to win it.  THAT would have been unforgiveable.

And even if Rondo did switch, you have a situation where you've got an inbound to Gordon.  If Perk is right up on him, Gordon has 3 seconds to drive buy and try for a layup with his speed advantage.  And if Perk backs off, Gordon has a 3 pt shot.  Also, the inbounder still could've given it to Miller if he sealed off Rondo.

[vinnie]

I think the Celts should trade Rondo. He is absolutely terrible. And while they are at it, they should trade Pierce because he is disinterested. 

[crownsy]

Watch again.  Rondo never tried to recover to Gordon.  He stood in the middle of the court and watched as Perkins ran after him.  He also never tried to pick up Miller until Miller had already done the slow waltz to the basket, therefore being a good two steep behind the slow footed Miller.

thats not what happened, as celtic and BBall just mentioned. he was fighting to deny the inbounds to gordon, who has been slaughtering us on inbounds plays this series. The bulls ran a well desgined play with gordon as the decoy, and good on rondo for recovering from chasing gordon through a screen to foul miller.

I don't know how you can watch that video and come up with the above iterpertation of the play pre foul.