Remember : this team goes as Rondo goes

[Drucci]

It was our mojo at the beginning of the season and it's still the case. Yet we don't hear about it much these days.

I don't like to blame specific players for our losses or to take one as a scapegoat.

With that said, it seems obvious that since KG's return, Rondo has been too passive. I remember that people were discussing the fact that Rondo seemed more "shy" when KG was on the court compared to when he was hurt and not playing. Rondo steps up when KG is out. But we know that this year Rondo has to always be aggressive and to keep attacking the opposing PG, even when KG is in. It's not up to KG to carry the load offensively anymore, or Pierce, or Ray. They all complement Rondo and he has to get back to his "No KG - no problem" form.

It's really frustrating to see Rondo staying behind the 3 point line with the ball in his hands, waiting for one of his teammates to get free and then pass him the ball. That's not Rondo's strength at all, Eddie House can do the same useless passes.

Rondo needs to attack the paint and free his teammates thanks to his dribble penetration and the constant pressure he puts on the other team's defenders. He didn't do that against Orlando and didn't against Atlanta either (while we've seen a couple of times that night that he could easily blow by his defender everytime).

So, with that said, I think that this team will start playing better on offense and limit its silly turnovers or lack of ball movement when Rondo decides to play like the true motor of the team that he is. It was really mind-boggling and disheartening to see Rajon refuse to shoot totally wide open shots last night (and when I say "wide open", I'm not even close to reality). He absolutely refused to shoot them and made silly passes resulting in turnovers instead. He looked like the Rondo of 2007-2008.

Rondo has stepped up defensively after Doc criticized his poor defense of the past games and the fact that he gambled too much. He is now doing a great job on his opponent.

Now is the time to step up offensively too. If Rondo doesn't attack the corpse of Derek Fisher everytime he has the ball Sunday, I think we can all get mad at him because any lack of aggressiveness will just kill our team's offense. That's part of the problem : the team, if Rondo doesn't attack the basket enough, doesn't have what it takes to play good offense for 48 minutes in my opinion (the bench is not helping).

It doesn't matter if Rondo misses wide open jumpshots or layups. He has to take them!

[snively]

It was our mojo at the beginning of the season and it's still the case. Yet we don't hear about it much these days.

I don't like to blame specific players for our losses or to take one as a scapegoat.

With that said, it seems obvious that since KG's return, Rondo has been too passive. I remember that people were discussing the fact that Rondo seemed more "shy" when KG was on the court compared to when he was hurt and not playing. Rondo steps up when KG is out. But we know that this year Rondo has to always be aggressive and to keep attacking the opposing PG, even when KG is in. It's not up to KG to carry the load offensively anymore, or Pierce, or Ray. They all complement Rondo and he has to get back to his "No KG - no problem" form.

It's really frustrating to see Rondo staying behind the 3 point line with the ball in his hands, waiting for one of his teammates to get free and then pass him the ball. That's not Rondo's strength at all, Eddie House can do the same useless passes.

Rondo needs to attack the paint and free his teammates thanks to his dribble penetration and the constant pressure he puts on the other team's defenders. He didn't do that against Orlando and didn't against Atlanta either (while we've seen a couple of times that night that he could easily blow by his defender everytime).

So, with that said, I think that this team will start playing better on offense and limit its silly turnovers or lack of ball movement when Rondo decides to play like the true motor of the team that he is. It was really mind-boggling and disheartening to see Rajon refuse to shoot totally wide open shots last night (and when I say "wide open", I'm not even close to reality). He absolutely refused to shoot them and made silly passes resulting in turnovers instead. He looked like the Rondo of 2007-2008.

Rondo has stepped up defensively after Doc criticized his poor defense of the past games and the fact that he gambled too much. He is now doing a great job on his opponent.

Now is the time to step up offensively too. If Rondo doesn't attack the corpse of Derek Fisher everytime he has the ball Sunday, I think we can all get mad at him because any lack of aggressiveness will just kill our team's offense. That's part of the problem : the team, if Rondo doesn't attack the basket enough, doesn't have what it takes to play good offense for 48 minutes in my opinion (the bench is not helping).

It doesn't matter if Rondo misses wide open jumpshots or layups. He has to take them!

That's not the way our offense functions.  Rondo penetrates in transition, when he's playing with the bench, off of kick-outs and cuts and off of a couple of set plays.  The C's are not the Rajon Rondo Show, no disrespect to the excellent youtube channel. 

Ray's curls are a staple of the offense, as are Pierce iso's from the elbows.  KG, Sheed and Perk are also frequent targets for post-ups.

The C's are not going to go away from these staples to run Rondo pick and rolls. 

I do agree that Rondo needs to take open shots more (his decision making with the shot clock running down leaves much to be desired), but it's certainly not the main problem with the offense.  That would be the declining efficiency of Ray Allen, KG's absence and rustiness, Sheed/Eddie/Baby's inaccuracy, and team-wide turnover problems.

[Drucci]

I'm not saying every offensive play should go through a Rondo penetration but I sure don't want to see Rondo standing behind the 3 point line 20 times during the game when he could (and should) penetrate. A penetration gives 95% chances of making the defense collapse, thus giving a wide open shot to one of his teammates.

And yes, Rondo should exploit his mismatches more often (the one against Fisher is probably one the best advantage he will have all year long considering Fisher's unability to defend quicker guards anymore).

[PosImpos]

Rondo has had some really great games lately even when the rest of the team has played awful.  The team has played really well at times even when Rondo has been mediocre.  I really don't think it's as simple as saying that if Rondo would just pick up his game or be more of a "motor" for the team that suddenly we'd turn back into the dominating win-streaking team that we were at the start of the season.

[Drucci]

Rondo has had some really great games lately even when the rest of the team has played awful.  The team has played really well at times even when Rondo has been mediocre.  I really don't think it's as simple as saying that if Rondo would just pick up his game or be more of a "motor" for the team that suddenly we'd turn back into the dominating win-streaking team that we were at the start of the season.

I'm not saying that if Rondo becomes aggressive we will become dominant once again - although it clearly would improve our game in a big way - but seriously, aren't you frustrated when Rondo just waits for his teammates to get free and take a shot?

I mean, these possessions are OK if you run them 5 times a game but not 20 times. Turnovers and poor, poor offensive execution are killing us in our losses and I think it has a lot to do with Rondo being too passive. When I see him waiting for a teammate to get open, I'm in awe, thinking "This possession will be lost". It's the same thing when Pierce goes dribbling for 20 seconds before jacking up a shot, or when we get shot clock violations.

We often lose momentum because of our inability to score on straight possessions. We usually get the stops we need but then turn the ball over or do something stupid on offense, thus losing a lead on not taking it back when needed.

I'm not saying all the blame goes to Rondo but I sure feel like his mere energy and penetration could help us tremendously during these stretches of offensive drought.

[incoherent]

Steve Nash during his MVPs was so good because he does exactly what the OP is talking about.  Puts huge pressure on the defense with dribble penetration almost every single play even if it starts with a high pick and roll.

Rondo can do this at will it seems and needs to abuse it way more.

[ducksawce]

Rondo is very much the key to good Celtics offense.  The two main determinants that should influence his offensive style are team matchups and in-game timing.

Against a team such as the Lakers, it's clear that Rondo will almost have to feel obligated to penetrate as much as possible.  He'll be playing against the ancient remains of D Fish....and if Kobe trys to be the roaming defensive quarterback, he'll be drained of energy on the offensive end...all good.  This type of game will often result in a high amount of assists by way of kickouts to KG, Perk Ray and Paul.

Against teams with lesser defense, Rondo will simply drive for the easy layup or open shot.

Against an Atlanta, Rondo needs beat them at their own game,  and just run the ball on fast breaks.  This will not be possible until he has a backup...then he'll get the rest he needs...and the energy to run much of the game.

As for in game timing, I've been noticing that Rondo has been more aggressive on the assists relatively later in games.  I think he should instead try to establish the other guys first.  He should still penetrate, but kick out....that way he surveys the defense without getting his layups blocked early on.  He also establishes a rythym for the team...so they know who is hot or not.  This will preserve his energy for later offensive domination, hopefully and especially for the fourth quarter.  He seems to have a knack for making 4th quarter penetration tear drops....and besides, the Pierce iso's (with the exception of yesteerday) don't work well anymore late.

This way, instead of opponents feeling as if the Celtics offense retreats to conservative iso's and 3 pointers, they will feel more like they are attacked and penetrated...aggressivly and scarily...Rondo can do this...he is the key.  We need the Celtics to be AGGRESSIVE in the 4th, not meek.  If we are lucky enough to have Pierce be hot, this may be besides the point...but in the eventual case that this does not happen, Rondo should lead the charge. 

[CoachBo]

It was our mojo at the beginning of the season and it's still the case. Yet we don't hear about it much these days.

I don't like to blame specific players for our losses or to take one as a scapegoat.

With that said, it seems obvious that since KG's return, Rondo has been too passive. I remember that people were discussing the fact that Rondo seemed more "shy" when KG was on the court compared to when he was hurt and not playing. Rondo steps up when KG is out. But we know that this year Rondo has to always be aggressive and to keep attacking the opposing PG, even when KG is in. It's not up to KG to carry the load offensively anymore, or Pierce, or Ray. They all complement Rondo and he has to get back to his "No KG - no problem" form.

It's really frustrating to see Rondo staying behind the 3 point line with the ball in his hands, waiting for one of his teammates to get free and then pass him the ball. That's not Rondo's strength at all, Eddie House can do the same useless passes.

Rondo needs to attack the paint and free his teammates thanks to his dribble penetration and the constant pressure he puts on the other team's defenders. He didn't do that against Orlando and didn't against Atlanta either (while we've seen a couple of times that night that he could easily blow by his defender everytime).

So, with that said, I think that this team will start playing better on offense and limit its silly turnovers or lack of ball movement when Rondo decides to play like the true motor of the team that he is. It was really mind-boggling and disheartening to see Rajon refuse to shoot totally wide open shots last night (and when I say "wide open", I'm not even close to reality). He absolutely refused to shoot them and made silly passes resulting in turnovers instead. He looked like the Rondo of 2007-2008.

Rondo has stepped up defensively after Doc criticized his poor defense of the past games and the fact that he gambled too much. He is now doing a great job on his opponent.

Now is the time to step up offensively too. If Rondo doesn't attack the corpse of Derek Fisher everytime he has the ball Sunday, I think we can all get mad at him because any lack of aggressiveness will just kill our team's offense. That's part of the problem : the team, if Rondo doesn't attack the basket enough, doesn't have what it takes to play good offense for 48 minutes in my opinion (the bench is not helping).

It doesn't matter if Rondo misses wide open jumpshots or layups. He has to take them!

Couldn't agree with you more.

[celticinorlando]

he needs to play is a high gear tomorrow

[QuinielaBox]

I wish it were that simple. Rondo has played reasonably well but he needs to develop his jump shot to keep opposing defenses honest. He passed up open looks in Orlando and probably passed them up last night, too.

What about KG, Sheed, and Perkins? Where is our big man support?

[dasandruler]

IMOP rondo should be dominating.  I saw flashes of his  potential around the time he was going one on one with lester before the games--he was even knockin down the threeball at that time--. Now he seems to be taking a step back with his jay<see the atlanta game> and over deferential to his struggling teammates.  not to mention he changed his freethrow style AGAIN.  I thought he was doing well with the little hitch to the right!...I dont know who's in this mans head<doc>, but I wonder if he needs some competition off the bench or something.  If the lane is clogged when he brings the ball back out he could get a shot anytime he wants.  Id prefer him taking open rhythm shots than anybody elses three ball. I wanna see doc get rondo off early and often.  I believe rondo not kg or pierce is the key.  if rondo is gettin off consistently the squad is formidable--

[footey]

Rondo tweaked his hammy again in the Orlando game, and from that moment on he looked tentative. He needs to be physically close to 100% to be the guy we know and love. So much of his game depends on his quickness. He is a bit like Jose Reyes of the Mets. When healthy, the guy is amazing. At less than 100%, his loss of speed makes him almost a liability.

[Drucci]

I think the first half has proven my point so far.

Rondo was awful in the first quarter, staying passive and looking afraid of shooting. Then he got benched and in the second he just had something to do with EVERY bucket we scored, and got a lot of steals.

[PosImpos]

I think the first half has proven my point so far.

Rondo was awful in the first quarter, staying passive and looking afraid of shooting. Then he got benched and in the second he just had something to do with EVERY bucket we scored, and got a lot of steals.

What I noticed more than anything was that our second unit looked SO much better when Rondo was out there running the offense.  We've seen it before, but it was extremely noticeable in this game.

Bench with Eddie at the point = awful, stagnant, bad on defense.

Bench with Rondo running things = can maintain / regain leads.

We really need a true backup PG who can run an offense for at least 10 minutes a game.