Good Rondo, Bad Rondo

[dysgenic]

The good Rondo is a GREAT defensive player.  The bad Rondo is a riverboat gambler on defense that throws too many craps.

The good Rondo breaks down opposing defenses by getting to the rim and creating easy baskets for himself or teammates.
The bad Rondo pounds the ball at the top of the key until the shot clock is run down almost all the way.

The good Rondo is a selectively aggressive passer and takes good, high percentage risks with his passes.
The bad Rondo tries to make like he is Pistol Pete and turns the ball over too much trying to make the highlight reel.

The good Rondo is a high percentage shooter who can score; even though he is a poor jumpshooter he maximizes his efficiency by taking the right shots.
The bad Rondo takes foolish off the dribble contested jumpers early in the shotclock (at the wrong times) that almost always miss badly.

The good Rondo is so good that he could be an MVP someday if he played that way consistently.
The bad Rondo is so bad that he is a borderline stiff and a losing basketball player.

One of the toughest players to figure out that I've ever seen.

[D.o.s.]

Rondo had four assists in the first four minutes of Game 7. That's the kind of passer and floor director he's capable of being.

He also blew that gorgeous ball fake layup and went one-and-a-half for a million on those three attempts... which where the result of awful plays that had the ball in Rondo's hands outside the arc with the shot clock winding down.

Ideally, Rondo would never be the guy shooting threes. That they went in is brilliant, of course, and his jumper has definitely made serious progress since last year.


So, Good Rondo and Bad Rondo both showed up throughout the evening, we won the game, and everyone is stoked that the Celtics are, once again, in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Right?

[esel1000]

I don't know about everyone else, but this is by far the most impressed ive ever been with Rondo. Sure his game was ugly at times as shown with the 7 turnovers, but man when the Captain fouled out this guy stepped it up. He showed real leadership. We saw a passing of the torch tonight. He took the Pierce shots with confidence and he made them. This was a great game for Rondo and we have him to thank for being where we are right now.

Rondo = Leader of this team for years to come. DA would be a moron to trade him

[BballTim]

The good Rondo is a GREAT defensive player.  The bad Rondo is a riverboat gambler on defense that throws too many craps.

The good Rondo breaks down opposing defenses by getting to the rim and creating easy baskets for himself or teammates.
The bad Rondo pounds the ball at the top of the key until the shot clock is run down almost all the way.

The good Rondo is a selectively aggressive passer and takes good, high percentage risks with his passes.
The bad Rondo tries to make like he is Pistol Pete and turns the ball over too much trying to make the highlight reel.

The good Rondo is a high percentage shooter who can score; even though he is a poor jumpshooter he maximizes his efficiency by taking the right shots.
The bad Rondo takes foolish off the dribble contested jumpers early in the shotclock (at the wrong times) that almost always miss badly.

The good Rondo is so good that he could be an MVP someday if he played that way consistently.
The bad Rondo is so bad that he is a borderline stiff and a losing basketball player.

One of the toughest players to figure out that I've ever seen.

  Pick any top player on either team in the next series. Watch what they do on every offensive and defensive possession. Start labeling every play they make (or don't make) good or bad, and at the end of the series you'll have a similarly long list. You'll also come to the rather shocking conclusion that if they only made good plays and not bad plays they'd be among the best ever, if they only made the bad plays and not the good plays they'd be borderline stiffs. It's easier to figure out than it looks.

[CelticsFanNC]

  I think the Good Rondo/Bad Rondo thing is quite a bit over stated by his many critics around here.

  By definition a pass first PG relies on his teammates getting open and hitting shots for him to play his best basketball.  That is something his teammates didn't do very well at all in this past series.

  Rondo, not coincidentally played the best most consistent stretch of basketball of his entire career when Doc inserted some young legs into the line up which allowed Rondo to thrive because he is the best open court PG in the NBA today.

  Yes I know there are times when he gets down on himself or doesn't seem engaged but that wasn't happening often after the All-Star break when, for the first time in his career he had a guy who could consistently get out in front of him in the open court. 

  If you are asking Rajon Rondo to be consistent while walking the ball up the court and playing exclusively in the half court you are asking too much.  Unfortunately as it is right now and will remain for the rest of this season we do not have the horses on this roster to allow our best player(Rondo) to do what he does best.

[bfrombleacher]

I did say good Rondo can look bad because his teammates play terrible.

Bad Rondo appeared in about 5 possessions out of the 40 minutes he played tonight. I'm not blaming him for pacing himself or being completely exhausted.

It's a lot to ask of anyone but Rondo has to not only be good, but great. I'm genuinely pleased with his performances and hope he does well for the sake of our team. But if he doesn't it's kind of understandable.

[European NBA fan]

 I think the Good Rondo/Bad Rondo thing is quite a bit over stated by his many critics around here.

  By definition a pass first PG relies on his teammates getting open and hitting shots for him to play his best basketball.  That is something his teammates didn't do very well at all in this past series.

  Rondo, not coincidentally played the best most consistent stretch of basketball of his entire career when Doc inserted some young legs into the line up which allowed Rondo to thrive because he is the best open court PG in the NBA today.

  Yes I know there are times when he gets down on himself or doesn't seem engaged but that wasn't happening often after the All-Star break when, for the first time in his career he had a guy who could consistently get out in front of him in the open court. 

  If you are asking Rajon Rondo to be consistent while walking the ball up the court and playing exclusively in the half court you are asking too much.  Unfortunately as it is right now and will remain for the rest of this season we do not have the horses on this roster to allow our best player(Rondo) to do what he does best.

I would actually like to see some Sean Williams just for this. I know he hasn't practicesed a lot with the team, but he seemed to have a good understanding of playing zone defense, and he can run more than most bigs.

[elcotte]

Rondo showed his best asset in this game....his mental toughness. His will to win was on display. I think this is what makes him a top player.

[Celtics4ever]

We are going to need his " will to win" in the next series.   He is one of our best matchups.

[lrybrd]

I admired the way that Rondo stepped up at the end of the game tonight.  However, it drives me absolutely crazy when he decides to take time off on the defensive side of the ball which usually ends up in his man ending up with an uncontested 3.  Happened at least twice last night.

[pengaloo]

His game is just so complex. I think we've all spent a lot of time trying to figure out what goes on in his head. I think I've gotten to the point where I trust Doc's word that Rondo just wants to win games.

To me, that means that often times, Bad Rondo is really a hidden form of Good Rondo. Last night's incredible offensive rebound that lead to his three-point play looks eerily like when he plays the passing lanes/gambles on defense. The Bad Rondo passes that lead to turnovers look similar to the Good Rondo passes that electrifies his teammates and the crowd. The Bad Rondo that thinks too much while pounding the ball at the top of the key looks awfully like the Good Rondo that patiently commands a half-court set. The Bad Rondo that walks up the ball looks a lot like the Good Rondo that can lead the league in minutes played per game. The anger that he directs at himself for his mistakes looks like the same moodiness that fuels his competitive fire. In my opinion, there are just too many similarities between Good and Bad Rondo to think that the Bad Rondo will ever go away. But I think that's OK, as long as he plays to win games.

[SHAQATTACK]

 I think the Good Rondo/Bad Rondo thing is quite a bit over stated by his many critics around here.

  By definition a pass first PG relies on his teammates getting open and hitting shots for him to play his best basketball.  That is something his teammates didn't do very well at all in this past series.

  Rondo, not coincidentally played the best most consistent stretch of basketball of his entire career when Doc inserted some young legs into the line up which allowed Rondo to thrive because he is the best open court PG in the NBA today.

  Yes I know there are times when he gets down on himself or doesn't seem engaged but that wasn't happening often after the All-Star break when, for the first time in his career he had a guy who could consistently get out in front of him in the open court.  

  If you are asking Rajon Rondo to be consistent while walking the ball up the court and playing exclusively in the half court you are asking too much.  Unfortunately as it is right now and will remain for the rest of this season we do not have the horses on this roster to allow our best player(Rondo) to do what he does best.

I would actually like to see some Sean Williams just for this. I know he hasn't practicesed a lot with the team, but he seemed to have a good understanding of playing zone defense, and he can run more than most bigs.

Yup...I would think Williams is simular physical match up to Bosh .   Long and agile.  I  would like to see him in for rebounding and quickness inside to give KG a break.

[Meadowlark_Scal]

I had a dream also...of this perfect human point guard....he NEVER did anything wrong.....why i could analyze him under a microscope and he was still perfect.....unlike ANY other player in the world...ya...that's the ticket..! All these other players make the same mistakes or have down games, all across the league...as we all know from playing ourselves....but we cannot accept this behavior from...SUPER RONDO......! Get that kryptonite outta here kid....

[Meadowlark_Scal]

Look at it this way...did you see rondo RUNNING the fast break...alone....did you see kg miss the layups......rondo is FAST....the team is SLOW......Rondo is YUONG..the team is OLD...by basketball standards.....when bradley was up to speed, rondo made him look like a champ.....get rondo 2 guys who are fast and able....then you'll see what others already know.......he does what he can with this team.....you want kool, smart passes, he invented 3...shooting....bang...layups.....playing hurt......smacked around without complaints.......and still you ask for a better guy......REALLY........!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHAT.. Where is my coffee and Jack Daniels....LOL...

[BballTim]

I did say good Rondo can look bad because his teammates play terrible.

Bad Rondo appeared in about 5 possessions out of the 40 minutes he played tonight. I'm not blaming him for pacing himself or being completely exhausted.

  But why single Rondo out, as every player in the history of the game has a few bad plays in 40 minutes or so?