Please Don't Ever Say Again Rondo Doesn't Turn it On and Off

[guava_wrench]

 Rondo didn't attack the rim any more last night than he did in the first game. He's also been very consistent in the playoffs. I also think that most other "superstars" don't have the consistency you claim that they do. I'm fairly skeptical that Rondo's your second favorite player on the team, given your comments about his effort and consistency and the way you constantly gush over KG. I'd also say that Rondo's your favorite player to watch in the context that your favorite thing to do during games is find flaws in Rondo's games.

I tend to agree on your first sentence though I wasn't counting plays.

What he did do early on is push the ball on the fast break, even if his teammates could catch up. He went Westbrook on them and pushed 1 on 2 fast breaks where he felt defenders couldn't get ready in time for him and it led to a lot of fouls.

Another change that sometimes happens is that when Rondo gets into the lane, sometimes he is clearly thinking pass first, other times he is trying to get a shot. Some people may confuse this with being aggressive or not while I would contend that both plays are aggressive as they are attacking the defense.

What was exceptional last night, apart from the full speed sprints to the rum on the fast break, were his decisions to NOT attack the rim (in agreement with your first point) and decided to get in position for open jumpers. In game 1, he did not adjust to what the defense gave him and they were able to cheat. In game 2, he made them pay.

I would agree with you that Rondo's effort is consistent, but his game plan varies, which is a good thing. And as happens with all players, effectiveness varies from game to game. That is going to happen with the level of talent and intensity at this point in the playoffs.

[Meadowlark_Scal]

Playing basketball will answer MOSt questions like this one here.....and the perfect plater doesn't exist......Jordon, allen iverson...all proved you cannot do it alone......the point guard position is the toughest one of them all.....when you run the team, you must get others involved....THIS last night should SHOW MOST here.....that RONDO can be an ALL ME player...and take it in all the time...he won't lead in assists...but most don't understand that anyway......most here think a PASS is something you do when you run out of room.....make the thing you do a study and be the best at it...rodman= rebounds....rondo = assists.......

 doc = not being 1/2 as good a coach as popovich.....same team actually, plus or minus....one played EVERYONE into usefulness...the other just wanted his main 5 to do it forever....and as for the name "doc" a guy with a name like that ought to know bone spurs don't go away by running harder on them....to what...grind them to dust....=Rx...?

[GreenFaith1819]

Let's hope that Rondo not only turned it on, but has LEFT it on, and has since thrown away the switch!

Just keep it in overdrive, Rondo!!

[cman88]

Rondo is a pass first point guard who can score at will when he wants to...the Key is for Doc to help rondo find that healthy medium.

when teams give him the shot he HAS to take and make it. and he did last night.

I think he struggles sometimes trying to figure out, does he want to defer and get his HOF team-mates involved, or look for his own. And when you have Garnett/Pierce/Allen on your team he may not think he's at their "level" yet

[BballTim]

 Rondo didn't attack the rim any more last night than he did in the first game. He's also been very consistent in the playoffs. I also think that most other "superstars" don't have the consistency you claim that they do. I'm fairly skeptical that Rondo's your second favorite player on the team, given your comments about his effort and consistency and the way you constantly gush over KG. I'd also say that Rondo's your favorite player to watch in the context that your favorite thing to do during games is find flaws in Rondo's games.

I tend to agree on your first sentence though I wasn't counting plays.

What he did do early on is push the ball on the fast break, even if his teammates could catch up. He went Westbrook on them and pushed 1 on 2 fast breaks where he felt defenders couldn't get ready in time for him and it led to a lot of fouls.

  It's worth pointing out that we generally can only get transition plays when we make stops and get rebounds. When we have to inbound the ball after a made basket we go against a fairly set defense.

[LooseCannon]

Rondo is a pass first point guard who can score at will when he wants to

I don't think he can score at will when he wants to.  That's like saying KG could score at will if they got him the ball in the post every single possession.

[BballTim]

Rondo is a pass first point guard who can score at will when he wants to

I don't think he can score at will when he wants to.  That's like saying KG could score at will if they got him the ball in the post every single possession.

  He can't score at will but he can clearly score more than he normally does. We've seen it when one or more of the big three are out, and we've seen it in the playoffs every year.

[cman88]

Rondo is a pass first point guard who can score at will when he wants to

I don't think he can score at will when he wants to.  That's like saying KG could score at will if they got him the ball in the post every single possession.

well maybe not at will, but if he can knock down that perimiter jumper consistently he can be a 20/10 guy IMO...he has always stepped up his game offensively in the playoffs

I dont think we'll really get to see it until unfortunately Rondo HAS to take a larger role offensively because he doesnt have Ray/Paul/KG

its why I dont think its particularly fair when people put up Rondo's PPG vs. say derrick Rose's when they average 20+ attempts per game during the regular season while Rondo averages 11-12

[Celtics18]

I don't think Rondo's played harder than KG, I don't think KG is physically capable of expending as much energy as Rondo at age 36 with his much greater defensive role.

KG is dominating defensively while managing to average 20 and 10.  Nobody does more for this team on both ends of the court.  I didn't want to say it... glad you said it instead.  

  Who's KG dominating defensively, Joel Anthony? He's not doing a ton to stop Wade and James, he's not keeping the Heat from scoring at the rim. He's playing well, but if you looked at his game as critically as you look at Rondo's you'd have a different opinion of him. Rondo's doing as much for the Celts as KG during the playoffs. 19/11 from KG is great, 17/7/12 from Rondo is equally great.

Do you pay much attention to KG on defense?  Do you watch him without the ball when we are on offense?  He does more for our team than anyone... True MVP right there.  He's the anchor.  Hat's off to KG for carrying us in these playoffs.  Hall of famer playing like a hall of famer.

  Yes, I watch what KG does in the games, and I also see what Rondo does for the team on both ends of the court (which you seem to miss, game after game). Both of them are playing very well, both of them are contributing to the team. I'm not saying KG is playing poorly, just that if you were as hyper-critical of him as you are of Rondo you would have just as low an opinion of him as you do of Rondo. Your "I notice every flaw in Rondo's game but KG is my idol and is playing brilliantly night in and night out" act is wearing a bit thin.

I've said multiple times in this thread that Rondo just had the greatest game he'll probably have in his entire career.  I definitely didn't miss it.  He was otherworldly.  But I agree that Rondo lacks consistency and last night was a good example of it.  Well before he had 44 points, I saw a guy who was attacking the hoop with reckless abandon.  I think he had 10 attempted free throws in the first half.  Early on I took note and said, "Wow... looks like Rondo is going after it tonight".   People like to say there is a "bad Rondo" and a "good Rondo".  I don't really agree with that.  I just think he's a fantastic player who isn't a superstar.  Superstars do it consistently.  Rondo is still my favorite player to watch on the Celtics and my default 2nd favorite player on the team (behind Pierce).  I'll name my next pet after him if he remains a Celtic.  

You are going to have to define superstar here. If your definition of superstar includes Lebron James and Kevin Durant, then I think I can agree that Rondo hasn't been consistently good enough to be on that level.
However, if you have a broader list of these consistent superstars, it would be great if you would share it.

Oh, and please don't name your next pet  Rondo.  I worry about the abuse that poor critter would suffer at your hands.

[Celtics18]

I don't think Rondo's played harder than KG, I don't think KG is physically capable of expending as much energy as Rondo at age 36 with his much greater defensive role.

KG is dominating defensively while managing to average 20 and 10.  Nobody does more for this team on both ends of the court.  I didn't want to say it... glad you said it instead.  

  Who's KG dominating defensively, Joel Anthony? He's not doing a ton to stop Wade and James, he's not keeping the Heat from scoring at the rim. He's playing well, but if you looked at his game as critically as you look at Rondo's you'd have a different opinion of him. Rondo's doing as much for the Celts as KG during the playoffs. 19/11 from KG is great, 17/7/12 from Rondo is equally great.

Do you pay much attention to KG on defense?  Do you watch him without the ball when we are on offense?  He does more for our team than anyone... True MVP right there.  He's the anchor.  Hat's off to KG for carrying us in these playoffs.  Hall of famer playing like a hall of famer.

I don't think you'll find anyone getting on KG's case around here.  What he's done for this team has been amazing, but I disagree that he has been carrying this team or that he is the hands down MVP.  You add that tidbit in pretty much every one of your posts, but I don't think there's anyone else who sees this as as much of an obvious fact as you do.

With that in mind could you elaborate a little bit with something more concrete than "true MVP right there" or "he's the anchor"?

I think the fact that KG can't expend as much energy as Rondo for as extended period of time due to his wear and tear is a factor in whether or not he's the team MVP.  The fact that Rondo can consistently play 40+ minutes at a high level and even throw in a 53 minute performance like last night is a fairly significant contributing factor to bumping him ahead of KG for team MVP.

KG wore down last night.  Nobody's blaming him for that.  I'm certainly not about to, but it's an issue.  He's old.  His minutes need to be watched.  If they are not, he becomes less effective.  We've seen it on occasion throughout these playoffs. 

I hope and believe that Kevin Garnett has enough left in him to keep on fighting father time and the Miami Heat successfully enough to help us at least get back in the series, but we'll need the 40+ minutes of brilliance from our MVP point guard to really have any chance to pull the upset. 

[BballTim]

 Rondo didn't attack the rim any more last night than he did in the first game. He's also been very consistent in the playoffs. I also think that most other "superstars" don't have the consistency you claim that they do. I'm fairly skeptical that Rondo's your second favorite player on the team, given your comments about his effort and consistency and the way you constantly gush over KG. I'd also say that Rondo's your favorite player to watch in the context that your favorite thing to do during games is find flaws in Rondo's games.

I tend to agree on your first sentence though I wasn't counting plays.

  For the record, I wasn't counting plays either. I knew from watching the game that Rondo was getting to the rim (albeit unsuccessfully) quite a bit, but the numbers came from the shot charts on espn.

[xmuscularghandix]

OP is completely right about this.

All the Rondo defenders need to take a break and just listen to the point that is being made:

*Nobody is saying that Rondo is bad.

*Rondo is a great player when he plays at his best.

*He doesn't always play at the top level.

*If he did play at the top level more consistently he'd be one of the 5 best players in the game.

*On ANY given night he can/has outplayed the NBA's greatest superstars.

*On any given night Rondo can also be outplayed by mediocre point guards who barely deserve to be starters.

  * No player in the history of the nba always plays at their top level.

  * If any all-star caliber player played at their best most of the time they'd be a top 5 player

  * Rondo rarely gets outplayed by mediocre point guards, in fact he doesn't get outplayed by good point guards all that often. He does, however, get blamed for playing poorly when the other players on the team have bad offensive nights because of his role in the offense.

Not saying always, i'm just saying more often. What percentage of the time would you say he is really playing his game at 100%?

[lightspeed5]

thats a guessing game that noone really knows the answer to.

[Ocie1]

disagree

[BballTim]

OP is completely right about this.

All the Rondo defenders need to take a break and just listen to the point that is being made:

*Nobody is saying that Rondo is bad.

*Rondo is a great player when he plays at his best.

*He doesn't always play at the top level.

*If he did play at the top level more consistently he'd be one of the 5 best players in the game.

*On ANY given night he can/has outplayed the NBA's greatest superstars.

*On any given night Rondo can also be outplayed by mediocre point guards who barely deserve to be starters.

  * No player in the history of the nba always plays at their top level.

  * If any all-star caliber player played at their best most of the time they'd be a top 5 player

  * Rondo rarely gets outplayed by mediocre point guards, in fact he doesn't get outplayed by good point guards all that often. He does, however, get blamed for playing poorly when the other players on the team have bad offensive nights because of his role in the offense.

Not saying always, i'm just saying more often. What percentage of the time would you say he is really playing his game at 100%?

  Rondo plays at a high level most of the time, especially in the playoffs. Part of the reason people don't always see this is because he doesn't have a set role on the team, which is unique among players of his caliber. He's also primarily a distributor, which means he can get his team good shots but look unproductive if they miss those shots.

  But beyond that, Rondo's evaluated by a much different standard than other players on his level. Rondo's played 14 playoff games thus far. He's scored 13 or more 12 times. He has 5 or more rebounds 9 times, 4 or more 12 times. He has 10 or more assists 11 times. In 8 of his 14 games he's had more assists than any other player's had in any single game in the playoffs this year. He's leading the league (in the playoffs) in minutes, assists and triple doubles, he's tied for the lead in double doubles, he's 3rd in steals per game, he's leading all point guards in rebounding and he's in the top 20 for scoring in the playoffs.

  But that's not considered playing at a high level or being consistent because he'll have a few bad defensive possessions in his 40+ minutes or because he'll have a quarter or two during the game where he isn't very productive. Does Chris Paul keep his man in front of him on almost every possession? Does Durant ever have a quarter or a half when he isn't very productive? Does Wade ever go through stretches where he just isn't playing with the same energy that he has when he take over games for stretches? I think that most people here don't really notice when those things invariably happen to anyone else, but when they happen to Rondo it will be the main point of discussion no matter how solidly he plays the rest of the game.