Rondo has to STOP pounding the ball

[chenaren]

Last night, going into the 4th quarter with a large lead, Rondo stopped being aggressive and instead kept pounding the ball to use up the shot clock, which resulted in stagnant offense, and the Cavaliers were able to get a stop there while Irving got hot. Tommy immediately pointed it out, and from his voice you can sense that he was mad at Rondo for this. Bad things happen when Rondo keeps pounding the ball.

If you watch great teams like the Spurs play, they always stay aggressive and never slow down the offensive flow, until the absolute garbage time.

Just let the ball flow, Rondo. The comical end of last night's game, in which Rondo pounded the ball to the team's demise, should make Brad Stevens well aware of this issue.

[greg683x]

lol

[zimbo]

Oh dear

[pearljammer10]

Yawn

[Smartacus]

Games typically tighten up toward the end. Maybe what we've seen the last several games is that once it starts to be the third and fourth quarter and it inevitably becomes more possession for possession is where the lack of talent on this roster becomes more of a problem.

In an open game is where this system flourishes but it needs to work on execution in the halfcourt. That may be schematic or it might require a roster move. Right now all we can hope is that all of this playing time in close games is teaching us what it takes to win. Kelly definitely look's like he's starting to get it.

[timobusa]

trolololol

[Celtics4ever]

Some bad calls tightened up the game too.

[dreamgreen]

I'm not sure why people are bashing this thread I am a Rondo fan but agree 100%. Coach should have called a time out in the first 2 minutes of the fourth quarter to get his team to wake up and realize the game is not over. Rondo still gets into the bad patterns of playing with the old team that had to walk it up the court and stood around for 22 seconds than jacked up a bad shot.

[Sketch5]

Rondo reverted into some of his bad habits at the end of the game, but on the most part of last night he was great. I actually thought he could play in Stevens style of ball.

I also thought the ball got pounded more at the end when Rondo was out in the 4th. A big reason why we had that lead last night was because of Rondo, he made some amazing plays last night. It actually has me wanting to keep him and have DA get him some help. But I'll need so see a few more games of him moving the ball like he did to completely jump on that ban wagon.

[BballTim]

   Two things happened, the Celts slowed the pace a little and the Cavs started getting back on defense faster and dug in on defense more. I agree the coach should have called a timeout, but when you're looking at what went wrong in the 4th you have to start with the 38 the Cavs scored.

[sed522002]

Offense wasn't the big problem last night..their defense in the 4th was the problem and this guy named Kyrie decided to takeover. Couple that with some great defense by Lebron and you'll have a problem. Late game execution is a problem for this team.

[mgent]

But then he would travel.

I honestly don't think people understand that if we traded Rondo for your run of the mill PG, someone would still have to bring the ball up and get us into our sets.  It wouldn't solve what all you guys are complaining about, any other PG is going to have to do the same thing, they're just not going to be as good at it.  Try watching some other teams.  News flash:  You don't just start out each play with the ball exactly where you want it.  And for some strange reason, the other team actually tries to stop you from getting the ball where you want it.

[Chris22]

Stevens went small in the fourth.
That never works.

[Vermont Green]

I actually think Rondo has adjusted very well to the concept of not pounding the ball.  Overall, he is initiating things much quicker and just keeping the ball moving.  Many times, the ball is coming back to him in the natural flow of things and the second time around he gets an assist.

There may have been what appeared to be a reversion to the "old" Rondo for part of the 4th quarter but as many others have said, I think it is a case of a much more talented team digging in and imposing their will on a younger, less talented team.

Rondo is what he is (cliché alert).  The blueprint is to sag off Rondo, let him do his thing, and stay home on everyone else.  Sometimes in those situations (and I suspect there will be a few times this season where it will be the case), Rondo will hit a few shots and things go our way.  More typically, at those times in a game, we need someone else besides Rondo to "make plays" and we just don't have that on this team right now especially at those key times of close games.

I find it fascinating that the team does not appear to do any better with Rondo on the court or not.  Rondo is a good player and the team should do better than when Turner or Pressey are on the court.  I don't think I have a bullet proof explanation but what we saw last night was that because the team is not that good overall, it is pretty easy for the other team to just take Rondo out of it at key times.  Switch or go under picks, stay home on everyone else, and there is no where for him to pass.  Sag off him to limit penetration and dare him to shoot.  It seems to be working in terms of wins and losses.

This parallels the idea that although Rondo is uniquely talented, he has some exploitable flaws that limit his ability the be "the guy" at key times in games.  I don't think we need to beat up Rondo just because his game has some flaws (every player has flaws).  There is also no need to call "hater" when someone acknowledges that in fact Rondo does have flaws and that the W-L record overall is not better when Rondo is on the court.

[BballTim]

Rondo is what he is (cliché alert).  The blueprint is to sag off Rondo, let him do his thing, and stay home on everyone else.  Sometimes in those situations (and I suspect there will be a few times this season where it will be the case), Rondo will hit a few shots and things go our way.  More typically, at those times in a game, we need someone else besides Rondo to "make plays" and we just don't have that on this team right now especially at those key times of close games.

  Where was that blueprint in the 3rd quarter last night, and why wasn't it followed? Did the Cavs not sag off of Rondo, or was he somehow carving them up despite their following the blueprint? Did they forget who they were playing against until late in the game?

  The whole "blueprint" theory just doesn't hold a lot of water. If defending Rondo was a simple thing then he'd never have been an all-star, never been a noteworthy playoff performer and his teams would have been easily dispatched in the postseason. Obviously this isn't the case. Teams, as you frequently mention, sag off of Rondo a lot, and he's generally very successful when that happens.

  It's not like teams generally follow the blueprint and generally keep Rondo in check. It's not like teams only follow the blueprint on occasion and it usually works when it does. It's more the case that teams frequently guard Rondo according to the blueprint and don't have much success with it, but whenever they do we hear that it's easy to keep Rondo in check if you defend him like that.