Hate that I'm contributing to a thread topic that I've begun to find annoying, but I think this is important to point out.
I'm not a huge fan of Rondo's game, think he's overrated, all that good stuff that is liable to start a war around these parts. But one of the arguments being put forth by the anti-Rondo camp -- we'll call them that for the purpose of brevity because I don't think it accurately describes their position -- is that Rondo's shooting hurts Dallas' spacing. This was certainly true in Boston where Rondo seemed to play unmotivated and would often stand around without the ball.
Zach Lowe mentioned this the other day on the BS Report which was linked on this forum. When Rondo is locked in he does a lot of off-ball stuff that compensates for his lack of shooting range. He makes sneaky back door cuts, works hard to position himself for the offensive board, etc., all things that force his defender to pay attention to him. Tonight late in the game Rondo lofted the ball up to Dirk at the top of the key and his defender immediately doubled Dirk. Rondo waltzed down the lane and parked it under the basket where he received a pass from Dirk and converted an uncontested bunny.
I think in due time the Mavs and Rondo will mesh very well. Rondo seems to be regaining his old self now that he's being challenged every night in a brutally tough West. It seems that with patience and hard work, the Mavs' offense will not suffer, but in fact thrive with Rondo, as many pro-Rondo fans on here predicted.