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C's 113, Lakers 96: Rondo, Zeller dominate

By Chris Forsberg | ESPNBoston.com

BOSTON -- Rajon Rondo and Kobe Bryant might have met for breakfast on Thursday, but Rondo and Tyler Zeller spent Friday eating the Lakers' lunch.

Rondo handed out 16 assists -- more than the Lakers entire team (14) -- while adding 12 points on 6-of-17 shooting with 8 rebounds over 31:29. Rondo was a team-best plus-40 in plus/minus and many of his assists went to Zeller, who posted a career-high 24 points on 10-of-11 shooting with 14 rebounds and was plus-39.

The Celtics let Los Angeles make a couple minor rallies, but pulled away in the third quarter. The popular Gino Time clip rolled with Boston top by 23 with 1:33 to play and the Celtics cruised to a 113-96 triumph at TD Garden.

• Dish of the Night: Late in the first half, Rondo delivered a spectacular baseball-style bounce pass to a streaking Tyler Zeller in transition. The ball zipped through the lane and right over the foot of Kobe Bryant before Zeller finished with a left-handed layup.

• Loose balls: All five of Boston's starters landed in double figures for scoring, including Jeff Green (19 points on 8-of-10 shooting) and Jared Sullinger (17 points, 13 rebounds). ... Celtics rookie Marcus Smart, still working his way back from an ankle injury, did not play. ... Boston shot 51.1 percent overall and 40 percent beyond the 3-point arc.

• What it means: The Celtics improve to 6-11 and match their season-high two-game winning streak. The Lakers fall to 5-15. Boston hosts old friend Paul Pierce and the Washington Wizards in a Sunday matinee.
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5 THINGS WE LEARNED: TIME THE CELTICS TO MAKE A CHANGE IN THE MIDDLE

WEEI

By Julian Edlow

The Lakers made their only trip of the season to the TD Garden on Friday night, and the fans turned out to see them. But in a building with a surprising number of Laker fans, the home team delivered a commanding performance against Kobe Bryant‘s squad, as the Celtics won, 113-96.

Tyler Zeller and Jared Sullinger had huge nights for the C’s (more on them later), while all five starters scored in double figures for Boston. Rondo was back to his old self, but Jeff Green and Avery Bradley were big contributors as well with 19 and 16 points respectively.

Bryant, of course, led the way for the Lakers. He finished with a pedestrian 22 points.

Here’s five things we learned in Boston’s victory:

TYLER ZELLER NEEDS TO REMAIN THE STARTING CENTER

Zeller was phenomenal in this game. In 17 first half minutes, he put together a near double-double with 14 points (on 7-for-8 shooting, no less) and nine boards. Zeller and Rondo have been fantastic together on the floor all season, but even more so on Friday. Five of Zeller’s seven first half field goals were assisted by Rondo. His combination of always being a pick-and-roll threat along with running the floor play perfectly into Rondo’s passing skill set.

Zeller wound up with a game-high 24 points and 14 rebounds — probably the best game of his career. His miss in the first half turned out to be his only one, as he went 10-of-11 from the field for the night.

Friday was Zeller’s fourth start this season in place of Kelly Olynyk, and Stevens claimed before the game that it remains a temporary role. If Stevens is watching what everyone else has seen, he should officially hand the starting center job to Zeller.

RAJON RONDO BROUGHT SOME MUCH NEEDED AGGRESSION

Rondo has scored two points in each of his last three games. He recently said that he hadn’t been himself during those games. Something evidently changed between then and the start of Friday’s game. Rondo got off to a hot start, scoring six first quarter points to go along with five assists. Rondo’s impact was clear: his plus/minus was +14 when he came out of the game for the first time, while the Celtics‘ lead was trimmed to as few as three points before Rondo reentered with his team up seven.

Rondo may have even taken it too far, attempting 17 shots in the game (and making six), but his attacking style represented a noteworthy departure. Even with all the misses, Rondo turned in a pretty effective game, scoring 12 points along with eight rebounds and 16 assists. On the other side, the Lakers only had 14 assists as a team.

JARED SULLINGER WAS A BEAST

Sullinger’s performance was easy to lose track of behind Zeller’s big night, but the front court duo was not one to mess with against the Lakers. Sullinger brought it in the second half, scoring nine points and grabbing five rebounds in the third quarter alone.

He finished the game with an energetic and efficient 17 points on 5-for-9 shooting with 13 rebounds. Sullinger has said that starting alongside Zeller or Olynyk doesn’t matter to him, but things seem to be going pretty well at the moment.

THE ROOKIES ARE OFFICIALLY OUT OF THE ROTATION

After all three were sent to the D-League on Thursday (and recalled Friday), none saw any meaningful minutes against the Lakers. James Young and Dwight Powell had only been playing in blowouts, but Marcus Smart had been a considerably large part of the rotation (especially for a rookie) prior to his ankle injury on Nov. 7.

Young ended up playing the final couple minutes with the game out of reach, but the DNP for Smart carries some meaning. Stevens has either under the belief that Smart is not healthy enough to play yet, or is going to make Smart earn his minutes once again. This is going to be something to keep an eye on, especially with Young knocking on the door for minutes after a some impressive performances for the Red Claws.

IT’S STILL CELTICS VS. LAKERS

Yes, both teams can be painful to watch at times, but people still care about the rivalry. Stevens is honored to be a part of it, Byron Scott is excited to once again be a part of it, and the players look forward to playing in it. And, maybe most of all, the fans get pumped up for it.

The building was packed before tip-off more than any game so far this season, including when LeBron James came to town. When Bryant decided to show up fashionably late for warmups, the crowd responded with a flurry of cheers (and some scattered boos). The ovation was amplified when Bryant was announced in the starting lineups.

But it wasn’t all Laker love. Fans brought the energy when the lights dimmed down before the game. The crowd initiated a “Lets go Celtics!” chant during the opening minutes of the game. There was a notable buzz in the building, and it can only be attributed to the green and gold uniforms that were on the court.

If there’s a sixth thing you need to know, it’s that much to the crowd’s delight, we got some Geno time at the Garden on Friday night.

112288

Even though the Lakers are no where near what they used to be, the Celtics were a different team to watch last night than they have been for most of the last few weeks.

And, the difference to me was RONDO. In last night's game he controlled the game like I wish that he would every night. He probably took a few too many shots, but his aggressiveness got lots of great looks for guys like Zeller, and gave his team a lot more confidence and flow. 14 assists makes a big difference in team performance over the 6-8 he has gotten in the last few games. His twelve points were twice as many as he has had in his last three games combined. His defense was even a little bit better.

I do not think that it surprises anyone on this board that when Rondo plays well (like last night) the team plays much better throughout the full 48 minutes. They are more talented than last year's team and should be winning more of the games this year when they jump out to large (even huge) leads.

Rondo was the key last night and will be in just about every game.

When I got home, tuned in and we were up 13 midway thru the third, then saw the Lakers score 6 straight............and began thinking her we go again. But I don't think they got any closer maybe 5 somewhere but we pushed it back up to ten then even to 20 and sort of won going away.

As mentioned by Wide Rondo played well and got guys good looks but another key we gave the lakers few good looks and got back on defense, also had few turnovers in the 4th too.

And we took the ball to the rim and got a few fouls to boot

And we made a good chunk of our open shots

And Zman was 10 for 11, 3 guys with double doubles!

AND WE FRIGGIN WON. Sometime the game looks easy.

Only down stat was our the foul shooting, that's gotta improve and we can't blame a bit of it on RR as he never shot any.

We can be a very good team, good enough to give ANY team a good game. But can we do this consistently? So far that has been the problem.

Still think when Feb- March role around, teams will not be looking forward to trying to get a win against us !

beat

LA is a shell of its former self. I doubt that they will be of significance in the free agent market because of several factors. 

1) They have no real young talent in which to blend vet talent in with, and the veterans they have are useless.

2) Koby  is one injury away from retirement....and his skill level has dropped considerably from what we knew just a few years ago.  I know I know he is leading the league in scoring, but the impossible to defend shots are not falling, and his quickness has fallen off. He is scoring because of he takes a ton of shots and the majority of which are within the arc.

So who is going to commit to a Koby team where he may be permanently gone as early as next year.

Sad, but the hype for last nights game was more like New Years Eve leftover champagne.

112288

112288 wrote:So who is going to commit to a Koby team where he may be permanently gone as early as next year.

Spot on. Rondo would be FOOLISH to even consider going to LA. As bad as the Celtics are, unlike the Lakers - at least they are headed in the right direction.

Isn't it fitting that a game against the Lakers could potentially be pivotal in this rebuilding season?  If I had answered the question in my own poll about Rondo, last night alone might have made me lean in the "Yes" direction.  Because, last night, Rondo displayed his greatest skills in no uncertain fashion and did so in a way that propelled his teammates into giving their best for 48 minutes.  Whether or not their best may could get them into the playoffs, their best is all we can hope for.  And, since Brad's competence is increasingly questioned during the low times, he deserves commensurate congratulations on how he willed the team to play such a great game last night.

Our Glimmer Thread has been somewhat moribund lately, and rightfully so because there really haven't been what I'd consider legitimate glimmers.  But last night produced the perfect example of a genuine glimmer that bodes well for the future.  I'm not about to anoint Tyler Zeller the long-term answer at center or even the long-term starter at center (although I believe he should start until Mr. Intimidator????? arrives).  But last night's game showed us unequivocally what a superb pick-and-roll tandem Tyler and Rondo can be.  The potential is there.  IT CANNOT BE DENIED.  Both guys going righty and lefty; classic pick-and-roll play after play; Z as the trailer crashing down the lane; even a couple of pick and pops by Tyler.

What more could one want from a center?  Oh yes, rebounding.  How about 14 of those, including 13 off the defensive boards—many of which ignited fast breaks orchestrated primarily by Rondo and basically annihilating the Lakers, who managed only 7 fast break points to 27 (not a typo) for the Celtics.

Okay, then, what about defense?  Tyler had only one block, which is proof that blocks are only one component of good defense.  Tyler rotated exceptionally well on defense and wound up altering or at least strongly contesting a large number of Lakers shots in the interior.  And he did so while committing only three fouls in his 31 minutes.

Okay, without further ado, now come the caveats.  Lakers suck.  Lakers suck.  Lakers suck.  Particularly on defense.  But it wasn't beating the Lakers that thrilled me most.  It was the fact that the Celtics proved that they have the ability to play very well together: 29 assists; 54 rebounds (many of them from gang banging the boards).  Nearly half of their points in the paint.  Only a couple of times did they threaten to default to jump shooting, and it didn't last long in either case.

In terms of game balls, I gave Zeller two balls for this game, because I believe he played a ballsy kind of game.  One game ball for Rondo.  Actually, Rajon deserves two balls as well—16 assists and one turnover; surely you jest—but I'd like Z to be in the spotlight for this one.  Now, any nominations for unsung hero?  Only one guy need apply as far as I'm concerned: Jeff Green.  Jeff played Kobe most of the night, "holding" Kobe below his scoring average (22) and making him work like crazy for almost every point he got.  Jeff was what I would call "selectively aggressive" on offense.  He took only 10 shots from the floor (the Celtics offense was dominate by the Rondo-Zeller show), but he made 8 of them on his way to 19 points.  I prefer to attribute Jeff's 7 turnovers to the fact that he had to focus so intensely on stopping Kobe.

Any time the Celtics attempt 90 field goals (late news: Bob Heckler may return home early if they keep that up) AND shoot 51%, they're almost certain to win.

Despite the euphoria the game brought to this corner, the game wasn't without its disappointments:

• The Celts scored 113 points (not a disappointment) but the starters outscored the bench, 88-25.

• The starting backcourt shot 13-35 (37%).  Rondo was 6-17 and Bradley 7-18.  Yes, they both reached double figures, but not all that efficiently.

But the important thing is that every game they play well and (most important) in synch (1) is a step in the right direction and (2) has to bolster their self-assurance.  And, if they can produce a major glimmer (like last night's) every five games, they'll be well on their way.

Go Celtics!

Sam

Sam,

Many good points as usual, but I disagree with you accepting only one out of five games as a "glimmer" game.

If the talent is the same every night (meaning no significant injuries and no roster movement), the "glimmer" spots this year should be more than just every fifth night. I would have accepted one out of five last year when Stevens was a complete rookie, his staff was new and Rondo was out for most of the season, but this is a year to want more.

Although the Celtics are quite far from the best talented team in the league at this point, moving ahead almost every night is what they need to do in order to get closer to being a competitive play off team. I believe that they have the talent to get to the playoffs this year and think that waiting to get competitive would mean that this year has been somewhat of a failure on the road back to number 18. Learning and maintaining competitiveness every night now for the full 48 minutes will mean that getting additional talent in the next few years will not be as difficult.

Making the mental commitment to become a playoff team means not squandering huge leads and definitely not melting like the Wicked Witch of the West in any fourth quarters. A team that can go up by double digits many nights against almost any team needs to toughen up, and the toughening up bit is all mental.

sam great post agreed this is the Rondo we've been waiting for!!!

Hi,
I'd like to share an observation that also, IMO, belongs to the Glimmer thread.
In the last 2-3 games I noticed that when RR goes to the bench the team starts running (on offense) like a bunch of headless chickens. It seems they, by inertia, continue to play Rondo-centric game but there's no Rondo. Then, after a minute or two, they adjust and their play is much more coherent. It's hard to say - I observed it only for 2-3 games - but the time to realize that Rondo is not there has decreased.
OTOH it could be just a fig of my imagination.
As for the game, good thing that Celtics are beating the team they're supposed to beat.
I wonder why Brad switched JG and AB to cover Kobe. Originally, Mike and Tommy suggested: to confuse him by different defenders, but JG stayed with Kobe for the rest of the game. Yes, he did do a very good job: he's taller, doesn't have to deal with Lebron-like power and fast enough.
Speaking about Rondo-Zeller tandem, I think they should also employ 12-15ft jump shot that Zeller seems to be quite capable of.

2 back-to-back wins - great. Now back-to-back Truth.

AK

If Rondo plays consistently like he did against the Lakers I'll have to jump off the "trade Rondo" bandwagon. Usually it's Rondo who slows down the pace and Pressey who picks it up. Last night it was the opposite - go figure.

I've always admired Zeller's game, however one has to take into consideration that the Laker front line is a disaster. If he can play at last night's level against a big dominating front line - well then there will be many times to get out the "Käsekuchen".

Fun game to contemplate, possible turning point from a fan's perspective, but I think the team has been building to this with their recent losing efforts. In other words, the best way to learn is from your mistakes. My takeaway are that Rondo still has it and will continue to improve as he comes back from injuries (I'll send $100 to help resign him); Zeller is our starting center; Smart was hurt more than advertised. I think Green and Sully have been good all year and Brad is an excellent coach, who has given us a nearly ideal balance between trying to win and experimenting. Sometimes he's what some find overly patient with players who aren't producing, like point guards last year or centers this year, but I think that's what good players want: a reasonable opportunity to show their stuff, not a quick hook. From their perspective, he has their back, something that can only help going forward.
Sure, the Lakers are bad, but we've been competitive for three quarters against the against the best. I see bumps, craters ahead, but in the second year of a rebuild, I like where we are. Hawk

Dboss,
I'm not saying that that they are not running, they are running but quite disorganized.

AK

Sinus, I'd like to get a little more information about the nature of the glimmer you're suggesting. The fact that the bench runs around like chickens when Rondo's out seems more like an anti-glimmer. Perhaps the fact that the bench self-corrects after a while is what you're referring to; but that seems sort of like a backhanded compliment—the fact that they play badly and correct it.

But, if you believe you have a glimmer, please post it on the glimmer thread. All glimmers gratefully received.

Sam

Clyde, here's how I arrived at a figure of every five games. It's obviously very arbitrary, but I tried a couple of approaches.

I wouldn't call the first approach statistical (as in basketball stats), but it is numerically based. The last entry in our Glimmer Thread was on November 22. It took six games for another glimmer to be posted (my own). So I figured that, at the pace they're developing, perhaps one glimmer every 5 games would be a goal that made sense.

My second approach was more judgments. I know a lot of people have worked hard to get their arms around what I regard a glimmer. The main thing a giimmer is NOT, by my definition, is simply good things that happen in a game. Rondo had 14 assists. Green had 25 points. Whatever.

To me, it's not a glimmer until it looks like it might have legs...something that appear solid so they can build on it. Notice that I didn't call Zeller's stats last night a glimmer. That's not necessarily indicative of a trend, which I think is part of a genuine glimmer. But I did think back to numerous games in which Rondo and Tyler connected nicely, and I've been waiting until their partnership translated into something really noteworthy to convince myself that it's a real trend and not just a monetary piece of good news. I consider last night's display noteworthy, the caliber of the Lakers notwithstanding. Just based on judgment, it seems that, since a trend usually takes some time to develop, a glimmer every five games is extremely good.

If you have your own definition and wish to post on the Glimmer Thread, please do so. The Celtics need all the glimmers they can get. I just don't want glimmers to be "here today, potentially gone tomorrow" things.

Sam

The Rondo enigma continues. I was going to write this in the other Rondo thread Sam mentioned, but I think Rondo is caught in the Twilight Zone of the NBA.

His early success in the league by being thrust into/onto a championship team knocked him out of the regular path of most players coming into the league experience. He came to Boston with only PP. That went on for a year and then the team went from worst to first to Banner 17 all in one year. Most great players come in and have to struggle horrifically on abysmal teams for many years before things turn around or the league leading teams fade away and open the door to a changing of the guard. Jordan had a combination of both as the Celtics/Lakers/Detroit were dominating the league when he came in and Chicago was laying the foundation for their 6 Championship Teams of the 90's. Bird and Magic had early success and maintained that success throughout their careers. They are the exceptions.

Rondo has been a shooting star on a rocket ride. Things leveled off after that championship season, ever so gradually in the 2009 season as we got very close again. He was still throwing up TD's, but the subsequent championships didn't follow. He had a twilight cast with the Big 3 as well. After their unceremonious departure, Rondo has been on 2 lottery Celtic teams, at least to date. Certainly he was hoping for more (championships) by this time in his career being a Celtic and he's on a rebuilder right now.

Like someone has said on this board, now he has about 5-6 potential good shots at titles as a Celtic. Great players are asked to do many things and change course if necessary for the team to win championships. Our Big 3 were asked to do the same thing. Leave your ego at the door. And they did. And they earned a championship. Ray Allen saw the writing on the wall and made a very wise move to Miami, like it or not.

If anything, Rondo's career should have reflected a Larry Bird or Magic Johnson, early success maintained throughout his career with great support all around. We were all hopeful of this and cheering for him along with the addition of the Big 3 and the Celtics until it just wasn't going to happen again with the Big 3 as constructed. Individually he has done very well over time. But the team wins the championship. As the Alan Iverson's, Charles Barkley's of the NBA world. The NBA is littered with thousands that don't have a ring.

I still don't know where I land on the Rondo scale. He is up and down, frustrating to watch at times and then jaw-dropping at other times. But he will have a choice to make at the end of this season. Most importantly, will he be a Celtic or not.

db

db,

Nice post.  I don't like to put too much stock on only one game, but last night's game had to give Rondo a glimpse of the pathway to making the best of it in Boston.  It'll be very interesting to see, in the next 10-15 games, whether last night's approach becomes habit-forming with him.  Of course, he won't be operating only against defenses that part like the Red Sea, so I won't expect the euphoria of last night every time out.  But, last night, he seemed to realize that his best contributions come when he follows the cues of his teammates rather than having what I call a "Rondo-centric" approach to games.  It was different.  It was gratifying.  It was solid.  I hope it continues.

Sam

Sam,
The glimmer, IMO, is the time to adjust for Rondo-less period getting smaller.
Today and tomorrow look when RR goes to the bench in the 1st quarter.

AK

Add a high-end scoring go-to guy, Danny! That is, if you really wanna see this team take off.



KJ

Thanks, Sam.

I'm going to make a rash comparison. But the closest thing to Rondo's condition looks a lot like LeBron James current predicament. Although LeBron did go through the horrific 7 years of no championship with Cleveland ending with The Decision, his last few years with Miami should look somewhat familiar to date for Rondo. It's a little bit of a stretch but it's close.

LeBron is in essence being asked to start over with Cleveland, just like Rondo is with Boston. If I were a gambling man, it kills me to say it but I'd place my money on Cleveland with LeBron before I would the Celtics with Rondo as to who gets the next championship first. Both LeBron and Rondo have previous championships under their belts. Both are their respective leaders of their teams. Now LeBron has changed teams and come back and Rondo has been in Boston since the beginning. Both players can will their teams to victory.

I just don't get the same vibe from Rondo that I get with LeBron in these similar situations. I hope Rondo gets the team together fast. It should be interesting, though.

db