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Rondo reigns supreme in Boston return

By Chris Forsberg | January 3, 2015 1:10:14 AM PST







BOSTON -- The Boston Celtics really could have just shown a replay of Friday's first quarter, the one in which Rajon Rondo scored 15 points in less than eight minutes while playing against his former team for the first time just two weeks after the trade that delivered him to the Dallas Mavericks. But a diligent staffer had spent a lot of time and effort cramming eight-plus seasons' worth of Rondo highlights into 90 seconds, so the team stuck with the plan.

And as the first frame of Rondo's tribute video appeared on the TD Garden video board during a television time out, a hush fell over the crowd. The Boston faithful had already showered Rondo with one loud ovation during the coming attractions of lineup introductions; now it was the featured attraction and one last trip down memory lane for the final castoff from the beloved 2008 championship team.

A quote from Rondo ("My time in Boston has meant so much. The love I have for the most loyal and supportive fans is unmatched.") appeared over an aerial shot of the city. Then came a black-and-white flashback from ESPN's 2006 draft broadcast and a report that the Celtics were attempting to trade for a chance to nab Rondo.

A dizzying display of slick ballhandling and fancy assists followed, punctuated by some of Rondo's most memorable moments in green as Coldplay's "Sky Full of Stars" blared.

Rajon Rondo came out firing, scoring the Mavericks' first 10 points and making a career-high five 3-pointers en route to a season-high 29 points.

There was a soaring slam between Dwight Howard and Rashard Lewis. Rondo's undersized but overly aggressive defense against LeBron James. The Kevin Garnett-inspired knuckle push-ups on the Garden parquet, and Rondo invading the Miami huddle as James elbowed him away.

There was the elbow dislocation from the 2011 playoffs and Rondo's improbable return soon after. The sliding chase-down of a loose ball under Jason Williams from the 2010 Eastern Conference finals that finished with Rondo's layup.

There was the ridiculous, spinning, behind-the-back feed to Ray Allen in Golden State -- maybe Rondo's sexiest assist ever -- and a glimpse of his signature fake-behind-the-back-pass into a layup. Oh, and that poster dunk over Chris Bosh in Miami.

There were highlights from his work in the community, handing out turkeys on Thanksgiving and bikes for Christmas.

The video closed with a series of Rondo highlights from the 2008 NBA Finals before Rondo and his teammates danced in a champagne-soaked locker room. A still frame of Rondo clutching the Larry O'Brien trophy with the words "Thank you, Rajon!" led to the next standing ovation.

As the video rolled, Rondo occasionally glanced skyward, but he never looked for long, knowing that he wouldn't be able to control his emotions if he kept watching. Every now and then, he'd take a sip from a water bottle and spy the video board. He breathed hard and likely pondered Paul Pierce's advice earlier this week to just keep blinking to prevent any tears from falling.

The Celtics barely huddled. Like the fans, Rondo's former teammates were all fixed on the video board. When the montage ended, they all stood clapping for him on the opposite sideline. Rondo collected himself, got a pep talk from a Dallas assistant and walked toward midcourt, where he waved to the crowd.

Rondo seemed to be savoring the moment as "Thank You Rondo" and a green No. 9 spun around the video boards in the concourse.

Rondo's new teammates soon joined the ovation, while behind them Celtics owners Wyc Grousbeck and Steve Pagliuca, along with Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge, were on their feet and clapping. Mavericks owner Mark Cuban tweeted an appreciation for the tribute.

As players returned to the court for the start of the second quarter, Rondo crossed over toward the Celtics bench and hugged Angie Pallotta, mother of Jim Pallotta, a member of the Celtics' ownership group, and the owner of an Italian restaurant in the North End that Rondo frequented (Nebo). Angie sat in her courtside seat near the Celtics' bench, the same seat she has sat in throughout Rondo's career in Boston.

Brandon Bass, maybe Rondo's closest friend on the team in recent seasons, got a quick dap, too. Rondo would later joke, "No tears, [but] I seen B-Bass blink a couple times."

The Celtics were hoping the video might take Rondo out of the groove he was clearly in after making all six of his shots in the first quarter. It didn't happen. Rondo went on to make a career-high five 3-pointers while scoring a season-high 29 points and pacing the Mavericks to a 119-101 triumph.

About 40 minutes after the game, Rondo, wearing a blue bomber jacket with black, fur collar and a matching shiny, black tie, plopped into a chair at a makeshift podium inside the TD Garden press room and breathed deep.

"It was a special day today," said Rondo. "I'm emotionally tired, physically tired. I'm drained right now. It was a tough game to get through."

Rondo added: "I don't think I've ever been this tired after a game before, where it's even hard to talk to you guys right now. I'm tired."

Those former teammates who had gone through this before, including former captain Pierce, had warned him about how daunting this night would be. Rondo said he was just happy to come out with a win.

But playing the way he did against his former team had to feel pretty good, too. Rondo had admitted that being traded to Dallas has reinvigorated him at both ends of the floor.

In Boston, he turned back the clock and played like the All-Star he was before ACL surgery and Boston's plunge into a rebuilding process while he worked his way back.

The 28-year-old seems to be savoring the little moments, such as the post-video ovation, even more as he embarks on a new journey after nine years in Boston.

"I'm very blessed to be playing basketball," said Rondo. "I took a long time off from my ACL injury, and I think I took basketball for granted up until a certain point, being able to go out there every night and do what I love to do. I don't know if I was able to show this much here as a Celtic, I'm still very humbled and blessed to be playing basketball, something I love to do every night. I don't take it for granted, that's just how I play the game."

Rondo won't soon forget this day. He smiled when he saw the overflow throng of reporters waiting for him at Dallas' morning shootaround, then playfully tried to mess with reporters (as he always did here) by moving behind the scorer's table -- creating a makeshift blockade from the reporters who were positioned on the other side.

Rondo eventually jumped up on the scorer's table and discussed how he learned he was traded ("I woke up and I [saw] Danny [Ainge] popped up [on my cell phone], so I was like, 'Oh, s---,'") and offered candid thoughts about his play in Boston before the deal ("I haven't played defense in a couple years. ... But [in Dallas] they expect me to play defense, and, in the West, if you don't play defense, you'll get embarrassed every night at the point guard position.")

Despite his familiarity with the arena, Rondo stayed for an extended shooting session following the shootaround in hopes that it might calm his nerves a bit. Before the game, he returned to the parquet for more shots, all while taking time to catch up with the former Celtics teammates and staffers he bid farewell to just two weeks ago.

Rondo even found a moment to chat briefly with Brad Stevens outside the coach's office before the game. Stevens said, "I think he's in a great place, emotionally, and I'm hopeful that he does well -- I prefer it's after tonight."




No such luck, Coach. Rondo swooped to the basket for a layup on the game's first play and it lit his fuse. When his 3-pointers started falling soon after, the Celtics knew they were in for a long night. Dallas led by as much as 28, though Boston fought back a bit in the fourth quarter.

When Rondo checked out with 1:21 remaining, the fans cheered again, a little quieter than before. While they spent the night celebrating his career here, it was also a reminder of what's no longer theirs. And Rondo produced the sort of effort that made fans want him to be the face of the franchise through this current rebuild.

Rondo offered positive thoughts about Boston's future, but his focus now is on winning another championship.

Asked if he was surprised by Rondo's big night, former teammate Jared Sullinger offered, "No, typical Rondo. He played against the Celtics for the first time without wearing the Celtics on his chest and he was out there to seek and destroy."

The folks in Dallas can start a highlight reel of their own now. They might need it down the road.



bob



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The Rondo Tribute


http://a1.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/media/motion/2015/0103/dm_150102_NBA_OnePlay215/dm_150102_NBA_OnePlay215.jpg&w=576



bob



.

blah...the guy says pre game that he hasn't played defense for years here:

Rajon Rondo: "Well I haven't played defense in a couple of years, you know I've been able to hide it a lot with Avery Bradley on the ball. He's helping me out, the young guy. But here, they expect me to play defense. In the West, if you don't play defense you'll get embarrassed every night at the point guard position. So I took it as a challenge to myself. You know, it's not just me, it's my teammates, communication is getting a lot better and our coverages are getting a lot better, so it's the whole team concept. It's not just me. Obviously people are gonna look at the stats and say 'since Rondo came there they've been down 7 - 8 points or whatever defensively, but we still have a lot of room to improve and I still believe we'll still get better defensively." Celtics Blog - See more at: http://hoopshype.com/rumors.htm#sthash.gruotLtP.dpuf





he's the enemy now.

no titles for him

I hope he ends up shriveling away and sulking in LA with KObe.

kdp59 wrote:blah...the guy says pre game that he hasn't played defense for years here:

Rajon Rondo: "Well I haven't played defense in a couple of years, you know I've been able to hide it a lot with Avery Bradley on the ball. He's helping me out, the young guy. But here, they expect me to play defense. In the West, if you don't play defense you'll get embarrassed every night at the point guard position. So I took it as a challenge to myself. You know, it's not just me, it's my teammates, communication is getting a lot better and our coverages are getting a lot better, so it's the whole team concept. It's not just me. Obviously people are gonna look at the stats and say 'since Rondo came there they've been down 7 - 8 points or whatever defensively, but we still have a lot of room to improve and I still believe we'll still get better defensively." Celtics Blog - See more at: http://hoopshype.com/rumors.htm#sthash.gruotLtP.dpuf

.

Please read the "Disapointed with Rondo" thread in order to understand the meaning of his quote.

yes I know Rondo is sooo much smarter than every one else. I'm just too stooooopid to understand.

we ALL saw that he quite playing defense the past few years here.

we ALL saw this year where he would just pass the ball and stand there at the three point line here this year , knowing he was useless as a shooter.

he WANTED out of here, so be it he got his wish.

you may want him to be some hero, but to me he sulked until he got traded. He's GONE.

no rings for Rondo and I hope he goes to LA and sulks next to Kobe. those two will make a great pair., maybe Kobe will agree to play an extra year of two (as long as he's the top paid player in the game of course).

and Rondo can lead the NBA in assists and Kobe can win scoring titles. All the while patting themselves on the back about how good and smarter than everyone else they are...blah!


happy new year!!

LOL.

Unfortunately the effective meaning of any given statement lies in the perception of the reader or listener, not the intent of statement-maker. In an increasingly temporary society, people tend to stick with initial judgments rather than putting much stock in follow-up explanations.

Sam

kdp59 wrote:yes I know Rondo is sooo much smarter than every one else. I'm just too stooooopid to understand.

we ALL saw that he quite playing defense the past few years here.

we ALL saw this year where he would just pass the ball and stand there at the three point line here this year , knowing he was useless as a shooter.

he WANTED out of here, so be it he got his wish.

you may want him to be some hero, but to me he sulked until he got traded. He's GONE.

no rings for Rondo and I hope he goes to LA and sulks next to Kobe. those two will make a great pair., maybe Kobe will agree to play an extra year of two (as long as he's the top paid player in the game of course).

and Rondo can lead the NBA in assists and Kobe can win scoring titles. All the while patting themselves on the back about how good and smarter than everyone else they are...blah!


happy new year!!

LOL.

It appeared to me that, collectively, the defensive intensity of the Celtics declined after the Perkins trade. I'm not going to litigate that trade at all whether is was the right or wrong decision to make, but the lack of a true center for the past four years has had a profound impact on the defense. Zeller is the first player I've seen since that trade that can actually play center instead of being a pseudo-center.

In all fairness, The C's top brass talked "fireworks" (remember that?) this summer. We didn't see much of any. Why? The overall direction has been to shed contracts, acquire draft picks, and develop young talent. Rondo is a championship-winning, All-Star caliber PG right around the prime of his career. He should be on a team that can actually compete for a title now.

The one problem I have with people trying to play psychologist when it comes to this sort of thing is that it, by nature, involves a great deal of assumptions. If you're going to do that, fine, but it's lacking in substance.


KJ

(Reprint from "Disappointed with Rondo" Thread):

Sorry to run counter to other opinions (what's new?), but my eyes have told me that Rondo turned from a good defender into a mediocre (and often indifferent) defender. The mediocre part can possibly be explained at least partially by the impact of injuries. Not so the indifferent part. Too often, in the halfcourt, he resorted to letting his man get by and trying the poke-check thing that occasionally worked but more often draw foul calls. This practice placed added pressure on interior defenders, who were often defense-challenged in the first place.

Any public statement that has to be regurgitated and manipulated to convert it from a negative to a positive has the earmarks of what I would call "rationalization." I've watched the interview several times (although I couldn't hear the precise question that produced Rondo's response, but it's unlikely a response that clear would have been unduly influenced by a question nuance).

Frankly, whatever he meant, however he wished it had been received differently, any interpretation other than a negative one seems to me to be mostly a rationalization. It's as though Rondo thought, "Bradley's got a great defensive reputation. I'll give the impression that my defensive presence was calculated to be of lower priority because of Avery's renowned defensive presence. They'll buy that." If Rondo had no culpability, why did he choose the terminology, "I've been able to hide it a lot?"

As for Bradley's actual involvement, Rondo played many minutes for the Celtics without Bradley at his side. Remember a guy named Ray Allen? And, even when Bradley and Rondo played as a tandem, the majority of the many minutes I watched had Bradley defending against the opposing shooting guard and Rondo defending against the opposing "1." Some of the time, Bradley may have switched to covering the "1" when he brought the ball up the court (although Bradley seldom guards full-court these days); but, in the halfcourt, Rondo usually guarded the "1."

Eyes and ears don't lie.

Red, I apologize for even being part of a conversation about why slacking off on defense can be a good thing.

I'm not trying to Rondo-bash but simply to provide an objective perspective. Rondo remained my favorite Celtic throughout his Boston tenure, (JOKE ALERT, JOKE ALERT) and I always give the benefit of the doubt to a floor general, because floor generals are obviously the closest to perfection among all basketball players.

Sam

Sam you mean 1 not 5.

As for the Mavs game, itself, I thought the main difference was the defense of the Mavs.  Sure, the Mavs had more shots and a better shooting percentage, but that's because their defense too often limited the Celtics to taking off-balance or low percentage shots late in the shot clock.  The fact that the Celtics failed to utilize a motion offense could also have been partly due to the Mavs' tight defense, or there could also have been Celtics culpability involved.  We know they have the ability to run a pretty decent motion offense featuring a lot of ball movement, but it didn't happen last night.

I know some people are jumping off the Jameer Nelson bandwagon. (SARCASM ALERT) But, aside from insisting to chuck up three-pointers (calling upon a practically non-existent skill), not managing even one assist in 14 minutes, and being a defensive sieve, I thought he played a swell game.

Sam

Thanks, Cow. I've got some kind of fixation on that juxtaposition. No idea why.

Sam

sam wrote:(Reprint from "Disappointed with Rondo" Thread):

Sorry to run counter to other opinions (what's new?), but my eyes have told me that Rondo turned from a good defender into a mediocre (and often indifferent) defender. The mediocre part can possibly be explained at least partially by the impact of injuries. Not so the indifferent part. Too often, in the halfcourt, he resorted to letting his man get by and trying the poke-check thing that occasionally worked but more often draw foul calls. This practice placed added pressure on interior defenders, who were often defense-challenged in the first place.

Any public statement that has to be regurgitated and manipulated to convert it from a negative to a positive has the earmarks of what I would call "rationalization." I've watched the interview several times (although I couldn't hear the precise question that produced Rondo's response, but it's unlikely a response that clear would have been unduly influenced by a question nuance).

Frankly, whatever he meant, however he wished it had been received differently, any interpretation other than a negative one seems to me to be mostly a rationalization. It's as though Rondo thought, "Bradley's got a great defensive reputation. I'll give the impression that my defensive presence was calculated to be of lower priority because of Avery's renowned defensive presence. They'll buy that." If Rondo had no culpability, why did he choose the terminology, "I've been able to hide it a lot?"

As for Bradley's actual involvement, Rondo played many minutes for the Celtics without Bradley at his side. Remember a guy named Ray Allen? And, even when Bradley and Rondo played as a tandem, the majority of the many minutes I watched had Bradley defending against the opposing shooting guard and Rondo defending against the opposing "1." Some of the time, Bradley may have switched to covering the "1" when he brought the ball up the court (although Bradley seldom guards full-court these days); but, in the halfcourt, Rondo usually guarded the "1."

Sam

The 2007-08 team featured spectacular team defense. Tony Allen happened to be on that team with on-ball defense even better than Avery's (IMO, and not a knock on Bradley). Rondo's style appeared to change from trying to play stifling defense to being more of a gambler, which has resulted in him getting beat but also netting a lot of steals. Once the dynamics of the team changed and there was no longer an interior threat, having a gambler defending in the backcourt can cause some issues.

As far as being able to "hide," I took that as "schematically." Having Bradley in the backcourt with Rondo obviously alleviated a great deal of pressure off of Rondo's shoulders on the defensive end. Thus, Rondo could be more of a gambler on defense.



KJ

KJ,

"Schematically" works for me. But, in my book, "schematically" implies a strong element of purpose or intent, as does the word "schema" on which it is based. Why would it be necessary to make a purposeful effort to conceal one's diminished attention to defense?

Sam

Words are too often not understood although their meaning seems obvious.

I think we need to go back a few years ago when Rondo commented on having Avery check the best player  in the opposing team's backcourt.  This is not new news.  What is new is his comments about not playing defense.  In my opinion this does not mean that he stopped playing defense but he stopped playing defense at a level that made him a premier on the ball defender.  He was comfortable with not being the main guy on defense because Avery Bradley had a knack for the type of on the ball defense that Rondo previously provided for the team.  The day he was traded he still left the team as the leader in steals which is a defensive stat and he was also 2nd on the team in rebounds which is also a defensive stat.  I do not think any of this matters except to provide fodder for those that wanted him to be traded.  He plays for Dallas now and looks to be a good fit for them.  His legacy in Boston has not been tarnished in anyway.  

Moving on to the game last night, every player on the Celtics that played took a 3 point shot except for Brandon Wright.  Four players took 6 3 point shots.  In total the Celtics bombed away for 34 three point attempts.  They were hammered on the glass 52 - 38 and spent too much time thinking about Rajon Rondo who lit them up for 29.  

I hate to keep criticizing coach Stevens but again I must ask why is Zeller not getting more minutes?  Zeller had 17 points and 10 rebounds in 25 minutes.  

The Brandon split continues to be perplexing.  Wright played 10 minutes and Bass played 11 minutes.  That is 21 minutes combined which resulted in 2 points and 3 rebounds.  Wright did not even get one shot off.

Brad Stevens should be checked for ADD.  You are playing against a big team and your best big guy who is playing well again spends too many minutes on the pine.  In an effort to get Wright into the mix, coach Stevens has marginalized both Bass and Wright.  Stevens continues to waste games away with his decision making.

The most unhappy player on the team last night was Jeff Green.

The Celts travel to the Windy City for a game tonight where the Bulls are sure to teach them a thing or two about how to play defense.

I am hoping for a competitive game.

dboss

KDP,

If you are going to open a can of worms that has already been opened and somewhat masticated and partially swallowed, what is wrong with anyone pointing out where the original can of worms could be found?

My point in the brief reply was twofold:

1. We already have a thread where many other members of this forum have expressed their opinion on this subject (you hadn't yet, had you?) and I wanted to alert you and others who may be interested in this topic to that thread.  
2. I wanted to save others that have already chimed in on this topic the time it took to repeat their previously expressed views, thus restarting the discussion here in a relative vacuum.

From the looks of things, I've failed.

As for your feeling that you are "too stooooopid to understand", well, I am extreeeeeeeeeeeemly sorry that you feel that way.  I certainly do not think that you are stoooopid at all (did I get all the 'o's?  I may have missed one).  Perhaps you could get some counseling in order to work on your self-esteem.

gyso

I agree with dboss: Zeller is our center and needs more minutes; Green was very unhappy with last night's game. Rondo was as good as I expected he would be. He always seems to get up for big games and last night's was big.
Some use this trait to criticize Rondo for not hustling all the time, but I like a player with an extra gear he can access when the pressure is on.
I think his comments about playing defense should be taken in context Before Bradley began to start, Rondo was paired with Ray Allen and two bum ankles. With no Perkins behind him and slow-mo Allen beside him, he had to work his tail off on defense, plus drive the team on offense. Bradley's hustle and relative speed allowed him to concentrate more on his number one mission, run the offense.
The other related thread speaks of being disappointed in Rondo. My only disappointment is that he was traded in his prime for a bag full of lemons. If Ainge turns that bag into lemonade - a big If - I'm sure my disappointment will dissipate. Hawk

Gyso,

I wasn't implying that you were calling anyone stupid there. I should have expanded my post and added a link to an online piece I had just read explaining how Rondo is too smart for most writers/fans to understand what he means.

what I wrote was with that fresh in my mind, BUT I didn't say that.

my post looked like I was saying you said someone was stupid.

I apologize for my mistake and didn't mean to put those thoughts onto you (or anyone else here , frankly).

I had no yet seen the thread about the comments Rondo made (though I read them last night here)

http://hoopshype.com/rumors.htm

I thought Stevens reply was classy at least.


perhaps counseling is needed on my end, but I doubt its about my elevated self-esteem...LOL.

Hawk

Last night Zeller was 7-9.  He needs more than 9 shots per game.  But that means his MPG must be increased.

How long will it take coach to come to the realization that Zeller is the only true center on a team that has a particular weakness at center?  

Zeller should be playing at least 30 MPG.  That means that one of our non-centers (Sully and Kelly) will get less minutes.  That is a possible alteration given their inability to play center.

dboss

Agreed dboss and we were pining for Zeller to start for weeks before he actually did.

Against the Nets recently we had a 10 or 13 point lead in second half and Nets came back to win as Z didn't play one minute in 4th quarter and Stevens went with Sully and Bass.

1. Stupid doesn't gravitate to this board. In fact, I'd stack up the intellect of anyone on this board against that of anyone in any other message board.

2. It's a very natural thing for threads to go off on different avenues from the original topic, and I believe the board is all the better for it. It sometimes happens that such tangents duplicate some content of other threads—often because of the timing of various posts. While it's helpful to have the threads merged, it's not essential. I recently placed the same post in two threads (including this one) because, frankly, I was too lazy and unknowledgeable to attempt a merger. No big deal.

3. The ultimate goal of a our forum is to enjoy conversing about basketball and the Celtics. So often, we shoot from the hip because we don't have time to consider and reconsider all the possible ramifications of everything we post. I know some of my attempts at humor have been misinterpreted as serious attacks, which probably makes me the Bad Humor Man. But, if we all keep in mind that we're all doing our best to combine earnestness with conviviality and we're all human beings, we should be able to cut each other some slack in our interpretation of others' posts.

4. This is one great bunch of people, and my enjoyment in life would be seriously diminished without the presence of any one of you.

Sam

Hi Sam,

Schematically, schmematically! For the Rondo apologists (not referring to you, Sam): if you have something to hide, then you're usually guilty of something.

Berlin-T

Berlin-T wrote:Hi Sam,

Schematically, schmematically! For the Rondo apologists (not referring to you, Sam): if you have something to hide, then you're usually guilty of something.

Berlin-T

And for the Rondo naysayers, he's doing pretty well in Dallas. Torched the Celtics' defense last night, too.


KJ

Berlin-T wrote:Hi Sam,

Schematically, schmematically! For the Rondo apologists (not referring to you, Sam): if you have something to hide, then you're usually guilty of something.

Berlin-T

Berlin

Referring to someone as an apologists based on their views and ideas is an insult.

If you insult someone else I can assure you that it will not lead to anything pleasant for you.

dboss

In that post, I can't see any intent to focus the word "apologists" on any particular person. Moreover, the word "apologist" is defined by Merriam Webster as "a person who defends or supports something that is being criticized or attacked." There's nothing mentioned about the term's implying anything other than a descriptive fact.

This is a frustrating time for Celtics fans. I suggest that we all bend over backwards to cut one another some slack when it appears that posts may be influenced by a little more emotion than we'd ordinarily expect. As a moderator, the most important governing rule is still: "Don't make it personal."

Sam

Personally, I've never heard the term "apologist" ever used with any sort of positive connotation attached to it, regardless of said definition.


KJ