Read the opposing arguments from Loyal Homer and Sports Geek.
I’m officially a believer.
I refused to drink the Kool-Aid for a long time, and I criticized those in the media who had already started to recognize that which I failed to see until recently. But I am convinced now.
The Boston Celtics truly are playing championship caliber basketball.
I am surely not the only one coming to this realization, considering the fact that the Celtics dispatched LeBron James, and some other guys from Cleveland, in the last round of the playoffs. And they have already won the first two games of the Eastern Conference championship IN Orlando against the Magic.
Most impressive, though, has been the performance of Rajon Rondo.
Before the postseason began, if I asked you to name the most valuable point guard in the NBA, you would have given me names like Deron Williams, Steve Nash, Derrick Rose, or Chris Paul. Likewise, if I asked you to give me the name of the most valuable player on the Celtics, you would have most likely named one of the “Big Three” – Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, or Ray Allen.
Rajon Rondo, who has been a very impressive player throughout his career, never seemed to draw the attention of those other players. They seem to find the headlines much more easily. Whether he is compared to other point guards in the league, or to his own teammates, Rondo NEVER seems to get top billing.
All of that has changed. If I were to ask you those same questions today, Rondo would be the definitive answer to BOTH.
No player has been bigger this postseason than the little guy. At six foot one, Rondo is clearly the shortest guy on the court for Boston. But that has not stopped him from almost single-handedly beating the Cavaliers, leading them through a postseason that now appears destined for the NBA Finals.
In the series against the Cavaliers, for example, Rondo averaged a double-double with 20.6 points and 11.8 assists per game. Added to that impressive performance comes 38 rebounds, including 18 in game four alone against a Cavs team that featured not one, but TWO, seven-footers (three, depending on which heels Anderson Varejao is wearing). Not bad for a little guy!
His performance in game four of the Cavaliers series has actually been dubbed as one of the greatest in all-time Celtics’ history (which includes players like Larry Bird, Bill Russell, and Bob Cousy). Against the best team in the NBA (Editor’s Note: Says who?), Rondo notched a triple-double with 29 points, 13 assists, and the aforementioned 18 rebounds.
He has been the leading point-scorer for the Celtics this postseason, and his ability to create shots for everyone else on the court around him has caused many sleepless nights for Erik Spoelstra, Mike Brown, and now Stan Van Gundy.
This is not KG’s team, and it does not belong to the Big Three. This is Rondo’s team! He has taken charge of the Celtics, and his teammates have responded in kind by playing some of the best basketball we have seen in a very long time.
Rajon Rondo won’t be “under the radar” anymore, though. His performance this postseason has served as a declaration of the type of player that he is – MOST VALUABLE!
