Boston Sports Then and Now

The only weakness in Rondo's game was his hesitation to shoot.

Courtesy of North Station Sports

The NBA has been blessed with some beautiful shot form’s over the years. The Association has also had it’s share of ugly, non traditional shooting forms. Bill Cartwright’s scary, alien-like shot comes to mind, Robert Parish’s high arching “tee it up” type shot, though deadly, will never appear in text book’s either. Joakim Noah’s dis contorted shooting form may only appear in instructional DVD’s displaying what not to do when shooting. Dare I cite Magic Johnson’s shot. Magic’s shot was never very pretty and during his first eight seasons he was unreliable in hitting the perimeter stroke.

I am just citing a few examples of the many unsightly shots over the year’s. None of these players have had their shooting form analyzed as much as we have seen with the Celtics point guard the past three seasons.

In all my year’s of following professional basketball, I have never seen a player’s shot more scrutinized then Rajon Rondo’s. Yesterday we looked at his recent improvements and how this will effect opponent’s preparations when facing the C’s. Today the Globe is featuring another similar story on the subject.

Since taking on the role of floor general for the team with (arguably) the best starting line-up in basketball, Rondo’s shortcomings have always been a topic of scrutiny. His inability to not only hit the open outside shot but also his lack of confidence in attempting them when wide open has been listed as one of the (few) weaknesses the Celtics have. I would often find myself screaming at my plasma, “shoot it,” as Rondo would continually pass up the open shot, often leaving the Celtics with a lower percentage shot and, many times, a turnover. Playing into the hands of their opponents, nothing seemed to remedy this act of repeated half court breakdown caused by Rondo’s refusal to shoot when wide open.

Read the rest of this entry →

Rondo could be the MVP of the Celtics.

Courtesy of North Station Sports

The average NBA fan determines player dominance by their ability to score the basket and control games through well rounded scoring ability.

Rajon Rondo, widely known as a horrid jump shooter, continues to prove that shooting isn’t the only way to take over a game. Third in the NBA is assists (9.2 APG) and leading the league in steals (2.7 SPG), Rondo is, without question, a top tier point guard. He continues to shoot plain embarrassingly from the foul line (46 percent) and, though only attempting 15 three-point shots this season, he has made but 2.

No, Rondo is not a good shooter. We have established that and it’s plain for any sports novice to see. Their is no such thing as a “streak” with Rondo because he rarely makes (or attempts) two consecutive jump shots. I suggest that, at this point in the season, we move on from this point.

Rondo took flight in the fourth..

How many times have we seen a headline like this? This one is taken from today’s Boston Globe story on last night’s 98-89 victory over the Bucks.

There seems to be a point, especially at the Garden, where Rondo will take over a game, build team momentum and excite the spectators at the Garden.

How can a guy with such awful shooting percentage from the distance take over a game?

Confidence! It comes through one made shot around the basket. He can excite an audience through a magician-like ball fake or spectacular Houdini-like pass to find a wide open teammate. At the point this act of magic occurs, it usually marks the beginning of the end for opponents that have been able to keep pace with the C’s to that point in the contest. Last night it came in the fourth quarter. Rajon started by hitting a difficult shot in the paint. The, up to that point, subdued crowd roared and the C’s were off to the races. Led by Rondo, the Celtics outscored the Bucks 18-27 in the fourth.

Eight Celtics players scored (6 in double digits) and Rondo had his large hands in every one of those players points. The Celtics hit 35 field goals and Rondo had 13 assists. Rondo had an assist on nearly 40 percent of the Celtics’ points scored. The closest Buck to notch an assist finished EIGHT behind Rondo! He was tied with Garnett with 9 rebounds. Rondo grabbed 40 percent of the C’s rebounds, he was directly responsible for 3 of the C’s 5 offensive rebounds. Rondo had more rebounds then Pierce (5), Perkins (5), Wallace (2) and Williams (o) combined.

How can a 6′1 player out rebound four Celtics front line players combined?

Long arms have something to do with it but quickness, hustle  and high basketball IQ are the main reason for Rondo’s rebounding exploits. Rondo is often over-looked for his basketball intelligence by people who only focus on his lack of outside shooting effectiveness.

Read the rest of this entry →

Rajon Rondo helped the Celtics break their 2 game losing streak.

I would not classify the Celtics 109-95 victory, over the Warriors on Wednesday night, a nail biter. There were, however, tense and shaky moments early on. The Celtics started the game in usual fashion, struggling on defense and faltering on offense. The C’s (9-3) starters again lacked any continuity in the first two quarters as they were, once again out-rebounded by a feather-weight Warriors front line. A TV shot of Danny Ainge’s hanging head summed up the frustrations and befuddlement of the players, front office and fans.

Boston took a one point lead into the half that left the Garden crowd scratching their head’s as they shuffled to the concessions during the break. As the faithful were replenishing on Miller lites and popcorn, discussing the Celtics continued struggles, a different type of discussion was taking place in the Celtics locker room.

Captain Paul Pierce had seen enough of his team’s feeble play in the last several games and voiced his feelings to his team. After the game, KG told reports that the players took the Captains rallying cry to heart and responded. Pierce added that his knee feels good and he will continue to get treatment until he is 100 percent.

At the start of the third quarter you could feel the tension rising among the frustrated Celtics players. Rasheed Wallace barked motivational remarks to Perk during huddles, insisting that Kendrick can scored with ease in the paint against the depleted Warriors team. Garnett shouted expletives to himself on each successful play. Sheed took his own advise, making rare appearances in the paint and scoring at will. As the game edges closer and closer, the tension in the Garden mirrored the players and was evident through the TV as the grumbling echoed louder and louder.

Read the rest of this entry →

Rondo and the Celts improved to 8-1.

What a difference three days can make…

Unselfish play, stifling defense, hot shooting, and careful ball handling, translated into (possibly) the Celtics most impressive performance of the season. The C’s have had wider margins of victories and more dominant games but last night the offense and defense finally clicked in sync through 48 minutes. Boston, struggling early in the season, even hit 88.9 percent from the foul line.

Three days of rest, pratice and home cooking served the Celtics in redirecting their focus towards the aspects of the game that slipped as last week came to a close. The C’s three previous games (2-1) got them away from their credo of team defense and intelligent, unselfish offense. Particularly disturbing the team were their opponents ability to score the basket recently (Last three opponents– 96 points per game/49.9 field goal percentage).

“If you’re going to pride yourself on defense, then [those numbers] shouldn’t happen and they did. They saw that. And they thought it happened on both ends. Not only that happened, but then the offense wasn’t good enough, either. And there will be nights where your offense is bad and your defense has to carry you. And on those few nights where your defense is bad then your offense has to carry you. So in our mind, we let both offense, defense, let each other down on a couple nights.’’

- Doc Rivers on the Celtics recent deficiencies

The Celtics veteran core were running out of gas and it was starting to cast a shadow over the team’s play. So, after their 86-76 victory in a game that was closer then the box score reflected, 3 days of rest, regrouping and practicing in  Boston were welcome.

“We paid attention to the small things and the details because this is how that team beats you.’’

Kevin Garnett, after the game.

Read the rest of this entry →

Rajon Rondo and Chris Paul are not best friends.

According to NBA.com, the league office is investigating the Chris Paul/Rajon Rondo, post game, altercation after Sunday’s showdown between the Hornets and Celtics in Boston.

The Celtics pulled out the victory (97-87) but not without a fight from Paul and the Hornets. The game swung back and forth until the Celtics pulled away for good at the end of the fourth quarter.

Rondo and Paul’s rocky relationship has been well documented. The Celtics point guard had previously insinuated that Chris Paul is successful because he is the main scoring option for the Hornets. CP3 seemed to take exception to that comment though, in my estimation, it’s accurate.

The Hornets point guard seemed aggrevated with Rondo throughout Sunday evening’s game, the two players received double technical fouls in the second period. Paul, normally a loose player, displayed a demeanor throughout Sunday’s game that  seemed to indicate Rondo was continually getting under his skin. The tension culminated after the buzzer sounded as Paul alledgedly pursued Rondo towards the Celtics locker room. Reports indicate that Celtics assistant coach Tom Thibodeau had to hold CP3 back from confronting Rondo outside the C’s lockerroom.

Byron Scott admitted to hear Paul shouting to Rondo,

“He’s going to respect me as a man”.

Read the rest of this entry →

KG and the Celtics had a strong preseason and are ready for the opener versus the Cavs.

We all know that normally the significance of the pre-season is minimal. However, the 2009-10 preseason held many notable components for the Boston Celtics. Many questions needed to be answered for the Celtics during training camp this year. These questions were integral to the success of the Celtics this season.

During this meaningful pre-season, the Celtics answered those queries with emphatic authority. This squad proved that cohesion and chemistry will be no issue. They showed that the ego’s of their superstars and role players will take a back seat to the team’s success. Kevin Garnett (averaged 12 points, 5 rebounds per game) proved that, though he is still improving daily, he will return to regular season action as the player we remember. Marquis Daniels can fill the empty shoes of James Posey. Rajon Rondo is putting W’s over his contract and Doc Rivers continues to earn the respect and admiration of his players.

All of the above were dire elements in question as the season approached.

Read the rest of this entry →