Rajon Rondo grabbed an inbounds pass early in the third quarter and slammed the ball to the court with enough strength that it bounced several feet over his head. He had just allowed his man to score, and he'd had enough.
"I was frustrated on the defensive end," Rondo said. "It was a defensive mind-set."
Rondo, though, willed the Celtics in the second half with his offense, which has blossomed to the point that Paul Pierce suggested after the Celtics' 119-111 victory over the Warriors last night that Rondo might be an All-Star.
Rondo sparked the Celtics' comeback by scoring 16 of his season-high 22 points in the third quarter, taking it upon himself to extricate the Celtics from their second-quarter malaise and erase a 13-point halftime deficit.
Rondo continued his emergence as a consistent offensive force. He has scored at least 13 points in five straight games, upping his season scoring average to 10.1. Rondo's streak owes to enhanced aggression, and one prominent teammate believes it makes him one of the league's elite players.
"I wouldn't be surprised if he made the All-Star team this year," Pierce said. "He really changed the game. When he's on like he was on tonight, we're unbeatable.
"Rajon is now starting to develop that consistency as a player. He's starting to establish himself as one of the best point guards in the NBA."
--Boston Globe
No comments:
Post a Comment