Gino's Jungle

The saying is, "As Rondo goes, so goes the Celtics." Going into the NBA Finals against the L.A Lakers there was one guy L.A had no match for, that guy was Rajon Rondo. Rondo was predicted to have his way with the Lakers and be the definite X-factor in the series.

Not to take anything away for everything Rondo has done for us all year, but in this series Rondo hasn't stepped up. He hasn't become that dominant player we expected him to be and part of that is because he is not being as aggresive as he needs to be for this team to go. Compared to what he did in previous series, averaging 13 points and 7 assists is not good enough.

Don't get me wrong, that is good, just not Rondo good. The 13 points is acceptable, but the assists need to be higher. We all know that Rondo is the floor general of this team, and that means he needs to be setting more up on the offensive end. There is no doubt in my mind that he will need to have double digit assists for the Celtics to win Game 7.

Let me know if I'm wrong about that, but be sure to check the box score once your done celebrating if the Celtics win. If they lose check the box score and I will bet you Rondo's assist total is under 10. As for me, I will be paying very close attention to the guy wearing #9 for the Boston Celtics. If he is attacking the basket and creating offense early then they should consider getting the duck boats ready.

(11x17)

Today I was contacted by Chris DeRoy on Facebook in regards to teaming up to give away one of his brilliant and fascinating pieces of artwork. If you haven't seen his work yet be sure to head over to his album on Facebook that includes all of the work he has done. He also does custom work for anyone that is interested. You can contact him on his Facebook page.

Anyways, we teamed up with Chris to give away one of his best pieces of artwork at the end of the Celtics season. The piece, which you can see above, is a drawing of Rajon Rondo with the title "Witness". The piece of art reminds us that we are all witnesses to Rajon Rondo's climb to the top.

So you're probably asking how you can win this awesome piece of art. Well first off you need to become friends with us on Facebook. After that you will need to check our page at the end of each quarter during all the remaining games this year. At the end of each quarter we will give out a trivia question and every correct answer recieves one entry in the raffle for the artwork. Then at the conclusion to the Celtics season we will draw a winner and contact them via Facebook.

So there you have it. Be ready tonight at the end of the first quarter to get your shot at winning this fantastic piece of artwork.

 

Following a huge game in game two of the first round of the NBA playoffs against the Miami Heat I posted a video on the site called, "Ray Allen Revealed". The video was recorded by ESPN/ABC and in the video Ray Allen explained his thought process of shooting with the game on the line.

Well, last night before game five against the Cleveland Cavaliers TNT aired a similar video, but this time the video revealed Rajon Rondo's strategy when going for a steal. My favorite part has to be when he goes into saying how his aggressiveness can piss some players off, aka Kirk Hinrich.

Like with the Ray video I figured this could provide you with some good entertainment. Especially when it's coming from the man that has pretty much saved the Celtics season and put them where they are today. Enjoy!

Through all of the ups and downs we have faced this season as Celtics fans one thing that has remained fairly consistent is the play of Rajon Rondo. For the first time in his career he was honored as an Eastern Conference All-Star. He broke two franchise records for the Celtics, steals and assists, and also has been considered for top honors such as defensive player of the year.

Early Monday morning/ late Sunday night Milwaukee Bucks star Brandon Jennings had some kind words for Rondo on Twitter. After saying Derron Williams was the best in the league, and also saying Chauncey Billups was underrated, he went on to say Rondo was one of the top three point guards in the league.

Via Brandon Jennings Twitter:

 "Oh yea RONDO too, Quarterback, makes his team Go, WINNER, and makes it easy for his team."

I have to say that following this quote I have gained a little bit of respect for "Young Buck". Before this he was one of those guys on my "hate list" following his attitude and actions in a late season game in Milwaukee against the Celtics. But hey, at least he notices the greatness the Rondo brings to the court each and every night.

P.S He must have something against Chris Paul.

Updated quotes from Jennings:

 "So because RONDO, don't shoot that don't make him a top PG. Are you serious??? without him BOSTON don't GO! "

"Rondo, basically avg's a Triple Double.... You couldn't do what rondo do, you couldn't control that team"

With the way this season has gone I have come to expect the impossible. What I'm about to tell you may not be the impossible, but it sure is surprising. According to Chris Forsberg from ESPN Boston, Rajon Rondo was missing from the practice court today in Waltham.

Via Chris Forsberg:

"C's practice just opened to media. No Rondo on court. TA running with first team. More details when Doc talks."

Just great right? Tony Allen running with the first team. Just what I wanted to hear as we enter the playoffs. Not to worry though, Forsberg quickly cleared things up.

"Rondo still expected to play on Game 1. Simply missed practice due to same flu that sidelined TA."

Okay, well that's good news. By the way, if you want up to date Celtics news be sure to follow Chris Forsberg on Twitter. He is god when it comes to delivering up to date Celtics news.

Tonight the Boston Celtics are taking on the Houston Rockets at the TD Garden. Before tonight's game Rajon Rondo had already broken the franchise record for steals, but tonight a new record was meant to be broken. Going into the game Rondo had dished out 714 assists on the season, one short of Bob Cousy's franchise record of 715.

With 8:45 remaining in the first quarter Rondo sent an alley oop to Kevin Garnett which gave him 716 assists on the season, and the franchise record for assists in a season. Rondo recieved another standing ovation from the Garden crowd and he continues to prove that the $55 million dollars he is about to recieve is a bargain.

The Celtics are: A passing team that scores off ball movement. You wouldn't think that would have to be said. Over the past 3 years, that has become very evident for the team to be successful. When the team is at its best, the ball goes from one open shot, to another open shot, until the perfect shot attempt is available. If you watched the game against the Jazz earlier this year, there was one play that was the deffinition of "unselfish basketball". The ball was swung around for 5 or 6 passes, giving up 1 or 2 open looks until it finished in the hands of Rondo for an easy layup.

It has been since waaaaayy back then, that we got to see that type of basketball. I remember when I went to the game against the Bulls, which was the second home game of the season, all I could do was shake my head. It was a thing of beauty what I was watching. The team was having so much fun, and the passing was extremely crisp, and every shot was in rhythm. Since then, for an entire game we have not seen that type of game. Atleast a month ago we could see it for 2 quarters, or 3 quarters. Now, we dont see it for a minute.

It starts at Rondo. Suddenly, Rondo thinks he is is the scorer of the team, and is deciding to score instead of pass. During the point in the year when there were a lot of injuries, I was excited that players like Rondo would get a chance to improve on their offensive game. He did that, and became more comfortable with little floaters and jump shots.

Since then he has gotten into funks where he tries to score too much. If you listen to the Celtics Late Night Show you know I used to run with this idea for a while, and it has come to the forefront. Rondo is scoring TOO MUCH. Yes, it is great that he can score, and that the defense has to worry about that, but that doesn't mean he is our number 1 option.

Our top options are still the Big 3. They may be missing shots early in games, but they will never find it without the ball. The Celtics can not and i repeast CAN NOT have a game in which Ray Allen gets only 3 shot attempts. That falls on the shoulders of Rondo. Also, even if KG misses his first couple of shots, and PP misses his first couple shots as well, the team has to keep going to it. If you think they shouldn't keep going to it, just look at our past few games point totals. Those are the totals we get when Rondo is our main option to score.

Rondo needs to get back to his annoying game. By that I mean, the style of play where he passes up wide open layups. He needs to get back to being fixated on getting as many assists as he possibly can. When that happens, I will be shaking my head, and the team will take off.

SIDE NOTE: I always look for a picture for the post last. I write it up, and use that to select a picture that best describes the post. For this post it would be a picture of Rondo passing the ball. I have flipped through many pictures, and almost every single one of them are pictures of him shooting a layup, jump shot, or a contested runner. The picture above is literally the only photo of him passing out of 100. 4 months ago 95% of those pictures would be of him passing the ball.

(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

I'm a shameless Rondo fan, plain and simple. I have been from the first time I saw him play, and much more so when he became a Celtic. He's fast, talented, smart, athletic, confident, and possesses all the tangible qualities required of an NBA Point Guard. But there's a pronoun we sports enthusiasts assign to a quality in an athlete that lumps all those amazing intangible talents and abilities together into one highly revered word: "It". Though "It" means many different things to many different people, I think we all have the same general concept of the very special qualities that it represents.

I think we can also agree, (generally), that "It" is a rare thing, reserved for only the athletes of a very unique group, who are usually quite physically talented, have an above-average aptitude for their respective sport, and an amazing work-ethic, that continually spurs them on to be over-achievers. But "It" goes even beyond these qualities, and is that rare, undefinable element that puts them "over-the-top" ... that lifts them to an elite level reserved for only the very greatest of greats.

Do all the athletes with that rare "It" quality make it to the "Big Time"? Not at all ... I think many, for dozens of different reasons, never realize their potential, or never get recognized by the right people, or never succeed in falling into the very special series of events required to reach the highest levels of professional sports. Like one of my favorite quotes states: "There's nothing more common than a talented under-achiever". Simply put, most of the greatest talent in this world, is never discovered ... unfortunately.

In the realm of basketball, it seems a bit more obvious to recognize those with the "It" factor ... Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Bill Russell, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, KG, Magic Johnson, Kareem, Hakeem, etc., are just a few of those who have exceeded the "normal" level of expertise and talent in their sport, who have gone far beyond just being great ball-players, into that amazing level of "Superstar", where all the other incredible talents and abilities are added to that rarest of qualities, "It", that truly defines the best-of-the-best.

Now, this is not an immediate thing, obviously. "It' doesn't just happen overnight, and only after an athlete has reached the highest level of expertise. It's the one intangible quality that they're born with ... that motivates them throughout their lives, in seemingly small ways initially, and slowly becomes more and more visible, as the little successes in life translate over time into the larger ones. It develops and grows with all the rest, but is always there, quietly branching out it's tendrils, until it permeates every fiber of that person's being.

When I first saw Rondo play, I could tell he had that "It" quality. It's generally not very obvious in a player at that age, but it was there nonetheless ... that little extra something that set him apart from the rest. Oh, he was very young, with immature tendencies to his game, and the expected propensity for "silly" mistakes that comes with inexperience. But in spite of having those regular problems that young players do, it was still clear that he had that extra element so hard to define, but easy to label as "It". Some people call it "Basketball IQ" or instinct, but I think it goes far beyond that, and relies on all the senses: physical, mental, and intuitive.

Since his coming to the Celtics, he's grown by leaps and bounds ... not just with his abilities on the floor, but with all those requisites that define the "It" factor. Each year, despite the often-touted criticism by many, and the awesome responsibility of being handed the position of starting point-guard to the one team in the NBA with the greatest expectations, he's continued to grow in all those areas, and continued to progressively gain the respect of fans, players, and coaches alike. Ever-so-slowly, as people and pundits consider just what it is that makes this kid so surprising, it becomes clearer and clearer that he has: "It".

This was never more evident than it was while KG was injured recently. As during the periods of previous Big Ticket absences, Doc finally relented to giving Rage the reins, and the go-ahead to just "play" his game. Our opponents were clearly going to keep Rondo honest, and challenge him to step-up and hit his shots from the outside. Though it was highly evident that very few, (if any), opposing PG's could keep up with Rajon, and that his number one option was to drive to the paint and create inside, it was equally obvious he was going to have to hit jumpers as well, as some teams were being fairly successful of closing down the lane.

Enter the "It" factor again. As we've witnessed so many times before this season, (and despite that little butterfly in the stomach that tries to tell us he's in way over his head), Rondo stepped up and called the opponents' bluff, hitting his jump-shot with regularity, and even draining a tres from time-to-time. Keep in consideration, this young guy is only in his fourth year at the NBA level, and his court-time the first year was extremely limited. He's literally got the weight of the world on his shoulders, and three superstars looking to him to set tempo and distribute the ball ... yet he never flinches. He takes the wheel gladly, with a steadiness and quiet confidence that gives even more credence to the elusive "It" factor.

Whatever that "It" factor is, however it's defined with what words are suitable, it's obvious to me that Rage possesses it, and that "It" guides and motivates him to achieve far more than is expected of him, and way beyond what his abilities alone dictate. The sky is truly the limit for this kid if he stays healthy, and if he continues to develop at the pace he is now, he will surely be one of the premier point-guards in the NBA ... and more. I look forward with great anticipation to watching Rajon grow over the next few seasons, and in him leading this Celtic team to new heights. Whatever we achieve as a team, Rondo will supply plenty of excitement himself, and continue to astonish us with his level of performance.

Here's to hoping Doc has finally seen the light with this rotation, and that Rondo will be the attacking point-guard and tempo-setter we need now and in the foreseeable future. Here's to hoping that his seemingly endless resiliency keeps him off the injured list, and keeps him hopping up off the floor whenever his larger opponents try to slam him to the parquet. Here's to hoping he'll be allowed to continue pushing the tempo and attacking the basket consistently, and that we'll once again have the running, highly defensive team we had in the '07-'08 season. Here's to hoping that he continues to drain his outside shot, and forces the rest of the NBA defenses to adjust, loosening up the paint for our Stars.

Here's to hoping that he keeps the pedal down, and continues to successfully drive this "Green Machine" ... and that "It" Rages!!

Go Celtics!

With all of the Celtics health concerns as of late, the Boston Herald's Steve Bulpett took attendance at this morning's shootaround.

Disclaimer - This did not really happen, it is a made up scenario.

Bulpett: Paul Piere?

Pierce: Here!!!

(Paul Pierce is expected to play tonight, according to Bulpett, Pierce said he is having no problems in his previously infected knee.)

Bulpett: Rajon Rondo?

Rondo: Here!!!

(Rajon Rondo is expected to play tonight, according to Bulpett, Rondo said his hamstring is feeling better. His only concern, like Pierce, is that he may not be in proper condition after missing over a week of game play.)

Bulpett: Kevin Garnett?

Garnett: I'm here, but I'm in no way ready to play in tonight's game.

(Kevin Garnett did make the trip with the team but is not playing to night and is doubtful for most of the road trip.)

Bulpett: Kendrick Perkins?

Perkins: Here!!!

(Perkins is a go for tonight's game, it is believed that Perkins was dealing with food poisoning yesterday but has quickly recovered and practiced with the first unit this morning.)

Bulpett: Eddie House?

House: ....  ....  ....

Bulpett: Edd-e House?

House: ... ... ...

Bulpett: Does anybody know where Eddie is today?

Garnett: That (Bleep, Bleep) is sitting in his bed with the flu.

After taking attendance we can expect to see a starting lineup of Rondo, R. Allen, Pierce, Sheed, and Perkins. It is believed Garnett will be on the bench tonight cheering on his team, while E-House will be laying at home watching the guys in green. The Celtics take on Miami tonight at 7pm, you can watch the game on CSNNE.

Is anyone ready to play a game? If you are this is what you need to do. First you need to close your eyes, after you do that think very hard and try to guess what member of the Boston Celtics will miss a game next. Okay, well maybe that wasn't a very fun game but you get the point.

Yesterday I did a post on here asking if there was a thing known as good news with the Boston Celtics. At that time I really didn't think there was such a thing. Thankfully I was wrong, well fifty percent wrong. Today news was flying out of the Celtics practice facility in Waltham, MA.

We first learned from the man I now refer to as Mr. Reliable, Chris Forsberg, that both Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo returned to the court today. Both players practiced with the first unit and will travel with the team. There is no official word that both players will suit up, you can only hope and assume. Pierce, however, is more likely suit up according to Doc Rivers.

Via Chris Forsberg (ESPN):

"Paul looked good, Rondo you couldn't tell because he didn't do much. So we'll see [Wednesday]. I think he's going to go, but I wouldn't write that down in pen, for sure. Paul probably will [play Wednesday], that's what it looks like. So that would help us a lot. Just getting one of those guys back, I'd be happy. Both would be absolutely fantastic."

A good day right? Having Pierce and Rondo back all must be jolly right? Wrong. The second bit of news came out shortly after when we learned that both Kendrick Perkins and Eddie House missed today's practice with some sort of sickness.

Earlier in the day it was assumed that Eddie House would not travel with the team, but sources still believed Perkins would make the trip to Miami. Mr. Reliable confirmed that report later tonight by reporting that Kendrick Perkins did get off the plane in Miami, but the team was without Eddie House.

With the league's stance on players playing with sickness it is unknown whether or not Perkins will suit up tomorrow. Frank Dell'Apa, Boston Globe beat writer, reported that the Celtics practiced with a first unit of Rondo, Allen, Pierce, Scalabrine, and Sheed. If Perk shows any signs of sickness tomorrow I expect Scal to get the start as the Celtics look to win back to back games.