One last time: On Rondo’s potentially game-winning three-point attempt
So, umm, some people are still defending Rajon Rondo’s three-pointer the other night? I just don’t get it.
The latest that I’ve seen was John Schumann from NBA.com. He noted that “Rondo had no choice but to take the shot he never wants to take, and that both teams were willing to live with the consequences.”
Before I continue, Schuhmann is one of the best and most informed NBA writers in the world. I respect his opinion and value it.
But to think Rondo had no choice but to take the shot? No choice??? That’s simply false.
There were seven seconds left in the game when Rondo started his motion to shoot. Rondo was wide open (really, wide open doesn’t properly do it justice), and some people offer that as an excuse for Rondo to take the shot. Some people even opined that Rondo HAD to take the shot. (A notion to which my buddy emailed me, “Yeah, and my grandmother would have been left wide open too. That doesn’t mean I would have wanted her to pull the trigger.”)
The fact of the matter is, Rondo had plenty of time to find another shot. He could have dribbled around Pierce to the hoop, or he simply could have passed the ball to Pierce in front of him. Pierce was being defended by Jason Kidd, a mismatch, at the elbow, Pierce’s sweet spot.
But…
“We were begging him to shoot it,” Pierce told the Boston Globe. Wait, what? They were begging a 24.9% career three-point shooter to take a three-point shot, with the team down two and only seven seconds remaining? What is this I’m living in, Bizarro World? What is it, opposite day?
Gary Washburn wrote that Rondo’s decision to take the shot should instill confidence.
But this early season is as much about establishing roles and confidence as it is about winning. The next time, Rondo won’t hesitate to launch that 3-pointer and perhaps it will go down. But the Celtics have been begging Rondo to be more assertive with his shot, and he has reluctantly accepted the pleas.
How is a brick going to establish confidence? Won’t it cause him to continue hesitating, just as he did before he shot the three the other night?
And another thing: I don’t even want Rondo to be confident in his jumper. Not if it means he’s going to be launching three-pointers in crunch-time. Even if he’s wide open, I’d much rather see Rondo do something else — anything else — rather than shoot a three-pointer to decide a game.
When I was in college, one of my team’s brick-laying big men launched at least two or three 17-foot jumpers every single game. He almost always missed. Finally, my coach got fed up with the shot, yanking him out of the game and berating him on the bench. The confused big man muttered five words in response: “But I was wide open.”
To which my coach replied, “Yeah. And there’s a fucking reason for that.”
Related posts:
Celtics Blog | Jay King | November 10, 2010
Give it a Rest!
It’s part of his development and he had no other choice.
Rondo is a point guard and not a big man. Though he doesn’t need a jump shot to perform his position. It would be nice to have at the end of games your primary ball handler will be fouled.
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There’s a very big difference in your “High school coach” analogy and what’s going on here.
Rondo has that shot, Rondo can hit that shot. We’ve all seen it, we’ve seen it at the end of the shot clock when he had no choice, hell we saw it in the HORSE competition at the All star game last year. Players have talked about it all the time, Rondo can shoot. He lacks confidence in it in during the games, and that needs to change.
That’s only going to change if he’s willing to take those shots, and his teammates stick behind, hit or miss.
We’re not talking about Shaq popping open 3s, hell we’re not even talking about a Tony Allen type jump shot. Rondo has good form and solid follow through on his shot. He seems to struggle when he lets that guide hand linger on the ball too long, and fails to keep his elbow tucked in. But when he’s fundamentally sound, keeps the elbow in, and follows through on the release, his shot is pretty fluid.
He’s gotta build that confidence, and I have absolutely 0 problem with him taking that shot. Those will go in, and the more confidence he gets in it, the better off the team will be.
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He should have driven to the basket. He either makes it, gets fouled or is blocked/misses – 2 of 3 good results (better FT shooter than 3 shooter, at least). And there’s the chance that the miss is rebounded by a Celtic or he passes off at the last second. Rondo taking game ending 3s is not a strategy worth using. I think he got lazy and just decided to roll the dice as he does sometimes. Go Cs…
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I agree. Let it rest. Rondo is the team leader. he needs to take big shots like that.
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my grandmother even knew it was a poor shot, no joke just talked to her. She said he should have drove the land, looking for a lay up, a foul, or a kick out….I agree with gram. Not a great decision one because at best he makes it your up one with 7 seconds left… Mavs then get the last look, two because he shoot a terrible percentage, and three PP , KG , Ray allen are all on the floor with him, he will be a star someday, maybe become a closer but now is not his time.
in the grand scheme of things, its just a regular season game,there’s no doubt about it he would not ever take that shot in a big playoff game…doc wouldn’t allow for it becuase its a low percentage shot and it wouldnt be worth the risk.
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There”s a reason some guys are always wide open.
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