It’s impossible to defend Rajon Rondo, says Tom Thibodeau
Tom Thibodeau would certainly love to be watching game film on the Boston Celtics right now, preparing for Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. But Derrick Rose tore his ACL, Joakim Noah badly sprained his ankle, Carlos Boozer picked the wrong time to have his Carlos Boozer Annual Playoff Disappearance, and the Philadelphia 76ers dispatched the Bulls in six games, leaving Thibs the time to appear on The Dan Patrick Show and discuss Rajon Rondo being impossible to defend.
“There’s really no defense for [Rondo],” Thibodeau told the Dan Patrick Show on Thursday. “He’s an offense unto himself. You can defend him perfectly, you can defend their team perfectly, and he’ll still find a way to create a good shot for somebody. He’s a great decision maker, he has great vision, he’s very smart, he knows how to read defenses, he knows what you’re trying to take away, he knows where the holes are, and he was in attack mode right from the start [in Game 3 against the Sixers].” …
Thibodeau praised the elder statesmen of the Big Four, too.
“When Pierce is aggressive, they’re impossible,” he said. “They’ve been in so many wars . . . And you can’t overlook Ray Allen. Even though he only had a bucket, the floor’s gonna be spread when he’s out on the floor. That’s the core of their championship team. And of course Doc. That team is very very dangerous.”
As Rich Levine pointed out in his “16 takeaways from Game 3” column, Rondo has now played 80 minutes with 27 assists against two turnovers in his last two outings. Limiting his turnovers is so important for the Celtics offense. They don’t get a lot of offensive rebounds (actually, they were one of the worst offensive-rebounding teams in NBA history), so they need to preserve and make the most of every possession.
And yeah, it’d be nice if Rondo always looked to score with such aggression.
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Celtics Blog | celtics123 | May 17, 2012
Sounds like Thibodeau thinks RR is the best PG in the league. The key turnover guy to watch is PP. If he is anywhere near 5 we usually lose. And we were the WORST offensive rebounding team ever; not one of. But they’re understanding that winning the boards means they’ll likely win the game. I wish we were playing the Bulls because I think we can beat them when they are at their best. Go Cs…
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Let’s not exaggerate the value of limiting turnovers. Of course turnovers hurt, especially against transition teams like Philly, but you have to factor in the importance of being creative and taking chances.
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I just there weren’t off nights for him. It’s like the C’s suffer from short-term memory loss every other game. If he attacked the basket every single game, the C’s would indeed be a force. As it is, I’m anxious every tip-off, as we don’t know if it’s going to be running, passing and spacing or stuck in the mud. Does any other team have such fits of bipolarity?
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I just *wish* there …
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Celtics vs Spurs!!! you heard it here 1st!! What a series this will be
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love CELTS vs SPURS!!! WOW
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The only thing that Rondo needs to stop it’s when he gives up open lay ups and that’s happening at least once or twice a game, whose buckets are important. There were 2 against the Hawks that he passed and they didn’t score in the end of the possession, you can’t do that.
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