I give Rondo 5 more minutes.

[jfs1000d]

I don't care about the kids confidence level, or what it means for the future. He has 5 minutes of game 6 to do something or I just bury him next to Gabe Pruitt.

Maybe the home crowd spurs him on, but he has been beyond terrible in LA. Game 5 was even worse. I have been anti-Rondo most of the year, and I think we all see why. Why doesn't he shoot layups? He can't finish or shoot. He might be the worst offensive PG I have ever seen. Even avery Johnson got it done in the finals. I have never seen a team sluff off a player so much, and I have never seen a player so timid with his offense.

YOU ARE IN THE NBA. Make those shots, make them pay, or go sit your ass on the bench.

I don't want any Rondo fans saying he is fine. He is the reason we lost this game, and he is the reason that the Celtics have been down big in games 4 and 5. It's some of the worst PG play I have ever seen.

Sam looked good in the 4th, but can't play D and is shot happy. House can't handle. TA can't handle and pass. We are piecing it together at the PG position. Pierce and Ray Allen are handling the ball too much.

I would hope Rondo would make some adjustments, and that he hasn't, I have to wonder how much film he watches and how he thinks about the game.

So, Rondo gets 5 minutes to get things going on Game 6. The offense better run smoothly, and he better make himself available and aggressive.

[BlameTheRefs]

PG is definitely an area of need going into the offseason. I think some competition at the position will do Rondo some good. Hopefully the Celts look for a PG in the 1st rd.

[jfs1000d]

I am even more irate looking at the box!!!!!

1-7 shooting, -15 in 14 minutes? He stinks.

[Datruth345]

edit: i thought the the op was referring to 5 minutes in game 5, not to prove himself, that is ridiculous...he is our starting pg, but we need to solve this problem asap, because it has become just that a problem.

as far as in game 5...

i go the other way

i give Tony 5 more minutes, the good Tony Allen showed up tonight and he played well, his time on the court coincided with our 15-2 run. He came out and provided great energy

Phil Jackson has found a way to keep rondo out of the series, when rondo is on the floor the celtics offense becomes beyond stagnant. When Rondo is at the 3 point line and kobe drops way down into the paint and doubles anyone on the catch, this has led to both the big leads the lakers jumped out to the last 2 games

we need a rotation favoring the most effective player out of eddie, sam, and tony when rondo is a non factor, as he has been in the last couple games

thats just being real

[Gomes3PC]

Yeah, he really stunk in Game 2 when he was dishing out 16 assists.

Like the Cavs series with Ray Allen, the Lakers have devised their defense to take him out of the equation. He's just not a steady enough shooter to rely upon to be your key scorer. In the Cavs series Ray got neutralized with doubles and ball pressure. In this series Rondo has been neutralized by basically daring him to be the Celtics' scorer.

He doesn't deserve to get buried, because I still think he can play D and get out on transition for baskets, but if the game starts turning into halfcourt possessions like it did in the 2nd half tonight, Rondo should and will sit in favor of House and Cassell.

Just remember, this kid is only in his 2nd year, and is starting on an NBA Finals team that is up 3-2 heading back home. He improved his eFG% on jumpers by nearly 10% from last year, and I expect him to continue to push that number up as he finds more spots he feels comfortable shooting from. Will he ever be Derek Fisher-like in his shooting ability? No. But he can be at least adequate in time, and burying him in favor of other guys with major flaws (House and his lack of a handle; Cassell and his ballhogging/no defense) would be counterproductive.

At home, I expect Rondo to shoot considerably better. He shot nearly 52% at home on the season, and while he might not shoot THAT good, I do think he can definitely go 3-7 instead of 1-7, and make the Lakers leave that slouch D that lets Kobe sit in the paint all day.

[Celtics_Champs]

I am sick of rondo passing up open shots. He is really pissing me off. If you are an NBA player, you can make a layup. He needs to start taking those easy shots.

[jfs1000d]

Yeah, he really stunk in Game 2 when he was dishing out 16 assists.

Like the Cavs series with Ray Allen, the Lakers have devised their defense to take him out of the equation. He's just not a steady enough shooter to rely upon to be your key scorer. In the Cavs series Ray got neutralized with doubles and ball pressure. In this series Rondo has been neutralized by basically daring him to be the Celtics' scorer.

He doesn't deserve to get buried, because I still think he can play D and get out on transition for baskets, but if the game starts turning into halfcourt possessions like it did in the 2nd half tonight, Rondo should and will sit in favor of House and Cassell.

Just remember, this kid is only in his 2nd year, and is starting on an NBA Finals team that is up 3-2 heading back home. He improved his eFG% on jumpers by nearly 10% from last year, and I expect him to continue to push that number up as he finds more spots he feels comfortable shooting from. Will he ever be Derek Fisher-like in his shooting ability? No. But he can be at least adequate in time, and burying him in favor of other guys with major flaws (House and his lack of a handle; Cassell and his ballhogging/no defense) would be counterproductive.

At home, I expect Rondo to shoot considerably better. He shot nearly 52% at home on the season, and while he might not shoot THAT good, I do think he can definitely go 3-7 instead of 1-7, and make the Lakers leave that slouch D that lets Kobe sit in the paint all day.

Don't give me stats. Rondo was good in game 2 because he didn't have to shoot. The Lakers made an adjustment and FOR 3 GAMES he has done nothing. He can't play.

[tlee324]

16 assists, he can play.

If they sit him, we're a worse team. Sitting him isn't the answer. Getting him to play to his abilities is. We have 2 games left. Sitting the best PG on the team would be a dumb move. Getting him to perform to his abilities is the real answer.

[jfs1000d]

16 assists, he can play.

If they sit him, we're a worse team. Sitting him isn't the answer. Getting him to play to his abilities is. We have 2 games left. Sitting the best PG on the team would be a dumb move. Getting him to perform to his abilities is the real answer.

Abilities? He doesn't have the one we need -- shooting. Awful PG play.

[oh_so_fly]

I haven't been able to watch a whole lot of Celtics games this season as I'm here in Canada, but is it just me or does your offense run much smoother when Ray Allen brings up the ball and plays the point. I think they were doing that for some time during game 3, but I was doing several things at once so I'm not too sure.

[Gomes3PC]

Yeah I hate when stats get in the way of a good rant...

Go get some rest, wake up tomorrow, and remember why we all love Rondo. He ain't perfect, but he's certainly not the reason we lost. The team as a whole failed to execute the last 3 minutes of the game, IMO because they were just dog-tired from crawling out of 3 14+ point holes in the last 3 halves of this series. You just can't keep doing that and expect to end up okay.

Rondo, like all role players, will play significantly better at home. He will push the tempo, find the open man, and play tough defense. And if he doesn't, I (gasp!) trust Doc to pull the trigger and play Eddie House and even Sam Cassell. He hasn't been afraid to sit Rondo in the past and he won't be afraid on Tuesday.

Just don't throw the kid under the bus. He's not a star but he's progressing nicely as a player and the only way he can build confidence is to earn it out on the court. Yanking him after 5 minutes will only serve to put a really bad taste in the kid's mouth going into the offseason. Knowing Doc, he's not a negative reinforcement kind of guy; Rondo will get a real shot to prove himself on Tuesday.

So tear out your hair all you will, but I believe Rondo has been an asset for much of the playoffs and will continue to be. It wasn't so long ago (Cavs series) that people were ripping Doc for resting Rondo too much and saying we can't win unless he's on the floor. Amazing what a pair of bad games on the road does to people's perceptions of a player...

[jfs1000d]

I haven't been able to watch a whole lot of Celtics games this season as I'm here in Canada, but is it just me or does your offense run much smoother when Ray Allen brings up the ball and plays the point. I think they were doing that for some time during game 3, but I was doing several things at once so I'm not too sure.

Rondo has been good most of the year because you don't play him 7 times in 2 weeks. None of the teams tried to play him like the lakers would.

But, in a playoff series, you try and exploit matchups and weaknesses. And, rondo's shooting weakness' and his lack of ability to finish and score at the rim is dramatic. He needs to take that tear drop and foul line jumper and nail it.

[jfs1000d]

Yeah I hate when stats get in the way of a good rant...

Go get some rest, wake up tomorrow, and remember why we all love Rondo. He ain't perfect, but he's certainly not the reason we lost. The team as a whole failed to execute the last 3 minutes of the game, IMO because they were just dog-tired from crawling out of 3 14+ point holes in the last 3 halves of this series. You just can't keep doing that and expect to end up okay.

Rondo, like all role players, will play significantly better at home. He will push the tempo, find the open man, and play tough defense. And if he doesn't, I (gasp!) trust Doc to pull the trigger and play Eddie House and even Sam Cassell. He hasn't been afraid to sit Rondo in the past and he won't be afraid on Tuesday.

Just don't throw the kid under the bus. He's not a star but he's progressing nicely as a player and the only way he can build confidence is to earn it out on the court. Yanking him after 5 minutes will only serve to put a really bad taste in the kid's mouth going into the offseason. Knowing Doc, he's not a negative reinforcement kind of guy; Rondo will get a real shot to prove himself on Tuesday.

So tear out your hair all you will, but I believe Rondo has been an asset for much of the playoffs and will continue to be. It wasn't so long ago (Cavs series) that people were ripping Doc for resting Rondo too much and saying we can't win unless he's on the floor. Amazing what a pair of bad games on the road does to people's perceptions of a player...

Are you watching the game? Stats? Stop looking at the stat sheet. Use your eyes. What happens when Rondo is in the halfcourt? You got to be blind if you think he is anywhere near effective. He has been awful for three straight games. Tell me why things will be different?

It's not that he isn't making shots, it is that he isn't taking shots and is an offensive liability. Why can't he take an open 14 footer? Or, how about a point blank layup.

The difference is that the Lakers from other teams, is they have a great help defender like Kobe wrecking havoc. No other team we faced had the abillity to do that.

His weakness offensively is just so pronounced. It's startling. When he is in the game, the Celtics can't score and play offense.

I think he has been exposed this series.

[BobbySura]

yeah, i don't get it. he's been in the league 2 years and this is his one glaring weakness, you think he could hit an open jumper with enough consistency to warrant being defended by now. oh well. we need a legit backup next year that can push the ball and score.

i'd like janerro pargo, but i'd say he's looking for a paycheck we can't give him

[jfs1000d]

yeah, i don't get it. he's been in the league 2 years and this is his one glaring weakness, you think he could hit an open jumper with enough consistency to warrant being defended by now. oh well. we need a legit backup next year that can push the ball and score.

i'd like janerro pargo, but i'd say he's looking for a paycheck we can't give him

Legit backup? I would draft a PG in the first round and see if he can take Rondo's job.

[Gomes3PC]

Yeah, the Lakers were the first team in the NBA to realize Rondo is a bad shooter. Only took 100 games in the regular season and playoffs before they realized that he's an inconsistent shooter and not excited to be a primary scorer on offense.

And as far as being 'exposed', it's been two bad games. The first three games he was a lot more aggressive, and in those games they played off him considerably and dared him to score or make plays in the paint. Unlike you, I look at the game AND the stats, because the stats often lie as you say. Rondo is just an incredibly up and down player; he can play his way into phenomenal stretches and play his way out just as many times. That's what you get with a young PG learning the ropes of the NBA. Stop making it sound like being assertive is this impossible thing to learn. Look at his and Tony Parker's production at the same age- they both were very inconsistent but showed flashes of dominance when their jumper was falling. Like Parker, I fully expect Rondo to continue to improve his jumper. You guys have a short memory if you think he has not vastly improved his ability to hit open shots. Like I said, he'll never be Ray Allen out there on jumpers, but he's improved drastically from his rookie year to sophomore year.

[tlee324]

16 assists, he can play.

If they sit him, we're a worse team. Sitting him isn't the answer. Getting him to play to his abilities is. We have 2 games left. Sitting the best PG on the team would be a dumb move. Getting him to perform to his abilities is the real answer.

Abilities? He doesn't have the one we need -- shooting. Awful PG play.

Rondo's a big reason they've played so well this season. He is now passing up layups and playing timid. This is a matter of inexperience more than a lack of abilities. We've all seen him perform well for the majority of this season and postseason. We're a worse team without him on the floor. Instilling him with the confidence to do the things he's been doing all season would be a much better option than sitting him altogether.

Now you've probably had problems with Rondo all season because you prefer a PG that has better shooting range, and you're taking advantage of this moment to jump on him, which is fine, since people have been doing that with players from the jump... people did it with Pierce, they are doing with Garnett, Cassell, whoever... this is just hater talk disguised as a "concerned fan".

[threrf23]

I don't think Rondo necessarily needs to take open jumpshots all the time, half of the time he can always dribble towards the hoop - either he puts up a floater, takes a closer jumpshot, draws someone out of position, or passes the ball and gets in position to get on the boards.

Does Rondo have weaknesses, yes. but he also has strengths. His weaknesses should not cause everyone here to overlook his strengths. If the Lakers can draw schemes to play to his weaknesses, we should be able to draw up offensive schemes/plans to play to his strengths. If his weaknesses hurt us at any point? It doesn't matter as long as his strengths help us more than his weaknesses hurt us. House and Cassell are good guys to play situational roles or to have in the game if they get on fire, but otherwise I strongly believe that we are best with Rondo being our main man, generally speaking.

Is there any way to disable "post review" or "topic review" or whatever it is?

[Big Baby]

Rondo's played much better at home in the postseason. Granted, he's been WAY up and WAY down throughout the playoffs, but if you look at Tony Parker's career, it took him something like 5 straight years of choke jobs in the postseason before he finally came through a couple of years ago.

Rondo is only 21. He'll be much better around this time next year. And let's not forget Gabe Pruitt. We need to let Cassell go and give Pruitt some valuable minutes next year because he has what Rondo lacks: a shot. I feel pretty good about our situation at the PG spot with those two in the fold.

[SuigintouEV]

get out on transition for basket

Biggest misconception about rondo imo is that he gets the celtics into thier offense early. If anything, the offense always grinds to a halt with him on the floor. Best option is "Point-by-committee" and House spacing the floor.