Jackson said that the Lakers have four players they will put on Rondo
at times: Bryant, Derek
Fisher, Shannon
Brown and Jordan
Farmar.
Even though Boston's "Big Three" have been
transformed to the "Big Four" thanks to Rondo's emergence, Jackson
believes that Rondo still falls further down in the pecking order in a
controlled game and only feeds individually when there is a little chaos
involved.
"If we turn the ball over, or if he gets
rebounds, he's going to score in transition," Jackson said. "That's what
he does. He's great at that. If we make a lot of mistakes, he's going
to score more. Or if he gets a lot rebounds … If they're in a set
offense and they're playing half court, then it's going to be Allen and
Garnett and Pierce, etc. [Game 6 in 2008] particularly was a ragged game
and there were a lot of things happening that fed into what he can do
really well and he did it. That's the kind of things that happen in
these ballgames. It's not about an individual that we're going to try
and stop."
Bryant, who did not have great success guarding Rondo on Jan. 31 in
Boston when the Lakers eked out a one-point victory on a Bryant
game-winner that barely silenced Rondo's 21 points, 12 assists and five
rebounds wouldn't talk about the Lakers defensive plans for the dynamic
guard.
ESPN Boston – Lakers recognize Rondo's abilities
Jackson is right, Rondo thrives in transition. But he'll also burn the Lakers off made baskets if they get lax setting their defense.
A priority for whomever guards Rondo is boxing out, especially late in games where Rajon has shown a knack for grabbing key offensive rebounds.
One troubling statistic, Rondo's free throw shooting percentage has decreased in each playoff series. 83% vs Miami, 66% vs Cleveland and 58% vs Orlando.
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