Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.
Perhaps the greatest affirmation of Rondo’s return is the fact that he took nine shots from beyond nine feet — and knocked down six of them (66.7 percent). He entered the game shooting just 34.6 percent from 10-15 feet and 38.0 percent from 16-23 feet.
“That was terrific,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers told reporters. “Hell, I’m going to say it. I probably shouldn’t, but I call it coach’s porn. We kept moving the ball, and Rondo kept taking shots and I was yelling that jokingly to them. We were laughing, because we had a joke about it that I won’t get into. It was terrific.”
WEEI: Rondo and "coach's porn"
That was a thing of beauty last night, wasn't it? Just makes you realize that all of the hand-wringing, the angry tweets, the insane analysis… it's all rather meaningless. Because last night everyone woke up and started playing… especially Rajon Rondo.
The C's put up 84 shots… almost 11 more than their average for the month. And that's directly attributable to Rondo taking layups when they're there. Honestly, the single most frustrating aspect of his game is his outright refusal sometimes to take a layup. Last night he was attacking, getting to the rim, and taking the shot that was there. It opened things up for everyone else. Why do you think KG got hot and ended up hitting 9 of 12 shots? Because he was wide open. Because San Antonio HAD to collapse on Rondo… because he was demolishing them.
It's all so simple. When Rondo attacks, the offense is infinitely better. When Rondo shows a willingness to score when you let him, defenses have to react. And when they do, they're dead. Because then the ball gets whipped out and by the time the C's are done moving it around, someone who's really really good has the ball with no one around him.
That's coach's porn.
Giggidy.
Related links: ESPN Boston: Rondo gets the Celtics moving | CSNNE: Rondo finds shooting stroke in San Antonio
On Page 2: Jermaine O'Neal feels good about his return
“He played well,” coachDoc Rivers said of O’Neal. “That three-point play was huge. I was just happy to see him defensively moving very well. The first thing he said after the game was that the speed of the game is different than being in a gym by himself.”
Added O’Neal: “The only surprise I had was the speed of the game. When you’re gone for three months, no conditioning that you can do will set you up for what you have to go through out there.
“It felt good, though, felt strong. It’s like muscle memory. To be honest, I feel very positive about the first game back.”
Herald: Jermaine O'Neal's feeling good
5 points, an offensive rebound and an assist in 11 minutes is not a bad start when you've missed three months. The overall reaction to Jermaine has been positive so far.
And with Krstic going down (out tonight, MRI scheduled for tomorrow) once again the C's are short handed at the 5 spot. So we're going to need Jermaine to start getting his conditioning back pretty quickly.
He looks good and he seems to be moving well. Let's just hope he can keep it up. And let's hope Shaq can come back in a few days.
Related links: CSNNE: O'Neal surprises in first game back | Jermaine O'Neal gets up to speed |
The rest of the links:
Herald: Victory Spurs on Celtics | First family of dunk | ESPN Boston: Rapid Reaction | WEEI: Rondo, Celtics kick Spurs | Five questions for the Celtics down the stretch | Globe: Celtics top Spurs | Captain issues orders | Shaq could return Sunday
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