Via John Schuhmann of NBA.com:
Celtics' 186 offensive possessions, leading both teams with 87 minutes
played. He played the first 35:28 of Game 2 before coach Doc Rivers took
him out for the final 32 seconds of the third quarter. He then returned
less than two minutes into the fourth.
127 — To illustrate Brown's comments, Rondo has had a direct
hand in 127 (64 percent) of the Celtics' 197 points. He has scored 40
himself, assisted on 73, produced another four via offensive rebounds or
deflections, another three from free throws off of passes he made, and
seven via "hockey" assists (where he made the initial play that resulted
in a bucket two passes later).
17 — Most of Rondo's assists (17 of the 31, producing 42
points) have come without him making a move toward the basket. As
dangerous as he is when he penetrates, he's had more dimes just standing
on the perimeter, with his teammates getting open via screens. There
were also a few lobs to Kevin Garnett when he was being fronted by
Antawn Jamison.
The Cavs may want to think about pressuring Rondo
more up top so those passes aren't so easy to make. When the defender
sags off, Rondo can easily make any pass he wants. With more on-ball
pressure, his vision is blocked and the simple pass is more difficult to
make. (Of course, more pressure means Rondo can beat the defense off
the dribble.)
While the first two stats are staggering, it's the last stat that catches my attention. More than half of Rondo's assists have come on the perimeter. That's a tell-tale sign the Cavs are not hustling on defense(fighting thru screens, defending in the post).
Schuhmann hints the Cavs can put a stop to this by pressuring Rondo. Please Mike Brown, I'm begging you to have Mo Williams and Anthony Parker get up in Rondo's face. He'll blow by them faster than… (insert analogy here).
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
