Rajon Rondo has slowly but surely earned the respect of basketball fans since entering the league, but any praise he receives typically comes with a caveat. Whether it's wondering if he can perform on a consistent basis in the NBA Playoffs against better competition or wondering if he'll develop a consistent jumper, the Boston Celtics point guard has had his share of doubters.
NBA Playoffs: Rajon Rondo, Greatness And Concerns Of Consistency
That's beginning to change, with the latest example coming on Sunday night as Rondo was able to lead his Celtics to an overtime victory against LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat. There weren't many pundit positing caveats following the amazing performance from Rondo and, according to Jeff Clark from SB Nation's Celtics Blog, the talk of a "consistency" problem has to stop.
It is hard not to get carried away with the Rajon Rondo compliments. He’s just doing amazing things on the basketball court right now. Threading the needle on insane passes, timing his leaps perfectly to snatch a rebound or steal a pass, putting up ridiculous circus shots that somehow have become routine for him... it is poetry in a headband.
But we’ve followed Rondo since he was a rookie and we all remember too well the magician that would produce dazzling performances would also frequently perform disappearing acts just as often. So you’ll forgive us all for being once bitten twice shy with this talk of “consistency” when attached to Rajon.
Still, what else can you call it? Night in, night out, he’s racking up double digit assists and carrying the team on his back for long stretches at a time. He can’t be insanely incredible 100% of the time, nobody can. Superstars have off nights without having to be labelled “inconsistent,” why can’t Rondo? Force of habit I suppose.
Clark makes an excellent point in the preceding excerpt, but the doubts will likely continue considering it’s impossible for Rondo’s to be able to keep up his string of recent performances for the remainder of the postseason ... isn’t it?
For more on the Heat, head over to Peninsula Is Mightier and SB Nation Tampa Bay. For more on the Celtics, check out CelticsBlog and SB Nation Boston.
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