There have quite a few times when Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo has sent a decree to the rest of the NBA stating that he is the best point guard in the NBA. While there is certainly plenty of room for people to sit at that sports debating bar, one thing is undeniable right now: Rondo is throwing dimes like nobody else in the NBA.
He's a magician, ninja, necromancer, warlock, wizard, jedi, whatever. The man doesn't really need a nickname and it's probably best to sit back and enjoy this rare once-in-a-lifetime player that wears the green every game. It's difficult to pinpoint his game, especially since he's said that he never watched the NBA growing up as a kid in Kentucky. So while you and I were mimicking Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and/or Michael Jordan, Rondo plays without the tainted imagery of anyone else in his mind.
Perhaps Kevin Garnett described him best after last night's symphony:
"He was amazing. We all know that he is an influence on the game. And tonight, man -- stats are one thing, but the influence and how he controls the game is another. There are very few in the game that can do it. He's a special player, man. Even when he looks bad on nights, he makes it look simple at times."
Rondo is a triple-double threat every time he takes the floor, and against the New York Knicks he posted another one with 10 points, 10 rebounds and 24 assists. Just to give you an idea of how absurd that is, he had more than, or just as many assists as 21 TEAMS totalled the same night:
- Cleveland Cavaliers - 15
- Sacramento Kings - 21
- New Jersey Nets - 18
- Charlotte Bobcats - 17
- Orlando Magic - 5
- Miami Heat - 17
- Denver Nuggets - 19
- New Orleans Hornets - 23
- Oklahoma City Thunder - 16
- Detroit Pistons - 16
- Milwaukee Bucks - 18
- Minnesota TimberWolves - 13
- Memphis Grizzlies - 17
- LA Lakers - 21
- Phoenix Suns - 21
- LA Clippers - 17
The Toronto Raptors, Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers, New York Knicks and Dallas Mavericks all equaled his total of 24. The Indiana Pacers had 25, just a single assist more. The only TEAM to best Rondo's 24 was the Golden State Warrirors with 32. Amazingly, he had nearly 5 times the total amout that the Magic put up.
Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com posted some great work about Rondo and the game last night. Be sure to check those out, and once you're done, sit back and enjoy all 24 of his assists with the video below:
