Sharp at the point

Playoffs bring out the best in Rondo

April 28, 2009|Marc J. Spears, Globe Staff

Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Kevin Garnett go by the nickname "The Big Three." But if Rajon Rondo continues to play on this stellar level in the playoffs, should it be changed to "The Big Four"?

"That's very realistic, when you look at the way he's playing," said ABC analyst Mark Jackson, the former NBA point guard. "He's been playing outstanding basketball. The only question mark is his ability to knock down the jumper. I don't think those question marks will stop. But how much better will he get?"

Said Celtics coach Doc Rivers: "I'll let you all do all that stuff. I'm worried about winning the big one, [the] playoff series."

The NBA evaluates the total performance of its players through a convoluted efficiency formula. And based on that formula, the only player on the 16 playoff teams playing better than Rondo is LeBron James.

Rondo has filled up the stat sheet in the postseason, averaging 23.3 points, 10.8 rebounds, 10 assists, 3.5 steals, and only 1.75 turnovers in 43.3 minutes per game. James, who averaged 32 points, 11.2 rebounds, and 7.5 assists in Cleveland's four-game sweep of Detroit, has a 39.0 efficiency rating while Rondo is at 35.5.

And if the second-seeded Celtics, sans Garnett, hope to knock off seventh-seeded Chicago in this first-round series, which is tied at two games apiece, they will need their "best player in the playoffs" to continue playing at an elite level from Game 5 tonight at TD Banknorth Garden and beyond. Rondo believes he can live up to the challenge.

"I feel like I am one of the best in the game already," Rondo said. "I have a lot of confidence. I will continue to work on my game. But I play confident regardless to how people may view me. I just want to go out there and win."

Jackson said, "He has been [the Celtics'] best player in the playoffs, which is saying a lot. He is playing with a sense of urgency. As a former point guard, it's a joy to watch the way he is playing now."

With Garnett, Allen, and Pierce all in their 30s, the 23-year-old Rondo is expected to be the Celtics' centerpiece of the future. And they have an opportunity to ensure that happens by extending Rondo's contract this summer.

Rondo is making $1.3 million this season, $2.05 million next season, and is expected to receive a major increase in 2010. While Celtics president Danny Ainge prefers to talk about such matters in the offseason, Rondo's agent, Bill Duffy, said it would be a "natural move for both parties" to talk extension this summer. If he isn't re-signed this summer, Boston could face stiff competition for Rondo in the free agent market in 2010, with a lot of thirsty teams projected to have money.