Rondo Being Transformed

Bill Simmons provides this observation.

From Boston's game against Detroit on Dec.19 to Game 2 of the Atlanta series Wednesday, the difference in Rondo's on-court demeanor is remarkable. But he is still identified as the little guy with few words.

(Photo by Mike Zarrilli/Getty Images)

He never talks on the court, never bitches at the referees, never changes his expression. He demeanor is a sharp contrast to Garnett and rest of the team.

Not even when he learn that he is voted fifth on NBA Most Improved Player list.

Back in December, when Chauncey Billups abuse Rondo in the second half of an eventual defeat, the starting PG looks very green. It doesn't seem like he will be ready, at least this season.

But Rondo keeps getting better and better through the winter, and there is a pivotal moment in March when Rafer Alston gets physical with him on the opening tip and Rondo belts him back, then defiantly stands his ground, ready to trade punches in a nationally televised road game.

He has thrived in Game 2, controling the tempo, banging home open jumpers, barking orders at teammates, outplaying Mike Bibby for the second straight game.

Rondo's transformation draws comparison to Tony Parker, who is into similiar situation, improved mightily in his sophomore season and played a pivotal role for San Antonio's 2003 championship. Playing for the same stakes on a similar team, Rondo is further ahead of the '03 Parker, which gives us an indication of his potential and where he's sitting already.

In Rondo's case, there are two great "What ifs?": What if the KG and Allen trades never happened? And what if Phoenix had just drafted him in 2006 instead of selling the pick? Would Rondo have been better off or worse off in Phoenix backing up Nash? We'll never know, just like we'll never know if he would have matured into a potential All-Star without Garnett and company.

But we do know what we see, and here's what we see: someone who has noticeably improved as a shooter and a leader, someone who has emerged as an elite defender. The best thing you could say about Rajon Rondo is he brings a lot of stuff to the table and doesn't take much off it. The second best thing you could say is he's lucky enough to have influential teammates sitting at that same table.

Celtics-Hawks Playoff (Game 4) Highlight

Celtics have a 10 points lead to begin the fourth quarter, but these young Hawks refuse to go away. Joe Johnson is un-stoppable, scoring 20 of his 35 in the fourth. He combined with Josh Smith scores all of Hawks points in the quarter. Smith also has 7 blocks.

Watch game highlight (NBA TV) and post-game press (NBA TV).

One stats which stands out is the foul-call disparity (33 to 18 favouring the Hawks). And the Celtics making only 10 of 18 doesn't help either.

Paul Pierce seems still bordering by sore back, unable to score inside the paint. He still gets 18 points, but misses 4 of 8 FTs.

(Photo by Mike Zarrilli/Getty Images)

Celtics-Hawks Playoff (Game 3) Highlight

The lost will serve a valuable lesson to the Celtics in terms of playoff experience. As Doc Rivers summarize, "they want to win the game individually ... and not as a team".

Credit to the Hawks as well (47.4% FG and 55.6% 3P). They are all fire-up from the start, motivated by the pre-game video, showing of Muhammad Ali's stunning win over George Foreman in 1974's "Rumble in the Jungle."

Watch game highlight (ESPN) and post-game press (NBA TV).

Celtics-Hawks Playoff (Game 2) Highlight

The Hawks play a more physical game, looking to match Celtics' intensity. Paul Pierce hurts his low-back, having collided and hit the deck hard, and then Hawks' Josh Smith landed on top of his sternum and rolling over his head.

Watch game highlight (TNT), Pierce's collision (TNT) and post-game press (NBA TV).

(AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Celtics-Hawks Playoff (Game 1) Highlight

After settling in the second-half, Celtics' defence force the Hawks shooting 38.2% FG and 21.4% 3-Pts.

Watch game highlight (NBA TV) and post-game press (NBA TV).

Rajon Rondo, in perhaps the most anticipated matchup of the night, thoroughly outplayed the man who has tied the Hawks together into a cohesive unit - Mike Bibby. Rondo finished with 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field, nine assists and six rebounds. He also applied enough pressure to frustrate Bibby, who had just one assist.

(Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)

In his first playoff game, Rondo is pretty poised (more). The Hawks repeatly dare him to shoot in the third quarter. Rondo takes the bait, and his first baseline jumper is an airball. He didn't back-off. Rondo makes his next three shots.

Kevin Garnett, who scores 16 points with 10 rebounds, and Ray Allen, who has 18 points, leads the team in rebound and scoring.

Playoff Prediction by ESPN

John Hollinger provides this breakdown.

Here is the one-minute summary:
(1st round) Boston in 4, Detroit in 5, Orlando in 6 and Washington in 6 in the East, and the Lakers in 5, New Orleans in 7, Utah in 6 and Phoenix in 6 out West.
(2nd round) Boston in 4, Detroit in 7, and the Utah in 6, New Orlean in 7 out West.
(Conferene Finals) Boston in 5 and Utah in 7.
(NBA Finals) Boston in 6.

As to the addicted fans, here is the long version.

In the 1st round, the reasoning on Phoenix (over Spurs) is mainly that they've built their team to face the Spurs. Shaquille O'Neal has done extremely well defending Tim Duncan over the years. And Phoenix has shown that they could beat Spurs in the regular season.

In the 2nd round, the Utah-Lakers series should be the true conference finals. Based on offensive efficiency rating, Utah is the second best offence team in the league. They have a winning record of 37-12 in 2008. And they have won an astounding 18 games by more than 20 points.
For the Hornets-Suns 2nd round matchup, New Orleans might be even more exhausted after going seven against Dallas, but Phoenix doesn't match up nearly as well with the Hornets -- and New Orleans has home court. This is another series that looks to be about dead even.
That sets up Chris Paul vs. Deron Williams in the conference finals. Even though Paul might get the better of the matchup individually, but Williams has better teammates, so Utah rolls to the Finals in six.

Back East, Detroit will win over Orlando in a grueling seven. Meanwhile, the suffocating defence of Boston will dismiss Washington in four. That sets up a much-awaited conference finals battle between Boston and Detroit. Both teams match-up well in most aspect, with a slight edge to Boston's bench and Sam Cassell. Boston will win in five easier-than-expected games.

The 2-3-2 format and Utah's dominance at home will keep things interesting for a while, but mostly it will allow the Celtics to celebrate a title on their home court after knocking off the Jazz in six.

The Road to Triumph - The First Act

In most epic tales (including Star Wars, Lord of the Rings), we learn that there are typically three parts to the story. The first act introduces the characters and settles the roles they will play. The second act usually brings a turn for the worse and establishes a crisis for the protagonist. It isn’t till the third act with the triumph and history is re-written.

The Celtics finish the regular season with 66-16 winning record. They have defined team defence and simple but not fancy offence as the winning formula. Each player, including the second unit, knows exactly his role within the formula.

Before we get ready for the next act, let us recap this historic journey of the past 6 months.

NBA Playoff Commercial

The ads, which are part of the new "There Can Only Be One" postseason campaign, feature two players split-screen talking in unison about the playoffs.

The second spot features LeBron James and Kevin Garnett.

Celtics-Hawks Game (Round 3) Highlight

The Hawks are likely to face the Celtics for the first-round playoff. Doc Rivers said the Hawks will not be an easy playoff opponent. "They’re athletic as heck. We’ve struggled with athletic teams ..."

Watch highlight (NBA TV).

It is Sam Cassell (20 points, 5 assists) and Celtics' second unit help to win the game, combined with some regrettable substitution by the Hawks. For the past 4 out of 5 games, Rivers have played the second unit for the entire fourth quarter (keeping the starters minute to down to below 30).

(Photo by Matt Stone)

"I am going to play next year, right here," Cassell said. "As long as Doc is running this ship, I ain't going nowhere. "When asked why he is confident Boston will re-sign him, Cassell said, "If they can find a better backup point guard than me, I'd like to see it."

Celtics-Wizards Game (Round 4) Highlight

The Wizards and the Magics are the only teams who have won the season series against Celtics. They are currently seeded No.5 and 3 respectively for the playoff.

Watch hightlight (NBA TV, ESPN).

Glen Davis left the game in the first half with a strained right hamstring, and Rajon Rondo left the game in the third quarter due to illness.

"I AM A CELTIC" - Preview

ESPN2 is featuring the tale of Boston Celtics. It brings us back 22 years from the beginning of the downslide, starting from the tragedy of Len Bias.

If you don't have ESPN, like me, here is the preview.

Celtics-Pacers Game Highlight

The win ties the best single-season turnaround (36) by any NBA team, with six more games to play. The Celtics have won 60 games for the first time in 22 years, dated back to the 1985-86 season.

Watch highlight (NBA TV, ESPN).

Paul Pierce - Now and Then

Jackie MacMullan provides the breakdown of No.34.

Paul Pierce remains one of the most dangerous scorers - if not the most dangerous - on his team, even with Garnett and Allen aboard. His stats for the season (20 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists) doesn't give the whole picture. In fact his scoring is 3 points below his career average, but his field goal percentage (0.46) and assists are higher.

First and foremost, his commitment in defence has been there from the start. On the very first possession of this season against the Washington Wizards, Pierce, overplaying Caron Butler, deflected a pass, then clapped with excitment when the ball grazed off Butler's fingers and out of bounds. The new era of Celtics basketball was officially in motion. This season has been all about defense, because that's all he ever wanted - winning championships.

Pierce has been consistent, unselfish, reliable, and positively buoyant this season. He has more trust in his teammates. He sat for nearly 10 1/2 minutes in a tight game against Detroit March 5 without a complaint, then came in and nailed arguably the biggest shot of the night - a 3-pointer that pushed Boston ahead, 81-77. The Celtics won, 90-78.

Another change to his game is his free-throw shooting. Pierce is a career 79.5% FT shooter. This year: 84.6%. Red's Army dotcom knows the reason why.

The past few years, Paul had gotten into a habit of shooting his free throw by putting his weight over his heels, and fading away from the line. This year he’s got that left foot way back and bending more. By putting his weight forward, he changes his center of gravity and maintains his balance throughout the shot… preventing himself from fading away (see pic).

It has been a tumultuous ride for the Celtics' captain, particularly when you consider the unforgettable playoff debacle against the Pacers was only three seasons ago. That was the seven-game series when the favored Celtics imploded, and Pierce was ejected in Game 6 after picking up two technicals, then ripping off his jersey and waving it at the fans. Celtics eventually lose that series. Pierce was vilified for his sophomoric actions. His leadership and his value to the franchise were questioned. With the wrath of the city and the fan over him, Pierce looked for an opportunity to change thing.

"Paul's not perfect," said Celtics boss Danny Ainge, "but the one thing I've always appreciated about him was he loves to play the game of basketball. He comes to play every night. Now, some nights he might have gotten frustrated, and he didn't always do the right thing, but I think people forget he had a great deal of responsibility and expectations placed on him, and sometimes that wasn't fair."

Drafted in 1998 (10th picks) and after playing two seasons, Pierce was stabbed 11 times in a Boston dance club. He has to undergo lung surgery to repair the damage. He is able to recover from the stabbing and play the full season that year. The stabbing wounds are still visible in his face and back.

This year, he has rededicated himself to conditioning, something he only did in spurts when he was younger. The influence of Ray Allen, a fitness nut, is apparent. Ainge reports, on the offdays after back-to-back games, he can see Pierce from his office window doing sprints on the treadmill. Pierce said that he was so impressed with Allen's conditioning program he was going to implement it for himself this summer.

For better or worse, Pierce brings his honesty and unadulterated persona to lead his team. His path to championship is closer than ever.