Larry Brown Sports

Rajon Rondo was called for a flagrant foul during the Miami Heat’s win over the Boston Celtics after he wrapped Dwyane Wade up to prevent him from walking in for a layup. It was somewhat of a hard foul as Rondo certainly wasn’t playing the ball, and Wade ripped Rondo after the game and called it a “punk play.”

Not surprisingly, Rondo saw it differently. In fact, he thinks Wade’s complaints are a bit hypocritical.

“I don’t think it was a hard foul,” the Celtics guard said according to WEEI.com. “He sold it a little bit, and that’s basketball. They were up, he drove to the hole and I didn’t want to give up a layup. Simple as that. I didn’t yank him down or dirty plays that you’ve seen him play in the past, so that’s what it is.”

Rondo has a point. Whether the foul was out of line or not, Wade has quietly become one of the dirtier players in the NBA. In last year’s NBA playoffs, he completely laid out Darren Collison of the Pacers when Collison had a clear path to the basket. D-Wade also broke Kobe Bryant’s nose last year with a hard foul — in an All-Star game no less.

Compared to some of the dirty plays Wade has committed in the past, Rondo’s foul was nothing. Wade said he is going to remember it next time the Heat and Celtics play each other. One has to wonder if that’s going to be his excuse for yet another dirty play.

Looks like that Boston Celtics-Miami Heat tense rivalry just got taken up a notch.

Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo had an autograph signing in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, last week, and while he was there, he took a picture with a female fan who was wearing a “LeBron is a bitch” T-shirt.

There were plenty of questions on the ‘net about the authenticity of the shirt, but a second angle of the photo emerged, proving that it in fact was real. Plus, there’s this tweet from a Samantha Lemly who claims to be the girl in the photo:

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During the final seconds of Tuesday night’s game between the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat, Rajon Rondo was called for a flagrant foul after he grabbed Dwyane Wade from behind by the shoulders and neck. The foul was unneccesary considering the Celtics were trailing by nine and there was virtually no way they were going to come back. Wade was not pleased about it after the game.

“I got my kids watching so I stopped myself but it was a punk play by him,” Wade said according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. “He clotheslined me.

“I’m here to play basketball, man. If you want to do something else, then go do something else. Boxing, this is not it. I was glad I was able to stop myself in that very moment and move on from it. We’ll see next time we play.”

Windhorst also said Wade indicated he will remember the play when the two teams face each other again in late January and wouldn’t rule out retaliating. While Rondo certainly wasn’t going for the ball and the foul was out of line, it’s not the hardest foul we have ever seen. The play was made out of frustration but it wasn’t as bad as Wade is making it out to be.

We already knew the Heat and Celtics didn’t like each other, as evidenced by Kevin Garnett completely snubbing Ray Allen toward the beginning of the game. Rondo’s flagrant on Wade simply adds fuel to an already-roaring blaze.

Chest bump to Pro Basketball Talk

Rajon Rondo has long been considered a supremely talented player who has an attitude problem. He was supposed to be the leader of the Celtics for the past few years, but there were reports saying Boston was considering trading him because he had become so difficult. He’s had several run-ins with referees, blowups at the media, and he notably struggled to get along Ray Allen last season. But an excellent column by Jackie MacMullan of ESPN Boston provides more insight into Rondo as a Celtics leader, and it suggests he finally is assuming the role for which he was pegged a few years ago.

MacMullan does some excellent reporting and is able to portray Rondo differently than almost anyone else previously has.

MacMullan, and the players whom she quotes on the record, say Rondo has been the glue for the Celtics’ younger players for years. He apparently was the leader of a clique of players on the team who became extremely close: Kevin Garnett, Chris Wilcox, Keyon Dooling (who retired), Marquis Daniels (now with Milwaukee), and Rondo. He also is said to be an excellent role model for Avery Bradley.

The column indicates that Rondo was more of a Celtics insider and Ray Allen more of an outsider last season than the other way around.

Keyon Dooling, who is obviously biased toward Rondon, says the reason Allen was portrayed positively and Rondo negatively is because of their respective relationships with the media.

“Ray had such a good relationship with all the reporters and Rondo was so quiet. So who gets all the good press?” he asked rhetorically.

“Sometimes it felt like Ray spent more time talking to the media than he did to his teammates,” Dooling told MacMullan.

Allen has moved on to Miami where he is much more welcomed by the Heat. Rondo appears to be developing into the true leader of the Celtics.

I wouldn’t say Rondo has been misrepresented in the past, but it sounds like he is finally maturing into a true team leader. You just wouldn’t ever hear him tell you that. Thankfully some excellent reporting is showing us that.

Rajon Rondo has done nothing to quiet the reports that he and Ray Allen struggled to get along last season.

SI’s Chris Mannix reported in June that the two had a strained relationship, and Rondo indicated as much during an interview on BET’s “106 & Park” on Tuesday.

When asked if he’s talked to his former Celtics teammate Ray Allen, who signed with Miami in July, Rondo responded icily, “oh, that guy,” before changing subjects.

You can see his uncomfortable response around the 2:35 mark in the video below:

Doc Rivers may not agree with Allen’s reasons for leaving Boston for Miami, but after watching that video, I think we have a stronger understanding of why he left.

Chest bump to CSN New England via Pro Basketball Talk
Photo credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

Rajon Rondo is a confident cat. The three-time Celtics All-Star told a French outlet that he believes he’s the best point guard in the NBA.

Speaking from the World Basketball Festival this week where he was coaching youth players, Rondo expressed disappointment that the Celtics failed to reach the NBA Finals, discussed his role as a leader on the team, and talked about where he ranks among other point guards.

“As I said at any time, I’ve matured a lot and my game also,” Rondo told Basket Session, according to a Google translation. “I think is one of the best point guards in the league. I think I’m the best point guard in the league.”

My French isn’t great, but the translation appears to directly reflect what he said. And it’s not a surprise, either; Rondo has made similar comments over the years.

While some may laugh at the comment, the reality is that Rondo is among the best point guards in the league. You can make a strong argument for Chris Paul, Deron Williams, or Tony Parker for the honor, but Rondo is certainly in the discussion because of his versatility. His poor shooting and attitude issues are the only reasons he might not make the top spot. Those are big issues he needs to work on improving.

H/T Celtics Life

When Danny Ainge assembled the Big Three back in 2007, it was assumed the Celtics were looking at a three-year window to win a championship. Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce decided to get that out of the way immediately. After they beat the Lakers in 2008, every season after that was described as the “last shot” for the Big Three. Four years and another Finals appearance later, and the aging Celtics were able to push the Heat to seven games in the Eastern Conference Championship. Is it now officially over?

From an age standpoint, it seems likely. Garnett and Allen are free agents. Both seem like they intend to play next year, but you never know what could transpire over the course of the offseason. In all likelihood Garnett will either retire or return to Boston for another season. It seems less likely that the Celtics will bring Allen back, especially since he reportedly struggled to get along with Rajon Rondo this season.

“I think there’s no question that the relationship (between Rondo and Allen) was strained over this year,” Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix said during an interview with WEEI Monday. “How strained is the key, and it’s still a little bit unclear. There was some friction between those two. I think that could play a role in Ray’s decision not to come back.

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