NBA Playoffs 2012: Why Rajon Rondo Lost Game 6 for the Boston Celtics
Rondo had, by far, his worst game of the playoffs in the Celtics' 82-75 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. Mainly because of Rondo's poor play, the Celtics now face a do or die Game 7 against this now confident Sixers squad.
Overall, aside from his four offensive rebounds, Rondo had a negative impact for the Celtics. On the offensive end, he couldn't get to the rim, and even when he did, he blew the layup.
What's worse though is that he couldn't even pass the ball effectively. He dished out just six assists. To put that in perspective, the last time Rondo dished out six or less assists was on March 9 against the Portland Trail Blazers when he recorded five.
Granted, Rondo should be cut a little bit of slack because the Celtics really did just miss a lot of shots. I mean, the shooting and the offense was ugly. However, Rondo should take the brunt of the blame for the poor offensive performance. The Celtics count on Rondo to lead the offense, and as we saw Wednesday, when he can't do that, the Celtics are in trouble.
With just nine points and six assists, Rondo accounted for 21 of the teams 75 points or roughly 28 percent. So far in the playoffs, Rondo has averaged 13.5 points and 13.2 assists per game which accounts for around 40 points per game. Thus, the Celtics were missing about 19 points of their offense coming from Rondo that they can normally count on.
To make matters worse, Rondo was careless with the ball, turning it over four times. That leaves Rondo with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.5-to-1 in Game 6. Rondo's average for the playoffs is 3.88-to-1.
On the defensive end, Rondo was outplayed by Jrue Holiday, who exploded for 20 points. Several times, Rondo would allow Holiday to blow by him and get into the paint, where Holiday would either finish or dish out one of his six assists.
Too often, Rondo was caught roaming on the defensive end or even caught trying to steal the ball, which he failed to do even once Wednesday.
Paul Pierce expressed disapproval with Rondo during a camera cut to the bench. Pierce was seen yelling at an expressionless Rondo. After Pierce was done reading Rondo the riot act, he gave Rondo a slap on the head for good measure.
Clearly, Pierce's words did not motivate Rondo enough. Hopefully, the words will resonate in Rondo's head for the next two days and drive him in Game 7 because the Celtics will need him at his best on Saturday. The team runs on Rondo, and when Rondo struggles, so do the Celtics.
Knowing Rondo, he will bounce back in a big way and lead the Celtics to a Game 7 win. Until he does that though, he is the one to blame for a Game 7 in the first place.
