Pivot Points: Is Rajon Rondo The Only "Big" Player Left In Boston?

I had high hopes for the Boston Celtics and their chances of reprising the Finals matchup of 2008 with the Los Angeles Lakers, but those dreams may have turned to smoke as the Celtics have seemed to age three years in the course of 50 games.

Ray Allen, already visibly a step slower, has been unable to find his range of late and has failed the Celtics in several clutch situations. He's no longer able to get to the rim the way he was accustomed to, and is sometimes a liability on defense.

Kevin Garnett is still trying to recover from his most recent knee injury, but the truth is, his previous knee injury has robbed him of some of his former explosiveness, and the rigors of time have begun to take their toll.

Garnett has maintained his intensity and passion, but the skill set has begun to deteriorate and his ability to carry the Celtics back to the Finals looks very much in doubt.

Veteran Paul Pierce is still the most reliable offensive player on the roster and remains a focal point of the Celtics' scheme, but injuries have also plagued Pierce, and opponents appear to have solved his step-back jumper from the elbow.

With all three above-mentioned players in obvious decline, Boston has been leaning on their young point guard Rajon Rondo, who began shattering the myth of the "Big Three" by his performance in the 2008 Finals.

Even then you could tell Rondo would be a special player and his athleticism, size, quickness, and strength allow him to impact the game from a variety of areas on the court.

Not to mention his long arms aid Rondo when he's playing defense and help him account for numerous steals in the passing lanes. He is probably the best defensive player on the team.

Rondo is not a great shooter, but he is improving in that area and he has a first step which enables him to get to the rim at will, and either finish or find an open teammate.

And that's the point of the matter because one of the Celtics' main weaknesses has been the lack of a capable back-up to Rondo, and when he is not in the game Boston suffers.

He has supplanted Garnett as the one player the Celtics cannot afford to lose if they hope to be successful in the postseason and beyond, because his overall presence is something Boston can't replicate.

Boston lost Garnett last year and were able to remain competitive in the playoffs, but if the Celtics were without Rondo, they would more than likely fail to advance past the first round.

He is the player who directs the offense, spearheads the defense, creates turnovers, and gets the transition game started off the strength of his exceptional quickness.

Simply put, Rondo is the Celtics' MVP and their best player, and management showed wisdom when they offered him a contract extension, and are now breathing a sigh of relief during these tense times.

As the Celtics contemplate possibly moving Ray Allen in a desperate ploy to remain relevant in the title discussion, at least they can find solace in knowing they already have Rondo, the future of the team for the long term.

The days of the "Big Three" appear to be numbered, replaced by the only player on the team who truly deserves to have the adjective "big" attached to his name.