2010 NBA Playoffs: LeBron James vs. Rajon Rondo, The Battle Continues

All the attention the last two days has focused around the talk that LeBron James wants to guard Rajon Rondo. Rondo has clearly excelled against whoever the Cavs assign defensively on him whether it is Williams, Parker, or West.

The same thing continues to happen, Rondo is able to impose at will what he wants to do on offense. 

Whether it is controlling the tempo or rhythm of the game, he has been able to do it.

If you don't believe me, just look at his Game Five stat line. 

In a must win game, Rondo scored 29 points, grabbed 18 rebounds, and tallied 13 assists.

By the way, his 18 rebounds was one more then O'Neal, Perkins, and Garnett combined!  Without Rondo, I honestly think the Celtics would have a hard time winning a game against this Cavs team.

Now look at the series is 2-2, and whoever can win two out of three will move on to play the surging Orlando Magic. 

If LeBron's exclusive defensive assignment is Rondo, then that will trigger other defensive mismatches that the Celtics will look to exploit.

If LeBron thinks he can guard Rondo and that is problem solved, well, then he has another thing coming for him. In order to guard Rondo that will bring LeBron James away from the basket.

He will have to guard more out on the perimeter, and will have his back to the basket. 

That's not what the Cavaliers want to have. 

It could limit his ability to get rebounds and could provide guys like Garnett and Perkins to take charge down-low.

"Well it could," said Rivers, responding to a question of whether things would open up for Pierce if James switches off to Rondo. "That's probably one of the reasons why they haven't (made the switch), but they're going to at some point."

Paul Pierce has been virtually non-existent in this series. He is only averaging 12 points a game and has struggled mightily with his shot.  Pierce understands that he needs to just focus on the task at hand, and take what the Cavs defense give him.

LeBron might switch off to defend Rondo at various points in the game, but it would be a big risk to take him on every possession.

Nonetheless, James is an absolute freak of nature. 

His athleticism and strength is unmatched by any player on the court. As he enters his prime, LeBron is determined to do whatever it takes to get his first ring.

The Celtics have been looked at all season as an aging group of underachievers. Yet Rondo has taken the initiative to be the leader of this team, and dubbed "the big one" in by many sports analyst.

Boston's front office took care of Rondo by giving him a five-year, $55 million deal earlier this year. Right now, it looks like highway robbery in the way he continues to play and grow.

There's plenty of teams with cap space that would have been willing to give Rondo even more money then what the Celtics signed him do.  It's almost a lock that he would have signed a max-contract and been the most-coveted free agent behind Lebron and Wade.

But that is a done deal, and the focus is for this Celtics team to reach the Eastern Conference finals for the second time in three years.