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Five Reasons Why The Celtics Are Better Without Rajon Rondo (For Now)

Matt Padavick |
February 11, 2013 | 4:37 p.m. PST

Staff Writer

Rondo will miss the remainder of the 2012-13 season. (Eric Kilby/Creative Commons)
Rondo will miss the remainder of the 2012-13 season. (Eric Kilby/Creative Commons)
Since the sidelining of All-Star point guard Rajon Rondo with a torn ACL, the Boston Celtics have won seven straight games in impressive fashion. They have posted wins over the defending champion Miami Heat, the surging Los Angeles Clippers, and the struggling Los Angeles Lakers over this seven-game win streak. Here are five reasons why the Celtics are playing better without Rondo.

1. Ball Movement

With Rondo out of the line-up, the Celtics are able to move the ball around and find open shots, rather than relying on Rondo to do all of the heavy lifting. Rondo dominates the ball every possession, but without him on the floor, other players can play more freely. Instead of running pick-and-rolls with Rondo and one of the bigs, the C’s can now swing the ball around, creating openings for players as the defense adjusts to the ball movement. Defenders are constantly moving and forced out of position when the ball is swung rather than being stationary in help defense when Rondo controls the ball. The Celtics are playing as a more cohesive unit since the injury.

2. Fast Break Offense

As Danny Ainge stated, the Celtics are a “different” team without Rondo. When they rebound the ball, they no longer have to look to outlet the ball to Rondo to get the fast break started.  Now when Paul Pierce or Jeff Green grabs a defensive rebound they can take off with the ball and initiate the fast break. This speeds up the offense, and that is necessary for an older Celtics team that has trouble creating shots in the half court. This also creates mismatches as defenders have to stop the ball, which often leads to a point guard defending Green or Pierce.

3. Sense of Urgency

This may be the biggest reason for their success the last seven games. Older guys like Pierce and Kevin Garnett realize that without their All-Star point guard, they have to win and win now. At the time of Rondo’s injury, the Celtics were barely holding on to the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference. Garnett and Pierce knew that they did not have time to get behind in the losses column if they were to make the playoffs. Both veterans have picked up their game in Rondo’s absence and have been playing as if every game is Game 7 of a playoff series. Leadership from their veterans is exactly what Boston needed to make a playoff run.

Jeff Green is scoring 14 points per game without Rondo. (Keith Allison/Creative Commons)
Jeff Green is scoring 14 points per game without Rondo. (Keith Allison/Creative Commons)
4. Offensive and Defensive Efficiency

Before the winning streak, the Celtics were averaging 93 points per game and allowing 101 points per game. Since Rondo’s injury, they have turned it around and are averaging 102 points per game while only giving up 93. Their true shooting percentage (free throws and field goals combined) has also increased from 49 percent to 56.5 percent. This is due to better shot selection because of the improved ball movement.

5. Bench Players Stepping Up

Whenever a team loses an All-Star, other guys have to step up. That is exactly what the C’s bench has done. Jeff Green, Courtney Lee, Jason Terry, and Leandro Barbosa have all stepped up in Rondo’s absence. Jeff Green went from scoring 9.6 points a game to 14 and Barbosa has improved his scoring from 4.6 points per game to 10.5. Lee (7.3 to 8.5 per game) and Terry (9.8 to 12.5 per game) have also made small improvements in scoring. Not only have they picked up the scoring load, but they are doing it extremely efficiently. With the exception of Courtney Lee, they have all improved their shooting percentage considerably. Green jumped from 42.6 percent to 56.4 percent. Terry and Barbosa have both increased their shooting percentage by 9 percentage points (Terry from 44.6 to 53 and Barbosa from 42.8 to 51.4). 

The Celtics have looked great the past seven games. They have beaten top teams in the NBA and taken care of the weaker teams as well. Boston has won four out of the seven games by a total of 12 points (Miami by 2, LAC by 2, Toronto by 4 and Denver by 4) and have blown out the Lakers, Magic, and Kings. Two of those wins came in overtime against the Heat and Nuggets, demonstrating that the C’s are winning in various ways. They are closing out the close games and keeping their big leads in the blowouts.  

Now the biggest question of all: Are the Boston Celtics truly a better team without Rajon Rondo? I say no. They may be playing better right now but in the long run, you can never go wrong with a guy averaging 14 points, 11 assists, and 5 rebounds per game. Rondo is one of the most unselfish players in the NBA and a great leader for this Celtics team, but let’s wait until playoff time to answer this question definitively. The chances of the streak extending looks promising as the Celtics face the Bobcats (11-39) in Charlotte on Monday night.

Reach staff writer Matt Padavick here, or follow him on Twitter.



 

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