I saw somebody on Twitter liken Rondo's streak to the Red Sox sellout streak because of the Detroit game.
Haters gonna hate, I guess.
I don't get that mentaility at all either. I understand they were down big, but you think at no time during Stockton or Magics streak that the JAzz or Lakers were up big or down big when they got assists?
It seems whenever one of the older legands in sports falls, a push is made by the media, possably to discredit the newer generation of athletes relative to the "old gaurd" new rules come into place. So far on the Rondo streak:
1)
assists are easier to get, doesn't count (even though one can youtube stockton and magic "x assist" games and see that they get just as many questionable assists)
2)
he has hall of famers on his team, doesn't count (because apperntly Karl Malone and the Multitude of lakers all stars were trash)
3)
He's specificly trying for it, doesn't count (this one is the funniest to me, like stockton and magic were simpiltons, and never figured out "boy, this is like my 30 or 40th game with 10 assists +, that's pretty good." and just magically learned they were on a streak when a helpful reporter pointed it out post streak)
4) He pads stats on fast breaks, doesn't count (as if John stockton, a guy who ALWAYS rewarded karl for running, didn't pass up layups for Karl trailing the play. Same with Magic and Kareem)
5)
since some of the games happened at home, Doesn't count do to scorekeeper giving him hometown benifit of doubt (because Stockton and Magic NEVER played at home during thier streaks...)
6)
the team is aware of it and trying to get him assists, doesn't count. (this one again relies on the premise that Stockton's teamates and Magic's teamates were A) complete idiots that never realized they had a streak going and contributed to it or B) If the Celtics weren't invested in getting him his streak they'd be....bricking shots on purpose i guess? passing up easy layups to make an extra pass?)
It's ridiculous, and I agree with Tommy that alot of it is driven by people, media and otherwise, who are invested on the "He wouldn't be any good except for the team he's on" narrative.