Has anyone EVER seen a team get as many double-digit leads and then lose like this team?
Mike
I have. Teams blow big leads
all the time in the NBA. In fact, the Pierce, Garnett, Ray Ray Celtics blew plenty of huge leads in their day too, but the difference is that they were a good team and good teams know where to find shots and how to get stops in the last 4 minutes of the 4th quarter and they end up winning by 3 or 4 pts. after made FTs put the game out of reach.
For example, I thought one play that was pretty huge down the stretch was with about 1 - 2 min. left in the game someone found Sully wide open for a 3, but he hesitated opted to drive the ball to the hoop instead, and ended up getting called for a charge. In a game where you are playing as well as he was, I want him stepping into that open 3 without 2nd thoughts. I thought it was one illustration of the team just not being confident of where their points come from at the end of games.
So it
might be a little unfair to put all the blame on Rondo for our end of games woes. However, I don't see him as ever being part of the solution to it. Because of his inadequacies he makes it much harder for the offense to score when it matters. My biggest problem with RR is that he has the ego of a star player, but not the game to go with it. He's a little like Andre Iguodala in that he's very good at what he's good at, but if your entire team is built around him he's not good enough to win with.
I've also been wondering lately, what team in their right mind would trade for Rondo? Why spend assets on a PG who shoots under 50% from the FT line and is a FA at the end of the season? I'm afraid by the deadline we won't be able to get a bag of magic beans for him even if Danny does come to his senses to trade him at some point this year.
Hopefully, this isn't too all over the place. It is a combination of an attempt at some level headed analysis, and a gush of frustrated babble.