The legend of Playoff Rondo lives on.
Now ensconced with his former Boston Celtics’ mortal foes, the Los Angeles Lakers, as they appear poised to dismantle the Miami Heat in the 2020 NBA Playoffs, point guard Rajon Rondo has come to life again in the postseason.
His ability to wreak havoc with his otherworldly court vision has been a key part of L.A.’s playoff success, adding fuel to the fire of the legend of “Playoff Rondo”.
Long held by non-Celtics fans to be pure green-teamer nonsense, the eye test has since changed minds among his peers.
But when did it begin?
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— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) October 3, 2020
According to fellow Banner 17 champion ex-Celtic Leon Powe, it likely began in 2010.
The former Boston swingman had since moved on to the Cleveland Cavaliers, who faced the Celtics in the postseason with a young LeBron James, with another fellow Boston alumnus shouting it at his former teammate.
“I’m pretty sure Perk started it,” Powe said (via ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan), “’cause when Rondo was destroying us, Perk kept shouting, ‘Playoff Rondo!'”
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— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) October 3, 2020
“Perk” of course referring to Kendrick Perkins, the Celtics starting center of that era. “Might have been me,” he admitted, still close with his former teammate to this day.
“I did call him that a lot, because he has a history of turning it on for the playoffs. His mindset reminds me of [ex-Laker] Derek Fisher, who would go from scoring eight, nine points a night in the regular season, then all of a sudden pop off for 16 in a big playoff game.”
For those among us who need more than the eye test, “Playoff Rondo” is born out in data as well.
As MacMullan notes, the Kentucky product’s career playoff average of 9.1 assists per game has only been bested by Magic Johnson (12.3) and John Stockton (10.1) among players with at least 50 postseason tilts to their name.
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— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) October 4, 2020
In fact, almost all aspects of his game jump statistically in the postseason, even now in the 14th season of his career.
What’s responsible for Rondo’s jump up from 7.1 points, 3 boards, 5 assists and 0.8 steals per game to 9.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 7.2 assists and 1.2 steals per game? Why did his shooting from 3 jump from 32.8% to a sizzling 44.7%?
Only Rondo may be able to answer that question, and it’s possible not even he knows, exactly. But as the former Celtic champion gets closer to another ring with Boston’s reviled rival, one thing is certain:
The legend of Playoff Rondo lives on — and grows.
