I would ask that you pay very close attention to what I am about to say.
Imagine that you had just come to this planet from another world before the playoffs began. You have come on a mission to observe human culture, specifically, sporting events, specifically, professional basketball. You have no frame of reference for the past 10 years, you don’t know about championship rings, 81 point games, 49 point triple doubles, MVPs, or a history of game winning shots (God knows there are none in these playoffs to teach you). You have an understanding of the game through what you’ve learned in research.
Who is the best player in the NBA under those circumstances?
It’s Rajon Rondo.
I’m not saying anyone other than Kobe Bryant is the best player still playing in the playoffs (Kobe is). I’m not saying that Rondo is better than LeBron James (he’s not). I’m not saying that when you need a score, the one guy you want with the ball is Rajon Rondo (I will say that person is NOT Vince Carter).
But when you consider every facet of the game, no one has played better since April 15th than Rajon Rondo. We’ve seen it all, and in Game 2, even in a numbers-modest game (25 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 turnovers in 45 minutes), he showcased every element.
He was the periodic table of pwnage.
The huge swinging ball fake to the behind the back pass. A twisting, turning, pop, lock and release floater over Dwight Howard. The mid-range game. The high floater off the glass. The drive and dish the dump off to the weak side cutter. The one arm stop-dribble cross-court whip for three.
Poking and prodding on defense, drawing charges, offensive rebounds, defensive rebounds. Efficient, engaged, locked-in. Rondo was the smoke monster.
We argued that Rondo might be the best player on the Celtics before the playoffs began. That question has been answered. It’s not close. Rondo answered a huge driving layup by Jameer Nelson by jetting immediately to half court, whipping past two defenders and nailing an up and under reverse to match the bucket. He was in charge the entire time, never lost his cool (like he did last year), never lost track of where he was supposed to be.
The Magic tried doubling off the pick, bringing man-help, spacing to give him the mid-range, the works. It was like they wandered into some horror flick, and Rondo spent the better part of two hours picking them off one by one with a chainsaw.
Kobe Bryant scored 40 points last night in a brilliant performance which is not to be questioned. But if you’re looking at the best overall performance from baseline to baseline, the answer has been Rajon Rondo. Especially considering Rondo was finishing to Rasheed Wallace, Glen Davis, and Tony Allen several times. Rondo has become bigger than the Big 3, the thing you need to witness, and he’s two games away from tugging on Superman’s cape, ripping it off of him and strangling him with it.
It’s a revelation, a transcendence. I’m not exaggerating here, he’s honestly been that good.
And oh, by the way?
He’s 24 years old.