Rondo: “I feel like I’m the best at what I do”

Up until games four and five of the Magic series, Rajon Rondo had been absolutely dominating the 2010 Playoffs. He absolutely destroyed the 61-win Cavaliers with transition play, pick-and-roll action, pinpoint passes, and suffocating defense on Mo Williams; even though the Cavs had the MVP on their side, Rondo often looked like the best player on the floor. He hasn’t been quite as dominant against the Magic, but he’s still played like a superstar. Rondo was once considered the sidekick to Boston’s “Big Three” -- more and more, it looks like the “Big Three” are the ones supporting Rondo.

SLAM Magazine’s Lang Whitaker has an absolutely fantastic interview with Rondo up, and he started it out by asking Rondo where he thinks he ranks amongst the league’s top point guards:

LW: So my question to you is, where do you think you rank?

RR: Me? I think I’m one. I feel like I’m the best at what I do. That’s just how I put it. That’s how I play. I love my match-ups against those three guys, every time I play against them. I’m biased, but I feel like I’m the best.

When healthy, nobody can match Chris Paul’s historic levels of production. Deron Williams is the point guard most likely to take a game over with his scoring. Steve Nash may be the most complete offensive player in basketball. But during these playoffs, with this Celtics team around him, it’s tough to find any player whose play has been on a higher level than Rondo’s, let alone any other point guard. If Rondo wants to be confident about his abilities, he’s certainly earned the right to be.

I highly recommend the rest of the interview, which covers Rondo’s boarding school experience at Oak Hill academy, why he stopped playing baseball, how he fits in with the Celtics, and how he didn’t start watching pro basketball until he got to college.