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“I didn’t grow up with basketball dreams in my head, not where I’m from”

In addition to having grabbed two additional places in the ranking of the best assisters in the history of the playoffs last night, Rondo region was the leading figure in a quartet (Alex Caruso, Markieff Morris and Kyle Kuzma completing the latter) off the bench having combined for 39 points, 13 rebounds and 15 assists last night. The leader signed 16 points at 5/9 including 3/4 at 3-point, 4 rebounds and 10 assists in 26 minutes of play in the Lakers’ 124-114 victory over the Heat in Game 2 of the 2020 NBA Finals.

“We all want to play well off the bench. It’s our state of mind since the start of the playoffs, to allow our starters to breathe a little, to be solid when we come in, not to lose the ball, it starts with me who must give good positions to the guys near the circle . Defensively, we try to find stops and counter-attacks. »Rajon Rondo

“What we’re trying to accomplish is play as a group, as a team. We each have our parties and that’s how we like to play. It’s fun on the pitch. We try to play with a certain tempo and above all we try to initiate our attack by making stops. This is what a second unit is supposed to do first. “ Kyle Kuzma

Finals played in a bubble that succeeds him rather well, he for whom the competition in the bubble had started in the semifinals of the Western Conference against Houston following a broken thumb in July and then persistent back pain. With a total of 1,067 career passes delivered in the post-season, Rondo, already ahead Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Isiah Thomas or Scottie Pippen, is now 6th on the all-time list ahead of Larry Bird (1062) and Steve Nash (1061). Born in Louisville, Kentucky on February 22, 1986, Rondo was raised by his mother, who worked nights at Philip Morris USA, a tobacco factory. His father left when he was 7 years old. He has two brothers, William and Anton, and a sister, Dymon.

“I didn’t grow up with basketball dreams in my head, not where I’m from. In the names that I passed are Isiah, Michael, Kobe, and now Steve and Larry. It’s something I couldn’t even have dreamed of. I’m very lucky to be able to continue playing for so long. I played with a lot of great teammates who obviously put the shots for me. It’s a team trophy, not really an individual trophy. It’s an individual stat, but ultimately you need your teammates to do it. That’s what makes me play this game. ”Rajon Rondo

The Heat approaching several times around 10 points at the end of the game, Rondo found James for the +13 (turnaround, 117-104) at 3’02, then again at 1’28 (finger roll, 121- 107). Meanwhile, Caruso found Davis for the dunk (119-106). And Rondo to complete his match by serving Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to 3-points in the last minute (124-110) before two baskets from Olynyk came to close the final gap.

“They didn’t get to the Finals for nothing. They had a run, we were able to resist it by remaining calm, avoiding losing the ball and coming back to defense […] Personally, during the time-outs I would remind the guys to stay focused, keep their cool, take care of the ball and pass the ball to LeBron (33 pts) or AD (34 pts). »Rajon Rondo

In 12 playoff games, Rondo is at 9.5 points at 48.9% including 44.7% at 3-points, 3.8 rebounds, 7.2 assists and 1.3 interceptions per game in 24.2 minutes on average.

via L.A.Times

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