by Marcel Mutoni / @marcel_mutoni
For four games now, LeBron James has watched Rajon Rondo torch his team to the tune of 21.8 points, 8.3 rebounds and 13 assists per game. As a result, the series between Cleveland and Boston is tied up, and headed back to Ohio for a pivotal Game 5.
Anthony Parker, Delonte West and Mo Williams clearly can’t slow Rondo down, and ‘Bron realizes it might be time for him to take a shot at it. Following Rajon’s historic performance yesterday (29/18/13), James admitted that he’d love to guard the Celtics’ electric floor general.
From the Akron Beacon Journal:
James looked at Rondo’s 18 rebounds Sunday in amazement. ”He’s really unique,” James said. ”You have a guy who’s 6-1 but he has like a 6-foot-9 wingspan. He plays bigger than he really looks because of his long arms. His speed and quickness, his ability to play the game.. . . .If you mess up on a coverage, he’s going to exploit it or get someone else involved.”
Named to the NBA’s all-defensive first team last week for the second time, James wants a crack at guarding Rondo. ”I would love to,” James said. ”It’s something that we maybe should explore, because Rondo’s been dominating the series off that point-guard position. I don’t have a problem with taking Rondo or guarding Rondo throughout the course of the game. If the coaching staff or the guys want me to do it, I will.”
Should LeBron guard Rondo in Game 5, the issue for Cleveland then becomes, who checks Paul Pierce (who has been nearly invisible thus far)?
There are no easy answers for the Cavs, but it’s abundantly clear that Mike Brown needs to adopt a new strategy when it comes to defending Rajon Rondo — Cleveland cannot afford to let him take control of the series again.
