Those hands. Those gigantic Rajon Rondo hands that look like something out of a Steven Speilberg daydream than actual phalanges. That’s how Rondo is able to palm the ball off the dribble. It’s also why the behind-the-back pass fake he unleashed on the T-Wolves last night will continue to be his bread-and-butter ball-fake even if it punctuates the highlight tapes for everyone else.
Rajon’s just running a simple high screen he does 10 times a game with Dirk Nowitzki. Normally this is an automatic mismatch with whomever is guarding Rondo flailing helplessly against the All-World German’s unstoppable pick-and-pop game.
In this case it would have been Mo Williams if he hadn’t stupidly gone over the screen (side note: opposing point guards should never go over the screen against Rondo; it doesn’t matter how many 18-footers he hits, either). Instead, Mo’s trailing the play and Thaddeus Young briefly leaves Dirk to slide over and stop Rondo.
Except, yeah, Rondo’s ruse so thoroughly twists them, they’re both headed back to Dirk for the pick-and-pop they were expecting as Rondo’s casually laying it up.
Nobody does this better.
The Mavs continued to play well since dealing for the former Celtics All-Star even if his nine points and three dimes in 20 minutes last night weren’t exactly awe-inspiring. They’re 11-4 since they acquired him and 0-1 when he’s not active.
The 98-75 win over the ‘Wolves keeps the Mavs in the hunt for homecourt in the first round against the increasingly killer Western Conference.
Who has a better patented move than Rondo’s pass fake?
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