It’s been well known for a while that Rajon Rondo is a master Connect Four player. This is no secret. However, with Rondo not participating in this year’s playoffs and instead serving as an analyst for NBA TV’s coverage, he’s taking the opportunity to claim new victims.
His latest was legendary point guard Isaiah Thomas (and, to a lesser extent, Greg Anthony) as the two dueled in the game of strategy. Somebody filmed it as it happened and the biggest takeaway from the nine-minute video posted to Facebook is not how good Rondo is — again, we were already aware of this — but instead just how absolutely awful Thomas is. Seriously, he’s atrocious.
We’ll have to assume that Thomas is somewhat of a beginner to Connect Four because, for a guy that was known for having great vision on the court, he fails to spot some very identifiable traps. Rondo gives him chance after chance and with each try Thomas just falls deeper and deeper into despair. It was almost sad and uncomfortable to watch, like Zeke’s tenure as commissioner of the now-defunct Continental Basketball Association (CBA), or his time as general manager of the Knicks.
Combine Thomas’ inadequacy with Rondo’s ability, bravado and smugness, and this was not so much a duel as it was an absolute bloodbath. Thankfully for Pistons fans, Connect Four skills have absolutely nothing to do with on-court brilliance. Two titles, a Finals MVP and 12 All-Star appearances prove that.
