NBA Playoffs - Bulls-Celtics and the greatness that is young vs old

As I watch this series unfold between two of the NBA's great franchises - the legendary and king of the hardwood Boston Celtics against an upstart Chicago Bulls squad seeking to make a name for itself beyond the Jordan days of a decade-plus ago - I can't help but keep my eyes away from the television. At one moment it is Derrick Rose - 20 years old, rookie, point guard, Chicago born and bred - driving the lane past another rising star in Rajon Rando who has stamped his name amongst the Boston legends not only for last season's spectacular display of patience and headiness during the Celts title season but for being the driving force in a season of injury and hardship for an aging Celtics squad similar to what was seen in the '87 playoffs. Later on Rose goes to his left hand, and this time even 6'11 Kendrick Perkins is unable to stop the oncoming locomotive in the 6'3 195 lb Rookie of the Year. And for all the hype that Rose has received from people like myself - and deservedly so - who is averaging a triple double in the series?? His counterpart Rondo, who at 6'1 and about 170 lbs has the length of a man five inches taller and the smarts of a player 10 years his senior. 

In a Game 4 overtime victory over the Celtics, I made a comment to a friend about the statistics displayed on the television - Rose was 10-17 with 23 points and somewhere around 7 assists and 6 boards while Rondo was 9-16 with 26 points and 9 assists. I said, "Man, these guys are both just playing to a draw. Unbelievable." And when I said it, it was in the most complimentary of ways. After Rose's 36 point, 10 assist stamp on Game 1, I thought, "a legend was born today." Call it my Bill Walton moment, but I think not. Meanwhile, Rondo comes back and dominates in both games 2 and 3, in fact getting a triple double and a near triple double respectively. And then a supposed Game 4 draw until my friend says, "Dude, Rose has 7 turnovers, Rondo has 1." And it all flashed back to me - 2008 NBA playoffs. For all the glory and deserved love and admiration splashed on Pierce, Allen, and Garnett - three aging superstars still at the peak's edge in the their respective careers - the supposed weak-link Rajon Rondo kept the Boston team alive with great ball-handling, keen court awareness, crisp passes, and the most important aspect of all - limited turnovers and getting all players involved including those not named Paul, Ray, and Kevin. 

Did I take for granted just how good of a point guard Rajon Rondo is? I think my answer is yes. Looking back to 2008, this guy had more pressure on him than I ever realized for he was seen as the guy who would either be the catalyst or the weak-link. He stepped up to the plate, outplayed a great three-time champion role-playing point guard in Derek Fisher, and stamped his season with a 16 assist barrage on the Lakers to close out the series. And he did all of this as no more than a 22 year-old point guard (give or take a year, perhaps two). And as for 2009? I don't anticipate this Celtics team getting beyond the conference finals, and heck they may still lose this series to this young upstart Bulls team led by Rose, Noah, Hinrich, Sallmons, Thomas, and Gordon. But in this era of the NBA where the point guard depth seems to be of deeper proportions than ever - with the likes of Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Tony Parker, Rose, Chauncey Billups, Jason Kidd, Steve Nash, Baron Davis, Mo Williams, Russell Westbrook, Fisher, Devon Harris, Jameer Nelson, Mike Bibby, amongst others - it is Rondo who is standing out amongst his contemporaries when it matters most. The only players to average a triple double in a playoff series you might ask? Former Denver Nugget All-Star Fat Lever, Wilt, Kidd, Magic, and the Big O. Not bad for a so-called "weak-link."