Athanasios Armenis

Journal Staff

Since being drafted from the University of Kentucky six years ago, Rajon Rondo has posted the same amount of triple doubles as LeBron James, is on pace for his fourth straight season with double digit assists, oh and let’s not forget, he’s won an NBA title with the Boston Celtics.

The man is a passing machine and the point guard has gone bananas since coming back from the all-star break. He’s posted an average of 13.2 assists per game and has willed the Celtics to a 21-8 record with marquee wins over Miami, Atlanta and Los Angeles.

When Rondo runs, the Celtics run and since the point guard has elevated his recent play, Boston has been brought back into the mix as possible title contenders. He has brought the Green back on top of the Atlantic Division, where they now sit comfortably with a 4.5 game lead over the Philadelphia 76ers and has helped the Celtics move from ninth in the Eastern Conference playoff picture all the way up to fourth spot.

The point guard is in the midst of a 22-game double-digit assist streak and with five games remaining on the regular season schedule, Rondo quietly approaches John Stockton’s streak of 29 consecutive games with double-digit helpers.

“He’s playing extremely well, he’s just been spectacular. And that’s why we’re winning. It’s not just him, it’s everybody. But we need a locked-in effort from him every night and he’s doing that,” said Celtics head coach Doc Rivers.

Rondo has posted six triple doubles in just 51 games this season and most recently dished out 20 assists in a win over the Atlanta Hawks on April 11.

He joined Magic Johnson and John Stockton as the only point guards in NBA history to have posted double-digit assists in 20 straight contests since 1986, according to Basketball-Reference.com.

On top of that, the young superstar surpassed Bob Cousy’s Celtics franchise record of 210 assists in a calendar month after dishing out a whopping 219 assists in just 17 games in the month of March.

“I think when we have at least four or five guys healthy and we follow the game plan, we’ll be fine,” Rondo said after dominating Miami with 16 points, 14 assists and 11 rebounds on April 1. “But when I’m healthy, I think we can probably beat anybody.”

As the Celtics head into their last five matchups of the season, Rondo and company look to hold onto that ever so important fourth spot in the Eastern Conference in hopes of avoiding Miami or Chicago in the first round, while also getting home-court advantage for the first round series.

The Celtics are 2-1 against Miami this season while having dropped three of four against the Bulls.

With the best record in the NBA since the all-star break, the Celtics are finally showing the consistency their fans have asked for all season. With Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen in contract years, Paul Pierce’s elevated intensity on the defensive end and Rondo continuing to be the floor general that he is, the “ageless” Celtics find themselves in great position heading into the playoffs.