BOSTON — Emotion has never come easy to Rajon Rondo. He wears a smile about as often as he wears a scowl, which contrary to popular belief isn’t often in either case. Usually, his expression is as stoic as his monotone voice.
So while a video montage of Rondo’s 8 1/2 seasons with the Boston Celtics played on the scoreboard screen at TD Garden on Friday, Rondo kept his gaze on his new head coach, Rick Carlisle, in the Dallas Mavericks huddle. He glanced up a couple of times and waved to the crowd, but mostly his focus was on the game.
Nothing about the reception surprised him, and there certainly weren’t any tears.
“It’s what I expected — nothing less than what I expected,” Rondo said. “It’s a class organization, classy fans, a lot of respect for me and vice-versa, so I didn’t expect anything less.”
Just like Paul Pierce, Doc Rivers and Kevin Garnett before him, Rondo received his welcome back reunion Friday. The now-Mavericks point guard torched his former team with 29 points, including a career-high five 3-pointers, and said several times he was “humbled” by the warm reception from the fans. But two weeks removed from the trade that sent him to Dallas, Rondo was as blunt and confident as ever.
Asked what he would have said, if told as a rookie, that he would one day return to the Garden as a four-time All-Star and NBA champion and receive a standing ovation, Rondo replied, “Sounds about right.”
Still, beneath his cocky facade, Rondo was moved. He embraced Brandon Bass and Avery Bradley, the remaining members of the Celtics’ last meaningful playoff run, and found himself short of breath answering reporters’ questions after the game — not because the questions were especially insightful, but because the entire day was so draining.
“All around, it was a tough game,” Rondo said. “Give (the Celtics) a lot of credit. We were up 20, 30 points and they never let loose. I was already physically and emotionally drained both, and I called a couple timeouts for myself because it was a lot. … I don’t think I’ve ever been this tired after a game before, where it’s even hard to talk to you guys right now. I’m tired.”
Maybe Rondo’s demeanor isn’t the worst thing, though. Unlike Pierce and Garnett, who were overcome by their emotions and struggled on the court in their first games back in Boston after being traded, Rondo lit it up. He made the Celtics’ strategy of daring him to shoot backfire and played close to flawless basketball at both ends.
Rondo loved playing in Boston. He called it “one of the best times of my career” Friday. But if there is one person who will not let emotion get in the way of doing his job, it’s Rondo. Not even for Boston. Not for anybody.
Thumbnail photo via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images
