Rajon Rondo is a stubborn kid — as long as he's still got two arms and two legs, he wants to be out there playing. But unfortunately for him, the Celtics' training staff gets the last word.
The C's have shut Rondo down for Monday night's road tilt with the Atlanta Hawks. They'll be forced to play out the tail end of a road back-to-back without their starting point guard, meaning Nate Robinson will again get the start as Boston's floor general.
This won't be as easy as Robinson's first start, when he dropped 16 points on the Toronto Raptors in the first quarter en route to 22 total. Robinson is much faster than the older, less athletic Mike Bibby at the point guard position, but he won't be able to slash his way into the paint against the Hawks' strong interior defense. Al Horford and Josh Smith are too big and too strong for that.
Look for Robinson to be more of a playmaker against the Hawks. He's got a lot of weapons in his arsenal — it's time for him to distribute the basketball to the future Hall of Famers surrounding him.
Here's how the C's stack up with the host Hawks:
Celtics
Nate Robinson, PG
Ray Allen, SG
Paul Pierce, SF
Kevin Garnett, PF
Shaquille O'Neal, C
Hawks
Mike Bibby, PG
Joe Johnson, SG
Marvin Williams, SF
Josh Smith, PF
Al Horford, C
