The Mysterious Rajon Rondo

Last night didn't exactly go as planned now did it?

The first game of a long NBA season against the villains. Revenge against Ray Allen. Showing off a new and improved Celtics team to the rest of the league as an intimidation factor. It was truly the perfect combination of events to spoil a Miami Heat ring ceremony.

Only the Celtics left their defense somewhere in between Boston and Miami, and we all know that an aging Celtics roster isn't beating the Heat in a track meet.

Perhaps the only player in Boston who could keep up with the blisteringly fast Miami Heat is Celtics guard Rajon Rondo. Rondo needs no introduction to Boston fans.  2012 is supposed to be Rajon Rondo's coming out party. For years, Rondo has always operated within the shadow of an aging Big 3, the kid brother to the three seasoned veterans. Only now its becoming increasingly apparent the team runs through Rajon.

In what might be my first "oh my god I'm getting old" moment, Rajon Rondo is no longer a youngster. He's a 6 year pro, an NBA champion, a three-time All Star. Somewhere between James Posey and Darko Milicic, Rondo transformed from an exasperatingly stubborn role player to the next face of the Boston Celtics.

Rondo is a man of many talents, but also a man of many faces and many moods. What's plagued Rondo is not his body of work on the court. On pace to break John Stockton's 28 game double-digit assist record, Rondo is one of the best point guards in the league. What comes with the territory of greatness is that Rondo is under an excruciatingly wide microscope. When Rondo takes the court, we see the breathtaking greatness, but we also see the inexcusable and inexplicable mistakes. We see a player who fights through gruesome injuries and a player who can sulk, mentally removing himself from the game.

Rajon Rondo entered this year on a high-note. A preseason article by Jackie Macmullan featured Rondo in a light not many have seen before. Quietly, word spread that Rondo overhauled his jump shooting and possessed a shooting consistency he's never had in his professional career. Expectations were high for the newest star in Boston.

But last night was a microcosm of all that is Rajon Rondo.

There was brilliance. Rondo slashed his way to the rim on numerous occasions, dropped 13 assists, chipped in 20 points, even tallied 7 rebounds. Statistically speaking, Rondo did his part. He shot 9 of 14, despite missing both three-pointer attempts and going just 2-4 on free throws. When Rondo got out on the fastbreak, he often made things happen.

But there was also frustrating mistakes. Rondo turned the ball over 4 times, was a -11 in terms of +/-, and frankly didn't play elite defense on Mario Chalmers. But what doesn't show up on the stat sheet is Rondo's demeanor. For most of the game, Rondo had a quizzical, sometimes sulky, look on his face. At one point, Paul Pierce even had to remind Rondo to stop thinking and just play, noting he was taking himself out of the game.

And with under a minute left, the game already well out of reach, Rondo for lack of a better term, pulled a Rondo. A vicious flagrant foul on Dwyane Wade pathetically signaled the end of the game for the Celtics. Already down in the scoreboard, Rondo, the "next face of the franchise," took a swipe at the head of one of the NBA's biggest names out of pure frustration, yet again losing control of his emotions. Was the foul egregious? Maybe not. But Rondo was probably better off fouling Dwyane Wade to send a message when the game was hanging in the balance, not while the Heat were essentially running off the clock.

Unfortunately, this is nothing new. Rondo was already given one technical for arguing with an official. Remember last year? Suspended for a playoff game after making contact with an official following a bad call, Rondo put the Celtics in a tough position.

As Celtics fans, we keep waiting for Rondo to turn that final corner. We keep waiting for Rondo to shake off mistakes and to display the characteristics of a leader that he reportedly possesses.  I don't dispute reports that he is a much improved leader within the locker room. Rondo truly does care, he just has a bizarre way of showing it. There are times when Rondo most certainly needs to maintain his emotions at the expense of the team.

Unfortunately, I don't believe Rondo will ever change. Believe me, he will frustrate you and I again. He will make a bonehead decision, he will go through stretches of play where he looks as if he borrowed an invisibility cloak from Hogwarts.

But the beauty of Rajon Rondo is that for every low, there is an equal high. There will be times when Rondo "puts the team on his back." There will be plays where our jaws will drop in amazement. Rondo is the most talented player on this basketball team, and he also may be the toughest. Lets not forget that Rondo may be the toughest SOB in Boston, fighting through even the most grotesque injuries.

Rondo is 26 years old, and has proven that his only consistency is that he's hellbent on not changing. As fans, we can continue to hope he becomes the prototypical leader that we see strewn across sports. Or, we can accept Rondo for what he is. Mercurial, yet passionate. Often in a bad mood, yet always capable of greatness. This team goes no further than Rajon Rondo. Rondo may be the most misunderstood athlete in Boston, but he also needs to become the most appreciated. He's a cutthroat competitor, a true team player. He's also moody and doesn't particularly enjoy allowing those from the outside take a look at his personal life. Now I've heard these descriptions before in Boston...

Larry Legend anybody?