Rajon Rondo is not a fan of his nickname, which is meant to be a compliment.
Rondo told The New York Times' Marc Stein that he hates his "Playoff Rondo" nickname. He insists he is the same player he's always been and dismisses the notion that he's not as good the rest of the time.
"I've done what I've done in the past," Rondo told Stein. "I let my game speak for itself. I feel like, when I get a certain amount of minutes and when the coaches allow me to be me on the court, I'm Rondo. There's no 'Playoff Rondo.' "
It seems Rondo is just more upset at the perception that he's not as productive the rest of the time, which probably has to do with the drama he's been a part of at his previous stops.
Rondo acknowledges he does show up in the big moments.
" 'Playoff Rondo,' I think, is a myth. But I do love the big moments."
Rondo helped New Orleans to a playoff sweep against Portland. He's won a championship with Boston. And for his career, Rondo is averaging 10.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 8.5 assists. In the postseason, Rondo has averaged 14.2 points, 6 rebounds and 9.2 assists.
Friday night, Rondo recorded 21 assists and 10 rebounds in the Pelicans' 119-100 victory over Golden State to pull within 2-1 in the Western Conference semifinals. Rondo and Magic Johnson are the only players to have 20 assists and 10 rebounds in the same playoff game, and both have done so twice.
Redmen no more
A school district in eastern South Dakota is phasing out its Native American mascot and athletics team name.
The Estelline School District plans to replace the "Redmen" nickname with one of six recommendations, the Watertown Public Opinion reported.
Students, alumni and patrons are voting on whether the new mascot name should be the Eagles, Express, Pioneers, Raptors, Red Hawks or Red Hornets. The winning name will be announced during a May 16 school ceremony.
The district has been discussing the name change for a couple of decades, according to school officials. The district has been minimizing the use of Native American imagery for several years by replacing a tangible mascot with the letter "E" and eagle feathers.
The debate gained momentum last fall when the state High School Activities Association recommended schools phase out Native American imagery.
"We wanted to be proactive in the process and do this on our own timeline," said LeAnne Johnson, a board member. "This is the opportunity to do the right thing."
The district will, however, leave up athletic banners displaying past state titles with the Redmen name.
"The Redmen name and mascot will remain part of our history. We have had great athletic teams and good success in sports in the past," Johnson said. "We don't want to take that away from anyone."
Good PR
From Janice Hough of leftcoastsportsbabe.com:
"Apparently [the] New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox will play the first two MLB games in London, England, next year. Oh, good, if ever two teams needed the extra exposure."
Sports quiz
Name the five NBA teams Rajon Rondo has played for since he joined the league in 2006.
Sports answer
The Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks, Sacramento Kings, Chicago Bulls and New Orleans Pelicans.
Sports on 05/06/2018