Rajon Rondo
For those who still believe that winning is the only thing that matters, the easy choice for Rajon Rondo would be when he earned an NBA championship in 2008 with the Celtics.
For the rest of us who live in reality and understand that individual legacies are built on a combination of individual stats, awards and team success, it’s not such an easy pick.
Rondo was the starting point guard of those ’07-08 Celtics, but he was widely viewed as the team’s No. 4 option at best. At least for that title run, some would call him a role player in the shadow of Boston’s “Big 3” featuring Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen.
As he and his more famous teammates grew older and eventually went their separate ways, Rondo took on a bigger role and became an All-Star in his own right.
On paper, the standout postseason game on Rondo’s resume would probably be the 44-points, 10-assist, 8-rebound, 3-steal stat line he produced in Game 2 of the 2012 Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat.
He also handed out 19 assists with zero turnovers in the epic three-overtime Game 6 between the Celtics and Chicago Bulls in the 2009 first round.
Both of the games, however, ended with Rondo’s team on the losing side.
Which leaves Rondo’s most memorable win as the one when he did clinch his first NBA championship in 2008.
In Game 6 of the Finals against the Lakers, Rondo had 21 points, seven rebounds, eight assists and six steals as the Celtics routed L.A. He hadn’t yet had his “Playoff Rondo” alter-ego acknowledged, but one could look back and say this was that character’s origin story.