Nobody believed in the New York Football Giants. Eli Manning couldn’t lead these guys to a Super Bowl. Tom Coughlin is a choke artist in the playoffs. The offense isn’t strong enough to win against Tampa Bay’s defense. Okay, so they beat Tampa Bay, but Dallas is next. The Cowboys are 13-3 and have already beaten the Giants twice this season. They have more Pro Bowlers than anybody in the league. Okay, so they beat Dallas. They got lucky. Wade Phillips blew the game because TO didn’t get enough touches. Tony Romo was a spaz. The luck ends against Green Bay. Nobody beats Brett Favre at home in January. It’s too cold for a kid like Manning to make enough plays. Okay, so they just picked Brett off in overtime. They can’t make that field goal in that weather.

Okay, so they just hit the field goal and won the NFC. They can’t beat the Patriots. They’re the best team in NFL history. The Giants gave them their best shot in week 17 and came up short. Okay, so they have the lead in the 4th quarter, but watch. Brady and Moss will respond like champions because that’s what they do. See? Now they’re trailing. There’s no way they’ll score. Okay, so Tyree caught that one against his helmet, but they still have to get into the endzone. Okay, so they scored a touchdown, but there’s still time left for New England. Okay, so the Patriots didn’t convert on 4th down, but…wait a minute. Is the game over? The Giants are Super Bowl champions? Nobody believed in those guys.

Nobody believed in the Kansas Jayhawks. Bill Self couldn’t get anybody into the Final Four. These are the same guys who folded against UCLA. They’ll do it again. Just you wait. Okay, so they beat Portland State and UNLV. Anybody could have done that. Watch out for Villanova. Jay Wright owns Kansas. Okay, so Kansas won that one – big deal. The 1 seed is supposed to beat the 12 seed every time. Davidson is another story, though. Davidson is legit. Stephen Curry will beat Kansas by himself. Just you wait. Okay, so they beat Davidson, but it wasn’t pretty. In fact, they were lucky – so lucky that they don’t stand a chance against North Carolina in San Antonio. After all, they’re North Carolina. Who stands a chance against them? Okay, so Kansas is up by 24. Carolina will come back. Just you wait.

Okay, so they withstood the rally and blew out Carolina. Memphis won’t let that happen. They’re the actual best team in the country. Carolina was distracted with the whole Roy Williams coming back to coach against Kansas thing to play at their best. Memphis has no distractions, and look – they’re up three with ten seconds to go. Okay, so they hit the big three at the buzzer. Memphis will come back. They have Derrick Rose. He can do it by himself. Just you wait. Okay, Kansas pulled away and…wait a minute. Kansas is the national champion? Nobody believed in those guys.

Nobody believed in the Boston Celtics. They were the worst team in the world last year. I don’t care how many trades they make, they can’t disrupt the Detroit/Cleveland/Miami/Chicago monopoly at the top of the East. Okay, so they finished with the best record in basketball and made the East Finals. Big deal – they had to go seven games in both series and they’ve shown they can’t win on the road. The Pistons will dominate the ECF with their experience. I don’t care how bad Flip Saunders is in the playoffs, he’s still better than Doc Rivers. Just you wait. Okay, so they beat the Pistons in six. Here come the Lakers, and they’re on a mission. Phil Jackson and Kobe Bryant can’t possibly lose to Doc Rivers and Kevin Garnett, right? That’s clutch vs. anti-clutch. Okay, so Boston won games 1 and 2, but watch them fold in Los Angeles. See, there’s game 3 for the Lakers and they’re up 24 in the fourth game.

Okay, so Boston’s coming back in the game, but it’s too little, too late. Rondo’s injured. A team can’t win with Eddie House running the show. Ask the 87 teams he’s played for in the last five years. The Lakers will hold on. Just you wait. Okay, so Boston came back and won, and did they just win game 6? The Celtics are NBA champions? Nobody believed in those guys.

Nobody believed in the Tampa Bay Rays. For the love of Pete, they’re the Tampa Bay Rays. They’ve never won anything. They’re terrible at home because nobody goes to games at Tropicana Field. Joe Maddon doesn’t know what he’s doing, and who is going to pitch well enough for them to finish anything besides last? Okay, so they’re to a good start. That’s because the Yankees and Red Sox have injuries. When they get healthy, the Rays will fall back to reality. Just you wait. Except…they clinched a playoff spot yesterday? The Tampa Bay Rays could be the AL East champions? Nobody believed in those guys.

Nobody believed in the US Ryder Cup team. The Europeans are heavy favorites and history is on their side. The Americans have too many rookies. Kenny Perry and JB Holmes are under too much pressure to succeed. They’ll fold like every other player. Just you wait. Knock on wood here, guys, as it isn’t over yet.

I’m Seth Stogsdill, and nobody seems to believe in the Kentucky Wildcats, football or basketball…just saying.

I knew Rajon Rondo was the starting point guard for the NBA champion Boston Celtics. Everyone does. But did you know he has his own basketball camp?

It’s true… and Courier-Journal columnist Rick Bozich was there to talk to Rondo about it.

Rondo hopped on a 6 a.m. flight, almost straight from Thursday’s parade in Boston to be at the first week of camp. He skipped another celebration at a Red Sox game.

I just keep be amazed by this lanky guy who use to suit up for the Wildcats. He’s a good player and a class act.

Now I’m just jealous that UK couldn’t keep him for longer. But Boston, you have one heck of a point guard… and person… on your hands.

What a blowout. Boston smacks around Kobe and the Laker Girls last night for a 39-point win. It’s Boston’s 17th NBA championship. It’s Rajon Rondo’s first.

Oh, and one quick thing. This guy from CBS thinks Rondo sucks, I think the guy sucks. Rondo had a bad ankle, dummy.

But Rondo had a pretty good stat line: 21 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists and six steals. Only one turnover.

It just shows what happens when Rondo is healthy for this Celtics team and he wasn’t healthy the last two games. Enjoy the ring, Rondo.

And on a side note, NBA teams… take a good look at Joe Crawford in the upcoming NBA draft. Why? Well, four of the last five champions had former Kentucky basketball players on their rosters. Rondo is just the latest. Our tradition is carrying over from college to the pros.

But right now, this is Rondo’s moment. Win it again next year.

Like most of you Wildcat (and Celtic!) fans, I was hoping that when Rajon Rondo hobbled off the floor in Game 3, that he was a-okay. I was hoping that Rondo may sit out the rest of the game, but he would be fine for the series.

Nope.

Check either major sports site, ESPN or SI, where they run the AP story on Rondo not practicing yesterday. Rondo couldn’t do all the excercises.

And that’s troublesome for the Celtics if Rondo isn’t full speed tonight. In fact, Coach Doc Rivers admits that. Sure, Sam Cassell was signed to take Rondo’s spot in the playoffs anyway… but Rondo has outperformed the shoot-first, pass-never Cassell. Eddie House is serviceable, of course. And Tony Allen could play point, if for no reason other than to lockdown Kobe.

But none of those guys provide the speed and ability of Rondo. All season long, people have looked at Allen, Pierce and Garnett. But we’ve said it once and we’ll say it again: Rondo is the one that runs the show, literally.

Which means if Rondo doesn’t heal up by tonight, I’ll bet Lakers tie the series up. If he doesn’t make it by Game 5, things could get real interesting.

Sorry, I was channeling my inter Florence, Ky. You know, the place with the big Florence Y’all on a water tank? Yeah… impressive.

Anyway, Rajon Rondo, blogger champ over at Yardbarker, has finally launched his website. You can find it right here… and it seems to have some cool stuff on it.

Rondo also said that Reebok has three different commercials they are thinking of using for him. Here’s the links:

You Got Rondo’d 1

You Got Rondo’d 2

And here’s the last one, although it didn’t work for me.

As a Louisville native, I have to say… my boy sure has made a name for himself recently.

I’m just going to go out on a limb and say the majority of people who are going to read this have never heard of hip hop artist Nas, or his (old) hit song “Made You Look”. But I brought it back into my Ipod rotation recently, after watching Rajon Rondo in the the NBA finals.

And here’s why, from Rondo’s stat line last night: 4 points, 16 ASSISTS, 6 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block and 2 turnovers.

16 assists? That’s some trickery right there. Last night’s ESPN highlights were Rondo-filled. His block on a 6′10 Vlad Radmonovic, which the Celtics turned into a Rondo break-away dunk? Sickness. Busting out the trademark fake behind the back pass last night? Filthy.

Rondo drove to the lane relentlessly and without caution… and it’s a big reason why the Celtics exploded in the second and third quarters. Rondo didn’t score a lot, but he never has to. 16 assists?!?!? That’s point guard play right there.

(Side note: Leon Powe!?!?!?! Holy Cow.)

Rondo played a team high 42 minutes in Boston’s Game 2 win. He was the catalyst for the entire Boston offense. Paul Pierce and Ray Allen were draining open threes, thanks to Rondo’s drives and dishes. Leon Powe (LEON POWE!?!) was the beneficiary on quite a few alley-oops and low-post assists.

Allen, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce are the flash – the superstars. If the Big 3 were car parts, they would be rims, a sound system, TVs in the headrests, etc. You get the point. But the car? That’s Rajon Rondo.

And he just made the Lakers look. Oops.

UK Wildcat Country Contributor Seth Stogsdill has the floor once again this morning. If you would like to contribute to UK Wildcat Country, please e-mail me. All applicants are welcome.

THE SHOOT: EPISODE 12 – I’VE BEEN LEFT NO OTHER CHOICE

–Seth Stogsdill

The views I’m about to express are my own, but as you’ll see, they may also be yours. I didn’t want to have to do this Shoot because of the respect and admiration I have for the target, both as a coach and an announcer. However, Jeff Van Gundy had had it coming since the first round of the NBA Playoffs, and after watching game 1 of the Finals last night, I finally reached my breaking point. This pains me, because JVG was the man on the sidelines in charge of one of my favorite pro basketball teams ever, the 1999 New York Knicks, who made the Finals as an 8 seed and would have captivated the entire sporting world had there not been a lockout that knocked out half the season. Unfortunately, this has to be done, and I feel like a father having to discipline his young son: Jeff, this will hurt me more than it will hurt you.

The Boston Celtics won 66 games in the regular season, and after some scares in the playoffs, eventually won the Eastern Conference. One of the big reasons why the Celtics were able to have a 42-game turnaround was the much improved play of 2nd year point guard Rajon Rondo, a subject of controversy around these parts. Kentucky fans can believe whatever they want to believe about Rondo. I believe that he and Tubby Smith had a clashing of styles, and that Rondo was not allowed to play at his best because the teams he played on didn’t get out in the open court enough. But that’s just me. Nevertheless, he played well enough for Phoenix to draft him in the first round (and then trade him to Boston because the Suns’ owner is a tightwad who is bent on the downfall of that organization). He played well enough last season in a limited role to convince Celtics GM Danny Ainge not to trade him to Minnesota. Kevin McHale wanted Rondo as part of the trade that sent Kevin Garnett to Boston, but Ainge wouldn’t give in. Now, Rondo is the starting point guard on the best team in the NBA, three wins away from earning a championship ring. So, what does this have to do with Jeff Van Gundy?

Well, Jeff Van Gundy has gotten to see a lot of Rajon Rondo in these playoffs. This is Rondo’s first postseason, and like all first time guys, they’ll go through their ups and downs throughout a series. I know that. You know that. Jeff Van Gundy probably knows that. And the truth is, Rondo has had an incredibly high assist to turnover ratio during these playoffs, by far the highest on the team. Yet, in every ESPN and ABC game, JVG has pounced on poor Rajon like my dog pounces on one of his chew toys. Any bad thing that happens to the Celtics in the playoffs is because of Rondo. Nevermind the fact that against Atlanta and Cleveland, Ray Allen, one of the purest shooters to ever play the game, went through the biggest shooting slump of his career. Nevermind the fact that Kevin Garnett, the reigning defensive player of the year and one of the most emotional leaders in the game today, plays like a giant spaz in the 4th quarter of games. Hey, some players are just anti-clutch. It doesn’t mean they aren’t good players – far from it – you still have to hold them responsible when they screw up. And nevermind the fact that in game 2 of the Detroit series (the game in which I thought Van Gundy’s criticism of Rondo was the fiercest), maybe the Pistons just shot out of their minds in the second half. It would be like Magic Johnson having a bad game and the announcers blaming it on Byron Scott. That didn’t make any sense to type, so I hope it makes no sense to read, because JVG makes no sense.

Just last night, there was a play where the shot clock was running down, and Rondo passed on an open jumper because he saw Kendrick Perkins wide open under the basket. Perkins caught the pass, but either wasn’t aware of the clock or just had one of those blonde moments, because he kicked the ball back out, leading to a shot clock violation. Guess whose fault that was. At guard, a 6’1” sophomore from Louisville, Kentucky, #4, RAJON RONDO! Specifically, Van Gundy made a point when the Lakers made their run in the 2nd quarter along the lines of “The Lakers are able to make their run because they’re getting defensive stops by doubling off of Rondo and daring him to make shots.” This comment was funny because Rondo was taking shots in the first half – and making them. I felt sorry for Mark Jackson having to continuously bail JVG out because of his asinine comments. Mark Jackson is one of the best point guards of his generation. When a point guard messes up, Jackson knows. Jackson loved how Rondo played against the Lakers last night. He loved how he was always aggressive when he had the ball. He loved how he defended Derek Fisher in the 2nd half. For the game, Rondo finished with 14 points, seven assists and only two turnovers – not bad for a Finals rookie. Yet, every mistake involves the inability of Rondo to make shots? What did that have to do with Kevin Garnett missing NINE (9) consecutive shots in the 4th quarter? Some of those were layups.

Yet, the scariest thing about all of this is that I’m pretty sure Celtics coach Doc Rivers listens to these media guys. After all, we know that Doc talks to the media quite a bit, based on the Atlanta series, where the announcers harped on the fact that Leon Powe missed five defensive assignments in game 2 of that series. Something has to explain why Sam Cassell got so many minutes last night while Eddie House got to play babysitter for his son on the bench for the whole game. If you’ve watched these Celtics in the playoffs and cheered for them as I have (I admit this is Knicks fan blasphemy, but I want Rondo to get the ring), you’ve no doubt found yourself using the phrase, “GOOD LORD, SAM!” This could follow any one of the head-scratchingly terrible shots he takes or whenever he completely disappears behind a screen when defending a pick and roll. There’s a time for Sam Cassell, and it definitely isn’t the NBA Finals, especially not the 4th quarter. There isn’t much difference between Sam and Eddie House. Both guys solely know how to jack up shots, and they hit those shots with about the same frequency. The difference is, Eddie is expected to come in and start launching bombs. Sam is expected to run the team, but he comes in and starts launching bombs. Sam’s playing time in the playoffs has Rajon Rondo looking over his shoulder on any play that potentially could go wrong because of him, and that just kills me, because Rondo is the much better player. Can you imagine if Coach Gillispie had Joe Crawford afraid to do anything because he might yank Jo
e and replace him with Dusty Mills? Maybe I’m getting paranoid, but I’m convinced that when Doc goes back to the film room and watches the games, he listens to the ABC announcers, then figures out his substitution patterns based on what they say. Maybe that’s why Leon Powe was glued to the bench against Detroit, and maybe that’s why he gets the itchy trigger finger to yank Rondo. Either way, it may end up costing the Celtics in this series, and it’s a lot more dangerous than letting Rondo play his game the only way he knows how.

I’m Seth Stogsdill, and in case JVG reads this, I only did it because you’re my boy

One of the things I admire most is when a sports writer or columnist admits that they made a mistake. It’s a difficult business. We are all human and mistakes happen. People forgive easier when you admit a flub rather than stand behind it for prideful reasons.

And today, give Louisville Courier-Journal columnist Rich Bozich a few points for saying he had Rajon Rondo figured out all wrong.

Don’t feel bad Rick, just hop in line. I’m not sure anyone was completely sure of Rondo’s jump shot. But now look at the kid, he’s the starting point guard on a renowned Celtics team that is sitting in the NBA finals.

He’s regulated Sam Cassell to the pine, even though Boston signed Cassell to take Rondo’s playoff minutes. Eddie House wishes he could be half as good as Rondo.

The Louisville, Ky. kid is on top of the world right now – the distributor and play maker for the Eastern Conference champs.

So it’s okay if you got it all wrong at first. Just make sure you get it right this time: Rondo is the man.

The Celtics finally won a road game. Rajon Rondo was part of a very balanced Boston attack, playing a team high 40 minutes. Rondo’s stat line: 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting, 3 rebounds and 4 assists. The downer is Rondo also had five turnovers, ouch.

Tayshaun Prince struggled at home last night, going for 4 points on 2-of-11 shooting. Prince also contributed four rebounds, two assists and two steals.

The Celtics now have a 2-1 series lead, but I think Tayshaun and Co. will lead another charge in Game 4.

Ain’t it great to see two former Cats playing important roles in the NBA? It is.

Maybe the comparsion in the title is a stretch. But I’m willing to say no. Did you see Rondo last night?