While the vast majority of Los Angeles Lakers players and coaches jumped for joy in the moments immediately after Anthony Davis’ Game 2 buzzer-beater, veteran guard Rajon Rondo remained as cool as a cucumber.
The experienced guard was seen calmly walking across the court as his team celebrated the last-second 3-pointer on Sunday night.
What makes his calmness even more impressive is that Rondo had a pivotal impact on the game’s final play. After all, he was charged with inbounding the ball with just over two seconds left on the clock.
While the game’s final shot was initially assigned to LeBron James, Rondo made the decision to instead get the ball to Davis.
That decision was rewarded with a win and 2-0 series lead in the Western Conference Finals.
Rondo finished the night with three points, nine assists and four rebounds. While he has been fairly quiet statistically so far in the series, his impact has been felt on both sides of the court.
Rondo’s calmness following the game may be seen as a lack of excitement, but what it most likely represents is the one-time champion’s knowledge that a lot of work is left to be done.
After all, the Nuggets have already come back from two separate 3-1 series deficits to get to the conference finals. Though the Lakers are up 2-0 in the series, the last two wins surely will not come easily.
If the Lakers are able to get those two wins and advance to the 2020 NBA Finals, they’ll then have to face either the Miami Heat or Boston Celtics, two highly talented and motivated teams.
If the Lakers are able to get six more postseason wins and claim a championship, then Rondo will likely finally feel he has earned the right to celebrate.
