Rondo came to Kevin Garnett's defense after the Boston Celtics center was fouled by Kris Humphries.
We could argue whether Rajon Rondo should have maintained his cool in the second quarter Wednesday night and kept his hands to himself. He probably should have. But he saw Brooklyn Nets forward Kris Humphries push Kevin Garnett while the Boston Celtics center was in the air, off balance, and Rondo reacted almost immediately.
He either temporarily forgot about his double-digit assists streak, which stalled at 37 games when he got ejected, or decided in a split-second he would rather have his teammate's back than reach 10 assists yet again. Frankly, Humphries didn't give the hardest foul. But Rondo saw his teammate fall hard to the floor and decided to go after an opponent who outweighs him by at least 50 or 60 pounds. It was probably an overreaction. It probably wasn't the smartest decision, especially if it results in a suspension. But Rondo will fight in his teammate's defense. Even if that sometimes hurts the Celtics, it should bring him even more respect in the locker room. And he already had plenty of it.