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The Celtics go as their mercurial point guard Rajon Rondo goes. After Game 6's painful reminder, which Rondo will it be in Game 7?

Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo landed on the All-NBA third team for the 2011-12 season.

The first team consisted of Miami's LeBron James, Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant, Orlando's Dwight Howard, the Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Clippers' Chris Paul, while the second team featured Minnesota's Kevin Love, the Clippers' Blake Griffin, the Lakers' Andrew Bynum, San Antonio's Tony Parker and Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook.

Rondo shared third-team honors with New York's Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler, Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki and Miami's Dwyane Wade.

The All-NBA teams were chosen by a panel of 120 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. Panelists voted for All-NBA first, second and third teams by position with points awarded on a 5-3-1 basis.

Rondo earned 142 points, including four first-team votes. Teammates Paul Pierce (31 points) and Kevin Garnett (22) also received votes.

Rondo, named to the All-Defensive second team on Wednesday, is the first Celtics player on the All-NBA teams since Pierce landed on the second team for the 2008-09 season. Kevin Garnett (first team) and Pierce (third team) were also All-NBA during the 2007-08 championship season.

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BOSTON -- Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo might not have produced one of his glitzier stat lines of the postseason, but his contributions to Monday's Game 5 triumph over the Philadelphia 76ers drew extraordinarily high praise from coach Doc Rivers.

“I thought the second half was one of the best games he’s had in my opinion this year for us," said Rivers. "Because I thought it was more than just the basketball part of it. I thought his will, his leadership -- we needed it. And he gave it to us. So, in my opinion, I thought it was one of the best halves he’s had.

"Whether he scored, I didn’t care what he did -- he played with a force. And he got us in our stuff. I can hear him barking at guys, demanding guys get into spots. And that’s not something he loves doing. So I told him that after the game, 'I thought that was as good of a leadership role that you’ve had with us in the playoffs.' He’s had better games, statistically, but I thought what he did was huge for us. Because, like I said, we needed somebody to lead us. I thought he did a great job with it.”

Rondo finished 13 points on 6-of-10 shootings with 14 assists over 38:48. In the second half, he produced seven points, nine assists, and two steals. But maybe the most noteworthy aspect of his second-half box score: Zero turnovers, which means Rondo played with force and took care of the ball.

In fact, much of the big nights from Brandon Bass and Kevin Garnett can be traced to Rondo's aggressiveness, which wasn't lost on Sixers big man Elton Brand.

“It starts with Rondo," said Brand. "You have to stop Rondo. He’s being aggressive, scoring layups, getting into the paint. It leaves Kevin Garnett open for a jumper, it leaves Brandon Bass open for a jumper or a drive."

The Boston Celtics will take Saturday off from practice, but if you need your Rajon Rondo fix, you can check out Red Bull's King of the Rock. From Red Bull:

Amidst the crumbling walls and the eerily lit cell house of one of the most notorious locations on earth, CBS will air Red Bull King of the Rock on Saturday, May 19 at 2 pm ET. Hosted by All-Star Guard Rajon Rondo, 64 players from around the world make their way onto the same yard that housed inmates more than 50 years ago.

Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo finished eighth in the balloting for the 2012 MVP.

Rondo earned eight votes -- 2 fourth-place votes and 6 fifth-place votes -- for a total of 12 points. That put him one point behind Orlando's Dwight Howard, but ahead of names like Phoenix's Steve Nash (7), Miami's Dwyane Wade (6), Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook (4) and Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki (4).

LeBron James took home his third MVP trophy with 1,074 points. Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant (889) and the Los Angeles Clippers' Chris Paul (385) rounded out the top 3 spots.

Rondo earned those votes from a from a panel of 121 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the
United States and Canada (as well as an NBA.com MVP fan vote).

Another night, another historical performance from Rajon Rondo. From our friends at ESPN Stats and Info:

Rajon Rondo is making it clear how important point guard play is in the NBA playoffs.

Rondo is the first player with at least 20 points and 16 assists with no more than one turnover in a playoff game since Tim Hardaway for the Golden State Warriors in 1991, who had 27 points, 20 assists and one turnover against the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 5 of the Western Conference Semifinals. Rondo, Hardaway and Magic Johnson are the only players to accomplish this feat in the last 25 years.

In the last 25 seasons, a Boston Celtics player has had at least 16 assists in a playoff game eight times. Rondo has seven of those performances (Larry Bird had the other in 1990).

Rondo consistently gets it done in the playoffs. Among players in NBA history with fewer than three turnovers per game, only John Stockton (10.1) averages more assists per game than Rondo (8.6).

With Rondo on the court in the playoffs, the Celtics are 14 points better per 100 possessions than they are when Rondo is off the court.

Hop HERE to read the full story.

Maybe Paul Pierce summed up Rajon Rondo's latest effort best: "That’s Rondo being Rondo," he said. "He’s one of the best point guards in the NBA. He has the confidence and controls the game. Tonight, you saw him doing it offensively with his shooting. We already know he’s the best passer in the game and, offensively, he just picked up the slack."

From our friends at ESPN Stats and Info:

Rajon Rondo made plenty of history in the Boston Celtics’ 90-84 overtime win over the Atlanta Hawks. Rondo became the first player in NBA history with at least 17 points, 14 rebounds, 12 assists and four steals in a playoff game, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Elias also tells us he’s the first player in NBA history to record a triple-double in a playoff game after missing his team’s previous game.

Rondo triple-doubles equal Celtics wins. In Rondo’s 20 career triple-doubles (13 in regular season, seven in playoffs), the Celtics have a 19-1 record. The lone loss came to the Chicago Bulls in the 2009 first round.

Including the regular season and playoffs, nobody has more triple-doubles than Rajon Rondo (20) since the start of the 2008-09 season. Rondo’s seven career playoff triple-doubles are tied with LeBron James for the second-most among active players, trailing only Jason Kidd’s 11.

Hop HERE to read more, including other statistical nuggets from Game 3.

WALTHAM, Mass. -- Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo stressed his gratitude to teammates for pulling out a Game 2 victory without him Tuesday night in Atlanta, but meeting with reporters Thursday at the team's practice facility, Rondo stopped short of apologizing for his actions that led to a one-game suspension after bumping a referee in Game 1.

"I try not to let my emotions get the best of me, but I’m an emotional player," said Rondo. "I try to keep my composure and my emotions to myself, but it was a heat-of-the-battle moment and I wanted to win. We make mistakes. I’m not on trial, or anything.

"We still got the win," he added when asked if he understood how detrimental it was for the team to not have him in a key playoff game. "I’m important to the team -- everybody is important to the team, one way or another. Obviously, I'm the starting point guard for this team, but there are guys that get paid to do this. It's a 15-man roster. Guys stepped up and played well. Regardless of how we got the win, we got the win."

Rondo might not have seemed contrite Thursday, maintaing a brash confidence in front of the microphones, but his actions Tuesday suggested he was genuinely thrilled that his teammates won the game without him.

"I think I ran down the tunnel and gave [Kevin Garnett] the first hug, told him, ‘Thank you.’ I appreciate everything you guys have done for me," said Rondo. "Obviously, they won it for themselves, but they told me, ‘We got this one for you.’ That felt good. It felt like I was a part of it. It changed the series."

Celtics coach Doc Rivers described how Rondo waited outside the team bus after the game to shake hands with many of his teammates and again thank them for pulling out a pivotal victory.

"He was very happy, thanking guys as we were getting on the bus," said Rivers. "That’s great. I don’t know if he would have done that two years ago. He would have been thankful, but he would have been in the back of the bus with his head down -- down on himself. Instead, I’m sure he still was [down on himself], but he showed emotion towards the other guys. I keep saying it, you guys get the luxury, including me, of watching him grow up in front of us. That’s a step there."

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In today's PER Diem column, ESPN.com's John Hollinger examines how the Celtics and Bulls will fare without their starting point guards. From his take on Boston navigating Game 2 without suspended Rajon Rondo:

Based on a preliminary view of the stats, the Celtics are in a tight spot without Rondo, both because of his own brilliance and the fact that the Celtics don't have a great replacement in store. Rondo was one of the few offensive positives for Boston in Game 1, slashing to the rim and even hitting a few jump shots to help them get back in the game; his season stats reflect that importance as well. Boston scored 9.01 points per 100 possessions more with Rondo on the court, although the Celtics also gave up 3.80 points more. All of these numbers, however, are distorted by his usage with the other Boston starters. The four Celtics, who started most of the year (Rondo, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Brandon Bass), all have very positive plus/minus numbers that more or less match Rondo's, so it's difficult to separate his impact from that of his teammates.

More from Hollinger after the jump (or leap HERE for the full story).

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ESPN Boston's Jackie MacMullan sounds off on Rajon Rondo's latest trip to NBA detention and what it means for Boston's postseason run:

When Rondo drew a two-game suspension for throwing the ball at [referee Sean] Wright in February, his veteran teammates went to him demanding a public apology. Feeling cornered, Rondo balked -- and that's when Keyon Dooling stepped in. "I just told him, 'You hurt your family when you do stuff like [throwing the ball at a ref]. The [money lost due to suspension] comes out of your pocket. That's taking money from away from the people you love,'" Dooling said. "He listened because I was coming from a pure place. I want him to grow as a man. I set out to get to know him. I didn't listen to any of the other guys and their opinions of Rajon... I love the guy... I've made a friend for a lifetime." Too bad your new friend didn't listen, huh?

Hop HERE to read the full story.

ATLANTA -- Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo has been suspended for Game 2 of an Eastern Conference quarterfinal series against the Atlanta Hawks for making contact with a game official, NBA executive vice president of basketball operations Stu Jackson announced Monday.

Rondo chest-bumped referee Marc Davis with 41 seconds remaining in Sunday's 83-74 Game 1 loss at Philips Arena, earning his second technical and automatic ejection. Rondo, who earned both technicals while vehemently protesting a foul call against teammate Brandon Bass, said after the game that the bump was unintentional, but the league viewed it as otherwise.

"Obviously, from a competitive standpoint we are disappointed with the league's decision to suspend Rondo," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said in a statement released by the team. "He plays a valuable part in our team's success. We accept the punishment and will use it as a learning tool for our players."

This is Rondo's second referee-related suspension in three months. He was also suspended for two games in February after zipping a ball at an official.

The NBA rulebook states, "Any player or coach guilty of intentional physical contact with an official shall automatically be suspended without pay for one game. A fine and/or longer period of suspension will result if circumstances so dictate."

Appearing on ESPN Radio's "The Herd with Colin Cowherd" on Monday, NBA commissioner David Stern said, "We have a hard and fast rule. Unless somebody trips you and sends you into him, nobody touches a referee. That's the proposition."

ATLANTA -- Celtics coach Doc Rivers said point guard Rajon Rondo talked with league security on Monday morning, but was still awaiting a verdict on whether he'll be suspended after bumping a game official during the final moments of Sunday's Game 1 loss to the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena.

Rondo did not make himself available to reporters before the team's practice Monday on the campus of Georgia Tech, but the team seemed resigned to the likelihood that he will be suspended for Tuesday's Game 2.

"Rondo talked to league security this morning and hopefully we’ll know sooner than later, that’s the one thing we would always like," said Rivers. "We’ll find out and we’ll be ready to play basketball when they tip it off tomorrow."

Rivers said he's re-watched the sequence in which Rondo chest-bumped referee Marc Davis with 41 seconds remaining in Sunday's 83-74 loss, earning his second technical and automatic ejection, and still doesn't believe there was intent on Rondo's behalf.

"Well, they ran into each other, no doubt about it," said Rivers. "I thought it was a bump and the league’s going to do what they have to do. I still don’t think it was ever intentional. I just think you get heated and I think he was more upset from the missed call the play before -- the out of bounds play. I thought that started it."

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ATLANTA -- There have been three instances where a player has been suspended by the league this season for making physical contact with a game official, according to ESPN Stats and Info. A look at the infractions:

March 8, 2012: The NBA suspended Orlando's Hedo Turkoglu for one game for making contact with a ref during a game against the Chicago Bulls. (Video HERE)

Feb. 4, 2012: The NBA fined Lakers coach Mike Brown $25,000 and suspended him for one game for making contact with a referee (and failing to leave the court in a timely manner) following an ejection in a game against the Utah Jazz. (Video HERE)

Jan. 24, 2012: The NBA suspended Phoenix's Robin Lopez for one game after making contact with a referee during a game against the Toronto Raptors. (Video HERE)

 
(h/t: NBA Fines and Suspensions)

ATLANTA -- Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo said he did not intentionally bump a game official, which led to his ejection during the closing moments of Sunday's 83-74 loss to the Atlanta Hawks in an Eastern Conference quarterfinal matchup at Philips Arena.

Intentional or not, Rondo bumped referee Marc Davis while protesting a foul call against Brandon Bass. Rondo's initial outburst earned him a technical foul -- one he says he deserved -- but he defended himself after the game saying he knows better than to initiate contact with a referee, particularly at this time of the season.

“Well, obviously I was upset about the call and I said some words to Marc," said Rondo. "I deserved the first tech and, as I was walking, I thought [Davis] stopped, my momentum carried me into him -- I even think I tripped on his foot. I didn’t intentionally chest bump him. But that’s what it appears to be.”

The Celtics, who trailed by double digits for much of the night, had whittled Atlanta's lead to 78-74 with 41 seconds to play. Joe Johnson had lost control of the ball and both Josh Smith and Kevin Garnett dove to the floor in a scramble for the loose ball. Smith came up with it and Bass was whistled for his sixth foul when he tried to reach around Smith's flailing body to force a jump ball.

Rondo, who was still fuming from a call that went against Boston shortly before, erupted when Davis whistled the play dead and called the infraction against Bass. As Davis turned to signal the initial technical foul to the scorer's table, Rondo pursued and bumped into Davis' back. Davis immediately signaled for another technical and the automatic ejection.

“It doesn’t matter what I thought," Rondo said when asked what made him so upset. "I thought Josh had traveled. I thought it was a jump ball. But that’s not my job. They made the call and it’s what it is.”

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ATLANTA -- Boston Celtics guard Rajon Rondo earned two technical fouls and an immediate ejection after losing his temper with 41 seconds remaining in Sunday's 83-74 Game 1 loss to the Atlanta Hawks.

Rondo bumped referee Marc Davis as part of his outburst, which could earn him further penalty, including possible suspension for Game 2 of this Eastern Conference quarterfinal series.

With 41 seconds to play, Rondo took umbrage with a loose ball foul called on teammate Brandon Bass, who was trying to force a jump ball by going to the floor with Atlanta’s Josh Smith in a scramble. When Davis whistled the foul -- Bass' sixth of the game in a four-point contest -- Rondo immediately disputed the call, getting tagged with a technical, then appeared to bump Davis, earning a second technical and automatic ejection.

Now the league will have to determine if Rondo deserves a suspension for his actions. Rondo was suspended two games earlier this season for throwing a ball at a game official.

Hop HERE for more on Rondo.