The Hunter and Gatherer

Rajon Rondo is starting his second year in the Celtics line up and shinning like the star he is. Rondo recorded the first triple-double of his NBA career with 16 points, 17 assists, and 13 rebounds against the Indiana Pacers last night. His outstanding performance helped the Celtics win 114-96. Hanging out at the guard position, Rondo makes it his job to make sure the "Big Three" of Garnett, Allen and Pierce are in position to score again helping bring the Celtics to victory. Both Allen and Peirce have spoken publicly about their ability to play with Rondo easily they know where he is going to be and in turn know where they need to be on the court for him to make the big plays. So is Rondo going to be on the All-Star team? Probably, well at least I hope so, again though it is way too early in the season to start making such predictions. However, with Garnett, the highest paid player in the NBA, making over 24 mil this season and Paul Pierce close behind with 18 mil and Ray Allen with a little over 17 mil; you would think the play maker Rajon Rondo would be making more than 1.3 mil. Granted he is a new player and I can't even believe I am saying this with the economy being the way that it is, but I think maybe at the end of this season if he does make it to the All-Star game and he keeps playing the way that he does, maybe Rondo should ask for a raise... I'm just saying.

BEAT LA

Ok, so the playoffs are a distant hope at this point... well maybe not so distant, with the Celtics 20-2 and Lakers 17-3 right now Boston's hopes are high for another Celtics Lakers playoff. I know, I know it's to early to tell but we can hope right. The rivalry between the two coast teams is one for the ages. In playoff history the Lakers and the Celtics have been matched 11 times, with LA only winning two out of the 11 match ups.

Starting in 1959 and through the 60's the Celtics beat the Lakers, who were then the Minneapolis Lakers, 8 times. Then in the 80's the rivalry heated up again when Magic Johnson and Larry Bird lead both teams in rivalry that may have been more about the superstars then the teams. Regardless, out of the 3 playoff match ups between the two titans Larry Bird only walked away with one playoff win against the Lakers. Once the two giants retired the rivalry between the two teams seemed to die off. LA inherited Kobe Bryant and Shaq, leaving them unstoppable against the under qualified Celtics, until 2008. This years match up was one of revenge. The Celtics now have the trifecta of Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and the heart and soul of the team, the captain, Paul Pierce. So in 2008 the Celtics beat LA again, and how sweet it was.

So is the rivalry still alive? According to a Fox Sports Poll 86% of people find the match up "Still Compelling" (of 10,225 people polled). So what is Boston or the Celtics organization doing about this? Well, not much apparently. Where are the t-shirts, and the bumper stickers, and the facebook groups, and all the other knick-knacks that sports nuts love? The rivalry isn't dead, it is in fact alive and kicking so why isn't anyone trying to make any money off of this?