Rondo's response to Derek Fisher: 'We beat their ass in '08'

Kelley L Cox/USA Today Sports

Rajon Rondo has an up-and-down season with the struggling Sacramento Kings, but definitely knows he could run – and beat – the triangle offense.

Rajon Rondo just gave Derek Fisher a history lesson.

The Sacramento Kings point guard, who will face the Knicks on Sunday, responded to Fisher’s comment from February, when the ex-Knicks coach said Rondo couldn’t talk about playing in the triangle offense because he hadn’t had a lot of success playing against it.

“He might’ve blacked out a couple of times,” Rondo said Sunday at a shoot around at Madison Square Garden. “We beat their ass in ’08.”

Ouch.

Rondo of course was referring to his Celtics beating Fisher’s Lakers in 2008 for the NBA title.

“But they got us back in ’10,” Rondo admitted. However, Rondo significantly outplayed Fisher in that series despite the Lakers winning that one.

Earlier this season, Rondo said, “The triangle’s not really a good look for me.”

That prompted Fisher to say, “You can’t ask a player who wasn’t very successful playing against it if he wants to play in it.”

Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images

Rondo gets around Lakers guard and former Knicks coach Derek Fisher (l.) in the 2008 NBA Finals.

Fisher has since been fired by the Knicks.

Rondo also has changed his tune on whether he could fit into a triangle offense, which is notable since Carmelo Anthony is openly recruiting Rondo to join the Knicks. Anthony recently said Rondo, who will be a free agent after this season, would be “perfect” in the Knicks’ system.

“(Fisher) just might have had a moment where he was a little frustrated with my comment,” Rondo said. “He didn’t, honestly, probably think about what he said. But he has his own opinion, everyone’s entitled to their own opinion. I stated mine a couple months back about it. Not saying I couldn’t master it.”

Asked Sunday if point guards could be successful in the triangle offense, Rondo said: “Anything is possible, in the words of KG (former Celtics teammate Kevin Garnett).”

And, despite his comments earlier in the year about the triangle, Rondo offered a pretty rosy picture of the offensive scheme.

“I think it’s effective. I think it’s great for team chemistry,” he said. “When the ball gets moving, everyone touches the ball, you get a better feel for it.”

“When guys are getting the ball they play better defense. It’s hard to run up and down the court… when you don’t touch the ball,” he continued. “The triangle I think it energizes the offensive end of the floor and also the defensive end of the floor as well.”

Tags:

rajon rondo ,

derek fisher ,

sacramento kings ,

new york knicks ,

nba

Basketball Rss Article only

Related Posts

• France survive scare to beat Republic – report & highlights
• Euro 2016: Michael O'Neill says Northern Ireland desperate to beat Wales in Paris
• Murray fights back to beat Gasquet