Where’d Rondo’s Assist Go?

Posted by Brian Robb on Jan 18, 2011 1505111 commentshttp%3A%2F%2Fcelticshub.com%2F2011%2F01%2F18%2Fwhered-rondos-assist-go%2FWhere%27d+Rondo%27s+Assist+Go%3F+2011-01-18+19%3A00%3A57Brian+Robbhttp%3A%2F%2Fcelticshub.com%2F%3Fp%3D15051

Good friend and former CelticsHub writer Zach Lowe made a pretty declarative statement over on his Point Forward blog at SI earlier this morning, demanding that the NBA rescind Rondo’s first assist of the game on a Shaquille O’Neal bucket. Curious by just how obvious the C’s point guard non-assist must have been on this play, I took a look at the clip:

After a couple plays, I wasn’t quite sure what the problem was here…..but wait…..what’s that? Hockey assists don’t count for anything in the NBA? Well, then. I knew Boston’s (and almost any other hometown) scorekeeper can get a bit generous and liberal with their awarding of assists, but this was a bit ridiculous.

Luckily for stat gurus and (unfortunately for Rondo,) the NBA confirmed that they would retract the assist to Lowe this morning. Rondo’s 13.4 assist per game average will take a mini hit in the interim, while the rest of us watch how those assists are rewarded just a little closer for the rest of the season.

Thankfully the lost assist shouldn’t have much of an effect on his pursuit of an assist title, where he still leads Steve Nash by a comfortable 2.6 margin per game.