EARLY IN THE first quarter of Game 1 of the NBA Finals, the heavily favored Los Angeles Lakers appeared lethargic, disjointed. Coach Frank Vogel called time, down 23-10, and made some substitutions.
One of them, 34-year-old Rajon Rondo, who shot 41.8% in the regular season, surveyed the floor, noted the Miami Heat's defenders sagging off him to double Anthony Davis and promptly pulled up for an open jumper that -- naturally -- dropped through.
The next time down, with his dribble alive, always alive, the ball a cunning appendage of his massive hand, Rondo whipped a pass to Kentavious Caldwell-Pope for a corner 3.