With Ray Allen gone, the media’s began focusing on the estranged relationship between Allen and the Celtics, Rondo wants you to shift that focus back to just the Celtics and their dominance on the court. According to ESPN, Rondo appeared on “Mut and Merloni” discussing who his friends are and his relationship with Kevin Garnett.
“Hate’s a strong word, but I agree with my teammate,” Rondo said when asked about Jason Terry’s comments about disliking rivals. “We don’t like anyone. It’s our job to go out there and win. We’re not trying to be friends with anybody, I think KG shows it best. He plays with a lot of intensity. He has no friends out there on the court, and that’s our mentality.
“That should be everyone’s mentality. We are competing — there’s no friends on the court. Even if you were playing against a family member like your mother, you still go out there and try to beat her. It’s just a matter of competing. We love to win, I’m very competitive. Anything I do, I want to win. I don’t have time for friends. I don’t talk to a lot of these guys in the offseason, so why I should talk to them on the court and try to be their friend?
“I’m playing for my teammates. I know I’m a great teammate — if you’re not my teammate, I could care less about them.”
Kevin Garnett’s nature makes the Celtics a force to be reckoned with, his presence alone on the court speaks volumes. KG influences his team to not fear anyone and to play hard every night and Rondo learning from him will carry that for the Celtics when KG retires.