Rondo-gate?

Via the Worcester Telegram & Gazette (telegram.com):

NBA point guards do their best to overhear opposing play calls and relay them to their own benches so their teams can log them and be better prepared to defend them.

"You have a chance of knowing what they're running before they run it," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said yesterday after practice at HealthPoint. "That doesn't mean you're going to stop it, but at least you have an idea of what they're doing."

The fact that Rajon Rondo is able to both relay opposing plays and defend them is an indication of how far he's come in only his second year in the league.

"He's a smart player," Rivers said. "Rajon is ahead of his time as far as the mental part of the game goes and knowing the game and understanding. The only time he gets in trouble is when he thinks he knows it all."