Rondo notches double-double, leads Celtics to win in unexpected season-opening start

Nobody seemed to take Rajon Rondo seriously when he said he had a chance to be ready for opening night. 

After having his broken hand operated on just over a month ago, his timetable for recovery was supposed to be six-to-eight weeks. 

Big deal. Rajon Rondo scoffs at any such timetables.

He managed to work his way back well ahead of schedule, and listed himself as a nap-time decision before the Boston Celtics' home opener against the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday.   

It must've been one hell of a nap. Not only did Rondo start, he dominated. He sliced through the Nets defense, bobbing and weaving his way to the basket and whipping pinpoint passes to his grateful teammates, who collectively shot 55.7 percent for the game. 

Rondo dropped eight dimes in his first 11 minutes of the season. He finished the game with 12, to go along with 13 points (on 6-of-9 shooting) and seven rebounds in 30 minutes of action. 

Perhaps more importantly, the Celtics led virtually wire-to-wire (the Nets' only lead was at 2-0), and cruised to a 121-105 romp. That's more points than they scored in any game last season, when they finished 27th in the NBA in offensive efficiency.   

Sophomore center Kelly Olynyk chipped in a team-high 19 points for the Celtics, while rookie point guard Marcus Smart backed up Rondo with aplomb, scoring 10 points. Smart also ripped four steals, and posting a game-high +20 rating in his 28-minute NBA debut.