Anti-Bostonian: Nostalgia is a good old-fashioned kid's cartoon

Nostalgia is a powerful weapon. It can elicit memories ranging from a championship match to watching an early-2000s cartoon on a small, standard-definition television. If one were to solely define nostalgia by these two elements, then boy, were they in for a treat last Thursday evening.

Warning: this metaphor will be milked for a hot second. Bear with me. You might already be able to see where this is going.

Try and recall an afternoon from a cool, crisp 2004 day. It’s the fall, school has started, and the simple melancholic expectation of the long year has set in. You return from school and eagerly make your way towards the pantry looking for a snack before nestling in on the couch. Maybe your legs are tired, because after all, you have been basking in the joys of the playground all afternoon, and all those stairs didn't climb themselves.

Most important, however, is what cartoon you immerse yourself into. Maybe it's "Cyberchase" (2002-) or "Arthur" (1996-) or maybe even "Caillou" (1997-2010), all of those old PBS goodies. If no one was looking, you could sneakily poach the remote and throw on "Spongebob" (1999–), an option a bit raunchier than the PBS grab bag.

On Nick Jr. everyone’s favorite aquatic animal would roam the forest. Franklin the Turtle was the sporty type, into making crafts, and would carry around his stuffed dog (is it concerning or perfectly naturally for a turtle to have a pet dog? — I’m not quite sure).

Regardless, Franklin the Turtle emerged from his shell and was back onto the television sets of the Boston faithful last Thursday evening. Only this time the sets were HD, he was on TNT and LeBron James gave him a big bear hug for the closing credits. Maybe you could call it a spinoff from the original?

To say Rajon Rondo (romantically known as Franklin the Turtle for the sake of the narrative) has had a tumultuous few seasons would be an understatement. After an ill-fated 46-game regular season stint with the Mavericks in 2015 where he was literally benched after just 10 minutes of playing time in a playoff game, the feisty point guard’s stock had dramatically fallen.

Somehow, he led the league in assists for a 33-win Sacramento Kings team the next season before signing with the Bulls in the offseason. With the MJ castoffs the legend of playoff Rondo was born after two road postseason wins at the Garden in the 2017 NBA Playoffs, but he would settle for another pair of one-year contracts, the first being with the Pelicans and the second being with LeBronkers (Lakers).

He’s traded off starting gigs with LaVar Ball’s eldest son throughout the campaign, but with Lonzo out injured, Rondo is getting more looks at a starting role. The starting spot comes with playing in crunch time. Playing in crunch time means a chance to hit game winners when Al Horford can't snag a rebound. 

You think Joel Embiid or Marc Gasol would've had problems corralling that miss? The Celtics will discover in the playoffs.