DALLAS (105.3 The Fan) - The Mavericks-Clippers' first-round rematch already has the makings of a fiery series with how spicy things got between Marcus Morris and Luka Doncic in the bubble last season.
Doncic himself addressed the rematch after Sunday's season-finale, and specifically going up against Morris again.
"He's a hell of a player, hell of a defender," Doncic said with a smile. "Trash talk is always there, and if it's not, you're not really competing. It's going to be great."
But things are going to get a lot more interesting this time around with Rajon Rondo entering the picture.
While no current Mavericks players (Dwight Powell?) have beef with Rondo, there is no doubt that the team's fans despise the future Hall of Famer because of the way his time came to an end with the Mavs in 2015.
In case you need a quick refresher, Rondo and big man Dwight Powell were acquired by the Mavs in a blockbuster trade in 2015. Powell continues to improve on the floor and is one of the most popular players in the Mavs locker room today. The same can't be said for Rondo of his time with the Mavs.
In Game 2 of the Mavs-Rockets first-round series in the 2015 playoffs, Rondo quit on his teammates and coach Rick Carlisle with his poor effort and lackluster play. Following the game, Carlisle said that Rondo was dealing with a "back injury" and that he didn't expect the point guard to play another game as a Maverick.
It wasn't the first time Rondo had drawn the ire of his coach, as he and Carlisle got into a shouting match during a regular-season game that ultimately led to his benching for the rest of the night and a one-game suspension.
His teammates felt similarly as their coach, as they voted not to give him a share of their playoff earnings.
Rondo has yet to comment on the upcoming series, but did say at one time following his tenure in Dallas that it almost ended his career.
“He told me he almost retired a few years ago because when the catastrophe in Dallas happened between him and Rick Carlisle and we can assign all kinds of blame for that," ESPN's Rachel Nicols said, via SN Nation.
Which brings us to Carlisle's Tuesday appearance on 105.3 The Fan, where he complimented Rondo on multiple occasions, sparking a question about where his relationship is today with the player?
"I have great respect for him. He has been very respectful of both the Mavericks' organization and me since he left. I always go out of my way to say hello to him whenever we cross paths. I talked to him a couple times in the bubble," Carlisle said on the GBag Nation. "You know, sometimes things just don't work. But look, this guy's one of the greatest competitors in the history of our game. He's a Hall of Fame competitor. I don't think anybody would deny that.
"You look (at) what he did for the Lakers last year. He was one of the reasons that they got over the top (and won the championship). That's the reason why the Clippers went after him, and they were smart to do it."
That's all well and good for Carlisle to not put out some bulletin board material for Rondo and his Clippers teammates ahead of the series, but Mavs fans aren't about to let Rondo forget their disdain for him when he enters the American Airlines Center for Games 3 and 4, and a possible Game 6.
Carlisle also previewed the Mavs series vs the Clips. You can listen to the entire interview below.
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