BOSTONRajon Rondo was having one of those nights in Game 5.
He struggled shooting the ball, his teammates weren't finishing off plays and the Boston Celtics spent more time than they would have liked playing from behind.
A younger Rondo might have allowed those circumstances to engulf him to the point where he would make a rough night even worse.
But the Rondo of today, while he still has his moments, is more about focus than frustration when times get tough.
Having that ability has enabled both him and the Celtics to thrive to where they are now just one victory away from a trip to the NBA Finals.
"Rondo's biggest opponent a lot of times is Rondo," said C's coach Doc Rivers. "He's so hard on himself. He wants to be great every play, every possession."
And that desire for perfection, like most character traits, can be both a strength and weakness.
"Early in his careerit still happens nowhe has a couple of bad moments he gets down on himself," Rivers said. "Then he'll have a bad six or seven or eight minutes, even sometimes a game."
But if there was an example of the growth that Rivers speaks of, it was evident in Boston's 94-90 Game 5 win.
The Celtics found themselves down by double digits in the first quarter, and Rondo's struggles had a lot to do with that. He took five shots, all misses.
And the NBA's assists leader this season only had just one assist and two turnovers in the first, all factoring into the Celtics' 24-16 first quarter deficit.
"My teammates told me to keep attacking," said Rondo, who had seven points, 13 assists and six rebounds. "I made some mistakes I usually don't make. I missed a lot of shots I usually make. But that's irrelevant. We stuck with it and my teammates believed in me."
That faith was rewarded with a three-assist, two-steal effort in the second quarter and a near flawless third in which Rondo had five assists without a single turnover as the Celtics finally played with a lead.
And of course down the stretch, Rondo's ability to give a little bit of everything to the game -- scoring, rebounding and of course, assists -- was among the keys to Boston pulling out a tough road win which has set the stage for tonight's close-out game.
"His growth has been he's been able to pull out of it (struggles) quicker and quicker, which obviously allows us to be a better team," Rivers said. "You think about threequarters, Rondo was okay. The fourth quarter he made play after play for us. And that's a great example of being resilient mentally."
Said Rondo: "It's just the will. I think I just try to find a way to get us the will to win."