Where Does Rajon Rondo's Playoff Performance Place Him Among NBA PG's?

In the Boston-Cleveland series, the leader of the Celtics for the entire series was PG Rajon Rondo. In the Celtics 2008 title run, Rondo was the young PG feeding the ball to the Big Three and staying conservative. This year, Rondo is the leader of the team, the NBA's leader in steals, and a walking triple-double threat. Rondo had been criticized by many for his lack of a jump shot, and the fact that his supporting cast is one of the best in the NBA. After this great postseason, where does Rajon Rondo rank among the top NBA point guards?

First we must start with who the best point guard in the NBA is. There are three guys I think can be mentioned here. Chris Paul, Deron Williams, and Steve Nash. Paul was hurt for the majority for the 2009-2010 season, playing in 45 games and 18.7 PPG and 10.7 APG. Williams had nearly identical numbers, with 18.7 PPG and 10.5 APG in 76 games. Steve Nash, the only of these three still in the playoffs, played in 81 games and amassed more assists, but slightly less points. Nash averaged 16.5 PPG and 11.0 APG this year for the Suns. I think when healthy, Chris Paul is the best PG in the NBA, followed by Steve Nash and then Deron Williams. While all three are close, Paul's playmaking ability puts him above the pack.

In the next tier is where I think Rondo can be mentioned, a group containing Derrick Rose, Tony Parker, Chauncey Billups, and Rondo. Rose is just a sophomore player, but has impressed many with his ability to lead the Chicago Bulls. Rose had a great year this year with 20.8 PPG and 6.0 APG. In the Bulls short playoff run (they were eliminated by Cleveland in the first round), Rose elevated his play to 26.8 PPG and 7.2 APG. Tony Parker was hurt for much of this season, starting only 50 games. However, Parker averaged 18.6 PPG this year, but I would take Rose over Parker right now. Chauncey Billups of Denver scored more points than ever in his entire career (19.5 PPG), but saw a drop in his assists, averaging only 5.6 APG, while he had previously averaged a high of 8.6 APG. Rondo 13.8 PPG and 9.8 APG. In addition, Rondo was the leader in steals with 2.3 SPG. In the playoffs, Rondo had 18.0 PPG and 11.1 APG to lead the Celtics past the Cavs in the conference semifinals. Of this group, I would take Rondo, followed by Rose, Billups and Parker.

So my PG rankings in the NBA look like this:
1. Chris Paul, Hornets
2. Steve Nash, Suns
3. Deron Williams, Jazz
4. Rajon Rondo, Celtics
5. Derrick Rose, Bulls
6. Chauncey Billups, Denver
7. Tony Parker, Spurs

Other players deserving mention are Russell Westbrook, Andre Miller, Brandon Jennings, and Monta Ellis.

With the conference semifinals complete, the two matchups are Lakers-Suns and Celtics-Magic. Enjoy!