Talkhoops.net Articles About This Series
Cory Elfrink Thinks the Lakers Will Win ... Next Year - 06/05/2008
Zach Harper's 13 Topics of Hibernation - 06/04/2008
Ed the Sports Fan remembers the history of this series. - 06/02/2008
Phillip Barnett writes about the Lakers and their inevitable Finals victory. - 05/31/2008

Game 6 and Series Recap ... Kind of -
Also Check out the Recap from other Talkhoops.net Voices

Warning, this will most likely turn into homage to Kevin Garnett instead of a recap of this game.  But please read on.  This is from the heart of a guy that has cheered for KG since day 1. 

Redemption.

Certified.

Champion.

The Boston Celtics have just completed the biggest closeout victory in NBA history.  They just dropped 131 points in an NBA Finals game.  The most storied franchise in the NBA is hoisting their 17th banner, which happens to be the most in NBA history.  Doc Rivers is a championship coach.  Paul Pierce is the Finals MVP.  Ray Allen has earned his first ring in his first NBA Finals appearance.  But most importantly for this writer, NBA junkie, and Kevin Garnett fan, the Big Ticket is now an NBA champion. 

I’ve followed Kevin Garnett since the moment that David Stern announced he was the fifth pick of the 1995 NBA Draft.  I followed him through his first 3 years.  I followed him, as he became the most versatile player in the NBA by the tender age of 21.  I followed him when he signed the most lucrative contract in NBA history at that same age.  I followed him for the next 5 years after he signed that contract and couldn’t win a first round series despite having monster numbers.  I followed him during his much deserved MVP season in 2003-2004 and as he marched a team through the first two round of the playoffs.  I followed him when he failed once again, this time in the Western Conference Finals. 

Over the next 3 years, KG was broken down to the lowest he’s felt since Malik Sealy was taken from this world.  KG played with every ounce of his heart in those 3 years and couldn’t create a winning team.  He was a choke artist.  He wasn’t clutch.  He was overrated.  He was a bum.  He was overpaid.  He was every negative label that every blowhard NBA pundit could come up with because he couldn’t lead teams that were lacking in talent and had players worth next to nothing.  And after a good but not great NBA playoffs performance by KG and after a Game 5 performance that could only be described as a catastrof**k, KG put all of the doubters and nay-sayers to bed with a Finals performance worthy of a champion.  He validated the $210 million in career salary that he’s earned through the end of this season.  He validated his legacy as a top-20 player of all time.  He validated every argument that every fan made to defense of him. 

Kevin Garnett finished the closeout game of his first NBA championship with a typical KG game.  He had 26 points, 14 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block to go along with leadership, unbridled intensity and enthusiasm, passion, love, and defense.  He led a charge from a 66-win team that would drop 131 points, out rebound their opponents by 19, give up only 2 offensive rebounds, steal the ball 18 times, score 29 points off of 19 Lakers turnovers, and win this game by a margin of 39 points. Rajon Rondo came up huge with 21 points, 8 assists, 7 rebounds, and 6 steals.  Ray Allen scored 26 points, made 7 threes (tied NBA Finals record for one game) and racked up 22 threes made in the series (NBA Finals record).  James Posey made all 4 of his shots, including 3 threes in scoring 11 points off the bench.  PJ Brown gave 16 veteran minutes.  Kendrick Perkins gutted 13 minutes with a bad shoulder.  Paul Pierce cemented his NBA Finals MVP performance with 17 points and 10 assists along with great defense on Kobe Bryant. 

But for me, this is about the certification of Kevin Garnett.  He has embodied everything that is right about professional athletes over the last 13 years.  His unselfish nature (contracts aside) is what you want every superstar to come equipped with.  He has almost always made the correct play in clutch situations and because he didn’t have a selfish, hero-complex that has led to countless bad final possessions in this league, he was chastised for not being clutch. He has been a guy that has always put as much effort on defense that he has on offense.  In the me-first mentality of today’s athlete, that’s a rare thing.  He has died with every loss and has never been satisfied with every win.  He has been the ultimate professional no matter who he was with. 

Kevin Garnett is a giver by nature and I believe him when he says that he shares this with all of his supporters.  This one is shared with Sam Mitchell, Doug West, and Terry Porter.  It goes to Tom Gugliotta, Anthony Peeler, and Stephon Marbury (yes, even Steph).  This is for Joe Smith, LaPhonso Ellis, and Terrell Brandon.  It’s shared with Bobby Jackson, Chauncey Billups, and Rasho Nesterovic.  He’s letting it go to Wally Szczerbiak, Felipe Lopez and Gary Trent.  He gladly shares it with Troy Hudson, Sam Cassell, and Latrell Sprewell.  Guys like Mark Madsen, Trenton Hassell, and Fred Hoiberg get some of this title.  This is a title that goes to Kevin McHale (for more reasons than one), Glen Taylor (even though he unnecessarily threw him under the bus), and Flip Saunders.  This goes to the memory of Eddie Griffin.  This is shared with Ray Allen, Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce, and Kendrick Perkins.  This is shared with Doc Rivers.  This title that he has fought his entire life for is in loving memory of the late Malik Sealy.  This goes to his family and the OBF.  It goes to his newest mentor, Bill Russell and all of the Celtic greats. 

 But most importantly, this title goes to Kevin Garnett.  He validated his place in history as one of the most versatile and best players to ever grace the court.  In his words, “He’s certified now.”  KG won this title as a team player.  He won this title the way he always wanted to be.  He didn’t have to become the me-first star that alienated teammates with bad shots.  He did it the right way.  He did it his way.  The unselfish way. 

Celebrate tonight KG.  Celebrate for the next 3 months.  Celebrate for the next 30 years.  This is something the cynics will never be able to take from you.  You did it, Big Ticket. 

Kevin Garnett, you’re a champion.  Forever. 


All photos here courtesy of yahoo.com, respectively


Submit Your Comments About This Series

Game 5 Recap
This was an odd game on all accounts. 

Let’s just get the REALLY weird things that happened in this game out of the way.  Leon Powe started this game for the Celtics because Kendrick Perkins was out with a shoulder injury.  However, he didn’t play after the first 5 minutes of the game.  Kevin Garnett (more on him later) didn’t record an assist.  Not one single assist.  Tony Allen not only saw significant time, but he scored 6 points and at times, looked like he was back at Oklahoma State.  Ronny Turiaf and Trevor Ariza combined played fewer minutes than Chris Mihm.  Oh right, did I mention that Chris Mihm inexplicably got into this game early on?  And the Lakers interior did not only play defense but they played extremely effective defense. 

This didn’t seem like a Lakers’ team that was very interested in staying alive.  But it also didn’t seem like they were facing a Celtics’ team that was very interested in closing out this 17th Celtics’ championship.  Nobody wanted to close out this game.  Which leads to a bigger problem of wasn’t this NBA Finals series supposed to be one of the best we’ve had in years?  Can anyone honestly tell me they think it has come through so far?  There has been ONE game really worth remembering and that was the Game 4 comeback by the Boston Celtics.  But at this point, none of that really matters.  The only thing that matters is the Celtics are up 3-2 and the Lakers are headed back to Boston to try and prolong/win this series.  So how did the Lakers force a trip back to Boston? 

You have to look towards the first quarter to see another big start by the Lakers and another anemic start by the Celtics.  Boston’s defense was pathetic and they allowed a lot of quick easy buckets in route to a 39-point first quarter for Los Angeles.  Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol worked the high-low post tandem to perfection.  The Lakers connected on 6 three-pointers in the first quarter and Kobe Bryant had 4 of those makes as he scored 15 of the Lakers 39 points.  But then the Celtics made their requisite run to make this a much better game and they didn’t wait until the final 18 minutes to do it this time. 

The problem with this run however is that it may have actually been too EARLY in the game.  The Celtics struggled to find a rhythm and struggled to find another run in them for the rest of the game.  Like Matt Damon going against Teddy KGB in Rounders, they were hanging around for most of this game, except in this story they couldn’t close out the deal and put away the Lakers.  Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol made too many strong plays inside and took advantage of the absence of Perkins and the foul trouble of Kevin Garnett.  They were able to withstand Paul Pierce’s 38-point, 16 of 19 from the line effort and make timely stops and grab key rebounds in the final 2 minutes of the game. 

Why did the Celtics lose this game?  Kevin Garnett.  Plain and simple.  Now of course, the entire team (except for Pierce) could’ve played better and Rajon Rondo being a complete non-factor definitely hurt the Celtics’ chance at winning.  But the reason the Celtics lost this game is the play of Kevin Garnett.  He was terrible on offense and put himself in stupid situations early on defensively that led to early foul trouble.  The foul trouble plagued him the rest of the game and didn’t allow him to get into any kind of rhythm. He didn’t record one assist and he missed 3 key free throws and 2 key tip-ins that probably would have been the difference in this outcome.  KG has been terrible in terms of scoring in this series but has made up with it thanks to good passing, good rebounding, and great defense.  He had 7 offensive rebounds and he shot well from the field, but he wasn’t aggressive at all offensively and didn’t create a lot of plays.  Maybe you can attribute the foul trouble to Kendrick Perkins not being there, but the offense is simply inexcusable. 

Looking Forward to Game 6 – It’s time for the Celtics to get better defensively and get their three big guys playing well all at once.  The Celtics are a much better team at home in all facets of the game and where that will be seen the most is their ball movement.  They didn’t pass very well in the 3 games in LA and will be all about making the extra pass.  When they pass well, they get a lot of easy looks inside (especially with Perkins in there) and they are able to play inside out and get more open threes.  The better their offense is then the better their defense is because they get time to set up and dig in defensively after made baskets.  This will be an entirely different team on Tuesday.  But will they face a Lakers team that is capable of winning in Boston? 

Here are three things the Celtics have to do to win the NBA Championship in Game 6:
1) Get 30 from the backcourt.  Ray Allen has been spectacular in this series and proven that he doesn’t belong in an old-timers game any time soon.  But he needs to get some help from Rajon Rondo.  Rondo’s play on the road was a concern for me going into this series and he proved me right.  He’s much better at home and if he can give them 10 points while Ray Allen gives them 20, then the Celtics will be poised to win this game. 
2) Get back to dominating the glass.  This may entirely depend on Kendrick Perkins playing in this game.  Doc Rivers was smart to hold him out and save him for Game 6.  That gives him 4 days of rest between the injury and their game back in Boston. If Perk can play then the Celtics will easily outmuscle the Lakers inside and control the boards.  If not, Gasol and Odom will have another great game in the paint. 
3) Punch the Big Ticket.  Kevin Garnett has to have a typical KG performance in Game 6.  He needs 25 points, 14 rebounds, 4 assists, and stellar defense.  He hasn’t been great so far but also hasn’t been as terrible as some people have alluded to in the Finals.  If KG is able to dominate the way he should, then the Lakers have no chance at winning Game 6.  Paul Pierce will get his.  Ray Allen will get his.  Kevin Garnett has to take his.  Kevin Garnett has to WIN the NBA Championship. 
Prediction for Game 6 – Celtics win the NBA Championship with a 7-point victory.  Paul Pierce NBA Finals MVP.


Photo Courtesy of yahoo.com

Submit Your Comments About This Series 

Game 4 Recap
At times in the first half, I felt like it was a waste of time to keep watching this basketball game.  I mentioned to people that the Celtics were giving the most pathetic Finals performance that I had ever seen by a team.  I was trying to figure out if I should even watch the second half of Game 4 and just figure out how to piece together my recap through internet recaps and SportsCenter highlights.  It would allow me to get some things done around the house and even take my dog for a run on a night where I didn’t think it would be possible. 

If I had turned off the TV and decided to have a nice little Thursday night to myself (and the dog), then I would’ve written my recap by the end of halftime, done things I wanted to do, and gone to bed earlier than I anticipated.  Instead I participated as a commentator (not a host) in the Yahoo Blog Ball Don’t Lie’s live chat and watched one of the greatest comebacks in NBA Finals History.  It was the comeback that the Lakers couldn’t quite complete in Game 2 in Boston.  It was the comeback that seemed about as probable as Brian Scalabrine getting minutes in any NBA Finals game this year or any year in his career.  It was the comeback that ultimately has clinched the NBA Finals and the 17th banner by the Boston Celtics. 

It was a comeback that I’m glad I didn’t miss for a brief moment of exercise. 

It’s cliché as hell but can it still qualify as a cliché if it is proven to be true time and time again?  Great defense will always beat great offense.  And it’s proven to be true damn near every year in the NBA.  The Lakers were a team that averaged 110 points per game in the regular season after the Pau Gasol trade.  The Celtics were the best defensive team in the entire league.  Something had to give going into this series.  Maybe calling the “great defense always beats great offense” idea a cliché is wrong and we should be calling it the old adage.  Because the thing with adages is that they’re by definition the truth. 

There is no simpler way to show you how this game turned in favor of the Celtics than to give you these stats.  The Los Angeles Lakers scored 35 points in the first quarter and Lamar Odom made 7 shots during their initial onslaught.  In the second half, the Lakers scored just 33 points and the Lakers could only make 8 baskets in the fourth quarter.  That was the difference in the ball game.  The Celtics with a seemingly insurmountable deficit of 24 points at one point resulted to tough defense, timely shooting, and attacking an anemic Lakers interior defense.  With 6:03 left in the third quarter and the Lakers holding a 20-point lead, the Celtics outscored the Lakers 21-3 to finish the quarter with a 2-point deficit and momentum on their side. 

In a completely unnecessary sideline interview between quarters with Michelle Tafoya (I realize the infinite degree of redundancy in that phrase), Phil Jackson said, “Momentum is a strange girl.  And now she’s gone over to their side.”  It was hard to decipher if he was talking about Sasha Vujacic’s friend with benefits, Paris Hilton, or if he was talking about a proverbial female figure that tipped the scales in the favor of whatever team she deemed most deserving.  But whatever the reason and whoever the momentum skank turned out to be, the most important thing was the fact that the Celtics came together and finished off the comeback as a team. 

James Posey not only was able to play with 5 fouls and ended up hitting two gargantuan three-point shots.  Paul Pierce clamped down on Kobe Bryant defensively and helped hold him to 6 for 14 shooting in the second half and 14 points after scoring just 5 in the first half.  Pierce also scored 12 second half points to finish with 20, including 9 big points in the third quarter comeback.  Leon Powe and PJ Brown were able to provide great play after Kendrick Perkins injured his shoulder.  Kevin Garnett finally went inside for a couple of clutch fourth quarter baskets and played phenomenal defense.  Eddie House came off the bench to play big minutes and make big baskets, including a huge jumper with 4 minutes to go that took the lead for good. 

But most importantly, Ray Allen took over the point guard duties, ended up playing the ENTIRE game, and made the right plays against the pressure from Jordan Farmar, Sasha Vujacic, and Kobe Bryant.  He capped off the great comeback with a lay-up in which he drove past Sasha Vujacic with ease and had a wide open lay-in because Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom did a terrible job of defending the hoop all night.  The Lakers had 3 blocks as a team with the Gasol/Odom combo accounting for one of them.  Ray Allen was nails throughout this entire game and in my mind cemented his bid for NBA Finals MVP, assuming the Celtics do what the other 28 teams with a 3-1 lead did and close out this series.  Ray Allen has been the one constant in this series and without him regaining his All-Star level play this Lakers team would’ve dominated the Celtics throughout this series. 

Looking Forward to Game 5 – Well, it’s time for the Lakers to see what kind of team they have going into next season.  Clearly they have a really talented team and they’re most likely going to be the favorites going into next season with a healthy Andrew Bynum.  But if they can comeback and make this a series and make this a competitive series without much hope for success, then they will have the mental edge needed to win the title next year.  Lamar Odom looked like he had fixed his problems in the first quarter before taking the rest of the game off.  Pau Gasol at times looked to be the equal of Kevin Garnett until the game became tight.  Kobe Bryant tried to be the distributor that people wanted him to be after just 1 assist and his 10 assists ended up hurting his offensive rhythm. 

The Lakers have to do 3 things to win Game 5 and send this series back to Boston:
1) Kobe has to be in rhythm all night.  Kobe Bryant shot 6 for 19 from the field and often went one on one because nobody would set him a pick.  Kobe Bryant running the pick and roll with Pau Gasol would’ve kept him in rhythm, would’ve made Pierce and Garnett work harder on defense, and would’ve allowed him to attack the basket.  Kobe has to have 40 points in rhythm and he has to go to the free throw line more than 6 times.
2) Protect the basket.  3 blocked shots???  Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom are athletic enough and long enough to both average 3 blocks per game.  However when it came time to defend the paint, especially at the most crucial time (Allen lay-up), they were nowhere to be found.  Their interior defense is pathetic and if they can’t find a way to muster up some courage and keep their hands around the basket, this will be an easy Game 5 victory for the Celtics. 
3) Lakers bench has to produce.  After the game, Kobe Bryant was quoted as saying, “we just wet the bed.”  He had to be referring to the young backcourt combo of Sasha Vujacic and Jordan Farmar who combined for 2 for 15 shooting in this game.  Vujacic went from 20 efficient points in Game 3 to 3 points, which was just not going to cut it tonight.  Farmar played good defense and pushed the ball at the right times, but he was only able to hit a desperation 3 as the first half concluded and nothing else.  The bench has to give the starting 5 timely shooting and better defense in Game 5.
Prediction for Game 5 – Celtics close out series with a 5-point victory.  Ray Allen should be MVP but Paul Pierce wins MVP. 


Photos Courtesy of yahoo.com and espn.com, respectively

Submit Your Comments About This Series

Game 3 Recap - Also Check out the Recap from other Talkhoops.net Voices
I’ve been preaching this for years and after the Suns Game 1 loss to the San Antonio Spurs in Round 1, I profusely proclaimed that you simply cannot give games away in the playoffs.  And that holds true 100 times over in the NBA Finals. 

Well, in this game the Lakers and Celtics both tried to give this ugly game away due to incompetent play by superstars and questionable coaching decisions (well, that was probably just Doc Rivers).  The Lakers constantly failed to capitalize on horrendous stretches by the Celtics and allowed them to stay close.  The Celtics failed to capitalize on 13 missed free throws by the Lakers, including 7 misses from Kobe Bryant (a career 80% free throw shooter in his playoff career).  This was a game dominated by inconsistent officiating, pathetic offensive execution by both teams, and Stuart Scott’s glass eye trying to distract from his uneven eyebrows (thanks for the tip, Dr. Barnett). 

Kobe Bryant (36 points) and Sasha Vujacic (20 points) were the only players for the Lakers to score in double figures and yet they still pulled out a victory, thanks to some solid defense and the Celtics deciding that being up 3-0 wouldn’t be enough of a challenge.  Lamar Odom played so poorly and without any focus, which conjured up comparisons of Nikoloz Tskitishvili and Benoit Benjamin (once again, thank you Dr. Barnett).  Pau Gasol played like the stereotypical soft Euro player that wants nothing to do with a big game.  He even played so bad that I actually tried to figure out if Kwame Brown would’ve been more effective in this series.  Derek Fisher could barely hit a shot.  Vlad Radmanovic was screwed by the officials into early foul trouble and didn’t see the light of day down the stretch.  And yet, this Lakers team pulled out an improbable and ugly win in a must-win contest. 

How did they do it?

Well, the Celtics matched the Lakers by only having 2 players in double figure-scoring as well.  Ray Allen was the only competent offensive player on the court and carried this team through the roughest stretches offensively since Walter McCarty and Antoine Walker were the starting forwards for this franchise.  Kevin Garnett got to 13 points due to a high volume of shots (6 for 21) and him deciding to grow a pair for a brief stretch in the second half when he realized that Pau Gasol is probably unable to defend him.  Paul Pierce all but threw out any chance of winning Finals MVP with a 6-point, 2 for 14 shooting performance.  Don’t forget the fact that Doc Rivers played Eddie House as the point guard for big stretches throughout this game.  When a point guard has to take 10 seconds to get the ball into a position to start thinking about setting up the offense, it’s hard to believe that a team’s offense would be so stagnant, discombobulated and pathetic like the Celtics showed tonight.  Doc also didn’t bother to double team Kobe on his final two scores and instead had Ray Allen assigned to lock him up. 

Doc Rivers coaching blunders didn’t end there.  With 38 seconds left in the game, a 6-point deficit, and possession, he called his final timeout instead of pushing the ball trying to get a quick score and seeing if that timeout could be useful with almost no time left on the clock.  How do you use up your last timeout there?  Throughout most of a game, coaching doesn’t matter, even in the playoffs.  But coaching still matters with player rotation and timeout management, and Doc Rivers crapped his pants in both categories.  Not only did he have those blunders but also for some reason, his team didn’t foul when the Lakers had the ball with 21 seconds left.  It wasn’t until Lamar Odom went for an unnecessary, Ricky Davis type of dunk with 6 seconds left that the Celtics made contact, which resulted in an offensive foul.  How do you let your team give up in the NBA Finals in a still relatively close game?  This wasn’t the choke job that Doc had in Game 6 of the Cavs series, but it wasn’t far from it. 

This wasn’t the game of high stakes poker or Bobby Fisher level chess that the NBA Finals are supposed to mirror in terms of intensity and execution.  This was a game of hot potato in which the Lakers accidentally ended up with the victory.  It was just an ugly game of poor decision-making and lack of heart on both ends. 

Looking forward to Game 4 – The Celtics have to find the edge that they had in Boston.  It seems to be a recurring theme this playoffs season, but Boston needs to be more like the team that played in Detroit, than the team that “showed up” Tuesday night.  This is a team that matches up well with the Lakers, has the tools to make Kobe work hard for his points, and intimidates the Lakers’ soft frontcourt.  There’s simply no reason for the Lakers to play that poorly and still come away with a win.  Paul Pierce didn’t show up.  KG was pitiful on offense for most of the game.  Rajon Rondo played like a deer in headlights. 

Here are the things the Celtics have to do to take a commanding 3-1 lead:
1) Pick and Roll to death.  Maybe this a theme with Phil Jackson teams or maybe it’s simply a Lakers’ thing, but this team cannot defend the pick and roll.  Every time the Celtics ran the pick and roll, the Lakers looked lost on their assignments and gave Boston the opportunity to either get good shots or get to the line.  Do what you have to do in the first half to get guys going, but KG and Pierce should be pick and rolling the Lakers to death down the stretch. 
2) Get Pierce going early.  Maybe it was some early foul trouble or maybe it was the inability to come up with another fake injury to fool the Lakers (I hope you sense the sarcasm) but Paul Pierce was never able to get into a rhythm offensively and actually ended up being a detriment to the team most possessions.  He didn’t make a shot until the 4:30 mark of the second quarter and didn’t make another one until the 3:53 mark of the fourth.  They have to find a way to get him to the basket to wear out Kobe. 
3) Put KG in the post and fine him if he leaves it.  Somebody remind KG that Lamar Odom isn’t focused enough to guard him and that Pau Gasol is still Pau Gasol on defense and can’t check the Big Ticket.  KG should be giving them a headache down low and instead is settling for outside shots that are well defended by Lakers flying at him from the weak side.  KG should get 15 to 20 points in the paint every game against this team.  Game 4 should be the start of that. 
Prediction for Game 4 – Celtics win by 4

Photos Courtesy of espn.com


Submit Your Comments About This Series

Game 2 Recap - Also Check out the Recap from other Talkhoops.net Voices

It’s cliché.  It’s tired.  It’s overused.  But it’s ringing true here in the NBA’s championship series. 

“Defense wins championships.” 

Well, let me re-phrase that a little bit so it applies exactly to this game. 

“Defense and Leon Powe win championships.”

This was the clever little opening to the recap that I began to type when Leon Powe finished the third quarter with a monstrous dunk thanks to a great set up by Rajon Rondo.  Then the Lakers went all Jimmy Chitwood on the New Pseudo-Garden in Boston and made what was looking like one of the most incredible comebacks in NBA history.  As anyone watching the game knows, the announcing and production crew shoved down our throats that the Lakers were down 24 with about seven and a half minutes left in the game.  Then they finished a three-point barrage that ended up totaling 7 makes from long range and a 41-point quarter to create some much needed suspense in a pretty one-sided game. 

Before this fourth quarter, it was the Leon Powe show and everybody felt like they should have paid admission to watch it.  It was maybe the most efficient and unlikely performance out of the realm of possibilities of who could step up for the Celtics.  The only other performance that would be less likely would be Brian Scalabrine, but Captain Yellow Shirt was busy wearing a leather jacket, scowling at the refs, and trying to figure out how to get a kegerator into his locker so that he and the rest of his fraternity brothers could set up the beer pong table.  Powe contributed 21 points on just 7 shots in 15 minutes.  He got to the free throw line 13 times, which happened to be 3 more times than the entire Lakers’ team.  He played like the best player on the court and was what Dennis Rodman would’ve looked like if he were an offensive player instead of a defensive force. 

The stars for the Celtics played fantastic for most of this game.  Kevin Garnett had a poor shooting night (7 for 19), but ended up scoring 17 points and grabbing 14 rebounds.  Ray Allen looked like the cold-blooded assassin that we remember from his days in Milwaukee and Seattle by dropping 17 points on 6 of 11 shooting, including 3 of 6 from Dana Barros range.  And Paul Pierce continued his campaign to be the Finals MVP with 28 points, 8 assists and hitting all 4 of his three-pointers.  Not only did they do this on offense, but also they played disruptive defense and were able to outplay and defend their counterparts on the Lakers (Pau Gasol, Kobe Bryant, and Lamar Odom). 

However, it was the play of Powe and Rajon Rondo that energized this Celtics' faithful and helped the team build a lead that proved to be insurmountable.  Powe's contributions are already documented here but I still can’t even express the impact he had on the game.  My friend Chris who is a huge Lakers’ fan in San Diego and also on the verge of running the entire city’s nightlife sent me a text that said, “I feel like Leon Powe is a Monstar who took Charles Barkley’s skills for the night.”  When someone is playing so well that it evokes a Space Jam reference, you know something special is going on.  The fact that he could do this in place of a useless and hobbled Kendrick Perkins who only managed 14 minutes on his bad ankle was monumental for Boston. As for Rajon Rondo, he had the quietest 16 assists performance in NBA Finals history.  He only scored 4 points and only hit one shot.  However, his management of the first two games and the way he has played composed basketball with Derek Fisher staring him in the eyes is amazing.  Anytime a second year player has 16 assists and only 2 turnovers in an NBA Finals game, it makes you think that this kid could be something special in 3 years. 

As for the Lakers, they were the most passive aggressive team in NBA Finals history.  It was like watching the wife in a marriage, constantly trying to drop hints that the husband had been doing something wrong for the past week but they wouldn’t just come out and say what it was.  Maybe the Lakers were getting man-handled at times in this game and not getting the calls, but they rarely were the aggressors throughout the game and settled for too many bad shots instead of getting dirty and making some contact.  Instead of making the refs call fouls, they shot dirty looks their way, huffed and puffed when they thought they should get a call, and ultimately shut things down mentally until they got hot from three-point range.  It was the first time since the Chris Webber led Kings that I immediately thought of a woman when I watched an NBA team.  Like I said, they were passive aggressive. 

Kobe Bryant seemed like at times he was trying to get himself a second technical foul.  He complained when there should’ve been no complaint.  He was simply frustrated and wanted to be bailed out instead of earning it against a great defensive team effort.  Pau Gasol had a nice game with 17 points and 10 rebounds, but he didn’t seem to want any part of the action in the second half (4 points).  Lamar Odom literally looked scared during the game whenever he had the ball or had to make a play.  Ronny Turiaf, Luke Walton and Trevor Ariza (yes, there was enough faith in Trevor Ariza to play against Paul Pierce despite being a mediocre player and essentially not having played in months) were all completely ineffective and practically useless on the court.  But it almost didn’t matter when the Lakers shot their way back into the game with a Finals record-tying 7 three-pointers in the fourth quarter. 

This wasn’t a must-win game for the Lakers by any means, but this was definitely a game that Lakers’ fans would’ve liked to see come out and play 48 minutes of inspired basketball instead of looking like they should be wearing Oops, I Crapped My Pants garments.  Don’t be swayed by the final score or the fourth quarter onslaught by the Lakers’ shooters.  This was an embarrassing performance by the Lakers and nothing good should be taken away from this game.  

Looking forward to Game 3 – Phil Jackson was asked if he thought he would see the Celtics road team who struggled against the Hawks and Cavs in the playoffs come into the Staples Center on Tuesday or if he thought the Celtics’ road team who won 2 of the 3 games in Detroit last round would show up.  Phil responded with the fact that he wasn’t worried about what Celtics’ team would show up, rather he was concerned which Lakers team would be ready for Game 3.  And that’s exactly the issue that the Lakers need to address right now.  While Kobe’s final numbers have cosmetically looked fine, he’s been pretty ineffective throughout the first two games of the series.  Lamar Odom has at times looked like he could be the difference maker and at times looked like he was more frightened to be here than Drew Barrymore’s character in Scream.  Pau Gasol has looked more like the nice player in Memphis that doesn’t win games instead of the missing piece to a potential Lakers’ dynasty.  Derek Fisher has been almost completely outplayed by Rajon Rondo.  And the Lakers' role players have looked pathetic against the Celtics’ bench.  Is this same Lakers’ team going to show up in Los Angeles and look to get swept or is the opportunistic, Spurs-slaying Lakers’ team going to show up and make this a series? 

Here are three things for the Lakers to do to win Game 3:
1) Get to the basket and in turn, the foul line.  The Lakers played like they expected the calls to go there way instead of earning the respect of the referees.  They bitched more than they banged.  The Lakers need to get aggressive and make the refs call fouls against the Celtics.  You can’t have your opponents shooting nearly 4 times the amount free throws that you do.  This is much easier to do at home and I wish I could make a bet on Kobe Bryant getting to the free throw line at least 20 times in Game 3. 
2) Get a meaningful star performance.  Kobe Bryant is simply getting his numbers at this point in the series.  He helped bring the Lakers back, but his points throughout the first three quarters couldn’t have been less important.  Kobe has to make the Celtics defense pay and make them confused in their rotations.  Kobe is so good at switching directions of the court, that he should be able to drive to the basket at will and create open shots for him and his teammates.  Phil Jackson should fine him $1,000 for every jumper he takes when he has single coverage. 
3) How about the bench steps up before the fourth quarter?  The Lakers’ bench aside from their fourth quarter performance in Game 2 has been pathetic thus far.  At times, I would rather have Jeff McInnis and Earl Boykins as my backup guards than Sasha Vujacic and Jordan Farmar with the way they’ve played.  The Lakers bench needs to bring some energy, scoring, and a quick tempo to the game if they’re going to be effective.  Otherwise, just play the starters for 45 minutes each. 
Prediction for Game 3 – Lakers win by 11

Photos Courtesy of yahoo.com and espn.com, respectively.

Submit Your Comments About This Series

Game 1 Recap - Also Check out the Recaps from other Talkhoops.net Voices
Ubuntu was balling tonight. 

Just to remind the 6 people that haven’t heard this from ESPN yet, ubuntu is the word from the African Bantu language that values the collective success instead of the individuals achieving that success.  Tonight, the Boston Celtics shined as a collective unit and stopped individual success that was supposed to come from across the court. 

Kevin Garnett set the tone early with solid defense and aggressiveness on offense.  He dropped 8 points and grabbed 4 rebounds in the first quarter with more energy than a case of Red Bulls.  But it wasn’t all about him.  Ray Allen came out aggressive and proved to all of his critics that he wasn’t done and in fact had just been in a shooting slump.  He had 6 points in the first quarter.  Rajon Rondo showed that he’s closer to Derek Fisher in terms of impact than most people gave him credit for heading into this series.  He had 4 points and 3 assists in the first.  The Celtics overcame Paul Pierce’s early foul trouble and the Lakers balanced attack to finish with a 2-point first quarter lead and evidence that they could effectively guard Kobe Bryant (4 points, 2 for 8 shooting). 

But no one in particular (besides maybe KG) ultimately shined for the Celtics early on.  They truly did it as a team throughout this ball game.  Sam Cassell came off the bench much to the chagrin of Celtics’ fans and contributed 6 quick points to keep the Celtics attack going.  Leon Powe was able to contribute with 4 points and 4 big rebounds off the bench.  P.J. Brown, the most underrated in-season pickup, played better than any big man in the game not named Kevin Garnett.  This was truly an example of collective success on the biggest stage possible.  And the Celtics were able to overcome a huge game by Derek Fisher and a solid game by Pau Gasol. 

And I’m sure by now, you’ve noticed that I haven’t mentioned Paul Pierce’s offensive explosion in the second half after injuring his knee.  Kevin Garnett has never been able to carry the load by himself.  Some call it nerves and I think it’s just because he gets in these lulls by the time the 4th quarter comes because he’s so hyped up and energized throughout game day.  Or maybe it’s somewhere in between.  Either way, KG has desperately needed throughout his career someone to step up and be his second gun.  After Paul Pierce scared the Northeastern corner of this state half to death when he went down with a dangerous knee injury, he decided to pull a Willis Reed and comeback to energize the crowd.  When Willis Reed did it, he made his first 2 shots and then didn’t make another one the rest of the game.  Paul Pierce didn’t stop at 4 points.  He scored 11 points after he came back from the locker room and had a grand total of 19 in the second half of this ball game.  It allowed KG to make mistakes on offense, be a little timid, and finish strong once he got rid of those nerves without hurting the Celtics’ chances at winning.  KG was shaky with the ball in the fourth quarter and seemed like he might have been on the verge of a collapse before flushing home an offensive rebound and regaining his intensity. Pierce took the pressure off him, along with Ray Allen, and it helped him concentrate on defense and rebounding.

For the Lakers, Derek Fisher was phenomenal (even though Rondo's big game almost negated it).  His 15 points, 6 assists, and 3 steals kept the Lakers around the Celtics for much of the first half.   But the Celtics adjusted to him and held him to just 2 points in the second half.  Lamar Odom was good but hardly ever guarded Garnett and didn’t do much on the defensive side of the court.  Pau Gasol was good but couldn’t handle Kevin Garnett at all.  Kobe Bryant had 24 points but needed 26 attempts to get there.  The Lakers bench scored just 15 points.  They were dominated on the boards, didn’t have make many shots and couldn’t knock down timely three-pointers.  However, the stats look much worse than Kobe’s team actually performed.  The Lakers had a lot of shots go halfway down and then come out.  They didn’t turn the ball over, which was huge.  They were able to attack the basket a lot in the first half and settled for jumpers in the second half.  The Lakers played a good game, especially when they ran the pick and roll, but couldn’t seem to come through on their execution. 

Looking Forward to Game 2 – Clearly, as Kobe Bryant goes, the Lakers go.  Their title chances rest solely on his shoulders and he wouldn’t have it any other way.  Celtics’ assistant coach and defensive guru, Tom Thibodeau, ran many different defenders at Kobe and made him work for tough jumpers.  They ran Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo out at him, while always sending a quick double team from Kevin Garnett or Paul Pierce.  They ran Paul Pierce and James Posey at Kobe on defense and found a way to double with P.J. Brown and Kevin Garnett.  It reminded me of the way the Hornets defended Tim Duncan with their double teams.   It was disruptive enough to keep Kobe out of rhythm.  Here are 3 things the Lakers need to do to steal Game 2:
1.  Attack Pierce and Perkins.   Both Paul Pierce and Kendrick Perkins suffered leg injuries during this game that could end up affecting them in the next game.  They were fine off of adrenaline and whatever drugs the Celtics’ trainers shot them up with in the locker room, but after sleeping on it tonight, it could really begin to bother them as their bodies begin the healing process.  If I’m the Lakers, I’m attacking them early and often, in Game 2 to try to inflict pain and take advantage of slower defenders.  Lamar Odom will be the one most necessary to complete this task.  
2.  Run the pick and roll.  John Karalis of Redsarmy.com, stated that the Celtics “at times it seemed like they had never seen that play.”  Running Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol as a two-man, pick and roll offense is the perfect way to attack the Celtics if they’re struggling to rotate and properly defend it.  If they spread the floor with a slasher like Odom, Radmanovic or Vujacic, and Derek Fisher, the Celtics will have an awfully tough time keeping them under 90 points again. 
3.  Get out and run.  The Lakers got away from everything in the second half that aided them to a halftime lead.  They hardly ran at all and had a very slow pace.  Maybe they were hoping Kobe could come through in the half-court sets or maybe Boston was just too good in getting back in transition.  Either way, Phil Jackson needs to make those necessary adjustments in the third quarter to keep the pace fast and the Celtics on their heels. 
Prediction for Game 2 – Lakers by 7
I fully expect Phil Jackson to tweak his game plan to take advantage of match-up issues that the Celtics got away with in the first game.  If Ray Allen continues to play like this against Kobe Bryant, the Lakers may find themselves down 0-2 going back to Los Angeles.  The injuries to Perkins and Pierce will be the key and if they’re 100% in Game 2, the Lakers will need their bench to score in the 20’s and Kobe to score in the 40’s to lead them to victory. 

Photos Courtesy of ESPN.com and Yahoo.com, respectively

Submit Your Comments About This Series

The 13 Topics of Hibernation

Photo Courtesy of hollywoodreporter.com

I don’t know that I’m prepared for the media coverage and the over-saturation that will happen over potentially the next 16 days when Game 7 happens on June 19th.  This is exactly what I was afraid of.  Actually, let me re-phrase that.  Other than a potential LeBron vs. Kobe NBA Finals that would have sent me into hibernation from the media blizzard that would’ve inundated my TiVo, a Celtics-Lakers Finals seems like the media’s version of a wet dream.  I don’t know that I’ll even watch PTI, SportsCenter or any pre-game/halftime/post-game pieces because they will be constant and the only way to keep my sanity is to avoid them at all costs.  I’ll do you a favor so you can avoid them too and still be tuned into the series by laying out the topics that will be beaten to death in the next couple of weeks.
Click Here to Read More

Prediction for the NBA Finals - Celtics in 7 Games

Point Guard - Rajon Rondo vs. Derek Fisher
	Rajon Rondo's growth throughout this season has been a big key to the Celtics winning 66 regular season games and making it to the Finals. But now he has to do it against the ultimate veteran and avoid disappearing for big stretches of the series like he did on the road in these playoffs.		Derek Fisher is getting older and is assumed to be too slow to guard Rajon Rondo. However, he's one of the smartest players to ever play this game, he plays great defense (even on quicker guys), and has a knack for killing opposing teams with big shots. Fisher's D along with his experience give him the nod.
Slight Advantage - Derek Fisher
Shooting Guard - Ray Allen vs. Kobe Bryant
	Ray Allen doesn't have to match Kobe Bryant point for point. He just has to give the Celtics 60% of whatever Kobe is giving the Lakers on offense. The good thing for Ray is his longtime "feud" with Kobe, which could motivate him right out of his slump.		Kobe Bryant has been wanting this moment since he won his first championship with Shaquille O'Neal leading the way. Now it's Kobe's turn to be the #1 guy on a team gunning for the Larry O'Brien trophy. Expect the best performance that we've ever seen out of Kobe.
Big Advantage - Kobe Bryant
Small Forward - Paul Pierce vs. Vlad Radmanovic
	Paul Pierce has to be aggressive on offense in a way that doesn't stop the ball movement or create long rebounds and runouts for the Lakers. Only Kobe Bryant can guard Pierce on the Lakers so if Kobe gets the assignment, Pierce has to pound him and score.		Vlad Radmanovic once again doesn't have to contribute 20 points per game or even play lockdown defense on any of the Celtics' stars. He just has to be able to give them about 20 minutes of solid shooting when called upon and minimal mistakes on both ends of the floor.
Big Advantage - Paul Pierce
Power Forward - Kevin Garnett vs. Lamar Odom
	The last time KG had to prove himself to his critics in the playoffs, he fought his way through to the Western Conference Finals with an underwhelming T'Wolves team. Now to prove himself again, KG is going to have to be the man in winning this title.		Lamar Odom may end up being the most important player for the Lakers in this series. When he's motivated and on his game, nobody can guard him. He's always given KG fits in the past and will need to do that for four more wins now. Odom's rebounding and defense will fuel the Lakers.
Slight Advantage - Kevin Garnett
Center - Kendrick Perkins vs. Pau Gasol
	Kendrick has been a very underrated player in terms of contributing to the playoff success of the Celtics. His rebounding was stellar against the Pistons and he'll need to find a way to do the same against Pau Gasol. Celtics need a double-double from him.		Pau Gasol was the "donation" that helped get the Lakers here. Now he has to continue to help this team win by playing at an All-Star level against the Celtics. His defense will be the biggest key since it's his biggest weakness. If he can alter shots and rebound the ball, Lakers look good.
Slight Advantage - Pau Gasol
Celtics' Bench vs. Lakers' Bench
	Eddie House, James Posey, P.J. Brown and Leon Powe are probably the only ones to play in this series. But if Sam Cassell gets a chance, he has to be effective. He's supposed to be the steadying hand off the bench and hasn't shown that so far.		Jordan Farmar, Sasha Vujacic, Ronny Turiaf, and Luke Walton are going to be the rotation off the bench for Los Angeles. Farmar may end up being the most important. If his confidence is high and he's knocking down his jumper, the whole second unit becomes 10 times better.
Advantage - Lakers Bench
Coaching - Doc Rivers vs. Phil Jackson
	Doc has been one of the biggest handicaps for this Celtics team, but he knows his guys, is respected by his players and has the love of them. Despite bad X's and O's, this attitude he brings to his players will be the reason they come together and win.		Phil Jackson will always out-coach Doc Rivers, but the key is can he keep somebody like Kobe Bryant from getting into a pissing match with Ray Allen and can he keep Lamar Odom's head in the game. If he can't do those two things, Boston could roll over this Lakers' squad.
Big Advantage - Phil Jackson