It was one of the most dominant performances we have witnessed in sports over the past several years. More than that, it was arguably the biggest embarrassment in Los Angeles Lakers' history and one of the proudest in the storied franchise that is the Boston Celtics.
We've seen it all from the Celtics this series. They were locked in a tough battle with the Lakers in game one before finally pulling away in the fourth quarter for a 10-point victory. In game two, Boston was thumping Los Angeles until the Lakers went on a tremendous fourth quarter run to trim a deficit that was once 24 to two. Still, the Celtics didn't panic, and they were able to hold L.A. off for a six-point win. Game three was tight the whole way through, and it wasn't until there was under a minute left that the Lakers finally had the game all but in the bag for an 87-81 triumph.
Then, in game four, the seemingly impossible happened, as Boston did what Los Angeles almost accomplished in game two, rallying back from a 24-point hole to beat the Lakers in their own backyard to take a commanding 3-1 series lead. Los Angeles then blew two big leads in game five (a 19-point advantage in the first half and then a 14-point cushion in the fourth quarter) but was able to hang on to extend the series. After watching game six, one must wonder why the Lakers even bothered, as the Celtics annihilated, obliterated, decimated (and whatever other synonyms for those words there are) Los Angeles 131-92. Yes, that's a 39-point margin, the largest in Boston's Finals' history.
Everyone contributed for the Celtics. Kevin Garnett finally silenced his critics, recording 26 points and 14 rebounds. Ray Allen tied an NBA Finals' record by draining seven three-pointers en route to a 26-point performance (he also set a Finals' record by knocking down 22 threes overall in the series). Rajon Rondo may have been the player of the game, finishing with 21 points, eight assists, seven rebounds, and six, yes, six, steals. Paul Pierce scored 17 points, and although he struggled with his shot (he went only 4-of-13), also tallied 10 assists, a demonstration of his unselfishness.
James Posey was perfect off the bench, hitting all four of his field goal attempts (three of them being three-pointers) for 11 points. He also played stellar defense on Kobe Bryant, who we'll get to later. Even Glen Davis and Tony Allen chipped in, and the two may have even put the icing on the cake of the series. Late in the fourth quarter, Davis crossed up several Lakers on a drive and threw down a vicious tomahawk jam. On Boston's next possession, Allen caught an alley-oop pass and put it home with a reverse slam.
Now, for the Lakers. The poor, pathetic, soft Laker team that ironically represents the city of Los Angeles. They were helpless last night. The entire team. Bryant, Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol, Derek Fisher...everybody. Bryant started out strong, burying three three-pointers and scoring 11 points in the first five-and-a-half minutes of the first quarter and even taunting some Boston fans by saying, "Not today." Well, Bryant then did his latest disappearing act, missing his final six threes and finishing with only 22 points (meaning he scored only 11 over the final 42-and-a-half minutes). Oh, and how was his shot selection? Awful as usual, as the MVP (again, what a joke) went only 7-of-22 from the floor to cap off his second consecutive miserable Finals' series (remember how terrible he was against Detroit in 2004?). Oh, and how many assists did the so-called "best player on the planet" have? One.
Sure, Boston's swarming defense played a huge part in keeping Bryant at bay. Still, Bryant simply looked lost. Befuddled. Did Michael Jordan, whom Bryant is ridiculously compared to, ever look like a deer in headlights in a big game? Nope. Never. Bryant, however, looked like that nearly all series long, and it wasn't any clearer than it was last night. Pierce, Ray Allen, and Posey played phenomenal defense on Bryant, as did the interior help. Garnett and Kendrick Perkins did not allow Kobe to get inside all series long. Rondo also harassed Bryant whenever he made one of his hesitant attempts to drive the lane, even ripping the ball out of the MVP's (haha) hands late in the game. But like I said; that wouldn't have happened to Jordan. I can't even picture it.
Then, there's Gasol. Mr. Softie. He always had a reputation for being a bit of a pushover, and he only confirmed that this series. The seven-footer scored only 11 points and turned the ball over five times last night. Rondo tore the ball away from him at least three times in the early going, and Garnett and Perkins simply shut him down the rest of the way. Odom was no better than his frontcourt mate, connecting on only two of eight field goal attempts. And somewhere, Vladimir Radmanovic is still launching rainbow threes that are lucky to even miss gracefully.
And what happened to the heralded Laker bench? Jordan Farmar was the only reserve who did anything worthy of some praise, scoring 12 points and knocking down three from beyond the arc. Sasha Vujacic played scared (as usual), as did Luke Walton and Mr. Tough Guy, Ronny Turiaf. He can take down one of the smallest guys in the league in Utah's Ronnie Price, but once you hit him in the mouth like Garnett, Perkins, and P.J. Brown did all series, he becomes as quiet as a mouse.
It's funny how all of the so-called "experts" gave Boston no chance to win this series, saying Los Angeles should dispose of the Celtics without a problem when it was the other way around the whole time. I am really wondering how in the world the Lakers managed to win two games.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Monday, June 09, 2008
108-102 doesn't begin to tell the story
I don't care that the Celtics only beat the Lakers by six points in game two of the NBA Finals. I don't care that Los Angeles made a nice comeback at the end when Doc Rivers had his reserves on the floor and Boston had gotten complacent. The fact is, the Celtics handed the Lakers a good old-fashioned thrashing last night, dominating them in nearly every facet of the game.
As I have said over and over again, Boston is simply too physical for Los Angeles. The Celtics' bigs trumped L.A.'s all night, including Leon Powe, who finished with 21 points off 6-of-7 shooting while hitting on 9-of-13 free throws in 15 minutes. That's right; 21 points and 13 free throw attempts in 15 minutes. Where in the world was that Laker defense?
One play in the fourth quarter pretty much encapsulated Los Angeles' defensive effort last night. It was when Powe picked up a loose ball and sped down the court past several Laker defenders for a vicious tomahawk slam that prompted the crowd at TD Banknorth Garden to chant his name. No, but seriously; he literally ran right by the entire Laker team without being even the slightest bit contested. Sorry Laker fans, but this is a fact: the Los Angeles Lakers are soft.
So soft that Boston attempted 28 more free throws than them (38 to 10, and don't pin that on the refs because Los Angeles simply wasn't being aggressive at all). So soft that Powe, who, again, played only 15 minutes in game two and played in only 56 games during the regular season, out-shot the entire Laker team from the charity stripe by three.
Another big problem for Los Angeles is that Rajon Rondo has made Derek Fisher look old this series...very old. The 22-year old Rondo racked up 16 assists last night compared to only two turnovers and simply wore Fisher down by getting out on the break and darting down the court to receive outlet passes to start them. Where was Fisher? Eating Rondo's dust.
And, once again, Paul Pierce out-shined Kobe Bryant (a joke of an MVP), connecting on all four of his three-point attempts and finishing with 28 points and eight assists. Sure, Bryant also scored 30 and dished out eight dimes, but most of his points came in garbage time and when Boston had all of its bench players on the floor during the rout. Not only that, but if you were watching the game and didn't see either players' stat-lines at the end, you would think Pierce out-scored Bryant by 20. He just meant that much more to his team and has been the clear-cut MVP of the Finals so far.
Of course, Phil Jackson has reverted to blaming the officials for the Lakers' ineptness to get to the free throw line or figure out the Celtics, and that is ridiculous. Anyone outside of California (and even they should see it) knows that Los Angeles has simply been out-worked, out-hustled, out-smarted, and out-played by Boston. The Celtics have taken advantage of their opponent's lack of physicality, and that is the main reason why they are up 2-0 heading to the Staples Center.
Boston better take one last, long look at TD Banknorth Garden before departing for Los Angeles, because I don't even think the Celtics are going to have to take the trip back there later in the series. Boston will be crowned the 2007-08 NBA champions on the Lakers' home floor.
As I have said over and over again, Boston is simply too physical for Los Angeles. The Celtics' bigs trumped L.A.'s all night, including Leon Powe, who finished with 21 points off 6-of-7 shooting while hitting on 9-of-13 free throws in 15 minutes. That's right; 21 points and 13 free throw attempts in 15 minutes. Where in the world was that Laker defense?
One play in the fourth quarter pretty much encapsulated Los Angeles' defensive effort last night. It was when Powe picked up a loose ball and sped down the court past several Laker defenders for a vicious tomahawk slam that prompted the crowd at TD Banknorth Garden to chant his name. No, but seriously; he literally ran right by the entire Laker team without being even the slightest bit contested. Sorry Laker fans, but this is a fact: the Los Angeles Lakers are soft.
So soft that Boston attempted 28 more free throws than them (38 to 10, and don't pin that on the refs because Los Angeles simply wasn't being aggressive at all). So soft that Powe, who, again, played only 15 minutes in game two and played in only 56 games during the regular season, out-shot the entire Laker team from the charity stripe by three.
Another big problem for Los Angeles is that Rajon Rondo has made Derek Fisher look old this series...very old. The 22-year old Rondo racked up 16 assists last night compared to only two turnovers and simply wore Fisher down by getting out on the break and darting down the court to receive outlet passes to start them. Where was Fisher? Eating Rondo's dust.
And, once again, Paul Pierce out-shined Kobe Bryant (a joke of an MVP), connecting on all four of his three-point attempts and finishing with 28 points and eight assists. Sure, Bryant also scored 30 and dished out eight dimes, but most of his points came in garbage time and when Boston had all of its bench players on the floor during the rout. Not only that, but if you were watching the game and didn't see either players' stat-lines at the end, you would think Pierce out-scored Bryant by 20. He just meant that much more to his team and has been the clear-cut MVP of the Finals so far.
Of course, Phil Jackson has reverted to blaming the officials for the Lakers' ineptness to get to the free throw line or figure out the Celtics, and that is ridiculous. Anyone outside of California (and even they should see it) knows that Los Angeles has simply been out-worked, out-hustled, out-smarted, and out-played by Boston. The Celtics have taken advantage of their opponent's lack of physicality, and that is the main reason why they are up 2-0 heading to the Staples Center.
Boston better take one last, long look at TD Banknorth Garden before departing for Los Angeles, because I don't even think the Celtics are going to have to take the trip back there later in the series. Boston will be crowned the 2007-08 NBA champions on the Lakers' home floor.
Friday, June 06, 2008
Tidbits from game one
- As expected, Paul Pierce shredded Vladimir Radmanovic whenever he was defended by him. I marked this as one of the biggest keys to the series. With Kobe Bryant busy covering Ray Allen, the Lakers have no one that can keep up with Pierce all game, and this was evident in game one, as Radmanovic committed five fouls in 17 minutes.
- Boston will do everything in its power to keep Bryant from getting to the rim. Bryant finished with 24 points, but off 9-of-26 shooting. Why? Because the Celtics kept him out of the lane and forced Bryant to become a jump shooter, something he is not. Allen played phenomenal defense against the MVP, as did Pierce and James Posey whenever they were assigned to cover #24. Oh, and Bryant also attempted only six free throws.
- The Celtics' veterans may turn out to be the biggest difference-maker in this series. P.J. Brown and Sam Cassell both stepped up in big ways for Boston off the bench, with Brown collecting six rebounds and a big block on Bryant in the fourth quarter and Cassell finishing with eight points.
- The Celtics kept Los Angeles in check from behind the three-point line. The Lakers, widely considered one of the better outside shooting teams in the league, shot just 3-of-14 from beyond the arc Thursday night. Boston shot 6-of-19.
- The Celtics dominated the glass, out-rebounding Los Angeles 46-33. They also had 12 second-chance points compared to four for the Lakers.
- Rajon Rondo got to the free throw line 10 times yesterday and went 7-for-10 from the stripe. This was another key I pointed out before the series started: Rondo is too quick for Derek Fisher, who, despite finishing with 15 points, scored only two points in the second half. Clearly, Rondo was wearing him down.
- Ronny Turiaf took some jump shots from behind the free-throw line last night. That's not his job. Boston's physicality obviously bothered him.
- Lamar Odom was pretty much invisible. Yes, he had 14 points and six boards, but they were scattered. Other than a three-point play that brought Los Angeles to within five with just under two minutes to go in the fourth quarter, Odom was A.W.O.L. in game one.
- Allen did not just play well defensively, but he is also back on the offensive end of the floor. After a big uphill battle in the first two series' of the postseason and even at the beginning of the Eastern Conference Finals, Allen has re-discovered himself, averaging 21.7 points and 5.7 rebounds over his last three games.
- Do the Lakers really have a better bench than Boston? One wouldn't know it by watching the game last night. Sasha Vujajic, Luke Walton, Turiaf, and Jordan Farmar were essentially rendered useless in game one. Walton didn't even have a point.
- There is some good news and some bad news for Los Angeles. The good news: they turned the ball over only eight times while the Celtics committed 13 turnovers. The bad news: they still lost by 10.
Pierce's heroics lead Boston to game one win
The crowd was deathly silent. The Celtics were down 62-58. Most of all, Paul Pierce was down. And he was in pain.
After Pierce and Kendrick Perkins both jumped to try and block a Kobe Bryant floater, Pierce's legs got tied up with Perkins', and Pierce felt a pop in his knee.The Truth had to be carried off the court and then wheeled into the locker room. Not too long after, Pierce emerged from the Boston tunnel, sending the crowd at TD Banknorth Garden into a frenzy.
Pierce, who scored only three points in the first half, willed the Celtics to victory, scoring 19 points over the final 24 minutes, including draining two threes in a row to give Boston a 75-71 lead as the third quarter was winding down. The Celtics would never relinquish that lead, and they ended up taking game one of the NBA Finals from the Lakers by a score of 98-88.
Kevin Garnett compensated for Pierce's poor first half, scoring 16 points off 6-of-9 shooting. He would finish with 24 points and 13 rebounds and put the icing on the cake of the game with two hustle plays late in the fourth quarter. First, Garnett ran into the backcourt to save a backcourt violation, keeping his feet in the air and flipping the ball back into the frontcourt where Sam Cassell caught it and knocked down one of his four field goals. He then capped things off with an emphatic put-back jam on a missed three by James Posey.
Pierce's performace is sure to go down in Celtic lore. The 10-year veteran said he felt like he tore something when he first went down, and even went as far to say that he thought he was done. Still, being the warrior that he is, when Pierce discovered he was able to stand up and put pressure on his leg in the locker room, he wasted no time in coming back on to the floor.
There will be some skeptics that will say Pierce exaggerated his injury a little bit to fire up the arena and his team, but do you really think he was thinking that when he went down? Also, does anyone seriously believe that a man who has waited his whole life to reach this point is going to sacrifice playing time to fake an injury? If anyone does, then they need to get their head checked.
However, it wasn't just Pierce and Garnett who put up stellar game one performances. P.J. Brown was huge off the bench, replacing Perkins who injured his ankle soon after Pierce fell to the floor. Brown only put up two points, but he tallied six rebounds and play phenomenal interior defense, particularly in helping out against Bryant. The 37-year old also started a fast-break when he stuffed a Bryant layup attempt. Rajon Rondo produced as well, going for 15 points, seven assists, and five rebounds. Cassell recorded eight points off the bench.
Bryant could not buy a bucket for Los Angeles, finishing 9-for-26. He did have 24 points, but the only real efficient stretch he had was a portion of the beginning of the third quarter. Ray Allen played stifling defense on the MVP, and that isn't the first time he has done so. Bryant is shooting only 33% from the floor (24-for-72) in three games against Boston this season. Allen gave Kobe no room to breathe, and when Allen wasn't defending Bryant, Pierce or Posey were blanketing him. Bryant felt he "missed some bunnies" and that it was more him failing to convert on good looks than it was the Celtic defense stopping him, but anyone who was watching the game knows that that is completely false. If the three-time champion cannot figure out how to shake this Boston defense which ranked number one in the league this season, the Lakers are in trouble; big trouble.
After Pierce and Kendrick Perkins both jumped to try and block a Kobe Bryant floater, Pierce's legs got tied up with Perkins', and Pierce felt a pop in his knee.The Truth had to be carried off the court and then wheeled into the locker room. Not too long after, Pierce emerged from the Boston tunnel, sending the crowd at TD Banknorth Garden into a frenzy.
Pierce, who scored only three points in the first half, willed the Celtics to victory, scoring 19 points over the final 24 minutes, including draining two threes in a row to give Boston a 75-71 lead as the third quarter was winding down. The Celtics would never relinquish that lead, and they ended up taking game one of the NBA Finals from the Lakers by a score of 98-88.
Kevin Garnett compensated for Pierce's poor first half, scoring 16 points off 6-of-9 shooting. He would finish with 24 points and 13 rebounds and put the icing on the cake of the game with two hustle plays late in the fourth quarter. First, Garnett ran into the backcourt to save a backcourt violation, keeping his feet in the air and flipping the ball back into the frontcourt where Sam Cassell caught it and knocked down one of his four field goals. He then capped things off with an emphatic put-back jam on a missed three by James Posey.
Pierce's performace is sure to go down in Celtic lore. The 10-year veteran said he felt like he tore something when he first went down, and even went as far to say that he thought he was done. Still, being the warrior that he is, when Pierce discovered he was able to stand up and put pressure on his leg in the locker room, he wasted no time in coming back on to the floor.
There will be some skeptics that will say Pierce exaggerated his injury a little bit to fire up the arena and his team, but do you really think he was thinking that when he went down? Also, does anyone seriously believe that a man who has waited his whole life to reach this point is going to sacrifice playing time to fake an injury? If anyone does, then they need to get their head checked.
However, it wasn't just Pierce and Garnett who put up stellar game one performances. P.J. Brown was huge off the bench, replacing Perkins who injured his ankle soon after Pierce fell to the floor. Brown only put up two points, but he tallied six rebounds and play phenomenal interior defense, particularly in helping out against Bryant. The 37-year old also started a fast-break when he stuffed a Bryant layup attempt. Rajon Rondo produced as well, going for 15 points, seven assists, and five rebounds. Cassell recorded eight points off the bench.
Bryant could not buy a bucket for Los Angeles, finishing 9-for-26. He did have 24 points, but the only real efficient stretch he had was a portion of the beginning of the third quarter. Ray Allen played stifling defense on the MVP, and that isn't the first time he has done so. Bryant is shooting only 33% from the floor (24-for-72) in three games against Boston this season. Allen gave Kobe no room to breathe, and when Allen wasn't defending Bryant, Pierce or Posey were blanketing him. Bryant felt he "missed some bunnies" and that it was more him failing to convert on good looks than it was the Celtic defense stopping him, but anyone who was watching the game knows that that is completely false. If the three-time champion cannot figure out how to shake this Boston defense which ranked number one in the league this season, the Lakers are in trouble; big trouble.
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