The Celtics must win game 5. The Celtics are beat up and Perk, Pierce and Rondo are all hurting along with assorted other aches and pains. Long plane trips are not good for injuries and the plane trip back to Boston may aggravate the knees, ankles and shoulders etc that are hurting. I can see the Celtics struggling in a game 6 because of it. Then there would be a game 7 and anything can happen then. Just because no team has ever come back from a 3-1 deficit in the Finals, it doesn't mean that one won't. I want the Celtics to close this one out on Sunday.
We have several new dads on the Celtics in Pierce, Garnett, Posey, Scal, Powe, and Rondo. It would be a special and memorable first fathers Fathers' Day for each of them if they could win on Sunday. But, it would be even more special for Doc to win the championship on Father's Day. Doc lost his father to cancer in November and it is still difficult for him. He was very close to his dad. When Doc was asked about his father during media availability on Saturday, he choked up and was unable to talk about it. It would be wonderful for Doc to win the championship on Fathers Day and be able to dedicate the win to his dad.
I am still a bit giddy over the comeback win in game 4. In this series, both teams came back from 24 point leads. In game 2, the Lakers cut it to 2 but couldn't get it done. In game 4, the Celtics came all the way back to win it. That is the difference between a championship contender and a championship team.
Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett and PJ Brown are all one game away from getting the ring they have played their entire careers chasing. With it so close, can these guys do anything less than leave it all on the court? We haven't yet seen this team play an entire game well. They have been out scored by the Lakers in the 1st quarters 98-77. The Celtics have out scored the Lakers in second and third quarters 100-96 and 116-73 respectively. The Lakers have out scored the Celtics 101-91 in fourth quarters.
The Celtics haven't gotten out to a really good start in any of the 4 games. They have had strong 3rd quarters in every game. Doc must have some half time speech. To win game 5, the Celtics must come out strong to begin the first quarter. They have to build an early lead to try to get into the Lakers' heads and get the mental edge. They haven't played defense in the first half of any of the games. They clamped down in the second half of every game. If the Celtics come out strong and play that type of defense right from the beginning, they will put the Lakers on their heels early and banner 17 will be a reality. Defense is the key and they need to play it for 48 minutes.
I guess it is still 50-50 whether Perk plays or not. In his presser, Doc said that Perk was fine and had good motion in his shoulder and would definitely start. When they asked Perk, he said it was still sore and wasn't sure if he could go. He also didn't use that arm in the practice. The Celtics bench is deep enough to still pull it out even if Perk can't go. I loved the lineup with KG, House, Posey, Ray and Pierce. This is the lineup that was on the floor as the Celtics made their comeback in game 4. Lex Nihil Novi calls them KG and the Four Guns. I love it!!! The Lakers have trouble defending this lineup because every spot is a threat to score and they can't double team. It also works because they are all good rebounders and defenders.
There has been a lot of talk about who should win the MVP of the Finals assuming the Celtics win it all. Ray Allen and Paul Pierce both are candidates. Ray has been the most consistent and has really upped his game for the Finals. Pierce had that horrible game 3 but otherwise has been very strong. KG has also been solid with a double double in every game, even game 3 where he didn't play well. These three have done everything together all season. They have shared the credit and the blame. I think the league should make history and choose co-MVP's. If the Celtics should win the series, Ray, Paul and KG should share the honor. Ubuntu.
Defense has been the difference in this series so far. The Celtics have won all 3 games with defense and in the game they lost, that defense was missing. Defense will decide the winner of this series and if the Celtics want to close it out in 5, they need to play 48 minutes of the most stifling defense ever. If they do, the Celtics will once again be World Champions.
Phil Jackson has led the way for his team to make excuses and blame everything except their own failures for the loss. After game 2, Phil blamed the loss on the refs. Yes, there was a big free throw discrepancy, but it was because the Celtics were aggressive and took the ball to the hoop and his team did not. His example led the way for his players to blame the refs and everything else for their own failures. After game 3, there was also a large free throw differential, but to the Lakers' benefit. Doc, unlike Jackson, refused to make excuses and blame the refs. Instead, he put the blame where it belonged, on his team's lack of aggression.
After game 4. Sasha picked up where his coach left off and took it to another level. Here is what he said when asked about his failure to guard Ray Allen on his drive to the hoop for the layup that sealed the Celtics victory.
"The whole game, from the minute I came in, they called fouls on me. He fell down, foul. I was trying to find a way to guard him for 48 minutes, and everything I did was a foul. He got me. He went to the basket, and it was a good basket. I don't know what else to say,"
Let's think about this statement for a few minutes. He played 23 minutes and at the end of the game, he had 3 fouls. Doesn't seem to me as though everything he did was a foul. I watched several sequences where Vujacic slapped at and grabbed Ray Allen and got away with it. And, the part where he says Ray fell down and got a foul, that is where Sasha pulled him down after a rebound and then tried to grab his leg with a scissor move which could easily have injured him. The picture above clearly shows Sasha using a scissor move with his legs to try to trip Ray and the ref is standing there looking on. Ray got the 2 free throws, but a technical should have been called as a move like that could easily injure a player. The photo above shows it clearly.
And I leave you with a look at Sasha Vujacic on the bench showing his team spirit and fostering team chemistry. Poor guy, maybe if he didn't try to blame his failures on everyone but himself, he wouldn't be so frustrated.
After the Celtics historic comeback in game 4, I read quite a few articles about how the Lakers choked. They were up by 24 points and then let the Celtics come back. In reality, the Lakers didn't choke, they were strangled by the Celtics defense. The Lakers raced out to their 24 point lead as the Celtics played little or no defense in the first half. They exerted little or no energy going after rebounds or loose balls. The Lakers had their way and seemingly did whatever they wanted.
Then, in the second half, it was a completely different story. The Celtics came out and played their brand of defense that made them the top defensive team in the NBA this season. Over the regular season, the Celtics held teams to under 42% shooting. They had the biggest differential in the league between points scored and points allowed. After the Celtics ended Houston's 22 game win streak, Tracy McGrady said that he had never seen defense like the Celtics played.
In the second half of game 4, the Celtics put that defense on display. In this game, Paul Pierce showed how a Captain should act. Unlike Kobe's brand of leadership that involves temper tantrums, excuses and berating teammates, Pierce quietly took control of the game and lifted his team with him. He told Doc that he wanted to guard Kobe, thus freeing Ray up to concentrate more on offense and eliminating the need to double Kobe. At the same time, Posey was put on Odom who had the hot hand in the first half, going 6-6 from the floor. Both Pierce and Posey did an incredible job, virtually shutting both players down. Pierce encouraged his teammates, not letting them give up even though they had played poorly and were down by a huge margin. Instead of berating them and yelling, he assumed responsibility and got down into the trenches and led by example. Here is an example of Kobe's brand of leadership. No wonder the team seemed to fall apart when the pressure was on.
Back to the Celtics' defense. No matter where the Lakers went, they faced a wall of Celtics shutting off all paths to the basket. They were strangled by the Celtics' stifling defense. It is funny that most articles talked about how the Lakers gave the game away. They didn't give it away, the Celtics took it, plain and simple. It was the Celtics defense that took the Lakers out of their game.
The Lakers were favored by just about every "expert" going into this series because of their vaunted offense. The Celtics have proved though the first 4 games of this series that defense really does win championships. The Celtics still must win one more game. But, if they continue to play the kind of defense that they played in the second half of game 4, that shouldn't be a problem.
Here are comments found around the Lakers' boards during their historic choke in game 4. It was funny to read the comments as the game went on. In the first half the fans were loving the team and declaring them the better team and by the end of the game, they were ready to break up the team and throw them all under the bus. It was a great win for the Celtics but, I know it had to be a tough one for the Lakers fans to swallow. While most fans gave up on the series after this game, there were still a few hoping for a historic comeback from down 3-1. That would be me if the Celtics were on the other side. Always love your team. Never give up on them. I hope you enjoy this version of Comments from the Other Side.
Vegas says lakers by 7, and it now appears Vegas knows a lot more that what was previously thought
Kobe will have to impose his will on the game. I fully expect Garnett to suck offensively again. He has no stones for the big games. He will still play good defense though and rebound, so Pau will have to actually go at him Rondo will be a non-factor, due to the ankle and the fact that he is Rondo on the road. I don't expect Pierce to suck again, unless his knee is acting up. Ray Allen will have a crappy game.
Lamar is going to have a break out game.
Kobe guarding Rhondo again will be crucial..if so then he can roam around and help out and double KG and Pierce and play the passing lanes. We might not see a lot of Rhondo if Kobe is guarding him, since he's hobbled. May see more House who is an outside threat...but not a true PG...so Farmar and Fisher have to attack him
The longer this series goes, the more it plays into the Lakers hands as the injuries (due to the numerous longer series) work against Boston.
Ijust heard that rondo is playing, so lets see how "injured" he is and if pierce's knee is better and Perkins ankle.
We saw Cassell in game 1, Powe in game 2, and a little bit of House in game 3, C's are running out of bench players to elevate them, hopefully we have figured out how to guard these guys by game 4.
If Doc's "coaching" in game three during a late game deficit is any indication for the games to come, we will definitely have a good chance to win every game if we have the lead down the stretch. He got so scared of the Kobe attack down the stretch that he sent KG and Allen to guard Kobe mid court, leaving Sasha for open threes. In one of the later huddles he said, "We need stops and scores. Stop and scores. Stops and scores". Try to top that, Phil. Brilliant!
I've noticed this a lot, he does a lot more motivating then coaching. And, having House play big minutes in the 4th quarter of the finals, after not playing much at all during the playoffs, is a sign of very poor coaching. I am not saying that putting House in is a bad idea but, not preparing him to play; by having him play some key minutes, knowing you will eventually need him. Look at Phil, almost every Laker, that’s in the rotation, has played big minutes, in big games; that’s preparation.
Also, I hope Rondo is well and playing; he makes the Lakers defense so much better.
I wonder why they didn't give Rondo a wheelchair
I'm worried about game 4 because I'm sure Celtics will make adjustments on Kobe so he doesn't get as good openings in the paint like game 3 which is where Odoms ability is needed
I think the C's are getting tired. I really think the Lakers should run more at every opportunity. The C's transition D is very good but the Lakers haven't really challenged it except at the end of Game 2 with the huge comeback. Run those old goats to the ground.
I don't understand why people are saying they're getting tired. They had a whole week off before the finals. That's plenty of time to rest up. This is the championship FINALS.. You can rest when you're dead..
KG definitely looked tired. He was taking outside shots instead of driving in. Even Phil said he looked tired. They did have a week off but they were in two 7 game series and an intense 6 game series with the Pistons. There is a ton of milage on the C's 3 amigos. It is not a stretch to think they are tired.
The most important thing is for kg to stay out of the post, he's taking himself out of the game(on offense) with his bad shooting
Find a picture of KG setting a screen and change the title to "Boston Illegal" with "Just when you thought it was safe to run into KG's screen"
Hopefully Rivers continues to be dumb and gives Rondo a lot of minutes. That plays right into what we're trying to do defensively.
Lets go lakers! Time to shut all the people up who are writing the lakers off! Must win game! Win this one for me! I can't face my office tomm. If the lakers lose!
Lakers make it a best of 3 after tonight!!!!!! Look for Kobe to have a near 40 point game. Look for Gasol to be in double digits and possibly Sasha to have another huge game.
YES!! Jon Barry just picked the Celtics to win game 4. The Lakers are guaranteed a win now
I may be nuts....but it looks like Kobe isn't that focused...I donno it's hard to explain. Pierce/Allen/KG all seem zoned in right now and trying to concentrate...I donno...hope I'm wrong
Well lookie who's whining about calls already. Doc losing his cool already.
The Lakers cannot allow themselves to get into ugly, slow, painful Eastern Conference ball. It takes them down to the Celtics level instead of them playing up to their level which is significantly higher.
They could have called that fragrant 1 almost... If perkin's arm was a bit higher up
Who saw Doc's face when he saw Sasha coming into the game. I think somebody is afraid of the Machine!!!
I told y'all we weren't soft. If they let us play we can handlee these dudes. We just had some jitters in the first two games along with bad ref's. The refs are letting us play and are giving us the calls and we are showing these Boston wimps who's boss.
Lol cassell jacking up shots... GO CLIPPERS
WHo would have guessed lamar would show up before KG.
Heh. Rondo being unguarded is kinda funny. -_- Honestly I don't mind Rondo shooting the ball, and KG with his Outside shots.
Heh. Rondo being unguarded is kinda funny. -_- Honestly I don't mind Rondo shooting the ball, and KG with his Outside shots.
See how Boston comes out of the time out and scores.. When was the last time Lakers did that? It seems like every play after a timeout Phil sets up some crappy play that ends up with Kobe chucking it to beat the 24 clock.
Its not worth watching...they will kill us in the 4th. This game is over. They will close it out Sunday. They are by far the better team it isn't even close
If we do lose then the better team won. I have no problem with that.
We are the better team. We proved that in the first half. Why do we always make it harder than it has to be?
There goes Pierce faking another injury!!!
Finally called a movin screen against KG!!
I hate Posey.
What a pathetic flop....I'm slowly losing respect for the so-called Truth.
Kobe has nobody to blame. He was badly outplayed by Pierce today in the second half.
No excuse this was one of the most pathetic performance in the history of the NBA finals
Celtics are the champs. We're just another bunch of chumps.
Ray Allen outrebounds the entire team. Ridiculous.
Man, that is some major heart and some major defense from the Celtics.
I guess they are the better team. No other way to put it. We played our hearts out and are down five.
Celts gana take the title on our court embrassing.
Watching the Celtics celebrate on our floor irritates me like no other.
It brought back all those feelings of hatred toward them I used to have in the 80's. I know this series is over, no illusions, I just hope I don't have to see them win in it game five and desecrate Staples with their celebration. Please Lakers, if you have any pride muster it up and win game five, it's the very least you could do after this disgrace.
Boston just showed why theyhad the bet record in the regualr season. They have been the best team in the league since the start. They are proving they still are.
Can't blame the refs on this 1 we blew it.
Phil Jackson was so badly outcoached, wow, Doc went small and Phil didn't counter our philosophy until it was too late. We helped off so much that when it was time to play straight up we couldn't contain them.
I think Lakers still have chances to win the series.
I think we're gonna lose Sunday. This loss was so cruel and will be talked about so ridiculously that our team won't have much confidence at all.I expect a great game by Kobe but it won't be enough.
I think we'll win on Sunday, and if we win in game 6, then it's a brand new series. Yes, I know that we will most likely lose, but I definitely don't think it's impossible.
Dude, this series aint going pass 6. If the Lakers could not close with a 24 point lead and with the whole crowd behind them, I don't think they can win at the Garden.
Congratulations to the damned Boston Celtics for winning the 2008 NBA Championship. We're done. It's over.
Props to the Celtics -- great defense, great heart.
The Celtics make history on us!! We suck
Eddie House telling the crowd to "Shut up"...another toole on the Celtics...uhg
Well Boston is a better team and they deserve to win....Congrats Cs.
Really though, the C's deserve it, they did it, they won it all by themselves, props to them.
Oh wow and pierces cocky a** walking off the court...."I TOLD YOU! ONE MO! ONE MO! " OMG...HOW SICKENING...
Can you blame him? He came in here,shut Kobe down and willed his team to victory. He has outshined Kobe the entire series. Right now as it stands pierce>Kobe
Congrats to the Celtics, they are truly warriors and the best team this year.
Celtics will win this. I want them to win it in L.A.: I want Kobe to see Celtics celebrating in Staples and fire them up real good for next season.
Im a wizard fan who was upset when we didn't get Gasol. I never realized how bad of an defensive player he is
Ive also gotta give doc credit....the man can coach- he did EXACTLY what he needed to do with his team to beat us and Phil did EXACTLY what he needed to make us lose.
I can't believe Doc Rivers will be a NBA champion, something about that just doesn't sound right.
I'm heartrboken and at a loss of words. I don't understand how they only scored 33 points after that first half. It's like the Celtics just turned the switch for defense on. Incredible.
it's almost not fair cause they have KG...Ray Allen...Paul Pierce...all of them who were the stars on different teams before. Then they have guys like PJ Brown who hop on the gravy train for a ring and Sam cassell. Then they have posey who hits all sorts of shots and it just isn't in the cards.
Well Boston deserves to be served their own medicine. If the freaking Red Sox can beat the Yankees after the Yankees being up 3-1, then the Lakers can come back and beat the Celtics after them being 3-1.
I hate Pierce with passion, I can't believe he's on the verge of winning a Championship, ON OUR OWN HOUSE
Why not be the first? Boston isn't unbeatable, not close. We were competitive in every game, and we showed that we can battle from a deep deficit as well as create a big lead.
Pierce, "I'll be able to enjoy this more...once it's all over" wow...now the confidence is really coming out. I think they should play Paul pierces press conference to the team. See if that doesn't fire them up a little...
Yeah right!! The board provider is giving us a lame excuse for the forums being down as scheduled maintenance. Which they issued a notice on June 1st, which was the same time the boards were down due to technical issues. Anyway, thats whats going on with the boards. Sorry for the inconvenience Greeniacs. It should be up in 1 to 3 hours.
In what looked to be a blow out loss for the Celtics for 3 quarters, the Celtics showed a lot of heart and came back from 24 down to win the game 97-91. The Lakers got off to a fast start and at the end of one quarter, they trailed 35-14, which was the largest first quarter lead lead in Finals history. The Celtics shot only 27% in the first quarter while allowing the Lakers to shoot 65%.
The Second quarter started much like the first quarter ended as the Celtics allowed the Lakers easy shots and struggled with their own offense. The Celtics went on a 12-0 run and cut the lead to 12 with 2:50 to go but the Lakers came back strong and took a 58-40 lead going into the have on a Farmar 3 pointer at the buzzer. At the half, the Lakers were shooting 50% to just 35% for the Celtics. They were out rebounding the Celtics 26-16 and had 15 assists to just 4 for the Celtics.
Pierce showed that he was going to be more aggressive as he drove to the hoop and was fouled on the first play. He also took over defending Kobe and made him work for every shot he got. The Celtics cut the lead to 12 once againg with 9:53 left in the third. On the next play, the Celtics were once again hit by an injury as Odom drove to the hoop and caught Perk's arm as he tried to block the shot. Perk immediately grabbed his shoulder and went back to the locker room and didn't return. The Celtics kept chipping away at the lead and ended the third quarter on a 21-3 run to pull to 73-71 at the end of 3.
The Celtics tied the game at 73 on a bank shot by Powe with 10:07 left in the fourth. They had several chances to take the lead but couldn't get over the hump as the Lakers would go up and then the Celtics would tie it 8 times before the Celtics finally took their first lead at 84-83 on an Eddie House jumper with 3:53 left. The Celtics never looked back as went on to win the game 97-91. The difference once again was the Celtics defense. They stepped it up in the third quarter and got the stops.
Pierce bounced back from his poor game 3 and took over in the second half. He shot 6-13 for 20 points along with 4 rebounds, 7 assists and 1 steal. His defense on Kobe was huge in the second half as it allowed the Celtics to play him with single coverage and keep a man on the Lakers' 3 point shooters. KG also bounced back and true to his word, played inside more, finishing with 16 points (7-14), 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 1 block in 37 minutes.
Ray Allen was once again incredible. He played all 48 minutes of the game and finished with 19 points (6-11), 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals and 1 block. After playing the whole game, he was still able to get to the rim for a layup with 15.7 seconds left. Rondo started the game and played 17 minutes but struggled somewhat. Doc went with Sam at first and after 6 minutes with no points, 2 fouls and 1 turnover, Doc turned to Eddie House who once again came through with 11 points on 4-9 shooting to go with 4 rebounds, and 1 assist in 24 minutes.
Perk played just 13 minutes before going out with the shoulder injury. After the game, Perk said that it was the same shoulder that he had surgery on a couple of years ago. He said it was just a strain and not a dislocation and that he would be ready to play on Sunday. PJ Brown played 14 minutes and had 3 points, 2 rebounds and 1 steal. Doc chose to go small for much of the game and Posey got the bulk of the minutes and hit some huge shots down the stretch finishing with 18 pionts, and 2 rebounds. Leon Powe played 9 solid minutes finishing with 3 points and 5 rebounds. Tony Allen saw his first Finals action as he pulled down 1 rebound in just over 2 minutes.
After shooting just 35% in the first half, the Celtics shot 55% in the second while holding the Lakers to just 34% in the second half. The Lakers out rebounded the Celtics by 1 for the game, but in the second half, the Celtics won the rebounding battle 24-15. The Lakers had 5 players in double figures with Lamar Odom leading the way with 19 points on 8-11 shooting. Kobe had 17 points and 10 rebounds but shot just 6-19 from the floor. Sasha Vujacic, who burned the Celtics in game 3, finished with just 3 points on 1-9 shooting.
The Celtics showed tremendous heart in coming back from the 24 point deficit and closing out the game with a win. The Lakers can't complain about the officiating in this game. They got off to an early 15-2 free throw advantage in the first quarter when they were being very aggressive going to the basket. But, as the Celtics picked up their defense and kept the Lakers out of the paint and at the same time, they were more aggressive on the offensive end, the free throws evened out. In the end, the Lakers shot 29 free throws and the Celtics shot 28.
The Celtics now have 3 tries to win one game. No team has ever come back from being down 3-1 in the finals to win it. The Celtics are in control of the series and it is theirs now to win or lose. They showed tonight that they have the heart and toughness to win it all. Just 48 more minutes of Celtics defense and #17 will be a reality.
Joe DeRosa Jersey Number 14 Games Officiated 80 Home Team ATS 51-27-2 Home Team W/L 51-29 Avg. Home Score 104.1 Avg. Road Score 99.6 Home Avg. Margin 4.5 Avg. Total Score 203.8
Spread Home Favorite Home Underdog 0-4.5 8-5 10-11 5-9.5 18-6 5-2 10+ 9-2 1-1 The Celtics are 2-1 in the playoffs with DeRosa while the Lakers are 0-2 when he is the official.
Steve Javie Jersey Number 29 Games Officiated 77 Home Team ATS 33-44-0 Home Team W/L 43-34 Avg. Home Score 100.6 Avg. Road Score 97.5 Home Avg. Margin 3.1 Avg. Total Score 198.1
Spread Home Favorite Home Underdog 0-4.5 5-12 2-8 5-9.5 15-10 4-3 10+ 5-12 2-0 Celtics are 1-2 in the playoffs with Javie on the floor while the Lakers are 2-0.
Tom Washington Jersey Number 49 Games Officiated 80 Home Team ATS 48-31-1 Home Team W/L 53-27 Avg. Home Score 101.6 Avg. Road Score 94.7 Home Avg. Margin 6.9 Avg. Total Score 196.3
Spread Home Favorite Home Underdog 0-4.5 10-6 4-1 5-9.5 21-15 8-5 10+ 5-3 0-1 When Washington has been behind the whistle, the Celtics are 0-2 while the Lakers are 2-0 in games he officiated.
All 3 refs are generous to the home teams as they are a combined 147-90 in home wins/losses.
The Celtics have to be a little encouraged going into game 4. Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett both had terrible games. Rondo went down in the 3rd quarter. Kobe was having a great game. The Celtics were in foul trouble. And yet, they were still in it at the end with a chance to win. I can't believe that Pierce and KG will both play that poorly again. KG was talking about the need for him to go inside more and that is music to every Celtics' fan's ears. Ray Allen seems to have his shot back. The only concern is whether Rondo can play. Let us not forget that the Celtics beat the Lakers in LA in the regular season without Rondo and we didn't have Sam then. The key will be whether or not the Celtics bring their focus and intensity.
I couldn't believe that even after they got all the whistles in game 3, Kobe was still whining about the refs in game 2. When asked why he struggled from the line, he said it was because it had been so long since he was at the line it seemed like foreign territory. Doc showed real class not buying into Phil's practice of whining about the refs in his press conference. He did get a zinger in on Phil when he said that he was surprised that Phil wasn't complaining about the refs after game 3. Doc wouldn't give his players an out by complaining about the officials. The Lakers were more aggressive and they got the calls. The Celtics were more aggressive in game 2 and they got the calls. In game 4, the more aggressive team will get the calls. The Celtics offered no excuses after the loss other than they were out played. The Lakers offered nothing but excuses after their loss in game 2.
Speaking of Doc, I think he made some poor decisions in game 3 that may have cost the Celtics the game. Doc has been doing a great job so far in the playoffs. He even out coached the Zen master in games 1 and 2, but just as Pierce and KG struggled, I think Doc had jet lag too. First, Perk was playing very well and his defense and energy were part of the reason for the Celtics big 3rd quarter, yet he didn't play in the 4th. Ray Allen had the hot hand all game but yet, he took only 2 shots in the 4th quarter as the Celtics didn't get him the ball. Doc should have been calling plays for Ray all quarter. Also, After Rondo went out 1 minute into the 3rd quarter, he sat on the bench for most of the 3rd quarter while Eddie House did a very good job running the team. Doc brought him back after his ankle had time to tighten up and he wasn't effective. In the meantime, the momentum they had with Eddie was lost. Finally, Doc didn't call for them to foul when they were down 6 with almost 30 seconds to play. The Lakers were missing free throws all night and it would have been worth the chance to foul them and try to win it. That being said, just as I expect Pierce and Garnett to snap back for game 4, I think Doc will also snap back.
Laker Fans are still insisting that Paul Pierce was faking the knee injury which is ridiculous. The guy was hurt but is a warrior and played through the pain. I didn't hear any of them even suggest that Kobe could have been faking the back spasms as he was writhing on the floor one minute and driving to the basket the next. Anyway, Laker Nation continues the ridiculousness of questioning Pierce's injury by posting a new jersey for him.
It blows my mind that they are still insinuating that Pierce was faking. Pierce has played in this league 10 years and has missed less than 40 years in his career. Even last season when most stars would have sat out the rest of the season, he came back out of shape from the injury to help his struggling team. I really hope Pierce bounces back tonight and has the game of his career.
Speaking of bouncing back, KG really needs to get it together and go to the basket. I have read at least 5 articles this morning talking about how he has disappeared in the Finals. They say that Gasol is out playing him and that his jumpers are good for the Lakers. They are even comparing him to Ralph Sampson for crying out loud. I hope KG is reading the papers and gets motivated for tonight and beyond. Go to the basket, KG and you will own the paint!!
Anyone else find themselves gagging when they played that fluff piece at halftime showing Kobe to be the wonderful husband and father? PULEEZE!!! Has everyone forgotten so quickly that he raped a girl in Colorado? Now, suddenly he is the perfect family man! And every time he sits at the podium and calls his teammates his brothers it really irks me. This summer he threw every one of them under the bus and wanted to play with anyone but them. Now they are his brothers? Give me a break. I really want the Celtics to beat this guy. I think having to watch his gloating face should the Lakers win would be too much for me.
Whether Rondo can go or not in game 4, Doc needs to play House. He always brings energy. He spreads the floor and keeps Kobe from doubling off of him and he is capable of running the point. If Rondo can't go, Eddie should get the start. If Rondo plays, Eddie should get the back up minutes. The Sam Cassell experiment has not done well. When Sam is in the game the offense stops. Another option that Doc has mentioned is to possibly play Tony at the point. He shoots almost every time down the court and for the most part misses way more than he hits. I would also like to see Perk get more playing time. His defense in the paint is very much needed. Odom and Gasol got some easy put backs at the end of the game. PJ has been doing great, but Perk is so much better at defending the basket.
Every game that the Celtics have lost in the playoffs was because they didn't bring their focus and intensity, especially on the defensive end. Every game that they have played their tough team defense and moved the ball on offense and brought their intensity, they have won. This series is in their hands. If they come focused and play Celtics' basketball, they will win this game and the series.
I apologize for this very abbreviated version of the links today. I am having internet problems and it has taken me 5 hours to get just this far and now have to go out. Lots more out there, but don't have the time to finish them.
