1) Shock, noun, a disturbance in the equilibrium or permanence of something (like a seemingly insurmountable 24 point lead by the Lakers disappearing into a 6 point defeat); a sudden or violent mental or emotional disturbance (what the Lakers have to be feeling after losing a 24 point lead); a state of being so disturbed (what the Lakers fans sounded like after losing this game.)
2) In the second half, Paul Pierce played some of the best individual, one-on-one defense I've ever seen, and he did it against arguably the most difficult guy to defend in the league in Kobe Bryant. Pierce was able to keep Kobe out of the lane most of the time. He contested shots, including an incredible block on an attempted turn-around by Kobe (have you ever seen one of these elite guys have their turnaround jumper blocked cleanly like that?) He forced Kobe to give the ball up when he drove (and the Lakers other players, especially The Machine, didn't shoot well.) Paul Pierce is by far the MVP of the series so far, and it has as much to do with his defense as his offense.
3) Eddie House was HUGE for the Celtics. Not so much because he made a ton of shots, but because of a couple of other reasons:
a- the threat of his shot helped spread the floor and keep LA's defense more honest, as opposed to when Rondo is in the game, since Rondo can't shoot and thus the Lakers can help off of him. This helped Paul Pierce and James Posey and Kevin Garnett score more easily, which was key to the comeback.
b- Eddie House played 24 minutes and did not turn the ball over at all, and his individual +/- was +20. He did not do anything stupid from the point guard position, and if he did Boston would not have won. Rondo looked to be playing hurt, so putting in the effective House was a key move for Doc Rivers - it actually makes him look smart, especially since House stepped up so huge.
Bottom line for tonight, no Eddie House, no comeback win for the Celtics (and who would have thought you'd be writing THAT sentence ever, let alone in the NBA Finals?)
4) The only thing more improbable than this huge comeback by the Celtics on the road is the fact that Ray Allen, who looked all but washed up not two weeks ago, has played at a ridiculously high level in every game this series. In Game 4 he had 19 points on only 11 shots, 9 rebounds (not a typo - Ray Allen had NINE rebounds), 2 assists, and 3 steals. And he's playing really solid defense, which is just as shocking. All I could talk about before the series was "who will Ray Allen be able to guard?" Who knew the answer was, "anyone he wants, including Kobe." I don't know where this Ray Allen was earlier these playoffs, but this Ray Allen is awesome to watch.
5) Can you picture the Lakers being able to beat the Celtics three times in a row, including two in Boston? I can't. I'd pick the Lakers to win Game 5 at home, and the Celtics to take it in Game 6. And I have to admit, I wouldn't have guessed this series to go anything like this (which is why I like to watch it, after all - who the hell wants to watch the inevitable unfold?) As much as some of these games haven't been that 'great' I've still found this to be an incredibly compelling Finals (history having nothing to do with it.) I've loved watching the story unfold as it has, unexpectedly, confusingly, with heroes coming from all sorts of odd places. I can't wait to see how it ends.
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4 comments:
The Celtics have lost something like 5 or 6 games at home all year, including the playoffs. I don't see the Lakers winning 2 in a row in Boston.
Here's the better question, from someone who listened to you and Ken Drews blast Jesus Shuttlesworth and give the Lakers the title oh so long ago...
What have you seen so far that leads you to believe they'll win Game 5? Yes, they won Game 3, but they also gave up a huge lead with KG and the Truth playing horrible and nearly lost that game.
They are soft in the post, soft when it comes to a team that will push back and you have to wonder just how injured Manu was and just how old that bench was to have lost that series...
First of all, were we wrong to think at that time that Allen didn't look up to the task of keeping up with the up-tempo Lakers?
It's not like we went out on a limb there. He looked slow, washed up, and playing without confidence against Atlanta and Cleveland and half the Detroit series.
Even you have to admit that it's been surprising to see Ray-Ray play at a pre-9/11 level.
I think the Lakers take Game 5 because I think the Celtics have a chance of easing up mentally a bit (knowing they don't HAVE to win this one, since there's still two more chances at home to win one) while the Lakers will be playing for their lives. They also still have the best player and the hall of fame coach. All that should be enough to get them the victory at home.
These two teams are pretty evenly matched. So far, the Celtics have done a better job exploiting their relative strengths and overcoming their relative weaknesses.
But, at the same time, you're not wrong in saying that the Lakers look bad against these Celtics. The Celtics D is way better than San Antonio's, and thus way better than anything the Lakers have had to face in the entire playoffs.
So it's not like it would be a complete shock to see the Celtics close it out on Sunday. I'm just saying I don't think it will happen.
You have all the right in the world to blast Jesus. I'm as shocked as you are about his play, but he did seem to start turning it around towards the end of the Detroit series.
AS for game five, the Lakers have been playing for their lives since they arrived back in LA and what has that gotten them? They've yet to win a third quarter and it's clear there's no lead the C's can't come back from (I'm still not forgetting Game 3, cuz I thought that thing was over and then suddenly it wasn't).
You said these two teams are pretty evenly matched. Yeah, maybe on paper with a sub par Allen in the mix. But I would say it's clear after four games that these teams are evenly matched and you made the case yourself
"So far, the Celtics have done a better job exploiting their relative strengths and overcoming their relative weaknesses."
Well, wouldn't that mean the Celtics are better, despite the Hall of Fame coach on the other sidelines?
I'm not trying to pick a fight, but this has been a one-sided series the entire way. The Lakers can run and went through the tougher conference, but the C's play tougher and with more passion.
I'll admit Tourat from Gonzaga, Walton and Sasha seem like cats that would hit the floor for a ball, but it seems like Leon Powe and Kendrick Perkins are playing to eat. Posey and P.J. Brown are the crafty veterans that the Lakers don't have and while I'd like to see this thing go back to Boston, I just don't see it happening...
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