Some thoughts from Game 2:
-- The officiating was pretty bad. The refs decided early on that they were going to call some cheap fouls (on both sides, Lakers fans - the early fouls on Perkins were BS, too) so as not to let the game get too physical. Unfortunately, the early foul trouble had too much of an impact on the game, in terms of taking players out and affecting the rhythm of both teams. The refs aren't supposed to be a main focus of the game, and they were this time far too often.
-- The Lakers defense was not good because they couldn't stop Rondo, Pierce, and Allen from penetrating. Because of that penetration, they were able to move the ball so that either someone (Allen, Pierce, Garnett) got an open jump shot or that there was a dump off in the paint for someone (like Leon Powe) to get an easy layup or get fouled.
-- Conversely, the Boston defense once again was terrific at keeping the Lakers guards from penetrating. Kobe did not have a single dunk in the game, and only attempted a couple of layups. Everything else was jump shots, many of them contested. This is where not having a real point guard hurts the Lakers (Derek Fisher is more of a two-guard in my opinion.)
-- Kevin Garnett doesn't get taken out of his overall game when he's shooting poorly. He only shot 7-19 in the game, but he still only took shots within the offense, rebounded effectively, and played great defense (as per usual.) This should be more notable - we all know there are some stars that lose their entire game when their shots aren't falling. KG plays through it, and it helps his team win.
-- Radmanovic has to play less if the Lakers are going to win. His stats ended up looking pretty good for this game (13 points and 10 rebounds) but it just seems like he's outclassed by anyone he's guarding. I'd rather see Turiaf get more minutes at the 4, see if he can bring something to the table.
-- Likewise, Lamar Odom has to show up at home if the Lakers have any hope. He's looked terrible in both games so far. He's not getting enough rebounds, and he's getting eliminated on the offensive end. He should be a tougher matchup for either Pierce or Garnett, since Odom is a big guy with quickness and the ability to take people off the dribble. He simply hasn't been yet (which is the knock on him his whole career.)
-- I'm finding the ESPN/ABC production to be very good. I'm rarely annoyed by the announcers, the studio hosts, or how they decide to show us the game (camera angles, replays, stats shown, etc.) The worst thing is the choice of music as they go to commercials (really, guys, More Than A Feeling every single night? We get it, we get it, it's by Boston, and they're playing Boston. Great.)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Good analysis Daniel, I couldn't have done it better myself.
I must admit the Celtics are playing their best basketball ina long time right now, probably since sometime in December or January when they were really rolling.
I liked what you said about the Lakers PG situation, Garnett and Lamar Odom. The Lakers lack of a real PG can always hurt them in a big spot, but if Kobe is playing at an extremely high level (which he does a lot) it can cover up that deficiency. Kg is the fucking man that is why he can play through those things. He is a player who's greatness is not measure in his ability to score which is refreshing to see these days (that is Duncan-esque). And the Lakers do need much bigger games from Lamar Odom if they want to get back into this thing.
The only thing I absolutely hate about the NBA playoffs is when series start out 2-0 like this, and you know one team is not overwhelmingly better than the other, it makes game 3 the most unwatchable piece of trash ever. Everyone knows the Lakers will come out fired up as they go back home, and the C's will be flat and the Lakers will win the game easily. I know there is nothing the NBA can do about it, but we all know it is going to happen.
Dan, I listened to the last couple of your podcasts and let me just say I'm thankful you're not a betting man...
And yes, if Marv was announcing the game, it would be great, so I'm glad to see you giving Mike Breen a little love. I like this team with Van Gundy and Jackson. Personally, I think Hubie is worlds better than Doug Collins, but it's not Snapper Jones and that's a plus for everyone.
BTW, Ray Allen is playing like Ray Allen again, which means this isn't a quality CBS sitcom that I don't watch (I'm a How I Met Your Mother man myself) and there's no reason the C's can't go into LA and make Game 3 watchable. There's no reason they can't win one in LA or close this series out at the Forum.
There's also no reason why this can't be the Finals for the next couple of years, so long as The Boston Three Party stays healthy. Powe, Kendrick, Rondo and Big Baby are all young, and PJ Brown can do what he's doing for another two, three years. The Lakers will be better when the stick figure kid gets healthy and they're young too.
I'm still not gonna watch until the playoffs, but it will make it a fun final weeks of the season for us casual fans...
Post a Comment