Filowitz's Friday Five

NBA Finals edition!


1) Sure, I didn't write a preview of the Lakers-Celtics Finals. Mostly because everyone and their mother wrote a preview, and what was I going to tell you that you didn't read elsewhere a thousand times? If you want to know what I thought before the series started, you can listen to the Disciples of Clyde NBA Podcast (which you should be doing anyway.) Basically, I picked the Lakers in 6, and thought that the various defensive matchups were going to be intriguing.


2) Game 1, Boston winning 98-88, was awesome. Played at an incredibly high level by both teams. If this is indicative of how the series is going to be, then we are in for one of the best Finals in a long time. They're evenly matched, they each have more than one star player, and they both play well on both sides of the court. This is what we've been waiting for all playoffs - for a series to live up to the promise of what we saw in the regular season. So far, so great.


3) Who played well in Game 1?

KG. He was unstoppable in the first half on offense. He was strong on the boards all game. His defense was impeccable, as always. And he came up with some huge plays down the stretch, most memorably the putback dunk over Gasol off the missed Posey three. Also that crazy save of the backcourt violation. KG came up huge.

Pierce. We'll get to the injury thing in a second. But after struggling with fouls in the first half, he was huge in the second half. He started out the third quarter with 8 points in 1:20. He also played fantastic defense on Kobe down the stretch, forcing Kobe to take tough, contested shots.

Ray Allen. 19 points, 8 (!) rebounds, 5 assists. This was not the washed-up-looking Ray Allen we saw for most of the playoffs. This was more like the man we know as Jesus Shuttleworth.

The Celtics defense. They kept Kobe out of the paint. He had only one dunk, and maybe one layup all game. If Kobe is forced to be a jump shooter, the Celtics are going to win the series.

Gasol. His numbers weren't huge, but he did what he was supposed to do. And his defense on Garnett was much better than I thought it could be.

PJ Brown. You won't see it in the numbers, but he played fantastic defense, and came up with some huge rebounds. Exactly what they needed out of him.


4) Who didn't play well in Game 1?

Sam Cassell. Don't be fooled by the shots he hit - most of those were shitty, selfish jumpers too early in the shot clock that happened to go in. Most of the time, those shitty jumpers aren't going to fall. He also played awful defense, and made some terrible decisions in the fourth quarter. If I was a Celtics fan, I'd want Cassell to have the DNP-CD in Game 2, not Eddie House.

Lamar Odom. He didn't rebound well, he didn't really assert himself on either end. He was pretty much a non-factor, which is not what the Lakers need.

I'm not going to say Kobe. Kobe played okay. But when the rest of the team isn't playing awesome, the Lakers can't win with only an "okay" game from Kobe. And keep in mind, his okay game means he scored 24 points to go with 6 assists and 3 rebounds.


5) So, the Pierce injury. For those that didn't watch the game, in the third quarter, Paul Pierce goes down after Kendrick Perkins collides with his leg as they both try to block a shot. Pierce has to be carried off the court, and put in a wheelchair to be taken back to the locker room.

At that moment, the entire Boston crowd went eerily quiet. Me, sitting at home, I immediately thought "if he's done, we're getting robbed of a great Finals." Because the game to that point had been incredible, but if Pierce is out, then the series is over. Boston doesn't win without Pierce.

A few minutes later, Pierce comes jogging back out of the locker room. As soon as the crowd sees him, they go crazy. Pierce immediately goes back in the game, and then hits two threes in a row not much longer after that.

Now, people might say "Willis Reed moment." Stop that. It had a parallel, in that a star player everyone thinks is injured comes back unexpectedly, and both happened against the Lakers. But this wasn't Game 7. It wasn't as serious an injury (sprained knee for Pierce.) Willis Reed had a torn muscle in his right thigh.

Regardless, it was a dramatic moment in this game, adding to what was already a competitive and compelling Game 1. Game 2 is on Sunday, and I can barely wait that long.

How West Won It

Two big reasons why the Hornets beat the Spurs in game 5 tonight to go up 3-2 in the series:

1) Teaneck's own David West. 38 points on 16-25 shooting. 14 rebounds. 5 assists. 5 blocks. Only 2 turnovers. That's a serious stat line right there.

West played pretty terrible in the two games in San Antonio, and was obviously pissed off about it. He came out in this game determined to play better. At the same time, he didn't seem to be forcing the issue. The shots he took were in the offense, and it wasn't all mid-range jumpers, either.

It was an exhilarating performance by West, and one that I think shows that he'll be a force in the league for the next several years. When you can bounce back from adversity under the national spotlight, that shows character and the will to be a great player.


2) Finally knocking Tony Parker on his ass a few times. Tony Parker has been killing them by penetrating, getting to the paint, and either taking it to the basket or sucking in the defense and passing out to wide open shooters. The Hornets decided to beat on Parker a little bit more tonight, setting some tough screens on him, fouling him when he drove, and so on. And lo and behold, Tony Parker didn't go to the paint as often in the second half.

I seem to remember a time when Tony Parker was considered a bit soft. It's nice to see an NBA coach remember that, too.

It's A Celebration

I don't know what it all means. But I know I like what I see.

28pts, 6reb, 7blk, 2ast, 2stl.

And most improbably, series tied 2-2.

Kevin Garnett Is Freakin' Insane

The only thing interesting about the Celtics-Hawks series is watching Kevin Garnett's expression of intensity.

In game one, Leon Powe dunks over a couple of Hawks in traffic, after the game is already well in hand for the Celtics. After the dunk, Powe goes to the ground. KG runs over to him, and stands over him, yelling in his face, and punching him in the chest four or five times. After Powe gets up, KG slaps him on the back of the head. Powe looks confused.

In game two, with the game already well in hand for the Celtics (I predicted they won't win a game by less than 10, and that's looking good so far) KG gets a rebound in traffic and then gets fouled. He then proceeds to start yelling to, well, no one in particular, and he pulls his jersey down to show where his heart is. Then he punches himself in the chest a bunch of times, hard enough that it probably would leave a bruise.


The way it looks right now, KG will either win the title or commit an on-court homicide. Or both.

Brutality

It's to the point now where it is painful to watch another impending first-round loss for Tracy McGrady.

It's cruel, the way the basketball gods have treated him.

Why does he put up a line like this, 23 pts, 13 reb, 9ast, 3stl, 2blk, and still have to lose? At home?

A tough offensive foul on Scola away from the ball (correct call, it happened in front of the ref) and then the miracle throw-in by Korver with 1 second on the shot clock did them in. And so it will be written that McGrady can't do it. Because despite everything he does, it doesn't end up in a win.

Another year will go by with McGrady not getting out of round 1. They have to win at least 2 in Utah, and Utah doesn't lose much at home. Then again, Utah didn't win much on the road, and they now won two in the playoffs.

Another year will go by with McGrady being called less-than-great, because his greatness does not seem to translate into postseason glory.

Another year of failure, of collapsing in a heap of ash after burning out too quickly.

It's getting to be tragic. Hard to watch, like an old man who just fell off of a bench in the park and is lying in the dirt, surrounded by pigeons and shame.

Now watching Deron Williams in the playoffs, on the other hand. That's a whole other enjoyable story.