....It was almost, just so damn close to a legendary comeback that would even the series and make for the best start to the Finals, hell, probably ever. 22 points in less than seven minutes, eroded by flurry of threes and the kind of killer instinct the Lakers lacked as they listlessly drifted through the first three quarters. The fact that they almost won this game is a testament to how far below their potential they've played. It wasn't to be though; they had buried themselves too deep. For 40 minutes, Boston played smothering defense, executed on offense like we've expected from LA, and got a huge game from their bench. They likely aren't the better team but have stright up outplayed the Lakers, and now head to Staples for three games ahead of them, but with two W's beneath them.
The Lakers' offense has looked out of sync all series, and although they hit half their shots, they executed poorly. There's been too much idling, too many open cuts missed, too many rushed decisions, too much confusion. They need Kobe to penetrate more; get to the line and keep the D honest on their shooters. The Lakers were soft on D too, letting Rondo get into the paint far too easily to create wide open looks. Lamar and Pau disappointed me again on the boards; they let the Celtics hoard too many loose balls they had no business getting to. They barely lost the rebounding battle but if LA had toughened up and owned the glass they very well might've won this game.
Boston didn't do too much wrong in this game...well aside from their nearly-historical 4th quarter meltdown, they played as well as you can against the Lakers, beating them very badly at their own game. They moved the rock like a crack hustler, totaling 31 assists on 36 field goals; their passing broke LA down for the second straight game. They kept the Lakers off the line (albeit thanks, in part, to some suspect no-calls) and protected the paint well. 35 points from the bench, including 21 from Leon Powe (!) didn't hurt much either. They need to maintain better focus in the coming games, but 40 minutes of domination eventually outweighed 8 minutes of Doc Rivers' personal hell and Boston survived.
So the Lakers hobble back to their homecourt, facing a must-win Tuesday night and many issues with their play to address. They've been a disappointment; playing, as Phil Jackson put it, "the worst we could play" and then having the nerve to tease us with nine-tenths of the greatest comeback in playoff history. LA knows it can play better, and now they need to, before this series winds up like this game.
The Lakers' offense has looked out of sync all series, and although they hit half their shots, they executed poorly. There's been too much idling, too many open cuts missed, too many rushed decisions, too much confusion. They need Kobe to penetrate more; get to the line and keep the D honest on their shooters. The Lakers were soft on D too, letting Rondo get into the paint far too easily to create wide open looks. Lamar and Pau disappointed me again on the boards; they let the Celtics hoard too many loose balls they had no business getting to. They barely lost the rebounding battle but if LA had toughened up and owned the glass they very well might've won this game.
Boston didn't do too much wrong in this game...well aside from their nearly-historical 4th quarter meltdown, they played as well as you can against the Lakers, beating them very badly at their own game. They moved the rock like a crack hustler, totaling 31 assists on 36 field goals; their passing broke LA down for the second straight game. They kept the Lakers off the line (albeit thanks, in part, to some suspect no-calls) and protected the paint well. 35 points from the bench, including 21 from Leon Powe (!) didn't hurt much either. They need to maintain better focus in the coming games, but 40 minutes of domination eventually outweighed 8 minutes of Doc Rivers' personal hell and Boston survived.
So the Lakers hobble back to their homecourt, facing a must-win Tuesday night and many issues with their play to address. They've been a disappointment; playing, as Phil Jackson put it, "the worst we could play" and then having the nerve to tease us with nine-tenths of the greatest comeback in playoff history. LA knows it can play better, and now they need to, before this series winds up like this game.
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