Beat LA? You Can Do Better Boston…

“I have just returned from Boston. It’s the only sane thing to do if you find yourself up there.”

1st Quarter

11:15: First minute of the game and the crowd is already chanting Beat LA. They’ve had 21 years, and that’s still all they can come up with. That’s not even MY observation, but even my fiancée knows its lame.

10:05: KG gets into the scoring mix early, D-Fish answers with a 3. I’ll take a 3-2 trade-off all game long.

8:14: Perkins looks like he has vagina hair on his face. Again, Renee’s take. She’s officially taking over this blog.

5:30: Kobe knocked in his first shot about half way through the 1st quarter, and yet the Lakers are still tied. I think Phil Jackson would take that scenario any day of the week.

5:00: Even though KG made his first shot, he still looks like he’s trying to contain his emotions. Great for rebounding, tougher to control the mid-range game.

4:47: Gasol has 6 points; he’s doing everything he can do to even his matchup with KG. If that matchup is even close, I’ll be shocked. Garnett is way too athletic for Pau.

3:07: Ray Allen just a nice drive and a kiss off the glass, then followed it up with a smooth step-back three. He must think the first 2 games are being played at Key Arena.

Kobe’s started 1-7. He’s supposed to be the one that has the experience, yet he’s the one that’s started of slowest. Clearly, the experience has been very important.

Sasha just drained a 3! I was just reminded that my office pool is dependant on Machine burying 3 treys. I’m not worried, after all: He’s named The Machine.

First period is over. I think the Celtics would like to be up by more than a bucket after 1. One positive development, Kevin Garnett didn’t spontaneously combust… yet.

2nd Quarter

11:30: Turiaf made a fade-away 20 footer. Obviously that was the play we set up during the break between quarters.

11:01: Sasha just gave us the first “what foul, on who?” look. The over under on that look for this series is right around 63462309.

9:39: Sam I Am is looking for his shot on every possession. KG who? This is HIS team!

8:12: D-Fish can bring rain down with some of those 3’s. Don’t need a shooter’s touch when you don’t hit the rim.

6:45: Paul Pierce just picked up his 2nd foul, probably a bigger deal Turiaf’s 2 fouls.
6:35: But Gasol’s 2nd evens THAT out.

5:59: Half way through the 2nd quarter and KG has 16 points and he’s shooting 66%, not to mention he’s put both of his defenders in early foul trouble.

–Side note: Did you know that these 2 teams have actually met in the finals before? I wasn’t aware that this was the “Most Storied Rivalry in the NBA.” Thankfully, ESPN and ABC remind me every 2 minutes.

5:14: PP was just called for an offensive foul, 3 fouls. He should be out for the rest of the half. The C’s are probably going to want the score to be dragged even slower now. Cassell is going to have to be responsible for scoring. No longer is it a perk, he’s needed.

4:17: After trailing most of the game by about 4-5 points, the Lakers take the lead. Closing each half was the secret to the Lakers success against the Spurs. Will they be able to close the same way against Boston?

3:33: What’s up with Garnett NOT knowing how to cover the pick-and-roll? Is it that Gasol is too athletic for KG? Hmmmm, probably not.

2:48: With PP forced to sit, Doc is forced to play some of the bench. The last 2-3 minutes have really highlighted that the Celtics can’t depend on their bench. Posey and Powe do not strike fear into the hearts of Laker fan.

1:36: Gasol is having an incredibly efficient first half. 5-7, 12 points. He needs to avoid another foul this half.

0:45: Any time D-Fish shoots, expect it to go in. Even if it’s a 22 footer, I’m shocked if it doesn’t go down. Mike Breen just said that Fisher has the 3rd highest shooting percentage in the history of the NBA Finals. When you consider he’s a guard that shoots the outside jumper, that’s truly amazing. The Laker point guard position: Where Amazing Happens.

0:03: Radmanovic missed a 3 to end the half; L.A. still is up by 5. I’m sure this is exactly where the Lakers coaching staff would like to be. (Closed half on a 16-6 run)

Halftime

Stuart Scott has a face made for radio. His eye is getting worse and even with glasses, he’s creeping me out. He should be the lead singer for Radiohead.

Again, apparently there is some kind of history between these two teams. I get it. Where’s that Dead Horse when I need it.

My side-action is NOT looking good. KG is scoring all kinds of points, PP and Kobe aren’t, and Sasha hasn’t been punched in the face yet. It’s early.

The first couple of minutes of the 3rd quarter are going to be big. The 5 point lead for the Lakers can easily turn into double digits, or it can be eliminated entirely if the Celtics start out hot.

3rd Quarter

11:15: In the first 45 seconds, PP went to the rack to score, then just banked in a 3 when he got fouled. 6 points, Lakers lead is immediately destroyed.

10:45: PP has 8 points in just over a minute. I guess he’s making the best of all the rest he had while he was on the bench in the first half.

9:34: Radmanovic just picked up his 4th. Mercifully, he’ll have to sit so someone else can guard PP.

8:59: Kobe’s started to get that look in his eye. Obviously, Pierce does too. Now Bryant has switched over to guard PP. He’s going to try to lock down. Who’s going to lock Kobe down?

8:00: Such a key for Pau to be able to score around the basket. When Odom breaks the defense down on the drive or when Kobe sees the double-team from KG, Gasol is the one that has contribute. After 24 minutes of basketball, efficiency from Gasol might be the biggest key to the series. Will the Celtics pay for helping?

PP’s down. He’s grabbing his knee, but he was elbowed in the face by his own teammate. Still haven’t seen an angle that shows what happened to his lower body. He was carried off the court, then put in a wheelchair. On the replays, neither the knee nor the ankle looks all that bad.

6:19: More bad news for the Celtics, Kendrick Perkins just committed a foul AND hobbled off the court. I have feeling that Boston is going to get even MORE physical in response to this.

5:04: Less than 2 minutes of playing time elapsed and PP comes HOPPING back onto the court. He must have been very, very injured. Looks like we have a new nominee for the Dwayne Wade “I Play Injured Because I Have Heart” award. Somewhere, Allen Iverson is laughing (and getting a tattoo). How long before the Willis Reed reference?

Side note: The new movie “Tropic Thunder” should just be called Three Amigos Part II. Honestly, nice originality.

4:41: I hope the refs don’t buy into all of this emotion from the Boston crowd. Renee loves that Van Gundy just stated that Pierce is “special” because he got hit in the face. You can’t teach talent.

3:55: It’s getting VERY physical. They’re letting a lot go, except when the Celtics shoot. I wonder what the free-throw differential is.

3:01: Fish with the Ally, Kobe with the Oop. Then immediately the next possession, ANOTHER foul on the Lakers. This one’s on Pau, still not sure what the call was.

2:29: Kobe’s got that look again. And I don’t think KG has made a shot since mid-2nd quarter. Sasha gave us another “Who Me?” look!

0:43: Mark Jackson just gave us the Willis Reed reference. I’d like to applaud both Jackson and Van Gundy to wait so long before they couldn’t hold it anymore.

Boston fan is very hatable. They’re like Utah Jazz fan, but before Jazz fan knew their role in the world. I’m thankful to have this reminder in the springtime as to why I hate the Red Sox and Patriots so much. King George should have tried harder in the Revolutionary war. Boston: Loathsome since 1776!

4th Quarter

11:50: Kobe’s not resting to start the 4th quarter. I wonder if he’s going to take control?

8:42: KG just made a great play to save the ball from a backcourt violation. Great hustle! That play combined with a few sloppy trips in a row by the Lakers has lead to the biggest lead of the game for the Celtics. Fisher needs to replace Farmar in a hurry. He looks like he’s playing a little out of control, almost like he’s in a little over his head. Fisher’s calming influence is exactly what the Lakers need.

7:30: Kobe’s on the bench, Fisher just knocked down a long 2. Dangerous time with Kobe on the bench and the crowd into it. Thankfully, Sam I Am can’t read the 24 second clock.

6:45: Damn it Sasha. Step BEHIND THE 3 POINT LINE!!! He’s screwing my pool…

4:23: Luke Walton just was mugged going for a rebound, of course he was called for the foul.

3:43: Lamar Odom was just hit with his 5th foul. Pierce is playing with a lot of heart; he was able to make a free throw after he was viciously scratched. Renee’s labeled him a whiner. She’s swift and harsh with her judgments.

2:57: Wow, the Lakers just got a call. Odom narrowly avoided fouling out with a questionable charging/blocking call. Possible 3 point play. Lamar is usually very good at coming through with a solid brick in these situations. (3 point play completed, I’m not a believer.)

1:53: Announcers just gave the Big game resume for Gasol’s international career. Predictably, he missed his first free throw on queue. Thanks for the jinx.

1:33: Big, big follow dunk by KG off a 3 point miss by Posey. Gasol looked lost and certainly didn’t even pretend to box out. Hustle plays and fundamentals are all going to the Celtics right now.

1:01: Celtics at the line again. I think that’s the story of the game. If they don’t call the hand check, but call nickel-dimers down low, the Lakers will have no chance in this series. 8 point lead after the free throws.

0:16.6: Ball game. Lakers can’t buy a 3 and they aren’t fouling. Not the ideal recipe for a comeback. 5-20 in the 4th quarter. While the Celtics played very good defense during the game, the 25% from the field looked to be more of a function of the inability of the Lakers to knock down open looks from the outside. No matter the level of the game, series, or teams. If you miss 75% of your shots in a close game (and most are open looks), you’ll lose.

Epilogue: Kobe never turned it on. In the Spurs series, the typical pattern was for him to distribute in the first half, and look for his own shot from midway through the 3rd until the end of the game. The level of difficulty was very high on a lot of his shots, but neither he nor Odom went to the rim enough. The key to the BLOG’s (Bryant, Odom, and Gasol) productivity is the aggressiveness of Odom and Kobe. They never really went to the rim, weren’t able to create fouls, and ultimately weren’t able to finish. The Lakers are going to have to do a lot more of the little things if they hope to win this series. Perfect example is PJ Brown. The Celtics had players doing the little things, L.A. simply did not.

Easily the major turning point of the game was Paul Pierce’s “injury.” When he came back from the locker room, the crowd was re-energized and the Celtics took the physical play (and defense) to another level. Without that shot of adrenaline, I’m not sure they’re able to create the small separation that leads to the victory.

The tone for the series has been set. Apparently, these two teams have played before…