Game 3 of the NBA Finals has come and gone. Now it's time, once again, for my post-game analysis. I really like doing these blogs where I take a peek into my thoughts about the game. So, without further ado, here are my completely random thoughts, followed by my analysis:
1st Quarter:
12:00- I sincerely hope ABC quickly cancels both of their new game shows; Wipeout and that Japanese show. They already are blitzing both, and they both look bad! Enough, already!
10:18- The Lakers got the first FTs of the game. That should quiet Phil Jackson for awhile.
9:45- (Lamar) Odom looks passive again. Bad sign.
9:29: (Mark) Jackson just said the Laker fans wouldn't catch (Paul) Pierce as he fell into the crowd. Duh!?!
7:51- Just got a pen that writes. At long last!
7:41- Phil certainly won't be complaining about the foul calls tonight. Ah, nothing better than home cooking!
commercial break- There's that damn Wipeout (it's so bad, I'm not italicizing it) again! I hate Wipeout, and I won't watch!
5:16- Every time a call goes against L.A., the fans treat it as a crime. Calm down, already!
4:59- Thank goodness the referees want to have the spotlight shine brightly on them; I guess if you're the home team, you're made (not that that's bad; I picked L.A. to win, so go ahead, refs!).
3:07- Kobe's very aggressive. A great sign.
2:45- (Rajon) Rondo's aggressive, too. Probably not a good sign.
commercial break- Please no Wipeout or Japanese commercials! (shows Japanese commercial) Dammit!!!
1:40- How can Celtics compete when (Kevin) Garnett and Pierce are really stinking right now?
:24- How much you willing to bet that (Leon) Powe doens't have nearly the same impact as game 2?
End of 1st- Are they trying to promote more ABC shows (with a 20/20 score)?
2nd Quarter:
11:37- Odom simply (fill in expletive). Period.
11:23- It's "Sudden Sam" (Cassell). Look out below!
10:21- How many times is (Mike) Breen going to say "Great defense by (insert Laker name)."? We know that already, Mike!
8:50- Fight! Fight! Dammit, no fight! Where's McHale and Rambis when you need them?
8:26- Why is (Luke) Walton even thinking about shooting?
7:11- Then again, why is Garnett shooting so many jumpers?
5:13- Garnett + Shooting tons of jumpers = You will lose!
3:54- The Lakers and Celtics have switched roles from game 2.
3:25- Thank goodness this game will quash those calls for the refs' heads after a game. Where's Donaghy?
1:49- (Sasha) Vujacic is hot! Great for the Lakers' bench.
:54- Can Garnett play any worse?
End of 2nd- 43-37 Lakers. Good.. for Celtics fans.
3rd Quarter:
11:16- Rondo's hurt. Who would have thought earlier in the playoffs that this would be a bad thing?
8:54- Any wonder why Pierce is the Celtics' offensive X-factor? Since he stinks, the Celtics have struggled.
8:21- (Ray) Allen looks really good.
7:54- Do Odom and (Pau) Gasol have a pulse?
7:29- Who is the FT coach for these teams? Ben Wallace?
6:51- Do Garnett and Pierce have a pulse?
4:58- Maybe Garnett does. If he keeps going down low.
commercial break- Oh no! More (expletive) game show commercials! Forget later; cancel them now!
2:14- Odom's looking slightly warm.
Last commercial break before end of 3rd- Another Wipeout commercial! Fudge! And why is (Jeff) Van Gundy talking about Alyssa Milano?
End of 3rd- Celtics lead 62-60. This should be a great finish!
4th Quarter:
11:21- Allen's really got game! (yes, a cheap joke, but I like it)
9:25- Odom ####s, period.
9:11- Kobe's going to take over eventually.
8:56- Pierce ####s, too. It's a ####off!
commercial break- More Wipeout! Dammit, stop the bull####, already!
7:59- Who cares how much you pay for your haircut, Van Gundy!
7:15- Will Garnett please stop the jumpers and go to the basket.
6:21- Rondo shouldn't be in the game right now. Kobe has no respect for his shot, and they need shooters.
4:25- There are so many candidates for goat of the game for Boston; Garnett, Pierce, Rondo, (Doc) RIvers. I'll say "all of the above".
3:37- Book it; the Lakers will win this one. I don't like how Rivers is playing these last few minutes.
3:22- Speaking of which, can someone explain why Rivers is shying away from a hot Allen for an ice-cold Pierce?
2:00- O.K. Kobe. Finish this one off!
1:43- Good thing Vujacic stepped up for the lackluster Odom and Gasol.
1:33- I guess Doc wanted to lose tonight.
:38- That (Celtic) possession proved it.
End of 4th- And now it's official; Lakers win 87-81.
What can we take away from this game? Aside from the seemingly endless Wipeout and Japanese commercials, that Kobe (aside from some trouble at the line) had easily his best game of the series (36 points) and that his team was more aggressive and got more FTs (a sure point of contention for the road teams so far in this round, but I'm not a referee, and the Lakers were due). Vujacic gave the team life, as well, scoring 20 points.
Meanwhile, many of the Celtics came up small. Garnett and Pierce were the biggest culprits, as Garnett looked soft and frankly stupid, repeatedly shooting (and usually missing) jumpers, and Pierce looked awful all night. I don't want to hear about "maybe his knee swelled up"; he just didn't show up. The Lakers were also decent on the boards (only outrebounded by one, a huge key) and held the Celtics, a team that struggles to score easy baskets, to 34% shooting. Those factors won the game for L.A.
Now, what about game 4? Expect the Celtics to demand KG show more muscle down low and try to eschew those jumpers, and they need Pierce to show up. Also, Doc needs to have the light bulb go on when he knows he has a hot hand. But I think Gasol will show up Thursday, and now the Lakers have confidence. That should translate to a game 4 win and a tied series. Lakers by 6.
LOL this is Funnnnny. I almost puked when Van Gundy started talking about his haircuts. LOL
Odom, Walton and Pau are missing and presumed dead.
Kobe and Sasha can't carry an entire team by themself. Lakers lose this series if no one else can make a shot.
Kobe missing free throws is bad enough but Pau? You're not doing anything else worthwhile. Would you mind making some free throws? I can't spend the offseason reading about Hack a pau. I live in Oklahoma where most places have Indian names. We already have Tonapah, Chickasaw and and a thousand similar names. Do you mind? It's confusing.
Vlad if I have to see you punch the basket support padding one more time after a stupid foul, I'm gonna punch you. Try moving your feet instead of your arms.
Fish? I understand Rondo is quicker than you. Mini me is quicker than you but Eddie House has played with 87 teams and never more than two seasons anywhere. Sam Cassel is shooting. Forget everything else about him. You supposedly understand the Laker defense better than anyone. Suppose you might want to stay at home on them since shoot is all they do?
Luke, enjoy the uniform for as long as this finals lasts. You're toast. I can toss up airballs that arc 5 feet over the top of the rim for a heck of a lot less than 6 million a year.
Farmar? What are you argueing with Sasha about who gets the ball for? We already know who should get the ball. Sasha delivers 50% of the time in the playoffs, you haven't picked up the wake up call phone once yet since the playoffs began. No shooting, no defense, no ball handling, noassisting, no rebounding. Need I go on?
Turiaf while your high energy is to be commended it's not particularly useful when you bounce around like someone on meth but lose your man you're defending, run from side to side without even doubling anyone or guarding anyone. You remember the old phrase about a bull in china closet? He makes a lot of noise but there's no reason for him to be in there. He's not accomplishing anything.
Downs...i'm crackin up over here LOL
you know...where is papa Bill's criticism of his son Luke? I'd love to hear some of that.
Maybe some of Kobe's defensive efforts on Pierce contributed to pierce's bad play...but that could be just my observation. I think he was mentally rattled. a real superstar can perform on ANYONE'S home court...not just his own.
Nique...you're funny but right on.
i personally think that the whole team needs a nut check!!!
if they come up empty, then the series is over.
Even the pregame show endorsed the notion that the officiating has been uneven. Phil Jackson was taking out insurance that it would not continue to happen when the venue changed to the Staples Center.
Kobe was aggressive because his foul situation allowed him to be. In game 2, he had 2 fouls in the first quarter and his 3rd foul in the second. He didn't attack the rim until the 4th quarter when he knew he'd probably be able to end the game if he did.
The score was 20 to 20 after 1. That's not news for the Celtics' defense, but it should have been a headline for the Lakers. The Lakers let up in the 3rd, but overall played much better defense in game 3. That is reflected in the final score.
Garnett and Pau, Pierce and Odom... these were critical no shows for their teams. Or, perhaps the defense was effective.
Doc Rivers said many times, they are okay with Kobe going off if they can contain the other Lakers, and who more than their #2 and #3 options, (Gasol and Odom).
If only the Lakers would learn to rebound. They are late to the boards and are already boxed out, making dumb reaches over the back when the ball hits the iron.
I agree with Mikers. Worst game I've ever watched. Neither team deserved to win. Everything about it was atrocious...
Speaking of atrocious, Lamar Odom made the dumbest play I've ever seen. At the end of the game with 21 seconds left, he draws an offensive foul on an unnecessary drive to the basket when his team is up 6. HOLD THE G-DAMN BALL! It's like he does stupid #### on purpose.
Other observations:
Vladamir Radmonovic airballed a layup.
I'm convinced Luke Walton and Lamar Odom would have a better chance finishing a 30 pound turkey than finishing a layup.
KG just wanted to create offensive rebounding opportunities for his teammates.
Paul Pierce was drunk. I think.
The Lakers scouting report apparently reads "Leave Ray Allen wide open for repeaded threes. He's not very good from that distance."
The Celtics scouting report must read "Sasha Vuvich (as Doc Rivers called him) is a European and thus can obviously be easily intimidated. Also not accurate from distance."
Did PJ Brown look like he had a pinched nerve in his elbow or something when he was shooting? I mean, if I had a kid, I'd be covering his eyes every time PJ started to hoist one up.
When the Lakers kept talking about Derek Fisher's "veteran" leadership, I didn't realize that "veteran" meant "WWII veteran". Now it makes more sense.
When do we get to see the yin and yang matchup: Scalabrine vs. Mbenga?
My guess is we'll hear news out of Guantanamo that terrorists are being subjected to watching an endless loop of Game 3.
Well, Spurcse, sometimes, the old adage "Be careful what you wish for" applies. It was a bad game to watch because neither team could consistently hit FTs and the Celtics left their inside game in Boston. Not to mention Gasol and Oodom play soft. And to make things worse, those damn game show commercials are driving me crazy! Hopefully, they'll both play better in game 4.
I am David Downs, and I'm a sports nut who loves basketball and football and am open to good discussion about any sports subject. I am a Detroit sports fan, but I not a homer. Expect frequent vents on subjects that irritate me, and also expect the utmost respect for anybody's opinion, even if they disagree with me. Because, after all, that's what these blogs are all about, aren't they?
