WOW! Gotta be honest...when PP was carried off the court, my heart sank. I tried to go into defense mode, saying, "well, he hasn't been a factor so far in the game, so maybe this will not be a big deal."
Then like Willis Reed, Paul Pierce comes back, albeit not as much drama, as PP didn't limp coming back into the "Gah-den.". The crowd went nuts, but it wasn't PP's return that was the game changer, it was his two 3 pointers that kept the Celtics ahead. Garnett's thunderous slam off a reb with 1:32 left sealed the Lakers fate.
Game plan: I made a bet with a family member that the Celtics would win by 10 and hold the Lakers to their average ppg of around 90. I won the bet. I get a beautiful bottle of Napa wine as a prize. Was it the Celtics' great D that held the Lakers from scoring their average of 108? Yea and no.
The Celtics played great D, but Kobe was off in the first half. Was it due to good D? Well, so far, they didn't give up the obvious shot to Kobe, but they did let Sasha have a few good looks. The Celtics have room for improvement, but the Lakers have a lot more room for improvement. Their ball movement wasn't there, and that was due to the Celtics' D.
Kobe didn't drive to the basket...it was mostly jump shots. The Lakers didn't have any fast breaks (ok, they had one), and were forced to play half-court offense, which plays into the Celtics' hand. Bottom line? The Celtics got lucky with Kobe missing some shots, but the Lakers didn't take advantage of Pierce's absence. The Celtics went on a 10-2 run with Pierce in the locker room. The Celtics' bench outplayed the Lakers bench. Odom was not a factor, neither was Gasol, altough Gasol played a nice first half.
Next up, game 2: Don't look for anything different from the Celtics. I would hope they would try to get more points in the paint, but other than that, the Celtics' game plan worked. The Celtics average giving up a little over 90 points per game.
O-and-3...looks like so far, the Celtics have delivered as advertised. The Lakers may be an offensive fireworks show, but so far, it's a dud. The regular season head-to-heads between these two teams were not meaningless. They were a preview to the Finals.
OFFENSE WINS GAMES, DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS.
Celtics game plan: Celtics take game 2 by 6. Defense and Ray-Ray hitting his long range shots are the key again. If KG can get his turnaround jumpers to hit, this could be another long day for the Lakers. The only weakness I saw was the Celtics defense of the pick and roll. Maybe Perkins should be pulled. He guessed wrong too many times. Other than that, D-E-F-E-N-S-E.
Lakers game plan: Pau Gasol has got to be more aggressive in the paint. Did you see that finger roll shot he missed? Kobe gave him the stare down as they were transitioning back to defense after that Gasol miss. Gasol has been too soft. Walton was a waste of space and Farmar needs to play more minutes. The Lakers had better get used to Kobe being denied in the paint and start moving the ball around more. Someone needs to step up and lead the team if Kobe is getting shut down. Lamar? Are you listening?
STAT OF THE DAY: LAKERS ARE 1-4 WHEN LOSING THE FIRST GAME OF A SERIES IN THE LAST 5 YEARS.
Lakers fans.....looks like the "Lakers in 5" will not happen unless they sweep the next four. STFU.
Boston fans...be good. Be patient. Let the Lakers fans run off their mouths. Right now, we are 1-0.
Home front news: I am married to a Lakers fan. He got "lucky" this morning, and the way the smack is flying, he may go into a drought for the next two weeks. Mr. Horne will be a basketcase for the next two weeks. I am stronger than he. I have more fortitude. Feel sorry for Mr. Horne. I will sleep like a baby tonight. Unless I hear, "the Celtics rule", it will be a drought for Mr. Horne. Recognize.
Tell Mr. H I'm with him. I'm keeping the faith. I have every reason to be confident the Lakes will split in Boston and take 2 of 3 in LA.
The Lakers shot atrociously and got outrebounded by a huge margin, yet they were still in the game until the last minute. They'll do a better job of boxing out in Game 2. Kobe's not going to let them lose like they did tonight.
1. I think you give the Celtics D way too much credit. Most of those shots Kobe missed, he missed because they were forced shots. It was obvious he lost his cool and tried to do too much.
2. You fail to mention Ray Allen. When Allen doesn't stink it up, the Celtics almost always win. Allen finished with a strong albeit quiet line of 19 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 block and 1 steal.
PJ Brown was big, as he helped the Celtics out-rebound the Lakers.
TOB: You forget to mention that the GOAT, Kobe stunk it up as well. AND HE REALLY STUNK IT UP. Very unGOATlike, much less unJordanlike. 9 for 26 from the field and 4 TO's, plus he was 0 for 3 from 3 point land. He led the Lakers in many categories. Most shots taken, most shots missed, and most TO's.
Train...if his shots were "forced", credit the D. The D caused him to take some last second shots...gimme a break. How can you sit there and say he made some "forced shots" w/o mentioning the Celtic's D? What's ur point?
Mean...looking forward to TheLaeague.com's famous resident on making a post...I'll check ya out tomorrow.
jon...Mr. H is not happy. You have more faith than he.
Celtics put the clamps on in the 2nd . Lakers shot 51% in the 1st half and 33% in the 2nd including 25% in the 4th I know ,I know all the Kobe swallowers, like the man himself will chaulk it up a poor shooting nite "I just missed some bunnies".......Horse hockey. The Celtics played great defense on Kobe and had a hand in his face on nearly every shot he took in the second half.
This game was won in the trenches Celtics outrebounded the Lakers by 13 and Gasol is going to have problems with KG this entire series.
Im interested to see how the Lakers young guys respond to a little adversity, being this is the first time they've been down in the playoffs
If Pierce doesn't play sunday I may be singing a different tune. If LA loses game 2 this series is over. There is NO way this Laker team can take 4 out of 5 from the Celtics
Celtics in 6
Last edited by 54fulltiltfulltime on June 5th at 10:40 PM.
54...dude, I was worried the first game. But I like our chances. The Celtics avg. a defensive 90 pt ppg , and it was par for the course. Lakers can't score 1oo, and it's a win for The Celts and no free tacos for the Lakers fans, even though that only happens at Staples Center. If the Celts win game 2, it's over.
I've gotta give credit to the C's defense. Their intensity was off the charts. The Lakers need to match the C's intensity in Game 2 and have a few more shots drop. I think they can match that intensity. Perhaps Trevor Ariza can play a few minutes in Game 2, unless he has an injury I'm not aware of.
Took the Celtics 1 half to adjust to the Laker double on Garnett coming from the baseline instead of high. Doc adjusted by going to screens to free up passing to the weakside for an open shot or drive rather than forcing a jump shot or loopy passes out of the doubleteam. At that point the Laker defense seemed to lose intensity as their game plan had been solved. Much was made of Kobe's acrobatic shot that put the Lakers ahead 71-69 but it fortold a problem, the problem of the Celtic defense closing down the normal passing lanes and the Laker offense becoming stifled. From that point the Celtics outscored them 29-17.
The Lakers will make another adjustment before game 2 and if they win then they'll be happy that they have a split and home court advantage. Each game is a mini-conflict that has to be viewed on its own. We'll see a tough series no matter who wins.
The Lakers couldn't hit a shot to save themselves late in the game, even though they got open looks. And I give Pierce credit; he played tough. It reminded me a little of when Larry Bird got cayoed in 1991 against Indiana, came back, and sparked the C's to victory. But game 2 will be interesting to see if the Lakers can rebound.
Congratulations to the Celtics, they held home court
..as they're supposed to.
They hustled and played good defense.
The better team won tonight.
However,
I didn't see anything to make me think the Lakers can't win this series. Boston's big three had good games, Rondo, Cassell and P.J. joined in, but it seemed to me the Lakers were off all night,
yet, still in the game at the end.
Phil will make adjustments, Kobe will storm back and this series will get interesting.
Should Boston drop game two, the feeling you have now will seem like a long time ago.
Three games in LA will be just what the Dr. Buss ordered.
You need game 2 more than we do.
Pierce wins the Oscar for Best Actor in a leading role tonight. That was a bit over-dramatic.
He gets the Al Pacino over-acting award.
Nice 3's after coming out of his coma.
No need to panic Lakers fans, a win was within reach and will be again.
I feel guilty for turning the tables on Mr. H.
You flipped my suggestion on the poor guy.
HE was supposed to hold out on YOU!
I guess the "Horne" will stay locked up for awhile.
I like how Kobe was saying post game that he had tons of open looks and just missed them. Every shot I saw him take was against good defense with a hand in his face. The Celtics wouldn't even let him dribble the ball inside the three line.
bleed...what I saw was a D shutting Kobe and the Lakers down. That was great D. Yes, he missed a lot of shots, but like 54 tilt said, there were hands in his face every shot.
Look, you all can quivel over the finer points of the game...the bottom line is the Celtics held the Lakers under 90.
The last THREE games, the most the Lakers have scored is 92 points on the Celtics.
THE REGULAR SEASON RECORD BETWEEN THE TWO TEAMS IS NOW RELEVANT.
I have said this all along...stop Kobe, and the Lakers can't win. The better "team" won last night, although the Lakers have the best player in the world on theirs. Ubuntu.
tcb....what? It's the Lakers to win? The Celtics are up 1-0 and have home court advantage. It's the Celtics to win, at this point.
?The Lakers will sweep home? Boston has already beaten the Lakers in LA. You aren't giving any credit to the Celtics D. The Lakers sweep?.....you are a typical Laker fan.....you think LA rules. So far, they have not. They didn't finish. Defense wins games, but you just don't understand the concept of it. Go tivo the game. C's stuffed Kobe.
Hi Lisa. Been forever. How have ya been? Just wanted to pop by and say hi. Im back blogging and hopefully I'll stay longer than my last return lasted.
Have a new post up with some LOL horse racing, NFL , NASCAR , and even Kobe and Shaq. Oh you also make an apperance in it as well. Check it out when u get a chance. You might get a chuckle or two.
Take care.. and Oh.. good to see you been keeping Forensic,Kristen, Lori and co. in line at GGW while i was gone.
Take Care-Cuda
Pretty good game 1 for the Celtics, but certainly not the domination I would have expected with the rebounding and fouls advantage the Celts enjoyed. Two observations:
"Like Willis Reed" - lol
I daresay Reed wouldn't have been carried off without even trying to put weight on the knee, this was clearly a minor injury.
I'd have to say it was a "Vintage Kobe performance" - lol again!
There's a reason Tom Thibodeau is so well respected around the league, Kobe couldn't get the space to drive past anyone, and instead of running the triangle and letting the game come to him, he definitely forced some shots. The Celtics' D in the 4th, particularly in the last 3 minutes, was back to their regular-season form.
Good job Celtics. In my mind, it's one game too soon for the STFU, however. Talk to you Sunday!
Last edited by nba is the worst on June 6th at 10:07 AM.
1. Kobe's Season PPG average is 28.3 or 4.3 points more than he got in Game 1.
Let's give him 5 points. Now, the Lakers lose by 5.
Not good enough. He has to have a stellar game for the Lakers to win.
2. Kobe was 9 for 26.
Let's give him is normal 46% shooting average, which translates to 12 for 26, or 6 more points.
Lakers still lose by 4.
Yep, "Kobe and the 4 Dwarfs", and the newest version of Showtime was nowhere in sight last night.
Of course, Sunday is another day and another game. But the key is if Kobe can do BETTER than his average. He has to have at least in the mid 30's for the Lakers to have a chance ... Assuming the dwarfs play like they did last night.
(Ignoring 3's of course, which could change the points per basket, upping his score, but also would tend to lower his shooting percentage. Also ignoring the effects of his misses where the Lakers got the rebound and scored...)
NBA...THE "STFU" WAS IN REFERENCE TO AT 10 COMMENTS I HAVE SEEN THAT HAVE SAID THIS: "The Celtics had better enjoy these first two games, because the series isn't coming back. We're closing out on our home court." (actual quote)
That's about as delusional as it gets. If the Celtics enjoy the first two games, then they are up 2-0. How can the Lakers close it out at home when they only play 3, 4 and 5 at home? Do the fans not understand the format? That after three in LA, it's back to Boston for the final two. I don't get their warped logic at all.
Fisher on Kobe Bryant's game: He's so great at breaking down defenses off the dribble. The Celtics defense just doesn't allow that type of play."
Fish understands the defensive battle Kobe is facing.
Kobe, last three games against Boston:
game 1- 6-of 25
game 2- 9-of-21
Game 1, Finals- 9-of-26
Regular season play doesn't count because those two games were pre-Gasol? Looks like they were a perfect preview!
cuda...welcome back! I'll check it out!
alex...nice call on Kobe. I hope the Celtics can keep him contained in game 2. Going to LA with a 2-0 lead would be sweet. I still think it will go to seven games.
know this: the lakers are 4-20 when held to under 100 pts. thats what the celtics do. they hold you to under 100 pts. they hold you to under 100 pts all the time.
You know what's funny, before this game me and my friend were bullshitting about whatever getting drunk.. and I said #### the penalizing players for flopping, I just hate it when players go down and fake injurys, if you go to the floor and act like your seriously hurt and then come back in you should be kicked out of the game.
PLAY ARIZA
And you know what I actually believed Pierce I think Pierce almost believed Pierce, and I never wanna see a player hurt especially one as inconsistent as Pierce,,, but anywho just thought that was funny.
People dont realize who the real hero of the game was for Boston VLADE
If I have to watch Garnetts nuts on Luke Waltons neck, Or Vlade give one more set of freethrows with one second of the shot clock####K
Last edited by banmeplease on June 6th at 12:58 PM.
josh...they give up on average 90 pts...they are #1 in D. The Lakers are 1-4 when losing the first game, in the last five years. I like our chances.
Let's put it this way...I would rather be us than them. If Celts win game 2, it's over. Only 2 teams have ever won a series with losing the first two and winning the three middle games...and the Lakers are playing too good of a team to make that happen.
The Celtics game plan was and should include: Clog the lane and make L.A. kick it outside. Until the shots go down, make em' shoot from downtown!(copyrighted)
Ubershorty: I sincerely hope that was a joke. The Celtics, at home, held a 35 to 28 FT advantage. Very typical that a home team will have a FT advantage in any NBA game. The stats that should worry a Lakers fan are twofold:
Rebounds: Celtics 46, Lakers 33
Rondo only had 2 turnovers
If those two stat lines continue in this series, the Celtics will be very tough to beat.
Actually, I think the Lakers would be encouraged by the box score, in that they had the exact same number of field goals, and lost by 7 at the free throw line and 3 at the 3-point line, in spite of the huge rebounding differential.
Due to the moving screens and hand-checking not being called on the Celtics, they did enjoy a considerable benefit in officiating beyond the 7 points at the line.
I expect the Lakers to play better Sunday.
Just saw an interview with Pierce on ESPN, he said his knee was painful, "a little sharp pain on the inside of my knee", and if the game were tonight, he "probably" wouldn't play, and that he was glad about the finals schedule giving two full days off before game 2.
Lisa,
I don't believe most of the Lakerfans expected the Lakers to win both games in Boston, but are counting on a split. That's why I said it was one game too early.
:)
nba is the worst: This was 1 game in a 7 game series. I just can't believe the outcry from Lakers fans that this was a poorly officiated game. When the series moves to LA, the Celtics should expect the calls from referees to go the other way as well. To call last nights game as being poorly officiated is a stretch at best. Winners adjust, losers make excuses. Period. The Celtics may have gotten the better of the officiating last night, but that had a large part to do with their energy as well. Agressive and physical play at home will almost always garner a victory, especially with a team as talented as the Celtics. I fully expect the Lakers to show up big time tomorrow night in Boston. They will be as or more aggressive than the Celtics. However, they will always struggle to be more physical than the Celtics. The teams are what they are. The players are what they are. In my previous blog I indicated the biggest keys for the Celtics are the play of Rondo and Pierce. IF they can continue to play well, they will win this series. I expect them to do that 4 out of 7 games. Kobe will not go 9 for 26 in another game in this series. That was a gift that the Celtics took advantage of for their victory last night. When all was said and done, the Celtics didn't play all that great either. There will be much better played games in this series than the one we watched last night. That I have no doubts about.
uber, nba....I saw one bad call on each side. The backcourt violation was wrong, and the foul on Pierce was wrong. That makes it a wash. As far as the Celtics getting more free throws, well, you can thank Kobe for that. He rarely drove to the basket, in fact, the entire team relied heavily on jump shots, so the FT discrepancy is legit.
The refs in the East let them play looser, so the Lakers better get used to it. It's the Black and Blue East, baby. Wimps need not apply.
Boston played their tough defense and clogged the lane. I give them credit.
They knew exactly when to throw a second defender at Kobe - as soon as Kobe made his move towards the lane another defender came at him.
Now Kobe has to adjust and have better court vision and awareness. His teammates, meanwhile, need to recognize what's happening and open up passing lanes for Kobe to create something out of nothing.
The Lakers' coaches will make the appropriate adjustments while Lakers players will look at themselves and figure out why they lacked fire on Thursday night.
Kurt Rambis needs to tell some of these Lakers players to knock some Celtics to the ground on Sunday. There are only two ways to beat the Celtics and the Lakers have to do them both, and that's punish them and get out in transition.
It's no secret formula. It's the exact same way Showtime took two of three Finals series against Boston. But LA won't be able to do it if Gasol and Odom don't play All-Star caliber ball.
The only reason Kobe had a tough shooting night wasn't so much so the Celtics' defense but the fact that Gasol and Odom weren't perceived as threats, allowing Boston defenders to key in on Mamba. But when Gasol and Odom make an impact on the game, all of a sudden this is a much different Laker team
"Its only one game". After reading all of these posts, you would think its already over! The celtics played well at home, the lakers didnt play very well, and were in the game pretty much all night, in boston. Remember, the lakers lost to san antonio by 20, and were is sa right now? Botom line, in 7 games, ANYTHING can happen, yes, even the mighty celtics could lose to the lowly lakers!
Alex rogan truly is a genius. I just wish he was so positive USC would win the MNC this coming season! By the way, laker fans are pretty fair weather, but boston fans rank right up there with new york fans! YUCK!
Oh yea lisa, before I forget, paul pierce may have left hollywood, but hollywood hasnt left paul pierce! Comparing what happened with him to willis reed is a crock! I will give him credit, I KNOW what he will be doing after bball, starring in movies!LOL!
WILSON...DEAR ME...NO ONE HAS SAID IT IS OVER. FAR FROM IT, I THINK IT WILL GO TO SEVEN GAMES. (whoops, sorry for caps)
Pierce is hurt. He may have over reacted, but he was hurt. He's a tough guy...he was stabbed multiple times and played a game a month later. No wuss, trust me.
Dizz....nicely done. I whole-heartedly agree with you. Now where's your blog?
LISE: "Courage"? C'mon now Lisa, you should know better than to question my moxie.
I work full-time you know, and my day job isn't blogging (though I'd love to be paid to do it).
Thanks for posting the link.
Bloggers - I apologize for being a tad bit late but hopefully you'll be kind enough to give your two cents. I always look forward to what the haters have to say. AlexRogan are you listening?
Nowhere did I say that the game was "poorly officiated". I completely agree the calls will likely tend toward the other team in games 3-5.
I like both teams, and believe I'm fairly objective.
I (in general) believe NBA officiating is a joke. I'm correct in saying the officiating favored the Celts, but it certainly didn't decide the game.
I've noticed it several times this year watching the Celtics "turn up" their defense, where their hands are often pushing on their man and nothing is called.
I guess it's a little better than the Pistons' Lindsay Hunter "roam and hack" defense, which never seems to get any calls either..
Last edited by nba is the worst on June 6th at 7:09 PM.
Hey Lise as I stated on J-Dizz's post. This series is all about rebounding. Limiting Kobe and Co. to one shot per possession, while putting down second and third chances yourself.
I agree wuth slshusker make the Lakers beat you from outside.
Defense has been the Celts trademark this year. The Lakers haven't cracked a C note on the MEN in GREEN yet this season and have a 0-3 mark to show for it.
I noticed the great Laker savior...no not KOBE... Gasol was truly magical. He disappeared in the second half.
