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NBA Finals - Celtics vs. Lakers

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So having some time to think about it and get my head back, after hell day at work, very little sleep and waking up a little (ie: a lot) drunk, I have some thoughts on yesterdays game.

First off, I will give credit where credit is due, Boston outplayed the Lakers in every aspect of this game. The Celtics did the same thing to Kobe that they did to LeBron, Gasol and Odom couldn't get inside, the bench players outplayed the starters for the Lakers.

Now, that being said, there are bright spots for the Lakers. The first half was well played, people passed the ball around, found the open guy and took the high percentage shots. Fisher shot well, and Sasha did a good job shooting off the bench.

The downsides, first, let me get something off of my chest... ahem.. WHY THE FUCK WHEN THE LAKERS SHOOT DOES EVERYONE WEARING PURPLE AND GOLD GET OUT FROM UNDER THE DAMNED BASKET? I watched that in the Utah series, and I watched it last night, is there some arrogance where they assume that the shot is going in? Or some fear that the team will get a fast break on them? The got slaughtered on the boards.

Momentum is a motherfucker, I think that will be the best way to describe last nights game. The Lakers could have easily won that game, but Pierce falling, then coming running back two minutes later to the theme of Rocky really energized the Celtics.

Gasol needs to accept more contact, he's trying for these outside shots instead of going inside and getting people into foul trouble, it's like the guy is afraid to be hit. I have some bad news for the guy, if you're afraid of contact, you're never going to win an NBA title. Odom needs, in this series more than any other, to be aggressive on the rebounds. When you have Rondo ganking rebounds from you, then you need to adjust your game.

I have always been a believer that a team that's down at the half has an advantage in the second half, that team makes adjustments, where the team in the lead seems to be under the idea that they can just keep doing what they are doing.

Some adjustments need to be made, Kobe needs to be moved over to Pierce, Odom is going to have to learn to defend KG, at least get a hand in his face or something, having your arms at your side as someone shoots over you isn't a good thing. Gasol needs to protect the paint, Rondo rolling in and getting a layup shouldn't happen. Fisher needs to be moved over to Ray Allen, sure Ray may still put up points, but I see Pierce doing more damage if he's left with the smaller Fisher on him. Now, VladRad should probably come off the bench, a healthy cycle of Sasha and Farmar on Rondo will be good if for nothing else to keep the kid moving around instead of letting him pause, find an opening and drive.

Clock management, last night Phil Jackson was outcoached, with two minutes to go they really failed. Down by 6, they started tossing up bricks instead of actually moving the ball around and started fouling with what? 16 seconds left?

Jackson is a great coach, I expect some changes to be made for game two, game 1 was very competitive, and I expect Kobe to have a better shooting night and hopefully Gasol has more that zero rebounds in the first half.
 
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simply put...if the lakers can't rebound...this series is over....gasol is playing soft...odom disappeared as usual.....boston played one of their worst defensive halves in the first half and was only down 5....the lakers are finesse and better get physical soon....i think sasha can't stay with ray allen....allen was beating him off the dribble....on the perimeter etc.....

for boston..pierce has to take more than 3 shots in the first half...garnett played awful in the second half.....but i don't think the LA defense is anywhere near the level of Cleveland and Detroit....

game 2 is prolly the biggest game of the series...boston gets game 2 and heads to LA 2-0..they are in great shape because they will get one in LA...if LA wins game 2...they get home court and put the pressure on boston to win at least 1 but really boston would need to win 2 in LA..which would be tough...

what i want to see is what happens if boston goes up 2-0...the laker fans will be in meltdown mode...that is worth the price of admission
 
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Am I really the first person to comment on Pierce faking that injury like a bitch?

With that said, Boston played about average for Boston, and the Lakers player pretty bad for them. A lot of shots that normally fall didn't. I think that changes in game two. I also think Kobe will figure out Boston's defense quicker than Lebron did(look what Lebron was doing by the end of that series). I look for him to find more holes in the defense for both himself and his teammates.
 
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Napoleonbuck;1179097; said:
Am I really the first person to comment on Pierce faking that injury like a bitch?

With that said, Boston played about average for Boston, and the Lakers player pretty bad for them. A lot of shots that normally fall didn't. I think that changes in game two. I also think Kobe will figure out Boston's defense quicker than Lebron did(look what Lebron was doing by the end of that series). I look for him to find more holes in the defense for both himself and his teammates.
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unless kobe's teammates get physical then it won't matter what kobe figures out...and maybe do you think LA played bad because of boston's defense in the second half???? game 2 is the most important game......and remember pierce had 3 shots in the first half and garnett played poorly in the second half..i expect those 2 to play better also.....the lakers have to get production from odom and gasol...and honestly..i don't think LA is that good of a defensive team..cleveland and detroit are much better...and the series key is rebounding....whoever wins the boards will win game 2....that is where i would be concerned if i were a laker fan...who is going to toughen up and work the boards
 
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Bad halves happen in Basketball. Boston played below their potential in the first half and the Lakers played way below their potential in the second. Some of it was Boston's defense, though I think a lot of it was shots simply not falling. Boston's defense wasn't making shots go half in and popping out.

I'm also not sure rebounding is THE series key. I'd rank bench production and turnovers as more important(Bench production because Boston needs scoring outside of Allen, Pierce, and Garnett and turnovers because if the games play at a slower pace, then neither team can afford turnovers). Rebounding is important, but I don't think it will decide the series. Boston will probably outrebound the Lakers in every game, but I don't think the Lakers will get swept.
 
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Napoleonbuck;1179097; said:
Am I really the first person to comment on Pierce faking that injury like a bitch?
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I've just wanted to avoid posting about it. Even my cousin the Celtics fan found that one a little hard to stomach.

Example #1 of why the NBA is last on my list of the sports I really care to watch or get in to. The players are all drama queens. Every shot that doesn't go in someones crying to a ref, everytime a player goes down they act like they've been shot. The part that really makes me sick is they then turn around and want to act like tough guys and demonstarte how "fierce" they are. :shake:

When a saw PP's little act all I could think of was Spielman and his belief that if they ever had to carry him off the field he would retire. Then you see 4 guys carry that little queef off the way they did and it makes it hard to respect any NBA player.
 
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Jaxbuck;1179102; said:
I've just wanted to avoid posting about it. Even my cousin the Celtics fan found that one a little hard to stomach.

Example #1 of why the NBA is last on my list of the sports I really care to watch or get in to. The players are all drama queens. Every shot that doesn't go in someones crying to a ref, everytime a player goes down they act like they've been shot. The part that really makes me sick is they then turn around and want to act like tough guys and demonstarte how "fierce" they are. :shake:

When a saw PP's little act all I could think of was Spielman and his belief that if they ever had to carry him off the field he would retire. Then you see 4 guys carry that little queef off the way they did and it makes it hard to respect any NBA player.
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In fairness to Pierce, I've had that happen many times playing ball when you get hit on the knee and it feels like you can't even walk on it. Then a few minutes later it's alright and you play on like it never happened. Teams are always cautious in such situations. The reaction of his teammates is understandable, but in a pick-up game you would have just waited a few minutes to see if the pain went away, and then carried on as normal if it did. The NBA Finals is a different ballgame.
 
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How can you go down like someone shot you, start cursing like your career is suddenly over as you grip tight on that knee piece and literally get carted off like a beeyatch, only to come out hopping around like Peter Cotton Tail, with an extra young headband, on Easter Sunday?
 
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GoBucks89;1179106; said:
In fairness to Pierce, I've had that happen many times playing ball when you get hit on the knee and it feels like you can't even walk on it. Then a few minutes later it's alright and you play on like it never happened. Teams are always cautious in such situations. The reaction of his teammates is understandable, but in a pick-up game you would have just waited a few minutes to see if the pain went away, and then carried on as normal if it did. The NBA Finals is a different ballgame.
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I have never seen anyone bang one knee and refuse to put weight on the other one. I'm sorry but there has to be some small degree of pride inside a guy that doesn't want to show others he's hurt that bad even if he may be in tremendous pain. In the culture of the NBA its completely the opposite, those bitches see zero shame in showing the enemy he hurt you. Those silly cunts actually think its better to act like you've just had your legs blown off by a land mine and come running back out on the court 10 minutes later.


Worst part is I felt sorry for the drama queen at first. He went down and my first reaction "was get up and quit acting you little bitch". The longer he stayed down the more I felt like he might actually be hurt, then when I saw them carry him off like had some bones broken or something I felt like an ass for getting on a guy that was really hurt.

When he ran back out I literally turned it off and made my peace with never watching the NBA again. I don't care who wins or what happens the rest of this series or any other in the future.

I had almost zero respect for NBA players before but after watching that its less than zero.
 
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SanAntonioBuck;1179115; said:
How can you go down like someone shot you, start cursing like your career is suddenly over as you grip tight on that knee piece and literally get carted off like a beeyatch, only to come out hopping around like Peter Cotton Tail, with an extra young headband, on Easter Sunday?
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Have you ever been injected with high quality painkillers?
 
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