6/13/08 What can you say?

What can you say?

The full range of emotions watching that game last night.

Complete anger in the first half. If I had millions to waste I could see where the remote or some object would have made it into the tv. I kept hoping they would get that ugly 24 point deficit down to 15 by halftime. Then they make their run and get it to 12 only to have a mini-Laker run bump it up to 18 at halftime.

First half observations:

Lamar Odom - when did they trade for this guy and who was wearing that uniform the first 3 games? This was a completely different player than the Celtics had seen prior to last night. He was the difference maker in the first half.

Kobe - all the talk of how he likes to get everybody involved in the first half then get his offense in the 2nd half seems to be what went on in the 1st half last night. Finding open shooters at every possession.

Pierce - continuation of game 3, we are in trouble

Garnett- trying too hard, can't hit a shot again, uh-oh

Allen - only one that has been consistent, getting some touches but not enough

Rondo- slipping all over the court, is it because he is running/stopping differently due to the ankle? Not effective.

House - wow, looks very afraid in 1st half, misses all his shots (I think)

Now the Lakers, up 18 at halftime, at home, should have opened the 3rd quarter the way they did the first. Nope, we saw early in the 3rd the Celtics play very cautious and smart offensively while you could tell the defense was much tighter. Big change was Pierce on Kobe. I like the job Ray has done guarding Kobe but the job Pierce did on him in the 2nd half was terrific. You could tell at every turn, Kobe was looking at the refs about the bumps and denying Pierce was doing.

Throughout the 3rd, I was thinking if they could only get it to 9 at the end of the quarter that would allow a chance. To actually hold the high flying Lakers to 15 points and cut the lead all the way to 2 was amazing. I'll admit, I kept waiting for a mini-Laker run to bump it back to the 9 or 10 I previously was hoping for. It never came.

Now the substitutions of Posey (18 points) and House made all the sense in the world. If Perkins doesn't do whatever he did to his shoulder does Doc go small? Dunno...

The 3rd quarter and part of the 4th was Pierce being Pierce finally (again) and controlling the flow offensively. The shots the Celtics got were open 3's or a drive to the hoop.

Play of the game/series? The one on one block by Pierce on Kobe's post fade-away! I want to watch that on youtube forever.

Some of the reverse layups Pierce and Allen made were impossible. The three point play on the reverse by Pierce was amazing, how did he get the touch on that to go in? Same for the first reverse by Allen.

Wonder why Odom didn't play in the 2nd half (sarcasm alert). 180 degree change from the first half, this guy played invisible in the 2nd half. Useless.

The 4th quarter was very exciting, the Celtics maintained the defensive intensity, started mixing it up with Garnett getting some looks and Posey and House still contributing big.

How does Ray Allen, with the clock winding down, get by one defender and go all the way to the rim in a 3 point game?

Truth be told, both teams are flawed. The NBA finals has seen better teams most years but as the Lakers are finding out, if your biggest flaw is defense, that will prevent you from winning against a good team.

More to come later as I continue to digest what I saw.

(here is another clip from BombayTV CLICK ON IT TO PLAY)