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NBA Finals: Game 3 Preview & Chat

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No excess delays.  No having to sit and second guess a loss.  The Lakers are right back in it tonight in Boston and that’s exactly how all parties would want it.  After a long flight yesterday morning, both teams must now be ready to play the most important game in the series.  Because the winner tonight will have a distinct upper hand in this series.  Nothing that can’t be overcome by the losing team, but tonight’s winner will have a series lead and the momentum going into Thursday’s make or break game 4.  And while Boston should feel confident tonight, the Lakers should feel pretty good too.  Because as we saw in yesterday’s break down of the final 5 minutes, the Lakers had their lead going into the home stretch.  Yes their execution failed them, but that’s what the game tape is for – to get those things right the next time around.  Tonight is their chance.

And speaking of tape, Phillip put together some videos for us on the Lakers’ P&R attack that I think will be useful for game 3.  Even though I said that the Lakers should be less reliant on “plays” and more reliant on their base Triangle offense, the Lakers are not going to stop running the P&R completely (and I’ll have suggestions on some ways that I can work better later on).  So, let’s look at the film and see what worked in game 1 and how Boston countered in game 2.

In this first video we see how the Lakers need to run the P&R if it’s to be successful.  Look at how Kobe feints going to his right hand before setting up the screen.  Look at the depth that Ron got in the corner to create the spacing that allowed Kobe to attack Perkins in space.  And then recognize the brilliance of Kobe’s hesitation dribble to set up that sneaky lay in.

In this second video, we see how the success of earlier P&R’s allowed Jordan Farmar to successfully go away from the screen that was being set.  As you can see, Michael Finley’s head is on a swivel anticipating the screen and Farmar was able to explode by him and get to the rim before any help could arrive.  The screen also pulled out the second big man in hedge position that eliminated the second help defender.  Granted, the success of this play was much more of an individual effort than Kobe’s previous play.  But in the end, it was all set up by the threat of the P&R.

However, that success was missing in game 2.  In this video see how the spacing is off and it allows Rondo to play both in a position to help on Kobe while still being close enough to recover to Fisher.  After that initial screen action didn’t work, I would have liked to have seen Kobe pull the ball back out and either run the action again or (even better) pass to the corner so Gasol could get a touch and either shoot his jumper or make another pass as the Triangles back side motions went into effect.

In this last P&R, you see the individual excellence of Kobe get a bucket.  But what you also see is a botched P&R with bad timing, a poor angle on the screen, and a lazy roll by Bynum that allows KG to cover both the roll man and then stick to Gasol who flashed too early.  All in all, two points on a bad play.  (On a side note, did you hear JVG saying that the NBA should get Steve Javie a “segue” to officiate the games? That made me laugh.  Javie is one of the best.  Get well soon.)

Why am I showing these plays when I’m asking for more Triangle?  Because even though these actions should be relied on less in game 3, it’s still an important play for the Lakers success.  If the Lakers are going to run the P&R, they have to do three things: 1). Get a better screen. 2). Space the floor in the direction that you plan to run the action. 3). Have better timing on the flash from the weak side and combine that with a harder dive from the roll man.  If the Lakers do these things, they’ll have better success.  If they don’t, the C’s will gum up the middle and the entire action will be disorganized.

But I also wanted to share the video’s because they show the difference in execution by both teams from game 1 to game 2.  In game 1, the Lakers execution, spacing, and attention to detail was just better.  In game 2, Boston was the team that could hang their hat on their doing of the little things.  And in game three, the winner will be able to say the same thing.

So tonight, what I’m looking for is better ball movement and more decisiveness from the players.  In video three you saw how Kobe didn’t have much going for him off the dribble but still forced the shot.  It’s on those types of plays that, in this game, the Lakers need to make the extra pass, go set a hard screen, and then create a look for a teammate.

And speaking of screens and getting shots for teammates, the Lakers are going to need a better defensive effort in game 3 against Ray Allen and the C’s screen actions.  In a fantastic post over at NBA Playbook, Sebastian Pruiti put together some excellent footage on how a hot Ray Allen can affect the entire defense beyond the points put up on the scoreboard after a make.  So, the key tonight is to give him less catches and not allow him to operate in his comfort zone as often as he did in game 2.  After game 2, Kobe was asked how you stop Ray Allen when he’s got it going the way that he did and he simply said that “you can’t let him touch the ball”.  When prodded about what you have to do after he catches the ball, Kobe reiterated the fact that you have to deny him his catches.  Now, we all know that Ray’s going to get the ball – denying him is going to be extremely difficult “if the Celtic big men are going to get away with all those moving picks away from the ball.” as Henry over at TrueHoop said last night.

So, as Henry also said, the Lakers must make adjustments on how they play those actions.  I think they can do this by showing out harder with big men to disrupt the passing angle, locking and trailing with the man that’s guarding Allen, and also by rotating behind the helper so he sees the 2nd and third defender when puts the ball on the floor.  Remember, when the Celtics have any combination of Rondo, Tony Allen, Perkins, or (to a lesser extent) Big Baby on the floor, they’re playing a non-shooter that is more of a defender and hustle player.  Those guys must be made into scorers while the other players are made into passers and spectators.  This will be easier said than done – especially with a player as mindful of being a creator of offense as Rondo – but the Lakers need to turn this game on it’s head in some way and it starts with playing this particular action better.

I’m also looking for the things that we’ve been asking for all series: discipline on both sides of the ball, remembering the keys to transition defense (marking shooters that run to the 3 point line; turning the ball handler; being aware of who’s running and what their tendencies are), and an assertiveness on both backboards.  In the comments (and by Phillip) it’s been repeatedly noted that this is a series where many of the stats can be ignored in the boxscore except for total rebounds.  If the Lakers can win the battle of the boards, they’ll be in good shape tonight.

And here we are.  As mentioned at the beginning, this a big game.  But, I want to also say that this is why we follow sports – for moments just like these.  We’ve always talked about enjoying the journey and it’s moments like these that should be the most fun.  Yes it’s panic inducing and surely the emotions run high, but I can’t say there’s anything I’d rather be doing tonight than watching these two great teams battle it out for the the lead in these Finals.  Here’s to a Lakers victory.  Let’s go get it.


Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Igor Avidon says

    This one’s for Warren?

    Hopefully that will take care of Bennett Salvatore’s presence tonight.

  3. inwit says

    Now it’s time to prove something or to shut up.

    In 08 they were humiliated on this court, and all we have heard for the last 2 years is how the Lakers want revenge. Now is the time. We will find out this week if this is a team with championship character that can overcome adversity.

    Enough about the officials, injuries, etc., this is all about heart and character.

    May the best team win.

  4. jodial says

    Time to let the game do the talking.

    Win this one and the Lakers are exactly where they were in last year’s Finals.

  5. Celtics Nation says

    I’m very interested to see who guards Rondo and Ray Allen b/c if the last game showed anything it was that the Lakers have no answer for either of Rondo or Allen.

  6. Anonymous says

    Since the 2-3-2 format was introduced in 1985, the winner of Game 3 when a Finals series was tied 1-1 has gone on to win the title on 10 of 10 occasions.

    In the history of the Finals, when the series has been tied going into Game 3, the winner of that contest has gone on to win 28 of 32 series (87.5 winning percentage).

    Better hope the lakers win tonight…

  7. bluesky says

    Darius,
    I agree with you, let’s go to win this game. We don’t want to hear any excuses after the game in the press room. Every minute is count, Lakers should show strong will to win this game from the coach to players. Dr.Buss once said that the reason he bought Lakers team because he wants to beat the Boston Celtics.

  8. MannyP13 says

    This is the most important game in the history of this franchise up to now. Tonight we find out if this team has the heart of a champion or merely that of a contender/pretender. Let’s go Lakers!

  9. Chise says

    Nice write-up. Aside from better execution, and the necessary adjustments on defense (especially on Allen’s screens), I really would like Kobe to put his stamp on the game early. I know they try to establish the post early, but Kobe having an aggressive start goes a long way in establishing his rhythm throughout the game. He can’t take over late when he’s only shooting in bunches in quick spurts. Granted some of that was a direct result of his foul trouble, but he still needs to get going early.

    I’ll be at the game tonight with my Kobe jersey on…hopefully it’s just like the last time (Lakers win in January).

  10. kwame a. says

    Celts Nation-Game 2 proved what you claim about as much as Game 1 proved that Boston has no answer for Kobe and Pau. Each game is different.

    One thing that seems to be the case is that regardless of all the hoopla about the bigs, the team whose guards controlled the game have won so far. Here’s hoping Kobe/Fish (and jordan and sasha) have it goin tonight.

  11. T. Rogers says

    Anonymous,

    And Phil 47-0 when his teams win the first game. So what happens if the C’s win tonight? Which stat will prevail? Of course, I am being a bit sarcastic.

    Just as the Celtics didn’t care about the stat regarding Phil after game one, the Lakers shouldn’t care about a stat regarding game three now. The best team wins a seven game series. The Lakers are MORE THAN capable of taking tonight’s game. Heck, if they could take two out of three. The question is will the execute and pay attention to detail as Darius and others have pointed out? I sure hope so.

  12. Bobji says

    The bigs (including LO!) gotta gobble up the rebounds, everybody needs to try something to keep Rondo away from any long rebounds so as to limit his opportunities to start up fast breaks.

  13. Pig MIller says

    More Time for Sasha, less time for Shannon. More Kobe in the post, less Kobe on the P&R.
    Add a heaping helping of Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol layups, with just a dash of Derek Fisher and Ron Artest jumpshots. Stir vigorously and serve up a win.

  14. Joel B. says

    bennett salvatore nooooo! expect a lot more questionable calls and no calls. So lets just get that out of the way now. So it’ll be up to the lakers to really force the officials hand by being aggressive, playing smart and executing. No blame goes on the officials tonight.

    But the lakers have to put kobe back on Rondo. As soon as Kobe switched off of him, he got going. Although it was more of lack of offensive execution that got him going in transition. But Kobe has to discourage Rondo and take him out of a rhythm early.

    I hope phil notices that Shannon takes too many plays off and puts sasha on Ray if ray gets going early when defended by Fisher.

    And lastly, this has to be the worst day every, I have a 3 hour final exam at 7pm so i’ll miss the final 3 quarters. How am I going to be able to get through it? The same way the lakers can pull this game out, a lot focus and will to finish strong (for me the quarter of school and for the lakers finish the 4th quarter like they’ve been unable to do the last 2 games). Corny, but hey it has to happen.

  15. Buttas says

    I echo Pig Miller. Sasha needs more burn and basically keep pounding the ball inside. That’s all we are talking about here really.

    Execute and win.

  16. Ryan says

    Interesting that the winner of Game 3 wins the series so often. I’m going to make a bold prediction, whichever team wins four games first is going win the title.

    Tonights game should be fun. The crowd is going to be loud and really try to motivate their team, but the Lakers know how to win on the road (what is it 5 straight series clenchers on the road dating back to last year, thats impressive).

  17. Kenslc says

    -Darius was this actually a complaint about the officiating!?

    “if the Celtic big men are going to get away with all those moving picks away from the ball.” as Henry over at TrueHoop said last night.

  18. DY says

    For Bynum’s sake, I hope Bosh shows up to the game. (Seems like Bynum explodes everytime Bosh is in attendance).

    I’m sure that all that needs to be said was said by Phil, et. al., and it’s simple, time to win. Boston = the Soviet Union in Rocky IV. We’re in enemy territory, we’re being watched by the Boston intelligensia, and Kobe is in the “gym” chopping wood, hurling logs, and deadlifting horse carriages. There are no excuses about refs, it’s all-out warfare.

    I know the mantra “pound it inside” seems trite and to some commentators, too simplistic. But this is a proven formula. If Pau and Bynum are fronted, swing the ball around and get it to them, do not give up on punishing them inside. Too frequently our perimiter guys give up on getting the ball inside. When we heave 3 pointers, we fuel Rondo’s devestating full-court forays.

    Tonight will be the true proof of whether or not Kobe and company have truly shed the demons of 2008. I believe we can win this game and series.

  19. sparky says

    5:

    Easy one. Kobe on Rondo, Fish and Sasha taking turns on Ray Allen. The only thing the Lakers don’t have an answer for (although Salvatore may) is Boston’s moving off-ball screens–the foundation of the Boston offense.

  20. Brian says

    We have an answer for Rondo, and it’s a Kobe that is not hamstrung by 3 bogus foul calls.

    As for Allen, I agree that I’d like to see Sasha get more burn as he is better at chasing around screens than Shannon. In fact, I’d like to see Shannon ride the pine for this game.

  21. Mimsy says

    Repost from the preview and chat thread for Game 1. Minus the HTML tags this time, in the hopes of avoiding moderation. (EDIT: It failed, so I put the HTML back in.)

    The 2010 NBA Finals Drinking Game:

    ***Disclaimer: I take absolutely no responsibility for any trouble you get yourself into if you chose to play this drinking game for four full quarters. If you’re old enough to drink, you’re old enough to take responsibility for your own actions, drunk or sober, smart or stupid. Also, do NOT play unless you’re actually legally allowed to drink. I shouldn’t even have to tell you that.***

    Have a drink when any of the following happens:

    …an announcer uses the phrase “short-corner three”

    …Mark Jackson says “mama there goes that man!”

    …Pau Gasol aggressively drives into the lane for a successful dunk

    …Fisher makes a three-pointer without putting one foot on the line when he steps into the shot

    …Kobe Bryant makes an absolutely impossible jump shot that defies several basic principles of physics and aerodynamics

    …Ron Artest shoots a three and makes it

    …Shannon Brown dunks. Drink twice if it is over one of the Big Three.

    …Kobe does “the teeth” face

    …any Celtic player actually gets called for an illegal screen. Drink twice if it’s Kevin Garnett.

    …Sasha makes it through his first two minutes of play time without fouling near half-court

    …Lamar Odom makes both free throws in a clutch situation

    …Andrew Bynum blocks a shot

    …Andrew Bynum makes it through three full minutes of play without getting called for a foul

    …the Lakers win.

  22. Jaz says

    I haven’t read much about Game 2, because I just want to get to Game 3. I’m jumpy about it. My wife’s uncle, a real die-hard Laker fan, was with us Sunday. Afterwards, we were muttering and complaining about all sorts of things, not just the Lakers. It really put us in a sour mood. I saw the bluebird of happiness yesterday, and wanted to gun it down. I need Game 3.

  23. Matt R. says

    I’ll be honest, I desperately want to watch this game, but I’m debating not watching it and trying to live by ESPN alerts like I had to for game 1 (work function I couldn’t escape).

    After Game 2 I honestly couldn’t sleep.

    I had the same problem in 2008. If there’s one thing I can’t stand as far as Lakers’ losses, it’s losses to the Celtics. I grew up in the 80’s watching Magic and Bird go at it. I hate those boys in green with a passion that will not quit. Losing to them makes me physically ill.

    C’mon Lakers! Put the ball in Pau and Drew’s hands and let them work, glue yourself to Ray Allen if he’s your man, and Ron, just keep playing.

  24. kehn says

    Let’s go Lakers!!!

    Nervous as hell, but I’d be nervous as hell if we were playing the Wizards in the Finals; I’m just neurotic like that.

    Anyways, in the interests of some pre-game levity, here’s a little drinking game while we watch:

    2010 LAKERS DRINKING GAME

    – If Kobe Bryant waves off Gasol/Bynum, isolates until the shot clock is down to 4, and hoists up an off-balance 18-footer with a guard draped over him, take a sip.
    – Take 2 sips if he makes the shot
    – If Kobe gets called for a touch foul and runs up to the ref agahst to plead his innocence, take a sip
    – If Kobe’s 2009 Finals lip-curled-out sneer appears, down your entire glass
    – If Derek Fisher attempts a PUJIT, take a sip
    – If Fisher draws a charging foul, take a sip
    – If Fisher makes a clutch three, take a sip
    – If it’s Fisher’s only basket of the night to date, take two sips
    – If he makes it with 0.4 seconds left on the clock, down your entire drink
    – If Ron Artest shoots a three, take a sip of Hennessy
    – If you hear the phrase “Artest’s strength”, take a sip of Hennessy
    – If Artest elevates more than 8 inches off the ground, order more Hennessy
    – If Bynum has a sheepish grin after a silly foul, take a sip
    – If Bynum blocks the same shot twice in a row, take a sip
    – If Bynum is in during the closing minutes of the game, take two sips
    – If Gasol sneers at KG or Perkins, take a sip of Spanish wine
    – If Gasol perfectly duplicates Hakeem’s Dream Shake, take a sip of Spanish wine
    – If Lamar Odom gets an offensive foul from charging in with his head down, eat some candy
    – If Odom has at least three fouls by halftime, eat some more candy
    – If Odom takes a three-pointer, eat even more candy
    – if Odom makes the three, give him and Khloe your candy
    – If Jordan Farmar dribbles the ball around the perimeter for over 6 seconds, take a sip
    – If Shannon Brown is involved in a successful fast break, take a sip. Take two sips if his junk is in a Celtic’s face while dunking
    – If Vujajic commits a foul, take a sip of vodka. Take two sips of vodka if the foul occurs more than 20 feet away from the ball
    – If any backup guard fouls a 3-pt shooter, down your entire drink

    BONUS
    – If Adam Morrison’s eyes are open, down your entire drink
    –

  25. PJ says

    @ Mimsy- If I play your game I wont have to worry about having too much to drink until the final score

    @Kehn- If I play your game I’ll be passed out before the end of the 1st

  26. Gr8 Scott says

    Nice to see I’m not alone in my fear of Bennett Salvatore being a part of the officiating crew. I’m not complaining, but I will say that in recent playoff history (including game 4 on the road last year where we didn’t shoot a single FT for the last 9-10 min of the 4th and the first 4 min of OT), he hasn’t been too kind with calls that either are balanced or at least consistent. That said, there are two other refs who will hopefully work with Bennett to call the game consistently.

    I expect Pierce or Garnett (hopefully not both) to try to have a big game. I’m fully in favor of trying to make it Garnett’s night – if he can hit his 17 footer, great, but I don’t want Wheelchair or Jesus Shuttlesworth going off on us. And for the love of Pete, let’s get back in transition and not let Rondo grab all those long boards. Rebound hard, limit the turnovers, work the ball around (especially inside) and keep your composure. Past Finals dictate that the winner of game 3 goes on to win most of the time (90% I believe). Go Lakers!!!!

  27. Darius says

    Nice to see that Kehn and Mimsy are trying to get us all trashed. Good times.

    Also, Kensic (#17) I’m not immune to seeing some things about the refs. 😉 Ha.

  28. DonFord says

    Like Matt R (#23), I had the same problem sleeping after Game 2 (and I’m a “good sleeper”, but I was quite unsettled that night).

    Perhaps the antidote is to follow the advice of #21 & #24 🙂 Drink enough to forget. Perhaps the ultimate drinking game, for practical purposes, is to wait until the end of the game; if the Lakers lose this one, drink an entire bottle / 6pack / 5 shots, and Wait Til Next Year.

  29. kehn says

    hah, didn’t even see yours, Mimsy! Great minds think alike? I certainly hope your drinking games gets more people drunk than mine!! 🙂

  30. Burgundy says

    Regarding Bennett Salvatore, the guys is just a bad ref.

    If you go on the Celtics boards, they’re equally terrified of him.

    Salvatore isn’t out to get anyone, the game is just too fast for him, at his age, so he tries to compensate by “guessing” on calls, which is why you see so much inconsistency when he’s reffing (he’s also the King of make-up calls, because ultimately, he does want it to be fair).

    I don’t know if it makes you feel any better, but Salvatore isn’t out to get LA or Boston.

    He’s just bad at his job.

  31. Mimsy says

    @PJ
    The benefit of having two drinking games is that you can switch between them depending on how the game goes. If the Lakers are playing well, you’ll play my game, so you can celebrate thoroughly afterward. And if they play horribly we’ll switch to kehn’s game, so we won’t notice it as much 😀

    @kehn
    I originally wrote it up for GAme 1, but since I posted it 5 minutes before tip-off it didn’t get a lot of attention… not that surprising. So I figured I’ll give it a second try.

    And nobody play kehn’s game if you’re watching the game in a sports bar and have to drive home! 🙂

  32. Jane says

    Having avoided all social media for two days, being completely sleep deprived and with no voice left from the last 7 minutes of game two, I’m beyond reasonable help at this point. I am dreading and begging for 6pm PST.

    Sigh.

  33. JeremyLA24 says

    Butterfiles entering the stomach as we embark on the game being less than 2hrs away.

    Let’s go Lakers. Make those Boston fans tuck those Beat L.A signs uncomfortably under their seats while their hopes and dreams of a game 5 home Championship win are flushed down an unsanitary gas station bathroom toilet.

    Sorry I just really don’t like boston… you understand.

  34. Sophomore says

    Honestly, the moving pick complaint by Henry Abbott was just more of his smack-talking. He knows something about the game, no doubt, but he also likes to stir it up.

    Go to ESPN and have a look at Kevin Arnovitz’s breakdown of all 8 Ray Allen 3s. You’ll see that four of them came in transition – there wasn’t even a screen involved on those! The rest of the screens are clean – they’re just well done, the way screens are supposed to be set. http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/16522/how-ray-allen-gets-open

  35. Joel B. says

    Another few things about defending Ray Allen

    The lakers guards can switch sometimes. In the video on truehoop they switched one time, but both artest and fish went to allen and left Pierce open. Also the bigs have to switch on Allen in corner. Bynum made the mistake twice of not switching. And lastly, Kobe should crowd Rondo so he doesn’t have an easy passing lane. The most important thing is to switch it up and not be predictable to get boston out of their offensive flow.

  36. KB24ever says

    Amidst all the talk of LO being the X factor (or non-factor), lets not forget about these other 4 X-factors: Shelden Williams, Michael Finley, Adam Morrison, and Josh Powell. From the ESPN Stats team: Boston is 35-0 when Finley plays more than 2 minutes. LA is 26-2 when AMMO collects more rebounds than fouls. And Boston is 1-0 in Finals in which the Ghost of Christmas Future appears in the Celtics locker room to give a Red Auerbach-style pep talk prior to the game! Lets start the tires and light the fires, Game 3 in t-minus 45 minutes, people! Be excited, be be excited! Kobe’s got juice, Kobe’s got juice, whoooooooa KOBE!

    Btw, I just realized that Michael Finley is part Irish… Coincidence? I think not.

  37. Pig MIller says

    I’m so pumped for this game. I sometimes wish the real Pig Miller were involved somehow with the modern-day Lakers, if nothing because of the tattoo of a pig on his arm and the fact that he looked so much like a real pig.

  38. magic days says

    I’ve been irritable and nervous all day aniticipating tonight’s game. i’m finally starting to feel better since Sunday’s game.

    Let’s hope the Lakers are feeling better and more amped to come out and play strong, cause we’ll need them to put up their best efforts. I expect the freethrow disparity to be huge now that the Lakers are the “away” team. They’ll need to play through that. And please please no more Artest dribbling around the world. I still need to exorcise that image from my head.

    GO LAKERS!!! Let’s take this series back!

  39. KB24ever says

    props to Mimsy for thinking of the drinking game first. Bigger props to Kehn for thinking of a better, eminently more entertaining drinking game (I especially like the LO-candy rule and the Pau “take a sip of Spanish wine” rule. Hilarious and it has a nice ring to it!). And in all seriousness, it’s 3:40AM where I am now (in Israel) and I’m sacrificing precious sleeping time for my beloved Lakers. So they had better f’ing deliver the goods. My prediction: final score Lakers 99, Celtics 95

  40. 3ThreeIII says

    Game 3 is huge.

    May the Lakers play as the Champions they are, and not as the boneheads they can be.

    Go Lakers!

  41. Lakers8884 says

    I expect Kobe to come out in Black Mamba mode.

    I also hope someone sticks to Ray Allen’s butt like white on rice.

    I also hope that whoever guards Rondo, that they decide to give him the jump shot and not overextend on him and allow him to penetrate.

    I hope for a game 3 win . . .

  42. Kenslc says

    Man I’m really feeling this one! I feel like they let both teams play tonight. Come on Lakers! Just run the offense and play smart basketball!

  43. 3ThreeIII says

    Oh my god…

    It is early, sure… but…

    Can we please stop shooting threes? Can we please not let Artest touch the ball?

  44. J-M says

    Are you kidding me? I thought Phil said he talked to Artest about that dumbass foul in Game 1 when he stuck his butt out.

  45. chearn says

    TIMEOUT PHIL! Should have called timeout after KG got two easy baskets!

    The Lakers are standing too flat footed! This is not looking good in respect to energy! Kobe, Rajon is YOUR man, could you find him and put a body on him!

  50. Joel B. says

    so far so bad, the lakers have given up 6 lay-ups and been out hustled. The celtics want it more.

  51. Lakers8884 says

    If I were Phil I would have inserted Sasha before Luke, he’s got more to offer the Celtics dont respect Luke’s offense

  52. Matt R. says

    We’re missing a lot of the shots we hit at home.

    Artest is completely out of the game mentally (and thanks to two quick fouls, physically).

    Where the F did Luke Walton go on that Rondo layup? There were only 4 Lakers on that side of the court that I could see.

  53. Darius says

    It’s not all bad early. The timeout was called (I assume) to settle down the team and remind them that there are openings that need to be taken advantage of. The C’s have gotten all their baskets on easy plays that won’t be there for the rest of the game.

  55. 3ThreeIII says

    What kills me can be boiled down to this: Celtics fans KNOW that their team is tough. Old maybe, but tough. We Lakers fans simply don’t know that.

  58. Chewy says

    Why is Luke still in the game? He’s not playing ANY defense on pierce…There’s 2 wide open shots that he just missed.

  59. Lakers8884 says

    Darius, if you were Phil wouldn’t you rather want Bynum going than Lamar? Bynum is a much more difficult matchup for Boston

  60. Snoopy2006 says

    The C’s defense always seems suffocating at home. I have a sick feeling in my stomach despite myself. This looks too much like 2008. Except now instead of Radman, we have Walton on the floor.

    Kobe’s going to have to attack like that and get them in foul trouble.

  63. chearn says

    KG will be exhausted by the 4th quarter.

    Rajon scares me because it seems as though Kobe, nor no other Laker is respecting his game. How is he allowed to continue to run down rebounds. If any of these players shadowed him on shot attempts, they’d see what he sees and maybe get to the ball before him!

  64. Zephid says

    Lakers weathered the early storm. Odom with a couple bad shots already. He needs to be aggressive and go to the basket.

  67. Kevin says

    As long as we limit Boston’s 3 point shots we will be fine on the defensive end, I was more unhappy with that than I was with what Rondo did after game 2

  68. TB-8788 says

    Weathered the storm. Time to settle into the game. Allen and Pierce are off. KG can’t keep this up. Kobe making good decisions on penetration to find open teammates. Lamar, if you don’t call glass, it doesn’t count.

  69. Darius says

    #59. I’m fine with LO early. Phil has said that Odom gives the Lakers the chance to put Kobe on the wing (rather than in a guard slot) and Pau in the post. If LO can produce and be active (and he has so far) it’s a different look for the Lakers (less size) that can be just as effective – just different.

  71. Steve W says

    Have a negative feeling about this game so far despite the small lead. Seems like we’ve relied on some lucky shots, friendly whistles and fortunate bad shooting by the C’s. None of those things are necessarily sustainable..

  72. harold says

    Not bad so far.

    The things I worried about were a slow start, and a crummy finish.

    At least we got the slow start thing out of the way.

  73. chearn says

    Thank you Pau! When has Allen ever passed the ball out of that corner three, GO AT HIS SHOOTING HAND!

    An Odom BLOCK, I’m sooooo happy! Even though it didn’t count!

    Okay, Okay, I like Phil’s rotations so far. Just stay under control Lakers, MOVE THE BALL, and secure the rebounds! Let’s Go!

    Robinson is going to be tough at home, but he can get a little out of control!

    Darn it Rajon, sure has a nose for the ball!

  74. Lakers8884 says

    Why is Shannon putting pressure on Rondo so far away from the basket? Lay off the guy

  81. sfjayp says

    there you go. way to finish out the quarter.

    not amazing energy so far – but sufficient. they’ll need to pick it up to game-1 type energy, though.

  82. Matthew says

    21-5 run by the Lakers to close the quarter.

    It’s half past 3 AM here and I am wide awake after almost not being able to get up.

    Make it worth it, fellas!

    GO LA!

  83. Mohan says

    Phenomenal finish to the quarter. Quick ball movement and consistent activity on defense.

  85. KB24ever says

    that final sequence almost made me cream my pants! If we keep this up, if LO stays strong and motivated, and we keep getting our bigs to show on Allen and Rondo like they did in this first quarter, we win in a landslide like Gm 1.

  86. Darius says

    That’s what I was talking about with LO. His ability to run the floor, provide spacing, and be an initiator of post entries changes the Lakers dynamic against the C’s. If LO is on his game, it’s an effective alternative to the bulk and length that Bynum provides. Remember, Boston has struggled this season with quick line ups that can change ends and play their style against them. I mentioned turning the game on its head in the preview and this is how it’s done. That said, keep it up!

  87. Matt R. says

    Despite KG’s hot start, our defense has been fantastic. Players are communicating, they’re in the right spots and making the right decisions.

  88. chearn says

    @74, all of the guards except Fisher should put full court pressure on Rajon! It fatigues a guard when he has to control each dribble to ensure that it is not stolen from him, as opposed to him dribbling down the court with his head up surveying the floor. The kid is good but he is not yet as good as Magic bringing the ball up the floor!

    The Laker’s need to sustain the flow of this game. This is Laker basketball. But again I am loving the substitutions that Phil is making!

  89. harold says

    Great way to start the quarter.

    Going to the hoop, drawing the foul, yes!

    How are we defending Rondo and Allen? Kobe still on Rondo?

  90. Mohan says

    Anyone else notice that the commentators spend 90% of the time saying what Boston should do? Just a little biased.

  92. emh101 says

    Great start. Lakers kept their heads after Boston’s quick start and I love the drives to the basket.

  93. sfjayp says

    That was a “NO NO NO….yesss” shot by shannon.

    it would be nice if he made good enough decisions… and enough shots… that it wasn’t that way.

    come on…

  94. Lakers8884 says

    Chearn, the only problem with that is Rondo is faster than every guard on the Lakers team.

    Terrible defense 3 guys triple team Sheed and leave Nate open for a 3.

  95. Darius says

    #89. The defense on Rondo is still sagging and he’s adapted well to it. But, he’s got 2 fouls and is on the bench. The Lakers are playing Allen much better allowing Fish to chase better on screens by giving him the space he needs by separating from the screener. And Fish has been relentless chasing. Great effort so far. Plus, early on, Ray has left his jumper in LA.

  96. harold says

    gotta love it when the other team chucks up threes and misses for once.

    …

    okay i jinxed.

  97. Steve W says

    My pessimism is a magic elixir for good Laker play apparently.

    This lead will be down to 5 by halftime.

    EDIT: Brown + Farmar is a recipe for nothing good. Jacked up threes consecutively. No.

  100. Drew says

    Lakers with a huge opportunity to extend this lead, instead some poor play from farmar and brown

  101. Zephid says

    Why do Farmar and Brown keep jacking up jumpshots? When they attack the basket, they win us games. Farmar attacked the basket, got a layup. Brown attacked the basket, got a floater. Attack the basket, stop settling.

  102. Matt R. says

    OK, not happy with Farmar and Brown at the moment, but I’m still pleased overall with our bench.

    Apparently no one told them we aren’t in LA.

  103. joel r says

    bad shots by farmar and brown

    get the ball to bynum in the post or let odom create! dont give up this lead bench mob!

  104. sfjayp says

    can somebody tell me why the bench isn’t running anything through bynum? right after he had a nice move?

    and… can somebody tell me why bynum isn’t screaming for the ball against wallace?

    sometimes the “killer mentality” is oversold, but nobody ever mistook bynum for having it.

  105. Steve W says

    The four players with the lowest offensive basketball IQ in the rotation (Odom, Brown, Farmar and Artest) playing at the same time. Not surprisingly, two jacked up threes and a turnover. Come on PJ.

  106. Jeremy says

    The 3pt shot must be one hell of a lover because we seem to absolutely addicted to her. Wasted opportunity these last few minutes.

    Have no idea what the hell farmer is even doing out there, I like him but it’s get tiring seeing him run around like he’s playing dodge ball

  107. 3ThreeIII says

    Drive. Drive. DRIVE.

    The paint is where the work is done. Get them in foul trouble. Tire them out with the constant need to rotate, help, jump and bang bodies.

    If you are stronger than your opponent: PUNISH THEM!

  108. TB-8788 says

    I prefer Luke with this Farmar/Brown lineup. Those two guys are offense killers with bad shots. Luke knows the offense and moves the ball well.

  110. Zephid says

    104, Bynum is not getting position. If he doesn’t get position, there’s no point passing it to him in the post. He’s getting outworked by Wallace on the block.

  111. joe wright says

    There’s a special rule that allow Celtic players to hit Gasol without getting a call???
    I m starting to wonder…

  113. Steve W says

    Dangerous time right here. You want to keep this lead in double digits into the half, but the Celtics are really bearing down on defense and the Lakers seem a little mentally out of it after establishing the lead.

    EDIT: Kobe, you cannot try to steal that outlet. That’s a guaranteed layup.

  114. sfjayp says

    @zephid:

    exactly. he’s so talented. I wish he would have that killer aggression to fight for position.

  115. Andreas G. says

    Did anyone else lose their picture? Or is it just NBA League Pass Broadband?

  119. Lakers8884 says

    Terrible transition defense, Lakers are worried too much about the offensive end right now and not enough about the defensive

  120. harold says

    Hectic… i’m breathless just watching the telecast.

    Surely this isn’t finesse, but there is a lot of fight (at least judging from the telecast).

    Thank god for Ray. I hope he undoes what he did against us back in LA.

  121. Buttas says

    Kobe is taking a lot of shots. I would rather him drive to the hoop. We are doing a great job of getting them to foul us. Why deviate?

  122. Zephid says

    Kobe needs to get to the free throw line. He’s settling for jumpers when he should be going to the basket.

  123. Matt R. says

    Everyone seems cold right now.

    I think our guys are too amped again. I kinda want to see Phil take another time out and calm these guys down.

  124. Snoopy2006 says

    I had this written earlier but it applies now: Kobe always looks so human shooting jumpshots against Boston. Complete credit to their defense. What else has changed from the last couple series? And yet he’s missing easier shots against Boston than the ones he hit against Phoenix. They know how to take him out of a rhythm.

    It’s incredible, though. These shots are similar to what he makes against other teams. And he just can’t hit them against Boston.

    He was so effective earlier attacking the rim. Now the bigs are rotating much better and earlier, forcing Kobe to take pull-ups just outside the paint. Beautiful defense, very reminscent of 2008.

    We need to do a better job of getting the ball to our bigs. Our perimeter players are overdribbling.

  126. joel r says

    definitely agree with you zephid

    i dont think the looks kobe is getting arent that bad (for him), hes just not making any

  127. TB-8788 says

    Selfish play by Allen. If he drops that off, Garnett has a dunk on the 2 on 1. But since Ray hasn’t scored, he was clearly trying to get his. Fisher draws a nice charge there. That’s the way to contribute even if you’re not scoring.

    Boston thrives on getting multiple stops. As long as we avoid going 4+ trips without points, we’ll be fine. Lay off the three and work the paint.

  128. Mamula says

    Bynum totally hustled for that lose ball off Kobe’s miss. The guy has heart, he is still young and in Kobe Academy. Let’s wait to see what he is made of when he is the Alpha dog

  129. Chewy says

    Why is walton in the game? thats back to back plays of dumbness
    and as I wrote that….a non-hustle result in a foul

  130. 3ThreeIII says

    The question of why the Lakers settle for jump shots rather than drive or feed the post is one of the all time great basketball questions.

    Others:
    1) Why do guys like Shaq, Rondo, Howard, et al, have such a tough time shooting free throws. Why not shoot 500 a day? You are a pro, right?

    2) Why are three middle aged men refereeing a 10 man game with elite athletes?

    I am sure everyone can think of others…

  132. Lakers8884 says

    How does everyone leave Paul Pierce wide open for a 3? Play defense and the offense will follow

  134. Steve W says

    Kobe is trying to stick it to Ray, with limited success. He’s getting his looks but to the detriment of offensive flow. We need to see Pau fight harder for position and get some looks down low.

    EDIT: Great hustle Kobe. Something to make up for the ice cold shooting.

  138. J-M says

    How has Luke played against Artest? I had to go somewhere after I saw Artest pick up two quick ones early.

  139. Steve W says

    Hard to anticipate a brick as bad as what Rondo put up, but Walton can’t take touch fouls like that. Let’s get a bucket to close the half here.

    EDIT: Solid half. Excellent defense! Now time to have one of our powerful third quarters and get this thing ended early.

  140. Josh says

    I’m sorry guys, but I love Mark Jackson’s cheesy puns. KoBE or not KoBE??? Hilarious!

  142. Lakers8884 says

    Sometimes ugly but satisfying half, same game plan in the 2nd half. Keep the foot on the gas.

  143. Matt R. says

    My brother, a Spurs fan, just looked at me after they gave the Pierce stats for the half and said, “If the Celtics lose this series and Pierce keeps shooting like this, how is he a Hall of Famer?”

  144. noles says

    I’m really not sure how I feel about that first half. A lot of good things we did and a 12-pt. lead are nice, but somehow, I can’t help but feel a little disappointed about our constant inability to extend big leads. I’m not trying to sound greedy, but letting teams back into games is always dangerous. Let’s hope we come out like gangbusters with one of our typical strong 3rd qtrs! And then let’s skip the 4th! 🙂

  145. Chewy says

    J-M: Horrible, Luke keeps needing help and sometimes just leaving pierce wide open. We’re lucky Pierce is not making his shots. He’s also not making Pierce work any harder on offense allowing pierce to help at will.

  146. Kenslc says

    That was a great half by the blue and gold!
    Loving the way Bynum is stepping up.
    Fisher is playing really well against RayRay. It’s all about the intangibles with Fish.
    How about Luke stepping up and playing decent minutes against PP.
    And yes we have a LO sighting!
    Kobe. Despite a poor shooting half he is putting his stamp on this game by driving to the basket, making some heady plays, and great passes.

    Half-way there to a 2-1 lead. Keep it up Lakers!

  147. Andreas G. says

    Kobe and Pau are a combined 7 for 20 and the Lakers are still up by 12 – amazing.

  150. Lakers8884 says

    I would rather KG and Rondo be shooting jumpshots instead of Ray Allen and Paul Pierce, that is a recipe for success.

  153. harold says

    I hope we can bait Pierce into his 4th early in the 3rd, and Perkins to a T sometime during this game.

    Every little bit will help, especially when Kobe and Pau are not making shots.

    If things work out, maybe Pierce will end up saying the truth – it won’t come back to LA. 😉

  154. TB-8788 says

    Crowd tried to get going after Pierce’s 3-ball, but good job by Lakers to quell that.

    All we need is a 48 point second half. Get to 100, because there’s no way Boston will score 60 to get there, too.

    I anticipate Boston’s scoring load shifting from Garnett to Allen and Pierce. They can’t keep missing forever.

    The key to the second half is avoiding bad, long shots, which will give the C’s the run outs they need to get into the game.

  155. R.J. says

    Good start, loooonnnnng way to go.

    That Kobe hustle play was GINORMOUS, also a jumper he hit on an ensuing possession that had become frazzled and chaotic….still not boxing out Rondo consistently…..

    I will take my chances with KG leading Boston’s offense over Ray Ray. Lakers are playing with poise, which is good to see, but they need to get back more in transition. Ray or Pierce will get off in this half, but the Lakers need to keep running their offense and pounding it inside.

  156. Tra says

    Good 1st half …. Weathered the Storm early & then seized Control of the Game …. Bench playing well …. LO Finally arrived …. Defense is Solid …. Kobe needs to stop Letting their Defense off the Hook by Settling for J’s. Needs to Continue to attack. Get their Bigs (Or ‘Jesus Shuttlesworth’, for that matter) in Foul Trouble …. Controlling the Boards so far …. I’ll take KG leading them in Scoring every day of the Week. At this Rate, he’ll be gassed come Money (4th) Quarter …. Key for 2nd Half: NO TRANSITION BUCKETS. FORCE THEM TO SCORE ‘GAINST OUR SET HALF COURT DEFENSE

  157. 3ThreeIII says

    The best way to stop Boston’s transition offense is to put the ball in the basket on offense.

    Preferably with a foul involved for free throws as well.

  158. chearn says

    Kobe is pressing because he can’t stand the fact that Ray Allen had a record breaking Game 2 with analogies of Ray playing like Michael Jordan. Kobe does not like anyone to be mentioned in the same breath as Michael Jordan but himself!

    Do not forget the Ray Allen and Kobe feud, me thinks that it is alive again!

    Luke should play in the place of Artest (who does not know how to play on the big stage, but maybe he’s learning), because he knows how to space the floor in the triangle. He hasn’t played much this year due to injuries (back, ankle) so he is a bit rusty. I actually prefer Luke to Brown, Brown makes me too nervous–he dribbles too much, does not have good handles, looks for his shot only, and does not do enough on defense.

  159. Mimsy says

    First off, I decided to play my own drinking game, and I did get a few drinks in the first half. Outstanding. 🙂

    Second, we had Luke Walton on Paul Pierce for a long time there, and Pierce didn’t go into a mad scoring spree. Quite the opposite actually.

    Lamar’s banked three was fantastic, and it got the bench going.

    The Boston crowd shouted “ugly sister” to Lamar. That is.. that is… just… wow. Compared to the Utah crowd, Boston wins the “classy and witty” contest by a light year or so.

    Lastly, Kobe is taking this whole game very personally… that is both good and a cause for concern. He’s balancing precariously close to the edge of “going nova” from taking it too personally. We can’t afford that from him tonight.

  161. Kenslc says

    Need to keep up the great job on the boards. Lakers are out rebounding the Celts 27-21 so far. I’m ok with Rondo only getting 2 rebounds for the half. How about LO with a +20 for that half!? Awesome.

  162. The Dude Abides says

    Brilliant analysis again from Mark Jackson. “Here’s where the best players play their best.” Absolutely scintillating. You cannot pay that man enough.

  167. chearn says

    What is wrong with Kobe? Kobe is allowing his personal vindetta cause the Lakers a game!

  175. TB-8788 says

    Terrible shot selection to start the second half. Bynum is not posting up effectively. He’s bending over at the waist, not dropping his hips, and he is not making “goal posts” with his arms to create maximum space.

  179. 3ThreeIII says

    Kobe… Kobe…

    Oh man… you have to stop taking the haphazard shots…

    Trust Gasol. Trust Bynum. Create and space and hustle and good things will happen!

    Trust it Kobe.

  180. R.J. says

    Kobe doing everything he can to keep Boston in this game with atrocious shot selection…..Laker defense digging in well, but Kobe needs to get back to running our offense…..Gasol and Bynum being frozen out….can’t expect them to bail us out later if they’re gonna go a whole quarter without touches

  181. harold says

    Well, come to think, Kobe may as well miss all he wants while we lead.

    Law of averages will hopefully take into effect when the game needs him to close.

    Thank god Ray Allen isn’t doing any better than Kobe. Those two are oddly cancelling each other out.

  183. chearn says

    The Lakers need to get ready for Boston Thuggery in the fourth! They can’t beat them by putting the ball in the basket, so they’ll resort to forcing the referees to make calls against them. They’ll be betting that the refs will swallow their whistles!

    Come on Kobe, I hope that you’re saving driving to the hole until the fourth quarter to throw the Celtics off!

  184. Buttas says

    just get good shots. They can defend when we run our sets correctly. Just do that and let’s extend the lead.

    Come on guys, the defense has been great, but we need more seperation and we need it now.

  186. jordan says

    every screen kg sets is illegal. but considering he does it EVERY time, they hardly ever call it.

  187. Kenslc says

    I love the way Rondo plays and he’s a great player in many facets of his game, but man he is a huge liability in some ways. If the Celtics had Steve Nash or Deron Williams they would be unbeatable. His inability to hit jump shots just cripples them sometimes.

  190. Andreas G. says

    How bout trying out this Gasol guy in the post once in a while? I hear he’s good.

  192. chibi says

    lakers unable to get into any sort of rhythm on offense. we need better leadership on that end of the floor.

    our defense has been great, though.

  196. harold says

    I’d be very happy if we could close this quarter on some sort of a run and get the lead back up to double digits.

  197. 3ThreeIII says

    Lakers are letting the Celtics hang around…

    And I am officially worried about Bynum now… training staff jumped over to him on the bench, and a lot of teammates are giving him the shoulder pat…

    o.O

  200. Matt R. says

    Good god, could the shooting in this game be any uglier?

    Are we watching a Heat/Knicks playoff game from the 90’s?

  201. Tyler says

    Letting Boston hang around…

    This seems like the kind of time when Pierce or Allen is going to catch fire and turn this game around.

  202. R.J. says

    Unbelievable how the announcers are missing the game….talking about how they don’t know how Boston’s gonna score, meanwhile it just took the lakers 9 minutes to get 10 points in this quarter, and it has nothing to do with Boston ratcheting up the d, it’s the Lakers abandoning the offense. If they don’t close this game out, they will rue this quarter for a long, long time.

  203. chearn says

    Put Luke back in, he’ll run the offense and will not be intimidated by Kobe.

    Things I’ve noticed: Rajon is very fatigued, KG is playing on fumes, keep Pierce off the free throw line, and Ray Allen can not repeat game 2. However, Boston’s bench just might pick it up for the Celtics in this quarter!

  204. Mamula says

    Do you think the reason Ray Ray is 0 for 11 is the Lakers adjustment from the previous game? If so, what is it? D-Fish is still the primary defender on him. What is the difference. If he were 2 for 11 I would say he is in a slump. But 0 for 11 is unheard of for a guy of his quality

  205. Buttas says

    We need some spacing and either a drive to the basket or a drive to the basket. I would also settle for an open Sasha 3, but he would need to be in the game for that.

    So in the absence of Sasha, I would say drive to the rim.

    Please.

  206. Lakers8884 says

    Will someone act like they want the ball other than Kobe?

    What a joke of a way to finish the quarter, embarassing.
    Phil MUST insert Sasha or a shooter in because nobody respects Shannon’s offense. He also MUST play Kobe the entire quarter or they will lose this game.

  207. harold says

    Worst fear realized. Boston cutting the lead to exactly half during this quarter.

    Oh boy.

  208. Buttas says

    what a waste of a qyr. we didn’t do enough. hopefully someone will tell Kobe that he doesn’t have to do it all.

    Please run the offense.

  209. Jeremy says

    67 – 61 end of 3 and I feel sick to my stomach right now.

    WHY ARE THE ANNOUNCERS TALKING UP KOBE RIGHT NOW. And Jackson want’s to be a coach?

  210. chearn says

    Kobe has got to play smarter! He is not reading and reacting properly! He is letting the Celtics back in the game, and taking his team mates out of the game!

  211. 3ThreeIII says

    We need a 25 point quarter in the 4th…

    We need to run the offense, and drive the ball to the hoop, and make entry passes into the paint, and rebound hard, and play solid defense.

    Stop me if you have heard this before…

  212. R.J. says

    Lakers run the offense, or they are finished. The crowd hasn’t been in it for the first three quarters, but that’s about to change. Come on boys, TAKE IT.

  213. Lakers8884 says

    Buttas, Kobe is the only reason the Lakers are still up, everyone is standing around expecting him to do it all. If players acted like they wanted the ball he wouldn’t have to do it on his own. Pau isn’t even jostling for position down low.

  215. Matt R. says

    The Celtics are packing the paint and not letting us get anything inside right now.

    Gasol is playing too tentatively and too far away from the basket. He’s looked off all night.

    Kobe’s demanding the ball too much.

    Shannon Brown is…um…breathing?

  216. lesha says

    i just dont understand how lamar refuses to drive on big baby. that guy is basically dropping on his butt after a weak crossover, yet lamar refuses to just go at him and make the celtics help off of the other laker. please lamar, TAKE BABY OFF THE DRIBBLE!!!!

  217. TB-8788 says

    In every home set, there is usually a comfortable win for the home team, and a close game. THIS is the close game. I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to close the deal here. Pierce in foul trouble, Allen ice cold, Rondo pedestrian, etc. This will not happen again.

    Having said that, the Lakers will not win with the give-the-ball-to-Kobe-and-stand-around-watching offense.

  218. noles says

    Yes, kobe is forcing it and trying to do way too much! But how about the other guys actually stepping up and wanting the ball and then doing something when they get it?!

    Stop getting into the offense with 10 seconds left on the shot clock and then just giving it to kobe at half court! What else do you expect him to do then?!

  220. Lakers8884 says

    Kobe HAS to be in the game

    Pau has got to be stronger and more decisive with the ball, that was a bailout.

  221. Steve W says

    Refs are quick with whistles except for T’s, interestingly.

    Tough call on Rasheed.

  222. noles says

    This is why extending that 17-pt. lead to 25 is so important. So we don’t have to go thru crap like this!

  223. emh101 says

    Am I watching the same game as Mark Jackson? His hands weren’t straight up!

  224. joe wright says

    That is a good call…no matter how much you complain Sheed

    By the way, so many hits are getting their purpose.Pau is afraid of attacking the basket.Bad sign

  225. chearn says

    Celtics bench has them back in the game! Do not play Brown and Farmar together they have low basketball IQ’s please play Luke! I thought I’d never say that, but we’re letting this game slip away.

    And its too much Kobe. We need Bynum back in the game, Lamar has gone back to Lala land!

  227. lesha says

    why are they standing around waiting for something to happen? im guessing (no, im praying) that they have no energy…

  230. Lakers8884 says

    Shannon . . . . Get him out of the game, Phil put in Sasha

    Lamar . . . Get him out of the game, put in Bynum.

  232. Steve W says

    Lakers haven’t had many good offensive possesions in the 2nd half. So much iso and standing around.

    This is money time. This is where you make your legend. Or don’t.

  233. 3ThreeIII says

    I swear to all that is holy in basketball that this Lakers team is the MOST frustrating team in history.

    Phil needs to YELL at Kobe. YELL at Pau.

    We miss Rambis a great deal in these situations…

  234. Buttas says

    just pull it together. They are totally cold except for the energy that Davis and Rondo are giving them.

    We just need to regroup and execute. Again, Brown needs to sit. Did you see Kobe yelling at him to get out of the zone and J to the corner? He was just standing around.

    Head in the game.

  235. J-M says

    We need to win this game. I don’t see another game in the series where Ray Allen goes 0-11 and Pierce 2-9 in the same game.

  237. lesha says

    i´d bring bynum and sasha. lets go guys, believe in our team even if it doenst look good for us right now. we´ll get this game!

  238. BH says

    Shannon and Lamar can sit the rest of the series as far as I’m concerned.

    And Kobe should repay the Laker organization for any salary he supposedly earned this game. This is the worst I’ve seen him play in a very long time. Way to show up for the big one Bryant.

  240. min says

    Pau’s last shot was evident that Sheed’s D bothers Pau. We need to start running our offense better.

    Plus, I can’t understand how Odom can’t defend Big Baby.

  241. Josh says

    1 pt game….the Laker offense has just totally stagnated and Big Baby is making Odom look ridiculous.

  242. joe wright says

    Switching Pau for Lamar.
    Some kind of joke Phil?

    This is one of the worst Lakers-Celtics games ever.

  243. J-M says

    MOVEMENT. WE NEED MOVEMENT. When Kobe is stuck with five seconds left, somebody run and move, goddamn.

  245. emh101 says

    It’s strange that we are playing not to lose the lead instead of playing to win.

  251. Matt R. says

    Dear Luke Walton:

    When you get the ball with Rondo guarding you in the post and two players cross to clear out, do not pass the ball away.

  258. Steve W says

    Lakers have no movement at all on offense. No cutters, no screens, just dump and watch. It’s AWFUL. Look tired.

  259. noles says

    why is it every time we look up, there’s 5 seconds left on the shot clock and we’re dribbling the ball at midcourt?! What is going on here?!

  261. Steve W says

    Bynum just got hammered. Good hustle.

    EDIT: and after 8000 fouls in two and a half games, now we let them play. Odd.

  266. Steve W says

    Hey – this looks familiar. Small lead, five and a half to go. Let’s see if we can execute now. Based on the second half so far, I’m really doubtful. Everything has been difficult.

    EDIT: The refs, again, have been woeful. This time I think it favors the Lakers, but it’s still sad to see. The inconsistency is the frustrating part.

  267. Buttas says

    Aaron you have to give Fish some love. He is bringing it when we need it the most.

  268. noles says

    Thank god for Fish this qtr. Seriously, get into the offense sooner! And not just by passing it around the perimeter! Take it to the rack! Please!!!!

  269. Lakers8884 says

    5 minutes left, similar to game 2 let’s close this one out the proper way.

  270. Andreas G. says

    Gasol needed a break; he wasn’t playing well. I like Drew’s effort tonight again.

  272. Matt R. says

    The Celtics are cutting off angles and the Lakers look discombobulated by it.

    They need to cut, rotate, and create better spacing. Too many possessions with 3 players within 5 feet of each other.

  273. lesha says

    the refs are NOT letting them grab on defense… for the first time in this playoffs i salute the ref crew. fine, therer were some missed calls on both sides, but in this game they FINALLY make a point that grapping, scrapping and elbowing will NOT be tolerated.

    also, both teams really tired right now. thank god fish´s brain never gets tired and he just recognizes that the guards have to drive because were getting all the offensive rebounds.

  275. TB-8788 says

    Need to prove to Boston they don’t own late game execution to win close games. Need to cross-screen our bigs into low post position.

  276. Steve W says

    Big possession. Need to start it in the post to Pau, get some cutters and see if we can generate a layup or free throws.

  278. joe wright says

    I’m really astonished for one of the strangest game plans in history of basketball ever….

    Put your best big game out of the game in the 4th quarter and then bring him back with only 3 or 4 minutes to go and break all his self-confidence.
    It completely ruined 2nd game so…let’s do it again¡

  279. chearn says

    What’s wrong with closing with Bynum?

    I have never seen Kobe miss shots as badly as he is missing them tonight!

    Please play Bynum! And get the ball to Gasol!

  286. sT says

    Artest is the man, and we are sooo lucky to have a PG named Fisher on our team, he is the best…

  287. joe wright says

    And now sacrifice Bynum to maintain
    Odon.

    I will be happy if we win but terrible coaching Phil.Sorry I know you know 100 times more than me but I have to say it as I feel it.

    EDIT:Just like that Pau but time and time again.So difficult to understand man?

  296. R.J. says

    Bynum should be finishing this game…no knock on Lamar….but we need Andrew’s at the rim D…

    this is the worst offensive half I’ve seen from Kobe with regard to pure decision making….when did he become allergic to the paint?

  297. DY says

    Ray Allen, 0-12 FG, 0-7 3s…he sure did blow his load last game, nothing left in the tank.

  299. Buttas says

    Just play through it all. Tighten the D. Come on now!

    Close this out the right way.

  300. lesha says

    odom MUST drive against baby. he hasnt been playing a lot, he is the one guy who must have TONS of energy. im sitting in vienna, its 5:30 in the morning, and if we win this game, im going straight to work and will be the happiest person in austria. if we lose, im calling in sick

  303. TB-8788 says

    Since Boston has totally grinded the Lakers’ offense to a halt, try to keep it simple, like a 1/5 cross screen from block to block. Enter to post, and go to work.

  304. V.I. Guy says

    Wow, I’ve never been a big Bynum guy. But he’s played like a beast throughout this series. I see Davis vs. Odom, and I just think Bynum needs to be playing and Kobe needs to be feeding the beasts in the paint…

  307. J-M says

    Unless the officials queef on another instant replay, it’ll be Lakers’ ball.

  309. harold says

    Kobe won’t go down for the lack of trying, that’s for sure.

    Let’s get some stops!

  311. Andreas G. says

    emh101: Agreed. Sure, Pau could have played better D on some of those baskets…but mostly KG is just playing well.

  312. Lakers8884 says

    Honestly if the refs dont get this call right then do away with instant replay all together

  320. Buttas says

    Fisher may not get the MVP for this finals, but he certainly is earning it tonight.

    Huge!

  325. derek fisher says

    YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    SUCK IT AARON 🙂

  327. 3ThreeIII says

    FISH!

    Seriously, that was such a huge, tough, giant brass stones play. To know you are going to be hammered, by three guys, and kiss it high off the glass anyway.

    WOW!

    Aaron should write at least a paragraph to the virtues of Derek.

  331. harold says

    Fish going from a liability during the regular season to RE-liability during the playoffs.

    Move over, Horry.

    (now if we credit Fish for Allen’s 0-13, he’s player of the game easy)

  335. TB-8788 says

    Wasn’t there a 70’s movie called “The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh”?

    This is now The Fish That Saved Los Angeles.

  336. joe wright says

    What were you Celtics doing?
    Pathetic deffensive transition.
    I m happy about the win but this game is pure trash.

  339. bypasser says

    FISH got intangibles! GO LAKERS GO! never felt so driven to shout out loud in silence!

  343. sfjayp says

    OH MY. fisher is BRINGING IT HOME for us.

    wow.

    hoping we don’t have another kobe game like this, but fisher is lifting him up. wow.

  344. Steve W says

    I’m turning off the TV. I can’t handle it.

    EDIT: THAT IS A FOUL

    If the Garnett explanation was taht it’s a foul that they can’t call then this has to be the same. 😐

  346. J-M says

    Wow. So call the foul, then. If the referees review it and say Celtics’ ball, I will have lost all respect for this instant-replay rule, which on paper looks like a good idea.

  352. Steve W says

    Sasha? ……… Sasha?

    Wait, what? Sasha?

    EDIT: Love the makeup call. It was the RIGHT call, but wouldn’t have been called had they not been handcuffed on the previous play by the foul-out-of-bounds thing.

  355. sfjayp says

    geez.. yeah, that’s tough. what do they call? I love the instant replay. i LOVE it… but there has to be an allowance for the foul call. hmm.

    overall, actually loving the use of the replay so far. this is how the NBA should be.

  356. jordan says

    its ridiculous that they could turn that call around but not call the blatant foul on rondo.. something must be done about that in the future.

  357. lesha says

    this series is just sooooo up and down. my heart cant handle it anymore. fisher… i love you

  359. Buttas says

    Crazy to think that if we would have played the last 2 mins correctly in game 2.

    Wow. Just thinking about that makes me weep.

  361. emh101 says

    Agree, sfjayp, if you have instant replay, then they should be able to review all aspects of the play.

  364. DY says

    Memo to Paul “Kanye” Pierce: you are gonna come back to LA, I guarantee it. KG probably blew his load for the rest of the series…and happy he did it in a loss!

    Once he’s done playing, please give him the keys to the Lakers coaching position. All heart, hustle, and pride.

  368. Tyler says

    How about an official ban on any negative comments on Fisher for all time.

    I’ve done my share of complaining about him these past two years, but he won this game by himself.

  374. lesha says

    if we dont resign fish…. heartbreak!

    he should be the future coach of this team when phil is done

  376. Matt R. says

    If KG hadn’t been called for that moving screen, Ray Allen would have tied the NBA Finals record for futility at 0-14 after setting the NBA Finals record for 3-pointers made.

    What a swing.

  377. jordan says

    we just played a really crappy game (other than fisher) and won on the road. insane. fish talking after the game was awe inspiring. i actually almost shed a tear as he did.

  378. Buttas says

    to win a game when Kobe shot 10-29? That’s HUGE.

    so many gutty plays. That’s Artest play versus Big Baby was just great.

    Sasha coming in cold and hit both FTs.

    Fish, wow Fish….

  380. Zephid says

    My God, how lucky are we to have Derek Fisher on this team.. When everything was going against our team, when the Celtics had all the momentum, our guy made huge plays. So greatly disparaged for all of his faults and failings, Fisher came up with 11 HUGE 4th quarter points. The Lakers repeatedly ran a 1-2 PNR with Kobe and Fisher, and who would’ve thought that it would be Fisher who would burn the Celtics. Fisher got to the basket, shot the floater, pulled up for smooth jumpshots, and pushed the ball and punished the Celtics with a huge layup plus the foul. This doesn’t even mention the amazing performance he played on defense, holding Ray Allen with zero made baskets. While it was a team effort, it starts with Fisher, and he showed up.

  385. Matt R. says

    What a great game for role-players on both sides.

    The Celtics bench was huge for them and outplayed the Lakers for long stretches.

    And then there’s Andrew Bynum and Derrick Fisher, the secondary guys in the starting lineup for the Lakers playing with poise and purpose.

    And LO, with a few brainfarts, finally showed up to the Finals.

    Even Kobe and Pau, who both shot rather horridly (OK, VERY horridly) played some great defense and made some awesome hustle plays.

    A win is a win is a win.

    Let’s win this series in Boston, boys. Don’t make Pierce a liar.

  386. Paul Peezy says

    Wow, Odom was 5-5 from the field and a +14. Somehow I feel he could have gotten more, but that’s just me.

  387. emh101 says

    Fisher is just incredible. I hope he stays with the organization for a couple lifetimes.

  389. Glove says

    Any negative comments about Derek Fisher should be deleted. He was the one of the reasons for the game 3 win and came up huge in the 4th quarter

  390. noles says

    Wow! I feel like I need to wipe my ass and flush something down the toilet since I can’t actually flush this game down the toilet! But after they enjoy this W for like a minute, the Lakers should definitely flush it down the toilet!

    Gutsy win! We definitely won this game on the defensive end tonight. Great hustle and intensity on D tonight. At least kobe played his ass off on D because he was terrible on offense tonight. Forcing it way too much, which we can some times live with when he’s on, but when he’s off, it really hurts us. And he certainly was off tonight. Even Pau didn’t play up to his standards. Being the studs that they are, I’m sure they’ll come out and redeem themselves in game 4. And they’ll need to because I don’t think Ray Allen is going to miss EVERY shot the next game.

    On the positive side, besides the D, Drew gave a great effort tonight. And of course, Fish was the man! Stepping it up in the playoffs like he always has! What a warrior!

    Time to go check my blood pressure! It wasn’t pretty, but 2 down, 2 to go! Let’s bring the execution in game 4!

  391. DY says

    Fisher for President 2020! Ok, going overboard here…but he’s the man. He should never have to pay for a meal in LA, EVER.

  393. 3ThreeIII says

    All year long the stat hounds (who were statistically correct) chided, railed, and mocked all of the Laker fans that were loyal to Derek Fisher.

    The loyal fan’s only reason was that Fisher is a hugely clutch player in the playoffs.

    It is very nice to see that vindicated.

    I teared up when Fisher did.

    This game was worth watching. Thank you Derek for reminding me why I am a fan.

  394. Kenslc says

    Ray Allen- 0-13. Wow. How do you follow up a career performance with that? Great defense by Fish by skirting the screens instead of taking the hits and looking for a foul on them.

    I am so fired up right now…

    Oh and yeah the refs were still pretty bad on both sides of the coin. That replay call will change the way the NBA does replay from this year onward.

  395. Mimsy says

    My take: Kobe wanted to be the hero this game, and he’s ticked that he’s not.

    Also… this is why Phil started Derek Fisher all season long. Because he can do this. Because he can carry a team like this. Because he held his own against Ray Allen. Because he dropped 11 points in a quarter to keep us in the game. Because he’s a winner. Phil knew it all along, that’s why he is still the head coach. And Derek Fisher is the reason we won tonight.

    All hail The Fisher King.

  397. DB says

    It’s time for all those Derek Fisher bashers (you know who you are) to step forward and eat your crow. With pepper.

  398. Mimsy says

    @DB
    I’ve got plates and slat for them here. Just line up…we’re ready.

    Seriously. Derek Fisher saved us tonight. If not for him, we would have lost, and as Laker fans, we owe him full credit and praise.

  400. Kenslc says

    I still can’t understand why Sasha isn’t getting more burn. He could take up all of Shannon’s time on the floor.

    2 more wins to go!

  401. harold says

    So, how many Fish stories til the next game?

    NOT ENOUGH!

    (on second thought…)

  402. Paul says

    Fish saves Kobe and the Lakers from the Kobe-hero sydrome. Oh, and Kobe, no more 10-29 (described above as: VERY horridly). Thanks.

  403. Ryan says

    Ugly ugly game in the second half. Boston’s D was really good, but the Lakers made it way to easy on them. No ball movement, no player movement, just really ugly.

    And Fish gets the game ball. He was doing his best Kobe impersonation. Say what you will about Fisher, but that guy is a champion.

  404. chearn says

    Have to revisit the game MVP: Fisher!!!! I can’t stop smiling! Kobe needs to get his game back to the OKC and Phoenix series, hope he finds that mind set in these remaining games!

  405. Don says

    Like Kobe said, doesn’t matter if you score. Defense wins championships. Oh, that and Derek Fisher.

    This man showed why we follow sports, why we believe in the common hero, the working man, and that its about heart and grit, not talent and speed.

    So many things didn’t go our way tonight. Yet we continued to battle.

    I love this team.

  406. yajeel says

    looking ahead… hopefully Odom keeps his head in the game on Thursday. Artest still looks lost out there on offense (and was a game-worst -12 tonight), but he’s kept Pierce bottled up for a few games in a row now.

  407. Pato says

    That’s why Derek remains in LA… He played 115 playoffs game with Kobe… He bleeds forum blue & gold… Two to go!!!

    PJ record in series wining game 1 is 47-0.

    Sin 1985, with the 2-3-2 fotmat, when the series are tied 1-1, the winer of the 3rd game is the champion.

    Good karma!!!

    Regards from Argentina

  408. Kenslc says

    Mimsy- I disagree with you about Kobe angry that he’s not the hero. He’s absolutely pissed that he didn’t play better, but he loves Fish and wouldn’t begrudge him his hero time.

    Also how many of Kobe’s 29 shots were taken after he got the ball back with 6 seconds or less on the shot clock? Come on guys the offense was stagnant and that definitely contributed to Kobe’s shot selection. I think Kobe played a helluva all-around game even though he was ice cold on offense.

  409. Jeremy says

    So what are the issues going to game 4?

    A couple of concern’s Bynum’s knee looked he hurt it.

    Boston’s defense made it basically impossible for us to get a decent look. Was this bad day for the Lakers or a sign a trouble.

    Which KG do we see in game 4?

  410. Tremble says

    WOW. Doc Rivers showing his true character. Bitching about foul calls and basically saying Phil Jackson’s foul comments in the pregame influenced the refs. Riiiiiiight. Like the refs didn’t make wrong calls in favor of the Celts all game long.

  411. emh101 says

    I agree, Kensic, Kobe is more than happy for Fisher. He was setting most of those fourth quarter screens for him!

    And I also agree that Kobe was forced into a lot of bad shots because his teammates were stagnant and getting the ball back to him with just a few seconds on the shot clock. But, being fair, he was also jacking up some ill-advised shots.

  413. Buttas says

    I hope that Kobe looks at that stat sheet and comes back with a renewed focus. Team Ball is the only way!

  414. wil says

    wtf why is Luke +13 in 13 minute
    someone explain
    I watched the game but it seems to me he didn’t do anything that special for the +13.

  415. Daniel says

    Aaron, where you at? I want to hear more railing about how DFish is the worst PG in the NBA by far.

  416. Jeremy says

    The thing about Luke is that he rarely does anything stupid. sometimes that’s enough

  417. chibi says

    can anybody explain why Boston didn’t push the ball more?

    they got a lot of stops in the 2nd half. was it us or was it them?

  418. Buttas says

    You are so right Jeremy about Luke. The IQ is a huge difference sometimes and he really helps with the ball movement that normally ends with a shot near the rim.

    Good things happen when you are shoot at the rim.

  419. mikeinchitown says

    hey hey ray- say hello to regression to the mean.

    a satisfying win as any- road win, ugly, playoff win. i love that they gritted out a win, giving up a big lead, still hung on.

  421. Joel B. says

    415. Fisher may not be as skilled or athletic as any other starting pg.

    But he is the only starting 4 time NBA champion. I can’t lie, I gave fish grief. But I never doubted that he wouldn’t perform on the big stage. The guy has heart, the guy and just doesn’t quit. Gotta love em’.

    Good win. I missed the middle 34 minutes of the game, but by the look of it the lakers just wanted it more and won really concentrated on the defensive end. And by looking at the highlights, Lamar brought energy and his game followed. And most importantly they executed down the stretch. Put this win in the bank, bynum rest up and be ready for game 4.

  422. Jane says

    @408, Kenslc

    Absolutely perfectly stated. I 100% agree with all of it.

    And kudos to Lamar for his contribution. I don’t expect him to go off as he did against PHX (totally different matchups/opportunity), but the effort was there and paid off.

  423. Josh says

    Yeah I don’t buy that Kobe is upset that he didn’t get to be the hero at all. He’s upset with his shooting…but to be fair, the Lakers were horribly stagnant in much of the 3rd and 4th…standing around and hoping he’d bail them out with no time on the clock.

    Before you go acting like Kobe somehow blew it for us or something- rethink some of the incredible plays he made and the huge 3 he hit. That out of bounds save to Bynum with the assist was magnificent.

    Also, 10-29 isn’t great…but Horrid? No. At least 5 of those misses were shots Kobe routinely hits, which means he’d have been above 50% if not for some bad bounces. If you’re going to pin a tail on any lakers- Shannon Brown and Jordan Farmar are a couple guys to look at.

  424. T. Rogers says

    Just a couple of threads ago there were people talking about Boston “owning” the Lakers. They pull out a gutsy win and everyone is in love again. Such is the way of fandom.

    This team has the stones to get the job done. With vets like Kobe and Fish leading the way I always like their chances. They are battle tested.

    Okay boys, its time to take that commanding 3-1 lead. Go Lakers!!!!

  425. DirtySanchez says

    Im glad I dont have heart problems, tonights 2nd half would have sent me to the ER for sure. Congrats to Fish for his huge 11 points in the fourth quarter, man always seems to pull a rabbit out his hat in the playoffs.

    You have to give some credit to the Celtic D for forcing LA into some tough shots to get themselves back in the game. Offense cannot just be dribble, dribble, dribble look at the shot clock and find Kobe. I will take this type of win anyday of the year, enjoy and put on your hard hat for game 4 cause its gonna be fun.

  426. Joel B. says

    417. The simple answer may be because the lakers rebounded. Rondo only had 3 boards, so that means he wasn’t able to run out in the open floor as quickly as he wanted. I missed most of the game, but i’m probably right.

  427. ken says

    Amazing game by Fish. Amazing game by Allen. One great win.

    To bad Ron is so bad. One of the worst offensive players since Mark Madson. 2 points?

    Great game Lakers!

  428. Taylor says

    What a ugly beautiful win!! How many people would have had us winning this game…it was a tough one. I would have had a winning Game 4 before this one, so ever the more reason to be optimistic.

    I will say the referees were not completely terrible, but equally sub-par…which means good in my book. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I didn’t see Joey Crawford once. That’s amazing.

    Our O drove me absolutely nuts tonight. It’s like one of those Celtics “6-minutes of forgetting how to play offense and run the sets.” There were at least three possessions in a row we milked the clock down and jacked up ridiculous shots; almost as if we had a 20pt lead and forgot how to score.

    Hey…we won. Words cannot describe. Fisher King’s passion says it all. Man love.

    Cross another one off the mirror boys and girls…we are 2 wins away….WOW, that sounds amazing. ‘Night.

  429. LJAY says

    It’s a pleasure to watch DF, he’s got such a poise, you cant’t help to be awe by it.

  430. Steve W says

    One of the points i took from game 2 is that the Celtics break most effectively when Rondo gets the rebound. Well, he only had three rebounds tonight. Kobe had 7 and did a nice job keeping Rondo off the glass.

    That doesn’t excuse the absolutely horrible attempt he made to steal an outlet pass that resulted in a Rondo layup, but nevertheless, a solid effort against Rondo on the glass by Bryant that isn’t immediately obvious from the boxscore.

  431. KB24ever says

    re: 374

    I concur 100%. He should totally take over as coach of the team when Phil retires/if Phil moves on. I’d bet that it would work out a la Avery Johnson, except that he’ll be coaching for the team he played for, instead of one it’s biggest rivals (Avery played for SA the last couple years, then coached Dallas, and quite well I might add – he shouldn’t have been fired so abruptly imo). Anyways, Derek will be the next Doc when it comes to his evolution into our next coach. I like that scenario!

  432. T. Rogers says

    Boston will be vulnerable in the next game. KG expended a lot of energy and will only get one day of rest. If the Lakers can keep the lid on Ray Allen (he won’t this bad on Thursday) they should get the W. Hopefully Andrew’s knee can hold up. That is why it will be important for Lamar to show up on Thursday.

    As long as Ron is keeping Pierce from hurting the Lakers I can accept his minimal offensive production. That trade off clearly favors the Lakers.

  433. JeremyLA24 says

    Plus/minuses moving foward (without a stat sheet):

    +
    Ray Allen had a very human game where he reverted back to missing a couple of open shots. (especially some crucial ones in the 4th)
    _
    Our offense looked extremely stagnant in the 4th quarter and we won on Boston’s terms by not making +100 pts.

    +
    We pulled out a game where Kobe had an off night. Some may think Kobe’s off night was a minus but I look at it as if we can do it despite Kobe coming through in the clutch. (Thank D. Fish! You went from being a clutch 3pt shooter to being a 4th qtr closer in the finals.)
    –
    Bynum had to sit because of knee pains. I don’t want to speculate too much so I’ll just say that I hope they report tomorrow that his injury hasn’t progressed to a more severe state.
    +
    Once again, Artest put his mark on the game… On the defensive end! The two highlights of the game were Artest’s strip in the 4th qtr where he knocked the ball off of Davis’ leg and when Fisher got the and1 layup to put us up by 7 with less than a minute left.
    +
    We Won! = Leading the series, gaining homecourt again, and best of all beating them in Boston! If I knew we would have to lose one game between gm2 and gm3 I’d choose to win 3 any day of the week.

    I feel very confident going foward with adjusting to get our offense back on line. As long as Bynum is okay (knock on wood 17 times) we should take this series. Keep fighting Lakers! we got PJ’s 47-0 when we took game 1 and 10-0 when we took game 3 after the 1-1 split. Those are FANTASTIC ODDS!

  434. ray says

    Sat watching the game at an all u can eat sushi place. All fourth quarter, this is really all I could think after each clutch shot: “NOT BAD FOR THE WORST STARTER/PG IN THE F!!!!IN LEAGUE!”

    Now that is off my chest. WHAT A GUTSY win. GUTSY. I don’t care how ugly it was (and it was) but all I care about is we got game 3. We’re up 2 – 1 like it is supposed to be, survived a good game by KG, and survived Kobe’s first really bad shooting game in a long time. But we played with energy for most of the game (not all). And we were led by a warrior. A WARRIOR. and not the golden state kind.

    That layup over three celtics, was the SECOND BEST SHOT OVER THREE CELTICS in laker history. And I don’t care how many Boston fans call Fisher a pussy for getting emotional after the game , at least he didn’t have to get a damn wheelchair.

    Can we re-sign fisher already?

  435. Ben says

    Thoughts. Fisher… unreal. Game… most entertaining.

    A bit confused why nothing seemed to come from the Kobe as screener play. That seems to be a good way to get stars open, but it was oddly quiet.

    The KG offensive foul late in the game reminds me of why intelligent conversation on officiating is so rare. Everyone here applauds it, but switch it around (Pau offensively fouls KG to snuff out LA’s last hope) and the fans would go nuts on Boston getting away with it earlier or not having the refs make such a huge impact at game’s end or something else. Everyone seems content to look at it from only their team’s eyes and that is why all the complaining, fake letters to the NBA and empty demands for the league to shore up reffing are just that, empty. No one steps back, and as such it ends up noise without value.

  439. nimble says

    Like Stu says I don’t care if he shoots for 0 for 35.Great all around game by number 24.Great Robin game from Fish.
    Lakers in 6.

  440. GR8Scott says

    This one’s for Aaron!

    Nice to hear Doc say to the effect “When Ron does a good job of defense on Paul, I’ll congratulate him” and then complain about the refs. Ron is in Paul’s head.

    Seriously – all year some of you have chided Fisher – but he came through. He won’t be HOF but #2 should be in the rafters @ Staples. How many big games in the playoffs, let alone the Finals, has he come up big in? Fish – a Laker Legend. Make Pierce eat his words – win the next two!!

  441. The Dude Abides says

    That wasn’t even an illegal pick by Garnett. It was a full-blown, blatant shove that came at the worst time, when the refs were in makeup call mode after viewing the replay and realized that their standard “I know it was a foul on Rondo, but I’ll just call out of bounds, Laker ball so I don’t have to call the foul” whistle can’t work in the final two minutes…because the out of bounds call is reviewable, but the blatant foul on Rondo isn’t.

  442. Ben says

    “The Celtics set more illegal screens than all the rest of the teams combined.”

    That’s not the point. If it was called on LA would you say, “good call, nice job by the officials”? Probably not.

    Lots of teams set plenty of illegal screens. The Lakers often do, so do the suns, so does Utah. When it comes to Boston you notice more because they run more off-ball screens and more attention goes to Ray’s dance around his screeners. Hell, Kobe did a bit of shuffling when he set some of his screens, and guess what? No one cares.

  443. maxnyc says

    great laker victory! as big as any ever. reminds me of game 3 at the palace in auburn hills 1988. lakers lost game 2 at forum to bad boy pistons, then gutted out UGLY win in game 3 on road…led by byron scott (second fiddle to Magic liek DF is to KB)…

  444. Mason says

    Ben –
    My problem with that illegal screen call is similar to KG’s complaint (and A’ma’r’e’s from the WCF). That exact screen gets run dozens and dozens of times, and the officials let it go until the last minute of the game. If it’s illegal in the second minute, it’s illegal in the second-to-last. It’s the right call, but if you make that call earlier – the first or second time – you set the tone. The players know it’s a foul you’ll call, and they knock it off.

    He did get a bit of forearm in there, too. Maybe that’s what prompted the whistle?

  445. Aaron says

    I think everyone here knows how surprised I am that Fisher could hit those shots………. with those grapefruit sized balls hanging down between his legs!!!!! This wasn’t Fisher hitting a couple wide open spot up clutch shots as we’ve seen so many times from him before. This wasn’t Fisher taking the big time charge late in the game. This wasn’t Fisher getting the big steal (ala Artest knocking it off Big Baby). This was Derek Fisher taking over the entire last five minutes of the ball game like Chris Paul. He was taking it to the basket, coming off of pick and rolls, and pulling up for tough 15 footers. This wasn’t Fisher playing like a good NBA PG, this wasn’t Fisher playing like an All Star PG, this wasn’t Fisher even playing like a Hall of Famer. This was Derek Fisher playing like a legend. In one of the biggest quarters this historic Lakers franchise has ever seen… we saw Derek Fisher play one of the best quarters a Laker has ever played. At a time when Kobe wasn’t Kobe… Derek Fisher was.

    … I will never again say one bad thing about him… I was wrong

  447. ray says

    Ben, i agree with you. we look at it from our point of view a lot. we hinge on those calls that we think turned the game. and hope it comes out our way.

    but refs had nothing to do with fisher’s clutchness. his pull up around rondo, his layup.

    just like the refs had nothing to do with ray allens 27 points in the first half last game.

  448. Igor Avidon says

    I don’t know if anyone read the Daily Dime ESPN chat with Simmons, but this is troubling.

    sportsguy33:
    I can officially report that Bynum hurt his knee on that last play. Dragged it up court after the block, just limped right by me…

    Tuesday June 8, 2010 10:50 sportsguy33

    We won this game because of Derek’s and Andrew’s superb contributions. Andrew was HUGE in influencing the Celtics’ shots inside. When he came back in briefly in the fourth, greenshirts stopped scoring inside. We need Andrew to win this thing. Hopefully he hasn’t aggravated his injury or gotten a new ailment.

  450. Ben says

    Fair point Mason. I’m not even saying it wasn’t a foul (most of the time it is), more so just saying that it would enrage Laker fans were the shoe on the other foot (and Bill Simmons called it a foul, so that says a lot right there).

  451. robinred says

    Simmons’ injury report both worries and irritates me. I wish Simmons were also not going back to LA.

    Very emotional win.

  452. Laker4life says

    I said it B4 the playoffs… 3Peat!

    This is will be 2, we will win next year too.

    Like I said.. Phil works in 3’s. (He will be back)

  454. exhelodrvr says

    Ben,
    “If it was called on LA would you say, “good call, nice job by the officials”? Probably not.”

    Yes – because it was very clearly a foul.

  456. Kevin H says

    btw fisher should be given a blank contract so that he can sign for however much he wants. you know he wouldn’t cripple the team cause he has too much integrity but he deserves to be paid what he wants. and he needs to have his jersey retired when he’s done