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NBA Finals: Game 4 Preview & Chat

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It’s a cliche but still very true when it comes to playoff games – and especially NBA Finals games: the next game is always the most important.  There have been countless stats recited as each game has passed (Phil’s record when winning game 1, the record of the game 3 winner when tied 1-1), but if the Lakers can win game 4they take a strangle hold on this series.  Going up 3-1 would mean the Celtics need to win 3 consecutive games (including 2 on the road) to claim the championship.  That’s not just an uphill climb, it’s damn near impossible when the teams are this evenly matched.  Who will step up?  Which team can thrive in the face of their biggest game this season?  Tonight, we find out.

And while this is a team game, it will still come down to what individual players can be the ones to make a difference.  So far this series, it’s been new players every night.  Game 1 belonged to Kobe and Pau.  Game 2 was Ray Allen and Rondo (though Pau and Bynum were also excellent).  In game 3, Fisher’s late game heroics stole the show away from KG and his throwback performance.  Tonight, will it be Kobe again?  Will Pau bounce back from his fairly pedestrian game 3?  What about Pierce and Allen – who were both substandard (especially Allen) on Tuesday? Or maybe it will be another role player – Artest or Odom, perhaps.  Or maybe Bynum (surely playing, btw) will have another game that endears him to the Lakers fans as he battles his bad knee.  From the C’s side, it’s potentially Nate, ‘Sheed, or maybe Big Baby builds on his solid game 3.  Someone will put their individual stamp on this game and I’m anxious to see who can raise their game tonight.

But outside of these individuals, there are still the coaches and the adjustments that they have in store.  In the last game, the Lakers made some subtle tweaks in marking Ray Allen and they paid off.  They opened up their big men on the screen action so they simultaneously were in position to show out to play Allen on a switch while also giving the chaser more space to stay connected to Ray.  And while Allen was still able to shake free on several possessions, the Lakers’ adjustment paid dividends as Allen was better covered more often and not nearly as hot as he was the previous game – leading to miss after miss.

Tonight, I expect to see some counters by the C’s to combat the Lakers game 3 approach.  Maybe we’ll see the return of the screener opening up to make himself available to receive the pass in the heart of the Lakers D.  Maybe the C’s will run this action more for Pierce who needs to get going on offense for the Celtics to get back into this series.  Maybe the Celtics will go more to KG at the elbow and let him be the initiator of offense and let Rondo work off the ball as a cutter and screener to free up shooters on the weak side.  Whatever options are employed the Lakers must be ready with their own counters in place.

Understand too that the C’s also need to make some defensive adjustments.  They’re obviously one of the best defensive teams of the last decade, but in game 3 they gave up an offensive efficiency of 107.1 to the Lakers.  While that’s not an extremely high number, it’s a full 8 points more than what they gave up in their game 2 win.  The Lakers offensive success was masked by some poor shooting by Kobe and a slow pace, but the Lakers’ O was sneaky effective.  If the C’s hope to bring that number back down, they’ll need to give up less than the 44 shots they gave up within 10 feet in game 3 by limiting offensive rebounds and denying the penetration lanes to players not named Kobe.

And what about the Lakers offensive adjustments?  Down the stretch of game 3, we saw a Kobe/Fisher pick and roll that caught the C’s defense off guard, freeing Fisher up for his big shots.  In this game I expect to see more variations of the Triangle to be put in place in order to get the Lakers the shots that they want.  And while I’m unsure as to what they will be, I do know there are a few sets that I’d like to see the Lakers employ a bit more of.  Sets that can hopefully counter the Celtics’ fantastic help and recover scheme.

First is the sideline initiation into the low post.  Granted, the C’s are doing an excellent job of pushing Gasol off the block and making it more difficult for him to make catches in his sweet spot.  So, the adjustment that I’d like to see is for the Lakers to start with an empty post by initiating the ball to the wing on the weak side.  After the ball goes to the wing, I’d like for the guard to then cut through while the two big men on the ball side screen for each other so one of them can then cut to the ball side.  This is an action the Lakers used a great deal against OKC in order to try and beat the fronting defense and to get post players moving towards the ball rather than fighting for position for long portions of the shot clock.  Against Boston I think it can have a similar effect and give the Laker big men a chance to move towards the ball instead of wrestling for position.  Wrestling that burns up energy and time on the shot clock.

Second, I’d like to see the Lakers initiate their offense more quickly.  Too often in this series (especially in the second half of game 3) the Lakers walked the ball up and didn’t get into the motion of their sets until the shot clock was under 15 seconds.  That doesn’t leave nearly enough time to allow players to screen and cut or for more than one (maybe two) options of the Triangle to play out.  And when those options aren’t open, the result is often a forced jump shot that’s taken against the backdrop of a contesting defender as the clock is winding down.  It’s situations like these in which the C’s defense excels and if the Lakers hope to be more successful, they’ll need to be better at avoiding these scenarios.  So, I hope to see the Lakers secure rebounds and then push the ball up the court.  The C’s are a very good transition defense team so I don’t expect a lot of open court baskets.  But the seconds saved on the front end of the clock will pay dividends on the back end with better shots secured off of more options being explored.

Adjustments aside though, this game will really come down to poise, patience, execution, and that extra effort.  Both teams are sure to play hard.  But it will be the team that plays smarter in the face of extreme pressure that will win the day.  It’s been that way in the first three games and I don’t expect it to change now.  If the Lakers can do the things that win games – rebound, take care of the ball, avoid foul trouble (I know, easier said than done for both teams) – they’ll put themselves in a position to win the game.  But, they’ll only be in position.  In order to claim the prize, they must take that extra step and execute when up against a fantastic defense and a road crowd that is 100% against them.

It can be done, though.  And the Lakers are a team capable of doing it.  Remember, dating back to last season’s Finals (and including game 1 against Boston), the Lakers have won 7 of their last 11 playoff road games and clinched 4 series on the road.  It’s never easy, but this team understands the pressure of these types of games and what’s needed in order to secure the W.  Here’s to them getting it done again tonight.


Reader Interactions

Comments

  4. Matt R. says

    Breshnahan is reporting that Phil Jackson said that Bynum may not play tonight.

    If he doesn’t, that’s a HUGE setback.

  5. Craig W. says

    Bynum will play, maybe not as many minutes as recently, but he will play. Why do we continually react to Phil’s statements — we know from long experience what he does?

  7. Rich says

    According to Bynum himself he will play tonight and said he can give up to 30 minutes. The main thing tonight is I don’t think KG will have another night like he had, he made a lot of contested shots, Ray will hit some shots but on the other hand I don’t believe Kobe will shoot as bad as he did.

    Hopefully we run our offense from the inside out, Pau has to get more than 11 FGA’s, it should be up near 20 FGA’s a game against Boston as no one can truly guard him without fouling. As for the refs, I expect yet another foul happy game in which the starters on both sides will be in foul trouble.

    One last note, I believe Ron will have a good game tonight, I think he’s getting tired of Pierce & Doc giving him absolutely zero credit and so I expect him to find his offense again as well as continuing his good D on Pierce. GO LAKERS!

  8. bballjones says

    I know I may be looking too far ahead here, but I need to know b/c I am booking a flight to NY and want to plan my return…

    if we take this series in 6 (last game next Tues) does anyone know when the parade would be?? …Like I said not trying to jinx the team or look too far ahead, just needa know! thanks

  9. Snoopy2006 says

    I expect (and hope I’m wrong) Fisher to pick up some early fouls. He plays a beautifully physical brand of D, and after Doc’s complaining and the videotape he sent to the office, it may have an effect. We’ll see. If it does happen, though, I want Sasha!. I like Shannon but he’s the wrong matchup for Ray Allen.

    Artest vs Pierce is the matchup I’m watching. I don’t expect PP to be in foul trouble in again.

    Our bench has been solid in spurts. Jordan’s been attacking well. He usually follows it up with a brain fart, but I still like seeing him taking it hard to the Celtics bigs. We have precious few dribble penetrators on this roster.

  10. Funky Chicken says

    Darius makes a great point about pushing the ball up the floor if only to initiate the half court offense sooner. Far too often in the 2nd half we got stuck late in the shot clock with no player movement. But for Fisher (of all people) taking over the game, we looked out on our feet and headed for a devastating loss.

    Revert to the first half offense and push the tempo a little (especially against a very old team coming off consecutive games with only a day rest in between) and I think the Lakers get a lot more easy looks in the half court set.

  11. Shaky says

    The parade would be on Who Cares? day, kickoff time of Bad Karma:45.

    Seriously, if you guys start asking questions like this about parades or similar bad mojo topics like Kobe vs. MJ or “how sweet will it be when we knock out the C’s on their own court,” I’m going to start posting links to meatspin as tinyurl’s.

    You will rue the day for jinxing this. Think it over.

  12. Naveen says

    Let’s put a body on Rondo after a missed shot and FT!! Sick and tired of getting beaten by the same type of play every game. We need to secure the rebounds in order to win this game.

  13. SB says

    Great point about the Lakers iniating the offense earlier in the shot clock. Celtics do a great job of this as Rondo often doesn’t touch the ball off the inbound until nearly half court which gives them additional seconds at the end of the clock if their early offense doesn’t get a good shot.

  14. Mimsy says

    @Matt R
    Well, I spent my lunch hour putting together the new drinking game exhelodrvr requested for Game 4. Enjoy! 🙂

    Game 4 Drinking Game

    Standard disclaimer applies; anything stupid you do after playing this is your own responsibility, not mine. I’m not your mother. 🙂

    Alright, here we go. Drink if any of the following happens:

    …Ron Artest hits a three.

    …any one of the announcers uses the phrase, “that’s a bad call”

    …Kobe Bryant defies the laws of gravity and aerodynamics to make a shot no one else could pull off

    …Pau Gasol dunks. Drink twice if he does it over Kevin Garnett.

    …Andrew Bynum blocks a shot.

    …Kendrick Perkins gets his 7th technical

    …Ron Artest and Paul Pierce mutually provoke each other into a double technical situation

    …Doc Rivers criticizes the refs in a side-line interview

    … Phil Jackson criticizes the refs in a side-line interview

    …Kevin Garnett thumps his chest and “roars” like a jackass

    …any Lakers player not named Derek or Kobe hits both his free throws

    …either Derek Fisher or Kobe Bryant hits the game winner

    …either Ron Artest or Derek Fisher hustles for a rebound and gets it away from a taller (and more athletic) player

    …Shannon Brown dunks. Drink twice if he jumps over a Celtics player in the process.

    …the Lakers win. Actually, if this happens, down your entire drink and go celebrate! 🙂

  15. Joel B. says

    I agree that both teams will come out and play hard, so it will come down to who steps up. I think this is a game where the lakers may just have to make some shots, especially from deep. The Lakers are going to need, Kobe, Fisher, Artest, Sasha, Farmar, Brown to shoot decently from outside. I think Boston will continue to pack the paint and deny penetration.

    On the other side of the ball, I think we are all interested in the Artest vs Pierce matchup. Artest thinks he can play better defense and Pierce thinks Artest defense hasn’t been special and Pierce is just missing shots. So will Artest play better then the really good defense he’s played so far, or will Pierce get going and make the “easy” shots he missed in the last two games. I’m betting on the former, but I do believe we will see pierce get to the line today.

    Lastly, I think the officials will let a lot go tonight. With all the controversy surrounding the officiating force tighten up the whistle? I think so, or they are just going to call a bunch of fouls on the Lakers. Again, I’m betting on the former.

    Let’s go Lakers!

  16. Emma says

    What’s meatspin? (Do I want to know?)

    And I know who Warren is, but who is Charlie?

  17. Burgundy says

    RE: Post#8

    Perhaps the worst post I’ve ever seen. The series is at 2 -1, you’re asking for that type of information?

    Why don’t you throw a black cat at Kobe Bryant while you’re at it?

    Perhaps you would rather push Pau Gasol under a ladder?

    Or maybe break a mirror next to Derek Fisher?

    Or run into Staples Center screaming, “MacBeth! MacBeth!” (or wait, maybe that only works in theater).

    Either way, EPIC FAIL, dude.

  18. bluesky says

    Tonight, i think Rondo and Allen will be back, that is their last hope. The C’s have to play the best game of their life if they want come back to this series, but it’s tough for them, they have to win game 4 and 5 to be enable to control this series. When Rondo driving to the baskett, one guy he doesn’t want to see is Bynum, it happens over and over again. I also hope to see Sasha and DJ Mbenga playing, we may need them later in game 5.

  19. T. Rogers says

    I think the Lakers take an ugly squeaker tonight. I expect Ron to have some foul trouble thanks to Doc “crying” Rivers. At the same time I don’t expect the refs to be too nice to the C’s. Doc is blaming his team being down 1-2 on the refs instead of giving the Lakers some credit. Kind of hard to win the respect of the refs that way.

    Kobe is due for a strong shooting/scoring game. Tonight just may be the night. Pau should have a strong game as well. I don’t expect Garnett to look as good tonight as he did in game three. Looking at the schedule this was the one game in Boston I expected the Lakers to take. It’s the third game in five nights and the C’s older players should either come out slow, or fade down the stretch. At least I hope they do.

  20. Jane says

    @17 Emma – Charlie is the newborn son of a commenter on this blog (Chris if I’m not mistaken).

    The majority of media outlets and fans are expecting the Cs to win, citing it would be very uncharacteristic for a team as tough as the Cs to lose two in a row on their home court in the finals. It would be HUGE if the Lakers could get this win.

  21. Burgundy says

    Great point by Darius about the Lakers needing to push the ball.

    The Celtics are a spectacular defense (yes, I’d go so far as to call them spectacular) when they set up in the half court.

    Their weakness is outside of Rondo, they’re a little slow getting back (which Fish exploited with 58 seconds to go in Game 3). The Lakers need to push the ball up and get into their offensive sets quickly (like they did in the first half) and not let Boston load up to have success.

    Here’s hoping that’s the game plan.

  23. Don says

    @Mojo 55, Wow that’s a crazy stat 55% vs. 42%. That’ like an 8-9 pt swing if they had fed him on those 34 possessions! (even more if you count for 3’s)

    FEED PAU

  24. Snoopy2006 says

    This is from Phil Jackson on our 2 inconsistent players. Make of it what you will:

    “I told Lamar that he is his (Artest’s) guardian,” Phil Jackson said recently. “So we have not the blind leading the blind, but probably the deaf leading the blind.”

    FYI, Kobe’s shooting 39% in these finals. So a hair worse than 2008. We need one Mamba game from him to further imprint this finals in our Lakers lore.

  25. Gr8 Scott says

    Snoopy – I agree with you completely. Expect for Fisher (or Kobe or Pau) to pick up some early fouls. Like it or not, the subplot to this Finals has been about the officiating/big names in foul trouble.

    Darius – great post, as always.

    We win this one, it’s essentially over. It will not surprise me to see the Cs shoot 10 to 15 more FTs than us tonight just to shut up all the criticism about the refs. That said, it was hilarious to hear Doc “Cry Me A” Rivers moan about the moving screens. I really wish someone in the media would call him on that with his own team. If we win tonight, it’s going to take a super-efficiently high scoring game from Kobe with some strong inside from Pau/Bynum/LO.

    Go Lakers!

  27. gxs says

    RE: Post#8

    You’re lucky this isn’t my blog, or I would ban you for life for that type of post this early in the series. In fact, I politely request that you don’t comment anymore at all. Thanks.

    As for the Lakers, I’ve been complaining about the refs since game 4 in phx. Amare was getting ridiculous calls and so far the trend continues. If the Cs get calls tonight on Doc’s constant bitching and whining, I hope Phil Jackson blasts them even louder for the next 2 days.

    I read Kurt’s post about the refs deciding games only if you let them, and to be honest, that is a freaking cop out. Some games are going to be close no matter how you dice it. The better team, the team that executes the best down the stretch should win, not the one that gets the calls.

  28. Rich says

    @ 14 Mimsy,

    Wow I’ve never seen so many drinking triggers for one game lol. Might get drunk after the 1st qtr.

    @ 29,

    I don’t think Kurt’s comments are a cop-out at all. If you play the game your way and can maintain a lead the refs aren’t putting the ball in the basket, sure they can call some touchy falls that lead to free throws but if you play D without fouling, play wise on offense than you shouldn’t ever be in a position in which referees can dictate whether your team wins or not.

  29. Igor Avidon says

    Statistics-wise, in our victories:

    – We won the rebounding battle
    – Ray Allen was contained (0-fer in Game 3, 12 points on 3-8 shooting in Game 1)
    – Luke Walton played at least 5 minutes (he did not get a minute in Game 2)
    – Lamar Odom was able to stay on the court and impact the game positively (and subsequently lead the bench to better a performance)

    If we get 3 of those 4, we’ll be in a VERY good position tonight.

  30. gxs says

    >if you play D without fouling, play wise on offense than you shouldn’t ever be in a position in which referees can dictate whether your team wins or not.

    Not to sound overly antagonistic, but that’s a pretty freakin big IF. When your defense is playing it right and the refs decide to start making bogus calls, it completely flusters me. I 100% agree with you, but the scenario you described is exactly what DOESN’T happen when the refs are malfunctioning.

  32. J.D. Hastings says

    Really well said, Darius. The Lakers can’t overlook the opportunity this game represents. It doesn’t matter how they get it done or how pretty it is. Whether Kobe or Sasha save the day. This is the one.

    Rewatching game 3 last night I took away a different perspective on Kobe’s struggles. Yes, Boston is a great defensive team and some of the worst shots were with 5 or fewer seconds on the shot clock and no outlet.

    But on a lot of the shots Kobe was his own worst defender. He’d have the ball 1 on 1 with Ray Allen and 15 feet of space beyond Ray and he’d hop back and shoot over. And not in his usual rhythm. His movements were a little quicker and jerkier than usual and the shots he took aren’t the ones you usually see from him. Additionally, he wasn’t surveying what was happening then reacting, it looked like he was deciding what he’d do early then rush into it.

    I think he was angry and wanted to show up Ray Allen and it took him completely out of rhythm. If he just relaxed and played his game I think he’d do much better. I hope he realizes this after watching tape.

    Also, if he’s going to get his I’d prefer to see it in the first half. Come out while they’re adjusting, set a tone, then stick with the triangle late when Boston’s gameplan is to confront more isos and p/rs. Play the most efficient offense last (if you can’t do it all game)

  33. Darius says

    #32. gxs,
    I don’t think Kurt’s reasoning is a cop out. Over the course of a game, each team has a chance to play better than the other team; to stop the team from scoring and score themselves. When you can’t do either well enough to create a cushion, the game can be influenced by a bad or missed call. Such is the game. I mean, when the Lakers lost game 2, I kept saying they still had a chance to get the stop after the out of bounds call that went to the C’s. They didn’t get it. You can blame the refs for missing the call, but can’t you blame the team for not getting the stop?

  34. Rich says

    @gxs – I can understand there will be botched calls, that’s sports so unfortunately it will always be there. I just want to believe that if you play D and don’t give the refs an excuse to blow the whistle like swing your arms down at the ball, reach in constantly for steals, lowering the shoulder on offense etc you give the refs less reason to blow the whistle.

    Of course there’s always those phantom calls but there can only be so many of those so just got to hope your team is ultimately in a position to win where the refs can’t have an effect on the outcome.

    Here’s hoping with all the complaining from both sides about the calls that the game won’t be called tight but I got a feeling that things will be worse.

  35. inwit says

    In old vampire movies the only way to kill the vampire is to drive a stake through its heart. Tonight is that night. Now is the time. Kill the vampire!

    But to do so, the Lakers (in light of Doc River’s blatant referee baiting) will need to overcome significant adversity.

    There are two main forms of referee game manipulation possible tonight (but there are more, i.e., key blown calls, etc.):

    Method A: blatant and obvious robbery- games like game 2 in Boston in 2008 with a huge free throw disparity, or Kobe or Pau getting in early foul trouble.

    Method B: more subtle, a likely scenario – Boston shoots 10 or so more free throws, but some are “bail outs” on bad possessions with only two or three seconds left on the 24 second clock (thereby giving them points or 14 seconds more on the clock) on good Laker defensive possessions, questionable loose ball foul calls when Boston is in the penalty, calling moving screens, three seconds, and offensive fouls on Lakers trying to break free of wrestling holds (and ticky-tack calls, for, say, Paul Pierce on drives to the hoop) one-way early in the game thereby setting the tone for who can be the “aggressor” in the game, followed by, once the game is out of reach, several calls late in the game to even out the free throw disparity (with Doc playing along with it by complaining and stomping on the sideline about all those calls, thereby giving the impression that he is not happy with the officials either, even though he is ecstatic). And all the talking heads will tell you afterward how Boston was the aggressor, a legendary, tough and courageous defensive team of great warriors, etc., because, being good company men, they must protect the “product,” (the league), while the hype and statistics about the crucial game 5 begins.

    I expect some version of Method B tonight.

    So be it! Bring it on! Go Lakers! Drive a stake right through that vampire’s heart!

  36. Tra says

    Excellent Post by Darius, especially his Resolution to Pau being pushed off of the Low Block. I believe this will be another Grind Out Game, that’ll come down to the 4th quarter between these 2 evenly matched Teams. Since this is Basically a ‘Do or Die’ Game for the C’s, it’ll be interesting to see, come Crunch Time, in a close game, how they’ll respond to The Pressure. Whose Hands will the Ball be in? Will it be P. Square’s (Whose been put in Handcuffs by Ron Ron up ’til this Point) ? Will it be Rondo’s (Who Lacks Confidence in his Jumper & is a Notoriously Poor Free Throw Shooter) ? Will it be KG’s (Whose been defended well by Pau so far & had to Earn every 1 of his Points in game 3) ? Or will it be ‘Jesus Shuttlesworth’s’ (Who, if so, in all likelihood, will be Taking a Low Percentage 3 pt attempt or Long Range Two) ? Just Food For Thought.

    27. Gr8 Scott: “Doc ‘Cry Me A’ Rivers”. Hilarious. On Point Like A Needle.

    14 Down …. 2 To Go …. Lets Get It

  37. bluesky says

    Broderick Turner of LA Times, he wrote an interesting about P@R between Kobe and Fisher in game 3. Brian Shaw saw Rondo and Allen doubling Kobe and leave Fisher open many times. So Brian Shaw kept telling Phil to run a play for Kobe and Fisher. That’s smart coaching play of B.Shaw.

  39. Pig MIller says

    I really wish PJ would unleash the bench to run the floor a lot in this game. Sheed can’t run at all right now, and Big Baby, as quick as he is, isn’t as fast as Pau or Lamar. I like what’s been said about the Lakers moving up the floor more quickly, but what about really running with the fastest guys on the team on the court?

  40. Zephid says

    41, the Celtics are one of the best teams in the league at getting back in transition defense. Farmar has been pushing the ball, it’s just that he’s being greeted by 3 Celtics and wisely slowing the ball down. The Celtics always have 2.5 guys back and 2.5 guys rebounding, with Rondo being the split guy since he’s fast enough to go in for a rebound but recover if he misses it.

    The most encouraging thing about Game 3 was that the Lakers got burned badly in the 1st 3 mins but composed themselves and went on a big run. That, if anything, gives me the most faith going into this game that the Lakers will not put up a stinker. And if the game is close going down to the wire, the Lakers are going to go back to the 1-2 PNR, and the Celtics will probably start switching, putting Rondo on Kobe. Then it will be Kobe’s time to shine.

  41. Craig W. says

    Listening to Doug Christie on the Lakers radio and he brought up an interesting point. The Cs were tired TUE because there was only one day between games, not two. He thinks that the Cs are better situated to take game #5 and that the Lakers have a good chance to take game #4 – because of the number of days between games.

  42. Craig W. says

    Two neutral refs tonight and one (Mathis) who is from LA and tends to be tougher on the Lakers.

  44. Pig MIller says

    Zephid, I guess I’ll have to watch that more closely tonight. I’ve noticed more than a few occasions where we have guys who manage to get behind the defense, and if they challenge the C’s as they’re getting into position they usually get good looks at the hoop i.e. Pau’s secondary break oop and Lamar’s hard charge around Sheed to end Q1, both in game 3.

  46. J-M says

    Need to add one more to that list: Everyone needs to take a shot (or down two beers) for each time that KG actually gets called for an illegal screen.

    If you are afraid of getting too drunk, don’t worry, the number of illegal screens called on KG is usually ZERO.

  47. kehn says

    If anyone does want to get drunk though:

    – one sip for every “hand down, man down”
    – two sips for any sentence containing the words “Lakers” and “length”
    – drink your whole class if the announcers talk about LeBron for more than a minute.

  48. busterjonez says

    NOBODY expects the Spanish Inquisition!

    Amongst our weaponry are such diverse elements as: fear, surprise, ruthless efficiency, an almost fanatical devotion to the Pope, and nice red uniforms – Oh damn!

  49. J.D. Hastings says

    Its sad that I’m actually intrigued by how the refs respond to all the griping the last few days. I wouldn’t be surprised if both teams get called for illegal screens in the first quarter then let them play…

    Then both squads complain after every non-call.

  50. Bobji says

    Take nothing for granted tonight Lakers! Rebound! defend! run the offense! (can i get more broad and cliche?)

    GO LAKERS
    (yes i can)

  51. harold says

    Ron’s due.

    Lamar is due from the 3 pt line as well.

    Normally recipe for disaster, but I think we’ll have one game where those shots will go down.

    I’ve a feeling that it may be tonight.

    Go Lakers!

  52. needle says

    It feels like everybody is “due” because both teams are playing great defense.

  53. inwit says

    Charles Barkley just joked that Odom and Artest, when they were 13, were in the second grade!

  54. Mimsy says

    @Rich(30)
    It’s a drinking game for sips, not for shots. 😉

    And you obviously didn’t see kehn’s drinking game for Game 3. He was trying to get us all to pass out before the end of the first quarter! 😀

    I think the role player to step up big will be Ron Artest. He tends to do that when he feels disrespected, and there was certainly nothing respectful in Pierce’s recent comments about him.

  55. Snoopy2006 says

    Uh oh.

    Artest: “Any move anyone makes in the NBA, I’ve already seen it before in New York City. I’ll pull out some New York tricks (Thursday) and see if they work.”

    Someone may be getting a metal pole through their head.

  58. Chownoir says

    I don’t buy into the entire ref conspiracy, but did anyone else find it interesting that the NBA office pulled a switch on the ref team?

    The previous team had never officiated a losing Laker playoff game. I’ve got to think it was some kind of reaction to people who do think there is a conspiracy.

  60. Lakers8884 says

    Kobe played perfect D on Rondo the other night, defensively the game plan needs to be the same for the entire team except Artest needs to stay on the floor to guard Pierce this time.

  61. J-M says

    That’s exactly the BS I’m talking about.

    How the hell is KG allowed to turn as a screen when Fisher is trying to get around him? Anyone else see that? Fisher almost gets around KG, yet KG was still facing him.

    HORRIBLE SHOT BY ARTEST.

  62. Buttas says

    Withstood the initial energy and we have an early lead.

    I like what I am seeing….

  63. J-M says

    I bet Odom leads the league in crossing the half court with the ball at 16.2 on the shot clock.

  64. harold says

    how is bynum looking?

    did he look okay, or was he pulled this early because of pain?

  65. joe wright says

    Ready for another sleepless night here in Spain and ready for another win¡

    GO LAKERS GO¡¡¡

  68. Joel B. says

    Artest has been subpar and needs to step up his defense.

    But Doc shouldn’t have 1 complaint if the Celtics lose tonight.

    But Its good to see the lakers sticking with it despite all calls going the Celtics way.

  69. harold says

    Is tonight going to be Pierce’s night?

    He was due, but let’s see if Ron can contain him…

    With the lineup we have now, is Lamar doing point forward?

    Pierce running off screens would pose problems for us, I hope Gasol and Odom are awake.

  70. Matt R. says

    Artest is having a hard time staying with Pierce.

    The Celtics are running a lot of screens to get Pierce loose a la Ray Allen.

  71. Zephid says

    65, I don’t understand why he takes so long to bring the ball up. It’s like he’s scared shitless that the Celtics are going to blitz the shit out of him once he crosses half court (which they never will as it will compromise their defense).

    Speaking of Odom, he looks out of it. We need him to be aggressive and attack the Celtics bigs, not jack up three pointers.

    Bynum definitely was having trouble going side to side and running up the floor. He played decently, but definitely was limited.

    Ron Artest has amazingly quick hands. He grabbed that O-board and put it through the hoop in half a second.

  75. J-M says

    Eject Pierce for hitting the Referee in the face, lol.

    Ron Artest has taken four shots. Not sure why. He isn’t exactly locking down Pierce, either.

    I thought Bynum looked alright. It seemed like he was getting much lift.

    Oh, and it looks like the Lakers won’t get ANY 50-50 calls tonight. It’s good to see the Lakers fighting and playing despite it, instead of crying about it.

  77. chearn says

    When you miss layups and can’t make free throws that is fatigue! So, the Celtics are tired!

    The Lakers bench gets in and immediately give up a three point shot at the end of a quarter. Ron Artest does not need Farmar’s help on Pierce. Farmar doubled Pierce and gives up a three by Nate! Wow!

  81. Buttas says

    was fine until Nate gets that open 3. That just can’t happen.

    There are a lot of tired legs out there. Andrew, Pau, and Kobe all look a little flat.

  82. harold says

    Hrm, that Nate rob 3 hurt, but overall, not too bad. (the only 3 made this quarter, both teams)

    As long as we don’t fall too far behind, things will work out.

    Hope Lamar picks it up a bit though. He needs to play well when it’s obvious that Bynum’s minutes are going to be watched.

    But looking at the shot chart, we gave up a LOT of attempts in the paint.

  83. Buttas says

    need some energy from the 2nd unit tonight. Glad to see Sasha out there first, just wish they could find him with an open look.

  84. Steve W says

    Tough quarter. Kobe looks gassed, artest looks disinterested for some reason, and we are only in it because boston missed open shots.

  85. Joel B. says

    Is this what Artest was talking about when he said he will try some stuff from the NY playgrounds? His offense has been bad and his defense has been worse. He’s over playing and getting burned. If artest continues to struggle on both ends of the court i hope Kobe can spend a few minutes on pierce(but only if Rondo isn’t in the game.

    This is the game that boston wants and they’ve played okay except for that last play that led to a 3.

  86. Bobji says

    looks like it’ll be a slugfest. Just 2 points by the lakers in the last 4 minutes of the quarter… gotta focus on offense a bit better. Pierce is getting by Artest way too easily, dunno what’s with that.

  88. Lakers8884 says

    Bad shot from Farmar and bad defense so far on Nate Robinson. Cannot let that guy get hot.

    Why can Lamar not guard Big Baby?

  89. chearn says

    Why is Bynum in the game if we’re not going to get him the ball in the post. If he scores the pain will go away!

    Could we use Powell against Big Baby, Lamar is not smart enough nor tough enough to play him!

  96. harold says

    Wow, Lamar the biggest liability out there among the bench players, at least according to gamecast.

    But not letting the lead get any bigger when both Farmar and Brown are playing out there is something I’d gladly take.

  99. Tyler says

    You can’t blame Lamar. I mean he has to play against future hall of famer Glenn “BIG BABY” Davis, you know, only the fattest guy in the NBA who once cried because KG yelled at him. Its a tough task.

    EDIT: Oh yeah, he’s also a 6’4″ power forward.

  101. Joel B. says

    I might sound crazy but I wouldn’t mind seeing Powell or, hell, even Mbenga instead of Odom. The problem with Odom is that there are no repercussions when he goes out on the floor and with no energy or focus. His court awareness is awful. Prime example, theres a loose ball and lamar is the closest to it but the last one to get to it. I just hope lamar learns its about the energy, not so much the production (production will follow).

  102. Lakers8884 says

    THANK YOU LAMAR finally we have been waiting to see him attack Big Baby off the dribble

  103. chearn says

    The Lakers are not taking care of their defensive board!

    Is Kobe tired? His shot is flat and his passes are weak and telegraphed. Kobe is over thinking Boston’s defense!

    We must go aggressively after the boards. Lamar can not go up and get one handed rebounds consistently this series.

  107. Matt R. says

    LO is actually having a good game. He’s rebounding well and trying to help on a metric ton of pick-n-rolls. He’s also being patient on offense.

  108. LUCK says

    Odom can talk trash to Davis when he stops him on the defensive end, he has single handedly kept Boston in this game

  110. harold says

    Not sure if I like 3 on Sheed. Looks like he’s making things happen for us a bit, just like Tony Allen.

    I hope Kobe is managing his legs, we’ll need him in the second half.

    BTW, how’s officiating so far? Number-wise, it’s fairly even…

  111. joe wright says

    Rasheed Wallace is not a sportsman at all.
    Every time he hits GAsol he screams and complains like an idiot.
    Maybe he thinks Pau has to bleed to get a call….

  112. Buttas says

    when you come down across the arms of the guy you are defending that is a foul. Why does he act like he doesn’t know that.

    Love me some sheed…

  113. kehn says

    Fun fact: Kobe has never been in a Finals that was tied 2-2. And won’t after tonight.

  116. harold says

    I hope Kobe doesn’t get any ideas about Allen’s record…

    … never mind, you are free to launch

  123. Tyler says

    Lamar Odom is officially listed as 6′-10″.

    Whenever LA is rebounding the announcers say he is 7′.

    When he leads the break they say he is 6′-9″.

  124. Matt R. says

    We have 6 players that play some of the most beautiful 2-man basketball in the game right now.

    Kobe + Gasol
    Gasol + Odom
    Kobe + Fisher

  125. Buttas says

    ok… a couple of shot go in and things loosen up.

    Oh did I just hear hand down man down?

  126. Joel B. says

    Mimsy take a sip, Hand down man down. I would join ya but i’m studying for a final exam in the morning. sorry

  127. kehn says

    Is that the rule, Mark Jackson? “Hand down, man down?” Really? Never knew that before.

    Also, get a defensive rebound guys, kthxbye.

  128. Matt R. says

    The offensive boards are because of Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo.

    They’re getting great penetration off of P&R actions or just flat out getting past their man, forcing the bigs to rotate out of rebounding position to build the wall. When the jumpshots go up, the bigs are behind the C’s bigs because they were trying to challenge the shot.

  129. chearn says

    @122 Tyler, haha, I like the 7 footer rebounding! The 6’9″ comment is a nod to another 6’9″ Laker that led the break!

  131. Steve W says

    #121 – we have always known lamar is inconsistent. Maybe he literally shrinks during games!

  134. harold says

    Pierce coming back to earth. Thank you.

    Both teams in the penalty. Let’s get methodical now.

  136. joel r says

    too many turnovers by kobe and too many 2nd chance points

    but otherwise, i’ll take a lead after the first half

  137. chearn says

    Rondo has a long wing span so Kobe has to shorten his dribble when he gets past Rondo. Kobe could have distracted Pierce by not giving him a clear vision.

    Doc Rivers is resting Rondo for the entire 2nd half, he will be playing high octane basketball! Kobe must be aware of Rondo in the 2nd half.

  139. joel r says

    ehhh, i cant complain too much about the kg shot….gasol prevented the 3 and kg was right there and much taller than everybody around him

  140. Lakers8884 says

    Should have a bigger lead going into the half, but solid defense overall and thats how this game will be won.

  141. harold says

    Wow, that was some funky editing, a lost comment from a while ago made it somehow.

    I’ll take leading by 3 going into the half, any time.

    Stats are fairly even, though their offensive rebounds are keeping them in the game. Biggest difference in FT%, courtesy of Rondo and Pierce.

  144. kehn says

    I’m feeling good about our chances. Our defense has been generally solid, all 3 bigs are playing alright, and we’re leading… but certainly not by enough that we’ll lose intensity coming outta the break. Keep Ron-Ron away from the Hennessy and we’re good.

    I LOVE L.A.!

    (c’mon, don’t leave me hanging here…)

  147. Mohan says

    147 – I’m glad I’m not the only one who noticed. The ratio of constructive comments for Boston vs. LA is 9:1.

  148. Joel B. says

    I can live with that garnett shot. If a superstar makes a superstar play, just tip your hat. But that was great defense by the Gasol on that play.

    Kobe has to cut down his turnovers, 4 is way too many for a half. Other than kobe, the lakers were pretty clean with handling the ball.

    Lakers have to maintain, wait increase their energy and effort, limit Boston’s second chance points, as some others have alluded to, and they’ll pull this one out.

  149. Darius says

    The Lakers offense was much more fluid in that 2nd quarter. The ball moved better and they showed better variety in the way they initiated their sets.

    However, the Lakers are losing the rebounding battle (21-20) and have already given up 7 ORB. Need to clean that up and secure the ball. The Lakers also have 7 TO’s. Clean that up too, fellas.

    All that said, I’m happy with Odom’s overall play and really happy about Pau and Kobe in the first 24. If the Lakers can work out some of the kinks, they can pull away some and get that cushion they’ll need in the 4th Q.

  150. harold says

    inwit, Mohan, we don’t need much constructive criticism, especially not from the announcers, we’re leading 😉

    Kobe playing only 18 minutes at the half. I think that’s a fairly good number…

  151. Lakers8884 says

    Need a HUGE burst of energy, effort and intensity coming out of the half to get some separation on the score board.

  152. lil' pau says

    these games are so tough defensively that an 8 point lead is like a 15 point lead. gotta pull away….

  153. inwit says

    They make it sound like Boston is beating themselves and the Lakers have nothing to do with it.

  154. Tra says

    Overall, Good 1st half …. Kobe playing within the flow & not forcing it Offensively …. Pau Playing aggressively …. Defense is Solid …. ‘Captain Fisher’ shadowing ‘Jesus Shuttlesworth’ …. Everyone Contesting Shots …. Bench Play is Straight …. As for the 2nd Half, Gotta keep them out of Transition …. Control the Defensive Boards …. Gotta continue to Execute Offensively and play Aggressively (No Settling 4 Jumpers) …. Also, DO NOT ALLOW RONDO ANY EASY BASKETS. FOUL HIS ASS. HE’S STRUGGLING (TO SAY THE LEAST) @ THE CHARITY STRIPE

  156. TB-8788 says

    Good adjustment to finally start switching the 4-3 ball screen on Pierce. Ron is strong enough to D the 4, and Odom is long enough to play with a slight perimeter cushion on Pierce.

  157. Matt R. says

    I’ve been hearing and reading so many people talking about the Lakers “playing with house money” in this game and how they don’t need to win this game or even the next one.

    Hell no. Do not go home down 3-2. Make Boston beat us 3 in a row. Win tonight. Leave everything on the floor tonight. TAKE IT TONIGHT.

  158. Steve W says

    Solid effort. Artest settled in and made pierce work in 2nd quarter.

    Kobe playing smarter with his shot selection but needs to take care of the ball.

    Missing bynum, for rebounding.

  160. harold says

    The first team to win two in a row wins the series, although we’ll have a chance to try for our own two-in-a-row even if they get there first.

  163. Joel B. says

    No Bynum, I’m worried. I say go with Mbegna and give gasol a few minutes of not having to bang with the stronger Perkins.

  164. chearn says

    Yeah, Bynum!

    That’s twice that the Lakers have been fouled on a jump shot and have not gotten the and 1!

  168. Kenslc says

    Ref called 3 seconds there so he wouldn’t have to call KG for a foul.

    Fish is huge again!

  170. Joel B. says

    Bynum was probably just getting his brace tightened or loosened. Good to see him coming back. The lakers need his sized at least for 10 minutes or so.

  171. Lakers8884 says

    Other than some bad turnovers not a bad start to the half, Kobe has 5 already needs to have ZERO the rest of the game.

  172. joel r says

    kobes gone a bit cold, but fisher with two wild shots that happened to went in

    and gasol is continuing his good play

  173. joe wright says

    Just want to congratule Pau and how he is managing all the violence and the continous attempts to break his mind and body both.
    Don’t get shy man.Stay calm,work te position and continue scoring.
    That’s half of the game my man.

  174. kehn says

    eh, the 3 second call looked pretty spotty to me. I’ll just file this one under ‘makeup call for the 34234 illegal screens KG’s committed in this series’

  175. TB-8788 says

    The crowd, the Celtics’ game, their composure, they’re all starting to take on water right now. It’s imperative we continue to play with a lead as long as possible. That ship is going to sink.

  179. chearn says

    Once again Boston is begging the Lakers to take over this game, and the Lakers will not accommodate them!

    KG is bating Lamar, let’s see if Lamar responds!

  180. Joel B. says

    Am I the only one that sees that the lakers are tired and flat footed.

    Bad coaching.

  184. Jane says

    The game has been VERY winnable to this point. It would be dissapointing to lose the 3-1 chokehold under those circumstances.

    What’s the over/under on showing Ray Allen’s mom? Ugh.

  189. Lakers8884 says

    If anyone on this team is going to take bad shots late in the shot clock it HAS to be Kobe, Pau or Fisher. Lamar and Ron need to recognize that and give them the ball.

  190. sfjayp says

    i love seeing kobe get up into perkins on the way to the timeout.

    and i love pau not backing down from perkins crap right before.

    lets go LA

    PS: what is it going to take for perkins to get that T?! He’s going to have to really go at someone for them to call it. Odd consequence of that single T issue: since they have to call it relatively consistently, we haven’t really seen any Ts at all. Strangely satisfying to watch a game called without a T everytime someone slaps the standard after a foul. I like.

  191. kehn says

    Perkins would need to gouge a ref in the eye before they give him the dreaded 7th T

  192. J-M says

    Anyone see Perkins not let Kobe get to his bench, and then pushes Kobe aside? Kobe’s smirk as he walks toward the bench is priceless. Mamba’s got something for Boston, bank on it.

    I guess Perkins has a free pass to throw up his arms and jump around and make after-whistle contact. Short of throwing a punch, Perkins will not get his 7th technical foul.

  193. Kenslc says

    Did anyone else see Kobe trying to bait Perkins into shoving him or talking smack?

    You could see the smile on Kobe’s face when he walked back after the timeout.

  195. Joel B. says

    I’m sure the NBA has determined, Perkins will not receive a technical foul unless its absolutely clear that he deserves one.

  198. TB-8788 says

    Not hitting anyone on screens right now, just running to the next spot in the offense. Terrible execution.

  199. harold says

    Minor miracle that we’re tied despite letting the Cs have their way on the offensive boards.

  200. J-M says

    Anyone seeing Bynum’s gait? It looks like he’s laboring just to run down the court.

  211. harold says

    We have Artest, they have Rasheed.

    Kobe’s 3s making up for his TOs. Or the other way around…

  215. J-M says

    That was kind of funny. Kobe is right to be pissed. Tony Allen had an arm wrapped around Kobe the entire time on that inbound play.

  216. Matt R. says

    There are more days off before Sunday’s game.

    I don’t know…rest Kobe at all? Or do you just ride him through the end of the game?

  217. Kenslc says

    Alright guys…according to the refs Kobe hasn’t been fouled once tonight. Yeah right.

  218. joel r says

    hopefully, kobe doesnt turn the ball over any more and i hope he uses hit hot hand from 3 to set up drives to the basket

  219. Lakers8884 says

    Okay if your Phil, do you play Kobe the entire quarter and put a strangle hold on the Celtics or do you rest him and risk losing the lead? My vote is play him the entire quarter, he knows how to conserve energy and this is the finals let the man do his thing.

  220. Jane says

    When #24 is 5/7 from 3 and the team is stagnant on offense, he should NEVER have to demand the ball. Ever.

    @216 Buttas – I hope not. He may not have anything left!!

  222. busterjonez says

    If the Lakers get into the penalty early, they need to consider the hack-a-Rondo as a legitimate strategy.

  223. kehn says

    I’m sure Phil has something saved for the last few minutes of the game, a la the Kobe/Fish screen and rolls in game 3.

    Right?

  224. jordan says

    agree with the hack – a – rondo. on another note, win this quarter…win the series

  227. joe wright says

    3 days till Sunday.
    I say Kobe&Pau&Fish all 4th straight.
    Bynum,Ron,Shasha an Odom sharing the other two spots.

  229. kehn says

    has Gasol gotten any rest this game? Seems like the last 2 games, Phil’s waited a dickens of a time to bring him back in in the 4th.

  231. Joel B. says

    Am I dreaming or is Lamar as slow as Big Z. Please put Mbenga or Powell in, do not let lamars sugar crash lose the game for the lakers.

  232. Matt R. says

    Bad possession by Farmar. The Lakers aren’t moving without the ball very well. They’re running 2-man games on the weak-side without a lot of movement by the screener and the ball-handler, when not Kobe, is being incredibly indecisive.

  233. BH says

    Every single game this series Farmar has had a bad turnover like that late. EVERY SINGLE GAME.

    I cannot wait until he is no longer employed by LA.

  235. Kenslc says

    Lamar is just not showing up. He should never be taking step back 2’s or 3’s. His defense has been awful.

    Horrible turnover there by Farmar. If no one else is going to step up I would rather live or die by Kobe.

  236. jordan says

    all night, we’ve been getting into our sets very late in the clock, and its killing us.

  237. Buttas says

    God Odom. What the hell is wrong with you? Jack up a jumper (miss) and then get abused by Big Baby…

  238. Lakers8884 says

    If you are not gonna ride Kobe’s hot hand and feed him the ball then don’t play him and give him a rest this is mindblowing.

    Lamar really has played subpar defense and offensively he is hurting the flow. I almost think Ron Ron could guard Big Baby better.

  239. joe wright says

    I just hope Phil is not performing again that strange move of sending Pau to the bench from minute 9 till 3.
    I will be really pissed…

  247. Lakers8884 says

    Lamar is killing the Lakers right now take him out of the game I’d rather have a hurt Bynum. INSERT DEREK FISHER.

  249. Jane says

    Awful start to the 4th. 6 point lead seems like 30. This is absolutely the do or die moment for LA…

  252. Tyler says

    Tackling of Jordan Farmar is now officially allowed, as long as the Celts can get a fast break and extend the series.

    Bumping of Big Baby is strictly prohibited however.

  253. Kenslc says

    I’m not understanding the refs right now. Touch fouls on one end, but not on the other. The only way the Celts can win is playing this rough and tumble style ball, but it has to go both ways!

  254. Burgundy says

    And now the Refs are taking over the game to make sure Boston wins.

    Nice.

    Just like Stern drew it up.

    On the other hand, the Lakers had a TON of chances to build a big lead in the 3rd quarter, and didn’t do it, so it’s on them.

  255. joe wright says

    You can’t win if the other team is allowed to use violence on you in a regular basis.

    I hate the “Salt Lake” effect on refs.

    In the other hand I hate to sat that, but if Bynum is injured again LAL should start to think if a player with such a high % of non-played games can really be the leading big man in the future.
    I m sorry but I feel it like that.

  256. Joel B. says

    I’m sorry but the blame is 97% on lamar odom and 3% on Phil. He’s just standing there on offense and defense. Not moving his feet, not helping, not doing anything. Just getting dominated. I can’t believe it.

    Phil and Lamar wake up.

  258. Lakers8884 says

    Did anyone see Lamar not make any effort after that Shannon miss while Farmar literally throws his body on the ground trying for the ball.

  259. Tyler says

    Kobe has disappeared by the way. They aren’t getting him the ball much, but mostly because he can’t get open.

  261. Buttas says

    have to man up now. this is the critical moment of the game. They are up with the crowd behind them.

    We have to regain our composure and get back to basics.

  262. Matt R. says

    The officiating is horrible…but the Lakers aren’t running the offense. They’re putting the ball on the weakside and then standing and watching.

  264. Joel B. says

    260. I saw, oh I saw. Lamar Odom doesn’t have heart point blank. Nobody can’t look at the way he’s playing and say otherwise.

  266. Josh says

    I’ve kept my mouth totally shut about officiating this series….but the Lakers are getting JOBBED in this 4th quarter.

    And there’s no excuse, NONE, for Lamar getting killed by Big Baby. Davis should be a footnote in this series, but Odom has repeatedly made him look like a big-time player.

  270. joe wright says

    Shame on refs.

    In the other hand I hate to say that, but if Bynum is injured again LAL should start to think if a player with such a high % of non-played games can really be the leading big man in the future.

    I m sorry but I feel it like that.

    SHeed screaming like a pig for not being allowed to kill Laker players.

  273. J-M says

    LOL RASHEED! WOW! YOU ARE THE BIGGEST MORON TO EVER PLAY IN THE HISTORY OF THE GAME!

  276. Kenslc says

    If the refs don’t start calling this right there will be fighting and I won’t blame the Lakers.

  278. Lakers8884 says

    Attack the damn basket, the refs are gonna try to get control of this game so force them to make the call.

  281. Joel B. says

    Our defense is shit with out bynum.

    The play through it philosophy has lost the lakers 2 games now

  284. Lakers8884 says

    Lamar is awful I’m sorry this guy cannot play defense for all the money in the world. He has killed the Lakers tonight.

  286. Matt R. says

    I didn’t think Nate Robinson deserved that tech.

    At the moment, I don’t think the Lakers deserve the game either.

    If we’re going to play like this, Phil might as well rest Kobe and Pau cause I’m guessing that we’re Bynumless for the next 3 games.

  288. Buttas says

    that Sheed 3 uiggh…

    We are getting shots in the paint. That’s good.

    We haven’t had any stops. This is bad.

  289. joe wright says

    I disagree.That s a clear tech

    I m having a look at nba stats right now and Kobe and Pau are too lonely in this war.
    Every night some different players step up in the Celtics.
    For that numbers getting rid of Ron and Lamar and getting a free agent (A:K:A C.Bosh) and a pure shooter would be a good move.

  290. Jane says

    Please please please don’t jack up 3s to try and catch up quick. No desperation stuff yet.

  291. Joel B. says

    If Bynum can’t play the rest of the series, they lakers need to win this game because the Lakers cannot count on Lamar to give effort on both ends of the floor for another 3 games.

  292. Matt R. says

    I don’t think Lamar’s been awful tonight. I think Big Baby is actually hitting shots. KG, Rondo, and Allen have just been missing shots.

    And as I type that, Fish misses the tech.

    Ugh.

  294. Joel B. says

    I mean this game o-v-e-r unless kobe goes crazy because the lakers just do not have it.

  300. gxs says

    How can anyone tell me with a straight face that the refs havent impacted this game. this is a joke.

  302. Lakers8884 says

    This game was lost by the starters against the BENCH of the Celtics. Embarassing.

  303. joe wright says

    Outrageous call on Pau after being almost killed under the ring.

    I feel sick.Shame on you NBA

  305. Josh says

    Like I said…there’s some BS going on in this 4th quarter. This game is over unless Kobe goes McGrady.

  306. noles says

    I feel sick because this is the 2nd time in the playoffs that we’ve allowed an opponent to play their bench for almost the entire 4th qtr due to our crappy play. That’s inexcusable!

  307. Buttas says

    have to keep playing. just finish strong. They will not keep making shots.

    buckle down and execute.

  308. Josh says

    How does Kobe not get the “in the act of shooting” call on that???!?!?!?!?

    OMG. Maybe I’ve played the drinking game a little too hard….but this is RIDICULOUS

  309. sfjayp says

    Hey. everybody remember big baby’s little dance at the free throw line.

    We’ll all get a kick out of that in the next week.

    God. Is it OK to have a non-constructive comment and just say that I hate, hate, hate the Celtics?

    Still time in this one, though. 2 FT by kobe makes it 6. Stop and a score, rinse and repeat. Execute.

  310. Joel B. says

    If lamar decides to move his feet defensively and jump and contest a shot, the lakers have a punchers chance. But if the lakers continue to play defense like they are up 20 they don’t have a chance.

  311. joe wright says

    They can play their bench because Kobe and Pau are exhausted.
    A lot of people are not earning their payroll.
    You have to offer 6-7 quality minutes a game if you want to play in a team like Lakers.

  312. Mohan says

    The calls (or lack thereof) have been ridiculous, but there’s no excuse for Glen Davis putting our big men to shame in the paint. Drives to the hoop, putbacks, rebounds, he’s doing it all.

  313. Kenslc says

    No one can tell me that the horrible way the refs have called this game hasn’t impacted the way the Lakers play. Boston gets away with being as physical as they want and don’t get foul calls, but the Lakers don’t get the same leeway on the other end of the floor. Boston sees this and is taking advantage of it.

    We really need Bynum for game 5 because Odom is bringing nothing right now. He is being outplayed on both ends of the floor.

  314. lesha says

    honestly, how can you not hate these celtics. kg crawling, nate and baby screaming. it looks as if someone just said “you guys have small ****” and now they have to prove after every basket, every freethrow that thats not the case and scream it out… no matter how embarrasing

  315. Lakers8884 says

    The part that kills me is none of the Celtics 4 best players had a remotely good game yet the Celtics are still winning.

  316. Andreas G. says

    James: Agreed. Pau can’t keep playing 46 minutes a game, banging down low and still be expected to produce big numbers.

  317. DirtySanchez says

    The bench has come up huge for Boston, LA’s tired legs and no Bynum in the paint on D has killed LA. The team has always seemed to have problems with high energy players, Baby’s energy has awaken the whole city of Boston and his team. I have a feeling that those two technical free throws Fish and Kobe missed will come back and bite us in the a@#.

  318. joel r says

    i really cant explain why odom is having so much trouble guarding glen davis

    anyways, if kobe hits both of these free throws, we’re only down by 6 with about 3 minutes left. thats plenty of time to take over the lead

  319. Aeron says

    Glen Davis plays like a big WNBA player with his two-hand no finesse banked lay-ups. So annoying.

  327. Buttas says

    that was way more of a charge than the one that they called on Pierce earlier.

    wow, what a terrible call

  329. J-M says

    Regardless of the officiating, the Lakers had a chance down the stretch. Mental mistakes and lack of execution, ultimately, are what did the Lakers in.

    Bad call by the referee, again, to no surprise.

  333. jordan says

    most blatant charge ive ever seen, even the official on the side was about to call a charge until he saw the other official… this officiating is a joke

  337. Buttas says

    lamar needed to rotate further across. but big play by Rondo.

    Reminded me of Ariza’s steal.

  340. Joel B. says

    That was actually on lamar. Lamar standing at the 3 point line instead of diving to the basket.

    I think lamar has played to worst playoff game of his career.

  341. lesha says

    funny… lamar just waiting for the ball. this might be the extra energy that a drunk and useless crowd gives you

  343. Kenslc says

    Hopefully we can get Bynum back for game 5 because we really need him. Odom has just completely disappeared. I can’t believe how badly Davis has outplayed him.

  345. Andreas G. says

    I understand Phil’s tactic with not calling TOs and all, but with Kobe and Pau playing more or less the entire game – wouldn’t it be wise to use TOs in order to rest them?

    Pau’s turnover was a clear sign of fatigue if you ask me.

  346. Craig W. says

    This game turned on a period of poor play by Kobe late in the 3rd. He passed poorly, dominated the ball and stopped the offense, and stood around the paint while Baby roamed past him to get a rebound.

  348. KB24ever says

    WTF!! Why no full court press at a moment ago when there was about a minute left! Why didn’t Kobe just jack up a three after Fish got the layup?

  349. joe wright says

    Two big mistakes from Kobe and Pau in the last minute did the job for Celtics.
    But seriously, what you expect from two guys that has played about 45 minutes getting 90% of the weight of the game.

    1-Bench

    2-Refs

    3-Bynum’s healt

    Too many minus factors

    see you in GAme 5.

    Still I believe.

  351. Lakers8884 says

    Game lost on the defense this quarter. Any 30 point quarter for Boston is a sign that the Lakers didn’t put it on the line like they should have.

  352. Buttas says

    this was definately a game we could/should have won. hats off to their Bench. They came up huge and we were small when it mattered most.

    Good game by Kobe overall.

    Just too many turnovers and empty possesions. OMG how many off. rebounds did we give up?

    Leading going into the 4th and laid a major egg.

  354. kehn says

    can’t really put the late TO’s by Kobe and Pau as to why we lost. If it wasn’t for them, we wouldn’t even be in the game. is a 3rd laker showing up too much to fkn ask?!

  355. Tyler says

    Its a good thing we are so “long”.

    It means we can look down at all the Celts getting rebound and putting it back in over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again.

  356. Joel B. says

    Like i said this is on Phil and Lamar. Phil rewards Lamar by just not giving an ounce of effort. I see the celtics hustling and trying, I see lamar just standing there. Other than a few drives to the basket, Lamar has possibly lost the lakers the series with his effort.

    others will say yeah the refs sucked, the celtics made tough shots, but I just never seen a player give up. *correction I’ve never seen a championship player give up

  357. KB24ever says

    Garnet ices 2 ft’s. Game over. Once again, the winner of the boards won the game. So I guess if we win the boards battle the next two games in a row – and not in just one or the other, but both – then we win the series if not. If not…well…there is no not.

  358. cy says

    The team that wins on the boards wins the game… we really need Drew to play more minutes.

  359. Matt R. says

    The question for game 5 is how much we can get out of Bynum.

    This game turned in the second half without Drew on the floor.

  360. DY says

    perspective…remember, we wanted at the very least to win one in Boston, tonight we were playing with house money.

    Missing Bynum hurt us big time. Our bigs looked winded tonight. We’ll be ready for Game 5.

  362. nomuskles says

    I agree that the Lakers looked tired during the game. Couldn’t come up with all those loose balls. The Coaching staff may need to go deeper into the bench to buy guys some rest.

    Rebounding made a huge difference tonight. Lakers couldn’t corral the rebounds that they were getting in the previous games.

    Hats off to the Celtics for playing great defense and making the Lakers looks silly sometimes. Glen Davis was amazing.

  364. jordan says

    i dont care that lamar scored a little bit. his awful defense on big baby lost this game for us. we hold rondo and ray in check, and big baby beats us. lamar odom needs to d up. pathetic.

  365. Steve W says

    Lost this game due to:

    1) Turnovers – 14 of them
    2) Second chance points – 20 of them. With Bynum essentially a nonfactor it was on Odom to actually box out, and he didn’t.
    3) Bench – the energy from the Celtic bench was too much for crappy Laker bench and tired Laker starters.

  366. Buttas says

    No house money. We needed to win, as they did as well.

    Just hope that the extra day will give Bynum enough time to get back out there.

    Odom… I am just so disappointed.

    And now I have to listen to a Big Baby and Nate post game interview.

    Geez…

  367. joe wright says

    I don t know who I m most angry at.

    a)the bench
    b)Phil’s undercoaching
    c)the refs
    d)all 3

    Good nite.See you on Sunaday.Keep the faith.

  368. Josh says

    If the Lakers lose this series, they will look back on this game specifically and feel like morons. There was no reason to lose this game.

    But here’s why they did:

    1. Kobe was hot and he needed to take more shots than he did this game.

    2. Odom just plain failed on D. Once again, no excuse for letting Davis punk him these last two games.

    3. Lack of hustle/energy. Way too many second chance pts, getting beat on pts in the paint…and how do the starters let the bench make them look silly in the 4th?

  370. KB24ever says

    And how the hell does Big Baby get 21 goddamn points! Him, Robinson, and winning the boards won them the game. All good, though; pressure was on them. We will still win game 5 and then we’ll close out at home in Game 6. Nothing to worry about, we still got this. So nobody complain too much. Critique, but then settle, and be ready for victory number 3 on the way back to LA.

  371. jordan says

    how does a championship team like ours let a bench take a pivotal game away from them? we made big baby look like an all star.

  372. Sophomore says

    Tough break for the Lakers that Bynum’s knee is bad – big difference in the game.

    Odom was a mixed bag – call him the reverseTony Allen. Kept the Lakers in the game in the 4th quarter with his offense, but not nearly enough energy and skill on D or the boards.

  373. sfjayp says

    1. This is the MO of this lakers team. We love them, but we all know it. This wasn’t a must-win, so they didn’t. I stand by my LA in 6. They’ll take game 5 either way and they’re strong on closeouts.
    2. This was 100% lost in the 4th. Sure, they didn’t close out the 1st and 2nd quarter how they should’ve, but they still led. This was a series of defensive lapses in the 4th.

    In any case… tough game. Frustrating game. But, we all know what’s up ahead. A better effort in game 5 (hopefully with some Bynum…).

    Night, y’all.

  374. DirtySanchez says

    Lakers lost on hustle plays period, it wasnt the refs. Baby and Robinson energy off the bench allowed Doc to leave his starters on the bench, and Phil having to play Kobe and Pau extended minutes cost us our legs when it mattered.

    Hopefully two fulls days of rest for Bynum will allow him to at least play more minutes in game 5. LO’s attention span is not long enough against a physical team like Boston. All is not lost just have to come out swinging on Sunday.

    I know you didnt think that Boston was going to lay down on their home court.

  375. Matt R. says

    The starters were gassed in the 4th and Rivers stuck with his bench, who were full of energy. Our advantage is our size, theirs is their bench.

    When we lost Bynum and LO and Gasol had to play big minutes their advantage outweighed ours.

    I’m not dissatisfied with Odom’s defense. I thought he bodied up a massive man that happens to be very nimble and disgusting. What bothered me about Odom was the 1 rebound in 22 minutes in the 2nd half.

  376. Cdog says

    Tough loss. Lost that one on the defensive end I thought. Even though the Celtics were missing shots the first 3Q, I thought their looks were much better than ours. The not really having Bynum in their was a big factor, I think because it gave more minutes for Odom, who flat out played bad defense tonight.

    No boards, no rings guys. We had our opportunity to come back in the 4th, or even put the game away earlier, and couldn’t control the offensive boards. Upsetting loss, now the pressure is back on us to win game 5.

    Rasheed Wallace played very good defense against Gasol tonight, and our offense was never rolling, even with Kobe hitting like 6 or 7 threes. Too many times the shot clock near expired, and I think that is a result of the Lakers are initiating their offense too late.

    Can’t blame the officials tonight – we missed Tech Fts, didn’t come down with boards, and didn’t get stops in the fourth.

    Here is to a much better game 5 from us.

  378. lesha says

    lets just focus on NOT bashing our guys for three days in a row and projecting to lose the series. i can feel it already… panic is on its way. please, please just try to stay objective and if you are not sure what to write, dont post at all until you´ve cooled off.

    yes, we couldve won the game. but with a good rest i like our chances in game 5. i actually love our chances in game 5.

    we fought hard, had a chance to win, and if not for 2 unnecessary offensive rebounds and a missed offensive foul we wouldve probably won so RELAX

  379. Naveen says

    Keep in mind that 2 days of rest goes for both ways. Boston will be fresher too.

    But I don’t think it comes down to fatigue at this stage of the season. It’s a terrible cliche, but it’s about who wants it more. The Celtics bench came in and took it to the Lakers and for some reason, we didn’t respond with championship poise and mental toughness. Big kudos to Glen Davis for bringing back nightmares of Leon Powe and Nate Robinson for turning the game around in that 4th quarter.

    The Celtics’ bench played great D on Kobe and Pau, and if not for Lamar’s baskets, it would have been a much uglier ending.

    Once again, rebounding was the key statistic and I have no doubt it will continue to be for the rest of the series. It’s a bit troubling that we haven’t been able to get anything going in the paint for 2 straight games, and unless we can fix that, I think it’ll be tough to win this series.

  380. chibi says

    Celtics just did a good job of executing down the stretch. On top of that they created a lot of extra possessions for themselves with offensive boards and turnovers.

    I like that the Lakers did not give up.

    I thought their poise could have been a bit better. The celtics were permitted to reach-in with impunity, and those non-calls distracted the lakers.

  382. Booze says

    Odom not being able to beat Big Baby was pure effort. Sad to see Odom not be able to show up in such a big game. The refs definitely tried to keep the series going.

  383. Steve W says

    “1. This is the MO of this lakers team. We love them, but we all know it. This wasn’t a must-win, so they didn’t. I stand by my LA in 6. They’ll take game 5 either way and they’re strong on closeouts.”

    This.

    But we can’t be giving up 34 points in a critical fourth quarter. Inexcusable. Especially when most of the damage was done by a 5’9 point guard and a 6’4 power forward.

  384. Kenslc says

    I haven’t been this pissed watching basketball since 2008. The refs have to get a hold on the game and call it consistently. If they are going to let calls go then they have to do it on both ends. The only problem with completely swallowing their whistles is that it’s gonna escalate into violence.

  385. Glove says

    Lakers defense let them down in the 4thQ. They need to do a better job on the boards and the team that has had the most rebounds has won the game

    Lakers still have 2 games in Los Angeles, I still like their chances. Lakers in 6

  386. james says

    we leaving officating aside, clearly rebounding killed us and clearly that is in part becaused we missed drew, without him winning is going to be very tough

  387. chearn says

    Rest will aid both teams, but the Celtics are sleeping in the comfort of their beds. Phil Jackson should play Powell for 3 mins when Big Baby comes into the game, just to see if he can contain him and keep him off the boards because Lamar can not!

    Lamar scored when the Lakers were down by 9 but was unable to do anything when the game was close, so his points are null and void.

    Too much playing time for Lamar this game, he’s been only okay in limited minutes. The best we can hope for now, is that Lamar will bring one high caliber mind on basketball in game 6 at home!

    Note to Lakers: If Bynum is hurt but still guts it out to suit up, THEN GET HIM THE DOG GONE BALL WHEN HE’S IN THE GAME!!!

    Personally, I cringe when I see the lineup of Lamar, Brown, Farmar, Kobe and Pau on the floor. Because there’s only two guys that I want to touch the ball, Kobe and Pau. Those other three have very limited basketball IQ. For instance, at the start of the fourth, Pau shoots a three and misses, Brown goes after the rebound with Allen and tries to secure it with two hands. All Brown had to do was tap the ball back out to the Lakers at the three point line.

  388. Matt R. says

    Lakers took 20 three point shots to the Celtics’ 12.

    We turned the ball over a lot.

    Pau Gasol was not getting post touches in the 2nd half, either from defense or bad offense.

    The Lakers seemed to forget to box out in the second half. In the first half I felt the bigs were out of rebounding position a lot due to the P&R actions being run by Boston, but in the second half…I don’t know why we couldn’t rebound.

  389. jordan says

    tho i agree that it wasn’t the refs, there was a crucial call and a lot of no calls in the 4th that changed the game. pierce’s obvious charge was a huge swing. we would have been down 6 with the ball. instead, we’re down 9. we had a chance, though slim, and that call changed it.

    also, when we are struggling on offense and they are too, we need to put luke walton in. artest, tho playing great d, is an offensive liability, and luke can find open guys. phil messed that up.

    i also think that when they were scoring at will and we were trying to get back into it, we should have done hak a rondo. guy cant hit freebies. why not try it when they’re gonna score or have pierce/ray go to the line anyway?

  390. harold says

    Well, no point arguing about bad calls when you give up that many offensive rebounds and allow the other team to shoot 12 more field goals.

    12 more!

    Sure Kobe turned the ball over a lot, but some of it was just bad movement by other Lakers and he did hit 6 threes that really kept us in this game.

    And we need to do something about their screen and roll, it really caught us and got Pierce going early.

  391. Taylor says

    It’s tought to say, but that may be ok. Hopefully PJ was saving Drew for Sunday. Winning Game 3 was big, we still have a chance to take a strangle-hold coming back to LA. We still have home court. Yes, I’m pissed, but we still have our edge. It seems like Bos needed everything effort and luck had to give them. I think Game 5 will be a coin flip, and those are great odds for us.

    It’s tough, but we are still in a great position. Don’t get too down, get motivated.

    We did have at least 3 opportunities in the last 4 min to come back. It’s not all bad. It’s not even “that” bad.

  392. Darius says

    In a game where the Lakers led at the half and at the end of the third, gave up 14 offensive rebounds, committed 14 turnovers, and couldn’t get a stop in the 4th quarter, this game was not about the refs. That’s a cop out of the highest order. Boston played better down the stretch, period. Don’t blame the officials.

  393. Joel B. says

    382. and those who are saying lamar scored six points in the 4th quarter. So what. Their were plays called for him. When Odom is at his best, the lakers don’t have to call plays for him praying if he scores he start playing with effort and energy. That’s all that was. Phil saw Odom completely lost and attempted to get his head in the game. Phil should’ve just took him out.

    Yes lamar had to play a 300 pounder in the post, but lamar let big baby go through him, over him, and around him. Lamar didn’t play any help defense, he stood around offensively except when the lakers specifically called plays for him. Lamar was dominated tonight and showed how mentally and physically soft he is. I’m disgusted with Lamar. And because Lamar is the way it is, If Bynum doesn’t play the rest of the series, this series goes 7 and the lakers lose unless the 1 game lamar shows up in is game 7.

  394. Snoopy2006 says

    This game reminded me why I absolutely hate the Celtics. A deep, visceral hatred. Just disgusting antics on the court. What the hell was Glen Davis doing? Does he realize he looked absolutely and completely unhinged?

    We fell apart down the stretch. Games 2, 3, and 4 have now come down to execution in the 4th quarter. In Game 3, Fisher pulled together an otherwordly performance. It was a great individual effort, but 1 thing has been constant over all 3 games: as a team, we’re not getting quality looks down the stretch. Much credit to the Boston defense, but I know we can do better. I realize it comes down to ball movement and off-ball movement, but I really think our lack of 3-point shooting is killing us.

    Kudos to Kobe for hitting some very difficult shots he missed in Game 3. With all that said, Boston’s defense on him is still close to flawless, because even when he hits a couple tough threes, he still cannot take over the game down the stretch.

    He was 0-3 in the 4th quarter when the game was still in reach. Part of it might have been the fatigue, as he didn’t get a rest. But this Boston defense plays him so well. They deny him the ball and push him off his spots. Also, they’re allowed to get away with slapping at the ball (Grant Hill and Dudley would have fouled out in 4 minutes) but a great team defense overall.

    I thought we collapsed defensively down the stretch as well. And when we did get stops? We couldn’t secure one effing rebound.

    We said at the start that this series would come down to rebounding. 41-31, Boston. But the worst part is the sixteen offensive boards we gave up. I thought Drew’s absence in the 2nd half really hurt us tonight in that area.

  395. Bobji says

    I left midway in the second and returned at the very end. bummmmmmer, big opportunity lost tonight.

    Once again, rebounds were the difference.

    Disappointing to see that Lamar continued to get worked by Big Baby. I remember saying “let’s not make Big Baby look like an All-star tonight” in the second qtr and now I see he got 9 pts in the final quarter to finish with 18 pts on 7/10 shooting + 4 offensive rebounds.

    I hope Drew can play more minutes next time if LO is going to be so ineffective… was Bynum just hobbling all night or did he have to leave?

  396. Snoopy2006 says

    I haven’t read the comments yet (except for Darius’s last one), but are people seriously blaming the officials tonight? Really? When our bigs can’t secure a defensive rebound? When we let Nate Robinson dance through the paint? When we struggled just to hold onto the damn ball? This was about our team collapsing down the stretch.

    It seemed like every time we had a shot, we turned the ball over or gave them a second chance. Turnovers and boards.

  397. Steve W says

    This had nothing to do with good or bad looks for Kobe in the fourth quarter. We scored plenty of points. The problem was allowing 36. You can’t win championship level basketball games giving up 36 points in the 4th quarter. Just doesn’t happen.

    EDIT: And whatever about the refs. There were good and bad calls all game for both sides. They got the memo about ‘letting them play’ and did. That style of game favors the Celtics but it wasn’t unfairly called by any means.

  398. Burgundy says

    I feel like the game turned in the fourth when the Lakers couldn’t protect the paint…that’s where losing Andrew Bynum killed them. The Lamar and Pau combo can’t protect the paint like the Pau and Bynum combo.

    If Bynum is done for the series, the Lakers are in serious SERIOUS trouble, bc I don’t know if they can beat the Celtics without him.

    It’s mild panic time.

  399. Lakers8884 says

    Game 5 is a must win I dont care what anyone says. Winning two straight in an evenly matched series is almost impossible.

  400. Matt R. says

    Kobe + Gasol:

    16/35 from the floor
    16/18 from the free throw line
    54 points

    Rest of the Lakers:

    16/36
    2/4
    35 points

  401. Burgundy says

    I also think Phil should have tried to rest Kobe and Pau. They were absolutely gassed. You can’t play that hard and not get a rest.

    But then again, what were his other options?

    Again, Drew being out was absurdly significant.

  402. Taylor says

    In addition to my last comment, I would just say this is a tough win by the home team. Don’t let it linger. We didn’t play crisp, they had some big energy plays/players. They really did have their backs against the wall. They’re in the finals, they played a little harder when it mattered. We made some errors.

    I will say with a perfectly level perspective…the refs missed a lot of calls for them tonight, especially in the beginning, check the C’s blog. It wasn’t one-sided. Re-watch the game without getting caught up. Sheed’s foul on Pau’s slip? Let’s not get blinded by our fan-dom.

    We’re going to be ok. I’d say Drew could have gone tonight, PJ didn’t feel it was time to move. He’ll be at Game 1-3 status Sunday. Write that down.

  403. Matt R. says

    The team that wins game 3 of a 1-1 Finals wins the series.

    The Phil Jackson team that wins game 1 of a series wins the series.

    The team that wins game 5 of a 2-2 Finals wins the series.

    Win game 5 dammit.

  404. Kenslc says

    -Darius

    Ok you’re right. The Lakers didn’t play their best game. I get that. The fact is though that LA is not Allowed to play with the same physicality, ferocity, and toughness that the Celts are Allowed to play with. It’s like giving one boxer a pair of 12 ounce gloves and giving his opponent a pair of 24 ounce gloves and telling him (the one with the big ass clown gloves) to play through it.

  405. Jeremy says

    I have no idea why anyone would even mention the refs? Game wasn’t perfectly called but down the middle with no advantage to either side. Lakers got out hustled, simple as that

  406. Snoopy2006 says

    The good news: an extra day of rest before the next game. The last time that happened, Bynum came out and played well.

  407. Kenslc says

    Having said my piece…. We must win game 5. I think you will see one of the tightest officiated games in league history in game 5. Stern will not let these two teams brawl in an NBA finals. Great thing for us is that if they call the game tight on both ends the Lakers will win the game.

    Gotta pull it together and put this behind em. Go Lakers!

  408. yajeel says

    2 days off until game 5, but just one off between games from then on.

    Bynum is key. If he’s playing at 2009 FInals level, we’re toast.

  409. Joel B. says

    Like Burgundy i’m in a mild panic.

    After turning off my t.v. and thinking for a minute, i’m some what confident they lakers can win game 5 simply becuase the lakers can play much better then this and I don’t believe baby and Robinson are going to get a combined 30 points again. We all know for a fact the lakers can play a lot harder and smarter.

    But my concern is lamar if you read any other one of my rants. They guy mentally checks out. He had so good plays, but all off of lay ups. That tells me he only want to try when its an easy opportunity. They guy doesn’t fight and doesn’t have an ounce of will. Who know’s if he’ll play well the rest of the series. If he does we’ll say we knew he could because he’s so talened, but if he doesn’t we’ll say well that’s lamar. While its a team game, one guy can win and lose a game for the. Pau and Kobe turned the ball over a lot, the lakers were out rebounded by 7 and the celtics didn’t have 1 player in double digit rebounds. But when the celtics got momentum and they were screaming and hustling and attacking, only one guy stood flatfooted defensively. When kobe was triple teamed only one guy stood flatfooted. His name was lamar. The lakers can’t afford a player not giving 100% every second he’s out there.

    Also phil will have to make the adjustment and take Odom off of Big Baby. He just can’t defend him, plain and simple.

  410. Zephid says

    Now that I’ve had some time to compose myself, here are some thoughts:

    -Here’s the rub: Lamar Odom should take only half the blame for Big Baby Davis exploding in this game. The other half belongs to Ron Artest. Why? Because Artest could not for the life of him stay in front of Paul Pierce. With Pierce coming off screens, Odom had to hedge for far too long because Artest didn’t recover fast enough, leaving Big Baby wide open lanes to receive passes and get lay-ups at the basket.

    -Yes, the Lakers were clearly outworked on the boards tonight. But a lot of that was the Celtics getting inside position due to our bigs having to help on penetration and getting left to dry by the weak side defender. Some of the Celtics O-rebounds were clearly because they wanted them more, but a lot of them also came off of execution and lack of Laker help defense.

    -I think Odom is paying too much respect to Big Baby’s jump shot. Big Baby was able to score so easily because he has a surprisingly quick first step. Once he got his shoulder past Odom, he was able to muscle his way to the basket and use his girth to get space for the finish. If Odom lays off Big Baby and tells him, “Hey, take that 15 footer; I’d rather you make a jumpshot than get a lay-up and/or get a foul.” Laying off Big Baby will solve all of Odom’s problems.

    -On offense, Artest and Odom need to go to the basket. Artest had one good move going to the basket and Odom had quite a number of them in the 4th quarter. Now they just need to do that all game instead of just aimlessly passing the ball around the perimeter and forcing Kobe into a horrible jumpshot. We had too little movement off ball and too much aimless passing around the perimeter. Too many times, we failed to get it into the post and none of the releases or cuts from the weakside were executed. If we’re going to run the triple post offense, we need to run the releases and cuts. Otherwise it’s just a half-moon offense (passing around the three point line) with the occasional post touch.

    -Nate Robinson was huge for them, and Farmar got baited into trying to outduel him with a forced three followed by a horrible turnover. Both Farmar and Brown actually had halfway decent games, they just don’t have the patience or the poise to run the 1-2 PNR like Kobe and Fish did in Game 3.

    -Overall, we played a very good game until the 4th quarter. If we can get even 20-25 minutes out of Bynum, we should be fine. But if he’s limited to 10-15 like he was tonight, we are in trouble. And with the way Ron Artest is getting absolutely wiped out on screens, we may as well put Luke Walton in. That way Pierce still gets wide open shots, but at least the offense runs more smoothly.

  411. JeremyLA24 says

    “The team that plays harder tends to get the whistle called in their way.”

    This is what I heard spoken of in favor of the Lakers after game 1. Today, nothing more could be true about Boston’s performance against us. For the 2nd game in a row our Offense looked stagnant. I can’t believe that this is the same core of players that have been able to move the ball better than any other team for the last 3 years. We need to come out with offense and rebounds in game 5. I have faith that we can out rebound this team on any given night. We just need to get ourselves in position and make sure we secure the ball.
    -No more flatfooted rebounds!
    -No more trotting up the floor! (unfortunately your advice didn’t get through Darius.)
    -No more swinging the ball around the perimeter, just to get a bad shot at the end of the shotclock.
    -No more relying on Kobe to bail us out! (Game 3 proved we can win without him playing big. Game 4 proved we can LOSE with him playing big.)

    Good Luck Lakers… I’ll Be Rooting For You.

  412. Dick Barnett says

    After game 1, I said the Lakers will take this series in 5 or 6 games, but now they will be lucky if they can get it to a 7th game.

    They absolutely cannot allow this team to bully them – they didn’t in the first game, and the third, but in games 2 and 4 they definitely did. I do not believe they can beat the Celtics without Bynum’s defensive presence, and it sure looks like he’s about done for the rest of the series. Too bad. The kid could have a very productive NBA career, but he is most definitely injury prone. I don’t think he will ever have a season injury free. His feet and knees just cannot handle the pounding. And Gasol cannot make up for Bynum’s absence, he is strictly a typical European finesse player. Odom is just lost out there. I have absolutely no idea what is wrong with him, but he needs to wake up.

    If Artest could man up and give them some hard core defensive intensity, and more than 7 to 9 pts they could still win this thing. But right now its the Kobe and Pau show, and they cannot beat this team 2 on 5, or 7. The Laker bench has nothing. The starters come out and it’s bye bye lead.

    With Bynum probably out for the remainder of the series they have to get help from Odom and Artest in that middle. If not, it will probably be Celtics in 6.

    And that would be a disaster! Can you imagine those preening peacocks hopping up and down pounding their chests in front of the Staples crowd?

    Embarrassing. Please guys, take game 5!

  413. Naveen says

    First time since perhaps 2005 between the Spurs and the Pistons that it’s hard to point to a clear-cut Finals MVP through 4 games.

  415. Joel B. says

    Zephid.

    I think it was in the 2nd quarter. Odom played baby like you suggested he should. Lamar just stood there erect while baby knocked down an uncontested 15 footer in his face. It’s all in Odom’s effort.

    I also don’t buy that lamar had to hedge off of pierce either. Lamar was never in a good position to help, proof he didn’t make one solid defensive play. And he gave up a few offensive rebounds. When baby scored on lamar, it was all most all one on one or a put back.

  416. Adam says

    I’m not complaining about the refs. I have a purely basketball related question. A couple of times when there were fouls called, specifically Kobes turnaround (high-archer) to begin the game and his three at the end of the game, the logic from JVG and M Jackson was that the foul came on the follow through, that they aren’t fouls bc the ball was released. Is this not fundamentally wrong when considering a follow through is part of a players shot? Is it not a foul if a player has his follow through disrupted? I understand it happens all the time in the game of basketball but in the case of Kobe it seems Bostons D makes this play on every contested jumper he takes. Can anybody clear this up?

  417. R says

    You know, win or lose, I’m more than irritated the refs have to blow their whistle after seemingly every play. It ruins the continuity of what could be a beautiful sport, and turns it into a non stop parade to the foul line.

    If this site didn’t ban profanity, not to mention cussing, I’d post how I really feel about this issue.

  418. JeremyLA24 says

    Sorry for the Double post,

    I think we could have had a better chance in the 4th if we could have put Bynum on B.B Davis when he got hot. I also wish that Jackson would have pulled Pau for a minute just to send a message that he needed to play like an all-star in the finals. Don’t get me wrong, he had a great night but he didn’t quite have the “game 3 Fisher performance” we needed from the big guy on offense and defense. Yes, I also know that It was Lamar’s assignment on most plays to guard davis but I feel like that was a proven mismatch tonight.

    Hopefully PJ makes an adjustment or even better, get a solid game out of Bynum.

  419. Snoopy2006 says

    Something about strong, undersized 4’s off the bench give Lamar (and our team in general) fits. Flashes of Leon Powe.

    If Bynum’s not good to go, we need to see Mbenga. Pau can’t play this bruising style for so long and not feel the effects.

    By the way, major props to Pau Gasol. The Celtics bigs are doing anything they can to frustrate him, hit him with hard fouls, and he’s shrugging it all off.

    The biggest irony: when Pau pulls down Perkins with a hard foul at the other end, Perkins starts jawing like hard fouls should be illegal. This is a team of hypocrites. How I wish Charles Oakley would suit up for us, for just 5 minutes.

  420. Joel B. says

    415. JVG and Jackson have completely been watered down by abc and espn. When they first started, they would call that a clear foul and move on.

    But the refs do call that foul. In the PHX series, the lakers fouled the suns players at the 3pt line numerous times after the ball had already been released.

  421. chearn says

    @415, I was taught that the hand is part of the ball, but that is subjective according to who’s refeeing the game. It’s a foul when Boston’s shooters shoot and get And 1’s. But, on that last 3 pointer by Kobe that Ray was given a foul, Ray’s wrist came down on Kobe’s wrist/arm. At least that’s what I saw.

  422. Adam says

    And where is Doc Rivers fine for whining about the refs??? What happened to zero tolerance, Stern?

  423. Dick Barnett says

    “How I wish Charles Oakley would suit up for us, for just 5 minutes.”

    I thought that’s what we got Ron Artest for.

    Last year with Houston he was lights out from the 3 pt stripe, now, with the Lakers, what happened?

    This team needs him to be the enforcer right now. Offense would be nice, especially with the struggles the bench is having, but letting Boston know the bullying will stop is what we need him to do.

    Otherwise … boy do I miss Trevor Ariza.

  424. ken says

    never so a team act like little kids after that make a shot lack boston. lack of class.

    Lo has turned into a very weak defender and rebounder. sad.

    Artest missed every shot longer the 2 feet. Worse shooter since Mark Madsen.

    Its ok as long as andrew can play 20 minutes we still win in 7

    Dick wrong. Aganist the Lakers last year he shot under 30% from 3 he shot them out of playoffs.

  425. Matt R. says

    412 (Zephid):

    Good to see I’m not the only person that saw those things with Lamar and Big Baby.

    Totally agree that LO was too far into Davis’ chest. I know Davis can make the mid-range…but let him take it. No paint baskets.

    My big concern as I think about it is that this is the second straight game where our offense went bad in the second half.

    On defense…I really don’t know. I felt like the bench for the Celtics got some momentum and just never let it go. The Lakers were tired and couldn’t get up for it.

  426. Burgundy says

    That’s another thing that lead to this loss – in second half Celtics went to their dirty ball tactics, and it worked because the refs let them play for the most part in the second half. Anytime the refs are letting contact go, it favors the Celtics.

    I’m proud of Pau for standing up for himself, but one of two things to happen:

    1) The refs need to do a better job of protecting Pau. Perkins is literally shoving him with two hands, and they are going for his face when he goes up for a shot under the basket.

    2) Someone on the team needs to punch back. Everyone is looking at you, Ron Artest.

  427. Joe says

    I think the Lakers will pull out a close win in game 5, but considering how poorly they have been offensively in the last 3 games, its hard to really be positive about this team…

  428. Adam says

    Oh and sorry for the triple post but the only call that really bothered me was when they called the blocking foul on Kobe when pierce drove and got the bucket at the end of the game. Everyone knew it was a charge but they got the call. It was a crippling call as it extended a four pt lead to seven with under two mins to go. Huuuuuge momentum swing that basically made an potential comeback a miracle…the kind of call that feeds the conspiracy theorists as it more or less sealed the game…clear, bright as day, Kobe set his feet and was outside the restricted area. Backbreaking play

  429. Jeremy says

    somehow I don’t think Mbenga seeing his first minutes in game 5 of the finals is the answer.

    Lakers just need to play hard and play smart.

    Things are fine, not sure why there is any panic.

    Its a 3 game series, with 2 of them in LA. The Lakers have proven again and again that they can respond and get a win when they have to. Additionally, IMO our best beats the celtics best

  430. Matt R. says

    Miss Trevor Ariza?

    You know, I was unhappy with Ron’s defense tonight, but he’s kept Pierce off of his game for the rest of the series.

    Paul Pierce would be backing Ariza down repeatedly. I don’t think we need Ariza. We need to play smarter, box out, and and run our offense for at least 3.5 quarters. 2.5 won’t get it done.

  431. Jeremy says

    Also in 2008 we beat better team w/o Bynum twice and Radmonavic starting. Again things are fine

  432. Igor Avidon says

    THE SKY IS FALLING!! EVERYBODY DUCK!!!

    It’s unfortunate we wasted a pretty solid Kobe outing. We really really really missed Andrew’s presence. Lose the boards, lose the game.. and with him in there, Fat Baby doesn’t get all those points + the momentum. Hopefully he’ll be good to go for the next game.

  433. Matt R. says

    Darius: I have a question that maybe you can answer better than I can figure out.

    For the second straight game, Pau started the game getting in the paint and then ended up spending the 4th quarter much farther out from the basket – once again out near the 3 point line.

    What’s Boston doing that’s causing that? Alternatively, is this something we’re trying to do? Cause if so, I’m going to go out on a limb and say it isn’t working.

    On that note, how much of our offensive woes in the second half are attributable to the Celtic’s D vs. the Lakers standing around on the strong side while the ball handler tries to probe endlessly or watch them stand from the weak side?

  435. Cdog says

    The energy in this game was really strange. The Celtics made many many plays that look like they were going to blow it open and either clanked or botched it. I was upset we went into the fourth only up 2, cuz I was wating for a Boston run, and it happenned.

    The only reason we were in the game was the 3pt shooting by Kobe and the FT’s that Pau made through the first 3 Quarters. The Lakers are going to have to play better, all around, in closing out quarters, etc, to win game 5. Which I know we can do.

    Going into the fourth this felt like a let down game – we scored plenty but could not get stops, and that is on the whole team. The stop doesn’t happen until the rebound is secured and we didn’t grab em.

    I actually thought Bynum for the most part played ok, but you could tell he was flat footed. We played good D on Allen today, a couple of botched plays but he bailed us out with misses, but the number of open looks Boston got was too many for my taste. They missed a bunch of shots, and we were taking (and missing and making) much harder shots throughout the game.

    I think the reason the Lakers are not trying to run to initiate the offense is they are trying to save their legs for transition D, because that is the Celtics most vital weapon.

    I also hate to reiterate, but Pau is going to have to play better against Wallace, and find a better way to get spacing from the zone the Celtics are playing in the fourth, because otherwise we are playing 1 big in and 4 on the outside.

    The game was called pretty fairly I thought – we got the benefit of some calls and so did they – so I can’t complain about that. But Tony Allen is just manhandling Kobe when he is playing D. While he is not an offensive threat (unless he is in the lane), he allows for Ray Allen (when they play small), to play the roaming defender/helper, and it has been very effective.

    We aren’t getting to the basket like we need to – a lot of our shots at the rim were fades and not strong finished. I swear I didn’t see the Lakers get 1 dunk (didn’t get to watch the first 5 mins) the whole night, and I think that had to do with spacing and Pau’s legs.

    2 days rest. Gotta play better. Upset about the loss – was winnable for sure. But like I said – that Rasheed Wallace 3 that extended it to 9 doesn’t go in if the Celts are down 4 or 5. So if we are going to sputter a little versus their small ball D, we have to build a little bigger D on runs. We looked prime to go on a run in the 2nd Q when the Celtics were unable to put the ball in the basket, but allowed too many rebounds and too many turnovers.

    Stop bashing on Lamar – he didn’t play his best game, but the onus is on the team to play better defense as a whole. I actually thought Artest should not have been in in the 4th Quarter when they were playing small, because he wasn’t reading the screens well and allowed them to ignore him when we played offense.

  436. chearn says

    What is of concern to me is our reliance on Lamar Odom, if or when Bynum is unable to play. Lamar is fine as a bench player against Boston but not as a player with extended playing time, too much uncertainty exists when he’s in the game. He is getting beasted on the boards. When Lamar is not in rebounding mode he has a tendency to stand and wait for rebounds to land in his lap. But when he is getting double digit rebounds he goes and gets the rebounds.

    I’m pretty sure that the reason Powell and Mbenga do not get more playing time is because they don’t know the triangle. However, these guys could play 2-3 minutes a half to give Pau, Bynum and Lamar a rest. Just know that while they’re in the game you just play pick and pop, pick and roll or pick and slip screen offense.

  437. Cdog says

    And for those of you who keep demanding Vujacic to get in the game instead of Brown, I remember twice when he got back in transition wrong and allowed Allen to get a couple wide open shots (clanks they may have been).

    And I think that we always tend to take more threes when we are down or close as opposed to up, because the Lakers have a tendency to go for crowd silencers, etc. I actually didn’t think the 20 threes were horrible tonight, and often times I think we were passing up opens shots in the fourth and trying to force the issue inside too much. Sometimes the D doesn’t respect you when you never take and make that outside shot, and with the lineup of Farmar, Brown, Kobe, Odom, Gasol, they are completely playing for dribble penetration and are showing a soft double in the lane. Most of the time the ball can’t go inside because the pass is too risky.

    The sky is not falling. But adjustments have to be made.

  438. Cdog says

    Oh, and I am pretty sure Rasheed has 6 technicals now. So the next one he gets he would be suspended too. Although they are refusing to call that on Perkins, so it doesn’t really matter.

  439. chearn says

    I’m sure that Bynum would have preferred being inserted in the game at the 5:00 mark to try to secure this game rather than count on him playing heavy minutes the next game to get a win.

    Further, the Lakers may not have to count on Nate or Big Baby having monster games, but one has to believe that in one of these games at least three of the Celtics will get it going at the same time.

    Games 2 and 4 were the Lakers to take, yet both times they failed to seize control of the series.

    2 missed free throws on techs by Kobe and Fish in the 4th and a rebound that Pau gives back to the Celtics happened at a pivotal point in the game.

  440. Bobji says

    Luke walton should get a few minutes at least. Both games he has been a DNP the Lakers have lost. Not going to imply causation there but in the games they’ve won he’s done good things in his limited playing time.

    I also agree with those saying Mbenga and/or Powell should get a couple minutes to take the load off of Lamar/Bynum/Gasol. Mbenga might also be able to swat some Davis shots and bring him back to earth.

  441. the key says

    when kobe step’d in and took the charge late in the game the ref was going to call the charge, then the ref saw the ball go in, heard the crowd and ‘thought’, I better call it against the lakers, better to live than to be a good ref. Obvious. Mind reading is ez sometimes

  443. gxs says

    This game is over. I guarantee they lose this game. And kobe deserves the “legacy hit” after this game. He’s taken awful shots all game and his d has been bunk as well.

    Blah what a sad day.