Category: NBA Finals (Page 6 of 58)

      The Finals: Lakers look sharp in Game 1

      June 4, 2010 /

      You know it’s not much of a game when Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy are talking about Scrabble with 4:45 to play in the fourth quarter, and that’s exactly what happened on Thursday night.

      If there were any lingering concerns about the Lakers’ toughness or focus, they were answered (at least for now) in Game 1. LA outrebounded Boston, 42-31, and looked every bit as determined as the Celtics an a decisive 102-89 win to open the series.

      Kobe Bryant was brilliant (30-7-6, 10-of-22 from the field) and Pau Gasol (23-14, 8-of-14) was the second best player on the floor. When those two guys are really going, the Lakers are tough to beat. Ron Artest (15-4) and Andrew Bynum (10-6) were the other Lakers to finish in double figures.

      Paul Pierce (24-9-4) finished with a good line, but did a lot of damage in the fourth quarter when the game was already decided. Ray Allen (12 points) was saddled with foul trouble the entire game — he has enough trouble guarding Kobe without the refs calling ticky-tack fouls like they did Thursday night — and he could never get into rhythm. Rajon Rondo (13-6-8) played pretty well, but he needs to control the game if the C’s are going to have a chance in the series.

      Lastly, the lack of lift in Kevin Garnett’s knees was very noticeable tonight. There were a couple of plays in the third and fourth quarters when the Celtics were trying to make a run where he missed a couple of bunnies right at the rim. Boston wouldn’t have its defense set, so the Lakers would go down and score, essentially making it a four-point swing. Two or three of those and you’re talking 8-12 points, the difference in the game. KG has played well in these playoffs, but he’s going to need a spring in his step if he’s going to get over the length of the Lakers down low.

      Game 2 will tell us whether or not the Celtics will make this a series. I mentioned in my Finals preview that the C’s needed to win one of the first two games to have a realistic shot at winning the series and they didn’t look very good on Thursday night after plenty of rest. They won’t play again until Sunday, so fatigue shouldn’t be a concern, but the two-day-plus-travel turnarounds between Game 2 and Game 3 and between Game 5 and Game 6 are going to take their toll on the Celtics’ old bones.


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      External Sports, Fantasy Basketball, NBA, NBA Finals

      Let’s remember the 2008 Finals…

      June 2, 2010 /

      …when the Celtics and Lakers last met in the Finals. Celtics Hub refreshes our collective memory:

      The presence of Artest as LA’s starting small forward is, on its own, a large enough change to make the 2008 Finals a near-irrelevant precedent. In other words: If both rosters were entirely the same, and everyone’s skill level had remained the same, making the single change of replacing Vladimir Radmanovic with Artest as LA’s starting small forward is big enough to blow up any ‘08/’10 comparisons.

      The Lakers started Vlad Radmanovic at small forward in 2008! And he wasn’t a token starter! He played 21.5 minutes per game in the Finals, shooting 39 percent from the floor and playing mediocre defense against Boston’s best offensive player.

      Luke Walton played 11 minutes per game in the Finals and shot 31 percent. Trevor Ariza, who supplanted both Rad Man and Walton in ‘09, was a total non-factor, logging just 7 minutes per game in the ‘08 Finals.

      Those three players, combined, logged about 40 minutes per game in the 2008 Finals. I realize those minutes sometimes overlapped, but still: Forty minutes per game.

      Artest makes this Laker team a very different unit, for the better. We can argue about whether or not he was an upgrade over the less combustible Trevor Ariza, but no one is advocating for a return to the Radmanovic/Walton days.

      Here is what Artest has done with Paul Pierce in their last eight meetings:

      18.8 PPG, 43 percent shooting (46-of-107), 36 percent from three (14-of-39), 52 free throw attempts.

      Plus, he brings a certain amount of toughness that was definitely lacking on the ’08 Lakers. It will be fascinating to watch Artest’s impact on this series.

      To get you ready, here’s a link to an inside look at Game 1 of the ’08 Finals.


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      External Sports, Fantasy Basketball, NBA, NBA Finals

      WCF Game 6: I’m on Team Goran

      May 29, 2010 /

      The Lakers may have won, 111-103, thanks to some incredibly clutch shots from Kobe Bryant (37-6-2) in the fourth quarter, but the rivalry between fellow Slovenians Goran Dragic and Sasha Vujacic (sort of) stole the show. The Suns were on life support, down 17 in the fourth quarter, when Dragic came into the game, hit a jumper and started to talk some sh*t to Vujacic, who has some problems with Dragic over the fact that he (Vujacic) was dismissed from the Slovenian national team. Vujacic lost his cool and elbowed Dragic in the face, and it turned into a six-point play. Suns down 11 with 11:11 to play.

      The Suns eventually cut it to three with 2:18 to play, but Kobe hit two impossible shots, a 23-footer with 1:59 to play (and two guys in his face) to push the lead to five and a very contested 21-footer with 0:35 to play to push the lead to seven. Game over.

      So we have a rematch of the 2008 Finals — Lakers vs. Celtics. There is plenty on the line for both teams, but I expect Kobe and the Lakers will come out very motivated to avenge the Finals loss two years ago.

      On a side note, no one can question what Ron Artest has brought to the table in this series. After his timely game-winning put back in Game 5 and his 10-for-16, 25-point, three-steal effort in Game 6, I doubt there are too many Laker fans wishing that Trevor Ariza was still on the team.

      Be sure to check back on Monday for my writeups about where the Suns (and Magic) go from here.

      External Sports, Fantasy Basketball, NBA, NBA Finals

      ECF Game 1: Celtics survive rusty Magic

      May 16, 2010 /

      Earlier in the postseason, Stan Van Gundy complained about how the NBA playoffs drag out, especially compared to the regular season, where teams usually play with no more than two days of rest. The Magic wrapped up their second round series against the Hawks almost a week ago, and they showed serious signs of rust in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

      But championship-caliber teams should be able to overcome a rusty start and begin to exert their will in the second quarter. That can be tough to do when you’re playing one of the top defenses in the league, like the Celtics. The Magic mustered just 14 points in the first quarter and 32 points in the first half and looked absolutely dreadful against a Boston team that is on a nice roll coming off its win over the Cavs.

      In the first quarter, the Magic shot just 4-for-20 and turned the ball over four times, and the second period wasn’t much better. Dwight Howard finished with 13-12 and five blocks, but he shot just 3-of-10 from the field and 7-of-12 from the free throw line, and turned the ball over seven times. Making matters worse, he had several opportunities for “and 1” plays but failed to convert, and then missed his free throws. He’s going to have to play a lot better if the Magic are going to advance. All of the post moves are there, but he’s very mechanical in the way he gets his shot off. He has very little touch even though it looks like he can shoot a jump hook with either hand.

      Looking at the box score, it would appear that Vince Carter (23 points, 9-of-18 from the field) played well, but here’s a great example of why I don’t like his game. Late in the third quarter, with his team down 18, Carter kept fighting on the offensive glass and made a putback. Great, good job, Vince. But then he made a bunch of faces and puffed his chest out as he ran down the court — keep in mind the Magic are down 16 now — and missed his defensive assignment. He was supposed to be guarding Paul Pierce, but Rashard Lewis had to get Carter’s attention to get him on Pierce. As that was happening, Rasheed Wallace (Lewis’s man) cut to the hole and the Magic had to foul to save the layup. Just like that, Orlando is down 18 again.

      The Celtics made a lot of big shots in the second half, but took their foot off the gas a little bit, which allowed the Magic to make a run (25-13 over the last 8:41). This was sparked in part by fine play by J.J. Redick, who along with Mickael Pietrus, may be a better option than the gimpy Matt Barnes. Redick is a smart player who covers Ray Allen pretty well and everyone knows he’s an outstanding shooter. He should get more minutes.

      Ray Allen (25-7-3) and Paul Pierce (22-9-5) led the Celtics, but the Magic can find some solace in the fact that even though they played horribly for three-quarters of the game, they still had a shot to win at the end.

      Game 2 is on Tuesday night at 8:30 PM ET. It’s a must-win for the Magic.


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      External Sports, Fantasy Basketball, NBA, NBA Finals

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