It was almost the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history.
Almost.
For those that turned the game off (or for those that want to relive the experience), this is how it went down…
In Game 2, the Lakers were down 24 points with 7:40 remaining in the fourth quarter, and everyone thought that the game was over. Everyone but the Lakers, that is.
A quick 7-1 run cuts the lead to 18 with 5:56 to play. Doc Rivers calls a full timeout.
Sasha Vujacic and Derek Fisher each hit a three-pointer as part of an 8-3 run to trim the lead to 13 with 3:47 to play. Doc Rivers calls a 20-second timeout.
Michelle Tafoya reports that Doc Rivers is telling his team not to let the Lakers get comfortable… for the next game. (This is when I knew the jinx was on, and that the Lakers were going to cut the lead even more to make it a one-possession game. When you’ve just given up a 15-4 run in four minutes, and are only up 13 with almost four minutes to play, you DO NOT start talking to your team about the next game. This is covered on the first day of Coaching 101. Can anyone tell me what Doc is thinking here?)
Out of the timeout, James Posey hits a three-pointer from the corner. Everyone in the building breathes a sigh of relief. Everyone but the Lakers, that is.
L.A. goes on a 14-2 run, including two buckets and a bomb from Kobe and a next-to-impossible steal, travel and dunk by Vladimir Radmanovic, who is only in the game because he’s a career 38% three-point shooter. (Seriously, who would have thought that he would have sniffed the court after his four-possession debacle where he bricked an ill-advised shot, then allowed Pierce to score with ease, then made a horrible pass and then allowed Pierce an easy layup?!? I love watching to see how far Phil Jackson’s head will tilt after Radmanovic makes another disgusting defensive play. How improbable was it that he was in the passing lane to make that all-important steal, travel and dunk to cut the lead to four? Vladimir Radmanovic is mind-boggling. He is quickly becoming the most compelling storyline of this year’s Finals for me. What does he eat for breakfast? What kind of movies does he like? What’s his favorite television show? And what does he think about when he’s playing defense? I want to know everything there is to know about this mouth-breather, and I want to know it now.) The lead is cut to four.
Boston calls another full timeout. (I wonder if Doc Rivers is still talking about Game 3…)
Rajon Rondo misses a jumper and on the Lakers’ possession, Paul Pierce inexplicably sends Kobe Bryant to the line, where he knocks down two free throws to cut the lead to two.
Holy #@%&, it’s a one-possession game with 38 seconds to play! (Regular readers know that I have been rooting hard against Kobe and the Lakers since the Black Mamba’s offseason temper tantrum, but I’ll admit, for some reason, I found myself lightly rooting for the Lakers in Game 1. Call it geographical loyalty. Call it Annoying Boston-fan Syndrome. Whatever. At this point in Game 2, I’m rooting hard for them. Mostly because I want to see Bill Simmons’ head explode when the Lakers pull off the mother of all comebacks.)
Boston’s ball… Pierce drives into the lane and gets to the line on what looks like a very questionable call. (The league needs to decide how closely they want to call the final few possessions of a game. In Game 5 of the Cavs/Wizards series, LeBron James was undercut on his possible game-winning layup, and there was no call. In Game 4 of the Lakers/Spurs series, there was the now infamous no-call on Derek Fisher when he landed – hard – on Brent Barry’s shoulder. Now, in Game 2 of the Finals, the refs send Pierce to the line with a chance to seal the game with a sketchy foul call on Fisher, who swiped his hand in on Pierce’s drive and got a lot of ball. Granted, the refs blew it with the no-call on Radmanovic’s travel less than a minute earlier, so the right team probably won, but there’s a lot of inconsistency here and it’s hurting the game.)
Anyway, Pierce coolly nails both free throws and blocks Sasha Vujacic’s desperation three on the other end of the court to seal the win. The (hundreds of) thousands of Boston fans watching the game can finally unclench their butt cheeks.
So, are the Lakers done?
It’s tough to tell. If they hadn’t made that incredible comeback, I would say that things were looking pretty grim. But that 29-9 run has to give the role players – namely, Vujacic, Farmar and Radmanovic – some confidence. It also got Kobe back in the groove of making jumpers, which is not what you wanted to see if you’re a Boston fan. They’re coming home for two must-win games, and it will be interesting to see how the series favorites play with their backs against the proverbial wall. I think most people outside of New England thought that the Lakers would probably win one of the first two games, but that didn’t happen and now I’m dying to see how Kobe and Co. respond. (Vladimir, I’m looking at you.)
Pau Gasol is playing pretty well in the series, averaging 16 points and nine rebounds, while shooting a stellar 61% from the field. The Lakers need to go to him more in their regular offense because he’s making things happen with that little spin move to the baseline. He made a statement with that dunk he had on the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, and the Lakers need to feed him the ball. Otherwise, they need to push the ball at every opportunity. We saw over the last eight minutes how badly the Celtics play in a wide-open game.
This series is going to come down to whether or not the Laker role players can knock down their jumpers. Kobe will get it going, the “Big Three” will do what they do and role players like Leon Powe will have the occasional amazing game. But with all the attention paid to Kobe and Gasol, guys like Fisher, Radmanovic, Vujacic and Farmar are going to get open shots, and if they’re not going down, the Lakers aren’t going to win. Those guys were a combined 9-18 from long range in Game 2, and the Lakers lost by six after trailing by 24. If not for Powe’s freakishly good game, the Lakers head back to L.A. with the series tied.
Instead, they head home down 0-2, but Doc Rivers has to be worried… the Lakers looked pretty comfortable in the waning minutes of Game 2.
I don’t think anyone is surprised that the Celtics were able to beat the Cavs on opening night, but given the fact that two of the Big Three – Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett – combined for only 19 points on 7-24 shooting, it is a little remarkable that the C’s were still able to get the win.
