Hail To The Champ (News Roundup)

The last news roundup of the NBA Finals — reaction to the Lakers victory

ESPN

• Hollinger: Lakers are early favourite for 2009-10 Title
• Adande: Kobe and Phil
• Video
  • Can Lakers Repeat? — some analysis on the Lakers chances of winning next season
  • 2009 Finals In The Books — a brief look at each game
  • Bryant’s Road To Fourth Title

Game Five: Orlando vs Los Angeles

Game Five

The Lakers can finish the Magic off tonight, and win the 2008-09 NBA Title.

The Magic are fighting for their lives.

First Quarter

• Good job by Rashard Lewis, fronting or 3/4ering Gasol in the post, and deflecting the pass … turnover. Courtney Lee drills a jump shot on the other end.
• Three or four shot attempts at the rim there for LA, Bynum missing, Gasol finishing inside. Great effort from Bynum to keep that alive.
• Rashard Lewis bangs in a long jump shot

NBA Finals News Roundup — Part Four

Fisher’s Game Tying Three Pointer

NBA Finals Game Four: Orlando vs Los Angeles

Game Four

Lakers lead the series 2-1.

I’d absolutely love to see the Magic win this game and tie up the series. It would set up some much needed tension over the remainder of this series. So, I’m pulling hard for the Magic tonight.

First Quarter

Lakers lead 2-0 after 90 seconds

NBA Finals News Roundup — Part Three

ESPN

• Daily Dimes
  • June 8th — Game Recap for Game Two — click here
  • June 9th — Pre Game Three News — click here
  • June 10th — Game Three Post Game Coverage — Rafer redeems himself — click here
  • June 11th — Warm up for Game Four — click here

Some highlights from those articles

The Fatigue Factor For Kobe

NBA Finals Game Three: Orlando vs Los Angeles

Game Three

Am I the only one who thinks there is a lack of buzz about this game?

I like the Magic to rebound and win the game tonight. They’re due for a good shooting night.

First Quarter

• Dwight Howard wins the tip … He posts up on the left block, draws a double, kicks it out, Hedo gets a great look from downtown on the left wing, miss

NBA Finals Game Two: Los Angeles vs Orlando

Game Two

I think this game is a must win for the Orlando Magic. I cannot seeing them win four out of five games against the Lakers, which is something they’d have to do should they fall back 0-2 tonight.

First Quarter

• Excellent defensive rotations from the Los Angeles Lakers to take away Orlando’s three point shooting opportunities despite having numbers on the weak side of the court, forced Alston to put the ball on the floor and to take a tough runner over Gasol, miss.

NBA Finals News Roundup – Part Two

More updates as Day continues

Dwight Howard says Game One was a one-off

Magic center Dwight Howard isn’t overly concerned about his team’s disappointing performance in Game 1 against the Lakers.”Tonight was just an off night,” Howard told the Associated Press after the loss. “We’ve never had a shooting night this bad. Even when we’re not making shots, we got to give a better effort. It just wasn’t there. We just weren’t fighting.”

The Magic were just 23-for-77 from the field, including 8-for-23 from three-point range.

NBA Finals: SVG Thought Nelson Played Well

Stan Van Gundy thought Jameer Nelson played well in Game One

“[Nelson] played well in the second quarter,” Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy said after the Lakers’ 100-75 victory. “I was happy. I thought he was getting in the paint on his pick and rolls. He had four assists. I thought he was making really good plays. And in the second half I didn’t think he was very good at all.”

Orlando starting point guard Rafer Alston had 6 points on 2-of-9 shooting and one assist in 25 minutes. Reserve point guard Anthony Johnson did not play.

NBA Finals Game One: Los Angeles vs Orlando

Game One

I’m giddy about these NBA Finals.  This should be a terrific matchup and a very exciting series.

First Quarter

Orlando lead 7-6 after the first two plus minutes.

• Gasol pulls down the defensive rebound after Rafer’s missed floater. Lakers come up court, quick post up for Kobe, he pressures Lee, turns middle, kickout, runs out the right wing, gets the ball back, drives hard down the baseline, draws a foul.

Jameer Nelson Update

Update Below — Nelson not playing tonight in Game One, unlikely to play in series.

Update: Nelson will dress tonight but is unlikely to play

Update — Nelson is playing in Game One! So much for the updates!

A couple of very good quotes in the Orlando Sentinel

Doctors told Nelson to expect a six-month recovery. So far it has been a little over three.

“I’m ahead of schedule, but that doesn’t mean that I want to play,” Nelson said Monday after a short film session with his teammates. “I’ll have to see how I feel tomorrow. I have to wake up every day and see how I feel.

“Every day I do my rehab and every day I feel a little better about myself and my strength and everything.

Finals Schedule

All times Eastern

• Game 1: Thursday, June 4; Orlando at Los Angeles; 9 p.m.; ABC
• Game 2: Sunday, June 7; Orlando at Los Angeles; 8 p.m.; ABC
• Game 3: Tuesday, June 9; Los Angeles at Orlando; 9 p.m.; ABC
• Game 4: Thursday, June 11; Los Angeles at Orlando; 9 p.m.; ABC
• Game 5 (if necessary): Sunday, June 14; Los Angeles at Orlando; 8 p.m.; ABC
• Game 6 (if necessary): Tuesday, June 16; Orlando at Los Angeles; 9 p.m.; ABC
• Game 7 (if necessary): Thursday, June 18; Orlando at Los Angeles; 9 p.m.; ABC

NBA Finals Latest News + Articles Roundup

Sports Illustrated

• Ian Thomsen thinks that Dwight Howard could learn a thing or two from Kobe Bryant.
• The Jameer Nelson dilemma — disrupting chemistry?

Some interesting quotes from this next SI.com — “Lakers look to take advantage of homecourt”

On Dwight Howard

The Lakers’ immediate problem is how to contain Dwight Howard.

NBA Finals Preview: Los Angeles vs Orlando

Los Angeles Lakers vs Orland Magic

Regular Season Standings

• Los Angeles Lakers — 65 wins and 17 losses
• Orlando Magic — 59 wins and 23 losses

Regular Season Matchups

• Orlando won the season series 2-0

Jameer Nelson’s Status

Interesting report over at Yahoo Sports

Orlando is evaluating All-Star point guard Jameer Nelson for a possible return to the Magic lineup for the NBA finals that begin Thursday night in Los Angeles. Magic spokesman Joel Glass said on Sunday that Nelson’s rehabilitation from a shoulder injury is ahead of schedule but that his status remains uncertain.

Nelson has been out since early February with what had been called a season-ending shoulder tear.

Magic president Bob Vander Weide told The Orlando Sentinel after Saturday’s win against Cleveland that he wanted Nelson to take another MRI and consult with doctors for a possible comeback.

Andrew Bynum’s Playoffs

The Lakers have played three series so far — against Utah, Houston and Denver — How has Drew done against those teams?

	Utah	Houston	Denver
MPG	15.4	15.6	19.8
PPG	5.0	6.0	7.8
RPG	3.0	4.3	3.3
BPG	1.0	0.7	1.33
FG%	39.1%	58.1%	47.5%
Turnovers	1.8	0.43	0.67
Fouls	3.2	2.7	3.5

Bynum was a combined 22-34 from the FT line for 65% shooting from the stripe.

Not an impressive group of numbers from Bynum

Dwight Howard: Philadelphia vs Cleveland

Some interesting individual stats

• Against Phily, Dwight Howard scored 24ppg on 68.3% shooting
• Against Cleveland, through five games (ESPN hasn’t updated Dwight’s profile yet), Dwight scored 23ppg on 64.5% shooting.

Now for the interesting differences, Orlando’s overall officiency

Against Phily

• Game One — 110.1
• Game Two — 107.9
• Game Three — 104.4
• Game Four — 98.8
• Game Five — 107.1

So, Orlando’s offensive efficiency was a rough average of 105.7 per 100 possessions (not computed properly, just a rough average) in their series against Philadelphia.

Game Six: Orlando vs Cleveland

Game Six

Closeout game. The Magic lead the series 3-2 and are looking to finish the Cavs off tonight.

I’m pulling for Cleveland. I’d absolutely love to see this series go seven games, I think the seventh game would be a beautiful display of the mental strength both teams possess. Talk about a pressure cooker game, game seven, for the Magic. I’d love to see that.

First Quarter

Orlando lead 3-2 after two minutes after Ben Wallace misses a pair of FTS. Varejao has already picked up two fouls.

• Hedo on the drive and kick, off the high pick and roll, to Rafer in the left corner, Rafer drains it!
• James dribbling on the perimeter, pulls up, knocks it down
• Drive and kick to Lewis, top of the key, pump fake, drive, drive and kick to Lee in the left corner, extra pass, three second violation on Howard who was trying to get position for the rebound.

Game Six: Denver vs Los Angeles

Game Six

The Lakers lead the series 3-2 heading into tonight’s game. The Nuggets are just trying to stay alive.

I like the Lakers to finish off the Nuggets tonight. This series has already gone on too long.

First Quarter

• The Lakers win the tip. They got Kobe on the midpost on the right wing 16 feet from the rim, double teamed, he passes out, nothing on for LA. Their spacing there wasn’t up too much.
• Kobe Bryant tries to steal the outlet, Billups loose ball foul as he tried to keep the ball from Bryant.
• Gasol posts up on the left post, turnaround, hits it. Lakers lead 2-0 after a minute.

Game Five: Cleveland vs Orlando

Game Five

The Magic lead the matchup 3-1 and are looking to close out the series tonight. The game is in Cleveland.

I expect the Cavs to win this one. It’s hard to see LeBron not finding a way to pull this one out, and extend the series in the process of doing so.

First Quarter

I missed the first few minutes of this one. Cleveland lead 17-6 after four minutes, a fast offensive start from Cleveland.

• Ilgauksas knocks down a 21 footer off the pass.
• Turkoglu steps over the line on an inbounds pass, turnover. That’s gotta hurt.
• Mo Williams knocks down a triple over Rafer Alston — he’s 4-4 from the field, 3-3 from downtown, for 11 points already.

Cleveland lead 24-8 after a pair of Cavs FTs. We’re only five minutes into this game.

Game Five: Los Angeles vs Denver

Game Five

I didn’t watch this game, watched it on tape this morning. No game log for this one, just some thoughts on the game.

The Game

The first half was a close affair, with neither team truly able to pull away from one another.

Denver started out better, a timeout by Jackson seven minutes in calmed the Lakers down and suddenly they went on a 8-0 burst to take the lead back. Denver rallied and tied the game at 25-25 by the end one, with two huge Chris Andersen blocks denying Odom dunks and sparking fastbreaks going the other way.

The second quarter was even closer, with both teams trading baskets until the final minutes of the quarter and with neither able to create any separation. Finally, the Nuggets created a five point gap, but a strong Lakers finish punctuated by a Vujacic three pointer closed the gap and left the game tied at 56-56 entering halftime.

Pau Gasol Wants The Ball

Nice article from Ramona Shelburne.

Pau Gasol wants the damn ball already!

He has tried being polite. Tried to hint, to make his point with his play, to let the Lakers’ coaching staff correct what is so obviously wrong in games like Monday night’s 120-101 loss to the Nuggets in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals.

But polite isn’t working. Actually, polite is hurting the team.

And so Pau Gasol finally dropped the nice act after Monday’s loss and said what has become clear as the crisp air in the Rocky Mountains.

Game Four: Orlando vs Cleveland

Game Four

Orlando leads the series 2-1.

This is a pivotal game for the Cavs tonight. They don’t want to be heading back to Cleveland down 3-1. If Orlando can pull out the win, it’s nigh on impossible to the see them losing this series.

I’m pulling for the Magic tonight. I’d love to see them make the Finals.

First Quarter

• Rafer Alston opens up the Magic’s account with a shot from downtown. great sign to see him hit an early jumper.
• Good screen and roll defense from Cleveland on the left wing, LeBron cut off the dribble penetration, sent him back to the perimeter, screen and roll, Z did a good job sending him back to the sideline, Rafer picked up his dribble, Z got back quickly, Varejao made it across to stop Dwight’s roll to the rim far away from the hoop.

Game Four: Denver vs Los Angeles

Game Four

Lakers lead the season series 2-1

Is tonight a must win for the Nuggets? I think so. I don’t see them coming back from a 3-1 deficit.

First Quarter

• Nuggets run upcourt off of Ariza’s two missed FTs, Melo jumps to the low post, inside to him on the right block, double comes, Kenyon trailing the play, nice pass to the cutter, two handed dunk. Great pass.
• Bynum scores inside after a nice lob pass to take advantage of the smaller Anthony who had switched onto Bynum
• Anthony dribble penetration, misses the runner, Nene takes the rebound and stuffs it home!

We’re not even four minutes into this game and the Nuggets are already a +5 on the backboards (7-2). If Denver can win the battle of the backboards, that’ll go a long way towards winning the game because they’ve been better than LA elsewhere for most of this series.

Game Three: Orlando vs Cleveland

Game Three

Orlando stole homecourt advantage by splitting the first two games in Cleveland. The series is tied 1-1.

First Quarter

• Dwight Howard gets the friendly bounce, three or four friendly bounces, on his first free throw attempt of the night. He misses the second. Orlando lead 1-0 after the first minute.
• Dwight Howard gets great position inside, middle of the paint, four feet from the rim, muscles up the short shot and hits it.

Cleveland have started in jittery fashion. They look nervous. LeBron might have to take over the scoring for a few minutes to let his teammates find their comfort zone.

Game Three: Los Angeles vs Denver

Game Three

The series switches to Denver with the matchup tied at one apiece.

Interesting article saying Bynum and Jackson aren’t speaking to one another right now — Bynum is unhappy at his lack of playing time, and Phil is unhappy at Bynum’s lack of rebounding + defense. Both have a point, but Phil is  a heck of a lot more correct than Bynum is.

First Quarter

Denver lead 7-4 after two and a half minutes.

• Kobe Bryant posts up on the left post, he backs down Jones easily, Jones tries to wrap him up before the shot attempt but to no avail. Kobe makes two at the line.
• Melo fouled on a jump shot, nice spin move to get away from Ariza, stupid contest from Ariza as he jumped wildly into Melo’s body. Second straight possession LA has fouled a jump shooter.

Game Two: Cleveland vs Orlando

Game Two

The Orlando Magic stole home court by winning game one. It’s important for Cleveland to find their footing tonight, and to get a win, otherwise I worry that things could steamroll badly for them.

First Quarter

• Cleveland win the tip but don’t get a bucket
• Lovely dribble penetration from Courtney Lee, who sliced inside into the paint from the left wing and then dumped it off to Dwight Howard for the easy dunk after Big Z came over to eliminate Lee’s layup attempt … But nobody told Delonte West, who scuppered down form the perimeter and swiped the ball away from Howard from behind as Howard went up to stuff it home.
• Great job by Lee to run 14 feet to contest a high lob pass from Ilgauskas, off an offensive rebound, out to Mo Williams 30 feet from the rim. Lee got a piece of it but the Magic couldn’t get control of the loose ball.

Game Two: Los Angeles vs Denver

Game Two

The Lakers won the first game of the series, hopefully they can win again tonight.

First Quarter

• No scores in the first minute after Fisher hoists a desperation three off the dribble over Kenyon Martin as the Lakers possession comes to a miserable end.
• Chauncey Billups dribbles upcourt and hits a 22 footer on the right wing
• Nice drive by Bryant along the baseline, threads the pass beautifully for Bynum for the dunk
• Ariza tries to create off the bounce, loses his dribble twice, the Lakers possession bottoms out again — Kobe goes one on one and forces a long jump shot to beat the shot clock, hits it.

Game One: Cleveland vs Orlando

Game One

Cleveland’s rust is a major factor to watch tonight. Hopefully they can give a good performance.

First Quarter

• Cleveland win the tip, Dwight roaming off of Varejao, Varejao cuts to the rim from the opposite side of the court, layup. Nice pass over the top by James.
• Lewis misses a quick three pointer from the left wing
• Beautiful pass once again to Varejao, he’s fouled on the reverse layup. Nice threaded pass along the baseline. Cleveland lead 4-0 after a minute.
• LeBron James is on Rafer Alston, and he’ll roam defensively, try to wreck some havoc defensively.

Playoff Previews: Cleveland vs Orlando

Regular Season Standings

• Cleveland Cavaliers — 66 wins and 16 losses
• Orlando Magic — 59 wins and 23 losses

Regular Season Matchups

• Orlando won the season series 2-1
  • The Magic won the first game comfortably. LeBron had a shocker (23 points on 27 shot attempts, and the Cavs were also without West and Ilgauskas.
  • Cleveland won the second game in impressive fashion, led by a superb LeBron James performance. The Magic got a very poor performance from Rashard Lewis, and a poor offensive performance from Dwight Howard on the night. Still, several of Orlando’s supporting cast stepped up and had big games, and in the end they only lost by four points.
  • The Magic routed the Cavs in early April, winning

Game One: Los Angeles vs Denver

Game One

I can’t even feign my interest in this series. Hopefully LA will win, and win quick.

First Quarter

I missed the first five minutes of the game, I got distracted by the lottery, by the way, Congratulations to the Clippers!

The Nuggets lead 16-6 after a Martin bucket

• Melo and Bryant trade jump shots. Anthony is 4-4 from the field for 9 points already.

Playoff Previews: Los Angeles vs Denver

Regular Season Standings

• Los Angeles Lakers — 65 wins and 17 wins
• Denver Nuggets — 54 wins and 28 losses

Regular Season Matchups

• The Lakers swept the season series 4-0 — none of the games were competitive. They were routs.
• The Lakers swept the Nuggets in the first round last season, but that was a hugely different Denver team so not much to draw from there.

Nuggets Outlook

Hollinger Made The Best Case

ESPN’s John Hollinger wrote the most convincing case for a strong Nuggets performance that I’ve seen so far

Game Seven: Boston vs Orlando

Game Seven

The series is obviously tied three apiece. The Celtics have homecourt tonight.

I think the Boston Celtics should be considered the favourites because of homecourt, their game seven experience, and superior mental qualities (toughness/poise/focus). The Orlando Magic are more than capable of winning this game though … so we should have a great game on our hands

I think the Magic could give the Cavs a better run for their money in the next round. I think we’d see a better Conference Finals if they won.

First Round

Orlando win the tip. Boston’s defense is aggressive on the first possession, they do a very good job making the entry pass into the post difficult, Howard finally gets it, misses a jump hook. On the other end, Orlando’s defense is softer

Game Seven: Los Angeles vs Houston

Game Seven

Obviously, the series is tied three apiece. The Lakers are at home tonight, and I expect them to win in a 20+ point blowout. I have to say though, I’m pulling for the Rockets to win, I’d love to see the Lakers complacency punished. The only way I see Houston winning is if they have one of those nights where they can’t miss a shot.

I had the start time wrong, so I missed the opening part of this game.

First Quarter

I missed the whole first quarter — Lakers lead 22-12

SVG Showed Dwight His Limitations On Tape

Bob Ryan reports

For those of you just returning from that vacation in the Seychelles, the young man caused quite a national flap following the losing Magic effort in Game 5, when he criticized coach Van Gundy for a.) not getting him more shots as the team was blowing a lead, and b.) making what Howard regarded as momentum-changing substitutions. The latter charge was far more incendiary than the former, but people became fixated on the touch thing when it was revealed he only had his hands on the rock three times in the final quarter.

Once Howard understood his limitations, he began focusing on his strengths and one of his great strengths is his strength, if you know what I mean.

So everyone wanted to see what would transpire last night.

Van Gundy had a big heart-to-heart with his franchise player

Game Six: Houston vs Los Angeles

Game Six

The Lakers lead the series 3-2 and I expect them to end the series tonight.

First Quarter

Houston jump out to an 8-1 lead after two shots, by Scola and Brooks, hit over the out-stretched hand of Bynum. Steal by Ron Artest, breakaway layup. The Rockets lead 10-1 after three and a half minutes.

• Battier blocks Bryant’s pull up J from 18 feet on the top of the key, turnover, but Brooks turns it over on the fastbreak.
• Bynum offensive rebound, misses the short 5 foot shot, rebound Gasol, miss. LA is 0-6 from the field.
• Aaron Brooks nails a step back 3

Game Five: Denver vs Dallas

Game Five

Denver lead the series 3-1 and I expect them to end the series here.

I watched this sporadically because it wasn’t up to much as a contest, and because the series was already decided. Ergo, only a few box score thoughts to follow.

The Game

The game wasn’t much of a contest. The Nuggets jumped out early and built a 32-21 lead late in the first quarter. They then held that double digit lead for most of the action until the four minute mark in the third period. From there, Denver made a nice 8-0 run to seemingly end the contest with a massive 93-76 lead.

The Mavericks, however, would mount a mini-comeback, led by Brandon Bass as Bass scored eight quick points between the end of the third and the first two minutes of the fourth.

Game Six: Orlando vs Boston

Game Six

The Celtics lead the series 3-2 and can finish the series tonight. I, however, like the Magic to prolong the matchup.

I expect the Magic to come out with passion and ferocity tonight. I’m looking for them to make a big run early in the first quarter, or perhaps in the second quarter, and build a nice advantage for themselves.

First Quarter

I missed the first 3 minutes, tied 6-6.

• JJ Redick remains in Orlando’s starting lineup — that’s disappointing. I would have liked to have seen Courtney Lee starting.
• Inbounds by Boston, 1 second on the shot clock, to Perkins, 16 foot jumper, he hits it!

Howard Criticizes Coach

ESPN reports

And as it turns out, the unsightly and uncomfortable fourth-quarter faltering paled in comparison to Magic star center Dwight Howard’s meltdown after the game.

Howard, Orlando’s franchise player, openly questioned head coach Stan Van Gundy’s refusal to get him more shots and wondered about some curious substitution patterns in Orlando’s crippling 92-88 loss to the Celtics Tuesday night.

“Offensively I have to get the ball,” Howard said candidly. “I don’t think you are going to win a lot of games when your post player only gets 10 shots. It’s tough to get yourself going and get a lot of touches without a lot of shots. We have to do a better job with that.”

Dwight Howard continues his moaning

“I’m not going to get up here and bash or say anything about what should happen, but I will say it’s tough to win when all season long you play inside-out and you trust one of the people who got you off to a good season,” Howard said. “I think I’m capable of scoring in the post, but I don’t think 10 shots is enough.

“You’ve got a dominant player, let him be dominant.”

Game Five: Los Angeles vs Houston

Game Five

This series is tied 2-2.

Lamar Odom was a doubt before the game. He will play but shall come off the bench. Bynum will start in his place, hopefully this will help him get off quickly, and allow Pau Gasol to start against Scola which may help him.

I like the Lakers to win tonight, and then win the next game to end this in six.

First Quarter

Hayes defends Pau Gasol on the first possession, so no change there. Scola is on Bynum, and Artest is now defending Ariza.

• Nice lob pass to Bynum, alley oop dunk!
• Nice baseline drive by Artest, evades Bynum with a nice shoulder fake, misses the layup, rebound and putback for Hayes

Game Five: Boston vs Orlando

Game Five

The series is tied 2-2.

I have to say, I’m hoping the Celtics win this game. I think their success and valour without Kevin Garnett is a great story, and I hope it gets a chance to continue. That said, I think the Orlando Magic are a favourite by a solid margin.

First Quarter

Redick continues in the starting lineup despite some reports that Courtney Lee may re-take his starting spot.

Brian Scalabrine missed shoot-around with flu like symptoms, but he’ll play tonight.

• Glen Davis knocks down a baseline 17 footer off the baseline inbounds pass — knocked loose after a Pierce drive, good to see Paul drive the ball on the first possession of the game.
• Dwight Howard tries to attack Perkins with his quickness, Perk pushes him wide, and Dwight misses the runner.

Monday’s Games

Game Four

I didn’t bother watching either game, because frankly, both series are already over.

• Atlanta Hawks vs Cleveland Cavaliers
• Dallas Mavericks vs Denver Nuggets

Prior to the games, I thought the Hawks chances of winning were somewhere south of two percent, and that the Mavs-Nuggets game was a 50-50 proposition … but was hoping for Denver to end the series because it’s gotten dull.

Some box score thoughts are ahead

Game Four: Houston vs Los Angeles

Game Four

I missed the first half of this one, but tuned in for the first 18 minutes of the second half as LA failed to make a run and in doing so failed to make this one a contest.

The Rockets went up double digits after five minutes and never looked back. They were up 18 points by halftime, and grew that lead to 27 points halfway through the third quarter behind a barrage of three pointers from Brooks and Battier. The rest of the game was garbage time.

What follows is mostly just thoughts on the box score:

Houston

• Aaron Brooks is a far more effective player when he’s allowed to dominate the ball. He likes to play, likes his coach to allow him to play, like a Chris Paul — a point guard who’s allowed pound the ball into the floor and make every decision for his team. We’ve known this about Brooks for a long time, and it’s part of what makes him a so-so fit as role player on a team contending for a title …. but it’s also what makes him terrifying as a team’s first option when those stars go down.

Yao Injured: Out For Season

ESPN reports

HOUSTON — Yao Ming will miss the rest of the playoffs because of a broken left foot.

The Houston center limped off the court late in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 108-94 victory over the Rockets on Friday night. Yao missed Saturday’s practice to get treatment and the team said the 7-foot-6 All-Star would be re-evaluated on Sunday.

But the Rockets announced later Saturday night that further examination of Yao’s injury revealed a hairline fracture. The Rockets say Yao will need 8-12 weeks to recover, though no surgery is required.

Saturday’s Games

I didn’t watch either game today:

• Dallas vs Denver — Game Three
• Atlanta vs Cleveland — Game Three

Prior to the games, I expected both Denver and Cleveland to run out to easy wins and take a 3-0 series lead in their matchups.

Box score punditry to follow

Hawks-Cavs

The Cavs won this game 97-82 behind a strong second half effort, with the game never really being in doubt.

Tayshaun Prince Last Three Elimination Series

This is an update to a previous post

So where do we stand now?

• 2008/09 — First Round against Cleveland — Tayshaun Prince averaged 3.3 points per game in 32.7 minutes a night against the Cavs, in a series were the Pistons were swept aside easily. Those 3.3 points came on almost 8 shots a game as Tayshaun shot a mere 25.9% from the field. Prince did not attempt a free throw in the series, and only averaged 3.5 rebounds a game, and had as many turnovers as assists.

Johnson + Howard Injuries

Josh Howard

The Star Telegram reports

Josh Howard’s left ankle, which will need surgery in the off-season, now qualifies as his good ankle.

The Mavericks’ small forward sat out of Thursday’s practice. He rode the stationary bike and received treatment on his right ankle, which he sprained in Game 1 against Denver.

“We’re hoping that he’ll be able to go Saturday,” coach Rick Carlisle said, “but I can’t give you a definite at this point.”

Game Two: Cleveland vs Atlanta

Game Two

Cleveland leads the series 1-0 and is looking to take care of homecourt tonight.

First Quarter

I missed the first six minutes of the game. The game is tied 12-12 midway through the quarter.

• Varejao on the offensive glass, and gets the putback. He has three baskets and a couple of offensive rebounds.
• LeBron James hits two FTs after drawing a foul on a driving layup in transition
• Great job by Varejao tracking on the pick and roll, Joe Johnson pulls out to 30 feet, still doesn’t have much of a pass on, and after the pass Zaza is forced to create and he makes a mess of it

Fisher + Rafer Suspended

The NBA has handed down their final verdicts on Kobe Bryant, Rafer Alston and Derek Fisher

Rafer Alston of the Orlando Magic and Derek Fisher of the Los Angeles Lakers have each been suspended one game without pay for their roles in separate incidents last night, NBA Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations Stu Jackson announced on Thursday.

Alston has been suspended for swinging and making contact with the head of Eddie House of the Boston Celtics with 48.6 seconds remaining in the third period of the Magic’s 112-94 loss to the Celtics in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals last night at TD Banknorth Garden.

Fisher has been suspended for striking Houston’s Luis Scola with his shoulder and head with 13.2 seconds remaining in the third period of the Lakers’ 111-98 win last night over the visiting Houston Rockets in Game 2 of the Western Conference Semifinals at STAPLES Center. Fisher received a Flagrant Foul Penalty Two and was ejected from the game at the time of the play.

Game Two: Los Angeles vs Houston

Game Two

The Rockets won game one and lead the series 1-0.

First Quarter

The Rockets are 5-0 when leading after the first quarter, and 0-2 when trailing after the first quarter.

• The Lakers win the tip, good player movement to start of the game, hand off from Gasol to Fisher on perimeter, he drives right, pull up J from 18 feet at the top of the key, hits it
• Gasol drops a fadeaway over Yao off the left block, good D by Yao on the possession. Lakers lead 6-2 after 90 seconds.

Game Two: Boston vs Orlando

Game Two

Orlando won the first game of the series and lead 1-0.

First Quarter

Rondo flies to the rim and hits his second layup of the quarter (other was a layup off a backdoor cut). Pierce also knocked down a three, Rondo with the assist, to give Boston a 7-4 lead. Boston post up Perkins on the left block, he backs down Howard, right hand jump hook, hits it.

Pierce sits down with two fouls, only three and a half minutes into the game, and Stephon comes in to replace him. It’ll be very interesting to see how Boston defend Hedo, and how they manage their offense.

Bynum Admits He’s Not 100%

The Los Angeles Daily News reports

So Tuesday, after he made it onto the court for just more than 15 minutes in the Game 1 loss to Houston, Bynum acknowledged what has been obvious to anyone able to compare the before and after: his knee isn’t 100 percent yet.

“It’s just not ready,” he said. “I’m probably about 85-90 percent.”

Bynum said his knee doesn’t hurt or swell up, but he doesn’t feel the same explosion and strength as he did before the injury.And the way to address that?

“I just think it’s a timing thing; I just need more time to get it stronger,” he said.

Clifford Ray On Perk + Dwight

Good article in the Boston Globe with a few quotes from the teacher on his students, who are battling head-to-head in the Second Round of the Playoffs

The article starts off with some background on Howard and Perkins, how Dwight was #1 overall pick and how Perkins was on the bubble for the first round, yet how they share many similarities as brute force centers who arrived to the league directly out of high school.

Howard, of course, developed into the Defensive Player of the Year and a player the Magic could practically pencil in for a double-double. Perkins became an NBA champion and progressed into one of the league’s best interior defenders.

When asked about the potential he saw in the two, Ray said, “I saw what I’m seeing right now.”

None of this surprised Ray.

Courtney Lee Back For Game 3

There’s a good chance that Courtney Lee will be able to return in time for Game Three, according to Magic GM Otis Smith

Magic guard Courtney Lee, who had surgery last week to repair a fractured sinus, likely will be available for Friday’s Game 3 when the conference semifinals against the Celtics return to Orlando, according to a report in The Boston Globe.

Magic general manager Otis Smith made the assertion Monday as he discussed Lee’s development in his first year in the league. Lee will have to wear a protective mask when he returns.

Game Two: Denver vs Dallas

Game Two

Denver won the first game by 14 points.

First Quarter

• Nene misses a spectacular dunk to start of the game, it bounces high, about 25 feet in the air and out of bounds on the sideline. Nice pick and roll, and lovely bounce pass from Billups to Nene to set it up.
• Antoine Wright opens up the scoring with a three pointer
• Dirk Nowitzki posts up Kenyon Martin low on the right block, fakes middle, Kenyon moves that, spins baseline, lay in.

Game One: Cleveland vs Atlanta

Game One

First Quarter

What a start! James at the top of the key, passes it to Delonte on the left high post, Delonte hand off to James, who circles down the left wing and drives hard to the rim for the two handed dunk

• Good job by Josh Smith running the floor, he was about 15-20 feet ahead of Varejao by the time he hit the low post, good help D from Big Z makes him hesitate while Varejao gets back in position. Josh Smith goes up with it, rejected by Varejao, Smith gets it back, spins to the paint, up again and finishes this time.

Marvin Is Ready To Go

Yahoo Sports reports

Marvin Williams won’t start for the Atlanta Hawks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against Cleveland, but the fourth-year forward may get plenty of minutes.

Williams, who started two of the three games he played in Atlanta’s first-round series win over Miami, is likely to serve in a reserve role against the Cavaliers on Tuesday night.

Woodson plans to keep Maurice Evans in the lineup, but said he prefers giving as many minutes as possible to Williams if the No. 2 overall draft pick of 2005 proves he won’t tire too easily.

“We struggled to score some (against Miami), and there was 14 points sitting on the sidelines,” Woodson said Monday. “He told me today after practice that he’s ready to go. We need him.”

Good news for the Atlanta Hawks — they need Marvin Williams to have a big series defensively against LeBron, to stand any hope of making a successful stand against the Cavs.

Playoff Previews: Cleveland vs Atlanta

Regular Season Standings

• Cleveland Cavaliers — 66 wins and 16 losses
• Atlanta Hawks — 47 wins and 35 losses

Regular Season Matchups

• Cleveland won the season series 3-1
• The Cavs won the first game in a blowout. Then lost a close game in the second contest, while playing without Ilgauskas. The third game went down to the wire with LeBron making some plays to pull out a one point win. The fourth game was a close contest that the Cavs won in the fourth quarter.

Hawks Outlook

Injuries

Marvin Williams — The Hawks desperately need a healthy Marvin Williams in this series. He needs to be able to give Atlanta 35 good minutes a night and take the task of defending LeBron James. He’s their best defender against James, and his loss would be a massive one.

Game One: Los Angeles vs Houston

Game One

First Quarter

• Kobe Bryant drops a 20 footer on the left wing over Battier to open the scoring for LA.
• Yao Ming with a nice jump hook to put Houston up 4-4. Andrew Bynum returns the favour on the other end, left post, spins middle, right hand jump hook and hits it.
• Yao Ming crosses the paint, posts up on the right block, face up jumper, misses. Andrew Bynum shows to the FT line, catch and shoot, misses.
• Artest drives baseline on Ariza, Pau Gasol helps down, Artest throws a nice pass back to Scola who’s just inside the FT line, he hits the short shot. Nice pass from Artest.
• Luis Scola posts up on the right block, turns baseline, jump hook off the glass, misses.

Game One: Boston vs Orlando

Game One

Courtney Lee is still out

First Quarter

• Dwight Howard wins the tip, nice screen and roll action near the top of the key with Hedo and Dwight, Shard joins the action, gets wide open, Hedo gives it to him and Lewis drains a triple
• Nice defensive rotation by Glen Davis to draw the charge on Howard
• Kendrick Perkins backs down Howard, turns middle, goes back to the baseline for a fadeaway, rejected by Howard. Perkins gets it back, continues to force it in the post, tries to back down Howard, loses his dribble and turns it over.
• Nice fake spin move by Perkins in the lane, turns back the other way and gets a good look on a jump hook, misses. Nice move though
• Howard tries to take a jump hook over Perk out of the right post, rejected by Perkins

Playoff Previews: Los Angeles vs Houston

Regular Season Standings

• Los Angeles Lakers — 65 wins and 17 losses
• Houston Rockets — 53 wins and 29 losses

Regular Season Matchups

• The Lakers won the season series four zip.
• The Lakers had one blowout, one comfortable win, and won two close games against the Rockets.

Rockets Outlook

In a word, bleak.

Playoff Previews: Boston vs Orlando

Regular Season Standings

• Boston Celtics — 62 wins and 20 losses
• Orlando Magic — 59 wins and 23 losses

Regular Season Matchups

• They split the season series 2-2
• The season series is fairly irrelevant because of the injury to KG. He played in the first two and Boston won them. He missed the final two, and Orlando won two very close contests — but Boston were also without other players in those games too, like Glen Davis, Scalabrine and I think Rondo missed one of those two games.
• Orlando won the season series 2-1 last year — although, they are irrelevant because of KG’s presence. They had a very impressive home win, where they built a large lead then faltered but recovered and won comfortably, and a win in Boston Garden on a Hedo Turkoglu buzzer beater. Their lone loss came in Boston, in a game where the C’s utterly demolished Orlando.

Game One: Denver vs Dallas

Game One

First half report only

First Quarter

Dirk Nowitzki scores the first two field goals of the game to put Dallas up 4-0 after two minutes. Dirk bags another bucket a minute later, as he drives off the right wing, into the middle of the paint and hit a fallaway from there.

Dampier falls over after collecting a defensive rebound — he’s not moving well at all, holding his hip too. Jogging gingerly. The Mavs gotta get him off the floor.

• Nene scores two layups — one on the break and one in the halfcourt

Timeout Dallas — they’re looking at Dampier now. Ryan Hollins checks in, big loss for the Mavs.

Game Seven: Atlanta vs Miami

Game Seven

Al Horford will play tonight, so Atlanta have a chance of winning this game, if he couldn’t go this series would be over before this game ever began.

Jermaine O’Neal will not play tonight. He isn’t much of a loss, although he has played two excellent games in this series and one solid game. Edit: Jermaine will play, he just didn’t start.

First Quarter

Atlanta lead 14-10 halfway through the first quarter

Udonis Haslem has 5 rebounds already, as he pulls down Horford’s missed turnaround J out of the low post. Haslem runs down a long offensive rebound on the other end of the floor, that’s 6.

Playoff Previews: Denver vs Dallas

Regular Season Standings

• Denver Nuggets -–  54 wins and 28 losses
• Dallas Mavericks — 50 wins and 32 losses

Regular Season Matchups

• The Nuggets swept the season series 4-0
  • First Game — Denver win 108-105. They get hammered on the glass in the first half. Both teams struggled with their shooting.
  • Second Game — Denver wins 98-88. They open up a huge lead in the first quarter and maintain it until halftime. After the half Dallas roars back but doesn’t have enough in the tank to see through their comeback attempt, and Denver slowly regain control and win comfortably enough.

Some Sixers News

Skipping Team Meetings

Sports Illustrated reports

Andre Miller and Theo Ratliff have skipped the final Philadelphia 76ers’ team meeting a day after they were eliminated from the playoffs.

Miller and Ratliff were both absent from Friday’s meeting. Neither player offered team president Ed Stefanski an excuse. Stefanski says he has not been in touch with either player. Miller and Ratliff are both unrestricted free agents.

Game Seven: Boston vs Chicago

Game Seven

Winner takes all tonight — series tied 3-3 — anything can happen in Game Seven!

Before the game, I listed a couple of numbers which show just how close this series has been. You can check that out here.

Boston should be considered the favourite. They have more high end talent.

First Quarter

Tuning in after four minutes — Chicago lead 13-11 after two Ray-Ray FTs

• Ben Gordon has gotten off to a hot start — 7 points — a long two just inside the three point line, a three and two FTs … make that 10 points as he hits more FTs
• Derrick Rose has the other 6 points — a runner, a 18 footer, and a short shot

How Tight The Bulls-Celtics Series Is

Excluding the blowout loss in Game Three, here are some stats from the series

• Lead Changes: 106
• Tied Scores: 65
• Total Points: Bulls 573, Celtics 572
• Total Rebounds: Bulls 234, Celtics 235
• Total Assists: Bulls 108, Celtics 114
• Total Steals: Bulls 32, Celtics 38
• Total Blocks: Bulls 40, Celtics 38
• Total Turnovers: Bulls 72, Celtics 66

That’s incredible!

Those five games have been decided by a total of 11 points — none by more than 3 points, two by 3 points, two by 2 points, and one by 1 points.

Game Six: Miami vs Atlanta

Game Six

Horford will not play tonight. [edit: Second Quarter, Horford is actually on the bench and has dressed for the game, but is not expected to play.]

Marvin Williams is dressed for the game, but I read that he’s not playing again tonight. Maybe he’ll play if Atlanta become desperate? Odd that he dressed despite reports saying he wouldn’t play. Mo Evans continues to start at small forward.

Miami should be considered the favourite because of Atlanta’s two large losses.

• Hang on, Jermaine O’Neal is not playing either, he has a problem with his left elbow and Joel Anthony will start in his place.
• Miami should still be considered the favourite, O’Neal isn’t as large of a loss as Al Horford is.

First Quarter

A fast scoring start — Atlanta ahead 8-7 after three minutes.

Rondo Not Suspended

ESPN reports

NEW YORK — The NBA has decided not to take any additional action against Rajon Rondo for his skirmish with Kirk Hinrich in Game 6.

The league said Friday the first-quarter play would stand as a flagrant foul against Rondo. It could have upgraded the foul or even suspended the Celtics’ point guard for Game 7 of the series Saturday.

Chicago was leading 34-25 Thursday when Derrick Rose rebounded a missed 3-pointer by Boston’s Stephon Marbury with 30 seconds left. That’s when Rondo shoved Hinrich into the scorer’s table. Hinrich pushed him back and Rondo then threw an elbow that missed.

Wow …. I am absolutely shocked that the league didn’t suspend Rondo.

Game Six: Philadelphia vs Orlando

Game Six

Orlando will be without the suspended Dwight Howard, and the injured Courtney Lee, tonight. In their place, Marcin Gortat and JJ Redick will start. I would have preferred to have seen Mickael Pietrus start.

The Magic lead the series 3-2 and close out the series tonight. I like Phily to hold firm and send this series back to Orlando — mainly due to Hedo Turkoglu’s struggles, if Hedo can have a good game in Howard’s absence then the Magic stand a good chance of winning.

I didn’t watch this game so the following is just a box score summary

Box Score Thoughts

Orlando won the game in a blowout, winning 114-89, a 25 point win.

Game Six: Houston vs Portland

Game Six

Houston lead the series 3-2 and are looking to end the series tonight — which they should do

Von Wafer reportedly was not going to play, but it looks like he’ll be suiting up.

Tuning into the Rockets-Blazers game late because of the triple overtime Bulls-Celtics game. We are four minutes into the third quarter, with Houston leading 58-43.

Third Quarter

Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge have 32 of Portland’s 44 points. Make that 34 of their 46 points as Roy makes two FTs at the line.

Ron Artest has 21 points for Houston. A balanced scoring effort by his lead.
Artest drives baseline, gets a step on his man easily, to the rim, layup.

Game Six: Chicago vs Boston

Game Six

Boston leads the series 3-2 and I like their chances to end the series tonight.

First Quarter

A John Salmons three pointer from the left wing puts Chicago ahead 3-2. Lovely block by Ty Thomas on Pierce’s layup attempt off some good dribble penetration from Paul, the Bulls miss a short shot by Noah on the other end.

Ah no, Perkins picks up a stupid foul off the ball 80 feet from the rim, while walking back down court. The Celtics can’t win this game without Perkins on the floor for big minutes, and playing well. Perk can’t afford to pick up stupid fouls like that.

Game Five: Denver vs New Orleans

Game Five

The Nuggets lead the series 3-1 and are trying to close out the series tonight. I think the Nuggets will win this one.

Tyson Chandler will not play tonight. Hilton Armstrong starts in his place.

First Quarter

Tuning in after the first seven minutes of the quarter. Denver is leading 12-11, make that 14-11 after Nene drops two FTs out of the timeout.

Rasual Butler is bringing the ball upcourt against Billups, it takes him 14 seconds to get rid of the ball and that was a sideways pass to Paul 25 feet from the rim. Good pressure defense from Billups there. Butler runs down to the baseline, curls off screen, catch and shoot, good plus a foul on Chauncey. The possession worked out well for the Hornets but that looks like a problem waiting to happen.

Game Five: Atlanta vs Miami

Game Five

The series is tied 2-2. I like Atlanta’s chances at taking the lead in the series tonight.

Marvin Williams will not play.

First Quarter

Miami are leading 8-6 after a few minutes. We’ve seen a powerful dunk from Josh Smith and some nice play from Jermaine O’Neal.

Odd stat — Wade has 32 three pointers versus 23 free throw attempts in the series.

Good defense by James Jones, great contest on JJ’s fadeaway J from 22 feet in the right corner. Jones’ length is going to bother that shot, JJ has to put the ball on the floor and take Jones off the bounce.

Dwight Howard Suspended For Game Six

ESPN reports

Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard has been suspended for one game without pay for Tuesday’s first-quarter elbow to the head of Philadelphia 76ers center Samuel Dalembert.

The NBA announced the suspension Wednesday afternoon.

The league announcement stated that Howard will serve his suspension Thursday night in Game 6 at Philadelphia. The Magic lead the series three games to two after their 91-78 win.

Video replays clearly showed Howard swiping at Dalembert’s head.

Marvin Williams Uncertain For Game Five

The Atlanta Constitution reports

If the Hawks are going to dig their way out of their first-round playoff series against Miami by Wednesday’s Game 5, they might have to do it without any help from Marvin Williams.

The starting small forward missed his second straight game with a sprained right wrist Monday night when he sat out Game 4 at American Airlines Arena.

Bynum May Rejoin Starting Lineup

The LA Times reports

Lakers coach Phil Jackson still isn’t happy with the play of Andrew Bynum, but hinted that the young center could return to the starting lineup in the second round.

Jackson took Bynum out of the starting lineup in favor of Lamar Odom midway through the team’s first-round series against the Jazz.

“I just didn’t think he got comfortable playing tonight,” Jackson said, reflecting on Bynum’s play Monday night. “He can certainly give us minutes against [Houston or Portland]. I would put him right back in the start of the game.”

Moon To Have Surgery

RealGM has the press release

The Miami Heat announced Tuesday that forward Jamario Moon will undergo surgery to repair a sports hernia on Thursday, April 30.

The procedure will be performed by Dr. David Edelman at Baptist Doctors Hospital in Miami. Moon will rest for a period of two weeks and then be re-evaluated.

That’s terrible news for Miami.

Tuesday’s Games

There were four games:

• Boston vs Chicago – click here
• Orlando vs Philadelphia
• San Antonio vs Dallas
• Portland vs Houston – click here

I wrote a game time post for two of those games, albeit only the fourth quarter for the Blazers game, and have posted a link to those posts above. The other two games will get some box score punditry here.

Game Five: Portland vs Houston

Game Five

Houston leads the series 3-1 and can end the battle tonight. Portland are playing for their playoff lives.

I only tuned in for the final quarter.

Fourth Quarter

64-62 Portland lead

Nice steal from Houston, well done Lowry. Portland foul on the break. Inbounds, ball swung to Von Wafer, he drives to the rim and finishes with the layup. Tie game. Two possessions later, Yao draws the fourth foul on Oden. After the inbounds, Yao delivers a face up jumper over Oden from 15 feet right wing. Chuck Hayes checks in for Yao, to give him a break.

Aldridge has been the best scorer for Portland. He is 11-18 from the field for 25 points. He has only 2 rebounds, and 2 assists, though.

Game Five: Boston vs Chicago

Game Five

The series is tied at 2-2 and the team that wins tonight will gain a firm grasp on the series. I expect the Celtics to be that team.

Despite some speculation to the contrary, Ben Gordon will play tonight.

First Quarter

Paul Pierce knocks down his second shot of the night, a nice little step back shot off the drive from the FT line over Salmons. Pierce looks in good form tonight, which is great news for Boston.

Ben Gordon drills a three pointer from the top of the key over Glen Davis, a switch off the pick and roll, to beat the shot clock. On the next possession, Rose does a lovely job to find Noah inside for the lay in. The score is 9-8 Boston after five minutes.

Ben Gordon Uncertain Tonight

The Boston Globe reports

Although Bulls guard Ben Gordon is listed as day-to-day after an MRI confirmed he has a strained left hamstring, Celtics coach Doc Rivers said at this morning’s shootaround that he is preparing as if the former Connecticut star is playing tonight in Game 5.

Gordon, however, did not sound so certain. The Bulls’ sharpshooter took a pain-killing shot on Sunday, had swelling on Monday and said today that he is not moving well. He didn’t participate in the Bulls’ shootaround at Emerson College this morning.

McDyess To Leave Detroit?

The Detroit free press reports

If it was his last game as a Piston, Antonio McDyess went out with guns blazing.

With his team falling further and further behind, he kept hitting shots and grabbing rebounds.

The Cleveland Cavaliers finished their first-round sweep of the Pistons, 99-78, Sunday at the Palace, but McDyess left it all on the court as he tied a career playoff high with 26 points.

He added 10 rebounds, another part of the highlight tape teams around the league will watch when they decide whether to make a pitch for the unrestricted free agent.

Game Five: Los Angeles vs Utah

Game Five

The Lakers can close out the series tonight. It would be an impressive achievement to beat this Utah team in just five games.

First Quarter

It’s tied 4-4 after two minutes.

Okur with a nice drive and dish to Boozer for the lay in. Tied at six.

Both teams going through the motions right now, neither side is trying to grab hold of this game. It’s 8-6 LA after five minutes in a low energy, low urgency start.

Game Four: New Orleans vs Denver

Game Four

The Nuggets will look to take control of the series tonight, and they’re a good bet to do so.

I watched the Hawks-Heat game instead, so this will just be a box score report … and it’ll be even shorter than that, because of how this game turned out.

Thoughts On Game

The Nuggets repeated (Game Three) their superb opening performance to the game by opening up a 36-15 lead after the first quarter. Their lead was never threatened, and the game was effectively over at this point.

The Nuggets and Hornets played each other even in the second quarter, but the Nuggets destroyed the Hornets once again in the third quarter.  They won that quarter 27-11 and built their lead to 38 points entering the final quarter.

From there, the Hornets completely folded.

Game Four: Miami vs Atlanta

Game Four

Jamario Moon is questionable tonight and Marvin Williams will continue to sit out injured.

Update — Jamario Moon is out — big loss for Miami, only wing in the rotation outside of Wade who rebounds the ball well.

First Quarter

Monstrous dunk from Al Horford over Jermaine O’Neal — Atlanta ahead 6-1 to start of the game.

Al Horford is really going after that Jermaine O’Neal turnaround. I’m not sure it’s worth the risk of picking up a foul there. Jermaine shoots what? 30-40% on that shot? That’s a shot you’re happy that Miami takes as long as it’s contested. I don’t think Horford has to go all out for the block and give up a ticky tack foul like he just did.

The whole Hawks bench gets up and cheers after Josh Smith puts it on the floor and drives to the rim. That sentence says so many things about Josh Smith ….

Sunday’s Games

I didn’t get to watch much basketball yesterday, and caught glimpses of a couple of games, so I pretty much missed the following games

• Boston Celtics vs Chicago Bulls — Game Four
• Cleveland Cavaliers vs Detroit Pistons — Game Four
• Orlando Magic vs Philadelphia 76ers — Game Four
• Houston Rockets vs Portland Trailblazers — Game Four

Okay, so I’ll supply some short box score notes on each of the games

Cleveland Cavaliers vs Detroit Pistons

This game was over before it began, after the way Cleveland demolished Detroit in the first two games and embarrassed Detroit in game three, you just knew the Pistons stood no chance in hell of winning this one.

Drew Bynum To The Bench

LA Times reports

The Lakers could move Andrew Bynum to the bench because of recent struggles, a change that would shift Pau Gasol to center and put Lamar Odom in the starting lineup.

“We’d like him to play [better],” Los Angeles coach Phil Jackson said of Bynum. “We’ll see what will happen.”

Game Three: New Orleans vs Denver

Game Three

Unfortunately, I had the start time of this one wrong and missed the first half.

This has been a slaughter so far, with Denver leading 2-0.

Can Chauncey Billups keep up his sterling play? Can New Orleans get enough out West + Chandler to come back in the series?

First Half

Some box score notes — the Hornets lead 50-47

Game Three: Houston vs Portland

Game Three

The series is tied at one apiece — I didn’t watch the first half, but tuned in for the second half.

First Quarter

Some stats with 1:30 to go in the first quarter:

• Houston leads 15-8 on the scoreboard
• The Rockets are ahead 12-7 on the backboards
• The Blazers are 4-16 from the field. Nobody has more than one field goal.

Game Three: Philadelphia vs Orlando

Game Three

The series is tied one apiece.

I watched the first quarter, but didn’t write down any notes, and turned off until late in the third quarter — so the game time report will start there.

First Half

The Philadelphia 76ers gradually build an 11 point lead, winning the first quarter by 6 points and the second quarter by 5 points.

Third Quarter

Game Three: Detroit vs Cleveland

Game Three

Cleveland should build an unassailable lead tonight by going ahead 3-0 in the series.

First Quarter

The Detroit Pistons start off in better fashion, opening up with an 8-0 run keyed by two long Tayshaun Prince jump shots on the left wing. He has 5 of the 8 points.

• Big Z at the top of the key, a little off to the left, behind the three point line, Bron is on the right wing and cuts hard to the rim, nice bounce pass from Z to Bron, slam dunk. That ends the Pistons run.
• Next possession, Cleveland run a 1-3 screen and roll and force the switch, Stuckey is on James, LeBron takes him down into the low post, left block, and makes the catch, backs him down, turns and muscles up a short shot over the youngster.
• Oh beautiful move from Stuckey … Stuckey dribbling up the floor high out on the right wing, he drives hard to his left, his the free throw line, lovely spin move to the lose the defender and he hits the pretty layup. Brilliant spin move.

Game Time: Wednesday’s Games

I didn’t have the time to watch any of these three games, but I’ll offer some box score punditry on them:

• Game Two — Atlanta vs Miami
• Game Two — Orlando vs Philadelphia
• Game Two — Denver vs New Orleans

Atlanta vs Miami

The first strory for Miami happened on the backboards

• They won the overall battle 40-33
• Who was mainly responsibly?
  • Jamario Moon had an excellent performance on the boards, pulling down 8 rebounds in just 28 minutes
  • Michael Beasley yanked down 7 boards in 21 minutes
  • Udonis Haslem had 7 boards in 26 minutes

Game Three: Dallas vs San Antonio

Game Three

I watched the Bulls-Celtics and Jazz-Lakers game, so I only caught a small part of this game (during halftime of Chicago’s game). I’ll offer my thoughts on that, and some box score punditry on the rest.

Second Quarter

Dallas are leading the game 34-25 five minutes into the second quarter.

A couple of superb defensive plays sparks a 10-0 Dallas run

• Tony Parker was out on the right wing, drove hard at Jason Kidd, Kidd anticipated the angle, beat Parker to the spot, and forced Parker into losing his footing, and earned a traveling violation against the Spurs guard.
• Brandon Bass with a picture perfect steal out on the right wing, a lazy pass from Kurt Thomas, breakaway dunk for Bass!
• Kurt Thomas squirms around in the paint and his shot rejected back out, fastbreak again.

Game Three: Chicago vs Boston

Game Three

First Quarter

The Celtics have jumped out of the gates and built up a 17-10 lead after just five minutes of action. Their early dominance has quieted the Bulls’ home crowd. That draws a timeout of Chicago.

Out of the timeout, Paul Pierce decides it’s time to exert his dominance. He hits back to back jumpers, including one lovely 17 footer on the left wing where he used a beautiful headfake to lose John Salmons, to put Boston ahead 21-12. Pierce is 5-5 from the floor. On the next possession, Pierce gets the ball out on the wing, dribble drive to the FT line, draws the defense, he takes the 16 foot fallaway J, hits it.

Boston is now ahead 23-14 and 16 of their 23 points have come in the paint.

Game Two: Los Angeles vs Utah

Game Two

I was watching the Blazers-Rockets game so I missed the first three and a bit quarters of this one.

Fourth Quarter

Lakers lead 99-86

• Kirilenko taps home Boozer’s miss. Only the fourth offensive rebound for Utah tonight. The Lakers focus must be good tonight. They had 20 offensive rebounds in game one.
• Bynum gets great position deep in the paint on a fastbreak, but Millsap rips the ball away from him. Fastbreak Utah, Deron Williams nestles in a long J on the other end.

Bynum misses two FTs on the next possession. He hasn’t scored since the first quarter, he has 10 points.

Game Two: Portland vs Houston

Game Two

First Round

• Artest goes down onto the block, right post, posts up the rookie Batum, turns and shoots, rejected by Batum. Nice defense.
• Yao posts up on the left block, kickout, Artest hits the long two
• Steve Blake calls for a screen up near the top of the key, he drives hard to the right, into the paint, layup
• LaMarcus Aldridge misses a 20 footer from the top of the key
• Brooks comes off a screen and roll on the right wing, dribbles towards the middle, 18 footer, bagged over Blake’s contest
• Drive and kick to set up Batum’s triple which he makes

Great double team from Aldridge on Artest in the post — Artest was posting up down on the left post, Aldridge came across, made himself big, Artest couldn’t pass, shot clock winding down, forced Artest to go baseline, four dribbles, kickout, shot clock expire

Game Two: Cleveland vs Detroit

Game Two — Cavs Lead Series 1-0

First Quarter

Ugly turnover from Rip Hamilton early in the game. He posts up West down on the left block, double comes, he scampers back out, throws a pass out to the right wing about 7 foot away from Stuckey at the top of the key and another Piston in the right corner. Out of bounds. Ugly turnover.

• Mo Williams runs a screen and roll with Big Z on the left wing, Williams dribbles towards the middle, bounce pass back to Z who popped out, jumper on the way, good.
• Another turnover for Detroit, fastbreak Cleveland, LeBron sprints right to the rim and stops two feet from the rim,  gets the pass, muscles it up over Prince easily.

Game One: Denver vs New Orleans

Game One

First Quarter

Interesting start matchups wise. Neither Billups or Paul, are defending one another. Billups is defending Rasual Butler, while Paul is defending Dahntay Jones.

• Kenyon Martin kicks the game off with a thunderous dunk
• Carmelo Anthony drives to the rim, gets caught in the air, kicks it out, picked off by Chris Paul, Paul runs the break slowly, allows his wings to catch up with him, sees Peja Stojakovic and decides to use the opportunity to get him a bucket, layup.
• Chris Paul probes off the dribble, he dribbles all around the world, down the left wing, down the baseline, out on the right side, and he bangs in the 16 footer.
• Dahntay Jones posts up Paul on the left midpost, David West traps the ball and deflects the pass, turnover. Great D by West.

Leon Powe Injury

Second update below, terrible news

The Boston Globe offers us an update on the situation

Leon Powe sprained his left knee during the first half of Monday night’s win over the Chicago Bulls and did not return. Powe received an MRI on his knee during the game and is questionable for the rest of the series.

Terrible news for Boston

This series may have just evened up talent wise. No seriously, Leon Powe is that important to Boston. They’re already without Kevin Garnett, and now they lose Powe, and they’re still without Brian Scalabrine.

• That leaves only two useful big men in Perkins and Davis, and Davis is a poor rebounder. These guys will have to give 40 minutes and when they do that, the results have been inconsistent, they’re still not used to logging that type of time.

Game Two: San Antonio vs Dallas

Game Two — Dallas Leads Series 1-0

First Quarter

The Spurs have jumped out to an 8-1 lead as Tim Duncan completes the three point play. Parker and Duncan have combined for all of San Antonio’s points.

• Dirk Nowitzki nesltes in the baseline jumper. Next defensive possession, nice steal from Dirk out of the corner, he dribbles the ball up court, across to Howard, Howard decides to go one-on-one, he’s on the right hand side of the lane, he takes the pull up J as the defensive collapses, he changes his mind at the final moment and finds a cutting Dampire for the easy dunk. Great pass.
• Duncan posts up inside, loses it, Josh Howard on the steal, he flies up court, great transition defense from San Antonio, they close off the paint, Howard settles for the pull up J in transition, miss.

Game Two: Boston vs Chicago

Game Two — Chicago Lead Series 1-0 Over Boston

First Quarter

Tuning in late here. The first seven minutes have passed by and Boston are leading 24-17.

• Boston go to their favoured 3-1 screen and roll, they force Hinrich to switch onto Pierce, Paul knocks the jumper down.
• Ben Gordon runs off a screen, catch and shoot from 17 feet top of the key, good.
• Leon Powe posts up on the left block against Brad Miller, strong move to his right towards the middle of the paint, blows by Miller, finishes strongly. Good move.
• The Bulls knock down their fifth straight shot behind a Hinrich jumper. They’re heating up after a dodgy start (according to announcers).

Game One: Atlanta vs Miami

Game One

I missed the first quarter, so we’re tuning in at the start of the second quarter here.

Atlanta is leading the game 24-21

• The Hawks have gotten balanced scoring with three players getting between 6-7 points, and two others giving 3-4 points.
• The Heat have been led by Wade who has 11 of the team’s 21 points. Two other Heat players have 9 of the other 10 (Jones/Chalmers).
• Beasley has ripped down five boards already. Well done.
• A couple of nice dunks from Wade on that highlights tape

Second Quarter

• Zaza Pachulia has the ball at the top of the key, passes to his left, to Mo Evans, sets a screen for Mo, Mo dribbles in and takes the 18 footer. Nice bucket.

Chandler 70-75% Healthy

The Denver Post reports

New Orleans center Tyson Chandler is going to play in this series, but he says he’ll be only “70-75″ percent of himself throughout the series due to a persistent ankle injury.

“It’s getting a little better day-by-day,” Chandler said after Saturday’s practice at the Pepsi Center.

Game One: Orlando vs Philadelphia

Game One

First Quarter

Rafer Alston opens the scoring with a three pointer out of the right corner. The Orlando Magic are starting strong, out to a 7-2 lead after two minutes, after Dwight Howard’s bucket.

• Howard went down into the left post against Dalembert, muscled him out of the way, went middle and hit a nice little jump hook.

Philadelphia come roaring back into the game. They’re starting to get their running game going after those quick 6 points from Thaddeus Young (two and ones). The second one came after a hard push from Andre Iguodala, who entered the middle of the paint, then found Young to his left for the layup and the foul. Phily also hit a pair of jumpers during their run. The Sixers are now ahead 14-11.

• Halfway mark in the quarter — Phily lead 16-11

Tayshaun Prince = Vanishing Act?

Tayshaun Prince is coming off a fairly awful performance last night against the Cavs:

• Prince finished with only four points. He shot 2-7 from the field.
• Tayshaun provided no help on the backboards, only one rebound. He also had low assist numbers with just two.
• Then add in his difficulty to slow down LeBron, who obliterated Prince whenever the two where matched up.

What was my first reaction? Well it seemed all too familiar, and highly concerning.

Game One: Los Angeles vs Utah

Game One

First Quarter

I missed the first five minutes of the game here. There is no Okur tonight folks, so Utah are in major trouble here.

The Lakers have jumped out to a 17-10 lead. Derek Fisher picked up two early fouls and was replaced by Shannon Brown, who did a wonderful job.

• Kobe Bryant posts up down on the right block, the help defense comes down, Kobe turns for the fadeaway but changes his mind in mid-air and flings it out to Shannon Brown who is spotting up for a three pointer on the left wing. Brown knocks it down.
• Shannon Brown orchestrating the fastbreak, lovely pass to Pau Gasol for a dunk. That brings a timeout from Utah’s Jerry Sloan and puts the Lakers up 17-10.

Playoff Previews: Denver vs New Orleans

Post is still a work in progress, but I wanted the conclusion section up before the first game of the series was played.

Regular Season Standings

• Denver Nuggets — 54 wins and 28 losses
• New Orleans Hornets — 49 wins and 33 losses.

Regular Season Matchups

• They split the season series 2-2
• The two teams played two close games with one side winning by four points, and the other by five points.
• The two other games where decided by 13 points apiece.

Playoff Previews: Atlanta vs Miami

Regular Season Standings

• Atlanta Hawks — 47 wins and 35 losses
• Miami Heat — 43 wins and 39 losses

Regular Season Matchups

• The Hawks won the season series 2-1. The two teams swapped blowout wins, and the Hawks won the third game by eight points.
• The two teams played a fourth game but Miami sat out it’s main players, and the Hawks limited the minutes of their main players, so it’s not worth spending too much time on.

Playoff Previews: Los Angeles vs Utah

Regular Season Standings

• Los Angeles Lakers — 65 wins and 17 losses
• Utah Jazz — 48 wins and 34 losses

Regular Season Matchups

• The Lakers won the season series 2-1. The Lakers lost the first game by 13, won the second game by four, and won the final game by 13.
• The Lakers won the season series 3-1 against the Jazz a year ago.
• The Jazz and Lakers faced off in the Conference Semi-Finals a year ago, with the Lakers winning comfortably 4-2. The Jazz put up a good fight, but LA always had an extra gear.

Introduction

I like this series to be reminiscent of the series from a year ago. With Utah’s offensive brilliance fighting against their own defensive frailities, and continually losing that battle to a side who are overall a superior outfit.

Game One: Portland vs Houston

Game One

First Quarter

Tuning after the first three and a half minutes. The Houston Rockets are off to a bright start and have an 11-2 lead. Portland’s Nate McMillan just called a timeout.

It’s time for Brandon Roy to get a hold of the game for his team.

• Brandon Roy uses a high screen and roll with Yao, he drives hard, down the left hand side of the lane, layup. Houston turn it over, Brandon Roy gets the ball, uses another pick and roll with Yao, and gets another bucket.
• Artest misses a three pointer off the lift wing, long rebound, Aldridge shows little hustle, Scola on the other hand goes out and taps it away, runs it down but Steve Blake is there to meet him and it goes out of bounds of Luis Scola.

Game One: San Antonio vs Dallas

Game One

First Quarter

First blood — Dirk Nowitzki gets a down screen from Wright, he pops out for a 14 footer, shoots it, fouled by Roger Mason Jr. Three point play. Nice start for Dallas and nice screen to get Dirk open.

Antoine Wright will defend Tony Parker. Dallas are hoping his quickness, size, and length will be more impactful versus Parker than their slow or small point guards.

• Tony Parker gets a screen from Tim Duncan, slices into the paint, layup attempt, fouled, not called.
• Duncan stripped in the post by Dirk. Nice play by Nowitzki.
• Parker gets a great look but misses the floater from 5 feet. San Antonio control the offensive rebound, out to Michael Finley, Finley blows by Josh Howard and gets the layup. Great play from Finley and worrying lack of defensive effort from Howard.

Game One: Cleveland vs Detroit

Game One

I missed most of this game so I don’t have a huge amount to say about — short post only.

I tuned in after the Bulls win over Boston, it was about halfway through the second quarter at the time. The Pistons where down 43-39, and subsequently bottomed out and finished the half down 12 points after a miraculous heave by LeBron James — he ran down the left sideline, threw up a Hail Mary from midcourt and nailed it.

I missed the start of the third quarter, but the rest of the game basically followed the same tired protocol — Detroit stay down double digits, never seriously threaten the Cavs, despite being within shooting distance until midway in the fourth, and the Cavs get a very comfortable win.

Some Stats

The biggest problem for the Pistons tonight? Firepower!

• Rodney Stuckey was their best scorer on the night. He dropped 20 points but it took him 21 shots and 6 free throws.

Game One: Boston vs Chicago

Game One

I’m making some changes to my “Game Time” posts. I usually do a game log and give a brief description of what is happening throughout the game, but I have decided to abandon that method.

For the time being I’m going to be writing a brief recap of the game, but I’m not sure if that’s the long term successor or not. It’s a work in progress.

First Quarter

Quick injury report — John Salmons is still suffering from a groin injury. He can and will play through the injury.

• First Basket Of The Series — The game started with a bang from the Bulls. On the first possession of the game Boston turned over the ball, outlet to Derrick Rose, he flies up the court and finds a streaking Joakim Noah for a flush.
• Kendrick Perkins got an early post up opportunity down in the left block. He easily got low position against the much smaller Joakim Noah, then easily backed him down, and easily hit a jump hook over Noah. Perk can get that shot whenever he wants all series long.

Playoff Previews: Portland vs Houston

Regular Season Standings

• Portland Trailblazers — 54 wins and 28 losses
• Houston Rockets –  53 wins and 29 losses

Regular Season Matchups

• The Rockets won the season series 2-1.
• The Blazers lone victory came off a Hail Mary heave from way behind the three point line by Brandon Roy at the buzzer.
• The Rockets won the season series 4-0 last season.
• Two of the games where closely contested and came down to the final moments. The other game was a blowout in Houston’s favour, and a reminder of the Rockets dominance in the paint last season.

Playoff Previews: Boston vs Chicago

Regular Season Standings

• Boston Celtics — 62 wins and 20 losses
• Chicago Bulls — 41 wins and 41 losses

Regular Season Matchups

• The Celtics trashed the Bulls twice before Christmas. Those games where with Kevin Garnett though.
• The C’s and Bulls only faced off one more time during the season, resulting in a 127-121 heartbreaking loss for the Celtics. Then again, Boston where not only without Kevin Garnett, but also without Leon Powe (left early — four minutes in), Glen Davis and Brian Scalabrine. They had only one good big man, and one other big man, for the entire game and resorted to playing Pierce some time at the four spot. Neither team played much defense that night either.

Defending The Title (regular season W-L)

The Defending Champion Boston Celtics have finished the season with a record of 62 wins and 20 losses. That’s hugely impressive.

How impressive? Let’s have a look at every defending Champ from the past 30 years.

• 2007 NBA Champs — The San Antonio Spurs — The Spurs won 56 games the following season
• 2006 NBA Champs — The Miami Heat — The Heat won 44 games the following season
• 2005 NBA Champs — The San Antonio Spurs — The Spurs won 63 games the following season
• 2004 NBA Champs — The Detroit Pistons — The Pistons won 54 games the following season

Playoff Previews: Cleveland vs Detroit

Regular Season Standings

• Cleveland Cavaliers — 66 wins and 16 losses
• Detroit Pistons — 39 wins and 43 losses

Regular Season Matchups

• Cleveland won the season series 3-1. Their lone loss came in the first month of the season.
• Three of the games were closely contested and came down to the final minutes of the fourth quarter. The one other game was a blowout in the Cavs favour.

Detroit’s Outlook

The Pistons Experience + Two Detroits

Detroit have been there, done that and bought the T-shirt. They’re battle tested, and have shown both great character and great intelligence over the past few seasons. Unfortunately, we haven’t seen these qualities on display for most of the season.

The Field Is Set

Eastern Conference

#1 Cleveland Cavaliers vs #8 Detroit Pistons

#2 Boston Celtics vs #7 Chicago Bulls

#3 Orlando Magic vs #6 Philadelphia 76ers

#4 Atlanta Hawks vs #5 Miami Heat

Western Conference

#1 Los Angeles Lakers vs #8 Utah Jazz

#2 Denver Nuggets vs #7 New Orleans Hornets

#3 San Antonio Spurs vs #6 Dallas Mavericks

#4 Portland Trailblazers vs #5 Houston Rockets

KG May Be Out For Playoffs

Marc Spears is reporting the following

In an interview this morning on Boston sports radio station WEEI, Celtics coach Doc Rivers said it was likely that Kevin Garnett would not be ready to play at all in the playoffs. “After today there’s no way he can play,” said Rivers, who left open the possibility his star could return at some point in the postseason but was not optimistic.

More on this breaking story in a bit …

Wow ….

KG Update

The Boston Herald reports

Kevin Garnett’s availability for the playoff opener will very much be up to the player, according to Celtics Danny Ainge. executive director of basketball operations

“When Kevin plays is his decision,” Ainge said yesterday. “But I think Kevin (right knee) plays once the playoffs start. Ultimately, it’s just his decision. Could Kevin play right now?. Absolutely. But the question is whether it is in his best interests. I don’t think there’s anyone out there who feels he can’t play. It’s just a hot topic right now – like the Tom Brady knee issue (for the Patriots).”

George Hill Out Of Rotation?

The San Antonio Express reports

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has spent the past few weeks fine-tuning his rotation as the playoffs approach.

As things stand today, rookie guard George Hill won’t be in it. If that wasn’t made obvious by Hill’s flagging playing time lately, Popovich all but made it official before Monday’s game at Golden State.

“This playoff probably isn’t for him,” Popovich said.

Eastern Conference Taking Shape

Let’s have a look at our playoff hopefuls

Top Three Seeds

A few days ago, I had a look at the top three seeds and how they were likely to play out. It’s a near certainty that Cleveland holds onto the top seed, while Boston and Orlando battle it out for the second seed with Boston favoured to win it outright.

#1 Cleveland Cavaliers

#2 Boston Celtics

#3 Orlando Magic

The Fourth Seed

The Atlanta Hawks have locked up the fourth seed after a terrific home-stand which saw them sweep all seven home games. They Hawks currently have 42 wins against only 29 losses and are on track for a 48-49 win season.

Doc Rivers Joins A Select Few

Doc Rivers becomes only the 5th Head Coach to win a Championship since 1991 joining Phil Jackson (9 titles), Greg Popovich (4 titles), Rudy Tomjanovich (2 titles) and Larry Brown (1 title) as NBA Champion Head Coaches.

Congradulations Doc

NBA Champions – Boston Celtics

Congradulations to the Boston Celtics on winning the 2007-08 NBA Championship. Their 17th title in franchise history. The first title for Pierce, KG and Ray and many others. Sam gets his 3rd ring and Posey gets his 2nd ring.

NBA Finals Game Six: Boston vs Los Angeles

The series switches back to the Garden tonight with Boston holding the chance to end the title in triumph holding the NBA championship. Do or die for Los Angeles tonight.

Kendrick Perkins is going to try and play tonight. He’ll regain his starting position. The only need one game from the big fella before he gets some rest and gets that shoulder right.

• Nice introduction from Breen and Van Gundy on Paul Pierce’s dominant play
• Here we go, Gasol wins the tip, back to Fisher, right to Gasol in the left post, iso, fouled by Perk on the driving pass. Perk is taped up behind his injured shoulder. He did not take a cortizone shot before the game, he’ll play through the pain. Doc is appearantly monitoring how physical he will be early.
• Garnett inside from the pass by Rondo, blocked, Perkins offensive rebound, misses the jump hook, Ronod outjumps Radmanovic to the ball despite Vlad having inside position, miss, Odom comes up with it, puts it on the floor, Perk in his way, has to turn, Rondo pressures him, free for all going on, Odom managing to hold onto it, finally gets rid of it to Fisher, fastbreak, Fisher through the lane, blocking foul on Pierce. Fisher hits both FTs.
• 26th playoff game for Boston this postseason, an all-time record.
• Rondo has to take the baseline J to beat the shot clock, miss
• Entry pass to Gasol, Rondo from behind steals it, he leads the break, drive and kick to Ray for three, hits it. That was a really bad pass by Rondo to Ray’s ankles. Well done Ray for bailing out Rondo. Rondo had a layup there too but never even looked to shoot it. Ray bailed him out.
• Blocking foul on Garnett on Fishers pump fake and drive
• Lakers make a meal of Boston’s bad double team on Kobe off the show on the screen and roll, Odom takes a three to beat the buzzer running right into his teammate to catch the ball (bad spacing), miss, rebound Ray, coast to coast, fouled, Ray makes two of two at the line.
• Bryant pops out for a three, hits it
• Rondo’s floater, miss, Lakers mess up the defensive rebound, tap, Rondo snares it and gets fouled on the layup. Terrible defensive rebounding by the Lakers to start this game.
• Kobe hits another three
• Celtics miss another, Lakers make a mess again but get it back. Rondo steals the ball again from Gasol.
• Defensive three seconds foul on LA, Ray hits the FT
• Rondo floater to beat the buzzer, miss, offensive rebound Perk, putback, Gasol got a piece of it, Bryant and Odom fight for the board, Odom takes it
• Gasol flops, Garnett layup on the break,
• Rondo steals it from Gasol on the roll, Bryant steals it back, takes the three, grabbed and fouled, not called, Celtics rebound, Rondo misses a layup, rebound Gasol
• Gasol fadeaway over Pierce, miss. He had Pierce on him and he jumped five feet backwards. Dumb basketball. Go straight up, he ain’t blocking you.
• KG misses a shot of his own out of the post, Fisher pushes it, draws another foul
• Phil Jackson telling Gasol to play tough on the sideline
• Halfway point in the first
• Radmanovic had played very good defense here at the start. He’s not going for any of Pierce’s pump fakes and he’s not getting as close defensively making it harder for Pierce to drive around him.
• Gasol out of the post to Kobe, pump fake, Ray still in his face, fadeaway at the buzzer, hits it. That’s three threes for Kobe.
• Radmanovic finally fouls Pierce. Well done for lasting so long Vlad and I’m not joking. Best defense this series.
• Gasol defensive rebound. Odom on Pierce there.
• Another Lakers miss, Celtics run out, Ray goes baseline and gets the layup. Ray makes it to half court by the time LA get Odom in the post and he draws the foul. Very slow to get back up. Doesn’t look like anything serious, Ray just got rattled. Well now they take Ray out and bring Posey in. Odom makes two of two. Ray will be back in a couple of moments.
• Garnett turnaround J in the post over Bryant, hits it
• Walton drives baseline, passes up the layup, gets it back, drives again, fouled on the layup, hits two
• Garnett hits the jumper from the left wing from 20 feet
• Gasol misses a 16 footer right wing off the bounce pass feed from Bryant on the screen and roll
• Garnett left post, fadeaway J, hits it, Garnett has 8 points now. Quick 6 right there.
• Timeout Lakers
• Boston lead 20-18
• Rondo steals another from Gasol, Pierce coast to coast, doesn’t finish, Gasol out-fights Garnett to the rebound, Kobe coast to coast doesn’t finish, defensive rebound, long outlet, Rondo into the paint, back out to Pierce, open three, miss, defensive rebound Gasol.
• Alley oop to KG, slam dunk
• Farmer drives, pull up J from 13 feet, in and out
• The Garden is pumped, it’s ready to explode
• Garnett has Walton in the post, Walton fights him for post position and steals the entry pass. Lazy seal by Garnett cost that turnover.
• Rondo called for a foul trying to steal another. Farmer hits the first, KG subbed,
• Pierce hits a tough contested J for his first bucket of the night
• Kobe overdribbles and over-milks the clock, takes a contested three, down and out again.
• Pierce holds it, Lakers have a foul to give, Walton fouls on Pierce’s late drive. 1.8 seconds to play. Celtics get organized. Pierce inbounds against Kobe, to Powe, Powe drives, quarter buzzer ends before he shoots his driving layup.

Second Quarter

• Turiaf back in the rotation tonight and no sight of Chris Mihm
• Pierce throws a pass out of bounds there. Not sure who’s fault that was, missed their actions of the player supposedly recieving the ball
• Loose ball foul on Boston as Turiaf battles three Celtics 10 feet of space and and in the air for that rebound. Great hustle by Ronny.
• Glen Davis enters the game to fight Turiaf for PJ Brown.
• Powe fouls Kobe out on the perimeter, soft call, Posey knocks Bryant after the foul. Breen and JVG having a chuckle. Mark Jackson mysteriously quiet.
• Sasha and House exchange jumpers while Kobe and Pierce exchange assists on jump shots
• Kobe drives in again, finds Odom, Odom to the hoop, fouled hard, he hits one of two. Boston rebound, Kobe knocks it loose, Boston get it back, almost a steal.
• Technical foul on Doc Rivers for yelling at Joey Crawford. C’mon Doc, that’s Joey.
• Pierce takes and makes a long three pointer to put Boston up 5
• Vujacic dribbles up and takes a quick three after only 4 seconds of the shot clock, miss
• Powe fouled on his way to the basket, on the floor. Odom was far too far away from Powe. He needs to contest the pass to stop Powe.
• Powe in the paint, given room, face up J from 14 feet left wing, miss, rebound Odom, coast to coast, fouled by Powe on the layup, back to the FT line, hits two.
• Powe, PJ, Perk all have two fouls already
• Little full court pressure from Vujacic, now he lets Pierce go, Kobe takes Pierce, goes under the screen again, three pointer again, misses, defensive rebound Odom, terrible outlet pass, stolen, Posey takes it up, to Pierce, Pierce drives to Powe, layup
• Timeout
• Still no Ray Allen
• Pierce draws the foul on Fisher, back to the line, hits one of two, two fouls on Fisher
• 8 minutes to play in the half. Pierce now has 7 points and 5 assists.
• Lakers lead 32-26
• Gasol fouled by Davis in the post, Gasol took a long time sizing him up before making his move. Davis is a foul machine so let’s see how this goes. No sorry, not on Davis. Illegal defense, Kobe hits the tech. Gasol gets it back, quick move, running hook, hits it
• Pierce drives again, nice pass to Posey, passes up the three, slows it down, now drives, draws the foul. Good recovery by Posey but he should have taken that shot.
• That was Gasol’s first basket tonight but he does have 6 rebounds
• KG having words with Davis probably telling him what to do defensively
• Davis miugged in the paint, no call, miss, out to House, three at the buzzer, miss, huge offensive rebound Posey, Boston swing the ball, find Posey wide open in the corner as Vujacic makes a dumb rotation to leave him open. Three pointer good.
• Posey deflects the pass, steal Davis, fastbreak, House from three, nails it
• 9 point lead
• Timeout Lakers
• Starting Five back in for the Lakers, Bryant way short on that shot off the bounce, barely hit iron
• Pierce drives, bad pass to KG, KG and Odom fight for it, jump ball
• Eye doctor rushes in for Ray Allen. Now Ray comes out. About bloody time.
• Garnett wins the tip, Fisher knocks it loose, House and Fisher in a foot race, nobody gets to it
• Boston lead 38-29
• Midway through the second
• Foul on Fisher, that’s three on Derek
• Bryant loses his dribble, another celtics steal, Pierce leads the break, tees up Posey for a three, Posey nails it. They’re up 14.
• Timeout Lakers. Phil Jackson is very nervous. The championship is slipping away from LA.
• Lakers are very easy to defend right now. They’re not involving Gasol or Odom. They’re not passing. They’re not moving off the ball. It’s all Kobe all the time.
• Gasol low post, spin move on Gasol, Posey fouls on the help. Great defense until the foul. Gasol makes both
• Bryant defending KG in the post, KG takes a fadeaway, misses. Exact same as Gasol shooting that dumb fadeaway instead of going up strong.
• Gasol low post, pivots around until he finds a shot he likes, hits the right hook, he has 6 points now, the last 6 Lakers points
• Pierce drives to the hoop again, finds Garnett, hits the 20 footer along the baseline
• Radmanovic takes a rainbow three after 7 seconds goes off the shot clock, miss
• Radmanovic with another dumb foul hacking Pierce 40 feet from the rim on the catch. Dumb dumb dumb dumb. Pierce hits another two at the line.
• 3:50 to play in the first half
• Defensive three seconds as Gasol gets another post up, Kobe takes and makes the tech.
• Boston lead 47-34
• Lakers go to Gasol again, Perkins back in, Gasol quick jump hook, miss
• Rondo misses the floater on the other end
• Farmer drives in, to Walton in the corner, Pierce runs him off the line, Walton steps in and takes the 19 footer, miss, over the backboard out of bounds.
• Timeout Boston
• Celtics lead by 13
• The Lakers want to get this to single digits, the Celtics want to hold this double digit going into the half. Let’s see who finishes the half better.
• Rondo pokes Farmer’s dribble away, Ray saves it to Perk, great play by both guards, lovely pass by Perk to Rondo for the layup, Rondo doesn’t look to shoot, almost turns it over looking to force the pass, KG gets it, back to Perk, Perk to Rondo for another layup attempt, stolent, Farmer coast to coast, fouled as he’s tripped in the lane. He goes to the line and makes one of two FTs. Celtics lead by 14.
• Garnett fadeaway in the lane, unguardable, hits it. Gasol was awful there, he didn’t even contest where KG wanted to post up. KG caught the ball in the paint.
• Dumb double by Farmer late in the shot clock, Rondo cuts to the 10 feet mark in the paint, Rondo gets the pass, two on one against Odom, ball fake, layup
• Kobe throws it away again
• Nice pass to KG, fouled on the shot, gets it to go and hits the free throw. Lovely bounce pass by Pierce. Celtics now up 21 points. This game is over.
• Odom on the drive, first time he’s drove on KG tonight, Perkins blocks him
• Perkins dunks it home on the other end
• Boston lead 58-35
• Terrible finish to the half from LA
• Kobe misses a three, rebound Garnett
• Halftime

Halftime

• Boston finished the half on a 26-6 run to blow open the game. They’re up 23 points. This is over. No way the Lakers make back 23 points to win a title clinching game. No way.
• There’s no way the Celtics give up 23 points and lose a title clinching game. It’s just not happening.
• The Lakers hopes of making a run are abysmal. Kobe Bryant isn’t playing well. Odom has done absolutely nothing to create a shot for himself or a teammate tonight. Gasol has done very little. None of their perimeter role players are showing up. They’re not passing the ball well, they’re not moving without the ball well. They’re not shooting the ball well. They’re not getting stops, they’re not rebounding. Where exactly is a run coming from? There’s no run happening from there. I don’t see how they can turn all that around, make back 23 points, finish the game against a top side who’s about to clinch their first title. It’s just not happening.
• Boston lead 58-35
• Lamar Odom hasn’t made a field goal. He’s hit four FTs. He has one assist. That’s the entirety of his contribution offensively. Gasol has 6 points on 2-5 shooting, 1 assist and 4 turnovers
• Odom and Gasol do have 13 rebounds between them.
• Everything offensively is easier when Rondo plays with intelligence. Push the ball and keep moving to the open space as close to the basket as possible when his man doubles off of him. Defensively Rondo has led the Celtics’ Defense perfectly forcing turnover after turnover. He’s been a terror in the open court creating for his teammates. Brilliant performance from Rondo.
• KG has been red hot after getting a pair of post ups and a long jumper to drop. Garnett leads all scorers with 17 points on 8-12 shooting to go with 6 boards and 3 assists. He hasn’t done too much defensively but that’s in large part to Odom playing like Ben Wallace.
• Odom does realize he actually has some skills right?
• Kobe Bryant leads the Lakers with 14 but he was atrocious in the second quarter. The Lakers fell apart and he could do nothing to glue them back together again or to keep them within distance by going on a scoring binge. Bryant is only 4-11 and 3 of those were threes. 7 of his 11 shots have been three pointers. He can’t get to the rim and he’s completely avoiding the post. Get your butt in the paint and help your team.
• Paul Pierce is the star of the show in the first half with 10 points and 9 assists. He’s orchestrating everything. If he isn’t getting an assist he’s getting a hockey assist, he’s creating the spacing and taking the Lakers defense off balance on nearly every possession. He’s been incredible. Great defense too.
• Ray Allen only played 11 minutes but he bagged 8 points in those minutes
• Some Team Stats – Celtics are trouncing the Lakers on the backboards 26-14 and 8 zip offensive boards to Boston. The Celtics have 10 steals (Rondo and Posey have 7) and 1 block. Lakers have three steals and no blocks. The Lakers have 11 turnovers costing them 19 points, that’s the lead right there. The Celtics have four turnovers costing them four points. The Lakers have taken only 27 shots versus 43 from the Celtics (turnovers, offensive rebounds). The C’s have 17 assists and 20 made field goals on 46% shooting, 5-12 from three, 12-14 from the line. The Lakers have only made 8 shots on 27 field goal attempts for just under 30%, with 5 assits on those, 3-11 from three, 16-19 from the line.
• I didn’t like the second unit Boston put out on the floor in the second quarter but they kept the lead and actually extended it by one or two. Pierce was truly magnificent during that spell.
• Boston’s bench has 15 points against 9 points for LA

Second Half – Third Quarter

• Rondo nails a 21 footer along the baseline to start the quarter
• Odom takes it hard to the hoop, fouled on the layup,
• Rondo pushes it hard again, finds Ray for three again, nails it
• Fisher and Radmanovic taking dumb shots. Lakers resorting to three pointers already.
• Drive and dish by Odom in transition, Fisher passes up the three, wiggles into the paint, gets fouled, hits two of two. That’s better from Fisher.
• KG left open from 20 feet, passes up the J, dribbles inside, draws the defense, jumps up, hits PJ under the rim, fouled on the layup. Lovely play by KG.
• Everything Boston is doing is excellent right now
• Alley oop to Gasol, dunk
• KG loses the catch, dribbles, gives it out, Pierce strolls by Radmanovic for a layup. There was no explosion on that move. Just horrific defense.
• Radmanovic hits the corner three on the other end
• Rondo right to the rim, hits the layup and the foul, hits the FT
• Celtics lead by 26
• Fisher pull up J, hits it from 15 feet left wing
• Celtics miss another, nobody on Los Angeles tries for the rebound, bounces right out to Boston, Rondo takes a jumper, misses
• Odom stripped by Rondo, his 5th steal, pushes it ahead, finds Ray in the corner, three pointer good
• Celtics lead by 29
• Gasol post, backs down PJ, loses the dribble, out of bounds off Ray, 1 second on the shot clock, Odom to Bryant hits it
• 7 minutes to play
• Rondo walks it up slowly, milks the clock, now to KG, inside, stripped by Kobe, fouled by Gasol. Nice hard move by Gasol.
• Gasol turns it over again, Ray Allen almost gives it right back with a bad behind the back bounce pass. C’mon Ray you know KG doesn’t like bounce passes. Celtics get it back, Gasol fouls again.
• Pierce doubled on the screen and roll, to KG late in the shot clock, turnaround in the post, miss
• Gasol tied up in the paint, great play by KG, Gasol showed way too much off the ball there, Gasol wins the tip, Radmanovic quick three, hits it
• 28 point lead
• Boston lead 79-51 with 5 minutes to play in the third
• KG hard to the rim again, Odom contests it well, missed layup, Rondo tips it in
• Garnett has 21 and 10 already
• Garnett fouled off the ball
• KG goes 1 for 2 at the line. They were 23-24 from the FT line before that.
• Odom drives and jumps up in the air with nowhere to go, turnover, Pierce steals it, leads the break, Lakers foul him for no reason. Pierce hits two at the line.
• Radmanovic takes a contested high arcing three, miss
• Individual steals record? Is it 7 or 8? Robert Horry holds it from 1994 against the Knicks (Game Four or Five I think. Rondo has 6 now. He has a real shot at taking the record.
• I drifted off for the last few minutes. The C’s are just lobbing it on.
• KG flops trying to draw the blocking foul on Kobe, Kobe keeps going, fouled at the rim.
• Boston lead 85-56
• This is over
• The Lakers still have no offensive flow or scoring options. They still can’t get stops. They still can’t rebounds. No hope of making a run.
• Gasol gets another short shot to fall
• Rondo hits a layup
• PJ Brown blcoks the layup, Ray looks at the clock, holds it up, milks the clock, high screen and roll, finds Rondo cutting to the rim, Rondo finds PJ Brown. Jump shot.
• Lakers miss
• That last possession by the Celtics spoke volumes about what Rondo is doing right tonight that he was doing wrong in Los Angeles. Instead of staying stagnant standing out at 20 feet he cuts to the hoop, recieves the pass on the move, is in the paint, defense collapses, spots the open shooter.

Fourth Quarter

• Celtics lineup – BBD/Powe/Posey/Ray/Rondo
• Lakers lineup – Odom/Turiaf/Vujacic/Ariza/Farmer
• Both teams just running up and down not doing much. Rondo has a layup and now fouled on a layup, Rondo makes the layup and gets the free throw. Flagrant foul on Farmer for that foul. Nah, well maybe. Yeah actually, no attempt to play the ball. Minimal contact though.
• Rondo has taken 19 shots tonight
• Rondo makes the flagrant
• KG back in for PJ Brown
• Celtics lead 94-65
• Farmer bags a long three
• Bynum wearing a nice orange shirt behind the bench underneath his suit. Nice little ensemble. He looks disappointed. He’ll get a few shots at these games over the next few years.
• Vujacic loses Ray, three pointer open in the corner, awful defense, Ray drains the three
• Odom down low to Turiaf, up over KG with the face up J, hits it
• Ray Allen bags another three pointer as Vujacic loses him again
• Boston lead 101-70
• Timeout Lakers
• 17th Boston steal on the June 17th for the Celtics’ 17th Championship
• Rondo is going to come out and he gets a standing ovation
• 7 minutes to play
• Odom frizzling and frazzling with the ball. Head fakes, shoulder fakes, jab steps, cross over dribbles, over and back dribbles …. oh but he hasn’t moved a foot yet. Now he gives up the ball. Well done Lamar. That’s a circus move, not an NBA Champion move.
• Posey hits the layup as LA gamble with backcourt pressure
• Everyone on the Celtics’ bench is standing
• Odom drives on KG this time, KG stuffs him
• Ray ties a Finals record with another three pointer
• Another Timeout after a surprising hard foul on Odom’s drive for a team up 36 points
• Paul Pierce bags a three
• Doc waits til after the timeout to sub out KG, Pierce, Ray to give them standing ovations. It turns into a hugging celebration that the refs have to break up in order to restart the game.
• Tony Allen drives to the rim, hand off to Powe, dunk
• Bryant has a three rim in and out
• Fisher telling his guys to push up on the defenders and keep trying
• Posey nails a three
• Boston lead 123-85
• A 38 point lead for Boston
• Odom inside, draws the foul on Powe, timeout, Odom hits the first, misses the second.
• Sam Cassell is bouncing. KG is covering his eyes, Pierce is going crazy.
• Backdoor cut on a baseline inbounds pass again catches the Lakers blindsighted, Powe catch and dunk, nope fouled. Hits two at the line.
• Turiaf does the exact same thing but passes up the dunk for a three, Walton bricks another perimeter shot. He’s been missing all series.
• Eddie House with a lovely alley oop pass to Tony Allen for the reverse dunk
• Farmer hits another three
• House fouled on the drive
• Boston up 40 right now
• Paul Pierce throws the water cool full of Gatorade over Doc
• Timeout
• Eddie dribbles it out, 24 second violation
• Celtics win 131-92

Boston Celtics win their 17th Title. A fantastic achievement and a magical season from Boston. Great work.

NBA Finals Thoughts: Kevin Garnett’s Missed Free Throws

Kevin has been getting a lot of blame for missing 3 of 4 free throws during two trips to the line in the fourth quarter. Garnett is a great free throw shooter for a big man and he’s a great free throw shooter at the end of games and under pressure. Sometimes the ball just doesn’t go in. I’m saying …. don’t read too much into his misses and give the man a break. He’ll make those free throws tonight if he gets them again and he’ll make his detractors sound foolish.

Now for the rest of his game – He was well below par last night and completely outplayed by Gasol. KG is the best big man on the court and he has to act like that from start to finish. It’s his job to control the paint. Kevin needs to do more, a lot more. Every time he fails to do he makes it so much harder for his team to pull out the victory.

NBA Finals Thoughts: Perkins To Play

Celtics.com has this

The Celtics’ shootaround just concluded, and center Kendrick Perkins (strained left shoulder) told the media that he’s going to give it a go tonight. No word on whether or not he’ll start at this point.

Perkins, who injured the shoulder in Game 4 and missed Game 5, says he’s still in pain, but that it’s getting better each day.

So no idea how effective he’ll be but he’s going to try. This will be interesting. Great heart young fella.

NBA Finals Thoughts: PJ Brown On KG’s Practice Ways

PJ having some fun telling stories of how it is

Garnett’s teammates, too, have seen the wildness in his eyes. P.J. Brown calls KG the hardest-working player he’s ever been around, and that’s saying something considering Brown also has been around Alonzo Mourning, a legendarily hard working player.

“His practice habits, man, are unmatched,” Brown said. “KG doesn’t take breaks. If I’m subbing for him, we have to make him come off the floor. Doc will say, ‘P.J. get him’ because he doesn’t want to do it. He’s making me the bad guy.”

“KG’s looking at me with that crazy look, like ‘I’ll tell you when I’m getting off the floor.’”

NBA Finals Thoughts: Garnett’s Media Responses To His Game Five Performance

“I played like garbage tonight. I can do better and I will,” said Garnett. “I definitely have to do better.”

Kevin added

“That will definitely haunt me tonight,” he said. “Those are free throws I know I can hit. I’ll take them again if you put me in that situation and I’ll have the confidence to knock them down.”

Garnett said he wasn’t happy that Gasol could do so much damage. The Lakers finished with 50 points in the paint to Boston’s 40.

“I’m just so upset with my play because defensively I know I’m more sound than that. I know my presence needs to be on the court for us to be a dominant team,” he said.

NBA Finals Thoughts: Doc Quotes

Doc handing out some impressive praise to Kobe Bryant

Between games, Rivers said Bryant may be the best help defender he has seen since Scottie Pippen

On the Lakers physical play in the paint

Rivers agreed. He said the Celtics need to start being more physical, especially inside, if they hope to avoid another early deficit. The Lakers scored nearly half their points (50) in the paint.

“They posted when they wanted to post,” Rivers said. “I thought they forced us off of spots offensively. We told them before the game this was going to be a game of who could invade the other person’s space, and I thought they invaded our space.”

NBA Finals Thoughts: Kendrick Perkins Injury Update

The Boston Herald has a Perkins update:

“I would say that would probably be doubtful,” coach Doc Rivers said before the game of Perkins returning to the floor for Game 6 at the Garden. “But I don’t know.”

Equally disturbing, perhaps, was that the normally gung-ho Perkins didn’t have an answer, either.

“It’s a good question,” Perkins said of whether he could play the rest of the series. “I couldn’t tell you. I can raise my arm, but there’s just a lot of pain right now. I don’t know if I can take a hard hit on it. When we get back to Boston I’m supposed to get an MRI on it, and then we’ll know more about it.”

Perkins was a massive loss to the Celtics in Game Five. If he had of been healthy I think Boston wins that game. Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol went wild for 24 rebounds and for the first time this series the Lakers controlled the paint.

NBA Finals Thoughts: Kobe’s Finals PPG

• 2000 — Indiana Pacers – 15.6 PPG, 36% FG
• 2001 — Philadelphia 76ers – 24.6 PPG, 42% FG
• 2002 — New Jersey Nets – 26.8 PPG, 51% FG
• 2004 — Detroit Pistons – 22.6 PPG, 37% FG
• 2008 — Boston Celtics – 26.8 PPG, 43% FG

NBA Finals Game Five: Los Angeles vs Boston

Final game of the season for the Staples Centre tonight. If neccessary the next two games will be back in Boston.

Elimination game tonight. Boston have the better team and should close out the series tonight. It’ll be interesting to see how much pride the Lakers have in their team and see if they avoid the Celtics sealing the series on their homecourt. Memories of 1991 when the Lakers failed to do this are flooding back.

As for Boston we have a lineup change tonight. Kendrick Perkins is not able to go tonight, his shoulder injury from Game Four is bothering him too much. Instead we’ll see Leon Powe start the game with KG sliding over to the centre position. Leon will likely guard Lamar Odom. Powe is one of the best in the league at drawing charges so look out for Lamar Odom to get himself in trouble against Leon tonight because offensive charging fouls have caused him problems all series

• Celitcs win the tip. Lakers matching up as expected with Gasol on KG and Odom on Powe. Pierce falls over and travels. Turnover.
• Leon is matching up with Odom
• Lakers first possession, Odom left wing, entry pass to the post, backs KG down, right jump hook in the lane. Hits it. Lovely move.
• Gasol fouls KG on the other end. Sideline ball, KG iso, drives, jumps up with nowhere to go, turnover, Lakers fastbreak, three pointer, good.
• Another quick Lakers foul with Radmanovic fouling Pierce.
• Celtics cause havoc but end up confused on the ball movement as Pierce passes up a wide open jump shot then picks up the ball, rebound Odom, steal Boston, out of bounds. Boston turn it over after the inbounds.
• Pierce drives, lot of contact, no foul, turnover, Fisher strips him, goes coast to coast, bumped out of bounds by KG.
• Bryant face up J over Ray, miss right wing 18 footer
• Ray drives inside, stops pivots, nowhere to go, finds KG, 18 footer baseline, hits it
• Bryant drives inside, finds Fisher for a three, miss
• KG inside down on the block, turnaround J over Odom, miss, rebound Gasol
• Bryant iso above the free throw line, drive, spin, elevates, knocks it down
• KG with a good look again from Rondo’s pentration, hits another 18 footer on that baseline
• Perk tuck in your shirt beneath your suit please.
• Rondo drives into the paint, drive and kick, open three pointer for Pierce, miss, Rondo saves it off a Laker.
• Gasol scores again inside. Nice move.
• PJ Brown comes in for Leon Powe
• Lakers score again from the quick push and Kobe three, the Lakers lead 18-5
• Timeout Doc Rivers
• Pierce hits the FT line jumper over Radmanovic off the dribble.
• Odom travels as the Celtics try to tie him up and confuse him. Turnover.
• KG with a nice pass to PJ Brown, Lakers collapes, misses the short shot, Lakers rebound
• Bryant pushes it up and takes another three pointer. That’s his third already. He has 11 of LA’s 21 points.
• Eddie House knocks down the open three on the right wing. Derek Fisher can’t leave him that open.

Having trouble with my internet connection. Game log will start back in at the Second Quarter.

• Farmer made some nice plays there at the end for LA on both ends of the floor. Good pressure defense on Eddie House which bothered Eddie.
• 25 seconds to play in the first. Pierce high screen and roll, drives, fouled, will shoot two, misses the first, hits the second.
• Bryant holds it for the final shot, finds Gasol, Gasol inside, goaltend on PJ Brown
• Lakers lead 39-22
• Kevin Garnett picked up his second foul and had to sit. That makes Boston quite small with their bigs.

Second Quarter

• 39-35 Lakers scored in the first quarter tonight versus last night. The Lakers shot 65% in both. The difference is Kobe Bryant 15 points to 3.
• Chris Mihm has come in for Los Angeles
• Jordan Farmer drives right to the rim, hits the layup
• Pierce drives from the top of the key, down the lane, Mihm goes for the block, Pierce just smacks into him and hits the short shot. Nice control by Mihm to jump straight up and avoid the foul. First appearance by Mihm in the Finals.
• Vujacic gets the corner three, Lakers up 19
• Pierce left wing, drives right by his mant othe rim, layup and the foul. Pierce is going to take over and lead this second unit. Tony Allen, PJ, Posey, Sam and Paul is the lineup. Pierce is burning Walton every time.
• Vujacic misses the catch and shoot J from 17 feet off the off the ball screen
• Pierce gets Vujacic off the switcfh, bodies him up and spins right by him at the top of the key, fouled at the rim, hits two. He’s unstoppable right now.
• Trevor Ariza checks in to handle Pierce
• Farmer has a three rim in and out, Ariza fights for it with Posey, out of bounds, Lakers ball.
• Jeff Van Gundy – “So many guys out there for both teams who haven’t been in the rotation” – there really is and it’s a wierd sight.
• Chris Mihm left block, goes baseline, hook shot, misses badly, fouls Pierce needlessly on the rebound
• Ariza called for a push on Pierce. That’s four team fouls in 130 seconds. There’s 10 minutes to play and the Lakers are in the penalty.
• Pierce drives right by Ariza again, Ariza crowding Paul, gets to the rim, toughly contested, hits it
• Tony Allen steals the inbounds, drives back in, hand off to Posey, knocked loose. Celtics ball. Inbounds pass, Tony Allen runs off the screen, open for the dunk
• Timeout Los Angeles
• Boston on a 8-0 run
• Pierce has 11 of the last 13 Celtics points. He has already 7 free throws. Oh and he had the assist on that other Celtics bucket.
• 9 minutes to play in the half. Remember the Lakers are in the penalty and hack defensively.
• Odom doubled late as he picks up the dribble, throws it away, turnover.
• Phil Jackson upset that his defenders are overplaying Paul Pierce
• Cassell slowly gets to the basket, decides to kick it out, Tony Allen drives, pull up J, hits it
• Lovey bounce pass by Kobe to Turiaf, layup, charge. Bad call. Posey was moving and arrived there after Turiaf jumped. I hate those calls.
• Turiaf mugged in the paint, called. Sideline ball.
• Into the post to Gasol, kick out, re-post, backs down KG, turns and shoots, KG hits him on the arm, called for the foul. KG doesn’t think he got the arm, replay says it was both arm and ball. Tough to tell. He might be right, might be wrong. That’s three fouls. 7:37 left in the half. Actually that was a bad call, different angle. Too much ball. KG shouldn’t have reached while in foul trouble.
• Gasol misses the free throw line
• PJ Brown levels Gasol on the screen, Pierce open lane, slam dunk
• Celtics are on a 12 run over the past 4 minutes
• Tony Allen inside, spinning move, layup, miss, PJ Brown smacks it out of bounds, Celtics basketball. Bad call.
• Pierce knocks down a three
• Lakers lead 43-39
• Vujacic misses the three, offesnive rebound Odom
• Fisher forces a contested shot, Pierce gets a piece of it
• Lakers haven’t scored in the last 5:10
• Pierce misses a pull up three
• Kobe has to score right now, throws a bad pass to Gasol, turnover, Gasol wasn’t looking.
• Turnover as Tony’s pass to Sam goes out of bounds of Sam’s finger tips
• Lakers have only four points in the first 6 minutes of the second quarter. Kobe iso left wing, in and out, miss, Odom tips it three times to himself, layup over PJ, miss, offensive rebound Gasol, fouled, not called. Laker ball baseline. Inbounds, Fisher three right wing, miss, offensive rebound Gasol, stolen by PJ to Tony. Celtics push it up, Pierce’s drive goes nowhere, Cassell has to take it, miss, Gasol rebounds, PJ Brown pushes him on the rebound, not called, hasn’t been called all series, Gasol loses it out of bounds. Celtics miss again, rebound Gasol. Well he’s fighting.
• Gasol lobs it into Odom, layup
• First basket in almost 7 minutes
• Timeout Celtics
• Lakers are 3-13 from the field here in the second quarter
• Lakers lead 45-39 with 4 minutes to play
• Posey misses a three, rebound Bryant, pushes it up, jumps to pass it over the top to Odom, Odom smacked to the ground, fouled.
• Bryant three pointer, miss, offensive rebound Odom, layup, tech on Radmanovic. Rad was pissed at the refs lack of calls under the backboards.
• Tony Allen flies by Radmanovic, layup over Gasol
• Lovely pass by Gasol to Lamar Odom, layup and the foul
• Tony Allen blows by his defender, Farmer, again, gives it up
• Farmer air balls a three
• Lakers lead 50-42
• Tony Allen finds Ray off the screen, three pointer left wing, hits it
• Farmer responds with a three of his own
• Ray pushes it quickly, back to Paul, foul off the ball on Fisher. Ray gets two freebies. Tech no Derek Fisher.
• Lovely ball movement by LA again, swing it to the corner, baseline pass, reverse layup Odom. Odom has 9 points on 4-5 shooting in the period now.
• Farmer three pointer miss, PJ pulls back Gasol and holds down his arms, no call.
• Ray to the hoop, fouled o nthe layup, hits two
• Kobe smacked across the arms, no call, out of bounds
• Pierce iso on Fisher, hits the three over him
• Halftime

Halftime

• Lakers lead 55-52
• The refs have been absolutely horrible. Gasol is getting smacked around on every rebound to a ridiculous level and not one foul has been called. Celtics hitting the Lakers all over the court.
• Pierce was phenomenal in the second quarter especially in the first 6 minutes, he just took the game over and pulled his back into it.
• The refs have lost control of this game
• The Lakers are overly emotional and it’s killing their performance. They have no hopes of winning this game if they keep reacting to every single play like this. Some poise and focus is badly needed from them right now.
• Some Team Stats – Lakers lead 20-15 on the boards and 5-2 offensive boards. Combined blocks/steals is 6-4 LA. Lakers have 7 turnovers costing them 9 points, Celtics have 6 turnovers costing them 7 points. The Lakers have 11 assists on 19 buckets on 44 attempts for 50% shooting, 6-16 from three and 5-8 from the FT line. The Celtics have 12 assists on 19 buckets on 39 shots for 49% from the floor, 5-10 from three, 9-12 from the line.
• Pau Gasol has 9 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. Odom has 11 and 7. Kobe hasn’t scored since the first quarter and has 15 points. Farmer led the bench with 7 points.
• The Celtics second unit got them back in the game. The Lakers have no answers for two penetrators of Tony Allen and Paul Pierce’s caliber.
• Paul Pierce was phenomenal with 21 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists. KG had 8 points but was limited to 11 minutes. Ray had 9 points.

Second Half – Third Quarter

• Lakers lead 55-52
• Celtics have dominated the thid all series. Plus 9, 10, 8 and 16 over the four games. That’s a plus 43 points in the third quarter for Boston this series.
• PJ Brown starts the third
• Pierce steps on the sideline as he makes his move, turnover
• Pierce whistled for a foul on a Radmanovic flop on a screen and roll.
• Odom takes it right at KG, layup, he wants that fourth foul
• Rondo drives, jumps up, nowhere to go, loses the ball, Kobe taps it out of bounds.
• Baseline inbounds pass, backdoor layup Ray Allen. Exact same play as earlier
• Bryant misses the short shot over KG
• Rondo steals Radmanovic’s rebound, just took it out of his hands, Rondo on the drive and kick to Ray Allen three pointer right wing, hits it
• Kobe misses a three
• Kobe isn’t driving anymore.
• This game has the potential to end in a Celtics rout right now
• Pierce fouled, hits one of two, Celtics have the lead, rebound Gasol
• Radmanovic misses the short hook off a lovely pass by Gasol
• Odom forces the miss on Pierce’s fastbreak layup, great contest, defensive rebound Odom, three Celtics around him looking to steal the ball, one dribble, long pass ahead, Kobe to Gasol, short hook, miss, offensive rebound Kobe, he dribbles back in, fouled and hits the fallaway over KG. Makes the FT.
• Garnett in the post, driving layup, hits it
• 60-60 Tie Game
• Rondo pokes away Fisher’s dribble out of bounds. Second straight possession he knocks that loose.
• Offensive foul on Kobe Bryant as Pierce draws the foul. Great play by Pierce
• Rondo left wide open by Kobe Bryant, hits the 21 footer from the corner
• Gasol backs down KG, spin move, layup over PJ Brown and KG, hits it
• Pierce tries to draw the foul on the three, no call, right call, miss, offensive rebound tapped, KG gets it, Fisher is boxing him out, fouls him under the hoop before the shot.
• Rondo smacks Kobe as he made himself available for the outlet pass. So many Celtics fouls on rebounds.
• Gasol driving reverse layup and the foul. That’s four on KG.
• Doc is going to leave him in
• Rondo left wide open again, same spot, miss
• They change the foul to PJ Brown, that’s four on PJ, three on KG.
• KG slaps Odom’s dribble, off Odom’s foot out of bounds, turnover
• KG right block, travel, turnover
• Bryant looks to calm it down, that’s a mistake, you don’t want to let the C’s defense set up. Odom takes a 20 footer off the dribble, KG just gave it to him, in and out
• Celtics rebound, ahead to Pierce, Paul drives left from the left wing, gets to the rim, layup
• Kobe Brytant offensive foul as Posey draws another charge
• Lakers lead 65-64 somehow
• 6 minutes to play in the third
• Rondo flips up a layup over Kobe, miss, both fight for it, Kobe snatches it
• Rondo ties up Fisher as Fish looks to penetrate, Rondo was on Kobe and just sagged off at the last minute. Rondo will win this tip. Kobe needed to take Rondo into the post. Fisher wins the tip, Kobe controls the ball, Kobe top of the key, drives on Ray, down the right hand side of the lane, out to Fisher in the right corner, shot fake, pull up J off the one dribble, fouled by Fish, off the backboard, good, hits the FT.
• Rondo drives on Kobe, throws it out, Radmanovic steals it, Kobe pushes it hard, drives inside, out to Fisher on the left wing, touch pass to the left corner, Radmanovic from three, nails it
• Timeout Boston
• Lakers lead 71-64
• 11-2 Lakers run during the last 3 plus minutes
• Radmanovic iso’d in the corner, Pierce drives right by him, reverse layup. The help was coming from the top, he was meant to seal the baseline. Didn’t
• Great play by Posey to knock the ball loose from Odom on the drive, he had a layup there and was just starting to elevate
• JVG wants Odom on Pierce and I absolutely agree. They have no other acceptable option
• Fisher fouled in the backcourt by Eddie House, in the penalty, hits both.
• 4 minutes to play in the third
• Ray Allen drives on Fisher, throws it away, Kobe dribbles turns it over, Radmanovic beats everyone to the loose ball, then he throws it away, Celtics steal going the other way, Ray Allen fouled on the driving floater. Ray hits both. Ray has 16 points now.
• Blood rule as Eddie needs to sit
• Cassell misses the three pointer, fast push by LA, Gasol beats everyone down into the paint, seals Sammy right under the hoop, KG smacks Gasol from behind, foul on KG. Gasol makes the first, makes the second.
• 2:30 to play in the third
• Sam looking to find Ray off the ball, Ray Allen pops out off the screen, open three, miss, offensive rebound Posey. Foul by Odom, not in the penalty. Sideline out.
• Cassell tries to lob it into KG, Gasol tips it out, Sam gets it back, finds Ray in the corner, three pointer, miss, tap by KG, Celtics get it, back to Ray in the corner, steps on the sideline, turnover
• Posey dives on Fisher’s entry pass into the post, knocks it out of bounds
• Eddie back in for Sam
• Gasol fouled, not called, finds Sasha open from 15 feet baseline, miss, Odom steals the offensive rebound, to Kobe, miss
• KG into the paint, misses the hook shot in the lane, Kobe brings it up, slides through the paint, finds Vujacic on the left wing, open three pointer miss, offensive rebound Gasol, out to Fisher, corner three, miss, tap by Gasol out of bounds off Pierce. Great work by Gasol on the backboards.
• 54 seconds to play in the third
• Lakers ball, inbounds baseline, Vujacia trapped in the corner again, Gasol makes himself big, gets the pass, quick pass to Odom, one dribble layup
• Eddie House sees an open lane, tries to drive, changes his mind, jumps up nowhere to go, throws it out of bounds
• Gasol fouled inside, basket doesn’t count, on the floor, in the penalty so he’ll shoot two.
• Mark Jackson had some good advice for Gasol – paraphrasing – know how PJ Brown is defending you, he’s being very physical bumping you and not letting you back him down, make that quick sharp move earlier and he’ll foul you.
• Pierce holding it for the final shot, Walton on Pierce, PIerce gets by out to Posey, to Ray in the corner, miss, rebound Gasol.
• Lakers win the third quarter for the first time this postseason

Fourth Quarter

• Lakers lead 79-70
• Pierce drives, spins into the middle, knees Odom in the balls, gets fouled, goes to the line, hits two.
• Odom is still shaking it off, doing a bit better now.
• Farmer brings it up, high screen and roll with Odom, nothing going, Lakers swing the ball. Farmer gets it back top of the key, drives left, down the lane, on the drive, hits the layup
• Quick push, nothing going, Odom decides to shoot from downtown, hits it. Only the third three pointer of the playoffs from Odom
• Timeout Boston
• Good timeout Doc again. His last timeout to get Rondo out in the third was very good also. He’s doing a great job of controlling the tempo best he can.
• Pierce on the drive, out muscles Kobe to get to the rim, layup. Bryant defending Pierce now. He has four fouls so this is something to watch.
• KG taps loose the entry pass to Gasol from behind, out of bounds, still Lakers ball. Inbounds to Gasol, drives hard on KG, Boston collapse, pass to the corner to Sasha, to the left wing to Farmer, shot fake, drives hard to the rim, finishes off the glass over KG
• Gasol blocks Ray. Great play by Gasol, KG tapped the offensive rebound out to Ray, Ray drives, Gasol from the weakside, smacks the ball up in the air, snatches it, fouled by Ray
• Dumb foul by Sasha as he pointlessly hits Posey after the rebound
• Gasol steals the ball as KG’s pass is knocked loose, long outlet to Walton from the bottom right corner to the left sideline at halfcourt, Walton brings it up and hits the pull up jump shot
• Walton fouls on the pass. That’s three team fouls with 9 minutes to go.
• Lakers lead 88-74
• Ray inbounds easily to Sam, he backs down Farmer, great defense, up and under, lovely move, shoots it, gets a piece of the shot, Cassell hits it anyway. Great play by Cassell and good defense by Farmer. He didn’t let Sammy back him down.
• Farmer has the ball knocked loose out of bounds. Inbounds. Vujacic three pointer top of the key, miss, Gasol keeps it alive, Vujacic runs it down, Sammy ties him up and throws him to the ground as Cassell tries to wrestle it away from him. Vujacic should win this tip, let’s see, he’s going to Kobe, no taps it to Gasol, KG gets a piece of it, to PIerce, Sasha keeps it alive, Kobe steals it from Pierce. Inside to Gasol, out to Vujacic top of the key, three pointer, it’s down and out, oh my. Out of bounds of Boston, inbounds baseline, out top to Walton, to Farmer, Farmer drives inside, layup, miss.
• Sam Cassell pump fake, Farmer buys it, Cassell draws the foul and hits the jumper off the glass. He hits the FT too. Huge 5-0 run by Boston.
• Lakers lead 88-79 with 8 minutes to play
• Way too much time left
• Bryant face up J over PIece. Walton got trapped as he picked up the dribble, Kobe sprinted 15 feet or so to make himself available, than jab step boom.
• Sam Cassell misses the corner J, offensive rebound, KG, to Sammy, drives inside, layup. Sam has 7 straight points.
• Gasol left block, jump hook, soft shot, miss
• Garnett tries to draw contact, doesn’t get the foul, great help defense by Walton making himself big.
• Bryant takes a quick jump shot, miss.
• Walton dives on the floor, fouls Pierce at midcourt. Dumb foul again. They’re in the penalty. Pierce makes both.
• Seven point game with 6 minutes to play.
• Bryant’s pass deflected by Pierce, Kobe knocks it out of bounds trying to save it.
• Pierce dribbles it up, high screen and roll, KG goes away, Pierce drives, falls over,  passes it out, ball bobbles out to Posey, he hits the three
• Kobe brings it up, drives, finds Fisher in the corner, misses the three, offensive rebound by Odom, slips out of his hands, out of bounds. Celtics ball.
• Timeout LA
• Lakers were up 14 points with about 9 minutes to play. Four minutes later the Celtics had cut the lead to 4.
• Lakers lead 90-86
• Pierce to the hoop again, fouled again. Hits two again. 5:16 to play. Pierce has 34 points, same as his jersey, and 8 assists on 10-20 shooting. He’s been phenomenal again.
• 14-2 Celtics run
• Fisher has to take a long three to beat the shot clock, miss
• Celtics turnover, Fisher was out of bounds as he stole the pass. Celtics ball. That looked like a fastbreak layup right there.
• Pierce to the bucket, high screen and roll, drives on Gasol, finds KG open at the elbow, KG hits it
• Pierce picks up his fourth foul fouling Kobe Bryant
• Pau Gasol up and under on KG, gets hit and fouled, no call, hits the short hook
• Ray Allen top of theky, lobs it in to Garnett, fouled by Odom from behind
• JVG – “Lakers are having to take tougher shots” and – Celtics are giving it to Pierce and on a simple high screen and roll are getting easier shots
• KG hits one of two
• Pierce great ball denial on Bryant, picks up his dribble, foul on Garnett off the ball, didn’t see what happened. That’s five on KG.
• Lakers inbounds to Fisher, to Odom top of the key, entry pass to Kobe in the post, fouled by Pierce, that’s five fouls on Paul.
• Timeout Lakers
• 3:31 to play
• Lakers lead 92-91, the smallest of margins. Lakers ball still
• Kobe is only 1-8 from the field since the first quarter. He can’t score. Pierce is bothering him.
• Bryant drives, double is there, spins back on the right elbow, forces up the J, no last minute dish to Odom, layup, hacked by Posey. Good foul by Posey. Odom makes the first as he gets a friendly roll, makes the second.
• 3:23 to play
• Celtics bring it up, high screen and roll, Kobe knocks it away from Pierce, Fisher steals it, coast to coast, fouled. Great defensive play by Bryant. Brilliant. 3:07 to play. Posey  blocks the shot to avoid the three point play, Fisher misses the first, hits the second.
• Pierce on the drive, Farmer knocks down Pierce to avoid the layup. Pierce hits the first, hits the second.
• 2:56 to play
• Lakers lead 95-93
• Pierce has played the entire game
• Lakers inbounds to Fisher, he brings it up calmly, to Kobe, iso, high screen and roll now, Ray kicks the dribble. Shot clock reset.
• Gasol with a lovely move, misses the short hook, goes for the rebound, slightly bumps KG, KG flops, KG gets the call. KG to the FT line as LA are in the penalty. KG has 13 points and is 1-2 from the line, he’ll make two, misses the first, screaming at himself, he’ll make the second, he misses the second.
• Gasol rebounds, to Kobe, Kobe brings it up, milks the clock, drives on Ray, fouled on the drive. Odom and Posey smacks Odom after the foul call. They have words. Kobe goes to the FT line, hits the first, he’s got a little jump in his step after that it’s called relief, hits the second.
• Lakers lead 97-93 with 2:14 to play
• Pierce drives again, goes right at Gasol, miss, KG point blank tip shot at the rim, air ball, Pierce gets it, misses it, Lakers come away with it.
• Kobe iso, forces the short J on the pump fake, miss, Gasol offensive rebound.
• Kobe milks the clock, 1:23 to play, Kobe takes the long three, in and out, Odom tips it, loose ball foul. Horrible call by the officials.
• 1:14 to play
• Pierce back to the FT line, he hits another two FTs, he has 19 FTs tonight, and 39 points.
• Tony Allen comes in for defensive purposes alongside Pierce, Ray, Posey, KG. Lots of length and quickness, they’ll switch everything defensively.
• Kobe brings it up. Ray is on him. Kobe milks the clock, down to 10, makes his move, fouled on the pass, Gasol gets it, out to Fisher, three pointer, miss, Pierce comes away with an incredible contested rebound.
• Pierce drives, Kobe from behind pokes it loose, he leaks out, Lakers get it, long outlet, slam dunk
• Timeout Doc
• That’s Kobe’s fifth steal tonight. Great quick pass by Lamar Odom. Posey was running hard after Bryant. Great play by Kobe to sprint hard to make sure he got the easier two.
• 37 seconds to play
• Boston bring it up 2/3rds of the court. Pierce inbounds to Ray, Ray drives to the hoop, miss, Garnett’s tip misses, Garnett and Ray trap Odom after Odom comes down with it, knock the pass out of bounds.
• Timeout Phil
• 27 seconds to play
• Lakers advance the ball on the timeout
• Lakers lead 99-95
• Inbounds to Fisher, fouled by Ray as he and KG go for the steal. He has shot 85% from the line in the playoffs. He takes and misses the first. Second free throw … PJ Brown comes in to rebound, Fisher only 5-8 from the line tonight, Tony Allen left the floor, checking for an illegal sub, nope …. Fisher huge free throw …. good.
• 5 point game
• 24.8 seconds to play
• Timeout Doc Rivers. He has 1 more timeout after this.
• Doc drawing up a play frantically.
• Eddie House open in the corner, miss, rebound Gasol, hacked, not called, Gasol gets it to Kobe, Kobe dribbles up the left sideline, waste 6 seconds off the clock as Ray fouls and fouls out of the game.
• Phil talking to Farmer about the defensive mistake that allowed Eddie to get himself open in the corner
• Kobe swishes the first, 6 point game, misses the second, rebound KG, timeout Celtics.
• 15.4 seconds remaining. 6 point game.
• That’s the final Celtics timeout.
• JVG ripping apart the Lakers defense right now. He feels their two best defensive plays where Kobe’s hail mary steal and KG’s missed FTs.
• Eddie takes the corner three again, contested lightly, hits the  high arcer. Gasol inbounds, to Kobe, Eddie dives on it, Kobe saves it to Fisher, FIsher dribbles out of four Celtics, fouled by Posey. Great defense by the Celtics trying to force the turnover there. Fisher hits the first FT. That’s the game right there. Gasol comes out. Fisher hits the second.
• 9 seconds to play, quick advance, steal Fisher. Game Over

This series is heading back to Boston. It was ugly but the Lakers pulled it out. Honourable metion to Paul Pierce who was incredible tonight.

NBA Finals Thoughts: Update On Perk

Comcast and WEEI are reporting that Kendrick Perkins is ruled out for tonight and will not play.

NBA Finals Thoughts: Pau “I’ll Be More Agressive”

“I’ll try to be as aggressive as I can, offensively and defensively,” Gasol told reporters on Saturday.

“I’ve tried to do a good job defensively on (Celtics’ forward Kevin) Garnett all series long, but I’ll try to be a little more assertive on offense if I get the chance,” he added.

Did the whole “if I get the chance” part reduce your level of trust in the statement too?

NBA Finals Thoughts: ESPN Reports Perk Favours Shoulder In Practice

In the 30 minutes of practice open for reporters to watch, Perkins kept his left arm mostly immobile. He took some warmup shots, as did the rest of the team, but they were one-handed — with his right arm — with his left arm hanging at his side.

“It feels all right, mostly a little sore,” Perkins said. “The doctors said I could do nothing in practice today. I’m going to give it some rest and give it a shot tomorrow. It’s getting better every day.”

Check out the rest here

NBA Finals Thoughts: Doc – Perk Should Play

During media day Doc had this to say about Perkins

“I think everybody’s good,” Rivers said. “[Perkins] is moving his arms and shoulders pretty well, so again, we won’t know until tomorrow, but right now I think everything looks good.”

NBA Finals Thoughts: Odd Stat – KG FTs

The Celtics have played their record-tying 24th playoff game this postseason and KG has had double-digit free throw attempts only twice. Only two more times has he had more than 6 free throw attempts. For the postseason he’s averaging about 4.5 FTs a game.

NBA Finals Thoughts: Can Kobe Single Handidly Win Three Straight To Claim The Title?

There isn’t a single player in this league that can win a series of this magnitude against a team of this caliber by himself. It’s impossible.

Kobe needs his teammates to perform. It doesn’t have to be scoring (well they need some scoring like Sasha gave in Game Three). It can be rebounding, it can be defense (what LeBron gets from his teammates on a nightly basis to give him a shot)… but has to be something worthwhile and valuable. Kobe can’t outplay this Celtics team by himself and he cetainly can’t do it for three games.

A great player can win a 4-5 minute spell, even a quarter. By the half he’s stretched out completely and he’s only keeping his team within shooting distance. Over 48 minutes that one player has no hope of winning the game.

A great player can lead his teammates and be the one most responsible for the victory …. but he cannot do it by himself. With the way the Lakers are performing on a whole right now that is what we are talking about and no one player can do it … and we’re not just talking about one game we’re talking about three games. It’s impossible without his teammates performances rising to a high level.

Let’s have a quick look at another incredible individual performance that led to a title – Dwyane Wade. Wade led an incredible Miami comeback to four straight wins. His performances were spectacular. It’s one of the greatest one-man shows in the NBA Finals.

But he still had Udonis Haslem shutting down Dirk Nowitzki. He had Shaq in the middle drawing the defense and giving him 15/10. He had Antoine Walker bagging clutch shots. He had Jason Williams running the offense to allow Wade to stay in attack mode instead of having the burden of his teammates hanging on his shoulders. He had James Posey locking up Josh Howard. That’s a lot of help and right now that’s far more help than Kobe Bryant is getting from his Lakers teammates.

Now let’s remember something else, the Celtics aren’t Dallas. The Celtics are the best defensive team in the league. The Celtics are a dominant rebounding team. The Celtics have three 20+ scoring threats who are perennial All-Stars and each has a good matchup on the offensive end.

The task is impossible without Kobe getting far superior performances from his teammates. Kobe cannot take this series and he cannot single handidly win the title. Kobe needs his teammates to show up and then the Lakers would have a shot (not a good one but a shot) at making a comeback. Until that happens for an entire game the Lakers have absolutely no hope of winning series.

NBA Finals Game Four: Los Angeles vs Boston

Big swing game for the series. This is a must win for Los Angeles

• Rondo will start the game as expected
• Perk wins the tip, Lakers control the ball, Odom gets it, Lakers get into their offense, quickly back to Odom, on the drive, layup, goaltend by Garnett. Good start for Odom.
• Ray on the pump fake at the top of the key, defender buys it, drives right him and takes the finger roll in the lane
• Fisher turnover as he throws it out of bounds
• Rondo with a quick drive, nice drive and dish, missed shot
• Fisher dribbles hard, creating a lot of body contact and bumping against Rondo, spins round, fouled on the runner. He’ll shoot two, make two.
• Lakers on the quick push, Kobe from three, miss
• KG gets Kobe on the switch backs him down, double, kickout, long shot, KG doesn’t bother to go for the offensive rebound, Kobe pulls it down.
• Kobe to the paint, fouled, hits one of two
• Both teams exchange turnovers, Lakers waste two brilliant chances. Tech on Doc, Kobe pushed Pierce in the backcourt to create that second turnover, Pierce gave up on the play but Doc didn’t give up on the officials.
• KG inside, spin move into the paint, layup, miss. Phil Jackson would call that a weenie shot.
• Quick push, lovely passing, Fisher to Odom, runs down the open lane, dunk
• Rondo hits the jumper, Kobe gave him that
• Odom hits another
• Perkins on the left block, backs down Odom, jump hook in the lane, knocks it down
• Odom drives on KG again, the help comes, passes into the corner, Radmanovic hits the three
• Rondo takes an out of control floater as Gasol comes to block, miss, Odom tips it, KG taps it out, Celtics get it. Miss, Gasol tips, Lakers get the rebound.
• Defensive rebound Radmanovic, ahead to Odom, he gallops down the right wing into the middle, pass left wing to Gasol, touch pass back, layup. Beautiful fastbreak.
• Timeout Boston
• KG has a quick 21 footer rim in and out from the left elbow extended
• Kobe takes the 22 footer as his defender slips, Odom outjumps KG and steals the rebound, spin move in the paint, hook shot, fouled by KG, two fouls on KG. Odom misses the first free throw. PJ Brown checks in. Lakers have to continue to push the pace here and punish the lack of footspeed from Perk and PJ. Odom hits the second FT.
• Halfway through the first quarter. Pierce and Ray have to take over now and handle the scoring.
• Ray into Pierce on the post, double off Rondo, Rondo makes a good cut, Pierce throws it over his head and out of bounds, turnover.
• Radmanovic nails a three out of the left corner over Pierce
• Lakers lead 20-6
• Eddie House checks in for Rondo
• Pierce loses Radmanovic on a screen on the left elbow, pops out to the three on the left wing, gets the pass, in acres of space, takes it, misses it, offensive rebound Perkins, fouled by Odom.
• Kobe Bryant blocks PJ Brown, they give the foul.
• Kobe lobs it up for Gasol, ball flies through his hands, turnover. Oh easy layup missed there. Gasol wanted the foul on the push, didn’t get it.
• Eddie House pump fakes Kobe, moves left, pull up, miss
• Fisher pull up J from 15 feet as he beats House, nails it over PJ Brown
• Odom knocks down another jumper, he’s 5-5 from the field
• Eddie House left wide open from three as Kobe continues to cheat, misses the three
• Timeout
• Odom nails another jumper, he’s 6-6
• Pierce in the low post, doubled, finds PJ Brown baseline 15 footer, miss, Perkins has inside position, Odom shuffles over and takes it from him
• Radmanovic open three top of the key, miss, Celtics rebound, long outlet, ahead to Pierce, spins into the paint, layup
• Radmanovic blocked inside by Perkins, ahead to Pierce right wing at the three point line, shot fake, Odom buys, Pierce drives right, draws the help, finds Ray in the left corner, nails the three pointer. That’s better from Boston.
• Sam Cassell is talking to KG over on the bench. KG has a flabberghasted look on his face.
• Perkins fouls Kobe in the paint, Kobe shoots two, makes two. Posey comes in for Perkins. He’ll defend Lamar Odom as Boston goes small. Bryant has some MVP chants going.
• Pierce in the high post, draws the foul on Ariza, mid post on the inbounds, gives it up, Posey drives, misses the layup
• Kobe down on the right block, draws the help, finds Gasol, Pau is mugged, gets the call. He gives Farmer a tap on the head for making a good cut. Gasol hits two FTs.
• Lakers lead 30-12
• Pierce finds Eddie House wide open in the corner, misses the three, Ray Allen hands a frustration foul to the Lakers as he wrestles Ariza after Ariza pulls down the rebound. Ariza hits the first, lovely high arc-ing swish, misses the second, offensive rebound on the long bounce.
• Kobe drives inside, finds Ariza open in the left corner, nails the three
• Eddie House from 40 feet, beats Farmer off the bounce, takes the floater off the glass
• Kobe has it, he’ll hold it for the final shot, dribbles down the clock, Ray Allen on him right now, Kobe drives inside again, finds Gasol again, Posey smacks Pau again, he’ll head to the FT line. There’s 4.7 seconds left in the quarter which is more than enough time for the Celtics to get off a good shot. Pau misses the first, Celtics go small on their subs, Phil matches, Pau hits the second.
• Inbounds to Ray, screen, runs the sideline, three falling out of bounds from the sideline, miss
• Worst deficit at the end of the first quarter in NBA Finals history.

Second Quarter

• The Lakers have gotten this lead far too early in the game. This is going to be very dangerous for them. The C’s are one of the hardest working teams in the league. They’ve a great defense and plenty of offensive weapons. They’re one of the best equipped teams in the league at making a run, they’ll make a run and you can bank on that.
• Sam Cassell and Leon Powe comes in
• The Celtics miss their first shot, then Powe fouls on the other end.
• Lakers lead 35-14
• Vujacic misses the 20 footer, Ariza beats Posey to the rebound, loud dunk
• Garnett drives into the paint, nice dish off to Powe, fouled, Powe makes one of two
• Farmer drive and kick, Walton misses the wide open three in the corner
• Powe carries it, turns it over as Powe tries to bring the ball up court on the Celtics save and push
• Walton’s pass knocked down away from Gasol’s reach, turnover
• Ray Allen drives on Ariza, blocked by Ariza, long outlet by Gasol ahead to Walton, he has the space but loses the footrace, just gets to it, finds Farmer, layup, miss
• Pass ahead, Ariza knocks the ball out of bounds
• KG right wing, drives, spins back, layup
• Walton spots up from three, misses
• KG low in the left block, Walton is on him on transition D, easy turnaround J, Lakers had to help there and didn’t
• Vujacic’s shot tapped by Ray, Ariza saves it, kicks it out to the left wing, ball swung to the corner, open three by Vujacic, hits it
• Gasol stops KG from making a move by getting right into his body, KG gives it up
• Posey draws the foul, he’ll shoot two.
• Ariza has 6 points and 5 rebounds in 6 minutes
• Timeout
• Lakers lead 40-19
• I like KG’s aggressiveness in taking it to the rim. Two nice moves on drives, another nice turnaround out of the post, another drive that set up Leon that resulted in two FTs. Keep it up. Celtics offense looks more organized now. Hard to be organized when none of your three best players are controlling the action.
• Luke Walton has shot the ball poorly here in the quarter. He’s not doing their offense or defense much good right now. He hasn’t had a good series, hasn’t been awful but below par.
• Kobe in the post, doubled, pass to the cutting Odom, layup again
• Perkins has three fouls. Missed that. KG has Farmer in the post, turnaround over him, miss. Good take by KG.
• Quick push by LA off the miss, Farmer in the corner, drives along the baseline, layup, miss
• KG low post, doubled on the bad spin move, trapped, jumps up and looks to bail himself out, turnover, Sam Cassell fouls Kobe to avoid the pass ahead to Farmer for the open dunk
• Lakers lead 42-22 with 7 minutes to play in the first half
• Kobe on the drive and kick to Sasha on the right wing, three pointer over Ray Allen, hits it
• Celtics have only 1 assist versus 7 turnovers
• Powe moves into the post, spin move, layup against four Lakers defenders all going for the blocked shot, miss, rebound LA. Good collapsing defense on Powe to make his life hell there.
• Sasha’s pass picked off by KG, as Sasha tries to lob it over the top to Kobe who had his man pinned as he tried to front him in the post. Sasha makes up for it by stealing Ray’s pass.
• KG in the post, pass to Cassell, three pointer, miss
• Bryant whistled for an offensive foul. Weak call. He had stopped and the Celtics play, Pierce, flopped.
• Timeout
• Posey misses a three out of the left corner to re-start the game, Lakers push, Kobe runs right down the middle of the court, gets into the paint, kickout, open three, miss, offensive rebound, another miss
• KG hits another short J from 10 feet out of the low post
• Bryant puts Pierce down on the post, double, kickout, Radmanovic misses a three, rebound KG
• Nobody picks up Ray Allen in transition, open three pointer right wing, nails it
• Timeout Phil Jackson – he didn’t like that defensive breakdown that gave Ray an open look
• Bryant drives again, takes an off balance runner, miss. Kobe has only 3 points tonight
• Fastbreak Celtics, Posey fills the left lane, gets the pass, goes up for the reverse layup, fouled.
• KG low post, kickout for the three, nails another. Celtics have cut it to 14.
• 3 minutes to play in the half
• Pierce iso left wing, face up J
• Celtics on a 12-0 run
• Fisher on the drive out of the Lamar Odom post up, gets fouled and hits the finger roll off the glass
• Timeout
• Fisher hits the FT, Celtics miss a long J, Kobe runs the high screen and roll, finds Gasol, dunk
• KG low post again, gives it up, defensive three seconds on Kobe, hit the T, didn’t see who because ABC didn’t show it. Guessing Ray.
• Posey for three from the top of the key, hits it. 13 point game.
• Radmanovic blocked inside, goaltend I reckon, by KG
• Ray misses a three in transition
• Posey gets the blocking foul against him as Fisher takes it hard to the rim
• 1 minute to play. Lakers lead by 14. Garnett and Kobe head to the bench. Pierce hits another FT.
• Fisher’s pass slips through Gasol’s hands again, that’s their 9th turnover
• Pierce drives into the paint, takes a fallaway on the drive off balance, miss, Odom defensive rebound, holds the ball up and slows it down
• Lakers hold it for the final shot, Fisher runs the high screen and roll, bounce pass through the gap, layup and the foul on Pierce. Gasol hits the FT
• 9.1 seconds, inbounds to Rondo, try to get it to Pierce, Rondo falls over, Radmanovic hit him, Lakers in the penalty, Rondo will shoot two. Phil won’t like that unneccessary foul, I know I don’t. Rondo fell pretty easy there, he’d lost his balance and was starting to fall over already. Dumb contact by Radmanovic. Rondo misses the first, Farmer comes in, 5.2 second to play, hits the second.
• Lakers inbound it to Farmer, he drives through the middle of the floor, gets off the long two pointer as his foot was on the line and banks it in from the top of the key. Nice runner. It was a three pointer by a good margin. They change it.That’s a very difficult situation to defend. With 5 seconds left and a quick point guard running at you. You don’t want to foul and give up two FTs. The opposition will be very aggressive and go right at you because they’re playing against the clock. Very difficult to defend.

Halftime

• Lakers lead 58-40
• Lakers did a great job finishing of the half once Boston got the lead down to 12 to push the lead back up to 18. Completely changes the momentum right before the half.
• Some Team Stats – Lakers dominating the backboards 26-16 and leading 5-2 on the offensive boards. Lakers have 38 shots, 19 misses. The Celtics have 37 shots, 24 misses. The Lakers have 15 assists on 19 made field goals shooting 50%, 6-13 from three and 14-19 at the FT line. The Celtics have 4 assists on 13 made field goals shooting 35%, 4-14 from three, 10-13 at the line. The C’s have 8 turnovers against those 4 dimes, but it’s only cost them 5 points. The Lakers have 9 turnovers but the C’s have only gotten 2 points off those turnovers. Combined blocks/steals Celtics lead 8-7. Celtics have 14 pesonal fouls against 11 fouls for the Lakers.
• Lamar Odom was the star of the first half with 15 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists
• Kobe Bryant is still stuck on three points, he hasn’t even made a field goal. Two of his four field goal attempts were from three. He’s shot 3-4 from the line. However he’s controlled the game by forcing Boston to double him in the post and off the dribble and screen and rolls. he has 6 dimes, 4 steals, and 3 rebounds. Kobe has done a fantastic job facilitating the play.
• Gasol has already beaten his scoring total from the previous game with 10 first half points. He also has 6 rebounds. Fisher has chipped in with 9 big points off two shots and chimed in with 3 dimes. Radmanovic has two threes to give him 6 points and 3 boards.
• The Lakers bench 15 points and 9 boards.
• Despite the two early fouls Kevin Garnett ended up playing 17 minutes. He had 6 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals and a block. He was pivotal in helping get Boston back in the game. What did he do? He went into the low post and he attacked the paint on the dribble drive instead of settling for long jump shots.
• Ray Allen leads Boston with 9 points on 3-8 shooting but he is only 2-6 on three pointers. He’s settling for too many long jumpers right now. Pierce hasn’t been up too much with 6 points on 2-6 shooting, he also has 2 and 2 for rebounds and assists.
• Perkins has 2 points and only 1 rebound in 11 first half minutes. His lack of rebounding is a big reason why they’re getting beaten on the backboards. Another is that they’re missing more shots than LA.
• James Posey was the saviour for Boston by hitting a few long jumpers to stop the effectiveness of the Lakers doubles. He also did a good job attacking the rim hard. He has 10 points. Unfortunately he was beaten out to every loose ball by Trevor Ariza for a 6 minute spell. The rest of the C’s bench has 4 points, 4 rebounds.
• The game’s tempo was definitely in the Lakers favour
• When you’re down 20 plus you normally don’t get a handful of chances to get back in the game. I’m worried the Celtics didn’t make enough of the chance of the chance they got in the second quarter.
• I didn’t like Rondo being benched for so long between the first and second quarter spells he recieved. Good things happen when he’s on the floor. They can work around his lack of a jumpshot.

Second Half – Third Quarter

• Pierce quickly goes into the post, pump fake, draws the foul. 9 seconds is gone and Pierce is already at the line. Great start from the Celtics.
• Odom in the post, short shot off the glass from the low post, miss, he gets a piece of the offensive rebound, Celtics corral it.
• KG hits the 20 footer
• Kobe Bryant one dribble pull up J from 20 feet on the right wing, hits it
• Rondo drives on Bryant, floater in the lane, hits it
• 14 point game right here. This is far from over.
• Gasol misses the 16 footer
• Garnett wide open from 17 feet on the right wing, miss, offensive rebound Ray Allen. Fisher was too busy fronting him to keep him away from the rebound that ball actually bounced over his head. KG drives inside, spins, layup
• Odom drives down the middle, goes up for the dunk, fouled by Perkins. Perk has hurt his shoulder on that play. Doesn’t look good.
• Pierce switches onto Bryant
• PJ Brown misses the open J on the baseline from 14 feet, defensive rebound Lamar Odom, he pushes it ahead, finds Radmanovic, Rad takes it hard to the cup, reverse layup over two Celtics, hits it. Great play by Radmanovic. I love it when he’s aggressive like that.
• Kobe has Pierce in his face, drains the long J
• KG throws it out of bounds as the Celtics get confused offensively
• KG doubled in the post, gives it up, the ball swings around, Rondo gets it after three passes, catches it on the left baseline 13 feet from the rim, tries to drive and put pressure on LA, moves towards the left elbow, finds Posey for the open three on the left wing, miss
• Kobe hits Gasol on the screen and roll, Gasol kicks it back out to Fisher as the defense collapses, Fisher nails it. 8-0 Lakers run.
• Timeout
• Lakers lead 68-48, 20 point lead
• Skip ahead a few plays, Lakers lead 72-57 with 4:20 to play
• Odom backs down Posey in the paint, gets fouled. I love seeing Lamar in the post. It’s a pretty sight. Lovely seal on posey to create the easy passing angle. Odom in the paint again on the lob pass, retrieves it, gets doubled, kick out to Fisher, misses the three
• House finds Posey inside, layup
• Gasol posts up KG, lefty hook off the glass, doesn’t get the roll, offensive rebound but the Celtics steal the ball, Ray Allen got the steal, goes coast to coast and gets the layup
• Timeout Lakers
• Kobe drives into the paint, takes the fallaway, miss, Lakers keep it alive, KG yanks it down. Big rebound by KG in traffic.
• Offensive foul on KG for settling illegal screens. That’s his third.
• Gasol in teh post against KG, pump fake, KG bites, Gasol draws the foul, hits one of two
• Pierce gets into the paint, gets the layup and the foul, hits the FT
• Ariza came back into the game a few minutes ago
• Lovely pass by Kobe to find Gasol, dunk, missed, good contest by KG to bother Gasol. Worth pointing out he didn’t get any of the ball and wasn’t jumping up straight.
• Lakers lead 73-64
• Eddie House strokes a three pointer. This is suddely a 6 point game. The Celtics are on a 15-3 run.
• Foul on Kobe Bryant on Ray’s drive. They’re in the penalty so Ray will head to the line. He makes the first, makes the second. 41 seconds left in the game.
• PJ Brown knocks down the easy two

Fourth Quarter

• Lakers lead 73-71
• Lakers need to look at themselves in the mirror and question how the hell they blew this lead. This is going to be one heck of a fourth quarter. Lakers have the fresher legs but the C’s have momentum.
• Kobe passes up the J, lobs it inside to Turiaf, fouled hard, he’ll head to the line, takes the first, bounces three times and rims out, takes the second, in and out. Two big misses. Gotta make your FTs. That’s going to cost LA.
• Kobe is only 2-11 from the floor
• Loose ball foul on Turiaf as Leon wins the offensive rebound
• The Lakers offense has completely fallen apart. Hardly anyone is making plays outside of Bryant. Doesn’t look good for them. Gasol looks gun shy after missing a few makeable shots and FTs tonight.
• PJ drives, thinks better of it, goes back, gets it to Pierce, he pushes off, offensive foul. Bryant is on Pierce.
• Bryant misses the long two, offensive rebound Sasha, Lakers move the ball around, back to Sasha on the left wing, takes the three, miss
• Eddie House misses the long two, PJ Brown offensive rebound
• Foul on Vujacic for tripping Ray Allen up off the ball. 2nd team foul. First to get in the penalty will get in trouble
• Powe in the paint, spin move, backs in, turnaround J from four feet, gets it to go
• Kobe Bryant low post, takes the fallaway runner in the lane, miss
• PJ Brown cuts to the hoop, gets the pass, passes over to Leon, layup, miss, tip, miss, tip, miss, Lakers rebound the ball.
• Kobe Bryant gets to the hoop, layup, he has 9 points now
• Pierce iso o nthe left wing at the three point line, Pierce pump fake, dribbles right, pull up from 20 feet, hits it
• Blocking foul on Pierce. That’s the team’s second.
• Timeout
• Lakers get nothing going on the offense, Odom has to take a contested three to beat the shot clock, miss
• Garnett low post, turnaround over Odom, miss, rebound Turiaf
• Bryant gets the iso against Pierce on the left wing, takes the face up J, hits it
• Eddie House loses Farmer on the great screen by PJ, misses the 16 footer, rebound Farmer, ahead to Kobe, he drives into the paint, pump fake, up and under, scoop shot from 6 feet, miss
• Garnett left block against Ronny, takes a tough shot, makes it. Great work down on the block.
• Sasha drives into the paint, finds Ronny from 15 feet baseline J, miss
• Lovely pass to the cutting PJ Brown, Turiaf contests the shot, PJ loses it, Lakers run in transition, Odom gets the layup
• Blocking foul on Turiaf, that’s their third team foul.
• Posey comes in, Gasol checks back in
• Farmer gets another rebound off of Pierce’s miss, Pierce hurt his ankle on the miss. Kobe runs the other way, hesitation dribble, slam dunk
• Timeout
• Pierce says he’s okay
• Lakers lead by 4 with 6 minutes to play
• Lakers doing a great job pushing the ball after missed shots. That’s the difference right now between the Celtics having a lead and being down four.
• Eddie brings it up, Ray slips, manages to get it to KG, Lakers defense falls apart scrambling to steal the ball, Ray gets it back off KG, finds Posey in the corner, three pointer good
• Bryant bank shot on the move, bricked badly
• 6 seconds on the shot clock, baseline inbounds, Gasol against KG, drives into the paint, pump fake, gets a hook/scoop shot to fall
• KG drives into the paint, draws the foul, didn’t think that was a foul. KG makes the first, makes the second. Big play by KG.
• Lakers bring it up, still up 1, Vujacic almost loses it, inside to Odom, layup, Posey slides out of the way, confuses Odom, bricks the layup
• Celtics ball, out to Eddie, 20 footer, hits it, Celtics have their first lead of the game with 4 minutes remaining.
• Lakers turnover, Ray steals it, timeout Celtics
• Timeout
• Celtics ball, they bring it up, Pierce passes up the J, gets it back, pops out for the three, wide open top of the key, miss, offesnive rebound Ray, Iso for Pierce, he has Farmer on him, Kobe helps, Ray gets the ball in the corner, drives baseline, reverse layup
• Vujacic misses as he shoots to beat the buzzer, offensive rebound Odom, Kobe on the drive and dish to Farmer from three, miss
• Celtics lead 86-83
• Garnett travels, hop step in the paint, gets the short J to go off the drive.
• Celtics 8-0 run to put them up 5.
• Timeout Lakers
• Kobe Bryant takes it to the rim, fouled, ABC aren’t even showing the game right now. They’re showing JVG and co. talking. Kobe makes both. 2 minutes to go. Lakers need stops.
• Celtisc inbounds, full court pressure, but light, great defense by Bryant on Pierce, Pierce has to give it up, they run a second screen and roll, Gasol switches, Pierce drives, beats Gasol, gets the foul. Soft call at the end of the game but it was a foul. Pierce will make these, he takes and misses the first, he’ll make the second, makes the second. Four point game. 1:44 to play.
• Lakers have missed 27 of last 29 shots from the floor
• Kobe drives again, foul on the floor, sideline ball. They had a foul to give.
• Kobe into the paint again, hits the layup over KG, two point game.
• Eddie brings it up, Fisher harrassing him, can’t get it to Pierce, to Posey, to Ray, Ray drives, Lakers gamble, lose Posey, open in the corner, three pointer, hits it
• Drive and dish Kobe to Fisher, three, nope foot on the line but he hits it. Three point game with a minute to go.
• Bryant bumps Pierce, Pierce gets the call, he’ll shoot two
• Timeout Doc
• Since the first quarter the C’s have 78 points on 52% shooting plus 14 assists.
• Pierce to the line, makes the first, steps back, looking forward to the next shot, takes it, makes it
• Lakers are small with Fisher/Sasha/Kobe/Rad/Gasol
• Drive and dish, Gasol dunk
• Lakers go full court, almost cause a 5 second violation, KG gets it in to Ray, Ray dribbles it up, milks the clock, drives, Sasha loses him, Ray Allen wide open layup
• Timeout Lakers
• Lakers miss, Eddie House fouled, makes two FTs

That’s the game. Terrible collapse from the Lakers. This series is over. The Celtics will win this series and probably in the next game.

Some Stats

1. Celtics scored on all 10 of their final possessions, that’s the final 5:24 of the game.
2. Also worth noting that each of the five Celtics – House/Ray/Pierce/Posey/KG scored. Posey led the way with six, KG had four, Ray had four, Eddie had three, Pierce had three.

NBA Finals Thoughts: Amazing Stat

This is courtesy of Rick Kamla on an ESPN chat today

It might already be over, based on the amazing stat–err, fact–that the Celtics have never lost a playoff series of any kind when leading two-zip. They are 30-0.

60 years of basketball. 16 championships and they’ve never lost a series when winning 2-0. That’s incredible.

NBA Finals Thoughts: Amusing Story About The Walton’s

CALLER ID: Occasionally, Luke Walton picks up his phone and gets an earful.

“This is Paul Pierce,” the caller says. “You’re a bum, and all your teammates are bums.”

Only it isn’t actually Pierce—or Carlos Boozer or Carmelo Anthony. Instead, it’s just an attempt by Walton’s Hall of Fame father to motivate his son in the NBA finals.

“He wouldn’t even change his voice,” Luke Walton said.

Everyone in the NBA wants to win a title, but Walton has an added motivation: He won’t have to hear from his dad about their disparity in championships any more.

Or not as much, at least.

“It would be a lot easier to have dinner with him,” said the younger Walton, who played at Arizona. “He already talks trash about me not winning an NCAA championship.”

Bill Walton went to UCLA and won two championships, then added to his haul in the NBA when he won three more. He gave the championship rings to his parents, and Luke remembers seeing the baubles when he’d visit his grandparents.

So, if Luke wins one, would he give the ring to his dad?

“I don’t think a Lakers ring is safe in that house,” he said. “It might get mistakenly thrown out.”

NBA Finals Thoughts: Paper Talk

Here’s some Quotes of the day that was from various papers that caught my eye

“Me and Kevin [Garnett] really didn’t play well,” said Pierce, who made two of 14 shots. “But then you’ve got to look at the Lakers’ side. Odom and Gasol really don’t play well. So you’ve got to expect me and Kevin to play a lot better in Game 4 as well as Gasol, as well as Odom to play a lot better.”

Quote from Doc

And he wrapped things up with comments about the Pierce injury, which may or may not have been some kind of jab at Jackson, by saying, ?Paul Pierce got injured and we questioned him, but we believe Donaghy? When you think of the logic of that crap . . .

Here’s an article comparing KG’s play to Ralph Sampson

LOS ANGELES | When this NBA finals series is over, Kobe Bryant may be a real threat to Michael Jordan’s throne, and Kevin Garnett just might finish dethroning Ralph Sampson as the most misguided 7-foot jump shooter in league history

The reality is the Lakers got back into this series (fourth quarter of game two and all of game three) once Kobe quit having confidence in his timid teammates. He’s decided to win this thing by himself. He’ll take help if it’s offered, but he’ll play these last four games without assistance if necessary.

He figured out in game two that the Celtics aren’t so tough, especially with The Big Ticket exposing himself as The Really Big Two Guard.

Seriously, someone who cares about KG needs to put a stop to this. He looks like the kid who ran into the house rather than fight the neighborhood bully. He needs his mama to push him back outside (into the paint), lock the door and tell him don’t come back to the door until the fight is over. It happens to all of us. It’s a rite of passage.

Doc Rivers needs to give KG some tough love. What’s really sad is Gasol is scared to death that KG is going to come in the paint and take his lunch money. Gasol breathes a sigh of relief every time The Really Big Two Guard unspools a harmless 18-footer.

Seven-footers don’t win championships on the perimeter.

Garnett started this championship series in the debate for the greatest power forward of all time. You could mention him in the same sentence with Tim Duncan, Karl Malone, Charles Barkley and Elvin Hayes.

Phil on the Big Three’s scoring

“We’ve said over the past three games that we can’t let all of their scorers hurt us – Allen, Pierce and Garnett,” said Lakers coach Phil Jackson.

“If two of the three have good games, we have to keep one of those guys at a subpar game if we’re going to have a chance to win.”

Rondo showing off his team spirit

“If I’m going out there at 50%, I don’t want to hurt the team,” said Rondo, who had 16 assists in Game 2.

“Eddie and Sam do a great job of running the team, so I’ll let them have it.”

SI.com has an article thinking the Lakers should go small against the Celtics. Here’s a note from the lovable Tex Winters

After Game 1, longtime Lakers assistant Tex Winter noted that Farmar brought a different dimension to L.A.’s attack. He said he wanted to see Farmar play more, but that Jackson preferred the 6-foot-7 Vujacic’s size and defense

Garnett on Pau

Garnett seemed to agree.

“I’ve got Pau on me,” he said after Game 3. “It’s not like he’s easy when it comes to being a defender.

Here’s four more articles talking about what KG is failing to do (amongst many more) – the last one is the best read

What’s wrong with KG?

Garnett’s Jump Shots Are Good – For LA

Getting More From Garnett Would Be The Ticket

Garnett’s Skills Wasted

Here’s a few clips of the fourth:

This is Kevin Garnett?

This 7-foot jump shooter? This player with so much skill and quickness and athletic ability who has decided not to use any of those qualities and instead play these NBA Finals like some hybrid of Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Wang Zhizhi?

When you watch a Celtics game on television, someone like Charles Barkley or Kenny Smith tells you that Garnett is one of the best two or three power forwards in basketball history. When you watch a Celtics game in person, you wonder why one of the best two or three power forwards in NBA history is afraid of Pau Gasol.

And Gasol is soft. If I hadn’t made that clear.

Garnett is making Gasol look like Alonzo Mourning

There’s more:

There has never been a player with his size and skills. There are 7-footers who can move and jump, men like Tyson Chandler and Marcus Camby. There are 7-footers who can handle the ball, like Joakim Noah. There are lots of 7-footers who can score on the low block. But there’s only one 7-footer who can do all of those things, and make those things look easy.

And Kevin Garnett refuses to do it.

And more

You have been watching the NBA Finals, right? You have seen him attempt 62 shots from the floor in three games, most of them from college 3-point range. You have seen him make just 22. That’s 35.5 percent. That’s criminal for someone as big and talented as Kevin Garnett

NBA Finals Thoughts: Another Rondo Update

Wearing a hard plastic brace on his left ankle – and, when talking to reporters, no shoes – Rondo described the injury as a bone bruise. He felt less pain after treatment with ice and a night of rest, and he expects to feel even better with another 24 hours to heal.

“I can walk on it,” Rondo said, adding that he wouldn’t be able to wear that brace during the game. “I made a walk around the hotel and I was limping a little bit, but the farther I walked the better it got.”

On Wednesday, Rondo was on the floor for the stretching drills, but he took part in about half of them and appeared to be going at about half-speed. The rest of practice was closed to the media, and the Celtics were not planning a shootaround on Thursday morning.

NBA Finals Thought: Update Rondo’s Ankle

SI.com has this:

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo missed practice on Wednesday because of a bone bruise in his left ankle, but he said he would be ready to play in Game 4 of the NBA finals against the Los Angeles Lakers.

X-rays were negative, and Rondo iced and rested his ankle overnight.

“Nobody in this league is 100 percent, but I’m sure I’ll play,” he said during the media availability period before practice at Staples Center. “There is no way I’m going to miss the game, probably. But I don’t want to hurt the team, and not be able to give them my all.”

Doc Rivers adds this

“But we missed Rajon’s speed, and he’s the one pure point guard on our team that has the ability to make plays, and that’s what we would lose,” Rivers said. “I’m concerned because if Rondo can play but he doesn’t have speed, then that’s a concern.”

On Wednesday, Rondo was on the floor for the stretching drills that are open for the media to watch, but he took part in about half of them and appeared to be going at about half-speed. He wore a stiff plastic brace on his ankle over his white socks.

“He’s sore and swollen, so he’s out of practice,” Rivers said.

If he can’t play, Rivers said, he’ll find some other combination.

“I don’t worry about guys out; I just don’t. That’s why we play them all,” he said. “If a guy is out, somebody else has to step up and play. That’s what we’ve done all year.

“Having said that, Rondo’s value is extremely important to the team. We understand that. He gives us speed; he gives us great point guard play. He has the ability to pressure the ball. But if he can play, it’s going to be great, but if he can’t, we’re not going to use that as a crutch, I can tell you that.”

NBA Finals Thoughts: Rondo’s Ankle

“It’s sore,” said Rondo, who returned to the game in the fourth quarter and finished with 8 points and 4 assists. “I’ll get a lot of treatment.

“It was a little tender. I could run a little bit, but I wasn’t sure that I could cut on it, so I didn’t make any hard cuts.

“I’ll get a lot of treatment done and keep on resting and staying off my feet. We have a great trainer, so I’m sure I’ll probably be ready [for Game 4].”

Still waiting on the X-Ray results. I’ll give an update when more is known.

It was a mild ankle sprain. I didn’t think too much of it at the time and I still don’t. I fully expect Rondo to be able to play and be effective out there. Rondo’s reaction to the injury has suprised me though.

NBA Finals Thoughts: Gasol’s Defense

Gasol has been doing a very solid job defensively on Kevin Garnett. Pau isn’t a great defender but at 7-1 with a 7-5 wingspan he does pose certain challenges to the opposition. Namely that he is very hard to get a clean look over. Tim Duncan was bother by Pau’s length in route to a 42% shooting performance on 21 shots a night, most of which were right at the rim (because Pau is below par post position defender). The series before Carlos Boozer was held to 40% shooting and only 16ppg.

So far in the series Kevin Garnett is shooting just 36% through the first three games. Those numbers are even lower if you look past the first half of game one, since then KG has made just 16 of 53 shot attempts for 30% shooting. KG is actually taking 20.6 shot attempts a game in the Finals versus the 14 shots a game he took during the regular season. It’s a very important thing that Gasol has slowed KG down, especially since Gasol isn’t scoring enough himself (he needs to shoot more, only 10.6 shots a night).

In the first three rounds KG’s primary defender was 6-foot-9 (Smith, Wallace, McDyess), he was comfortably able to shoot over the top of that defenders in the post and the perimeter. He was always able to get a good look at the hoop. Pau’s length has limited that. Kevin is having to put the ball on the floor and use his quickness and ballhandling to get better shots. When he’s been aggressive and taken it to the hoop he’s been succesful but KG’s passive offensive ways keep creeping back into his game limiting how often he does that. The same thing can be said for KG’s post game. Gasol is also doing a very good job of staying on his feet and not biting on KG’s large number of pump fakes (he over uses pump fakes). He’s also done a good job as he has all season of avoiding fouling and keeping KG off the FT line (2.11 blocks per game versus 2.72 fouls in the postseason).

Basically, Kevin Garnett can score on Pau and can get good shots when he attacks him with intelligence. When he settles for shots he was taking against 6-9 defenders he’s having a more difficult time because Pau is able to get up and contest the jump shot.

It’ll be interesting to watch over the coming games … which KG shows up? If it’s this same one as the previous few games Gasol can continue defending him effectively.

NBA Finals Thoughts: Vujacic Chipping In

Nice write up from Hollinger, check it out

For the series, Vujacic has 36 points in 74 minutes; on a per-minute basis, he’s the team’s No. 2 scorer, trailing only Bryant.

Huge night in Game Three from Sasha Vujacic with 20 points on 7-10 shooting from the floor.

“I thought Vujacic was the key to the game,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. “He was aggressive, and he deserved what he got.”

“The Machine played like a machine,” Bryant said. “He’s gotten better as the season has gone on, not just being a spot-up shooter but being able to put the ball on the floor one or two bounces and taking a step back. He’s really developed into a well-rounded scorer.”

“He’s a little bit of a rock head,” Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. “That’s what we call him. He believes in himself very sincerely that he’s going to make the next one, and you have to be that way if you’re going to have the guts to go out there and do it.”

Hollinger adds

Vujacic’s impact on the offense can be seen in L.A.’s scoring totals. In the 27:36 he played, the Lakers scored 55 points; when he wasn’t on the court for the other 20:24, the Lakers mustered just 32 points. The latter is a 75.3 pace for a full game, the former 95.7 — that’s a 20-point swing.

NBA Finals Thoughts: House’s and Sam’s Shooting

Sam Cassell is shooting only 32.4% in the playoffs this season. Only 26.4% on his last 61 attempts from the field.

Eddie House is shooting only 25% from the floor in the playoffs.
Frankly I don’t expect either one of them to continue to shoot badly but it sure as heck isn’t making Doc’s life any easier. If just one of them could step and make a few shots they’d have the spot.

NBA Finals Thoughts: Who Should Be Frightened Post Game Three

Should the Lakers be frightened of Boston because despite the worst games of both KG and Pierce they were still in with a shout to win the game until the final waning moments?

Or should Boston be frightened because the Lakers won the game despite getting such below par contributions from all four of Kobe’s fellow starters?

I don’t know. Maybe it was just a wierd game that has absolutely not warning signs for the immediate future. Let’s wait and see.

NBA Finals Game Three: Los Angeles vs Boston

Must win for LA

• Lakers are 8-0 at home in the playoffs
• Kobe misses the opening shot, rebound Pau, pass out, back in to Radmanovic, Ray Allen blocks it on the way up
• Lovely pass by Rondo to Perk as Rondo cut through the lane after his post entry pass to KG on the left block
• Gasol 13 footer uncontested, rolls off, Odom gives away a cheap foul reaching in after Boston rebounded the ball. That was dumb.
• Ray misses a baselene J, rebound Odom, he pushes it up the middle of the floor, blocked layup by KG
• Rondo takes a wild layup miss, rebound LA, stolen by Ray on the outlet, 20 footer, miss, defensive rebound Odom, outlet to Kobe. Kobe pushes it up the right wing, drives right to the hoop, loses the ball, Gasol scurries over and snatches the loose ball, gets fouled on his layup. HIts 1 of 2.
• Radmanovic picks up a ticky tack foul on Pierce’s baseline drive. Another dumb foul. Dumb foul being an unneccessary foul that had no point and was down to an unintelligent play, usually after bad defense or ruining good defense.
• Garnett takes a 20 footer off the dribble miss, Gasol hits the boards, gets it
• Fisher on the drive to the hoop, layup, miss. Nice ball movement from LA. Fisher had a three and Gasol had a 12 footer. Passing up too many shots. Should have been easier than that in the end.
• Boston lead 2-1 after two and a half minutes
• Bryant post up left block, double from the top, spins baseline, reverse layup
• Garnett right wing, dribbles left, into the paint, layup, blocked by Odom on the help defense. Lakers push it up the other way, hit Radmanovic in the right corner on the break, hits the three
• Garnett throws a bad pass too high for Rondo’s cut, turnover
• Bryant got hit hard on the drive, no call, spills out for the long jump shot, miss, offensive rebound Kobe, fouled on the driving layup, hits two of two
• Garnett left wing 20 footer from Rondo, miss
• Kobe rebounds, pushes it up, Celtics get back, Kobe drives, Rondo is on him, reaches on the jumper, foul. Hits one of two.
• Bryant is defending Rondo and Fisher is on Ray Allen
• Lakers trying to force Rondo to stick with Kobe on the other end by pushing the ball up quickly before Ray can get across to Kobe. Cross mismatches
• Steal Derek Fisher, hard push, back to Kobe, fouled on the dunk attempt
• Timeout
• Kobe misses the first, misses the second. He lets Boston off the hook there. He’s 3-6 from the line to start the game.
• Rondo off the dribble, gets into the paint, fouled
• Gasol rebound out to Kobe, slow push, drives in anyway, has nowhere to go, throws it loose, Odom retrieves it
• Kobe in the paint, catch in the post, fadeaway, hacked by Rondo, no call
• Lakers turn it over on the break, Celtics get an open three pointer for Ray Allen, nails it
• Radmanovic misses the post. Odd shot for him.
• Odom gives up great position in the low post to Perk. Perk backs him down, Fisher doubles, easy pass, layup
• Kobe iso left wing, one dribble right, elevates, hits it
• Garnett right block, turnaround in the paint, miss, offensive rebound Perkins, Odom’s 2nd foul. Ronny Turiaf in. 5 minute mark in the first quarter.
• Pierce in the post left block, drives baseline, reverse layup heavily contested, miss, tap by Perk, miss, rebound Lakers
• Kobe near the top of the key, dribbles to the right, Ray pushes off, foul, Kobe hits two of two
• Kobe standing four feet off on Rondo every time
• Rondo drives inside, Kobe taps it loose, Fisher grabs the loose ball, transition, Fisher pops from 16 feet off the dribble, hits it
• Rondo makes Kobe pay for sagging off with a 18 footer. Kobe was 6 feet away from Rondo on that shot trying to stop the pass to KG
• Travel on Kobe, turnover
• Rondo high arc-er over Kobe, miss, tip by Ronny, spills to KG, out to Rondo, Rondo behind the back ball fake in the paint, then hits it back out to Posey for three, nails it
• Rondo loses Kobe on the screen and roll, floater in the lane, hits it
• Kobe drives into the paint, behind the back pass, Gasol dunk, blocked by KG. KG sprints the floor ahead of the pack, gets the ball, misses the dunk, taps it out, Posey dives on it, fouls Radmanovic, call goes the other way. That’s three on Rad-man.
• Timeout
• Lakers lead 17-14
• Pierce gets the roll on the second FT, makes both
• Vujacic bricks a three badly. Didn’t come close to hitting iron.
• Pierce loses the ball on the dribble, Perk quicker to it
• Pierce forces up a fallaway. Sasha Vujacic played superb defense on Paul Pierce on that possession. He’s happy to get into Pierce’s body and bang him, slap at his dribble, use his quickness to limit his penetration. Paul has to put his back to the basket and beat him down low.
• Cassell comes in. He hurt his wrist again in Game two. Let’s see how he shoots tonight.
• High screen and roll between Pierce and KG, Ronny helps out, bad spacing, Pierce doesn’t have the pass, down to PJ, PJ shoots the 13 footer, hits it
• Miss, Sam dribbles up, FT line J, nails it. Wrist must feel good.
• Turiaf low post, bangs away, turnaround J, miss
• Cassell shoots a three, miss, KG taps the ball to keep it alive, falls to Los Angeles
• Vujacic on the break in the corner, drives baseline, gets fouled, hits two of two.
• Final possession of the quarter. Boston will hold it for the final shot. Powe in. Rondo, Pierce, Posey, Sam.
• Posey just goal tended a free throw by LA after a lane violation. What the heck? Whistle was before the shot, doesn’t count. Okay. Vujacic hits the second.
• Rondo with a nice pass down low to Powe, blocked from behind by Farmer, Vujacic steps on the line as he grabs the loose ball. 1.3 seconds to play. Ray Allen comes in. Posey pops out, air balls a three
• 13-3 Celtics run to end the quarter

Second Quarter

• 20-20 Tie Game
• Lakers second unit hasn’t given them enough in the first two games. Let’s see how they play now. It’ll be interesting to see who’s out there with them. Phil should play Gasol and Odom. If he plays without both the Lakers will be in trouble. Let’s see.
• Kobe is playing with the second unit. Farmer and Vujacic. Ronny and Odom.
• Leon Powe steals a rebound from Odom, Odom fouls. Another dumb foul. Walton comes in off the bench for LA. Powe is going to kill Walton. Terrible matchup
• Cassell has to take it to beat the clock, high arc-er from 19 feet with Farmer in his face, miss
• Kobe drives inside, stops pulls up for the midrange shot just outside the paint, 12 footer, over PJ Brown, hits it
• Posey for three, way off
• Bryant drives to the rim again, fouled again, free throws again, hits two of two
• Powe low block, Kobe doubles, Powe has to kick it out, Ray gets it, Vujacic on him, Ray drives, gets the touch foul from Vujacic.
• Powe drives right, travels on the pivot as he picks up his dribble
• Luke Walton shot fake from the corner, drives, layup, miss
• Ray Allen right wing, pump fake, one dribble right, pull up from 15 feet, hits it
• Walton hits the cutting Farmer, layup
• Powe just smacked Walton in the chest with his elbow. That’s setting up post position.
• Powe with a nice roll to the hoop, gets the ball, Ronny helps, both guys go up hard, no fouls, tough shot, miss, Powe keeps it alive out of bounds
• Lovely ball movement by LA, everybody made a touch pass, Vujacic wide open three top of the key, hits it
• KG left block, doubled by Kobe, kickout, back inside, quick turnaround J over Turiaf, miss, rebound Farmer, PJ lands his shoulder right into him, then hacks Farmer as he tries to dribble. Foul. PJ fronting up on the point guard puffing out his chest like a hard man (he is but stop picking on the midget alright). Farmer thinks about, thinks better of it. Kobe and Sasha run over to calm it down. PJ’s already turned around. Refs quick to stamp it out. Some heat.
• TImeout
• Walton passes up the three, looks to drive, realizes KG is on him, brings it back out, looks at the shot clock, has to take it, hard dribble left, fallaway baseline, miss, air ball
• KG right block, fouled on his pass out of the post on Turiaf
• Walton is defending PJ Brown now
• Gasol coming in for Ronny Turiaf now. 8 minutes to play. Ronny will be back in a few minutes.
• Ray off a curl screen, three pointer, nails it
• Farmer hand off from Gasol on the cut in the low post, layup as he jumps into PJ, miss
• Garnett 20 footer, miss, he’s 0-7. That won’t last
• Kobe in transition, Celtics get back, doesn’t matter, layup left handed, beautiful. Nice hesitation dribble against Posey, crossover from the FT line, lefty over KG
• Offensive foul on PJ Brown, moving screen
• Farmer hits a three, nice pass from Gasol
• Turnover PJ Brown
• Farmer is pumping up his teammates, he’s in a zone right now. Very competitive play.
• Walton misses a layup inside
• Ray Allen on the break, alley oop to KG, dunk, that was Walton’s fault for missing the layup
• Timeout Phil
• Walton is making so many mistakes all over the court in the Finals. Celtics are a really bad matchup for him. He’s becoming very hesitant on his shots, keeps passing up easier looks.
• Pump fake Sasha, dribbles left, takes the 20 footer, hits it over Perk
• Turiaf back in, he’s on KG
• KG left block, turnaround over Ronny, miss, Gasol and Perk fight for the board, out of bounds off Perk
• Vujacic takes a 19 footer off the bounce over Ray, nails it, 10 points in 9 minutes
• Pierce’s shot blocked by Walton, Celtics keep possession, back to Pierce, left wing, drives left, uses the rim to protect himself from the block, reverse layup. Great play by Pierce. Lakers have no answer to that, keep doing that.
• KG wraps his arms around Turiaf, fouls him needlessly
• 4 minutes to play in the first half
• Kobe left elbow extended 18 feet out, dribble left, pull up, hits it
• Pierce air balls a three
• Rondo forced to stick with Kobe in transition, all back, Rondo still on Kobe, fights the pass, Kobe gets it right wing three point line, backs him down, Celtics triple team, Kobe spins baseline, fouled by Rondo
• Gasol fouled inside. Misses the first, misses the second. They’re 11-18 from the line tonight.
• KG passes up the 19 footer, passes up the 15 footer, nice pass to Perk, dunk
• Pierce reaches in on Gasol, foul, that’s three on Pierce, they’re in the penalty.
• TImeout
• Gasol hits the first, misses the second
• Rondo misses a fadeaway 17 footer. Gotta go up straight young fella.
• Posey smacks Kobe, gets away with it, tech on Kobe, Ray misses. That tech stopped a fastbreak. Some bright side there for LA. Kobe has 3 techs for the playoffs, no danger of suspensions for total techs
• Lakers lead 41-31 with 2:30 to play
• Garnett trapped hard, forced out, passes over the top, Celtics keep swinging the ball, Posey gets free, drives inside, fouled on the layup. Posey hits both.
• Lakers miss inside, Kobe keeps the rebound alive, jumps on it again, forces Posey to run out of bounds trying to save the ball. No easy boards.
• Vujacic corner three off the one dribble step back over Ray Allen, hits it, foot was on the line, two pointer
• Fisher fouls off the ball. Ray to the FT line, the Lakers are in the penalty too. Ray misses the first, makes the second.
• Garnett doubles Gasol in the post on the spin move, Gasol tries to pass out, intercepted easily. Very poor pass.
• Garnett travels as he passes up the 18 footer. Just keep shooting big fella, they’ll drop.
• High screen and roll Fisher and Gasol, layup Gasol, miss, taps it, Celtics knock it out of bounds, Lakers ball
• Pierce and KG have combined for four points on 2-16 shooting
• Gasol misses a turnaround in the post, bad shot, he was never in control, never balanced on that attempt
• Ray hits another three. He has 12 points now
• Kobe holds up the ball, drives inside, fouled, misses two of two
• 6 seconds on the clock. Eddie House checks in for Perk.
• Celtics outlet the ball, watch the shooters floating to the corner on Rondo’s penetration, Rondo pushes it right down the middle of the floor, none of the Lakers help, forced into a tough floater over Kobe, miss

Halftime

• 2-16 four points from KG and Pierce. Hard to win when two of your big three are misfiring.
• Lakers lead 43-37
• Lakers have thoroughly and completely outplayed the Celtics yet they haven’t been able to build any seperation. That’s a bad sign. The Celtics are a great team for sticking in games when they’re not playing well. Their rebounding, defense and multitude of scoring options allows them to stay within shooting distance.
• Lakers are 12-22 from the free throw line. That’s 55%. That’s awful. You’d think those days would be beyond LA since Shaq left town. Kobe has 5 of those 10 misses. Pau has four of those misses. Kobe is 7-12, Gasol is 2-6
• Some Team Stats – Celtics winning the battle on the boards 26-20 and 6-3 on the offensive boards. The Celtics have 9 more shots, although LA has 15 more FTs which is about 7 shots. The Celtics have 11 assists on 14 made shots, shooting only 33% though on 14-43 shooting. They’re 4-9 from three (Ray 3-3) and 5-7 from the line. The Lakers have 8 assists on 14 made shots, shooting 41% on 14-34 from the floor, 12-22 from the line and 3-5 from three. Combined blocks/steals is 10-6 Boston. Boston have 8 turnovers costing them 9 points. The Lakers have 4 turnovers costing them 8 points.
• The tempo of the game has very much favoured Los Angeles. They’ve done a much better job of pushing the basketball and getting some fastbreak opportunities.
• The Lakers have blown a lot of opportunities. There were a lot of missed layups and missed free throws. Lakers could easily be up 15-17 points if they made most of those.
• Ray Allen has 12 points and is by far Boston’s best scorer. Yet he’s only fourth in shot attempts. KG has 9 shots, Pierce and Rondo have 7 apiece, Ray has 4.
• Kobe Bryant is leading LA with 19 points on 6-10 shooting and 7-12 from the line
• Vujacic has been supporting scoring cast with 12 points. Gasol hasn’t made a field goal and has only two points. Odom hasn’t scored and has only played 7 minutes. Fisher has only 2 points. Radmanovic only 3 points. Walton and Turiaf both scoreless. Farmer has 5 points to be their third scorer. Lakers are going to be in trouble if they can’t get some scoring from the starters outside of Kobe. They will have a scoring drought if they don’t get those scoring right at the start of the half.
• Paul Pierce needs to get his head in gear. He’s been able to get to the rim whenever he drives hard. Do that more often and you’re golden.

Second Half – Third Quarter

• Garnett off the dribble, runner off the bank, god, brick. That was a 6-3 player’s shot. That’s something you see Farmer do. What was that?
• Rondo gets the offensive rebound, falls over, travels, then is fouled, they call the travel first
• Odom in the paint, nice pass from Fisher, Odom loses it, turnover, fastbreak the other way, Rondo falls over on the pass, Mark Jackson thinks it’s a sprained ankle
• House in for Rondo
• Ray with a nice cut, layup
• Kobe passes up the three at the top of the key, drives left, spins on the elbow, floater right handed from 14 feet, hits it
• Pierce on the drive, fouled on the pass
• Perkins fouled inside before the pass, collects the pass, steadies himself, hits the layup, gets the continuation. That’s ridiculous. Lakers starting to foul needlessly again. At least Perk misses the free throw.
• Fisher misses again, defensive rebound, Lakers don’t get back, outlet, Ray takes it to the hoop from the right wing, scores the layup
• Perkins blocks Bryant, Bryant keeps possession, drives, fouled by Perk
• Mild right ankle sprain for Rondo. He walked off the court fine. Just take some tape. Yeah here he comes.
• Rondo sits for a bit
• Eddie House deflects a pass into the backcourt, Fisher saves it, dives on it, throws it away to Odom before he can be tied up, Odom from 32 feet, miss, offensive rebound Bryant
• Ariza is on the floor now, takes a long J, hits it
• KG iso left wing, quick first step, blows by Gasol, fouled on the dunk attempt. KG misses the first, looks at the ball like it betrayed him, puzzled by that miss, makes the second
• Bryant’s pass stolen by House
• Pierce misses a three on the break, tap out by KG, tap by House, Pierce retrieves it. Celtics get back in their offense, House nails a three from the top of the key
• Fisher misses a long two, KG gets his 11th board
• Ray gets Gasol on the switch, runs to the rim, back out baseline, hand off from the post, 14 footer, miss
• Kobe throws another bad pass, turnover, trying to lob it inside to Gasol on the break
• KG left block, right hook in the lane
• Gasol pass fake, dribbles left in the paint between four defenders, loses the ball. Dumb plays here.
• Pierce inside, kickout to KG, 20 footer, Celtics 12-2 run to take the lead
• Boston lead 51-49
• Kobe goes iso mode, drives on Pierce, draws the foul, on the spin into the paint. That’s four on Paul.
• Ray loses Ariza on the high screen and roll, knocks down another three
• Timeout Phil Jackson
• 15-3 Celtics run
• Spacing has been a lot better since Eddie House entered the game. Quick passing, movement and the threat of a perimeter shooter.
• Ariza’s lack of playing time with Gasol is really showing. They have no understanding of where to move when they’re passing to each other.
• Odom down in the paint, hook shot
• Ariza falls over on the three, bad shot, looked a bit shaken there
• Perkins slowly backs down Odom, right hook, hits it
• Odom 18 footer over KG, miss
• Ariza needs to be taken off the floor
• Ariza saves a loose pass that should have been a turnover, layup, he bailed out Farmer there, Farmer jumped up with nowhere to go
• Garnett hits the 20 footer with Gasol in his face
• Celtics lead 58-54 with 2 mintues to play
• Lovely pass by Kobe Bryant to Odom, layup, Kobe’s first assist
• Ray Allen hit on a three point attempt by Kobe, Ray hits three of three
• Kobe Bryant hit on the drive again, no call again, hits off the spin move in the paint, very tough shot
• Garnett left block, fallaway, great defense, miss, offensive rebound, travel, not called
• Timeout
• PJ Brown got fouled, missed the first, hits the second. Celtics up four with a minute plus left in the third.
• Gasol spins right hook in the paint
• PJ Brown misses the layup while he was looking for the shot blocking Lamar Odom
• Layup Lamar Odom, miss
• Celtics hold it for the final shot, Ray trying to create off the dribble, gets some space, draws the help, over to PJ, miss at the buzzer
• Celtics got four offensive boards and created four turnovers (7 points), that was big

Fourth Quarter

• Celtics lead 62-60
• That was good for LA to get Odom and Gasol a hoop in the third quarter. Pity they couldn’t have gotten 2-3 hoops but at least they got them off the mark. They’ll be more comfortable offensively in the fourth after that.
• Vujacic opens the fourth with a three, Lakers take the lead
• Ray Allen responds from the right corner with a three of his own, great screen by Brown to pick off Kobe, Ray completely lost Kobe. Wide open look. Ray is 5-5 from three.
• Kobe misses the fadeaway from 18 feet on the right baseline
• Another offensive rebound for Boston, House misses the three on the next shot
• House and Powe pick up quick fouls. That’s two team fouls.
• Odom down low in the paint, draws the help, kickout, open three top of the key Farmer, miss
• Bryant deflects the pass out of bounds, baseline inbound pass, PJ seals Turiaf, gets fouled on the catch. Foul on the floor.
• Pierce iso left wing on Bryant, face up J, miss from 19 feet
• Doc Rivers hasn’t gone back to Rondo
• Offensive foul, charging foul on Odom, that’s four on Lamar. Powe flopped like normal on those charges.
• High pick and roll, Pierce drives inside, passes to Powe, fouled, he misses the first, hits the second
• Celtics lead 66-63
• Bryant fouled again on the drive. That’s three team fouls. 9 minutes to play. Kobe misses the first, makes the second.
• Offensive foul on Pierce, that’s five fouls on Paul. Good D by Farmer. Pierce knocked over the little fella with his shoulder.
• Timeout
• Sasha misses the three, ball out of bounds of Posey, Boston ball.
• Turiaf knocks the post pass out of bounds, good D
• KG spins to the baseline, hook shot falling out of bounds, air ball, great defense
• Foul on the pass, that’s four team fouls. They’ll be in the penalty the rest of the way. 8:20 to play.
• Vujacic foot on the line, hits from 23 feet over PJ Brown right wing
• 66-66 Tie Game
• Hand off KG to Posey, baseline, layup attempt, foul
• Rondo enters the game for House
• Bryant on the drive, misses the layup, tap by Gasol, rolls off the rim, Posey comes up with it
• Garnett doubled as the clock expires, gets it up, misses, over the top of the backboard, Lakers got lucky there since they had no rebounders in the paint to fight Boston
• 7:15 to play. Boston lead 68-66
• Rondo/Pierce/Ray/KG/PJ
• Kobe/Fisher/Vujacic/Walton/Gasol
• Walton drives baseline, spins back towards the middle, defense collapses, Kobe wide open three from the top of the key, hits it, Lakers lead
• Alley oop to KG, taps it up instead of catching the ball, miss, smacks Gasol in the face on the defensive rebound, no call
• Foul, Lakers hit two at the line
• Pierce loses Kobe, makes a bad pass, stolen by Odom, Odom brings it up, Kobe calls for it, head fake, drives hard, fouled by Pierce. Makes two of two. He has 18 FTs tonight.
• Pass to KG, deflected by Odom, moving screen by KG, no call, Ray misses at the buzzer, offensive rebound and putback Rajon Rondo
• Odom drives baseline on the right wing, reverse layup over KG, miss, tip Gasol good
• 5 minutes
• Pierce to KG, KG passes it up, passes it out, Ray three, miss, Odom rebounds and saves the ball
• Odom hop step in the paint stripped by Pierce
• Pierce spinning inside, misses the lefty layup off the bottom of the backboard. Pierce was flat out of control on that break.
• Lakers push it up, both teams out of control right now, nobody running with Vujacic
• Timeout Lakers
• Odom misses the jam, another offensive rebound Gasol, layup. Great move by Odom, he started at the top of the key, beat KG with the quick first step, dribbled hard left, spun back right, lost KG
• Lakers lead 77-70 with 4 minutes remaining
• Foul off the ball. That’s the fourth team foul
• High screen and roll between Pierce and KG, Pierce drives into the paint, gets fouled and the roll, three point play. Nope he missed the free throw
• Eddie House is back in the game
• Kobe trapped 40 feet out, he gives it up, Fisher open in the corner, miss, ball bounces right back out to him, pass inside to Gasol, fouled, he’ll shoot two, misses the first, hits the second. He has 9 points and is only 3-8 from the line.
• Foul on Kobe on Pierce’s pass. Kobe reached too much. KG moving screen there again and he held Kobe back too.
• 3:22 to play
• Pierce makes two FTs
• Lakers lead 78-74
• Celtics very much still in this. They’ll be very tough to beat because they will get stops.
• Gasol fouled hard, no call. PJ had his arm locked around Gasol’s shooting elbow.
• Kobe didn’t touch the ball on that possession.
• KG low post left block, hits the hook in the post
• Vujacic misses a three, Kobe gave up that ball softly on that soft trap
• Ray rebounds
• Eddie House takes the pull up jumper from 16 feet, miss, rebound Gasol, to Bryant
• Garnett runs out to trap Bryant, pass to Odom top of the key, to Vujacic in the left corner, three pointer
• Celtics miss again in the paint, good shot, rebound Gasol, passes it out to Fisher, Fisher turns on the gas, runs coast-to-coast and gets hammered. He makes the first FT, swish, haven’t seen many FTs that smooth tonight, I might have just jinxed him, he makes the second
• Timeout Doc Rivers
• Boston have one timeout left after this
• 1:33 to play
• Lakers lead 83-76, they’re up 7
• Inbounds to Ray, high screen and roll, pass to KG, dunk. Both Lakers ran after Ray to take away the three. That play took only 5 seconds
• Lakers milk the clock, no trap, Bryant dribbles it down, takes the 20 footer pull up J, hits it from the top of the key
• Pierce on the drive and kick to Eddie in the right corner, hits the three
• Lakers lead 85-81
• Kobe milks the clock again, dribbles inwards, shot fake at the elbow, gets Ray off his feet, Ray manages to avoid molesting him on the way down, Kobe open look from 15 feet, hits it
• Timeout Boston
• Ray Allen played excellent defense on those two last possessions. Great offense beats great defense, that’s all that happened there.
• 38 seconds to play
• Celtics down 6
• Ariza in now, bad move, he’s been getting lost on screens all night, he’s defending the inbounds pass, making life hell for POsey, Posey gets it in, House takes a long two, miss, offensive rebound, Celtics dribble it, getting organized, offensive foul on KG. Moving screen.
• 21 seconds to play
• Offensive foul on Odom for pushing off
• 6.7 seconds to play Boston ball

Lakers get the win they desperately needed. Game Four big swing game, looking forward to it.

Some Stats

• Battle of the boards very even at 45-44 Boston with a 14-9 offensive rebounds edge. The Celtics did however miss 15 extra shots which muddies that a bit.
• The Lakers outside of Kobe and Vujacic shot a miserable 28%
• Kobe Bryant was the player of the game with 36 points on 12-20 shooting, 1-2 from three, and 11-18 from the FT line. Oddly enough he had one assist, he wasn’t creating a whole lot of easy opportunities directly tonight but if the Lakers had of made their shots he easily would have had 5 dimes. Kobe also chipped in with 7 rebounds and 2 steals.
• Vujacic was the supporting player of the game dropping 20 points on 7-10 shooting, 3-5 from behind the arc, 3-4 from the line while adding in four rebounds and one assist. Great work.
• Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett stunk up the joint shooting a terrible 8-35. KG was 6-21 for 13 points while PIerce was 2-14 for 6 points. Garnett did have 12 boards, 5 assists, and 3 blocks though. Only two of those rebounds came after halftime though with Gasol of all people coming down with several big rebounds down the stretch.
• Which brings us to Gasol He had four huge rebounds in the final minutes of the fourth quarter. Two offensive rebounds and putbacks and two big defensive boards in traffic over Celtic players. He struggled tonight with only 9 points, shooting only 3-8 from the line and just 3-9 from the field. He did have 12 rebounds and two assists. The big plays down the stretch were key for LA winning that game.
• Ray Allen led Boston with 25 points on 8-13 shooting, 5-7 from three, 4-6 from the line. Despite being Boston’s only consistent scorer he finished with the only the third most shots and recieved on two shots in the crucial fourth quarter. Ray also had four boards. Ray played very good defense against Kobe, Kobe just made shots.
• Bench scoring – 29 points for LA, 21 points for Boston. Lakers bench also chipped in with 12 rebounds and 9 assists while Boston had 14 boards and 4 assists. Farmer played well with 5 points, four rebounds and five dimes.
• James Posey had a very strong game for Boston. His hustle was incredible; getting deflections, contested rebounds, and loose balls all over the floor. He chipped in with 9 points and 7 rebounds playing a very good game. He also played some good defense on Kobe Bryant.
• Rajon Rondo had a bad game. Only 8 points and 4 dimes in 22 minutes. Doc benched him for Eddie once the team responded well to House. Perkins had 8 points, 6 boards, 3 steals, 2 blocks and 1 assist. The Lakers duo of Fisher and Radmanovic played below par too so no real damage done.
• The Lakers staters outside of Kobe Bryant were poor. Fisher had only 6 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist on 1-6 shooting. Radmanovic had four fouls and three rebounds in 13 minuts. Lamar Odom played only 7 minutes in the first half due to foul trouble; finished with 28 minutes, 9 rebounds, 4 dimes, a block and a steal, 5 fouls and 4 points. He made a couple of big plays down the stretch but was mostly a disgrace offensively. His rebounding was huge. Pau Gasol with only 9 points struggled too.
• The Lakers had 17 assists on 30 field goals out of 69 attempts for 44%. They also shot 6-14 from three and only 21-34 from the FT line. The Celtics had 19 assists on 29 field goals out of 83 attempts (14 more shot attempts) for 35%.
• Both teams had 13 turnovers. The Lakers turnovers cost them 19 points, Boston’s 11 points.
• Combined blocks/steals was 16-10 Boston
• Boston had 28 fouls called on them versus 23 for Los Angeles.

NBA Finals Thought: Odom Confused

Here’s what Phil Jackson had to say about Lamar’s second straight below par performance and limited minutes:

“Well, Lamar got confused out there tonight, and that was difficult for him,” Jackson said. “Situations that got him into foul trouble and little offensive sequences that, rather than just taking a shot or making the right play, looked like he was a confused player out there at times. We’ll try to get that straightened out.”

Odom seemed to concede to Jackson’s opinion.

“That’s what Coach says,” Odom said. “What Coach says, Coach says.”

Lamar has to get his head in the game. They need his rebounding desperately and also need that consistent third scorer at around 14-16 points. He has to up his level of performance in a hurry.

NBA Finals Thoughts: Interesting Stats

Celtics:
45 perimeter shots
23 shots in the key

38 free throws

Lakers:
42 perimeter shots
41 shots in the key

10 free throws

Leon Powe 14 minutes – 13 free throws.

Los Angeles Lakers – 240 minutes – 10 free throws

NBA Finals Thoughts: The Numbers Game

I said before the Finals that I believed the Lakers supporting cast would outscore the Celtics consistently and in at least 5 of the 7 games. So let’s have a look at where they are after two games:

Game One: Lakers 35 Celtics 33

Game Two: Lakers 45 Celtics 46

Very even in both of the first two games. Most of the Celtics supporting cast scoring is coming from the Big Three, the Lakers over-helping defenese and dumb fouls … Leon Powe’s 21 points in particular.

Now let’s look at the Big Three of either side. I thought the Celtics Big Three would need to outscore the Lakers 7-10 points a night to win.:

Game One: Boston 65 Lakers 53

Game Two: Boston 62 Lakers 57

Something to keep track of as the series switches over to Los Angeles

NBA Finals Thoughts: Lakers Defense Game Two

Anybody want to take a stab at what team’s defense the Lakers looked like?

Well let’s see ….. Scrambling, overzealous help, leaving the middle open, reaching and fouling unneccessarily. Hmmm … That sounds an awful lot like the Denver Nuggets to me.

The Los Angeles Lakers needs to calm down. They’re making horrible decisions defensively and getting caught out of position for too often. Go back and stick to your man-to-man defense. Pierce killed you more today with his passing than he did Cleveland in Game 7 in the second round. KG will score roughly the same regardless of whether you double him or not. Rondo had 16 assists on penetration because every time he caught the ball he had an open lane into the paint. Then there’s Ray Allen. Then there’s Leon Powe who is killing the Lakers inside as their defense gets caught out of position. The Lakers need to go back to hard nosed man-to-man defense. The Celtics have some matchups, they’re just going to have to let that be because this is hurting them more.

NBA Finals Game Two: Boston vs Los Angeles

All the talk is about the injuries to Perkins and Pierce. I think they’ll both be fine. Odom sat out practice the other day but I expect him to be fine as well.

• Offensive foul Perkins
• Turnover, steal Kobe Bryant, fastbreak, pull up J from 16, miss, offensive rebound, kickout, drive and dish, swing the ball, lovely pass to Odom in the middle of the lane, dunk
• Pierce nails a three
• Pierce draws two quick fouls on Radmanovic inside of 10 seconds with 10 minutes still to play. Trevor Ariza joins the action. This will be interesting, he’s on PIerce. Pierce gets a high screen and roll on the left wing, loses Ariza, pull up from 16 feet, miss
• Celtics turn it over again, that’s their third turnover, steal Gasol, ahead to Fisher, pull up from 18 feet extended elbow, hits it
• Goaltend on Garnett’s block on Gasol. Nice move from Pau, low swing and drive left off the elbow, layup
• Pierce gets the foul and the layup on Ariza
• Gasol spin move baseline, dunk over KG
• Offensive foul KG. That was a frustration foul with his shoulder for the previous dunk. Tech on KG now.
• Ariza 17 footer, miss, tip by Odom, good
• Lakers lead 15-8
• Odom and Gasol leading the charge. The Lakers as a unit very aggressive on the backboards.
• KG with a step back jumper, nails it
• Kobe fallaway off the dribble against three, miss, defensive rebound KG, long outlet, up ahead to Ray in the corner, shot fake, gets to the rim, hits the layup
• Ariza gets the quick swing. Luke Walton in now. And Luke picks up a 24 second violation for pump faking a decent look from 16 feet.
• KG low post, spin move, layup
• Luke Walton seals Pierce, nice pass, backdoor, layup
• Foul on the pass, their fourth team foul, LA that is, foul on Fisher on Pierce’s drive and dish. Dumb foul.
• Ray Allen runs the baseline, left corner, three pointer, hits it
• Foul off the ball on Ray as Kobe looks to post him
• Fisher long two off Kobe’s posts up
• Kobe fouls Ray off the ball. They’re in the penalty now. Great stuff. Every one of the 5 Lakers fouls were unneccessary and dumb. One of the reasons LA lost Game One was lazy reach in fouls which gifted the Celtics too many FTs.
• KG’s pass out of the post intercepted
• Offensive foul on Kobe, that’s two
• Garnett misses another jumper, good look though, Gasol didn’t get up on it
• Odom misses a driving runner over KG
• KG low block, doesn’t get anything, Garnett low post, doubled, kick out, ball movement finds KG at the buzzer, hits it
• Powe comes in for KG
• Boston lead 20-19 with 44 seconds remaining
• Offensive foul on Odom, crap call, Powe is a diver
• Powe drives baseline, gets the foul, crap call, that’s two on Odom. That’s a terrible call. Feet still, hands up. Powe created all the contact. Garbage. Lakers getting the treatment right now. Life’s going to be difficult for Gasol. He’s going to have to stay out here and lead the second unit while Odom and Kobe bide their time.
• Farmer three pointer. They needed that
• Ray Allen at the buzzer from three, in and out, unlucky
• Posey breaks up the play, Lakers turn it over
• Sam Cassell goes into the post, fallaway, blocked, Cassell steals it from Ariza, Ariza fouls as he dives on the loose ball.
• Powe spin move off the post,gets fouled, misses the shot in the paint. That’s two quick team fouls. 11:21 to play. Lakers will be in the penalty again.
• Ariza gets a hand on the offensive rebound off Sasha’s miss, doesn’t get hold of it
• PJ Brown knocks down the 17 footer top of the key
• Foul on PJ Brown
• Way too many ticky tacky calls right now. It’s starting to seriously bug me.
• Posey deflects Walton’s pass, steal, block by Turiaf. Foul on Turiaf after the block for falling on Powe. Crap call.
• Lakers travel, turnover
• Powe draws another foul, spin move off the post, Walton fouls him. That was a foul. Now the Lakers are in the penalty. Powe has 8 FTs in 3 minutes.
• Farmer throws up a wild shot miss
• Pierce stops at the three point line on the break, shoots it, makes it
• Celtics on a 10-0 run
• Timeout Lakers
• Bryant shoulder fake, hits over Posey on the right wing from 18 feet
• Foul off the ball, offensive foul on Pierce
• Radmanovic, Odom and Kobe back in for LA. Farmer and Turiaf there too.
• Celtics ball as the ball slips out of Kobe’s hands
• Garnett getting ready to check back in
• Posey knocks down the open three off the cheating Lakers defense. They went down on the left block to double PIerce
• Odom scores down in the paint with a little hook as he saves Radmanovic’s deflected pass
• Radmanovic tips Pierce’s pass, right to Powe, putback, cheat ticky tack call, Powe back to the line. Another foul on LA.
• Powe has 8 points and 9 FTs in 5 minutes
• Bryant fadeaway out of the post, hits it
• Bryant with Powe in his face from 20 feet, nails it
• Lakers have weathered this storm here. They now need to get a firm foot back in the game.
• Fisher strips Garnett, gets called for a foul, slapped across the arm.
• Gasol finishes in the paint, finishes with his left hand over KG, gets hit by KG, gets knocked to the floor, no call
• Foul off the ball on Powe in the backcourt
• Kobe has a 18 footer bounce three times and rolls off the rim
• Perkins fouled on the finish inside, hits the layup, foul on Gasol, Timeout, Perk hits the FT
• Celtics lead 41-32 with 5:40 remaining
• Lakers got to get this below 7
• Bryant misses a three over KG, Gasol tips it, miss, Odom tips it in
• Garnett throws a bad alley oop pass to Perkins
• Bryant misses a fadeaway, Radmanovic keeps it alive, taps it again in between Perk and KG, KG takes it, outlet pass, almost stolen, missed by Bryant.
• Loose ball foul on Perkins
• 15-1 FTs advantage for Boston
• Radmanovic and Gasol work the screen and roll, Pierce switches on Gasol, Gasol in the post, spin move, fouled, layup, hits the FT too. Celtics lead 41-37 with 4 plus to play. Good Laker run to cut that 10 point lead
• Pierce’s pass almost intercepted, Ray smacks it out one handed to avoid Kobe stealing it
• Timeout Doc Rivers
• KG and LA trade misses
• Pierce long three pointer as Radmanovic cheats off, hits it
• Rondo fouls Gasol, not called
• Ray hits a three on the break
• The Refs are absolutely killing the Lakers right now. I hardly ever say anything about referees but it’s been awful. They’re letting the Celtics get away with everything defensively and calling fouls on LA for doing the exact same thing.
• Timeout Lakers
• Celtics lead 47-37. They’ve built back up their 10 point lead.
• Pierce’s pass kicked out of bounds
• Kobe on the break, goes up in the air, nowhere to go, throws it out, Radmanovic runs it down, three pointer
• Foul off the ball on Bryant. That’s three. He ran through the screen and knocked over the screener. 2 mintues to play in the half. Pierce makes the first, makes the second.
• Gasol inside left hand hook shot over PJ Brown. He’s 6-6 from the field now.
• Pierce jumps into Radmanovic’s body, hits the jumper
• Rondo blocks Radmanovic, outlet pass Garnett, dunk
• Gasol misses the right hand hook. Good shot, just missed.
• Pierce spinning into the lane, miss, offensive rebound Rondo
• Rondo stripped by Fisher, that’s three fouls on Fisher as he’s called for the foul. Badly misses the first, hits the second.
• Celtics up a dozen
• Fisher dribbles it down, half is about to end, Gasol misses the short hook, gets the rebound, gets hit, not called, halftime
• Halftime
• Celtics lead 54-42
• Some Team Stats – Lakers winning 19-17 on the boards including 7-3 offensive boards. The Lakers have 8 more shot attempts, they have 8 assists on 19 makes, shooting 46%, 2-5 from three and 2-2 from the line. The Celtics have 15 assists on 17 makes, shooting 52%, 6-9 from three, 14-19 from the line. Those 19 free throws are 9 extra possessions, shot attempts. That’s where the difference lies. The Lakers have 8 turnovers costing them 13 points. The Celtics have 7 turnovers costing them 7 points. Combined blocks/steals is 5-4 Boston.
• Right now dumb fouls is killing LA. It’s the single largest reason they’re in a hole.
• Paul Pierce has been the star of the half with 16 points and 6 assists. He was creating everything offensively. He was the guy that forced the help defense to rotate and began the Celtics ball movement. He’s the reason they have 15 assists on 17 makes.

Second Half – Third Quarter

• Gasol has a right hook go in and out, miss
• Ray baseline J, miss, offensive rebound Perkins, Ray gets another attempt out of the corner, hits it. Pierce created that with his dribble penetration. Lakers jumping at every pump fake.
• Fisher misses a wide open three
• Nice feed down low to Perk, hammered.
• Odom knocks down the 17 footer
• Kobe short arms a 16 footer off the bounce, good look
• KG misses another, offensive reboudnd and save by Perk, Pierce on the driving jumper, miss, Odom rebounds
• Kobe Bryant spins into the lane, hits the layup, tech on Bryant. He wanted the call and voiced his complaint.
• Why is Fisher playing Rondo full court?
• Bad pass by Pierce, steal Fisher, foul by Ray to stop the layup. Sideline ball.
• KG blocks Odom’s jam after the nice pass by Gasol
• Pierce hits the three
• Foul off the ball by Perkins after the shot. Celtics up 16. They’re 7-10 from downtown.
• Radmanovic knocks down a three
• PJ Brown hits the baseline J off of Rondo’s drive and dish
• Gasol misses a layup
• Ray Allen in and out, Garnett rebounds, saves it, Lakers steal it, Rondo fouls in the open court
• Radmanovic bricks a three. Dumb shot. Contested shot.
• Garnett blocked. Gets the call from the refs again.
• Timeout
• Bryant hits a banked on the drive
• Rondo to the hole, fouled hard by Odom, makes 1 of 2
• Ray fouls Kobe, they’re in the penalty, Kobe to the line, hits two
• Offensive foul on Rondo, turnover, pushed off
• Lovely ball movement by LA. Screen and roll by Gasol-Kobe, Kobe trapped, over to Odom, touch pass to Gasol, dunk
• Pierce misses the 16 footer, offensive rebound KG, layup
• Kobe hits the 16 footer off the screen and drive
• Rondo misses a 21 footer in the corner
• Gasol knocks down the 15 footer. The lead is down to single digits.
• Timeout Boston
• Pierce gets in the paint, misses the runner, defensive rebound, outlet, Kobe slows it down, why? He had numbers on the break.
• Odom drives into the paint, his pass on the run is stolen by Ray, Ray loses it out of bounds as Odom pressures him
• Radmanovic takes another dumb contested shot
• Pierce gets the runner as Radmanovic makes a dumb play defensively. Cheating off his man and left Pierce all alone.
• Radmanovic turnover. Bad pass.
• Radmanovic dumb defensive play again. He left Pierce to run off a screen, cheated over the top, gave him the baseline, didn’t contest the pass, layup.
• Those four plays by Radmanovic were disgusting. The space cadet in full motion right now. Well Radmanovic you killed your team’s momentum and gifted the Celtics the opportunity to regain their footing.
• Kobe misses a bad shot
• Luke Walton bricks a jumper
• Ray in the corner, three pointer, good
• Celtics up 18 points
• Kobe alley oop pass to Pau, too high, turnover, fastbreak, Rondo to Powe, layup, 20 point game. 11-0 run all started by Radmanovic.
• Timeout
• Offensive foul on Odom. That’s five. PJ Brown takes the foul.
• 1 minute to go in the third
• Ray quick J, miss
• Vujacic saves Walton’s bad pass, throws it to Ray Allen, fastbreak, dunking Powe
• Sasha step back J, nails it
• Pierce holds it for the final shot, gets the double team from 30 feet, to Rondo, Rondo ball fake, drives, behind his back to Powe, dunk

Fourth Quarter

• This is over. We’ll run it a bit and see if LA can make a quick run. They need it below 15 with 8 minutes to play to have the slimmest of hopes.
• Defensive rebound Kobe, pushes it, Farmer for three right wing, hits it
• Powe gets the layup on a drive. That was all about Luke Walton’s terrible defense. There was no reason to pressure Powe like that 19 feet from the rim with the shot clock rolling down. Gifted the basket to Powe.
• Rondo throws up a falling shot to beat the buzzer, offensive rebound, Rondo inside, nice behind the back pass to Powe, fouled inside.
• Bryant alley oop to Turiaf. Twice now.
• Garnett knocks down the 15 footer off the elbow
• Farmer three pointer off the dribble over KG
• Garnett 20 footer, miss, offensive rebound Powe, fouled for absolutely no reason. 14 feet from the rim. Farmer was just in a bad mood and slapped at Powe.
• 9 minutes to play.
• Rondo to KG, 15 footer left elbow this time, hits it
• Rondo has 15 assists
• Vujacic blows a jumper, Kobe deflects KG’s outlet pass out of bounds. Still Celtics ball.
• Timeout
• That’ll do it. This is over.
• Leon Powe just dribbled down the middle of the floor. Nobody bothered to stop the ball. Dunk
• Both teams just trading baskets and misses right now. The lead is steady. The game is over
• 96-78 Celtics lead with 6 minutes to play
• 20-7 run by LA to pull it within 11 with 3 plus remaining. Not much hope but it’s still on.
• Back to back turnovers spurring Radmanovic dunk and assist for three. Lakers make another 12-2 run.
• It’s a four point game with a minute left
• Rondo misses a 17 footer, rebound Bryant, fouled by Pierce, they’re in the penalty. Bryant knocks down two.
• There’s 38.4 seconds to play in the game. The Celtics lead by 2. Celtics ball.
• Pierce high screen and roll, he manevours into the paint, draws the foul and will head to the line.
• Inbounds to Gasol, to Vujacic, blocked by Pierce, Posey runs down the miss. Posey fouled. This is over.

Lakers might be done. I can’t see them sweeping the home games. They really needed to steal one at Boston in the first two games. I thought the Lakers would have to win two games in Boston overall. I can’t see them winning 4 of 5. No sir.

NBA Finals Thoughts: Phil On Pierce’s Injury

“Paul got carried off and was back on his feet in a minute,” Jackson said. “I don’t know if the angels visited him at halftime or in that timeout period that he had or not, but he didn’t even limp when he came back out on the floor. I don’t know what was going on there. Was (evangelist) Oral Roberts back there in their locker room?”

He’s right. This got way too large of a reaction both in the game and after. Pierce thought he was injured, he wasn’t. Does he have a knock and some pain? Okay fine, it’s the playoffs, who doesn’t? It was less than minute after his injury that he put pressure on his leg and stood up. The only reason it took that long in the first place was because the trainers precautionary ways. A few moments later he jogged back out onto the court. He played and played a great game, excellent defense and very good offense. I know it made some nice clips for the media but get over it already.

NBA Finals Game One: Boston vs Los Angeles

Great series on our hands here, this is going to be special.

These player introductions look like an All-Star game the way the players are coming out off a podium (big Finals trophy over the podium). Odom and Fisher getting the Lakers pumped, Kobe coming out looking like a skiller. Phil calming strolls over to the bench. Here comes the Celtics little video to start things off. The League stopped the pyrotechnics in the Conference Finals because of the smoke affecting the TV picture, they are not using it tonight either. James Posey looks pysched in a good way, very steady. PJ has his down, rolling his shoulders left to right, not even looking up when his name is called, getting his mind set. Rondo and Perk are the first Celtics starters to come out, Ray moves out with more fervour, then KG bumping and hopping, now the captain, Pierce shouting “Let’s Go, Let’s Go” repeatedly. Now both sides move over to their benches. We’re ready to start.

First Quarter

• It’s important that KG hits his first shot tonight, or at least an early shot. Nerves can get to him.
• Kobe is going to come out firing early. He’s a lot more aggressive in looking for his scoring on the road. He likes to calm down his teammates by getting them off quick with a few baskets.
• Gasol opens up the scoring
• Rondo misses the 17 footer, Kobe brings it up, later on in the possession takes a fallaway out of the post, miss, Odom keeps it alive, fights for it, out of bounds. Celtics ball.
• KG pump fake, Gasol bites, KG dribbles to the side, takes it, hits it
• Fisher hits a long two
• KG with two offensive boards, very aggressive
• Rondo turnover
• Ray Allen steals Radmanovic’s pass, turns it over, Kobe steals it, back to Odom, one dribble, 20 footer, hits it
• 3 second violation on LA
• Pierce with a nice move to the hoop, hesitation dribble at the FT line, Gasol to his right, Odom to the left, splits the two, reverse layup
• Fisher fouled on a jump shot by Pierce, long two, misses the first, misses the second. Gotta hit your FTs.
• Ray Allen on the screen and roll, Kobe gets caught in the screen, drives inside, out to ROndo, 17 footer, miss
• Radmanovic foot on the line, two pointer, left wing
• Garnett misses the turnaround, offensive rebound Perkins, fouled on the jump hook by Radmanovic. Perkins misses the first, hits the second
• Lob pass to Gasol, nice spin move, backdoor alley oop off the elbow
• KG misses the turnaround
• Radmanovic long three, miss, he wanted the foul, got a piece of his arm
• KG off the dribble, fakes left, crosses over right, loses Gasol, down the lane, dunk
• 10-10 Tie Game after 5 minutes
• Bryant is the only Laker not to score
• Kobe’s bounce pass kicked out of bounds
• Bryant has a baseline J over Perk rim in and out
• Pierce defensive rebound, dribbles the ball up, everyone is back, on the left wing with a spinning driving fallaway from 15, miss
• Gasol gets fouled by KG on a nice move down on the left block
• Timeout
• Halfway point in the quarter
• Odom over Perk, miss, high bounce, over the backboard
• Up and under by KG, blocked by Odom, goaltending. Nice move by KG, he looked in trouble there. Kept his head. Good defense by Gasol.
• Kobe hits off the left elbow off the catch
• Radmanovic gets another foul. Bad flop by Pierce. Sasha in, Kobe on Pierce.
• Pierce immediately goes inside to the post, kickout on the double, KG from the left wing, 20 footer, hits it
• Gasol hits the 18 footer top of the key
• Rondo with a lovely ball fake, floater, miss
• Bad call, backcourt violation, Gasol still had one foot and the ball in the backcourt at the time of the pass. Stopped a fastbreak two on one
• Ray Allen gets a layup on the cut
• Bryant misses another, he’s 1-5
• Ray Allen knocks down the three on the quick push to get the Celtics into their halfcourt set. 9 point turnaround for Boston after being down 4 to up 5.
• Timeout Phil Jackson
• Kobe one dribble pull up, good look, misses
• Rondo cuts to the hoop, fouled on the dunk attempt. He hits both free throws.
• The Lakers need to get Kobe going offensively
• Boston lead 20-14 with three minutes to play in the first
• Farmer in the game, nice runner off the bank, hits it
• Perkins blocked from behind by Gasol, turnover, stopped a dunk. Perkins got that open shot from a Pierce midpost move and lovely feed
• Vujacic dribbles inside, changes his mind comes out, his man sags off to contest the Kobe catch on the high post, shoots it, hits the three
• Rondo slips, travel, lost his pivot foot
• Bryant gets an open three pointer from Farmer’s penetration, miss, 1-7 now
• Alley oop to KG backdoor cut off the elbow, misses it, Kobe defensive rebound, pushes it up, hesitation move, fouled by Posey, keeps going, harder foul
• Kobe catch and shoot from 15 feet right wing, nails it
• Offensive foul on James Posey, moving screen
• Sasha misses a baseline three off the pump fake and dribble
• 21-21 Tie Game
• PJ Brown with the jump hook in the lane, off the glass, ugly but got it to go
• Sam Cassell getting ready to come in
• Perkins blocks Gasol’s running hook, outlet pass, heave at the buzzer, clang

Second Quarter

• Celtics lead 23-21
• That 7-0 run by the Lakers near the end of the first quarter was very good. Without that the second quarter would look a lot different for the second unit. Let’s see how this plays out now.
• Powe and Sam are in with Ray leading the second unit
• Ray cutting to the basket, misses the layup, rebounds the miss as the Lakers bundle it out of bounds, pass, layup Powe
• Turiaf hits a tough shot off the glass
• Ray allen hoists a three, loose ball foul against Luke Walton. Pierce comes back in for Ray Allen.
• Turiaf misses the jump shot over Brown
• Sammy takes the 17 footer off the bounce from the top of the key over Fisher, hits it
• Odom fouled on the drive to the hoop by Powe. Powe came out too hard and left the left hand of Odom open for the drive. Odom misses the first, hits the second.
• Fisher fouls in the backcourt
• Cassell posts up Fisher on the left side, turnaround, nails it
• Odom offensive rebound, flip hook on the spin move, miss
• Pierce misses off the dribble, should have gone back to Cassell, he looks red-hot right now
• Fisher takes Sammy off the dribble, gets to the rim, fouled
• Timeout
• Foul on Turiaf pressuring Powe
• Celtics lead 29-26
• KG back in the game now, Powe staying in.
• Cassell on the left wing, fadeaway, hits it
• Fisher nails a quick three back on the other end
• Pierce fouled, makes one of two
• 8 minutes to play in the first half
• Fisher misses, Walton rebounds, dribbles out, over to Turiaf, 18 footer top of the key, hits it
• Sam drives, pull up in the lane, blocked by Kobe, Celtics retain possession, down low to KG, hard drive baseline, fouled by Turiaf on the layup. Nice move.
• Bryant pull up J baseline from 16 feet over Perk, hits it
• KG pull up off the dribble from 16 feet right wing
• Fisher drives baseline, draws the foul on Pierce. Hits both.
• Lakers knock the ball loose out of bounds. Still 12 seconds on the clock, Garnett blocked by Gasol. Foul on LA, Gasol, his second, clean block. Very clean block. Nothing on it. Terrible call. Garnett makes both.
• Gasol left handed hook off the glass, rolls out, nice move
• Garnett step back J, hits it, he has the last 8 Celtics points now, 16 for the game
• Pierce steals it, falls out of bounds
• Timeout
• Cassell draws the charge on Bryant
• Cassell misses a three
• Bryant fouled on the catch in the lane, throws it up straight away, misses off balance, gets two at the line, makes two.
• Boston lead 40-37
• It feels like the Celtics are ahead by more
• Lamar Odom has done absoluetly nothing offensively since the opneing momements of the game
• Offensive foul on Pierce, charge, Fisher drew it, that’s three
• Bryant to Gasol, pick and roll, dunk
• Posey came in for Pierec there, Posey steals it, long outlet, Posey gets it, not under control, passes it back to Rondon, bad pass, Rondo bad catch, loose ball, Posey dives on it, loose ball foul. On Ray. Fisher will shoot two, makes two. Lakers lead 41-40
• 6-0 Laker run, Fisher leads LA with 11. They’re now 9-12 after missing some early FTs
• Celtics use the whole shot clock, get nothing going until the last two seconds, Rondo 16 footer
• Bryant and Gasol pick and roll, dunk again
• Lakers have 12 assists on their 16 field goals
• Odom takes Perkins off the dribble from the top of the dribble, beats KG to the spot, jumps into KG from the right hand side of the lane, then moves the ball back to his left hand to avoid the block, off the glass. Very clever finish from Lamar
• Timeout
• Post up KG on the left block, hand off baseline cut by Posey, blocked on the layup, both teams fight for it, out of bounds. Laker ball I think, Lakers timeout anyway.
• Mark Jackson likened Gasol and Bryant on the pick and roll to Bird and Parish. I can see the Parish-Gasol comparison. Both very long 7 footers, both roll straight to the hoop, make good catches and finish.
• Rondo with the floater in the lane, lovely bounce pass to set up Rondo off the baseline penetration from Ray Allen
• Odom hits the jump shot over KG on the right wing
• Ray on the baseline screen and curl, quick shot, miss
• Lovely pass by Kobe Bryant. He was wide open in the corner from three, stayed calm, saw Gasol’s defender run out, he just waited til the defender got closer, then threaded the needle, fouled. Gasol makes both FTs.
• Rondo makes a bad pass, picked off by Radmanovic, fastbreak, Lakers bundle their spacing, Kobe has to pull it out, drives on Posey, kickout to Odom, Odom drives, pass inside to Kobe, acrobatic layup, miss, had to avoid the shot blockers
• Fisher three pointer left wing
• Fisher defensive rebound, they’ll hold it for the final shot of the period, Kobe has it, dribbles down the clock, he’s 3-10 from the floor, over to Radmanovic, open three, miss. The Celtics sagged off Bryant so much that they just left Radmanovic wide open on the three. Bryant didn’t even need to make a move. Just passed from 40 feet and got his teammate a 40% three point shooter a wide open look. Ray defensive rebound, heave, miss.
• Halftime

Halftime Stats and Notes

• First the score, the Lakers lead 51-46
• Some Team Stats – Celtics winning comfortably on the backboards 20-15 including a 6-3 advantage on the offensive boards. Combined blocks/steals is 6-3 LA. Celtics have 8 turnovers giving up 4 points. The Lakers have 4 turnovers giving up 2 points. The Celtics have taken two more shots but made one less. The Lakers have 14 assists on 19 made field goals shooting 50% from the floor, 2-5 from three, 11-14 from the line. The Celtics have 8 assists on 18 made shots shooting 45%, 1-9 from three, 9-11 from the line.
• Lakers offense is clearly the story of the first half. They’re moving the ball very well and getting quite a few good shots.
• The Celtics defensive intensity fell off the cliff when James Posey came in for Paul Pierce in the second quarter. The Lakers also made their 7-0 run in the first quarter when PIerce came off. Right now there’s a huge difference between Pierce’s and Posey’s defense, Posey just isn’t doing enough defensively for the C’s at this moment in time.
• The Lakers defense has troubled the supporting acts for Boston but KG has been cash in the bank. Ray Allen has had better looks at the hoop than his 2-8 shooting suggests. Pierce didn’t play enough minutes but looked dangerous whenever he touched the ball, only 3 points.
• Gasol and Fisher have a combined 25 points to lead LA. Fisher has taken only 5 shots to get those 13 points, made 3, 6-8 at the line. Gasol is 5-7 from the field.
• Garnett leads Boston with 16 (6-9) and 6. He’s been excellent offensively and quality defensively in the first half. Rajon Rondo has been his supporting star with 10 points (4-7) and 3 assists. Cassell added 6 points. That’s 32 of their 46 points.
• Rajon Rondo has done a great job of pushing the ball up the floor and getting the Celtics into their offense. It makes such a huge difference to their ball movement when he does this. The C’s don’t have a huge assist number but they’ve moved the ball and attacked from many different spots in the floor in the first half.
• Bryant (3-10) and Lamar Odom (3-6) have 15 points between them. That gives those four starters 40 of the L’s 51 points.
• JVG went back over those two late Pau dunks on the pick and rolls, both were blown defensive rotations by James Posey. He was the help defender who was meant to come over.

Second Half – Third Quarter

• Lakers lead 51-46
• Pierce with the catch low under the hoop, layup
• Paul Pierce head fake, takes the contact, three off the glass, four point play. C’mon Radmanovic, you’re 6-10 don’t bite on that pump fake.
• Boston lead 52-51 from Pierce’s 6 quick points in the first minutes
• Kobe hits the 20 footer right wing
• Pierce high screen and roll, defended well, makes the shot from 18 feet top of the key
• Gasol hacked by Perkins on the pass through the lane
• Slight problem with my browser there, it jammed. KG hit two turnaround J’s, Radmanovic hit a three, picked up his fourth foul, Sasha in, Bryant hits the fadeaway two.
• Great defense by Kobe Bryant, overplaying the right shoulder forcing Pierce baseline, slapped the ball loose, Odom stole it.
• 8:21 to play
• Lakers picked up his fourth team foul
• 58-58 Game Tied
• Gasol steals the pass, Bryant brings it up, KG goes over to trap Kobe, Kobe keeps his dribble alive, double teammed, spins through the trap into the lane, finds Gasol for the layup
• Gasol misses the 16 footer off the elbow
• KG hard dribble into the lane, high release, off glass, rolls out, great defense by Gasol
• Trouble again with my browser again …. Paul Pierce falls hard, he’s in a wheelchair, taken off the court. It’s his right leg. He had a collission with Pierce. Pierce was defending on the top of the key, Bryant drove right down the lane, Perk came over the back for the block, landed on Pierce’s leg. His teammates literally lifted him off the court. He wasn’t moving his leg at all. He put some weight on his legs in the locker room, he was able to take it. Standing and playing basketball are two diffrent things. Danny Ainge has gone back in there to see him. Let’s see how this goes.
• Loose ball foul on Perkins, that’s his fourth foul. Loose ball foul on a missed FT. He’s limping up a bit too. Rondo made a nice move to the hoop, getting fouled, hitting one FT. Bad call, it was just some wierd looking contact where Fisher fell.
• Perkins going back to the locker room too
• Ray stripped, off of Ray, bad call, Celtics ball.
• Ray open in the corner, three pointer. Look for Ray to take over. Vujacic flopped on the screen looking for the foul after cheating over the top on the screen.
• Odom drives, gets fouled
• Fisher pull up on the fastbreak, miss
• The Crowd are pumped, the Captain just came back up out of the hallway, the fanst are giving him a stnading ovation. He moves to check in, Doc yanks him, waits to hear from the trainer, he’s happy, here comes Paul for Posey.
• Timeout
• 5 minutes to go
• Boston lead 63-62
• JVG loves that timeout from Phil Jackson, an “outstounding timeout” where he took the crowd out at the right time. They were exploding.
• Bryant into the paint, tough shot over KG, miss. Foul by Bryant on Pierce on the other end, they’re in the penalty, he hits one of two. He’s barely bending his legs. That’s three on Kobe.
• Lakers aren’t getting anything going offensively here
• Bad pass by Bryant picked off, Ray on the fastbreak, behind the back pass in the lane, stolen by Fisher, ahead to Odom, layup.
• Offensive rebound PJ Brown pushing Gasol out of his way, Fishers ties him, falls loose to Ray, layup and the foul. Hits it. Ray has 14 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists.
• Boston lead 68-64
• Vujacic fouled on a three pointer attempt in the corner by KG. Hits all three, the Lakers needed those.
• Perkins has a left ankle sprain, they re-taped it, he’s returning to the bench now
• Fisher alley oop to Bryant on the fastbreak, boom
• Lakers lead 69-68
• We got a battle on our hands
• Rondo on the drive, fouled by Gasol on the floor, in the penalty, three on Gasol. Three minutes to go. Misses the first, makes the second. All even at 69.
• Kobe Bryant fadeaway in the corner from 21 feet over Ray with KG lurking to beat the shot clock
• Garnett takes the floater, Ray knocks it out of bounds, bad call, Celtics ball
• 2 mintues to play in the third. Lakers need to avoid fouling
• KG open 21 footer, Gasol rebounds over PJ
• Boston up 10 on the backboards right now
• Odom drives, reverse layup to take out KG, blocked by PJ, outlet pass, Pierce stays at the three point line, Rondo finds him.
• Carbon copy, Rondo to Pierce on the break, three pointer right wing
• Pierce fouls Bryant, that’s four
• Phil Jackson called Paul Pierce the “Heart and Soul of the Team” and I can’t agree more. Also their most explosive player who’s capable of taking the game over, Phil said.
• Kobe makes two at the line, he has 20 and 6 on 8-19 shooting.
• Rondo on the drive, fouled. Rondo hits two of two.
• Bryant takes a contested three, miss
• Rondo has it, holds for the final shot, LA needs a stop, Rondo will take it, over to Posey, contested three, miss, rebound Gasol
• Pierce had three threes and 15 points in the third quarter

Fourth Quarter

• Celtics lead 77-73
• Kobe starts the fourth, hits a bank shot off the dribble
• Ray Allen responds on the other end
• Walton with the floater, loose ball on the offensive rebound, harsh
• PJ Brown blocked by Turiaf, Powe gets the loose ball, fouled by Odom inside. That’s four fouls on Odom.
• Kobe fadeaway, air ball, Odom right there, layin
• Cassell brick, he’s missed his last three shots
• Screen and roll between Farmer and Turiaf, nice pass to Turiaf right by the hoop, fouled hard by Cassell, Turiaf takes the first, KG back in, misses the first, takes the second, makes the second
• 10 minutes to play
• Ray Allen tied up, throws it back into the backcourt, KG dives for it, saves it, PJ wins the high pass, to Sam, hits the J
• Farmer throws the ball away
• Ray pulls it back, goes inside to KG, Odom cheats over, Walton pulls down to cover PJ, KG throws it out to Posey, nails a three
• Timeout Phil Jackson
• Celtics lead 86-78 with 8 minutes to play
• Both teams trade misses
• Fisher and Vujacic hit long twos in between a 24 secon shot clock violation
• KG misses a turnaround in the post
• Lakers quick push, nothing going, Turiaf has to force it to beat the shot clock, offensive rebound Gasol. Fisher resets the offense, lovely ball movement, inside to Gasol, ball slapped loose. The pass was just too low for Gasol to make sure he scored. He was right in front of the rim, four footer.
• Timeout
• Lakers ball movement has picked up but they clearly lack firepower right now. Turiaf just isn’t a threat and Walton keeps taking odd midrange off balance shots or passes up decent looks. Ball movement looks good though. Sasha and Fisher are being very aggressive.
• Bryant catch and shoot to beat the shot clock, miss
• Celtics lead 86-82 with 5 and a half to play
• Pierce in the post over Fisher, fadeaway, hits it
• Gasol beats KG in the post, kickout to Sasha, miss, offensive rebound Gasol, out to Kobe, Kobe drives, finds Gasol for the 16 footer baseline, miss
• Rondo misses the elbow jumper
• Offensive rebound PJ Brown, it fell right into his hands. Luke Walton was body defending PJ to keep him away but he never saw the ball or made any attempt for it. Brown tied up Walton’s hands. Odom back in now for Finals.
• Rondo fouls Fisher in the backcourt trying to steal the outlet pass by Fisher
• 4 minutes to play
• Lakers lead 88-82
• Ray dribbles it off his foot, turnover
• Loose ball foul by Odom, they’re in the penalty, PIerce hits both FTs. Phil not happy with Odom making that foul. This is the largest lead of the game.
• PJ Brown with another big defensive rebound
• Garnett bank shot off the mark, rebound Gasol
• Odom into the paint, blocking foul on PJ Brown, layup counts, hits the FT
• Boston lead 90-85 with three minutes to go
• Boston ball … Ray Allen drives, forces it to beat the buzzer, the Lakers defense was brilliant there, stopping the C’s offense. Ray misses the FT, hits the second. He was 93% from the line. 6 point game.
• 2:34 to play
• Bryant screen and roll with Pau, passes it inside, stolen by Rondo, he loses it, Odom pulls it out, Bryant open from three, pump fake, drives inside, kicks it to the corner, Vujacic misses a three in the right corner, Gasol fights for it, PJ wins it
• Steal LA, Bryant hits the trailing Gasol, foul, he misses the first, makes the second
• 2 minutes to play
• Touch foul by Fisher. Slight bump. Bad foul. Odom was trapping Rondo well. Rondo goes to the line, he’s 6-8 tonight, hits the first, Posey and Radmanovic come in for PJ and Odom. KG taps the offensive rebound, it goes out of play off Radmanovic.
• Rondo calls out a play, Rondo drive and kick, three pointer, miss, KG putback slam
• KG dribbles the ball upcourt, later on drives to the hoop, draws the foul
• Bryant misses a three, defensive rebound KG, Boston play out the clock, KG takes a 20 footer, miss, defensive rebound, push, Fisher open three, in and out.

This is over. First blood goes to the Boston Celtics. They open up a 1-0 lead in the NBA Finals

Some Stats

1. Lakers 5-20 from the field in the fourth. A mixture of great Boston defense and very bad Laker shooting.
2. Lakers top trio scored 52 points. The Celtics trio scored 61 points. That was the difference tonight.
3. Boston’s supporting cast did a great job, especially Rondo, scoring 33 points to cancel out the 35 points the Lakers supporting cast scored. Fisher led them with 15, Vujacic 8.
4. Gasol had a bad second half, they didn’t go to him enough and he didn’t look to shoot the ball often enough. Scoring only 3 points
5. The Celtics beat the Lakers on the boards by the tune of 13 rebounds. That’s the big reason why they won tonight.
6. Pierce was brilliant in the third to score 15 points and lead a Boston charge to regain a lead that they’d never lose
7. Ray Allen had a very good all round game with 19 points, 8 boards, 5 dimes
8. Kevin Garnett missed his last 10 shots of the game, finishing 9-22, for 24 points and 13 boards. He had a couple of huge offensive rebounds down the stretch, played much better defense in the second half and found ways to contribute.
9. PJ Brown was the story of Boston’s bench. His length and intelligence defensively was huge but it was his rebounding that changed the game. His presence on the backboards frightened LA and stopped their small ball lineup from working. If PJ wasn’t grabbing the board he was forcing one-two guys to stop him and stopped them from grabbing the board by fighting so hard.
10. Rajon Rondo had a really good game with 15 points, 8 dimes, 5 boards
11. Lakers were only 13-41 in the second half from the field for 32%. 7 assists on those makes
12. Lakers defense was good. They made too many dumb fouls and didn’t rebound well enough to win but they held Boston to 42% shooting, 31% from three. Too many FTs, 28-35 for Boston. Too many free points. That third quarter of foul trouble really hurt them, it happened again late in the fourth. They need more discpline on those shots.

NBA Finals Thought: The Numbers Game

The most important factor for me is Paul Pierce. If he can match Kobe Bryant or close to it the Celtics will stand a brilliant chance of winning.

If Paul doesn’t with Kobe’s production and is more along PP’s regular season numbers then a whole litany of factors come into. Too many factors. If Paul is down around 20-24, KG at 20 and Ray around his 17 that’ll put Boston at 57-61ppg. If Kobe gets 30, Gasol 16, Odom 14 they’re up around 60ppg. The reason why I’m saying this? This is where San Antonio lost the series.

I think the Lakers supporting cast wins a scoring fight against Boston. The Big Three will have to outplay LA’s counterparts, specifically in the scoring department. The Lakers supporting cast was the reason why San Antonio was always fighting an uphill battle and needed somewhere along the lines of 75ppg from their trio …. Lakers supporting cast puts a lot of pressure on the oppositions’ best players to be productive.

Paul Pierce is the most likely of the Big Three to explode for top level go-to scoring. If he does the C’s should be in good shape.

NBA Finals Thoughts: Great Post On LakersGround.Net

Check it out here, it’s very interesting. It’s a post based on stats and comparing the two team’s defensively. Worth checking out.

NBA Finals Thoughts: Supporting Cast

Let’s start of my pointing to who we’re exactly talking about; we’re talking about every player in the rotation outside of either sides’ top trio of players. So no Kobe, Gasol, Odom or Pierce, KG, Allen. We’re talking about the two starters and the 3-4 bench players that each team will use.

Los Angeles has had a great advatange over every team they’ve faced in the playoffs because of their bench. They’re in the top 10 in scoring, rebounds, assists, FG%. Their second unit – Farmer, Sasha, Walton, Turiaf – does a brilliant job of keeping the score level while Kobe and co. get a breather and from time to time they lead the Lakers to lead (or bring them back into to the game like in Game Five against San Antonio in the second quarter). Add in Fisher and Radmanovic and you have a formidable cast. It’s their scoring threats that really stands out, of the 6 players mentioned 5 of them are capable of going for double digit points at any time – Fisher, Radmanovic, Farmer, Vujacic and Walton – the sixth is Ronny Turiaf who’s a capable offensive player himself. No team in the league can match this depth of scoring, nobody. The other worrying thing about their scoring ability? They can all create shots for themselves.

The Celtics are an inconsistent bunch but capable of great things. They have arguably the most capable player out of the two teams in Rajon Rondo and the best bench player in James Posey. While Rondo is an excellent player on his best day, he’s also been wildly inconsistent in the playoffs. James Posey has been the Celtics most consistent bench player but he took a sabatical from Game Three of the Cleveland series until midway through the Pistons battle. Posey can put in 10 games of brilliant bench play or get lost for 10 games, he had some short spells of being MIA for Boston this season too. It’s been regular in the past for James at Miami, Memphis, Houston and Denver. With the Finals on hand, his championship pedigree and competitive spirit I can’t imagine him being a worry for Boston in this round.

Let’s move on and look at the total cast of Boston’s characters – Rondo, Perkins, Posey, PJ Brown, House/Cassell, (Powe/BBD). Doc has switched to an 8 man rotation in pivotal games during the playoffs from a lack of confidence in his young big men so he might go 8 deep for the whole Finals, if not I expect we’ll see Powe get first crack of the whip. Eddie should play backup point guard and I expect he will. So how many of these guys are 10 point threats, well only three – Rondo, House, Posey – Perkins is like Ronny scoring wise so I won’t include him, ditto for PJ Brown. Powe could if he got enough minutes but he hasn’t even managed 10 minutes in one game over the previous 10 Celtics games. Let’s look at a different way, how many Boston players can create a shot for themselves? One. Rajon Rondo. The odd time Posey will roll back the clock but he’s basically a spot up shooter.
The Lakers have a large scoring advantage in the supporting cast. What does this mean? The Big Three are going to have to substantially outscore the Lakers’ top trio to make up the difference.

NBA Finals Thoughts: Rebounding

“No Rebounds, No Rings” – Pat Riley

Boston have been one of the best rebounding teams all season and one of the best in the playoffs. For my money they’ve been the second best behind the the Utah Jazz, numbers wise they’re fifth but those teams (including the Jazz) have had their numbers helped by playing either less games or weaker rebounding opponents. Let’s look a bit deeper here …. Playoff wise, the Celtics are a surprising 6th in defensive rebounding and a suprising 5th in offensive rebounding. During the regular season the Celtics were a slightly below average defensive rebounding team, but cutting out the lottery teams (since they won’t be playing in the playoffs), Boston was comfortably above average. In contrast, the Celtics were one of the better defensive rebounding teams. My opinion of Boston is that they are a top notch defensive rebounding squad but only a slightly above average offensive rebounding side. Kevin Garnett is a weak offensive rebounder in comparison to his defensive rebounding prowess, Perk gives some effort on the offensive glass, but their bench, their bench puts in serious work on the offensive backboards. Their bench (PJ, Powe, BBD) is the main reason they’re so good on the offensive backboards.

Now let’s have a quick look at the playoff opposition both sides have faced rebounding wise:

Boston – Atlanta were a mediocre rebounding side. Cleveland were one of the best rebounding teams on both ends of the floor. Detroit were a slightly above average rebounding side who tremendously overachieved during the regular season on the backboards (I expected them to be average) but fell down quite a bit against good rebounding teams in Boston, Orlando, Phily (from 51.4% to 47.9% rebounding percentage regular season to playoffs).

Los Angeles – Denver were a poor rebounding team in the regular season, they beat LA well on the backboards. Utah were a top rebounding side and pummelled the Lakers. San Antonio were a great rebounding team but LA outrebounded them with room to spare.

Let’s look at the Los Angeles Lakers on the backboards. They’re a mediocre rebounding team on both ends of the floor. Through the first three rounds the Lakers have the exact same rebounding percentage as Detroit, albeit better defensively, worse offensively. The Lakers have been amongst the worst offensive rebounding teams in the playoffs and a poor defensive rebounding team with 5 of the 6 teams with lower defensive rebounding margins heading home after the first round.

Let’s scroll back a bit to Utah and San Antonio. Both were top rebounding teams, what was the difference? Well it was San Antonio’s lack of offensive rebounding. San Antonio has been an excellent defensive rebounding team this year and poor offensive rebounding side. They generally give up attempts at winning an offensive rebound in favour of better transition defense. They did this even more so against the fastbreaking LA Lakers. They sacrificed their offensive rebounding to stop LA’s break. On the other end the Lakers frequentley attacked the Spurs on their glass giving them their positive rebounding advantage (several games were won and lost with the Lakers offensive rebounding). Utah on the other hand pummelled the Lakers on the offensive glass. Getting huge numbers of offensive rebounds and second chance points. But their was something very noteworthy about those second chance points and that was that the Jazz gave them right back to LA on the fastbreak. The Lakers killed the Jazz in transition and wiped out the advtane Utah was attempting to build from second chance points.

Personally, I think you’ve gotta make the Lakers poor rebounding pay and attack them on the glass on both ends. Boston’s biggest advatange in this series is their rebounding and they need it to count. Unlike the Jazz the Celtics have a great transition defense.

NBA Finals Thoughts: Playoff W-L Record

The Boston Celtics have won 12 games and lost 8 games. The Celtics are 10-1 at home and 2-7 on the road. Their two road wins came against the Pistons. They were taken to 7 games by Atlanta, Cleveland and taken to 6 games by Detroit. Those teams won 37 games, 45 games and 59 games respectively. Worth noting the Celtics got better each round.

The Los Angeles Lakers have won 12 games, losing only 3 games. The Lakers have won every single home game winning 9 of 9 at home. They’ve won on the road in each round, including beating the NBA’s best road team and the defending champs who had won 17 in a row at home before that night. The Lakers swept Denver in four games, beat Utah in 6, defeated the Spurs in 5 games. Denver won 48 games this season, Utah 54 and San Antonio 56 games.

For my money the best teams that were defeated are in the following order – San Antonio, Utah, Detroit, Denver, Cleveland, Atlanta. Atlanta was a poor team that wasn’t even worthy of making the playoffs. It’s also worth pointing out that Boston went through two excellent defensive teams while LA went through two excellent offensive teams and one good offensive team. LA was tested by a great defensive team in San Antonio, a very good defensive team in Utah and a good defensive team in Denver (although they didn’t show up defensively in the playoffs). Let’s quickly write off Atlanta, they are a below average defensive and offensive team. Detroit was a good offensive team, Cleveland were an average offensive team.

NBA Finals Thoughts: Trevor Ariza

Here’s an update on Trevor’s situation

EL SEGUNDO — One possible defensive matchup that the Lakers could employ against Boston is to use forward Trevor Ariza on Celtics All-Star forward Paul Pierce, who so far in the playoffs is averaging 19 points per game.

Lakers coach Phil Jackson will begin with Vladimir Radmanovic guarding Pierce, but significant minutes could come to Ariza, who saw a scant 10 minutes of action, spaced out over three games, in the Western Conference finals against San Antonio.

Ariza missed the final 43 regular-season games because of a fractured right foot. But he says his foot is completely healthy now and he is ready to contribute in any way he can. Aside from Kobe Bryant, Ariza might be the Lakers’ best on-the-ball perimeter defender.

“It feels good. I don’t feel any pain out of it,’’ Ariza said of his foot. “It’s been that way for a while, now.’’

Jackson strongly hinted after Tuesday’s practice that Ariza likely fits into the overall team plan for the series.

“I hope he’s going to have an opportunity to play,’’ Jackson said. “He can help us.’’

Said Ariza: “I can’t say what the situation is or will be, but I know when the time comes, I’ll be ready.’’

– Art Thompson III, The Orange County Register

Ariza’s been practicing for a couple of weeks now and even saw some limited action against the Spurs, so it looks like health won’t be an issue. I didn’t think Phil Jackson would upset his rotation at this late stage but Paul Pierce might force him to re-think that.

So can Ariza guard Paul Pierce? The answer … not very well no. Ariza is stick thin and lacks the muscle to fight Pierce. Paul has handled him easily in the past getting whatever he wanted, especially down in the post or midpost.

Ariza is a talented defender but it’s a tall order for him. He’s better served guarding a Ray Allen type. Someone who doesn’t go into the paint often. Someone who his length and quickness will bother. Pierce isn’t either.

NBA Finals Thought: Game One and Phil Jackson

Phil Jackson’s teams are 41-0 when they win Game One of a playoff series. Impressive.

NBA Finals Thoughts: Gasol Defending KG

The LA Times has some reports were Odom hints at defending Kendrick Perkins, so let’s have a quick look at those matchups on the defensive end for LA.

KG-Gasol is the interesting matchup KG’s best strength against Gasol in the past has been quickness. He’s consistently been able to beat Gasol on the drive. He’ll still be able to do that but he does it less in Boston than he did back in Minnesota (I think mainly because of his declining athleticism, but his athleticism is still pretty incredible).

I thought the Lakers should try Gasol on KG for two reasons

1. KG had Josh Smith (6-9), Ben Wallace (6-9), Antonio McDyess (6-9) on him the previous three rounds. He was able to shoot over the top of those guys at will. His jump shot was hardly contested by Wallace or McDyess, neither guy was tall enough, long enough or could jump high enough to bother KG’s release. McDyess nor Wallace could get anywhere near it, KG had a good look at the rim every time. Gasol will be able to at least get a hand in his face. Gasol on the other hand is 7-1 with a 7-5 wingspan. It’ll be a bit more difficult for Kevin which is something LA should like. Now it’s just a question of whether or not that matters more than Kevin’s dribble drive. It also opened up KG’s turnaround jump shot out of the post.
2. Lamar Odom played very smart help defense in the last round. I think he’s a better help defender, his responses are far quicker and he’s better at reading the game. Quick jumper and has a quick second jump too when he’s bouncing around the paint. Odom’s size is a nice advantage to have on double teams. I expect we’ll see Odom and Fisher alternate as the help defender based on where the ball/their man are.

If it doesn’t work the Lakers can always go back to Odom-KG and Gasol-Perk but it’s worth trying just to see how Kevin reacts.

NBA Finals Thoughts: Derek Fisher’s Leadership

Derek Fisher is one of the most undervalued players in the league. His value to the Lakers is simply phenomenal. His partnership in the backcourt along with Kobe Bryant gives the Lakers the single most experienced backcourt in all of basketball. They’re the guiding hand of the Lakers, they ensure the Lakers keep doing what they’re meant to be doing. That’s why the Lakers have the best offensive execution in the league. On defense they’re the frontline. The Lakers best defensive quality is their perimeter D and it’s these two that start at all that off. The set the tone every night. The aggressiveness, the confidence in both the team’s talent and in the way they’re trying to achieve success.

That’s championship experience at it’s best. That leadership is incredible, and beautiful to see.

NBA Finals Thoughts: Bron’s Supporting Cast

Some perspective for Celtics fans

For the series Wally scored 10.7ppg. Delonte West scored 11.4ppg. Ilgauksas scored 11.9ppg. They were the only players to average more than 8 points a game after LeBron. Joe Smith was the only other above 5points at 7.6ppg.

Some perspective ….. Farmer, Sasha, Radmanovic, Fisher, Walton are all capable of scoring 10-12 points on any given night. That’s 5 players capable of matching Wally’s/West’s scoring output and for my money every single one of them is better than Wally or West. Walton is the only one that shoots below 37% (Fish, Sasha, Rad above 40%) from three point range. Even then Luke Walton has three point range (33% this season), after shooting 39% from downtown on 124 attempts last season. Then you have Turiaf who isn’t as bad offensively as Varajeo or Wallace.

And oh yeah those two other messers ….. Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom. Getting the picture of some added difficulties here?

This is a whole different type of fight than it was against LeBron James.

NBA Finals Thoughts: Eddie House

Eddie House was the backup point guard through the first 65 games of the season averaging 19mpg and firmly establishing himself as one of Boston’s 8 best players. Then Sam Cassell came on board, Eddie found himself playing shooting guard and before long out of the rotation as the playoffs begun. Since the Playoffs have begun Eddie has only played double digit minutes three times and once was only because of a blowout getting garbage time minutes. Two of those games came against the Cavs as Eddie turned in great supporting performances for his stars helping keep Boston in Game Six and to win Game Seven. Against Detroit he played 7-8 minutes twice, 2 minutes once. Doc Rivers was uncomfrtable with Eddie’s handle against the Pistons.

That’s the knock on Eddie. He isn’t a point guard. Well let’s break it down further. He has a shaky handle, isn’t a floor general, isn’t much of a penetrator, isn’t a playmaker type and lacks vision/creativity. But he does bring other things to the table. Of the three Boston point guard’s Eddie does the best job of getting Boston into their offense (Rondo’s inconsistent) quickly and of establishing quality ball movement. He knows who he is and plays within his limitations. Just bring it up quick, make the first pass and start the offense. He’s great at it and Boston has sorely missed that when Sam Cassell has been in.

Eddie also has other values. He’s a solid defensive player. He’s physical defensively and Boston’s best point guard at fighting above screens (important for Farmer and Sasha hand offs). Eddie brings a great amount of passion, energy, confidence and work ethic to the team. He dives on any loose ball. He charges up his side with energy. House is a streaky shooter but a very good shooter, once you get him off he doesn’t miss many until he cools back down. Eddie has been taking and making big shots all season, he’s a momentum breaker. The opposition would make a 6-0 run and be begining to make a run, next thing you know Eddie knocks down two triples (39% from three this season, 38% on his career) and shuts you up. Unfortunately Eddie has only shot 25% in the playoffs which isn’t helping his case but I don’t expect that to continue. Some consistent minutes would help here too.

As we covered in the Sam Cassell post, Eddie House should be the backup point guard against Los Angeles. He brings more to the team and the Celtics especially need him to try and keep Farmer from becoming a consistent scorer. Unlike the Pistons, the Lakers do not have a top tier pressure defender like Lindsey Hunter to disrupt Eddie’s ability to bring the ball up the floor. Considering Sammy’s below par play there’s no other reason why Eddie shouldn’t play. He’s going to be an important bench contributor to Boston this series.

NBA Finals Thoughts: Sam Cassell

Well I imagine this post will be short and sweet …. Sammy shouldn’t be playing.

Jordan Farmer is the leader of the Lakers bench. He’s their most capable player, their best go-to scorer and most reliable creator/playmaker. He’s also the best point guard off the dribble that Sammy have faced outside of Chauncey Billups (I’m not really considering Stuckey there because Hunter nearly always came in at the point to defend Sam/Eddie but I’d rate Stuckey ahead of Farmer too). Better than Bibby, West, Gibson, Jones, Hunter. Sam is a weak defender and is particularly vulnerable against quick penetrating point guards. Playing Sammy makes Farmer a much bigger factor than he should be and allievates some of Kobe’s scoring burden. This is a big enough, an important enough reason, to disclude Sammy from the off.

On another note, Sammy’s shooting, Sam has 3 made field goals from his last 26 attempts. He hasn’t been shooting the ball lately. That said I don’t think that continues but I know many Celtics’ fans feel otherwise so I thought I’d give it a quick mention.

Sammy shouldn’t play.

NBA Finals Thoughts: Tim Duncan

Tim Duncan had three hellacious battles against two quality big men in each series. Let’s have a look at how it went down:

First Round - The Phoenix Suns. Amare Stoudemire and Shaquille O Neal. A 7-1 330lb mammoth centre, a tough defensive player, a great rebounder and a pure interior presence. A 6-10 uber-athletic 250lb excellent scoring power forward. Amare Stoudemire was First Team All-NBA. Shaquille O Neal is still a Top 10 centre in this league. Shaq and Amare had just beaten up the Spurs in the paint twice late in the regular season. Shaquille O Neal was the primary defender on Tim Duncan, bumping him off the post and using his length to contest all of Timmy’s interior shots. On the other end Tim rotated off and on between both players depending on what threat Popovich wanted to limit. He did a great job defending both. He was the leading rebounder rebounder in the series and somehow managed to do enough to control the paint against these two. Duncan set the tone in Game One with a 42 point explosion. He finished the series scoring 25ppg on 50% shooting. Most of his scoring came when Shaquille stepped off the court. The other times he set screens for Manu and Tony while the Spurs tore apart the Suns with their screen and roll game.

Second Round – The New Orleans Hornets. David West and Tyson Chandler. A 6-9, 240lb, All Star power forward. A tough rebounder, quality midrange shooter and versatile scorer. In Tyson they had a 7-1, 240lb, borderline All-Star centre. A double double machine, a shot blocking threat and one of the league’s premier interior defenders. The Hornets posed specific problems on either end of the floor. Tyson got the assignment of defending Tim Duncan. Byron Scott had his team constantly send double teams down onto the post to bother Duncan. Duncan struggled with his scoring all series putting up only 15ppg on 42% shooting. His passing out of the post was the key reason why his shooters shot the ball so well and a huge reason in San Antonio winning. On the other end Duncan started the series and spent most of his time on Tyson Chandler. Acting as the defensive anchor trying to protect the rim. As the series went on he moved onto David West. West is a 20/9 big man who can shoot, is very quick, and is crafty around the basket. Duncan’s defense was superb regurlarly taking away the drive and forcing West into contested jump shots. Once again Duncan had found a way to control the paint.

Conference Finals – Los Angeles Lakers. Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol. One borderline All Star and one just a tier below. Pau is a 19/8/4 big man. At 7-1 with a 7-5 wingspan he’s tough to shoot over the top of. Pau is a great passer, very intelligent, good finisher around the rim and has a jump shot. Lamar Odom is a guard-like 6-10 combo forward with great lenth and quickness while also being an above average defensive player and quality rebounder. The Spurs backcourt would struggle offensively so more pressure fell on Duncan. Pau Gasol had difficulties against the strength and skill of Duncan, but consistently found ways to stay in the play to bother Timmy’s shot. For the series Duncan would average 22ppg but on 20 shot attempts shooting only 42.6%. Lamar Odom would find himself as the double teamer whenever Robert Horry stepped on the floor and sometimes with Oberto. They were trying to force the ball into the Spurs non-offensive threats. When playing single coverage Duncan struggled to involve his teammates. Against the double he did better with his passing. On the other end of the floor Duncan would defend Pau Gasol. He held Gasol to a playoff low 13ppg on 44.6% shooting. His defense did an impeccable job of keeping Gasol off a comfortable post position, of contesting the shot, of jamming the passing lanes around the hoop to limit Gasol’s passing. However as the series wore on Duncan was no longer able to control the paint. He was playing very good basketball but Odom and Gasol kept attacking and coming at him from different angles. Duncan would average a brilliant 17.4 rebounds per game but the Lakers ability to get to the offensive glass and get second chance points would prove the series turning point. In Game Five, Gasol would win the battle in the paint with 19 rebounds, 9 offensive and 4 blocks. Duncan battled valiantly but struggled to score. He was out-manned. All series long Los Angeles was able to control the tempo and it was because Gasol and Odom were able to out-do Duncan, were able to control the backboards and force a quicker tempo. Both consistently attacked from different spots on the floor, never allowing Duncan rest or comfort. They were able to start, lead (Odom only really), and finish the break. They pushed Duncan up and down the court quickly. Gasol made Duncan work harder on both ends than he had in either of the previous series. Tim was always able to get some rest on the second offensive big before, but not here because of Odom’s skills and the threat of Gasol. Despite Duncan’s best/incredible efforts he was unable to control the paint against LA.

My point …… just how good are these two big men out there in LA?

That, outplaying Duncan, was impressive. Just ask Phoenix and New Orleans.

NBA Finals Thoughts: Tony Allen Injury Concern

ESPN -

WALTHAM, Mass. — Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers says Tony Allen might not be back from an injury to guard Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant when the NBA Finals begin Thursday night.

“It doesn’t look good,” Rivers said after practice on Monday. “He couldn’t get through even the walkthrough portion.”

Allen had some success against Bryant in the regular season, but the Celtics guard injured his Achilles tendon in a post-practice pickup game during the Eastern Conference finals and hasn’t played since.

Allen started the regular-season game against the Lakers in Boston on Dec. 30 — one of just 11 games he started this year — and helped hold the NBA MVP to 22 points on 6-for-25 shooting.

“He’s played good in two games against the Lakers,” Rivers said. “But if he’s not healthy, he’s not healthy.”

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about Tony Allen and whether or not he should play in this series. I still haven’t managed to make up my mind but this injury could decide it for me.

Tony had a phenomenal game down in Los Angeles earlier this season. His defense on Kobe was very good but it was his offense that stood out. His ability to penetrate and get to the rim consistently tore apart the Lakers defense. They had nobody that could keep him out of the paint. He simply refused to settle for jump shots and forced his way inside. He had 16 points that night, add in about 4-5 missed layups, another 4 assists and other set ups off his penetration, the fouls he drew on the Lakers … he was very good.

Tony’s ability to get into the paint would have been a big advantage for Boston in this series. Boston can’t settle for jumpers, they have to attack that interior defense of the Lakers. Tony could have played a big role off of Boston’s bench. I’ll be keeping tabs on Tony’s injury situation and offering updates as the Finals progress.

NBA Finals Thoughts: Shaq and Duncan

New Dawn, New Age

This is the first NBA Finals since 1998 that neither Tim Duncan or Shaquille O Neal have participated in, breaking their steak of 9 consecutive NBA Finals appearances and winning 8 of those titles (Detroit the other winner over Shaq).

NBA Finals Thoughts: Radmanovic’s Defense

Vladamir Radmanovic is a key defender for the Lakers. He’ll be defending the Celtics best player and most fearsome offensive threat, Paul Pierce. So let’s have a quick look at how he might do.

Radmanovic’s defense has improved a lot since the start of the season and especially since his Seattle days. Still his value is primarily as a long help defender who clogs passing lanes rather than his one-on-one defense.

Carmelo Anthony killed him in the first round in the post, midpost, off the dribble. The only reason Carmelo struggled with his scoring in that series was because he was missing his shots. But make no mistake, they were shots he wanted and shots he normally makes. He was getting exactly the types of looks he normally scores and lots of high percentage shots. They were good shots. Pierce is a similarly dominant midpost player that’s why the comparison.

Over the course of the season Radmanovic has also been lazy against players who drift outside or pop out for three pointers. Lots of perimeter shooting small forwards have punished him, none more so than Peja Stojakovic.

So Pierce should get a lot of shots that he likes in this series against Radmanovic. Radmanovic gives up perimeter shots, loses people off the ball, gets muscled despite his size and beaten around the rim. However his length and overall size allows him to frequently get back into plays after he’s beaten and bother the shot. The Lakers will need a gargantuan effort from Radmanovic, otherwise Kobe is playing small forward with Sasha at the two guard.

Celtics Advance To The Finals

Well done lads. Here’s a quick look at the road taken:

• First round. A bad non-playoff caliber Atlanta Hawks team takes to them to seven. Boston blow them out in the final game.
• Boston struggle through seven games to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs defended the C’s wings brilliantly until Game Seven when Pierce exploded for 41 points to lead Boston to victory.
• Boston beat out the Pistons in six games and close out the series on Detroit’s homecourt.

Boston has won two road games, both in Detroit against the Pistons. Boston has looked very shaky but they’re damn tough to beat and that counts for a lot. Boston remind me of Cleveland last year only with a lot more firepower. Their execution is weak but their defense/rebounding get them through a lot.

Game Six: Detroit vs Boston

• KG gets a piece of Prince’s shot
• Ray misses a quick three pretty badly. That was well off.
• Billups comes down on the right wing, crossover, drives left, Rondo reaches for the steal, Billups takes the contact, fallaway from the FT line, foul called, miss. He hits one of two at the line.
• Ray Allen left wide open, lot of time, nails the three from the same spot as before on the left wing. You give Ray Allen open shots and he’ll start getting locked in again. Can’t do that.
• Ray misses a runner, keeps it alive, knocks it out of bounds. Ray thought the Pistons hit it last so he let it run out of play, it went out of him.
• Offensive foul on McDyess. He can’t get in foul trouble again.
• Rip on the midpost right wing, drives to the middle, runner, miss, offensive rebound, out to Billups, wide open three, hits it
• KG with a nice drive and layup on the other wing
• McDyess turnaround J baseline over Perk
• Rondo left wide open for about 8 seconds, still passes up the 18 footer baseline, lovely stand still pass by Rondo to the cutting KG, misses the layup
• Celtics get away with a push, Pistons turnover
• Rondo misses the layup. He held the ball up too long looking for the trailer instead of attacking. He should have slowed down earlier at 40 feet instead of 14 feet. He made it too easy for the defense to react to the trailer. Trailer didn’t get a shot, Rondo got the ball back. Instead of reseting the offense he took a contested runner. He makes a lot of those so it was a fine shot. Just unneccessary that it was that tough
• Rip Hamilton on the left block, posts up, turnaround J, hits it
• Pierce iso right wing, 17 footer
• Quick outlet pass to Rondo, Rondo leads the break, pushes it hard, gets the layup. Much better. Tayshaun Prince missed a wide open shot before that.
• Pierce left open, three pointer. You can’t leave Pierce open. Celtics up four. Pistons defense is very/too concerned with Rondo.
• Boston lead 14-11
• Prince made one of two FTs there
• KG misses, Rondo rebounds, putback. Refs call a foul. That wasn’t a foul. That’s a joke of a call. Hardly any contact and it was after the shot. Still …. dumb reach by Rasheed. Lazy play. He shouldn’t have put himself in that position.
• Billups drop step baseline, layup
• Rondo gets to the rim, misses the layup, offensive rebound Rondo, misses the layup badly. Bad brick. About 3 feet off from the rim. Point blank lay in.
• Rip on the break, hits the short J
• Offensive rebound, pass to the cutting Ray Allen, layup
• Celtics are killing the Pistons off the dribble and on the offensive glass
• Foul on Billups
• TImeout
• Billups and Hamilton have 15 of their 17 points
• Ray Allen knocks down another three
• Boston lead 22-17. That’s a familiar scoreline.
• Billups misses a long J
• Cassell in. Garnett’s pass deflected by Maxiell, steal Billups, he beat Perk to the ball
• Rip Hamilton knocks down a 22 footer from the top of the key
• Ray drives left along the sideline, pull up J from 20 feet, hits it. Ray has 10 points now.
• Rip Hamilton iso mid post right wing, 17 footer, hits it, nice face up J and good use of jab steps to create some seperation
• KG uncontested shot from 18 feet, miss
• JVG “Perkins has absolutely no impact on the offensive boards tonight unlike he did the last night”
• Stuckey hits the baseline J to beat the buzzers
• End of One
• Boston lead 24-23
• Refs overturn the basket at the buzzer. Fine call. 24 second violation. 1.5 seconds to play in the quarter. Inbounds long to Ray from 28 feet, turns shoots, misses. Decent look.
• End of One
• Second Quarter
• Celtics lead 12-10 on the boards. Detroit shooting 47%, Boston 43%.
• Boston lead 24-21
• Teams trade misses to start the quarter, Sam sets up PJ for the 17 footer from the elbow extended, miss, offensive rebound Perkins, lay in
• Stuckey with a nice drive and spin move, stripped by Ray Allen just before he got the layup. Great defensive play. Hunter gathers the ball, then turns it over
• Perk in the low post, McDyess knocks it loose, Dice closes him down, 5 seconds on the shot clock, Perk kicks it out, Cassell forced into a contested three pointer, miss
• Rodney Stuckey from behind swats Perk’s layup
• Hamilton fouled on the break, Rip was tripped by Cassell. He’s staying down. Looked like Sam’s knee hit Rip;s thigh there. He’s fine. Just some short pain and bruise.
• Ray Allen quick three, has a defender in his face, hits it.
• Wallace’s turnaround blocked by Perkins
• Cassell travels out beyond the three point line. Sam says good call, he knows it.
• Posey bags a three, nice set up by Ray Allen
• Boston lead 32-25
• 7:30 to play
• Billups forced into a long three to beat the buzzer, air ball
• Stuckey pull up from 17 feet top of the key, miss, offensive rebound and foul on Garnett. Sideline ball.
• Rondo saves the ball and throws it back off Wallace out of play.
• Posey misses, Prince goes up high and takes it home
• Hamilton baseline jumper, gets the bounce, that ball hit the rim three times and fell home
• Posey’s post entry pass to KG deflected by KG, he’s done that a number of times tonight.
• Prince loses the defensive rebound
• Timeout
• Detroit 32-28
• Posey’s pass defelected into the backcourt, still 10 seconds on the shot clock, Pierce runs into a clear out, posts Billups, Prince comes to help, KG open 18 footer, miss
• Prince misses a wide open baseline 18 footer, offensive rebound kept alive by McDyess, spills to Prince, swings it up top to Billups, open three, nails it
• Prince posts up on the right wing, mid post Pierce, fakes right, goes left, reverse layup. Too easy. He’s killed Prince all series long.
• Loose ball foul against KG
• JVG “More importantly Ray Allen just got a free hit in on Rip Hamilton”, it was after the whistle fighting for the looes ball away from the initial action as the ball spilled out
• 24 second violation after Boston stole it, Pistons stole it, Boston stole it, Pistons stole it on the right corner/wing. Boston never had control of the ball so the clock wasn’t rewound.
• JVG “If I’m the Celtics I’m concerned, Pierce has taken 4 shots and the point guards of Boston have taken a combined 10 shots”
• Powe finds his way to the loose ball, fouled on the putback. Nice block by Rasheed on Perk’s roll of layup attempt. Powe is in for Garnett, that was KG’s third foul.
• 2:30 to play in the half
• Boston lead 37-33
• Wallace has 8 boards already
• Billups misses another. He’s 6-8 now from the line. He has 18 points.
• Rondo with another offensive board, to Powe, Powe fouled by Wallace in the paint.
• Timeout
• Boston lead 40-36
• Detroit’s starting backcourt has 31 of their 36 points. Stuckey has another two. They don’t win without getting some production out of their frontcourt. Wallace is scoreless, Prince has only 1 point, McDyess one bucket.
• Wallace misses a three pointer, loose ball foul on Powe, Maxiell fouled. 22 secs remaining.
• Boston hold it for the final shot, Ray gives it to Powe, to the basket, Maxiell blocks it.
• Second Half
• Boston lead 40-37
• Some Team Stats – Detroit edge the boards 23-22. Boston lead 8-6 on the offensive boards. Boston have had 10 extra shots, 44, but made only 3 more. They have 7 assists on 16 made field goals, shooting 36% from the field, 5-13 from three, 3-5 from downtown. The Pistons have 8 dimes on 13 makes, shooting 38% from the floor, 3-8 from three, 8-12 from the line. The Pistons have 2 turnovers costing them 6 points. The Celtics have 3 turnovers costing them 2 points. Combined blocks/steals is 5-4 Celtics.
• Rajon Rondo has 4 offensive rebounds and kept alive another to tip it to Powe
• Kevin Garnett is only 2-10 and hasn’t played too well on either end. Ray Allen has stepped up his game in KG’s absence to score 13 points. KG will get it together in the second half. Pierce has only 5 shots in the first half, not anywhere near enough, but he’s made four of them so he’s having some impact. Celtics have to do a better job of getting him shots.
• Pistons starting backcourt is doing everything. 31 of their 37 points. Their frontcourt needs to step it up in order to win this game.

Second half

• Boston lead 40-37
• Garnett knocks down the 18 footer on the left wing. Good start to the second for him.
• Prince runs off the baseline screen, left wing, 19 footer, hits it. Relief all over Prince’s face.
• Garnett misses a three at the shot clock buzzer, defensive rebound Wallace, bad outlet pass, turnover, Pierce steals it and gets the layup.
• Billups draws the bump and foul on Rondo, banks home the 16 footer on the left wing. Nice step back going left, jumping back right.
• Boston lead 44-42
• Pierce pump fake, Prince bites, foul. Prince has been going for Pierce’s pump fakes all series.
• Wallace misses another shot, he’s 0-6, missed that three badly, Dice keeps it alive, Ray secures the ball, runs up the floor, nobody stops the ball, layup
• Wallace down on the block, finally scores one, nice up and under
• Rondo gets the teardrop to go
• Rasheed arguing with the ref. They’re trying to let it go
• Offensive foul on Rondo. That’s three
• Sheed still talking to Salvatore.
• Dice keeps the offensive board alive, spills to KG. Billups missed a three there
• Perkins has to take it, 16 footer left wing, hits it. He has 4 and 5 now.
• Foul on KG off the ball fighting for position. That’s four. Tech on Perkins.
• Foul on Wallace, that’s four. Pierce stripped him, both fought for the ball, no foul on either play there.
• Wallace sits. KG is still out there. Doc can trust KG to play with foul trouble, Flip can’t trust Wallace.
• Garnett knocks down the top of the key 18 footer
• Prince in the post, lefty hook, hits it
• Boston lead 54-50. Both teams are just trading baskets
• Prince blocks Pierce, Billups dribbles up, pulls up for three, nails it
• Timeout Celtics
• Rondo strips Stuckey, still Pistons ball. Basline inbounds pass. Prince three at the shot clock buzzer, hits it. Lovely set up by Billups to get him an open look.
• 8-0 Pistons run to take the game
• Pierce on the drive and pull up to tie the game. Great play by Pierce. Time to take over Paul
• Stuckey on the left wing, sideline, he drives right, into the paint, hits the floater
• Perkins wide open from 17 feet top of the key, takes the shot, miss
• Perkins with great help defense on Prince to force the 24 second violation
• Rondo sets an illegal screen on the hand off, offensive foul. That’s four on Rondo.
• Billups shot doesn’t go, Theo tips it, miss, tips it again, miss, taps it back out to avoid Celtics getting the ball. Prince fouled, before the shot. Sideline ball.
• Ratlif on a drive out of control, turnover
• Cassell brings it up and knocks down the 18 footer
• Dice gets PJ to jump on the pump fake, draws the foul
• Game tied at 58-58 with three minutes to play in the third quarter
• Cassell on the drive, flips it off the glass, Perk has position, Dice flicks the ball away from behind, Pistons corrall the rebound
• McDyess hits the 18 footer
• 14-4 Pistons run now
• Offensive foul off the ball on PJ Brown. Illegal screen. Pierce had a layup there if PJ didn’t foul.
• Timeout
• Celtics have shot 8-12 in the third only for Detroit to shoot 9-15 for 25 points. Boston have four turnovers in the third after only three in the first half.
• Pierce needs to control the Pistons offense from here on. He needs to make 75% of the key decisions for Boston. He needs to either score or create a shooting situation for a teammate. He has the matchup advantage and the capability. Paul needs to go after it here.
• Stuckey to the rim, fouled by PJ, hits two at the line.
• Pierce on the three point line, offensive foul for initiating the contact.
• Detroit lead 66-58
• Lovely pass by Pierce on the drive off the spin move in the paint in traffic to PJ Brown, foul, he hits two
• Stuckey misses the 18 footer
• Powe blocked on the break, out of bounds. Boston ball. 40 secs to play. Inbounds to PJ. Hand off to the inbounder Paul in the corner, quick three, miss, offensive rebound PJ, Cassell drives into the paint, shuffles his feet, travel, turnover. That’s 6 turnovers in the third for Boston. Detroit have 4 turnovers of their own this quarter actually.
• Rip Hamilton shakes free, baseline jumper, hits
• Ray misses a jumper from 30 feet jumping out of bounds off the dribble, off the bank, miss
• End of Three

Fourth Quarter

• Garnett has to shoot it, hesitates, pump fakes, shot clock violation. His poor shooting is playing on his mind. 4-14 tonight from the floor.
• Prince corner three, miss, Prince keeps it alive, Boston pull it down
• Cassell offensive foul on the push off. He comes out. Rondo and Perk come back in. Starting lineup on the floor right now for Boston.
• Rondo the floater in the paint, hits it
• Detroit lead 70-62
• Mark Jackson “If you’re the Celtics you need to start thinking about getting Kevin in the post, all of his touches are coming on the perimeter”
• Nice passing from Boston, Perk open dunk, fouled, hits the FT.
• Wallace open from three top of the key, miss
• Posey defensive rebound. He has two big deflections leading to turnovers here too.
• KG on the block against Wallace, gets the foul. Eh … not sure I like that call but okay. 5 fouls now. KG makes his first FT of the night. He hits the second too. Three point game. 9 minutes to play in the fourth. Maxiell about to come in, presumably for Theo.
• Travel on Prince, lifted his pivot foot. Detroit’s 13th turnover after only 2 in the first half. Bad call, Prince didn’t move his pivot foot on the replay.
• Timeout
• KG on the left block, shoulder fake, turnaround J in the lane over Maxiell, nails it
• Billups misses two three pointers
• Two defensive fouls on Detroit in that possession, PIerce gets two, makes one. Game tied at 70
• Hamilton turnover, Perkins steal, Rondo with a one-on-one with Billups on the break, pulls it back, bad decision. He had a layup there. Posey misses a three in the halfcourt.
• 10-0 Celtics run
• Stuckey to the rim, Perk alters the shot, miss, offensive rebound, Pistons reset, post Maxiell, turnaround J, hits it.
• Garnett with the one dribble pull up J from 17 feet, hits it. Tie game
• Maxiell again, drives into the paint, gets the screen, jumper over the top, hits it
• 5:30 to play
• Pierce spinning into the lane, gets a foul, hits the layup
• Timeout
• Pierce hits the FT
• Rip Hamilton is not on the floor,
• Rondo deflects Sheed’s pass, steal, Rondo has a layup, Sheed behind him, he passes it up and pulls it back. Gets it to Pierce, he hits the long two. Pierce has 21 now on 8-11 shooting with 12 points coming here in the second half.
• Nice up and under move by Rasheed, miss, very late coming back down. Boston takes no advantage.
• Pierce draws the foul on the pass, they’re in the penalty. Pierce knocks down both.
• 19-4 Pistons run
• Wallace in the post, turnaround J in the post, hits it over Perk. Good defense, better offense.
• Garnett gets Chauncey on the switch, shoots over the top of him, hits it
• Garnett picks up the foul reaching in on Wallace. That’s three team fouls. Three plus minutes to play.
• Wallace right block, spin move baseline, foul on Perkins. Sideline ball.
• Wallace has a three rim in and out to beat the shot clock, rebound Posey.
• Boston ball up 5, Pierce has it, Rondo has it, 5 seconds on the shot clock, fadeaway 20 footer off the dribble, hits it.
• That’ll do it. Game Over. Boston win. Detroit will throw up a few desperation shots now to try and get back in. 2:30 to play, down 7. Detroit don’t have the scorers to get quick easy baskets and they haven’t been able to stop Boston in the fourth. Very close to no hope.
• Billups high screen and roll, gets by Posey easily, gets contact and the foul on the jumper, banks the shot. Hits the FT. Four point game. Billups has 27 points. He had 20 in the first 23 Billups minutes.
• Rondo misses the floater, offensive rebound Perk, loses it, off Detroit. Boston ball.
• Got to milk some clock, then get a good shot. Start the offense around 15 secs. Pierce has it, nothing going, Garnett passes up the 10 footer, out to Rondo from 22 feet on the right wing, miss
• Defensive rebound Prince, Posey from behind steals it. Pistons foul.
• Billups misses an open three. Down 6, Boston ball with 1:10 to play. Boston milking the shot. Timeout Doc Rivers with 11 on the shot clock with 1:05 on the game clock.
• Pierce air balls a three, Hamilton misses a three. Pistons start fouling. This is over.
• KG missed two FTs, glimmer of hope still there for Detroit. Pistons have to take a three, a quick three. Quick is the key word here.
• Timeout Detroit, Chauncey inbounds it, Wallace gets a decent look from three, misses badly like he has all game long on long jumpers. Pierce rebounds the ball, fouled.

Boston will play the Los Angeles Lakers in the Finals. Well done.

Great Playoff Run By The Lakers

• They defeated the Nuggets 4-0 in the first round sweeping them out of the playoffs.

• They defeated the Jazz 4-2

• They defeated the Spurs 4-1, knocking the defending champions out of the playoffs

The Lakers have won every single home game they’ve played and they’ve won on the road in each round. Overall they have a 4-3 road record, easily the best in the Playoffs this season.

Game Five: Los Angeles vs San Antonio

The Lakers have outscored the Spurs by 54 points over the last 66 minutes at Staples in this series

Elimination Game Tonight

• Usual starting lineups. Spurs starting Oberto and Finley once more.
• Lakers win the tip, lovely backdoor pass by Gasol to Radmanovic, missed the layup, tip by Gasol.
• Duncan catches it on the left block, about two feet further out than normal, turns left, drives left, draws the foul.
• Duncan left block, tripe teamed, spins baseline, nice pass to Oberto, layup
• Defensive rebound Bowen, loses it, falls right to Gasol. Gasol gets a post up on the left block for his efforts, goes one on one with Duncan, turnaround J, Duncan almost blocks it, great defense by Duncan forcing the miss. He stopped Gasol from backing him down, stopped the spin moves either way, then was right in his face heavily contesting the shot.
• Post up right block Gasol, great defense by Duncan again to disrupt Gasol’s rhythm and force him into a more difficult shot
• Kobe catches it on the left elbow, Bowen defending him well, dribbles out to wing, drives baseline, cuts back up through to the FT line, fadeaway, Bowen still in his mug, hits it. Great shot by Kobe. It was a nice little screen by Gasol as Kobe came up through the paint for the jumper
• Duncan seals Radmanovic, layup
• Odom gets the screen and roll with Gasol, Duncan switches, Odom drives by, elevates and finishes over Duncan. Great length by Odom to finish that one.
• Parker pushes it quick after Bryant’s layup, halfcourt offense, he pushes it up on the right wing, spin move on Radmanovic, four Lakers back versus Parker, Finley sprints up the left wing, nobody guarding him, catch and shoot 17 footer, 4 seconds off the clock to get that shot. Nice quick basket by San Antonio instead of always working against the Lakers halfcourt defense.
• Radmanovic nails a three on the right wing
• Timeout
• Duncan bank shot, left wing 15 footer
• Spurs lead 13-11 at the halfway point
• Radmanovic knocks down the 17 footer from the extended elbow, nice pass by Gasol
• Finley hits the three on the right wing
• Odom drops the ball, Fisher runs and gets it, iso for Fish, late in the shot clock, fake penetration, step back J, 20 footer, miss
• Duncan out of control but fouled. Sideline in, Duncan on the left block, turns middle, up and under, layup
• Fisher corner three, miss, tip by Gasol, no good, tapped out, out of play.
• Finley throws a baseline bounce pass, picked off.
• Popovich has said that Kurt Thomas will play tonight and mainly in place of Robert Horry’s minutes
• Odom drives right to the middle, spins left to the block, layup, travelled on the move. Kurt Thomas is in now and defending Odom.
• Duncan misses the right elbow J, Thomas keeps it alive, LA get it
• Duncan snares another defensive board
• Lovely pass by Duncan, he stucke his foot out and created a passing lane. He caught the ball at about five feet, and stuck his foot in the air in between two players like a karate kick, then passed through that open space for the Thomas layup
• Missed three Barry, offensive rebound Thomas, putback
• Kobe screeen and roll left wing, he goes away from it, draws Duncan across, finds Gasol, 10 footer, Duncan gets back in the play but doesn’t bother the release, miss. Gasol is 2-9 now. Lakers keep possession.
• Kurt Thomas switches out to Bryant, Kobe takes the 17 footer Kurt gives him, miss
• Ginobili hits the three
• Spurs lead 28-15
• Gasol offensive foul, Kurt took the charge. Big flop.
• Second quarter
• Turiaf draws the foul down low. Duncan and Bowen resting now, Bowen shouting out defensive instructions. Kobe is resting for the Lakers. Turiaf goes 1 for 2
• Doug Collins felt that Duncan was tired in the fourth quarter. He was but I didn’t think it affected his play much. He just missed shots.
• Kurt Thomas lays out Sasha on a hard pick, Lakers help, Brent Barry nails a three.
• Turiaf with a lovely handoff on the midpost to Farmer, contested layup, miss
• Parker open 20 footer baseline, miss. Nice set up by Manu off the dribble drive.
• Farmer misses from downtown.
• The Lakers have only 1 point over the previous 6:35. That Turiaf FT.
• Spurs on a 20-3 run over the past 9 minutes
• Parker drives down the middle, goes left, spins back right, floater, miss
• Ginobili reach in foul on Sasha. Nice little slap by Manu.
• Sasha misses. Farmer misses another. Finley misses.
• Farmer on the secondary break, gets the step, reverse layup
• Lakers make a 6-0 run without Gasol or Kobe. Great for the benches confidence.
• Timeout Spurs
• Spurs get a three and a Duncan layup out of the timeout
• Farmer knocks over Parker, no foul, ball out of bounds, still Spurs ball
• 5 minutes to play in the first
• Parker with the 17 footer over Fisher, great D by Fisher, Tony gets it to go
• Walton misses the turnaround J in the post, Gasol tips it in. Pau very active on the offensive boards.
• Parker on the high screen and roll, drives from the left wing, goes left towards the baseline, spins back right to beat Walton, layup
• Walton fouled down low, two FTs. Spurs in the penalty now. Walton makes both.
• Spurs lead 42-28
• Gasol risky pass out, Bowen doesn’t get it, Bryant drives, 20 footer, fouled, hits it. He makes the three point play. That was Kobe’s first made free throw in 2 games. Crazy. Spurs have defended him brilliantly. Somewhere Jerry Sloan is kicking himself.
• Defensive rebound Duncan, bad outlet pass by Duncan, out of bounds, turnover
• Timeout
• Final three minutes of the half. Big swing period. The Spurs need to hold onto a double digit lead, preferably a 15 point lead. Lakers want to get it below 10. Huge period in the game, momentum swinger
• Duncan defensive rebound, Duncan dribbles it up the floor, bounce to Barry, to Kurt, hits the jumper
• Kobe with an impressive spin move on the left elbow to get the tough layup
• Kobe has 11 now on 5-10 shooting. Duncan has 10 points.
• Offensive rebound Kurt Thomas, stripped by Sasha, Kurt had to put the ball on the floor because he lost his balance and was about to travel, fouled by Kurt Thomas trying to get the ball back from Sasha. Vujacic makes one of two at the line.
• Spurs lead 46-34, 1:40 to play in the half
• Parker with a nice drive and kick, finds Duncan, passes it up, Parker comes back up, collects it, drives, teardrop miss
• Kobe drives, Duncan switches, Kobe picked up his dribble, kickout to Fisher, three pointer left wing, nails it
• Timeout
• Lead down to 9 with one minute to go in the half. Momentum has clearly shifted LA’s way. They’ve won 20 of their last 23 home playoff games including 5 straight against the Spurs. They are 50-10 at Staples in the playoffs. Their last loss at home was late March against Memphis.
• Parker misses the 18 footer on the left wing, defensive rebound Odom, Odom dribbles through the middle like a panther, roaring through the middle, touch foul Thomas, Odom gets the layup to go and the FT. 6 point game. Great play by Odom, dumb play by Thomas. Kurt has been making those plays all season.
• Kurt Thomas costs the Spurs 6 points a game with dumb fouls whenever he plays 15 or more minutes. Gotta avoid some of them better.
• Duncan finds a cutting Finley, layup
• Kobe holds it for the final shot, calls for the screen and roll, Bryant gets the step, layup uncontested
• Spurs run it up, Parker fadeaway out of the corner, miss
• Halftime
• Spurs lead 48-42
• Kenny Smith – “Kurt Thomas has provided the energy”. Kurt has been very active on the boards, defended Odom well and hit some shots. He has 6 and 4 at the half.
• Some Team Stats – Spurs edge the boards 24-21, Lakers lead 6-4 offensive boards. Combined blocks/steals is 9-2 Lakers. Lakers have 4 turnovers giving up two points, Spurs had 6 turnovers giving up 2 points. Lakers have taken three more shots. LA has only 6 assists on 17 made field goals, shooting 39% from the floor, 2-10 from three, 6-8 from the line. The Spurs have done a great job limiting the Lakers ball movement/passing all series long. The Spurs have 13 assists on 21 made shots, shooting 51% from the floor, 5-9 from three, only 1-2 at the line. Those two Spurs FTs were the first possession of the game by Tim Duncan. Lakers doing well keeping them off the line.
• Spurs bench is doing well. Barry/Kurt/Manu are the ones playing, 8 man rotation tonight, and they have 17 points between them in the first half.
• Decent balance from the starters too. Duncan has 9 points, Parker 8, Finley 10. Bowen and Oberto have a bucket each. Duncan had only 2 points in that second quarter while the Lakers were making their run.
• Gasol is 3-10, Odom 2-5. They have 11 points combined. Not good enough. Pau Gasol does have 8 rebounds, 6 offensive boards, which is a big help. Odom has only 1 rebound which was in the final minute of the half. Kurt Thomas has done a great job fighting him on the backboards, it’s limited Odom’s ability to just run and explode to the ball because he’s so busy boxing out Thomas. Expect more a team effort rebounding tonight.
• Kobe is leading LA with 13 points. He’s getting some limited help from quite a few players but nobody is really stepping up and being his sidekick or second option. Lot of pressure on Kobe in the second half to dominate the game for LA.

Second Half

• Duncan fallaway one hander baseline.
• Parker wide open from 18 feet top of the key, nails it. 10 point lead.
• Gasol left block, backed Duncan down but didn’t ever get position to shoot the ball, passes it out, missed long jumper
• Duncan misses a 19 footer from the top of the key
• Bryant pushes away Bowen, no call, pass to Odom, turnover.
• Parker drive and kick to Finley, Finley passes up the shot, drives right, pull up J, miss. Doug Collins – “Finley not comfortable shooting off the dribble going right, gotta jump out on the left on him”.
• Fisher steal, he’s ahead of the pack, layup
• Bryant dribbles up the slow break, pull up J from 16 feet, nails it
• Duncan down low, fallaway off the bank out of the double team, gets it to go
• Gasol ball fake right, drives left, goes up soft, miss
• Duncan down low, defended well by Gasol, fallaway contested, miss
• Odom drives right from the top of the key, spin, stops, 9 feet out, backs him down, lefty hook shot. Lovely move by Odom over Oberto
• Timeout Popovich
• Bowen three pointer left wing, foot on the line, good shot. Spurs back up 8.
• Bryant misses the 18 footer on the wing, Ginobili defensive rebound
• Duncan down on the block against Odom, backs him down, little fading jump shot, gets contact and the foul. Odom pushed his arms out, Duncan went up through them. Duncan misses the first, misses the second, Manu almost steals the board, loses it, Odom brings it down.
• Bryant dribble left, pump fake, gets Bowen in the air, Bowen manages to avoid hitting him seriously, no call, Bryant air ball. Minimal contact.
• Odom drives on Oberto, fouled on on the layup. Nice spin move by Odom again. He’ll shoot two, make two. Oberto has three fouls now, not that that matters much.
• Manu Ginobili drives baseline, throws it out of bounds, turnover. Great help defense by Bryant to force the turnover by closing down the passing lanes once Manu jumped in the air.
• Foul on Bowen. Kurt Thomas back in.
• Bryant catch and shoot from 18 feet. 4 point game.
• The Spurs have scored 30 points over the last 20 mintues after scoring 28 in the first 12
• Ginobili passes on a three, to Kurt, 14 footer, miss, loose ball foul Duncan.
• Spurs lead 58-52
• Spurs are 5-12 in the quarter, LA 5-10 as Odom bags a 16 footer. He has 11 points now.
• Defensive rebound Odom on Duncan’s miss
• Bryant squeezes into the paint, dish to Gasol, dunk
• Bryant fastbreak layup, some contact, no call, misses the layup. He vents, refs let it go.
• 24 second violation on the Spurs. Great defense by Odom closing down Parker to stop him getting a shooting opportunity. He jammed Parker nicely.
• Timeout
• Spurs offense has become very stagnant. Parker is struggling. Manu isn’t doing much and has passed up a few jump shots now, he looks low on confidence. Without their penetration the Spurs shooters aren’t getting good looks. Leaving Duncan all alone to shoulder the offense. Bad sign.
• Lakers miss, tap out by Gasol, offensive rebound, nice pass to Kobe in the paint, doubled, forced to give it up, Radmanovic takes a contested three, miss
• Ginobil drives down the middle into the paint, fouled.
• Manu misses the three
• The Spurs started 13 for 19 from the field, they’re only 13-36 since
• Nice move by Duncan to drive and find Kurt Thomas for the layup, fouled by Odom. That’s four on Odom. Thomas makes the three point play. Duncan is going to get some rest now.
• 50 seconds to play in the third
• Rebounding battle even at 28 now. Lakers lead 7-4 on offensive boards. Spurs have 17 assists to 8 Lakers dimes.
• Kobe in the left corner, drives into the paint, kickout to Fisher on the right wing, Fish swings it to the corner, Radmanovic takes the three, miss, Lakers lead
• Ginobili holds it for the final shot, step back J, miss
• End of Three

Fourth Quarter

• Lakers lead 64-63
• Unusual sight, Kobe starts the fourth quarter. The Spurs on the ropes here (Doug Collins words), Lakers going for the kill
• Kobe starts the quarter with a left wing three pointer
• Manu off the dribble, right wing, banker from 16, hits it
• Duncan backs Gasol down, spin baseline, miss, offensive rebound, fouled on the layup. Duncan misses the first. He’s 1-5 from the line tonight, hits the second.
• Duncan/Finley/Bowen/Manu/Barry
• Good replay by TNT there showing Bryant tell Phil he wants the ball now after hitting that three
• Kobe on the left wing, mid post, drives into the middle, hanging shot, foul. Foul before the shot. Sideline ball. Foul on Duncan, his second
• Lakers lead 67-66 with 10 plus minutes to play
• Walton misses the long jumper, defensive rebound Duncan
• Duncan with a driving hook, foul on Walton. Duncan makes both FTs
• Farmer drives baseline, Walton slides to the corner, hits the three pointer
• 9 minutes to play as Farmer hits the reverse layup. Farmer fell over in the backcourt, managed to keep the dribble alive, brings the ball up, high screen and roll, Farmer blows by the help defense into the paint, easy layup
• Timeout Popovich
• Pop laying into Oberto now
• Some Spurs Stats – Duncan is only 6-16 from the floor. He’s struggled to finish over Gasol’s reach. Still he’s playing very well offensively and scoring wise. Parker is only 6-15, looks very shaky on his jump shot, isn’t getting into the paint. Ginobili is only 3-7, the only being for only 7 shots taken. They have 37 points combined. The rest of the Spurs has 31, the Big Three of San Antonio has let them down tonight. They won’t win this without a great finish from the Spurs especially their backcourt
• Kobe to the rim, layup
• Lakers lead 74-68
• Barry drives off the hand off, fouled. Good smart hard play by Barry. Barry makes both.
• A little over 8 minutes to play
• Kobe Bryant has 27 points on 13-24 shooting from the floor. He’s 2-6 from three and 1-1 at the line. Excellent game by Bryant. He’s almost cancelled out the Spurs big three by himself.
• Walton hits another long jumper
• Timeout
• Parker with the teardrop, he has 16 points now.
• Kobe has Bowen on the ropes, Bowen’s back is turned to Kobe and the ball, he’s still staying with Kobe, forces Kobe into a tough shot, Kobe drives from the right wing to the left elbow J, miss, loose ball foul on Duncan. He pushed off on Gasol
• Timeout
• Odom still has 11 points, Gasol 10 points. They have only 21 points tonight. That gives them a 50-38 advantage over the Spurs big three though.
• The Spurs bench has 28 points tonight. Kurt has 11, Barry 8, Manu 9.
• We’re at the midway point in the fourth. Under 6 minutes to play.
• The Lakers have 48 points in the paint, Spurs 30
• Barry nails a three from the top of the key
• Ginobili is defending Odom, Lakers not going to that matchup, Gasol rejected, Odom gets it, loses it.
• Ginobili pump fakes the three, drives by Odom easily, shoots the runner, miss. No elevation on his shot there.
• Parker runs the length of the floor, coast to coast, layup. Odom runs into Parker after the shot, no call. That’s right. Dumb call the other night for Boston-Detroit were they gave a foul for the contact after the block on the way down, that was silly.
• Timeout Lakers
• Phil pulls Odom for Radmanovic to match up with the Spurs small ball
• Ginobili wide open three pointer, miss
• Kobe jumps over Duncan, floating hook, hits it
• Lakers lead 85-81 with three and a half to play
• Duncan left block, dribbles off his foot, turnover
• Defensive rebound Duncan, his 15th, on Kobe’s miss
• Pick and roll with Barry and Duncan, lovely ball fake and pass to Duncan, layup, blocked, fouled by Gasol. 2:45 to play. Duncan is 4-8 now. He’s made his last three FTs. He takes the first, misses the first, takes the second, makes the second. Duncan has 17, 15 and 9 assists tonight. Add in some great defense on Gasol and his usual great help defense.
• Bryant tripped up on the drive. That’s three on Manu, third team foul. Sideline ball.
• Inbounds Kobe to Fisher, back to Kobe, 10 on the clock, Kobe high screen and roll, he drives into the lane, fadeaway from the right elbow, Duncan is in his face, Kobe knocks it down
• Duncan played very well by Gasol, misses the turnaround
• Bryant explodes to the rim, Duncan for the block, misses the shot, Kobe gets it off the glass quick enough, layup goes
• Timeout
• Kobe has 35 points. He’s been unstoppable in the second half, 22 second half points. Kobe is 16-30 now from the field. Kobe has 22 of the Lakers 47 second half points. He had to dominate to give LA a shot at winning without Gasol/Odom scoring and he did that.
• Lakers lead 89-82
• Gasol has 16 boards (8 offensive), 5 dimes, and 4 blocks now
• Lovely pass on the drive by Ginobili to Duncan, layup
• 1:33 to play
• Kobe gets the ball, brings it up top, milks the clock, Kobe to Gasol to Radmanovic, three from the corner, miss, offensive rebound Gasol. Kobe brings it back up, milks the clock again. Top of the key, drives right, on the drive, fouled on the shot. That hurts. You lose 48 seconds off the clock and still give up the two FTs. Kobe makes both FTs. Lakers lead 91-84
• Defensive rebound Pau on Parker’s miss
• Lakers run the clock, now Spurs foul. Vujacic to the line. This game is over.

Game Over. Lakers in 5 games, they’re heading to the NBA Finals.

Game Five: Boston vs Detroit

Game Five. Swing Game. 22 times in NBA History has a Conference Finals been tied at 2-2, the winner of Game Five has gone on to win 19 of those contests.

• Loose ball foul on Perk going for the offensive rebound. It was a baseline screen for Ray, 14 footer, miss
• Garnett catches it on the left block, fake left, goes right, jump hook, takes the contact, gets the foul. Good play by KG. Foul on McDyess. KG makes one of two.
• Rasheed Wallace hits a corner three off the dribble penetration by Rip Hamilton
• KG back down on the left block, strong move left, loses the dribble. Great intent.
• Prince misses a 19 footer from the left corner, in and out, miss
• Rondo drives into the lane, nowhere to go, finds Perk, layup. Very nice pass in traffic.
• McDyess air balls a 18 footer
• Ray Allen, fastbreak, catch and shoot, 23 footer right elbow extended, nails it. Ray is wearing a sleeve on his left arm tonight.
• Turnover, fastbreak Paul Pierce, he goes coast to coast with a nice spin move to the rim, layup
• 10-5 Celtics lead
• Timeout Detroit
• Chauncey Billups hits a three. Bad double by Rondo to help on Prince
• KG has a layup, passes it up and throws it out of bounds. Gotta take that. Lovely set up by Rondo
• Billups has a layup, tries to kick it out and throws it out of bounds. Well done lads.
• KG shoots a 22 footer, miss, offensive rebound Perk, strong dribble, fadeaway from 4 feet, hits it. Rasheed Wallace has to do more to keep him off the glass
• Miss, offensive rebound McDyess, pass to Rip, open 10 footer, miss
• Billups closed out to hard, allowed Rondo to drive past him. Just give up that 22 footer from Rondo. Rondo drives, finds KG, 21 footer, hits it.
• Wallace with a long three four feet behind the arc, nails it, top of the key.
• KG on the right block, drives middle, draws another foul on McDyess. KG makes one of two.
• Rip Hamilton drives, pulls it back, gets an iso, left wing contested 20 footer off the dribble, miss. Terrible shot.
• Pierce air balls a 19 footer on the left wing, Prince might have gotten a piece of it, right to Perk, layup
• Rondo is dribbling the ball up quick. He’s getting the Celtics into the halfcourt in about 3 seconds each trip
• Prince gets the bounce on the baseline J
• Rondo with a nice move baseline, blows the layup
• Wallace jacks another three on the left wing this time, miss
• Garnett has the 14 footer, passes it up, Perk not looking, he was fighting for position and there was no passing lane, turnover.
• Wallace wide open on the right wing, nails a three. That’s 3-4 from downtown.
• Boston lead 17-16 with 3 minutes to go in the first
• Pierce on the left block, spins middle, layup. Nice move.
• Prince high screen and roll on the left wing, drives left, pull up hook from 14 feet, miss, air ball.
• Pierce on the midpost against Prince again. Pierce hits the 16 footer over Prince. Nice face up J
• Defensive rebound Perkins. That’s his 6th board already.
• Bad pass Rondo. Behind the back pass easily intercepted.
• Both teams have 4 turnovers already.
• Maxiell on the left block against Perk, fadeaway jumper baseline, hits it
• Bad pass Rondo, turnover, steal Chauncey Billups, he holds KG on his hip, has the layup, fouled. It’s a clear path foul, meaning Billups had a clear path to the rim on the fastbreak. So he gets 2 shots and possession. KG fouled him from behind while Billups was already away. Billups hits both FTs.
• Billups posts up Rondo, turning, pivot, shoots the 8 footer off the glass, miss. Good shot. Defensive rebound Perkins.
• Prince puts his hand out to contest Pierce’s long J, Pierce sees it, goes right up through Prince’s arm. Easy call. Prince knocks down both.
• Boston lead 23-20
• Defensive three seconds against Boston. Billups takes another, hits it. Detroit were going to Rasheed on the block there.
• Stuckey pulls up from 16 feet close to the FT line, ties the game
• Rondo fires a three, offensive rebound PJ Brown, 3 seconds, out to Posey for three, miss, offensive rebound Perk, layup, blocked by Prince. Clean block. It was close but I think clean block.
• End of One
• Second Quarter
• 23-23 Tie Game
• Boston have been the better of the two sides so far. Silly fouls, turnovers, and some Sheed threes are why Detroit have hung tough.
• Stuckey drives on Pierce, Pierce falls as Stuckey pulls up, miss
• Sam Cassell is in for Boston now. Not Eddie House. Lindsey Hunter comes in for Billups.
• Perkins is still in the game which is an odd sight
• Lovely drive and pass to Perkins, layup. He has 10 and 9 already.
• Rip Hamilton steps back off the screen, hits the 17 footer, lovely shot.
• Pierce iso on Hamilton, takes the face up J, miss, rebound PJ Brown, out to Cassell, drive to the rim, passes off to Perk, Perk gets stripped on his way up with a fallaway in the paint, turnover, Pistons run the other way, lob pass to the rim, Maxiell alley oop, slammed hard.
• Flagrant 1 called against PJ Brown. I’d give a flagrant there too. Maxiell was too high up in the air, had the dunk, PJ had no hope of either contesting that shot or fouling with risking injurying the other play. If Maxiell was a foot lower I’d say bad call, but it was so high up there and PJ had no hope. Good call. Maxiell makes one of two.
• Rip catches it above the left elbow, doubled, waits for his teammates to improve the spacing, Posey is defending Rip, Pierce begs off, Rip drives left, pump fake, gets Posey up in the air, gets contact, gets the foul. Rip makes two at the line.
• Only two minutes gone in the second quarter
• Backcourt pressure, Hunter picks Cassell’s pocket, alley oop Maxiell, slam dunk
• Garnett catches it at the top of the key, travel. Unlucky. He had his man off balance and a path to the bucket.
• Rip Hamilton on a baseline screen, cathes it, turns back baseline, his man Posey cheated over the top, KG helps out, Maxiell rolls to the rim, alley oop, Maxiell fouled on the dunk. Maxiell makes two of two.
• Pistons defense picking it up a gear, Pierce doubled, force him to the sideline, he picks up his dribble, trapped, refs bail out Pierce by giving a foul. Great defense by Detroit, no foul there.
• Three second violation on PJ Brown, Rondo didn’t see him quick enough, he was wide open for 2 seconds there. Rondo was too busy dribbling the ball.
• Rip’s pass deflected, nice pass by Rip off the high screen and roll to McDyess, dunk. 10-0 Pistons run.
• Rondo gets the loose ball, layin. Hits it.
• Rondo steals the ball, leads the break, to Pierce, back to KG, dunk
• 8 minute mark
• Timeout Flip Saunders
• Pistons lead 33-29
• Stuckey drives to the rim, gets fouled by Rondo. That’s two fouls on Rajon. Good play by Stuckey right out of the timeout. They needed a hoop to kill the momentum. Stuckey makes one of two. The crowd quiten down a bit while he’s at the line, still very loud though.
• Blocking foul on Hunter. That’s their third team foul. Get the feeling we’ll see a lot of FTs tonight.
• Pierce has the ball knocked loose out of bounds. Hunter was defending Rondo at the top of the key, Pierce was on the left high post, sealing his man for the ball over the top sideline, Rondo throws the ball slow and high, Hunter runs down behind and around Pierce, knocks it loose. Great play. Inbounds to KG, fadeaway hits it.
• Theo scores down low
• Foul on Theo off the ball
• 7 minutes to go in the first half
• The atmosphere is great tonight from the Boston faithful
• Pistons lead 36-31
• McDyess and Sheed in now, Theo sits.
• KG misses the 15 footer, tip by Brown, layup KG
• Prince runs off the screen, wide open under the rim, gets the pass, dunk
• Ray looks to hand it off from 40 feet, stolen by Stuckey, foul on the break. Bad turnover by Allen there.
• Rondo with great help D on Prince’s post up, kickout, 20 footer, miss
• Defensive rebound Perkins, outlet pass to Rondo, kicks it ahead to Ray, layup. Great break.
• Celtics knock the ball free in the backcourt, out of bounds. Still Pistons ball.
• Timeout
• Billups bumped out of bounds. Still Piston ball.
• Celtics have 10 turnovers and 0 bench points. The Pistons have 5 turnovers and 11 bench points.
• Lovely screen off the ball, wide open Rip Hamilton layup off the baseline inbounds. Pierce protected the corner instead of the basket again like in Game Two. KG didn’t protect the rim again because he was frightened of Sheed’s shooting ability again. Ray got caught in the screen (Posey last time) so they got a layup.
• Paul in the paint, draws the foul on
• Rip pops up off the screen, 18 footer top of the key, nails it
• Foul off the ball. McDyess picks up his second personal. Hmmm I thought he had two early, must have changed one of those calls. KG to shoot two, Pistons in the penalty, KG hits both. He has 12 points on 4-6 shooting and 4-6 FT shooting.
• Detroit lead 42-38
• 5 minutes to play
• Turnaround from Rasheed, in and out, rebound KG
• KG drives, pass inside to Perk, missed layup, to Rondo, misses the 5 footer, KG fights for it, out of bounds off Detroit.
• Pierce with the left corner three, hits it
• Billups gets KG on the switch, takes the three over him, miss
• Boston run up the other way, three pointer on the break by Ray Allen, good shot. Boston take the lead back.
• Timeout Celtics
• 3 minutes to play in the half
• Some clips of Ray Allen here, Ray has 8 points in transition tonight. The Celtics have to keep pushing the ball. It’s the easiest way to get their guards going and to get some easy hoops instead of facing tough half court defense all night long.
• Billups comes off the screen and roll, 18 footer, miss. Defensive rebound Perkins. he has 10 and 11 now.
• Pierce misses the layup, rebound Prince, dribbles it out, stripped by Rondo, misses the layup, tapped in by Perkins. He has 12 and 11.
• Fastbreak, Pierce layup, blocked by McDyess. They call a foul, ahhh I don’t like that call. He didn’t make contact until after the block. That shouldn’t be called. After the play. It’s hardly ever called, thank you JVG for raising the issue, glad I’m not alone here.
• Celtics on an 11-0 run over the last 3:20
• Boston lead 47-42 now
• Ray Allen called for a foul off the ball, holding Rip. Rip gets the first to go, and the second falls too.
• Pierce left wing, clear out, Pistons cheat off of Rondo, Pierce finds the open man, nothing going, KG loses the ball, 24 seconds about to run out, KG heaves a three off the backboard, it falls.
• Wallace responds with a pick and pop three of his own
• 1 minute to play in the half
• Rondo blows by to the rim, layup
• Blocked by Perkins. Nice drive by Rip, he tried to get the layup over Perk, smacked out of there. Fastbreak, missed pull up jumper.
• Pistons hold it for the final shot. Billups has it, gets it to Rip, Rip fouled, no call, 24 second violation.
• 20 second timeout by Doc
• 2.2 seconds remaining. Here we go, delay of game warning on Garnett. Three pointer at the buzzer, no good.
• Halftime
• Wallace has 12 and 4. KG has 15 and 6. Perkins though has been the best big man on the court with 12 and 13.
• The Celtics had a 16-4 run to close the half out.
• Some Team Stats – The Pistons have only 11 rebounds total as a team. Perkins is outrebounding the Pistons by himself. The Celtics are killing the Pistons on the backboards 28-11 including 9-3 on the offensive glass. Combined blocks/steals is 10-5 Detroit. The Celtics have 10 turnovers giving up 15 points. The Pistons have 6 turnovers giving up 10 points. The Pistons are 9-13 from the line, Celtics 8-12. Pistons are 5-8 from downtown, Celtics 4-6. The Celtics have 12 assists on 20 made baskets, shooting 51% and getting four more shots than Detroit. The Pistons have 13 assits on 15 made buckets, shooting 46%. Fastbreak points is 15-3 Boston.
• The starting backcourt for Detroit has 17 and 7 at halftime.
• Boston’s frontcout has 40 of their 52 points. Perk has 12, KG has 15, Pierce has 13. Ray and Rondo have the other 12. Still no bench scoring by Boston.
• Detroit have 11 bench points led by Stuckey/Maxiell.

Second half

• Boston lead 52-46
• Chauncey starts the second half off with a turnover. Then a foul on Hamilton off the ball defensively. Bad start by Detroit.
• Perk posts up McDyess, backs him down, jump hook in the lane, hits it. 14 and 13 now.
• Lovely backdoor cut by Prince, Rip finds him, Prince jumps akwardly, messes up the layup, to McDyess, passes up the shot, out to Rip, Rip drives inside, charging foul. Pierce took the hit.
• Beautiful feed by KG to Pierce, layup
• Timeout Detroit
• Defensive 3 seconds violation Boston. Hamilton hits the FT.
• Wallace takes the quick fallaway on the inbounds, KG right in his face, defensive rebound Perkins
• Garnett open on the 18 footer, miss, offensive rebound Perkins, steadies himself, takes a dribble, baseline turnaround, hits it. Perk has 16 points (8-11) and 15 boards now.
• Prince hits a 20 footer on the right wing. Dangerous cross court pass to set it up.
• KG hits the 20 footer from the top of the key
• Billups misses the three, defensive rebound Pierce, foul on McDyess. Silly reach in foul by McDyess.
• Boston lead 60-49, Boston ball.
• Wallace knocks Ray’s dribble from behind out of bounds. 7 seconds on the shot clock, sideline ball. Inbounds to KG, dribbles right, cross over left, drives to the FT line, fallaway over Theo, hits it.
• Wallace hits another three pointer. That’s five three pointers. Rasheed saw Rondo switched onto him and just shot over the top
• Lovely pass by Perkins to Rondo, layup, blocked by Theo
• Billups comes up and hits the 16 footer off the dribble
• Ray Allen responds with a three. Nice penetration by Rondo to draw the defender and get Ray the good look.
• Nice pass by Rip to Theo, fouled on the short jumper. Theo misses the second, rebound Perk.
• Blocking foul on Rip Hamitlon. That’s his third personal, all three fouls here in the first 5 minutes of the third quarter.
• Ray high screen and roll, heat check, he takes it, hits it. Celtics up 14.
• Prince passes up the wide open t hree, hesitates, still gets KG to buy the pump fake, dribbles into the elbow, misses the J. Bad play by Prince.
• Travel on Perk on his post move
• Billups posts up Rondo, spins middle, gets Perk to move on the fake, gets the layup
• Foul on Wallace holding KG. That’s three on Wallace. McDyess sitting with four.
• Halfway point in the third
• KG at the buzzer from 17 feet, left wing, nails it. Lovely pass by Ray Allen. KG is 8-11 from the floor
• Celtics are 8-10 from the field in the quarter.
• KG over-aggressive and picks up the foul when trapping Prince
• Timeout Celtics
• Billups runs two high and screen and rolls, nothing going. He gives up throws it over to Prince. Prince looks to get rid of it. Inside to Maxiell on the right block, spins baseline, pump fake, up and under, blocked by Perkins, 24 second violation
• Defensive three second violation on Theo Ratliff, Ray hits the FT
• Ray gets two more FTs, hits both. C’s up 14 with 2 minutes to play
• Rip fouled, gets two more, hits two. Both teams in the penalty.
• Rondo brings it up, dribbles for 11 seconds, Ray runs the baseline, Rondo hits him in the corner, three pointer, good.
• Perkins with the steal, runs the floor, hacked by Billups, Perk makes 2 of 2. Perkins has 18 points, 16 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 steal.
• Boston up 17 points now.
• Stuckey pushes off on Ray Allen on the inbounds pass. Turnover. Boston regain possession. That’s the 7th turnover by Detroit in the quarter.
• Illegal screen set out of bounds by PJ Brown. Turnover.
• Rondo has 13 assists tonight. He’s done a great job of pushing the tempo, finding his scorers, and creating some easy shots for teammates with his penetration. Only 2-11 but who cares about that? He’s running the team, that’s what I want to see.
• Rip Hamilton fouled by Perkins, he makes two more
• Blocked by Rondo. Good help D by Perkins too on that play.
• Inbounds to Hamilton, hits the baseline runner. He has 16 points now.
• Rondo on the clear out. Top of the key, moves left, cross over, hard drive right, stripped by Billups out of bounds. Nice move by Rondo. House in for PJ Brown. 6.4 seconds to play in the third. Pistons need a stop here to stop momentum carrying over. Only 5 seconds on the shot clock.
• Inbounds to Ray Allen, three pointer, miss, Stuckey heaves it 75 feet at the buzzer. No good.
• Ray Allen has 24 points, KG 23 points, Perkins 18 points.
• Celtics were 4-11 after starting 8-10 shooting in the third. Boston outscored Detroit 32-25. Felt like more.

Fourth Quarter

• Celtics up 13. Still within distance Pistons fans. Boston have to hold this lead in double digits until the four minutes mark. If they’re up 15 to the 6 minute mark. Most importantly, stop the early Pistons run to crank up the pressure on Detroit.
• Perk gets a breather along with Pierce
• Ray Allen stripped on the drive, jump ball. Ray wins the tip, out to KG, hand in his face, KG hits another long range J to beat the shot clock
• Wallace knocks down another three
• Ray drives baseline, falls over, travel. He wanted a call the other way.
• Hamilton nails the 16 footer over KG on the switch, nice driving pull up J
• Posey misses a three, Hamilton rebounds, pushes it hard, tries to pass it ahead, Ray deflects the pass, out of bounds of Posey. Ray gets a breather, Pierec back in.
• Hamilton skips to the rim off the inbounds pass, hits the floater
• Posey nails a three. Great pass by Pierce out of the low post. Once he caught the ball down there the whole Pistons zone defense got nervous.
• Offensive foul on McDyess, that’s five fouls
• Pierce stripped, then knocked down, foul on Wallace. That’s four on Wallace.
• Celtics lead 89-78 with 9 plus minutes to play
• KG wide open, hits the long J. Nice feed again by Pierce.
• Hamilton takes the three, nails it. 10 point game.
• Rondo drives to the rim, miss, tipped by PJ Brown, out of bounds. Detroit ball.
• Timeout
• JVG – 17-27 from three total by both sides. Great shooting
• Wallace front rims a three. Rebound ahead to Rondo. Rondo pushes it, then slows it down, bad pass Posey to Rip, ahead to McDyess, fouled by Perk on the dunk attempt. That’s three on Perk. Dice misses the first FT, makes the second. Single digits.
• 8 minute mark.
• Pierce out to Garnett, he pops out, KG finds him, open three, miss, offensive rebound Perkins. Fouled by Hunter.
• Another dangerous pass by Pierce, almost picked off, KG passes up the shot, finds Rondo, miss, air ball
• Hunter misses a wide open three, rebound Boston
• Posey misses a wide open three, miss, defensive rebound Detroit, Stuckey pushes it up the floor, short J off the run, miss
• KG throws it away, turnover, Hamilton sprints the floor, layup.
• Timeout
• Terrible turnover by KG. He had a wide open 17 footer, he took a dribble, then had a wide open 15 footer, then jumped in the air to pass up to a semi-contested 17 footer. Why? Take the 15 footer.
• Boston lead 91-83
• Ray Allen fouled on the pass, nope, travel called, senior ref overruled. Good call. The foul was after Ray hit the floor.
• Stuckey to the rim, misses the layup, tip by McDyess, fouled by Perkins. On the missed tip, McDyess tipped it the second time and got it to go, didn’t count. Dice makes both. 6 points game.
• 6 plus minutes to play
• Pierce on the iso, Pistons look to trap him, send a double from both sides, Hunter from behind, steals it, runs out of bounds. 9 seconds on the shot clock. Rondo has it, to KG, KG, stripped by Hunter on the switch, out of bounds off KG. Turnover.
• Wallace corner three, miss
• Hunter and Stuckey have played the entire fourth so far. Hamilton is at SF.
• Foul and the Tech. Foul on Hunter, Tech on Sheed. Dumb. C’s make the tech, didn’t see who because ESPN didn’t think it was worth showing. Presume Ray took it. Inbounds.
• KG takes a 22 footer, bad miss off the backboard, back rim area
• Billups long three pointer, nails it. Great defense by the C’s on that possession.
• 10-1 Pistons run
• Boston lead 92-88
• Rondo dominates the ball, comes back up top, passes up the screen, drives hard right, to the rim, layup, gets it to go.
• Turnover, steal KG, ahead to Rondo, to Ray on the wing, Ray drives baseline, finds KG, fouled by Dice. That’s 6 on McDyess and he’s outta here. McDyess has 4 and 5 tonight, way to fill it up after your 21 and 16 performance.
• Timeout
• Celtics lead by 6 with two KG FTs to come with four minutes to play in the fourth.
• Rasheed is still talking with the refs instead of going into the huddle. 30 seconds later he goes back to his team. Dumb, dumb, dumb. At least his teammates are used to it.
• Clifford Ray having a word in Pierce’s ear. Paul will be the one to take this game home. He’ll create the action on the court.
• KG makes the first FT, makes the second
• Billups on the drive to the rim, smacked, no call, layup
• Alley oop to KG, Prince gets a piece of it but Prince got a lot more of KG on the play. KG to the line again. Great pass, didn’t see who threw it. Good play by Boston to get the ball up quickly. KG makes two of two.
• Hamilton poked in the eye, no call. Timeout called by his teammates before he is tied up.
• Boston lead 98-90 with 3:18 to play
• Detroit need baskets here and stops on the other end.
• Rip Hamilton has 25 points and 8 dimes tonight on 8-13 shooting. He’s been excellent tonight on both ends.
• Wallace misses the turnaround 20 footer, tip by Prince over KG, Detroit control it. Billups resets, he faces up Rondo, jab steps, Rondo reaching in, Billups goes up through him, foul, three pointer misses. Billups makes the first, makes the second, makes the third. Big play. He’s only shot 71% this series but 9-9 tonight.
• Rondo dribbles it up, high screen and roll, looping pass to KG, KG has Prince on him, KG drives left, misses the jump shot off the dribble. Perk offensive rebound, loses it out of bounds. Detroit ball. Tech on Perk. Billups makes another.
• Boston lead 98-94
• Hamilton misses a three, rebound Boston.
• Rondo throws another bad looping pass, Pierce goes and gets it, gets the foul as Detroit tried to steal it. Dangerous passes. Pierce misses the first, Pierce gets the roll on the second.
• Stuckey drives inside, fouled by Pierce, he’ll get two. Stuckey makes both.
• Doc pulls Perk, goes small, Posey in.
• Pistons trailed by as many as 17 in the third, as many as 15 in the fourth. This is as close as it’s been. Pistons within three. Boston lead 99-96
• Lob pass across to Rondo, bad pass by Pierce, Billups knocks it loose, then rolls into Rondo and knocks him over. Rondo shoots two, misses the first, makes the second.
• 1:36 to play
• Quick twos needed now
• Billups on the drive and kick to Stuckey, three pointer from the left corner, nails it
• Timeout Boston
• 1:17 to play
• Inbounds at halcourt by Ray Allen, Rondo runs out, collects it, Rip on him, over to Ray, To KG in the post, entry pass (bounce pass) deflected back out, Ray gets it, Ray dribbles into the corner, throws it off Sheed’s leg.
• Timeout Doc Rivers
• 6 seconds on the clock. 1:04 remaining.
• Inbounds Posey, to Ray, he shoots the three, hits it, foot was on the line. Two pointer.
• Detroit bring it up, Billups drives to the hoop, misses, Sheed fights for it, scrum in the paint, out off Garnett. New shot clock. Inbounds on the baseline, they’ve scored on four of five baseline inbound passes tonight
• 47 seconds remaining
• Boston lead 102-99
• That was Detroit’s last timeout. Boston have a 20 sec left.
• Prince inbounds on the baseline, Posey defending the pass, protecting the rim, in to Billups, on the drive, inside, miss, Rondo rebounds, brings it up, passes to KG, to Pierce. Pierce holds it. High pick and roll, trapped, Garnett at the buzzer from 22 feet, miss.
• Stuckey fouled
• Rip Hamilton is in a lot of pain. He didn’t even make it to midcourt on that last possession. He’s in a bad way.
• Stuckey is 3-4 from the line tonight, he makes the first, he takes the second, hits the second.
• Timeout Celtics
• Boston lead 102-101
• Boston ball
• 8.2 seconds to play
• Rip Hamilton is on the bench, Hunter in, Rip looks like he’s in a lot of pain. He’s barely moving his arm, it’s his right arm, shooting arm.
• Pistons are going to try for a steal.
• Boston to inbounds, House in for Rondo.
• Posey inbounds, KG top of the key, he’ll pop out if they can’t get it, Sheed leaves him, inbounds to Ray, fouled. Ray will shoot two. Ray hits the first, makes the second, inbounds to Stuckey, fouled.
• Pistons, Prince, almost threw the ball away, bad pass to Stuckey. 4.5 seconds.
• Stuckey misses the first, he’ll have to miss the second now. Perkins comes in to protect the basket.
• Perkins puffing his chest and taking a breath, he knows he has to go get this one
• Billups goes and have a word for Stuckey, telling him where to miss the shot, he hits it by accident. Inbounds to KG, fouled by Wallace. The disappointment on Stuckey’s face after making that shot.
• KG to shoot two, he gets the roll on the first. Three point game. 3.4 seconds to play. He hits it, game over. He misses it, you have to play good defense, maybe foul. KG hits the second.

Game Over. Celtics win. Fun Game.

McDyess Sets The Tone

Here’s Antonio McDyess:

“I am just trying to get our players to understand that there’s only so many opportunities we are going to have. The next game is going to be harder and the next game will be harder after that, so we have to leave everything out there on the floor. I am fed up with the excuses. I don’t want us to have no excuses. I can accept going out on the court, leaving everything out there and losing. But to not leave everything out there and losing and having excuses is not acceptable.”

The Call That Wasn’t

There’s a lot of negative reactions around the NBA fandom world right now. They wanted the foul to be called.

Me? Eh …. I think it was a borderline call. I’d be perfectly content with it being called or not called.
Here’s some reactions from San Antonio:

“It wasn’t a foul,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “… I think it was a proper no-call from what I saw.”

Duncan adding

“You’re not going to get that call. They’re not going to make that call.”

The (fouled) Brent Barry

“That play,” Barry said, “was not where the game was lost.”

I didn’t too much of it as a foul. Brent Barry did a great job getting Fisher to bite on his pump fake but instead of going up straight and shooting it, thus taking the contact and getting to the line, Barry maneouvered out of the way, got hit before the dribble, then shot the ball, and missed. Fisher definitely did bump into Barry, he hit him on that left shoulder. There’s no way it was in act of shooting but since they were in penalty Barry would have got two at the line which could have tied it.

Some are making out that if Kobe or LeBron was taking that shot it would have been called … That’s a load of crap, ignore it. We see this call throughout the season and it’s not given more often than given, in pressure situations it’s hardly ever given. LeBron had a similar shot near the end of a Finals game (Game Three) last season and didn’t get the call. Kevin Garnett would have 120-160 more FTs a year if they called that. Dirk had a potential game winner awhile before the playoffs started and didn’t get that call. And Bryant? He got zero FTs tonight. There was some contact on a bunch of his shots but the refs let them play. Bryant hasn’t been getting to the line at all this series. It’s a load of nonsense, the call was the same for anyone.

Brent Barry is the one most to blame in this situation. The simple truth is that if he had have gone up strong and taken the hit he would have gotten the call. But because he moved out of the way, got hit, dribbled the ball, then shot, he took the certainty of the call away. If he just did what he was supposed to do he would have gone to the line.

As for the Lakers, are they lucky? In some ways, in others not so much. The play before ended in a forced Kobe fadeaway to beat the shot clock. It should never have come to that, Fisher took a long jump shot, hit the rim and the ball went of Horry’s knees out of bounds. The refs missed the ball hitting the rim, it clearly hit the rim, and never reset the shot clock. There was only 5.6 seconds left in the game. The Spurs would have been forced to foul and LA would have had the two FTs. Heck, on a couple possessions earlier a goaltending call was given against LA which should have gone the other way. Four point swing there too.
The truth is that the better team won and deserved their victory. The Lakers killed the Spurs on the glass, especially the offensive glass which led to 26 of second chance points. They had great offensive balance and they did a great job defensively; they limtied Parker’s penetration, they took Manu out of the game, they stopped the supporting cast.

San Antonio simply didn’t do enough to win the game. Brent Barry had an excellent game going for 23 points, himself/Parker/Duncan accounted for 75 of the Spurs 91 points. That just isn’t going to beat the Lakers. 16 measly points after their top three scorers? Especially when you consider Barry scored most of his points off the attention Duncan and Parker where getting. The Spurs have lacked scoring behind their big three all season and it’s cost them against LA. The truth is that the Lakers have 5 players dressed (Bynum makes it six) after their three best scorers who are all better than San Antonio’s fourth scoring option. They’ve been able to outscore San Antonio all series and that’s why they’re up 3-1 and will win this battle.

Game Four: San Antonio vs Los Angeles

Missed most of the first quarter

• Lakers lead 25-16 with 3:20 to play in the first
• Quick start from the Lakers
• Spurs end the first quarter with a bang and a big Duncan dunk on the break
• End of One
• Lakers lead 28-23
• Turiaf misses the 17 footer, offensive rebound Farmer, taps it back in
• Lakers have 8 offensive rebounds and 14 second chance points. The Spurs have none of either.
• Brent Barry bags a three.
• Lakers lead 41-34
• Defensive rebound Barry, he dribbles up field, cuts through the middle, passes up top, clears the left wing for Horry to make an easy entry pass, Horry to Duncan, nothing going, kickout, repost, turnover. Lakers fastbreak, offensive foul on Farmer, turnover.
• That Farmer turnover is the 8th Lakers turnover which is allowing San An to stay close
• We’re halfway through the second now
• Duncan blocked by Gasol. He wanted the foul.
• Fastbreak the other way, Kobe pushes it hard, foul on the deck on Bowen, Kobe goes up for the layup, blocked by Duncan. Foul be fore the shot.
• Lakers miss, long outlet pass by Duncan, Parker turns on the jets, draws the foul on Sasha as he went in for the layup
• Bryant forced into a fadeaway from the top of the key, miss, great defense by Bowen, offensive rebound Radmanovic, putback
• Farmer and Vujacic the backcourt for LA now. Odom has 3 fouls, Fisher has 3 fouls. Gasol, Rad and Kobe out there for LA also
• 4 minutes to go in the second. Lakers lead 43-38
• Another great play by Parker. Great play by Duncan to bother the layup attempt and putback, ball squirms lose on the edge of the paint to Tony, Parker speeds up, blazes down the right wing, Lakers can’t stop him, fouled on the layup, and it goes.
• Radmanovic’s pass picked off by Brent Barry, nobody leaking out, Barry stops and looks to get Parker the ball to get into their halfcourt offense. 2 minutes and change to play in the half.
• Lakers lead 45-43
• Lakers finish the half strong and get the lead up to 6 on a 6-0 run after the Spurs tied the game.
• Halftime
• Lakers lead 53-47
• Duncan with an early bucket
• Great defense by Bowen to knock the ball loose, Kobe collects, shot clock clicking down, Kobe trying to drive, Bowen sticking to him like glue, nothing going, Kobe goes again, loses the ball on the way up, turnover. Bowen dribbling up the court, nothing going, runs to the corner, takes a defender with him, passes it back out to the top of the key to attack the open space, nothing going.
• Tony Parker probing the defense dribbling all around the world, dribbles across the top of the key, down the sideline, through the baseline, back up again, hits Duncan, miss under the hoop, tap, gets it to go.
• Odom hits the 18 footer
• A couple of possessions later and after a Kobe bucket the Spurs call a timeout
• Lakers lead 63-58

Late in the Third

• Lakers lead 71-67
• Lovely pass by Gasol on the move in traffic across the lane to Odom on that last bucket. Also, it was another offensive rebound on that play after Sasha’s missed three.
• Duncan on the right block, drives to the middle, blocked
• Defensive rebound Horry, ahead to Manu, he drives up the left, cuts back across the middle, fouled by Vujacic, they’re in the penalty. He’ll go to the line. Manu makes both. That’s his first points of the night, he’s 0-4 tonight and has struggled once again with Vujacic’s defense
• Kobe bags another bucket
• Manu drives again, pull up J from 16 feet, miss
• Udoka flies out to Sasha, fouls Vujacic on the three, he makes the shot. Four point play LA. Sasha’s first basket and points of the game.
• Lakers lead 77-70 with under a minute to play
• Duncan low in the paint, gets the pass, goes glass on the hook, miss, offensive rebound, back to Duncan, spins middle, turnaround one hander, miss off the back end of the rim.
• End of Three
• Some team Stats – Lakers winning 38-24 on the backboards including 12-6 offensive boards. Both teams struggling from three, LA shooting 3-13, Spurs shooting 4-17. The Lakers are 101-12 from the line, Spurs are 24-26 at the line with Duncan going 9-11 and Parker 7-7, Barry is 4-4. Rest of the team is 4-4 from the line. The Spurs have 5 turnovers have cost them 11 points. The Lakers 12 turnovers have cost them 13 points. The Lakers have 11 more shot attempts, the FT difference accounts for 7 of those, rebound difference is the rest and better clock usage (final shot of the quarter). Combined blocks/steals is 8-5 Spurs. The Lakers have only 12 assists on 32 baskets on 49% shooting. The Spurs have 15 baskets on 21 makes shooting only 39%.
• Duncan has been the star of the game with 25 points, 9 rebounds, 3 blocks, 3 steals, 2 assists. Parker has added 19 points of his own. They need some help.
• Brent Barry has done a great job filling in with 15 points, 4-9 from the floor and 3-7 from three. he has four rebounds. Pushing the ball well, good passing, good defense.

Fourth Quarter

• Duncan opens up the quarter with a bucker
• Another shot by Duncan in the paint, miss, offensive rebound, putback, blocked by Gasol. Great effort by Gasol.
• Kobe is getting a breather to start the quarter
• Duncan looks tired on that play as the ball goes out of bounds. Bending over and resting on his knees. He looks fine once the ball comes back into play.
• Horry ties up Sasha on Vujacic’s drive. Great play. Jump ball. Horry wins the tip, ball saved by Barry to Manu. Spurs come up, Parker works the high screen and roll, Horry pushed off the ball, foul.
• Spurs need to make a run right now
• Brent Barry knocks down a three from the top of the key
• Timeout LA
• Lakers lead 79-77 with under 9 to play

Fast forward

• Under four to play
• Lakers lead 84-79
• Odom with a bucket down low
• Steal by Kobe Bryant, breakaway dunk, Timeout San Antonio. Manu spilled the ball on a hand off high screen and roll, Kobe was the quickest to react.
• Duncan scores down low. He has 29 and 11 now.
• Lakers lead 90-84
• Odom on the left wing, drives left, blocking foul on Ginobili. FTs coming up. Odom usually misses a FT or two during pressure situations. I’m thinking 1 of 2. He dribbles up for the first, calms himself, takes it, hits it

I’m having problems with the internet all night so I missed a chunk of the fourth, wasn’t able to write down the game log.

• Lakers inbound, Fisher air ball, out of bounds of the Spurs. Timeout LA. Lakers lead 93-91 with 5.6 secs to play.
• Spurs ball, 2.1 seconds to play, inbounds to Barry, pump fake, gets Fisher up, gets some contact, not much, no call, forced to heave from 5 feet behind the line, brick. Game Over

Big win for the Lakers. This series is pretty much over. That Kobe steal/Manu turnover swung the game at the end. It made it really difficult for the Spurs to mount a comeback, four point swing.

Rosen’s Take on Game Four Det-Bos

On KG’s lousy performance

Kevin Garnett wimped out again — 6-for-16, 10 rebounds, three assists, one steal, two blocks, three turnovers, 16 points. Only one of his baskets came on his trademark fadeaway jumper (1-for-5), none came when he executed relatively weak moves to the rim (0-for-2) — the rest came on jumpers and on off-the-ball movement. Indeed, he passed up several open shots and either refused or was unable to put his team on his back and be the franchise player he has erroneously been reputed to be.

On the Celtics’ lack of energy

Who’s to blame for the Celtics lackadaisical start?

Don’t blame Doc Rivers, simply because it’s impossible for a necktie-wearing civilian to motivate his players. The necessary impetus to be physically, mentally and emotionally prepared is ALWAYS the responsibility of the players.

On the Pistons offense

The Pistons offense featured much more ball-movement than in Game 3 as proven by their 27 assists (on 38 baskets). In fact, the Pistons indulged in only 13 iso-situations (by Wallace, Billups, Hamilton and Prince), which was a modest total for them.

Read the rest of his article here

Game Four: Detroit vs Boston

• JVG “there’s just not enough collective energy from their (Detroit) starting unit”. Been an issue for two years Jeff but it bears repeating.
• Rip curls off the screen, passes out to the open Rasheed, he knocks down the 18 footer on the right wing
• Ray Allen turns it over
• Detroit have shot only 35% in the first quarters in this series and have been outscored by 18 points
• Billups to McDyess, 21 footer from the left wing, hits it
• Turnover, steal Detroit, Tayshaun tries to go over KG, misses the layup, rebound McDyess, layup
• Pierce misses off the dribble, rebound Rasheed
• McDyess hits the 19 footer on the right wing on the quick push
• Timeout Doc Rivers
• Garnett passes up the shot in the paint, out to Pierce, miss, offensive rebound Perk, fouled. Sideline out. Boston reset, Rondo gets the switch, tries to take McDyess, pump fake, doesn’t bite, forced fadeaway, miss, loose ball foul on Perk
• McDyess knocks down the 19 footer. He was only half open there, sandwhiched between Perk and KG but neither close enough to contest the shot seriously
• Prince takes it to the rim, miss, wants the foul doesn’t get it
• Pierce lob pass to KG, touch pass, Perkins layup. Took them four minutes to score.
• Prince pops out, good look from 17 feet on the left wing, miss, Perkisn rebound
• Ray Allen stripped, out to Pierce, stripped, turnover
• Prince loses the dribble, recovers, layup over KG’s reach
• Foul on Billups
• Reach in foul on Prince. That was predictable. You get a couple of strips and suddenly you start reaching on everything and start giving silly unneccessary fouls. Pierce knocks down two at the line.
• McDyess rolls to the rim, gets the feed, fouled by Perk. That’s two on Perkins.
• Offensive foul Rondo, moving screen
• Detroit are forcing Billups and Rondo into the post
• Nice pass by Sheed to Rip on the baseline, he has the step on PJ Brown, layup
• Miss by KG in the paint, travel on the offensive rebound, not called, kickout to Rondo, misses the runner
• Rondo hits the 17 footer off the dribble
• Prince has a 20 footer rim in and out
• Timeout
• McDyess has 10 points already
• Pistons lead 16-6
• Pistons have 5 dimes and 0 turnovers. Celtics have 1 assist and 4 turnovers
• Billups inside in the post, spinning middle, fouled, and gets the shot the go. Misses the FT. He’s only shooting about 80% in the playoffs after shooting 92% in the regualr season.
• Jarvis Hayes checked in. He’ll be defending Pierce, great matchup for Pierce.
• Hayes air balls a three from the corner
• Pierce gets to the rim, driveing baseline, loose it, offensive rebound, fouled, knocks down two at the line
• Pistons lead 18-8 with three to play
• Sam Cassell in
• Billups takes the pull up three, miss
• Timeout
• 3 timeouts in the first 9 minutes. Delightful.
• PJ Brown makes two at the line. Posey gives up a foul on the defensive end. Sideline ball.
• Hopefully Jarvis Hayes means we’ll see no Hunter tonight.
• Fastbreak, KG ahead of the pack, pass ahead, open dunk, Maxiell from behind with the big block. What a block. Great stuff
• Antonio McDyess pump fake, goes into the body, foul. Two FTs, hits them.
• Next possession, foul by Hayes being over-aggressive on his post denial defense on Pierce
• Detroit lead 20-12
• Offensive foul, Rip Hamilton
• Posey pump fake, fouled. Okay that’s four dumb fouls in a row.
• Stuckey hits the 17 footer off the right elbow
• Tech on Maxiell. That was a nonsense call.
• Pierce hits the fallaway out of the post
• Billups takes a running 20 footer, miss, Maxiell rebounds, looses the ball
• Rasheed blocks Glen Davis
• Billups holds it for the final shot, miss
• End of One
• Pistons lead 22-17
• Boston should be delighted. They’ve been thoroughly outplayed. If there was no scoreboard you’d assume this was at least a 15 point game now. Celtics been terrible.
• Detroit don’t have enough scoring to build an unassailable lead. They always allow the opposition get back in it.
• Hunter pressures Cassell, pass to KG, screen and roll, Hunter knocks Pierce’s dribble loose, turnover, breakaway, to Hunter, back pass, Maxiell dunk
• Great pressure D by Hunter again. Celtics get into their offense, Cassell has to force the baseline J, miss, offensive rebound Davis, putback
• Maxiell knocks down the jumper. Detroit needed that.
• Cassell dives off the ball, foul on Hunter
• Prince with a nice move on Posey in the post, spin move baseline, foul on the layup
• KG steps into a 22 footer, rebound Maxiell
• Wallace down in the post against KG, leans in, fighting for foot position, KG leaning in, too much leverage by KG, Wallace spins right into the paint, layup
• Stuckey alley oop to Maxiell over KG, layup
• Detroit lead 33-19
• Cassell lost his dribble but the refs bail him out with a foul on Hunter
• Timeout
• Perkins gets the turnaround in the lane. Nice shot.
• Garnett, drives baseline, fouled, the refs give it to him in the act of shooting, lucky boy. He wasn’t shooting that to save his life. KG knocks down two FTs.
• Doc “long game, long game” “we’ll make our run”
• Perkins dunk off the Ray feed. 6-0 run by Boston.
• Timeout Flip Saunders
• Rondo deflects it, steal, dives on the floor, kicks it back to Posey, layup
• McDyess hits another long jumper
• Offensive foul on Kevin Garnett. Not sure what he did there, didn’t see it. 8th Celtic turnover.
• Wallace with the turnaround out of the post over Perk
• Pistons lead 37-27
• Another offensive foul on Garnett, moving screen. That’s two on KG.
• Wallace turnaround over Perk, miss. Perkins is playing him hard down low. Sheed is on the left block. Perkins is playing him hard on that left shoulder, giving him the baseline, then jumping into the shot attempt like he has in previous games. Wallace has made a little adjustment, he turns baseline, spins back to the open court, shoots it over the top. He’s getting a better look.
• Offensive foul McDyess. That’s three fouls. Ticky tack call.
• 4 minutes to play in the half
• Celtics still playing crappy basketball
• Perkins fouled, gets one of two
• Pierce closes out Hamilton and gets a piece of it, turnover
• Garnett lays it in. Nice passing by Boston.
• Hamilton on the left elbow, one dribble left, pull up, hits it
• Garnett with the jump hook, miss, Perkins rebounds the ball, fouled on the putback. Perk gets one of two.
• Timeout
• Detroit lead 39-31
• Hamilton with the baseline floater from 15 feet, hits it. Nice shot. Pretty.
• Foul before the shot on Chauncey on the reach, they’re in the penalty. Ray hits both.
• Prince throws up an odd one handed shot off the drive, stop, pivot and nowhere to go variety. Hits it.
• Perk moves inthe post, doubled, kick out. Ball swings to Ray, pump fake, blows by Rip, layup
• Billups tries to draw the foul on Rondo, Rondo stops moving, Billups misses the J
• Rondo throws a lob to KG, dunk
• Rip Hamilton takes it to the rim, Perk jumps into him, no foul called, Rip still gets it up, in and out
• Offensive foul on the moving screen by Perk
• Timeout Detroit
• 4 quarters is just too long for these two teams. One would be enough. No rhythm to these games.
• Prince turns it over out of the timeout
• 27 seconds to go in the first half
• Pierce gets it, gives it up to Rondo, Rondo dribbles out the clock, holds onto it, clear out, Rondo drives on Stuckey, flips it up and in, and gets the foul. Odd call by the refs again. Rondo misses the FT. Tony Allen offensive rebound, loses it out of bounds.
• Halftime
• Pistons lead 43-39
• The Big Three have 19 points on 4-14 shooting. Poor half from each one of the big three.
• Some Team Stats – Celtics pounding the Pistons on the backboards again with a 23-13 advantage. Detroit have missed 20 shots, Boston 19 shots. They’re juts getting killed on the backboards. Boston have 11 turnovers giving up 10 points. The Pistons have 4 turnovers giving up 5 points. Combined blocks/steals were 8-3 Detroit. Detroit have 17 fouls called on them, 11 for Boston. Boston have hit 17-20 FTs versus 5-9 from Detroit. The free throw line has kept Boston in the game. Boston have 6 assists on 11 made fields goals on 30 attempts, that’s 37%, 0-3 from downtown. Boston have 19-39 for 49% with 13 dimes on those 19 makes. They’re 0-5 from downtown.
• Detroit’s starting backcourt has only 9 points. They have to score more in the second half to win this game.
• Antonio McDyess leads Detroit with 13 (5-7) and 6 but he has 3 fouls now.
• Kendrick Perkins has been by far Boston’s best player but he too has 3 fouls. 8 and 3 from Perk.
• Before the game I said this my pick for the worst playoff series this year because it’s about the mental weakness of both teams. Again tonight it’s been no different. Boston have been awful. Dreadful performance by the Celtics.

Second half

• Blocking foul on Rip Hamilton. Unlucky, very close to an offensive foul on Rondo.
• Rondo dribbling up top for 10 seconds, finds Ray on the curl, runner in the lane, miss
• Billups drives, step back J, air ball
• Offensive rebound McDyess, fouled on the putback, gets two at the line
• KG knocks down a 18 foot jumper. He has 10 and 8 now.
• Lovely pass by Hamilton to Wallace. Rip ran the high screen and roll on the left wing with McDyess, Perk slipped over, Wallace cut right to the rim, Rip found him.
• Loose ball foul on Rondo going for the offensive rebound
• Hamilton on the drive, gets the layup to go
• Prince down in the post, left hook, Pistons on a 8-0 run
• Turnover by Boston
• Chauncey misses a 17 footer, nice pump fake to get closer, he just couldn’t get the shot to fall. He’s 1-8 from the field now.
• Pierce on the drive right, gets to the rim, blocked by McDyess, ball spills loose, Billups is on KG, KG passes it up, doesn’t look for it back, bad shot, offensive rebound Perk, fouled. Boston sideline ball.
• Rasheed Wallace picks up a ticky tack foul. That’s four on Rasheed. Theo Ratliff comes in. Big big mistake. 7 minutes to play in the third. The floor is going to get a hell of a lot smaller right now.
• Loose ball foul on Billups. Tech on Billups. Two bad calls. Nonsense. Actually I take that back, that was a loose ball foul on Billups. Tech was on Flip for kicking the scoreboard of the screen. Ray Allen had no chance for that rebound. 3 Pistons were closer to the ball. Dumb foul by Billups.
• Prince catches it on the right wing, looks at the look, knows he’s gotta take it, drives to the paint, left hook, miss, offensive rebound McDyess. Detroit reset, Hamilton gets a hoop.
• Hamilton with a foul. Terrible foul. Ray gets two more at the line. That’s five straight FTs for Ray. Rip has four fouls now. He’s sitting now.
• Ticky tack foul on Perk. He bodied up Theo needlessly. Dumb foul. That’s four. Doc will leave him in there. He likes to finish with PJ recently because of PJ’s jump shot.
• Billups knocks down the 20 footer off the dribble on the right wing, had to force it, tough shot over Rondo, goaltend but it was going in anyway.
• Garnett posts up Theo, turnaround, tough shot, miss
• Billups on the drive and kick to Prince, miss, McDyess tips it out. Billups holds it, off the ball screen. McDyess pops out off his pick, hits the J.
• Prince jumps on Pierce’s pump fake, Pierce will get two at the line.
• Billups toys with Sammy at the top of the key, Sammy giving him room to shoot, Billups takes it, miss
• Posey misses a three, rebound McDyess. He’s been everywhere. Antonio has 19 and 12 now.
• Billups draws the foul on Sammy. Boston in the penalty now too.
• Pierce drives to the rim, blows by Prince, defense converges, Pierce passes it out, KG gets a 20 footer off the ball movement, miss
• Garnett strips the ball, McDyess dives on it, KG dives on McDyess, jump ball
• Timeout
• McDyess wins the tip, Chauncey drives, falls over, similar fall as the injury but no splits this time.
• Detroit lead 61-50 with 2:30 to play in the third
• Garnett knocks down the 19 footer after the Pierce feed
• McDyess misses, Theo offensive rebound, Pierce fouls him as Theo posted up KG.
• Theo with a dumb foul off the ball. Pierce gets one of two.
• Stuckey misses a 17 footer on the left wing off the dribble
• Pierce to the rim, layup
• Billups drives hard left, gets the contact, no call, air ball
• Ratliff with another dumb foul. Loose ball foul. Glen Davis goes 1 for 2.
• Pistons hold it, Stuckey drives on Pierce, pull back, McDyess is open as all the defense jumps out on Stuckey, Stuckey hits him for the layup. Grat play. Great pass.
• Sam Cassell working on Billups, great defense to deny the penetration, doesn’t bite at the pump fakes, Sammy jumps up and kicks it out, ball squirms over to Posey. Posey drives hard right, gets the bump, fallaway, trying for the foul, doesn’t get it, somehow the ball goes in. Off balance shot by Pose. Big play. Ugly play.

Fourth Quarter

• Blocked by Maxiell, turnover, Stuckey stripped on the other end by Cassell as Stuckey got caught below the rim. Need to make a quicker move than that young fella. Boston come right back down, Posey open on the right wing, draws the foul.
• Detroit lead 65-60 with 11 plus to play
• Stuckey dribbles for 12 seconds, nothing going, Prince in the post, gives it up instead of shooting a five footer, Rip passes up a three, nothing going, then drives, to Prince, fumbles, three pointer heaved, air ball, 24 second violation.
• Pierce misses a three badly. Open look.
• Rasheed with a quick turnaround out of the post on the catch, good.
• PJ Brown blocked by Wallace. Rasheed called for the foul. Not wild about that call but okay. Rasheed is going to sit down for a bit. McDyess back in, himself and Maxiell in the paint.
• Stuckey isn’t moving quickly enough with the ball, he had a teammate open for a jumper but wanted to do a spin move instead of making the straight pass. He wanted the better angle. Cost them an open look.
• Stuckey drives to the rim, blocking call on Posey. Stuckey hits two at the line.
• 10 minutes to play
• Cassell dribbles up, quick three pointer after 4 seconds, miss. Bad shot.
• Maxiell fouled down low on the catch. Pierce fighting for the deflection. Harsh call. Pierce has four fouls now. He has 14 points, 10 from the FT line.
• Hamilton flashes to the elbow, two defenders go with him, touch pass, Maxiell fouled on the cut by Posey. That’s four on Posey.
• Sam/Ray/Posey/KG/BBD on the floor for Boston now.
• Stuckey/Prince/Rip/McDyess/Maxiell for Detroit
• KG finds Posey for the corner three out of the post. Posey nails it. First three of the night from either side.
• Maxiell hits a left elbow J
• Ray Allen drives to the rim, finishes over McDyess. Antonio bends over, gets a breather, slow to get up the floor. He’s looking tired but he’ll fight through it.
• Jason Maxiell rolls to the rim, tough catch, fouled on the shot attempt in the paint. Lovely pass by Rip Hamilton over the top of Garnett.
• Timeout
• Detroit lead 74-67 with Maxiell’s FT to come
• JVG “all the C’s blaming Big Baby for that because he’s a rookie but it was Ray Allen’s fault, he didn’t” (paraphrasing now) rotate over and get in front of Maxiell like he was supposed to causing the whole situation. Maxiell misses at the line.
• Loose ball foul on Detroit
• 8 minutes to play
• KG passes up the open 19 footer at the top of the key, drives left, fadeaway, tough shot, miss. That’s making life hard for yourself. If you’re going to drive
• Outlet pass by Perk, to Posey, almost a turnover, nope foul on Hunter. Both teams are one away from the penalty.
• Perk blocked on his dunk attempt, spills to KG at the FT line, he passes up the shot. Ray gets a three, misses badly out of bounds. It was tapped out on the rebound, still Boston ball.
• KG in the post, shoulder fake, doubled by Rip, passes out to Posey, Posey pump fakes, Rip is beaten, Posey hesitates and pump fakes again, blocked by Hamilton. McDyess comes up with the loose ball, outlet to Rip, Rip dribbles the length of the court, tough contested layup over Perk, it’s in
• Timeout
• 6:16 to play
• Hunter checks in for Billups. Billups being taken care of in the sideline. He hasn’t looked great since his fall in the third quarter. He’s had a great game defensively and running the offense. His shot hasn’t been what it normally is though.
• Rip drives hard, fouled by Perk. He makes two.
• Detroit lead 78-69
• Lot of time left, just under 6 minutes to play. Anybody’s game. Boston just need to get some flow in their offense. KG needs to stop passing up shots.
• Rondo on the drive, changes his mind, tries to pass it off, almost turns it over, Perk fights for it, gets it, steadies himself, goes up, gets the roll
• McDyess misses the 18 footer
• Pierce on the drive, miss, offensive rebound, layup. McDyess had the rebound until the ball bounce off the rubber on the bottom of the backboard and out of his hands into Pierce’s grasp.
• Timeout Detroit
• 5 point game
• Offensive foul on Rip Hamilton. He has 5 fouls now.
• Pierce misses the 16 footer, Rasheed pushes Perk out of the way cleanly, taps it, McDyess fights for it, wins it
• Prince on the drive, air ball, Celtics run, nothing on, Rondo holds it up, finds the trailing KG, KG passes up the drive, holds it up.
• 3:30 to play
• Rasheed down low, Perk pokes it away, up and under by Sheed, fouled by Perk. That’s 6. Perk has fouled out. That’s his first foul out of the playoffs, only fourth of the season. Perk doing better with his foul problems this season. PJ Brown checks in. Sheed hits the first, hits the second.
• Ray Allen on the drive, pass to KG, KG wasn’t expecting it, bounces off his chest and hands, KG runs it down, doesn’t get to it, turnover. Ray had a layup there. Bad decision
• Billups nails a three off the drive and kick
• Pistons up 10
• Garnett with the right jump hook going baseline. Man you don’t see that shot often. A jump hook is rare enough but they’re nearly always going into the middle, this time baseline, that’s rare.
• Rip Hamilton fouled off the ball. They’re in the penalty. Rips hits two, lead back to 10.
• 2:14 to play
• Boston need to get stops and quick baskets
• Rondo dribbles into the paint, nothing going, kick out, Ray drives, hangs in the air, blocking foul on McDyess.
• JVG gleaming about Scott Foster. An official, JVG thinks he’s one of the best young refs in the game today.
• Ray misses two FTs
• 2 minutes
• 10 point Detroit lead
• Hamilton beats Ray on the catch, knifes through the lane, layup. Rip had a screen down on the right block, popped up to the top of the key moving towards the ball on the opposite side, caught the pass, pivoted back right, Ray ran right by him, Rip had an open lane. Lovely balance/footwork by Rip, great recognition of the difficult angles to exploit.
• KG drives left, spins right to the middle, runner from behind his head, rolls out. Defensive rebound McDyess, his 16th board.
• Rip runs off the baseline screen, nails a 19 footer. Nice.
• Timeout

This is over. Detroit win. This series is now tied 2-2.

The second stage of the series starts now. It’s now a Best of Three with Boston having two of those games at home, so they still have the edge in the series along with all their talent advantages. Detroit need to win Game Five, you don’t want to be going into a Game Seven in Boston trying to win, that would be a much more difficult task than winning Game Five.

Worst Series Of The Playoffs

Worst Playoff Series of 2008 ….. and the award goes to the Eastern Conference Finals between Boston and Detroit. I can’t get into this series at all.

When both teams play their best game Boston wins. Boston has the matchups advantage, the offensive advantage, the defensive advantage, the better coach. If Boston screwed it’s head on the right way they’d sweep Detroit …. but they are simply not capable of that … as has been the case throughout the playoffs with the Celtics.

Detroit haven’t been any better. Boston are so up and down that consistent quality performances by the Pistons would bring a home a win but they aren’t capable of that. Dropping two of the first three in bad fashion. Nothing new, just a repeat of Phily, and they left the door wide open for Orlando in 3 of those 4 Detroit victories.

The only thing this series is about is who’s the mentally …… I can’t call it stronger. It’s about two teams collapsing, not rising to the occassion. It’s about who’s mentally weaker. The lack of intelligence and the lack of energy on display is ruining this series. This should be a good matchup between two good teams but the lack of understanding of how to win has ruined it so far.

Luckily for Boston they have a much larger margin for error than Detroit so they should pull it out. I just can’t wait for this to end.

Another Great Stat

Where does Duncan rank [playoff scoring]? How about second to Shaquille O’Neal among active playoff scorers — and 31 points away from moving past Wilt Chamberlain into 12th place among the all-time playoff scorers. And he’ll get there in about 10 fewer games than Big Wilt played

Beating Wilt to a scoring record? Impressive.

Being 12th all time in playoff scoring? Impressive

Tim Duncan still has a couple of years yet to continue playing at a high level, how high up the list will he climb?

Game Three: San Antonio vs Los Angeles

• Lakers lead 11-8 at the midway point of the first quarter
• Lakers collapse around Duncan in the paint, force the turnover
• Kobe on the crossover, emphatic dunk
• Doug Collins – “you get the sense that Kobe is really trying to put the Spurs in a hole early”. Kobe has been very active looking for his shot early in the game. Doug Collins is spot on, that’s exactly what Kobe is doing.
• Manu dribbles up and takes the quick three from the right wing, nails it
• Another three pointer by Manu
• Robet Horry has been on the floor for the past few minutes. Again it looks like he’ll play a sizeable role for the Spurs, pity because he’s hurting them. Play Matt Bonner already. At least he’ll knock down those long shots. It’s not like Horry’s other talents are having a big impact on the series.
• Odom fouled again in the paint, fouled on back to back possessions
• Duncan fouled. Lamar Odom is cheating off his man relentlessly.
• Gasol with a jump hook, he’s hit a jump hook in the lane with either hand this opening quarter
• Gasol with a rolling hook, nope, traveling call. Duncan fouled him after the walk. That would have been his second and a potential three point play.
• Manu gets two more at the line. Pull up three on the right wing yet again by Manu, miss.
• Udoka pump fake on the three, 17 footer off the bounce, hits it. Why do opposing players fall for his pump fake every time? You know what he’s going to do. He does the same thing over and over and over and over again.
• Lakers lead 22-19 with a minute to go in the quarter off of some Gasol FTs
• Kurt Thomas misses a wide open 18 footer at the top of the key
• Lakers turnover, bad pass on the break, should have been an easy dunk
• Parker cuts through, gets the feed, layup. Parker has 3 made shots now. Two layups and a jumper from 18 feet.
• Farmer responds, Parker dribbles full court, trying to beat the buzzer, teardrop in the lane, in and out
• End of One
• No Gasol in the second unit tonight. Odd. Phil must be testing at how an Odom led unit will work.
• Odom misses a 18 footer from the top of the key
• Kurt Thomas hits the 15 footer from the FT line, nice set up by Parker on the drive
• Lamar Odom tries to drive, dribble is tapped loose, 24 second violation
• Lamar Odom swiggles into the paint for a 14 footer, miss, tap by Turiaf, miss, tap again, Spurs get, fastbreak the other way, Parker leads the one man break, layup off the nice feed from Brent Barry.
• Offensive foul Turiaf, turnover
• Bryant back in, sees Udoka, layup
• Bruce Bowen immediately gets off the bench
• Bryant drains the jumper
• Bowen finally checks in
• Manu to the rim, fouled hard, gets the layup to go, htis the FT too. Manu has 19 points on 6-9 from the floor, 4-5 from three. He has the Spurs last 9 points and 19 of their last 28.
• Farmer manages to get up the jumper in the paint, hits it
• Doug Collins “I think they’ve (LA) been the best road team”. Their record is 3-2 on the road and they had a great chance of winning both of those games they lost.
• Timeout Spurs
• Gasol gets a wide open 14 footer on the left wing, miss
• Duncan from the left elbow extended, miss
• Spurs go on an 8-0 run, Parker hits from 18 feet, Timeout Lakers. Lakers have not scored in 8 minutes.
• The Big Three have 40 points tonight, only 32 in Game Two.
• Odom on the catch at the top of the key, drives hard left, draws the foul
• Manu with the baseline fallaway from 18 feet off the dribble, miss. Not a good shot.
• Gasol works Duncan down low, short arms the right hook in the lane. Duncan gets the defensive rebound, he has 12 boards now.
• Ginobili heaves a three at the shot clock buzzer, nails it
• Bryant gets the step, gets the layup
• Horry winds up for a corner three, miss, rebound Bryant, he checks the clock, thinks about the two for one, speeds up, high screen and roll, kicks it back to Gasol, open 17 footer at the top of the key, miss
• Halftime
• Spurs lead 49-39
• Manu has 22 points leading all scorers. He’s shot 7-11 from the floor and 5-6 from three. Oddly for him he has 0 assists. Only one turnover and two boards though.
• Some Team Sorts – Lakers lead the battle of the boards 23-20. Combined blocks/steals is 5-2 to the Spurs. The Spurs have 6 turnovers giving up 4 points. The Lakers have 7 turnovers giving up 4 points. The Lakers have only 3 assists at the half, all from Lamar Odom. The Lakers have shot 17-38 for 45% from the field, 1-4 from three, 4-10 from the line. The Spurs have 9 assists (4 by Duncan, nobody else has more than 2) on 19 made field goals on 41 attempts, good for 46%, 5-9 from three, 6-7 from the line.
• Manu has been on fire in the first half nailing a bunch of contested jump shots

Second Half

• Spurs lead 49-39
• Duncan scores inside on Gasol
• Fisher off the curl screen on the left wing, nails the 18 footer on the catch and shoot
• Finley gets the three to go from the right wing
• Gasol misses teh face up J from 13 feet
• Kobe doubles Duncan, runs off after Timmy picks up the dribble, jumps up, deflects the pass by Duncan
• Gasol nails the same face up J as before
• Finley hits the 17 footer from the top of the key off the screen
• Duncan gambles for the steal doesn’t get it, ball falls to Odom, Odom knifes down the middle of the lane, Oberto has a 2-on-1 developing with Gasol on his right, Odom on his left, Odom takes the layup miss, tap, miss, tap, miss, tap out, Bryant gets it. Kobe turns it over on the drive after reseting the offense.
• Lakers go back inside to Gasol, scoop hook shot from under the rim, miss, terrible shot. Go up strong and that’s a hoop.
• Duncan turnover, fastbreak, ball ends up in Gasol’s hands, dunk
• Duncan doubled in the paint by Radmanovic, Finley backs off, two steps to the right to open a passing lane, kick out, three pointer, miss
• Lovely lob pass by Odom to Gasol, dunk
• Timeout Popovich
• Radmanovic has to force the three to beat the buzzer after fumbling his drive, miss, tap out by Gasol, the refs say off Duncan as it goes out of play. Kobe misses a three on the inbounds.
• Odom is 1-9. Rad is 0-3. Fisher is 1-3.
• Tony Parker turns it over in the lane
• Bryant sets up Gasol for the 6 foot jump hook in the lane, miss, off the front of the rim again
• Fisher calls for the high screen and roll on the right wing, sets behind Odom’s pick, three pointer on the way, miss. Quick shot by Fisher in the halfcourt.
• Duncan fouled down low, nice pass by Oberto from the right elbow down to left post
• Radmanovic with back to back baskets around the rim
• Tech on Fisher, Manu knocks it down
• Spurs lead 60-51 with under 5 minutes to play
• Parker to the rim, misses the runner
• Radmanovic pulls up from three, loose ball foul on Parker pushing Gasol out of the way. Lakers will get it back.
• Bryant to the rim, scoop shot off the backboard, rolls off the rim
• Bowen right corner three, nails it. Big shot for San Antonio. Spurs now 7-12 from downtown.
• Ginobili takes a three, miss
• Bryant dribbling around the world, fouled, then tripped after the foul
• Lovely pass by Gasol to the cutting Bryant, dunk
• Brent Barry wide open three at the top of the key set up by Manu’s penetration, miss
• Duncan gets Sasha on the switch, Duncan fumbles it, shoots it from 15 feet on the baseline to beat the buzzer, hits it
• Radmanovic gets the tip
• Spurs lead 65-55 with a minute and a half to play
• Duncan takes the face up jumper from 16 feet over Gasol, hits it
• Bryant catches it on the move from 8 feet, fadeaway off the bank
• Manu gets Gasol on the switch, hard drive, gets it to go. He has 25 points now.
• Farmer misses the reverse layup, rebound Duncan
• Duncan fires up a three to beat the shot clock, bad shot, missed shot
• Lakers have only 18 points in the quarter, 14 of which were in the paint, they’re not making jumpers

Fourth Quarter

• Spurs lead 69-57
• Pops take – “Ends of quarters are always important and well we survived it”
• Final 12 minutes. Fun game. This should be a good final quarter. The Lakers need to get a run going. Look for them to have a 6-0 or 8-2 run in the space of 2 minutes at some point to make the Spurs very nervous with the close finish
• Walton drives, draws the help defense, throws the ball out to Farmer on the right wing, he nails the three pointer
• Barry nails a three on the kickout. The Spurs have 7 more three pointers.
• Oberto with the layup, lovely pass by Brent Barry on the drive
• Vujacic shot fake, dribbles, in, misses from 18 feet
• Fastbreak Spurs, Oberto trailing the play, fouled, he makes the first, makes the second. Spurs up 16 points. No, lane violation on Manu Ginobili, wide out that second FT. Odom also made a lane violation, jump ball centre court. Oberto and Turiaf, Oberto wins the tip, Thomas runs it down. Manu on the drive and kick to Barry, corner three, miss
• Farmer takes a quick long jump shot, miss
• Lakers shooting 41% from the floor
• Lovely give and go from Parker and Barry, layup Tony
• Spurs lead 77-60
• Offensive foul on Odom, turnover
• Parker with the driving layup. Spurs up 20, 83-63 lead.
• Bryant knocks down the three
• Barry throws up a three to beat the shot clock, hits it, backbreaker
• Foul off the ball on Barry defensively. Another three by LA. Turnover Spurs, loose ball off Manu out of bounds.
• Kobe fouled on the three, makes it, four point play. High screen and roll with Gasol, Bowen ran under his left hip and got whistled for it. Kobe has 27 points now. No, no four point play.
• They trade misses
• Timeout
• Spurs still lead by 16
• Fastbreak Spurs, drive and kick, Parker to Bowen, three in the left corner, miss
• Bryant bags another three
• Spurs lead 88-76 with 5 minutes to play
• Duncan wheels back into the paint with a spin move towards the middle out of the paint, gets the roll. Terrible defense by Gasol, he had Fisher running baseline for the help, he was forcing Duncan the wrong way. Duncan knocks down the FT. Big play by Duncan.
• Bryant misses the fadeaway off balance three
• Parker fouled on his drive to the rim. He makes both, Spurs back up 16. Big five nothing run by the Spurs.
• Gasol gets his right handed jump hook in the lane to go
• Duncan drives from the elbow, hits the hook off the glass
• Lakers turnover, fastbreak, Ginobil on a 1-on-2, splits the defense, gets the layup and the foul.

Game Over

Some Stats:

1. Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom shot a combined 31%. Gasol was 7-18 from the field, Odom 2-11. Kobe can’t beat a top tier team without solid scoring options around him. On the bright side 14 of Gasol’s shot attempts were in the paint and good looks. All four of his face up jumpers were solid looks too. He normally shoots better on them, that’ll improve. Lamar just had a bad game. I thought Phil Jackson made a mistake leaving him as the sole starter out there with the second unit. Too much pressure for a player that doesn’t handle pressure well. He started forcing the issue, turned the ball over a couple of times and took himself out of the rhythm of the game.
2. Derek Fisher made matters worse for LA, taking only 4 shots in 29 minutes, missing 3 of them. That’s the three next best players after Kobe missing in action.
3. The Lakers bench wasn’t up to much. On the bright side Jordan Farmer had a good game. On the negative side he was the only one to have a good game. Turiaf didn’t do much. Sasha played solid defense but did very little good offensive work shooting 1-5. Luke Walton was passive and didn’t take enough opportunities, he also didn’t step up for the misfiring starters. Luke has been there best frontcourt player off the bench, their most capable bench player, their most consistent bench player, their most experienced bench player …. he let the team down tonight.
4. The Lakers couldn’t buy a basket from the perimeter. Excluding Kobe they shot 7-27 on jump shots outside of the paint.
5. The story of the game was San Antonio’s backcourt getting off the mark. Manu Ginobili started the first half on fire. He opened up his accout with back-to-back threes in the

Spurs win. Win Game Four and the Spurs are right back in this series. The sight of the day was definitely the Spurs backcourt. In the first two games the Lakers defended Parker and Ginobili magnificently and kept them out of the paint, not tonight, and that was the difference. If the Spurs can repeat the feat (backcourt) I’d reconsider their chances to win this series.

Duncan continues to dominate the paint. He has 22, 22 and 5.

Game Four is looking very exciting

Some Musing by Pop and Doug Collins

Prior to Game Two, Popovich jokingly recruited current TNT television analyst and former No. 1 overall pick Doug Collins, who last played in the NBA in 1981 and has presumably retired from coaching – much less playing.

“Gregg Popovich flagged me down before practice (Thursday) and said, ‘We need a shooter, are you available?’” Collins recalled during the telecast of the Lakers’ 101-71 Game Two victory Friday.

“I told him, ‘You don’t want me. I don’t play any defense and I shoot it a lot.’ He said, ‘That’s OK as long as you can shoot it.’ That’s how bad the Spurs need offense.”

The quote comes from an article by Yahoo Sports singing the virtues of LA’s defense. Check it out.

Oh and the Spurs offense has been that bad and they are that desperate for shooting.

Game Three: Detroit vs Boston

• Nice pass by KG to Perk rolling to the hoop, dunk. Celtics lead 4-0.
• Drive and kick by Chauncey to Prince, wide open three on the right wing, miss
• KG drains a 21 footer from the right wing
• Blocking foul on KG
• Chauncey misses the three, long outlet, 2-on-3 Celtics break, Rondo has it, he’s going to take it, shake and bake at the right elbow, cuts across the paint, layup, fouled by Billups. Rondo hits the FT, Celts lead 9-0.
• Detroit turnover, fastbreak, Perk leads the ball up the floor, fumbles it, retains it, gets it to Ray, Ray drives from the right wing baseline, layup
• Rondo loses his shoe, gets KG to take the ball up the floor, runs to the team, gets another shoe, puts it on, sprints the floor, gets the ball back from KG and Boston start their offense. Neatly done.
• McDyess misses the one hander in the paint over Pierce from 7 feet
• Ray Allen misses a three pointer, Rasheed gets the board.
• Flip Saunders is going crazy on the sideline. He wants his team to push the ball.
• Chauncey on the drive and kick again, Hamilton open three, miss, offensive rebound McDyess, foul Rondo. Rip gets the drive going on the right wing, misses the runner, rebound bounces out to Rip, wide open from 16 feet on the left baseline, miss
• Hamilton posts up Ray on the left block, spin move baseline, pump fake, layup
• Rip doubles KG, offensive foul KG, that’s two. He comes out for PJ Brown.
• 7 minutes to play in the first
• Celtics lead 11-4
• Rondo on the drive, to PJ Brown, open, dunk
• Pistons turn it over again, that’s two turnovers.
• Dumb foul by Billups, that’s two on him, Stuckey comes on
• Rasheed knocks down his second field goal
• Ray misses a long J
• Rasheed misses a three, offensive rebound Prince, contested layup goes
• Pierce throws a shuffle pass through the pace, bounces off Perk’s hands, turnover, fastbreak, foul in the open court against Ray. Foul after the inbounds, ball on the right wing to Rip on the high post, that’s his second. Ray comes out, that’s two on Ray. Inbounds to McDyess, short pass to Stuckey 30 feet from the rim, PJ sags off him, Stuckey drives hard right, through the right wing, to paint, layup over PJ, miss, fouled by PJ on the block attempt. Stuckey makes both FTs
• Boston lead 15-10
• 4 minutes to go in the third
• Pierce spin move, loses control of the ball, stops, bad pivot, almost a turnover on the travel, gets rid of it to Rondo, Prince taps it before Rondo touches it, turnover.
• Another Hamilton J, nice pop out by Rip on the off the ball screen, wide open as Pierce got caught by McDyess’ pick
• Timeout Boston
• Sam Cassell is coming in
• During the timeout Doc told Pierce he has to be the scorer. Go get after it.
• Sam blocked from behind by Hamilton, fastbreak, pull up J from Stuckey from 14 feet on the right wing, Boston lead out and contest it, miss, loose ball foul on Paul Pierce pushing Maxiell off the offensive glass. Maxiell hits one of two.
• Boston lead 15-13
• Turnover Sam Cassell, fastbreak, Stuckey is ahead of the pack, foul by Posey to stop the layup. Great play by Stuckey playing in the passing lanes creating that steal. Nice help D on Sam to make him second guess his drive and look to give it up also. Stuckey makes both.
• Tie Game at 15
• Pistons 11-0 run
• Hard double by Stuckey in the corner, trap, Boston almost turn it over, they get it up top, swung to Cassell, only 3 secs on the shot clock, Sammy forces the fallaway from behind the screen on the ball, miss, offensive rebound. Referees stop the game, Sam has a cut.
• Sam Cassell on the catch wide open on the right wing, pump fake, Stuckey goes flying by, one dribble closer to the elbow, Rasheed pops out and contests it enough, miss, offensive rebound PJ Brown, hook shot from 4 feet, blocked by Maxiell, turnover.
• Boston need Powe, neither PJ or Perk/BBD have brought any offensive threat
• Wallace pounding the offensive boards, gets the tap, Detroit lead
• Foul off the ball. James Posey heading to the line, first foul on Rasheed, Posey makes both.
• Loose ball foul on Maxiell as he pushed Davis over going for the rebound. Good play by Davis. Pistons are in the penalty, Davis will shoot two, makes both.
• 1 minute to play in the quarter
• PJ Brown pulls out the chair from Rasheed Wallace as he looked to set up in the left block, falls over, turnover, fastbreak Boston, kickout to Posey in the left corner, hits the three
• Boston lead 22-17
• Sheed misses a three from the top of the key
• Cassell knocks down the three from the top of the key. 10-0 Boston.
• End of One
• 25-17 Boston
• Boston’s bench has ten points already, only eight in the whole of game one.
• Rasheed Wallace knocks down a 22 footer to start the quarter
• PJ Brown fouled by Maxiell inside. Nice pass by Cassell hitting Pierce perfectly on the curl, then Pierce settting up the table for PJ Brown 4 feet from the rim for the dunk, foul by Maxiell. PJ hits both.
• Foul on Sam Cassell as he tries to pressure Stuckey on the dribble upcourt
• Maxiell hits the fallaway J in the middle over BBD
• Pierce pump fake, fools Prince, over to Cassell, high arcing J off the dribble from 18 feet, nails it
• They have Rip defending the point guard to take away that 1-3 screen and roll to avoid Pierce getting the point on the switch. Part of the reason anyway. They’ve ran that a few times tonight and Rip’s size and ability to defend Pierce has been huge.
• Pierce and BBD get a breather, Ray and KG come in
• Maxiell jumps over Garnett and gets the one hander in the lane to go. KG didn’t try to block it, didn’t want the third foul. No chances.
• Hunter on Cassell now
• Garnett misses, offensive rebound, nope off of PJ’s knees
• Boston lead 29-25 with 9 minutes
• Mark Jackson upset. Mike Breen made a crack about Sam and Lindsey’s combined age being a 175. Nobody bit or laughed. Breen went back to his golden joke, Mark Jackson dismissed him with a tinge of anger.
• Maxiell blocks KG’s hook
• Fastbreak, secondary break, Maxiell runs to the left block, his guards immediately pass him the ball, no time to set up, Max immediately takes the fadeaway off the glass, brick. Bad shot. He was still too pumped up from the block earlier.
• Boston push it up the floor quickly off of PJ’s board, Garnett ahead of all, lob pass to KG in front of the rim, Stuckey beats KG to the ball and deflects it out of bounds.
• Timeout
• Ray Allen misses the 23 footer on the left wing. Defensive rebound Detroit.
• Rip drives left, pulls back right, to Maxiell, out to Hunter, miss three, offensive rebound, misses the putback
• Posey pump fakes, gets Hunter to bite, gets the foul.
• PJ Brown blocks Rip’s runner
• Fastbreak Boston the other way, KG dunks it home, nice push and pass by Ray Allen
• Maxiell gets the 17 footer to go on the right wing off the pick and pop with Hunter
• Ray Allen drives into the hoop, gets the foul. Sideline out. Rondo on the up and under, hits the 13 footer
• Hunter splits the trap on the screen and roll, offensive foul on the charge on the pass after the dribble. Hunter has been awful so far. Close to everything he’s doing is resulting in a negative consequence for Detroit. Flip has to pull him, now!
• Timeout
• The Big Three have scored 8 points, the supporting cast has 27 points. Great production from Boston’s cast.
• KG on the left block, turnaround baseline, pump fake first, gets the contact and the foul. Maxiell’s third. KG hits two FTs.
• Boston lead 37-27
• Stuckey draws the foul on the drive
• Posey misses a three, KG tips it, keels it alive, Ray Allen runs it down and gets the board. Nice pass by KG, Rondo throws up an odd shot from 12 feet, hits it.
• Alley oop to KG from Rondo, dunk
• Rasheed Wallace got completely lost on that play
• Timeout
• Pick and pop from Billups to Sheed, wide open from the top of the key, in and out, defensive rebound Perk. Pistons shooting only 34%
• Prince wide open three on the right wing, miss, offensive rebound Stuckey, deflected out, Pistons ball nope Celtics ball is the call.
• Boston lead 43-28 with 3 minutes to go in the half
• Reach in foul on Wallace, they’re in the penalty, Ray Allen was 20 feet from the rim with nowhere to go, dumb foul, Ray hits two. Boston lead 45-28
• McDyess gets a bucket for Detroit. Finally, they get a bucket
• Perk down on the left block, turns middle, jump hook, rolls in
• Sheed turnaround, in and out, tap out to Rip, Rip drives right, spins left, pull up J, misses
• Foul on McDyess, KG going to the line, hits two
• Billups turns it over
• Rondo’s lob pass to Perk picked off by Sheed, Detroit come up the other way, Sheed on the catch on the left mid post, fouled by PJ. They had a foul to give. 1 minute to play in the half.
• Billups catches it midpost on the left, low swing, drives baseline, quick shot, Rondo fouls, Billups hits the first. Timeout Doc. Billups hits the second.
• Amir Johnson comes in
• Posey on the drive, fouled. Dumb foul. He was out of control with no hope of making a shot or pass. That’s three fouls on Billups. Posey makes one FT. Celtics up 18
• 40 seconds to go. Stuckey brings it up, over to Prince on the right wing, clear out, now high screen and roll, Prince just dribbled the ball for 35 feet, miss, offensive rebound right back to Prince, FT line J, miss again.
• Pierce loses his dribble, gets it back, heaves it, miss
• Halftime
• Boston lead 50-32
• Some Team Stats – Boston lead 18-14 on the boards with Detroit leading 7-4 offensive boards. Combined blocks/steals are 7-3 Detroit. Boston have 7 turnovers giving up 11 points, Detroit have 4 giving up 5 points. Boston have 10 assists on 16 made field goals, shooting 55%, 2-6 from three, 16-17 from the line. Detroit have taken 9 extra shots but made four less shots. They have 7 assists on 12 makes, shooting just 34% from the field, 0-6 from three, 8-10 from the line.
• Maxiell and Stuckey have led Detroit with 7 points apiece. Wallace has 8 points to lead the starters. That’s 22 of their 32 points. Detroit’s starting backcourt has only 6 points. Prince and McDyess have 2 points each with Prince shooting just 1-7, mostly good looks from the field.
• KG leads Boston with 12, 3 and 2. Perk has 6 and 6. Perkins has been magnificent. Ray has only 4 (1-6), Pierce has only 2. The supporting cast for Boston have 32 points led by Posey’s 8. It’s been everyone contributing really.
• Points in the paint are 22-12 Boston, bench points are 19-14 Boston.
• 50th year of the Pistons franchise in Detroit. They have 3 championships and fourtheen 50 win seasons.

Second Half

• Boston lead 50-32
• Detroit start the half off with a miss, KG responds with a 21 footer on the left wing, 20 point lead.
• Billups gets the step, layup, great block from behind by Perkins, Wallace follows it home
• Steal Rip Hamilton as Ray dribbled it off his foot, layup
• Rondo on the high screen and roll, nothing good comes of it, Perkins down on the right block, moves right, spin back left, turnaround J, hits it. If that was Rasheed Wallace I’d say good move. Nice move, nice bucket. Not sure he could do it twice though.
• Rip Hamilton misses, Boston turnover on the break, bad pass by Rondo, Rasheed Wallace works Perkins down on the left block, short turnaround from 7 feet, in and out, rebound McDyess, Pistons reset. Billups drives to the rim, fouled by Ray on the layup, Chauncey makes one of two at the line.
• Boston lead 54-37
• Great help defense to force Ray backwards on the screen and roll, shot clock winding down, he has to take it, miss
• Drive and kick by Rip to Antonio, hits the 16 footer along the baseline
• Ray Allen to the rim, he was so worried about the foul he forgot to get the layup, miss
• Rip Hamilton gets an open three off a bad pass and recovery, miss
• Pierce pump fakes the three, spin move to the elbow, fallaway, hits it
• Open three for Billups, Celtics run him hard off the line, back over to Rip who popped out, hits the three
• Rondo almost turns it over on the drive, KG recovers the loose ball, reset it
• KG catches it on the top of the key, drives left, goes up in the air, fouled on the pass. That’s three on Wallace. Garnett misses a 21 footer, long rebound, Billups gets it, hard push, draws the defense passes it back to Rip, FT line J, hits it.
• Timeout Boston
• Celtics lead 56-43
• KG on the right block, turnaround, miss, Perk fights for it, gets it, taps it in
• Billups misses a three. All eight Pistons’ three pointers have missed.
• Pierce with the high screen and roll, gets KG the open 20 footer, miss, offensive rebound Rondo, Celtics reset, KG gets the ball on the left block, hard drive, draws the foul. KG makes both.
• Boston lead 60-43
• Drive and kick Rip to McDyess, 18 footer on the left wing, hits it
• KG recieves the clear out on the left block, quick first step, drives baseline, reverse layup and the foul. Three point play.
• JVG is surprised the Pistons aren’t helping more off of Rondo like they did in Detroit
• Prince turnaround, air ball. He dribbled the ball for around 16 seconds there. Terrible play.
• Perkins hits the baseline 16 footer. He’s 6-6 from the floor.
• Timeout Detroit
• Travel on McDyess off the pump fake and drive
• 4 minutes to go in the third
• Boston up 20, they lead 65-45
• Rondo fouled, not called, misses the putback
• Stuckey hard drive, doesn’t get the layup to go, good contest by Pierce
• Nice pass by KG to hit the backdoor cutting Ray Allen, layup
• McDyess down in the post, kick out, Stuckey takes a three, miss, Perkins’ 9th board.

This is over. Great win by Boston. They’ve taken homecourt back.

………. Well Detroit made a decent run. They’ve gotten the lead down to 9 with 3:11 to play and just called a timeout. Rajon Rondo’s decision making has been terrible.

• KG misses the turnaround
• Pistons turnover
• Pierce up and under, miss, offensive rebound KG, fouled, Detroit are in the penalty. There’s 2:17 remaining and Rasheed Wallace has fouled out. Garnett misses the first, hits the secon. They’re 3-6 in the fourth from the line.
• Pistons need quick twos now
• Stuckey up top to Tay, over to Billups, three on the left wing, in and out. That’ll do it. Short lived revival.
• Garnett air balls a 14 foot turnaround from the middle of the paint after the catch. 24 second violation.
• Mark Jackson – “Doc Rivers cannot be happy with the shots they are getting down the stretch in the fourth”. Lots of
• Stuckey drives inside, pump fake, 11 footer, miss
• 1:25 remaining
• Boston passing and holding, KG with a nice spin and drive to beat the pressure defense, layup

This is over. Very good win by Boston. They didn’t respond well after building up the big lead but they pulled it out.

Game Two: Los Angeles vs San Antonio

• Finley starts for Manu Ginobili tonight
• Duncan slams home the offensive rebound. Lakers lead 7-6 after three minutes.
• Lakers lead 13-8 after 5 minutes, Parker turnover, fastbreak, Odom blows the layup, rebound Duncan, Spurs push it quickly the other way, three pointer on the break, Finley nails it. Laker turnover, Manu comes in.
• Nice passing from the Lakers leading to a clear out for Lamar Odom on the left wing, shake and bake, Oberto not buying, charging foul.
• Timeout as Fisher knocks down a long two
• 5:30 to play in the first. Lakers lead 15-13.
• Spurs Turnover, Fisher brings it up, another iso for Odom, this time on the left wing, blocking foul on the baseline drive on Horry.
• Offensive foul on Bryant
• Odom gets the rebound, charges up through the middle, stops suddenly at the FT line, Manu ties him up. Great hands by Ginobili. Jump ball. Second jump ball, won by Odom, controlled by Bryant. Odom’s interior pass picked off by San An.
• Ginobili pops out for a three, miss
• Odom at the top of the key, drives left, tough runner, miss, loose ball foul on Gasol, that’s two on Pau.
• Lakers lead 17-14
• Jacque Vaughn came in a few moments ago, he shouldn’t be playing in this series. As I say that he knocks down the 19 footer after hesitating and passing up the first look, one dribble to get two feet closer and bam. His defender got tied up on a Duncan screen.
• Foul off the ball on Turiaf as he was fighting Duncan for position
• Lovely pass by Turiaf to Bryant, dunk
• Duncan tries the baseline spin on the left block, Turiaf knocks it loose, Duncan regains possession, misses the runner, offensive rebound Horry, out to Manu at the top of the key, passes up the shot, drives to the FT line, kickout to Horry for a three, bad brick
• Horry is playing a surprising number of minutes over the past couple of games
• Lakers lead 19-16 with 2 minutes to play
• Horry misses another three, Lakers get the ball up quickly, Kobe shoots from the top of the key after 4 seconds, hits it
• Bowen misses a three
• Sasha dribbles it up hard, over to Turiaf, turnover, Spurs steal, Ginobili pulls it back out, calls for a screen, hits Oberto on the roll, out to Vaughn, missed three. Vaughn shouldn’t be on the court.
• 29 seconds to play in the first. Spurs make some subs, Parker and Finley come in. Horry sits down. Radmanovic is playing the power forward against Horry right now.
• Farmer holds it, winds down the clock, dribbles for 17 seconds, doesn’t create anything, gives it up to Bryant on the cut, stolen by Vaughn, timeout called as Jacque fell over.
• 6 seconds to play in the first. Bryant wasn’t happy no foul was called, still talking to the refs, Manu Ginobili, gets the inbounds, Sasha pressuring the ball, trap by Radmanovic at halfcourt, Manu travels as he tries to pass off the dribble at midcourt.
• 2 seconds. Walton inbounding, in to Farmer just above the three point line, foul by Vaughn. They had one to give. 1.5 seconds to play. Walton inbounds to Sasha, bounces off his hands. Well he could have tried catching that pass instead.
• Lakers lead 21-16
• Second Quarter
• Manu to Finley off the curl on the off the ball screen on the right wing, 17 footer, hits it
• Tony Parker beats Farmer off the bounce, fouled on his way to the hoop
• Parker picks off the pass, open court, beats all the defenders up the floor, layup
• Sasha gets the hand off from 18 foot off the left elbow, catch and shoot, hits it
• Lakers lead 25-21
• Offensive foul on Ginobili has he pushes Sasha out of the way off the ball
• Pick and pop between Parker and Horry, 20 footer left wing, miss. Not Horry’s night so far.
• Odom fouled on the drive, doesn’t get the roll, hits one of two
• Walton called on a 3 second defensive violation. He was camping out in the paint, worried about Parker’s penetration. Finley knocks it down.
• Drive and dish by Parker to Udoka, three from the right corner, hits it
• Lakers push it up fast to Walton on the right wing, short drive, lobs it up in the middle of the air, Lamar trails the play, meets the ball, dunk. Nice play
• Timeout
• Spurs turnover
• Bryant posts up, doubled, kick out, Lakers miss the three
• Parker slows it up, gets it to Duncan, Duncan drives inside, kick out, Parker swings the ball to Finley to Barry, shot fake, short drive, back to Finley, at the buzzer, miss
• Fastbreak, Farmer gets the layup
• Tony Parker responds with a layup of his own. He’s gotten very little going off the screen and roll tonight. First layup in the halfcourt comes from a cut.
• Bryant posts up Ime, spin move baseline, Duncan comes over and helps, miss, Duncan rebounds, quick outlet, fastbreak, Udoka, Farmer comes from behind and blocks it
• Duncan gets a clearout, Parker gets the open three in the corner following the double and ball movement, miss
• Kobe comes back up and makes a fallaway 20 footer on the left wing
• Halfway point in the second. Lakers lead 32-27
• The Spurs offense looks terrible. Duncan is the only one that looks capable of scoring. Everything else is failing. Their shooters aren’t scoring. Their penetrators aren’t getting to the rim. Their ball movement isn’t getting anything but perimeter shots. Great defense by the Lakers.
• Offensive rebound Duncan, layup, miss, offensive rebound Duncan, layup, hits it
• Duncan snares another rebound. That’s 12 rebounds. Only 6 points, he’s missing shots but they’re good looks. They’ll start to fall as the game progresses.
• Gasol pump fakes, layup on the drive, his first bucket of the night. Duncan has defended him very well.
• Parker into the paint, layup over Gasol. Parker got the hand off on the baseline from Duncan, then the screen, cut right into the middle and finished high off the glass
• Kobe hits another long 24 footer. Kobe is 6-10 for 13 points. No free throws tonight, Bowen has defended Kobe brilliantly. The Spurs have gotten into trouble when Bowen goes out of the game.
• Duncan gets his bank shot from 15 feet to fall. He’s missed a couple of those tonight.
• Bryant takes another three from the right wing, miss
• Lakers up 37-35
• Doug Collins “Marv doesn’t it feel like the Lakers should be up 10 or 12, but this a 2 point game”. It does feel exactly like that. The Spurs have done well to stay close
• Duncan ties up the game
• Bryant drives into the paint, lovely pass to Gasol, layup
• Parker with a great move, spinning, pump faking, misses the contested layup, rebound Odom
• Bowen runs Vujacic off his open three, one dribble left, hits the 20 footer
• Parker misses another long baseline J
• Vujacic escapes Manu’s defense as he runs off two screens, open at the top of the key, three pointer on the way, hits it
• Turnover, stolen by Fisher, fastbreak, Fisher is ahead of the pack, layup
• Lakers lead 46-37
• 9-0 Laker run
• Great finish to the half from LA
• Foul to give given by Fisher on Parker’s drive. There’s 10 seconds left in the half, Spurs need a bucket here to stop this Laker momentum going into the half. Ginobili inbounds to Duncan on the right block, Duncan works on Turiaf, turns into the middle, fouled by Fisher who was going for the steal. Duncan will shoot two FTs, he missed his two earlier FTs. Duncan misses the first, that’s three straight missed FTs by Tim, Jackson is snickering on the sideline, misses the second, offensive rebound, short hook, fouled on the attempt, no call, misses the shot. Kobe got a piece of that shot.
• Halftime
• Lakers lead 46-37
• Some Team Stats – Rebounds tied at 21, although the Spurs have 6 boards to 0. The Lakers have 8 turnovers giving up 6 points. The Celtics have 7 turnovers giving up 6 points. Combined blocks/steals was 7-6 LA. The Spurs have gotten 11 more shots than LA. They have 10 assists on 16 made field goals shooting just 35%, 3-12 from three, and 2-7 from the line. The Lakers have 11 dimes on 19 made field goals, shooting 54% from the field, 2-8 from three, 6-7 from the line.
• The Lakers bench has 11 points (7 Sasha), 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks in 38 minutes. The Spurs bench has 5 points, 6 boards, 5 dimes, two steals in 28 minutes. Since Manu is coming off the bench this is disasterous for the Spurs, he is scoreless right now. He has 2 boards, 2 dimes, 2 turnovers and has missed all 3 shots he’s taken.
• Tim Duncan leads the Spurs with 10 points on 5-13 shooting, has 13 rebounds and 3 dimes. Parker has 11 and 3 on 5-11 shooting.
• Kobe leads the Lakers with 13, 3 and 3 on 6-11 shooting. Fisher is second with 9 points. Odom has 7, 7 and 2 dimes. Gasol has only 4 and 4, he’s been very quiet.

Second half – missed the first half of the third quarter

• Manu gets to the rim, gets fouled by Gasol, gets three point play. Nice drive.
• Odom nails a 21 footer at the top of the key
• Lakers lead 68-51
• Duncan on the left block, lefty hook, gets it to go
• Bryant misses from the elbow. The announcer says it’s a rare miss for the quarter, guessing from the score, they’ve been shooting lights out
• Odom blocks and catches Parker’s driving layup. Odom is cheating off Horry whenever the ball comes near or gets deep into the paint.
• Great start by the Lakers in the third quarter to build this big lead
• Horry blocked by Odom as he took a scoop hook shot from 5 feet after helping on Duncan. 24 second violation. Odom’s third block of the quarter.
• Timeout Lakers
• Offensive foul on Odom for the charge
• Ginobili misses the runner. Spurs down 12 now. They need to get a few stops and easy buckets on the other end.
• Vaughn called for a ticky tack foul. Lakers inbound, Kobe passes it to Gasol in the post, Bruce steals it, foul from Duncan as he knocked it loose. He doesn’t like the call. Gasol shoots FTs, makes both.
• Lakers lead 70-56 with 2 minutes to play in the third
• Ginobili looking to post, out to Vaughn, drives right past the FT line, bounce pass to Duncan, defensive 3 second violation on Odom. He’s hedging on Horry. Manu makes the Tech. Spurs inbound, Manu to Vaughn, top of the key, to Bowen, to Duncan, immediate double, Bowen from 18 feet on the left wing, miss.
• Lakers miss, offensive rebound Odom, out to Kobe, three in the corner, miss. Spurs got lucky there.
• Inside to Duncan, double out, to Vaughn to Manu to Horry, bad miss. That wasn’t even close, it hit the underside of the rim and the backboard.
• Gasol knocks down the 16 footer off the right elbow. Nice face up J.
• Vaughn misses a long two
• Gasol drives, nice pass to Odom, jump hook, hits it. Odom has 18 points now, he’s scored 11 in the quarter. The Lakers are shooting 65% in the third against the Spurs 42%.
• Ginobili misses the lefty hook runner from outside the lane.
• End of Three

Fourth Quarter

• This game is very close to being over
• Lakers lead 74-57
• Phil Jackson is doing the quarter interview. He feels they got a momentum change at the end of the second quarter that led into the third. Also, Phil felt they were lucky to go into the half with the lead.
• Turiaf misses a 17 footer from the top of the key to start the fourth.
• Finley on the drive and kick to Udoka, corner three, miss
• Odom down low, beats up Udoka, easy two from 4 feet.
• Udoka responds with a three from the corner, this time fed by Barry
• Farmer on the catch on the baseline, 14 feet from the rim, fakes right, goes left baseline, muscles up the layup over Parker.
• Lakers lead 78-60 with 10 minutes to play
• Finley misses the layup
• Farmer punishes them with a three pointer.
• Udoka pump fakes Odom out of the way on the right wing, drives into the paint, blocked by Turiaf.
• Timeout Spurs
• 9 minutes to play. Spurs waving the flag. Damon Stoudamire coming in for Parker.

Game Over

Excellent win for the Lakers. They look in great shape for this series. I fear this is the end of the road for the San Antonio Spurs.

The Lakers defense has really impressed me. They’re soft in the paint, it’s amazing that they’ve managed to work around that. Their length and active help defense hides their defensive flaws. Their backcourt is excellent defensively which limits penetration so it’s hard for the opponents to get easy shots around the rim. That leaves post play or passing with cutting off the ball. Their length takes away a lot of cutter’s benefits because they’re so active in the passing lanes. Their post defense remains their biggest flaw, however, they’ve been able to cheat off of the Spurs bad shooters to help on Duncan. It won’t get any tougher than Duncan, at least not down low. Their defense looks in tremendous shape.

Lakers have become my favourite for the title. They’ve playing amazing basketball.

Game Two: Boston vs Detroit

I think this game is Detroit’s best chance to win on Boston’s homecourt. The energy and focus has been incredible in Boston during game fives and game sevens. Detroit don’t want to be going into those games looking for their first away win in the series and they must win away from home because Boston has homecourt.

• Detroit win the tip. Billups gets Perk on the switch, draws the foul on the runner, he’ll go to the line. Hits both.
• Billups is defending Ray
• Pierce kept out of the paint, jumps up with nowhere to go, to KG, travel by Garnett. Very good defense by Detroit to stop the penetration.
• Tayshaun taking a disgusting off balance fallaway with no elevation dribbling sideways and shooting from 18 feet
• Pierce shoots off the dribble, good shot
• Billups stripped, Pierce steals, Billups rips it out of his hands. Sheed on the wing, drives, stripped by KG. 24 second violation.
• Ray gets to the hoop, fouled, hits two
• Billups goes into the post against Rondo, muscles him out of the way, spins middle, layup, miss, tip by McDyess, miss
• Offensive foul on Rasheed Wallace. Moving pick. That looked like a foul on Kevin Garnett, he pushed over Wallace on the screen and Ray pulled him backwards on the other side. Bad call.
• Rondo steals the offensive rebound, but throws it away after reseting the offense. Defensive rebound Rondo on the other end.
• Garnett gets Rip on the switch, post up, turnaround J on the catch, hits it
• McDyess hits the baseline J from 16 feet. Detroit’s first field goal.
• Garnett hits from 15 feet at the FT line fallaway out of the post
• Rasheed gets a technical foul. That’s 5 techs this playoffs. 7 is the line where suspensions begin.
• Rip Hamilton draws the foul on Ray, shoots two, hits two
• Celts lead 10-6
• Pierce pull up J off the dribble from 18 feet falling backwards from Billups’ challenge, hits it at the shot clock buzzer
• Dice hits another 14 footer
• Rip Hamilton dribbles up and pops from 20 feet. Pierce stood too far back, gotta get up on shooters
• KG takes a 16 footer off the dribble, he started at the top of the key, dribble drive left, pull up, miss
• Perkins blocks Rip’s layup
• Hamilton blocks Pierce’s three but Ray gets it right under the hoop, layup
• Pierce blocks Billups
• Ray drives to the rim again, doesn’t get the call, miss
• Rondo steals the entry pass to Rip, turnover.
• Timeout
• 24 second violation. Rondo got an open look off the Ray drive and kick, passed it up, drove into the paint, let the clock wind out before his pass hit the recipient
• Entry pass to Sheed, hand off to the cutting Hamilton, Ray tips it off Rip, turnover out of bounds
• Bad entry pass to KG, stolen by McDyess
• Billups finds McDyess open under the hoop, his defender got lost covering for the off the ball screen after the on the ball screen, Perk tried to read the play, McDyess went backdoor and ended up open underneath the rim
• Pierce takes Prince off the dribble, layup
• Another timeout. Man that was quick. What’s it been, a minute and a half? It’s the first quarter. Play the damn game.
• 2 minutes to go
• Billups draws the foul on House, hits two of three FTs, sloppy foul by House getting too close and into the body of Chauncey. No need for that 25 feet from the hoop. Just contest the shot. The man is a 92% FT shooter.
• 16-16 Tie Game
• Garnett fadeaway from 16 feet on the left wing
• McDyess is just too small. Maxiell too. KG can just shoot over the top of these guys
• Billups drives hard right along the sideline, pull up from 21 feet, hits it
• Offensive foul KG, pushed off trying to seal McDyess, pushed off to avoid Antonio stealing the pass
• House deflects it out of play. Pistons inbound the ball, Prince with another ugly fadeaway 20 footer, air ball, 24 second violation
• PJ Brown enters. Posey, House already in there. Maxiell comes in for Detroit, Stuckey already in.
• Dumb foul by Stuckey, Pierce gets two FTs, hits two FTs
• End of One
• Powe in
• House pressured hard, dumb foul by Stuckey, sideline out
• House misses an open 19 footer
• Stuckey comes right up, takes a quick 18 footer off the dribble, bad shot, misses badly too.
• Powe travels inside after the catch
• Rip shoots from behind the screen, 20 footer, miss
• Blocking foul on Theo. that’s their third foul of the quarter. Barely a minute has passed.
• Pierce takes the three off the the dribble to beat the clock, miss
• Alley oop to Prince, dunk
• Stuckey deflects the pass out of bounds
• Glen Davis comes in for Powe. Rondo too, Rondo’s three is blocked, Posey has to shoot from 31 feet to beat the clock, in and out, Detroit rebound
• Offensive foul on Ray Allen, that’s three on Ray
• Timeout Boston
• Detroit lead 23-20
• Stuckey steals it, throws it away, Rondo picks it off, dribbles back in from midcourt, spots Pierce near the hoop, foul. Messy play. Pierce hits both FTs.
• 8 minutes to go in the half
• Hunter drives hard right going baseline, pull back J over Pierce from 18 feet, hits it
• Ratliff fouls. Soft foul. 7 minutes left in the quarter, Detroit are in the penalty. Garnett gets two FTs, hits two.
• Pierce/Ray/KG have all 24 Boston points. Pierce has 11, KG 8, Ray 5.
• Hunter uses a nice V cut, bounces back out, open in the corner, three pointer, hits it
• Pierce gets inside again, spots Posey in the corner, three pointer. Very bad defense by Rip Hamilton. Rip’s quicker, Pierce should not beat him off the dribble.
• McDyess hits from the FT line
• Bad pass by Pierce, off the back of Posey, Rip Hamilton steals it, runs, tries to split KG left, right, left, layup, blocked. Posey gets an open three in the corner off the drive and kick on the break the other way, miss. Detroit run back down, McDyess pump fakes KG, give and go, fouled by BBD. He hits the layup and the foul shot
• Pistons lead 31-27
• Timeout
• Halfway point
• Rondo knocks down the baseline J from 20 feet. Big shot. Boston need some of it’s supporting cast to get more involved offensively, especially with Ray sitting in foul trouble.
• Garnett drives inside, wild shot, miss, offensive rebound, foul on Stuckey reaching in on Rondo’s dribble. Two more FTs. Rondo makes both.
• Blocking foul on Pierce, his foot was inside the area, Rip misses the layup, hits both FTs
• Pistons lead 34-31 with under 5 to play
• Pierce on the midpost on the right wing. Rip Hamilton cheats off of Rondo, goes to the low right block. Pierce drives towards the middle, Rip backs off to the left block, Pierce spins back right, fadeaway, hits it from 12 feet. Very controlled drive by Paul. Good stuff
• Another blocking foul on Pierce. Rip shoots two more, hits two more. He’s now 2-5 from the floor, 6-6 at the line.
• 4 minutes to play
• Billups pull up J from 16 feet off of the turnover, hits it. Garnett was running back with him, why he didn’t drive.
• Entry pass to Garnett, bad pass, tapped out by McDyess, Tony Allen gets the loose ball, drives to the hoop, miss, KG gets the layup
• Pierce has a 15 footer rim out on the fallaway, defensive rebound Sheed, loose ball foul Perkins. Rasheed gets the first, and the second.
• 3 minutes to play
• Garnett pushes off, no call, drives again, takes the fadeaway bank shot on the right wing from 14 feet, hits it
• Foul off the ball on Tony Allen. Rip Hamilton will shoot two more. Tony was hanging onto him on the screens off the ball. Rip makes the first, misses the second.
• Pistons lead 41-37
• Tony Allen into KG, KG open on the 10 footer in the paint, passes up, Rondo contested 18 footer, misses
• Billups nails a three at the shot clock buzzer
• Pierce playing the point now, bringing it up again, Rondo cuts to the rim, Perk finds him, floater, miss, Perkins gets the rebound and the putback
• Billups drives inside, finds Rip, 18 footer, hits it
• Tony Allen leaks out, long outlet pass, Tony takes it to the rim, hard foul to stop the layup
• Chauncey Billups hurt himself on that drive, not sure what happened. Billups wants to stay in. Doesn’t look great. Flip pulled up Hunter to check in but was waved off by Billups.
• Tony makes 1 of 2.
• Prince off a baseline screen, 19 footer, hits it
• Pierce weaveing, Garnett drives from 22 feet, down the left lane, finds Perk under the rim, fouled by Detroit.
• Hamilton gets the bounce
• 16 seconds to play. Boston ball.
• Pistons lead 50-41
• Ray Allen back in for the final possession, Afflalo is in too
• Pierce gets the clearout, going nowhere, Hunter knocks the ball loose, trips up Pierce going for the loose ball. Pierce makes both FTs
• Halftime
• Pistons lead 50-43
• Some Team Stats – Boston pounding Detroit on the boards 22-12 and 8-1 on offensive rebounds. Both teams have taken 33 shots. Boston have 5 assists on 13 makes shooting 39%. Detroit have 10 assists on 17 makes shooting 52%. Combined steals/blocks Detroit lead 8-6. Detroit have 2 turnovers costing them 2 points. Boston have 8 turnovers costing them 4 points.
• The Pistons backcourt has combined for 26 points. Rip has 15, Billups 11. They only had a combined 7 points in the first half of game one, that’s the difference tonight.
• Some Pistons Stats – McDyess also has 11 points, 2 boards, 2 steals. Sheed is 0-2 from the field with 5 rebounds. Prince has 4. Their bench has 7 in 24 minutes, they had 2 rebounds, 3 dimes and 2 steals.
• Some Boston Stats – Pierce leads Boston with 15, 2 and 2. Garnett has 12, 4 and 2 blocks. ray has 5. Rondo has 4 points, 2 dimes, 2 steals and 7 rebounds. Perk has 4 and 4. Boston’s bench has played 22 minutes scoring 3 points with 4 rebounds.

Second half

• Pistons lead 50-43
• Rondo misses a 16 footer on the left wing, Ray tips it out, Rondo gets it, Rondo hits Ray immediately, layup
• Hamilton misses a baseline J
• Pierce nails a three from the top of the key
• McDyess dunks home the offensive rebound
• Garnett misses a 20 footer on the left wing, rebound Wallace.
• Ray Allen pokes away the entry pass, Pierce drives into the paint, hand off to KG, layup, miss, offensive rebound, layup
• Prince drives right, spins left, one hander lefty hook, hits it
• Rondo uses his behind the back ball fake, runner, miss, defensive rebound, turnover, stolen by Ray. Ray dribbles around the screen, 20 footer, hits it
• Rip misses a layup on the hard drive, ball bounces out to him for the 15 foot baseline J, miss
• Defensive rebound Boston, fastbreak, Ray Allen layup
• Timeout
• 54-54 Tied Game
• Detroit miss again, Ray draws the foul. Hits two at the line
• Ray forces another turnover, out of bounds of Rip.
• 8 minutes to play in the third
• Rondo dribbles for 11 seconds, inside to Perk on the left block, move across the lane, gives it up to Ray, drives right to the rim, to Perk, to Ray, 15 footer along the baseline, hits it
• Billups misses another shot
• Ray misses a 19 footer off the bounce
• Rip wide open in the left corner, hits it. All started with Prince on the right block against Rondo, Boston had to double, Detroit swung the ball, made three passes to the opposite corner, three pointer.
• Boston lead 58-57
• We’re at the halfway point in the third
• Wallace hits a three on the left wing
• Pierce gets a layup
• Billups on the pick and pop, Rondo slips, Billups faces up, three pointer right wing, hits it.
• Garnett doubled in the post, gives it up, Rondo at 15 feet, nowhere to go, nothing going, dribbles right, passes it across to KG, deflected out of bounds. 7 seconds on the possession. Garnett pops out, three pointer, air ball. A good 4 feet short of the rim.
• Ray Allen picks up his fourth foul. Doc leaves him in, good call.
• Billups picks up his dribble, he’s in trouble, lob pass out to Sheed, he’s sealing Rondo on the midpost, Rondo gambles for the steal, doesn’t get it, Billups goes to the rim, fouled by Perk. Tech on Rondo. Billups hits the tech. Billups hits the first of two, and the second.
• Pistons lead 66-60
• Pistons on a 12-2 run
• Garnett hits the 21 footer. Just a step inside of his three pointer from a play below. Uncontested, McDyess didn’t even get a hand up.
• Perkins blocks Billups driving layup, fastbreak the other way, nothing going, Rondo gets teh ball and resets. Over to Pierce, 7 on the clock, high post, Pierce turns his head goes left, Rip runs over, Pierce spins back towards the middle, steal by Rip. Rip runs it up, back to Billups, Dice open in the middle, they can’t get it to him, over to Prince, Dice posts up Ray Allen, entry pass to the post, Pierce comes over and fouls. Sideline ball.
• Pistons turnover, Rondo leads the one man break going head to head with Wallace, goes to the rim, foul. Rondo makes both FTs.
• Pistons easily beat the backcourt pressure. Philadelphia prepared them well.
• Rip Hamilton on the catch at the top of the key from 18 feet, dribble right, pump fake, gets Ray up, draws the contact and the foul. That’s 5 on Ray. Rip makes two at the line.
• 3 minutes to play
• Pistons lead 68-64
• Pistons 20-22 from the line, Celtics 19-21.
• Rondo on the drive and kick, to Garnett, no shot, back to Rondo as he circles back up, passes up the open shot. Bailed out by the refs on a soft call on the drive. Lucky lad. He makes both FTs. Rondo shooting well from the FT line tonight, and in the playoffs in general.
• McDyess misses the baseline J at 20 feet, offensive rebound Prince, putback, rebound Prince, he brings it back out. Foul on Rondo for covering Prince’s face with his hand. Not an inch out from his face, I mean covering his face touch foul. Prince makes both
• These silly fouls from Boston are why Detroit are leading
• Garnett doubled, nothing going, to Rondo on the left corner, Rondo under handed bullet pass off the dribble, turnover.
• Foul on Garnett off the ball. Rip misses the first, hits the second. Up 5.
• Rondo sits down. Eddie House is in. Rip to pressure the ball. Light pressure, House advances it easily. Back to Pierce on the midpost on the left elbow, fadeaway, tough shot, hits it.
• Stuckey dribbles in, pump fake, loses the defense, 14 footer, hits it
• 1 minute to go in the third
• Pierce gets a clear out. Drives on Rip, great defense by Rip, Pierce forced to pass in midair, turnover, Stuckey leads the break, run out, Posey fouls him. Stuckey makes both.
• 35 seconds, House dribbles for 9 seconds, gets it to Pierce, drives left, draws the defense, finds Davis under the rim, blocked by Sheed, fouled by Ratliff. Davis gets the high 3 foot bounce and in on his first attempt. He makes the second too.
• Rasheed Wallace nails a three
• Boston bring it back up for the final shot, miss by House
• End of Three

Fourth Quarter

• Loose ball, tied up. Jump ball. Stuckey and BBD. BBD wins it, tapped out by Theo.
• Rasheed Wallace down on the left block, turnaround, hits it
• Pistons lead 82-71
• PJ, BBD, Pierce, Posey, Rondo. Not a lineup full of firepower.
• Pierce fadeaway from 20 feet at the top of the key, hits it again. Very tough shot.
• Stuckey with the high pick and roll on the left wing, drives hard to the bucket, finishes over PJ, tough basket.
• Foul on Theo showing on the pick. Dumb foul.
• Ray and KG check in
• Prince drives baseline, gets nothing, out to Hunter, has to take it to beat the clock, miss, offensive rebound McDyess. Hunter dribbles for 11 seconds, nothing on, Prince dribbles for 10 seconds, gets nothing, misses the runner
• Fastbreak, Rondo misses the layup, offensive rebound Ray, layup.
• JVG is right. Too many Pistons aren’t getting back on transition D.
• Stuckey hits a 22 footer on the left wing
• Offensive rebound long out to Pierce at the three point line, kept alive by Ray along the way, hard drive, to PJ, 10 footer
• Flip Saunders has been going to Stuckey for go-to offense here in the fourth
• Ray Allen on the drive, dunk
• Timeout Detroit
• 7 minutes to play
• Detroit lead 86-79
• Rip drives right, pull up, double teamed, miss
• Rondo back in
• PJ Brown hits a 18 footer on the right wing
• 3 second violation against Detroit, turnover
• Celtic ball. Timeout.
• Pistons lead 86-81. The Pistons lead has been halved by a 6-0 Boston run
• Pierce to Garnett on the screen and roll, push off by KG, not called, layup
• McDyess hits the baseline J. He’s 7-11 tonight.
• Ray on the curl, three pointer from the top of the key, hits it. Two point game.
• Prince on the drive, rolling hook coming across the lane from the right wing, goal tend by Garnett.
• 5 minutes to play. Loads of time on the clock. The clock is Boston’s friend.
• Ray Allen on the curl, drives inside, 10 footer, runner, hits it
• Rip Hamilton with a carbon copy
• Pierce on the pull up, hesitates, blocked by Prince on the shot  attempt
• Prince wide open on the three pointer, Pierce got caught on the screen, miss
• Long outlet pass on the rebound, ahead to Pierce, blocking foul on Billups on the drive. Sideline out.
• Rondo’s pass deflected, KG gets it, KG drives right from the top of the key beyond the three point line, shot, stripped, KG gets it back, 16 footer
• Dice misses the 16 footer, kept alive by Prince, Prince pops out, left wing, catch and shoot, hits it
• Under 3 minutes to play
• Ray up top, blocked by Rip, turnover
• Wallace 20 footer on the baseline. Huge shot. Nice pass by Rip on the pick and pop.
• Timeout Celtics
• Detroit lead 96-90
• Ray on the currl, no shot, drives in, out to KG, baseline J, hits it
• 2 minutes to play
• Wallace step back three, miss, offensive rebound Rip Hamilton, he brings it back out instead of taking the layup, they want the clock on their side, Prince misses a three, Celtics run it up, baseline runner by Ray Allen, miss. Foul on Rondo. Sideline out.
• 1:12 to play
• Detroit lead 96-92
• Billups brings it up, dribbleds for 14 seconds, gets Rip on the curl, nothing going, Rip catches it with 6 on the clock, he dribbles back out to 40 feet, KG with him, he’s in the corner, drives right by him, through the middle of the floor, runner from the FT line, hits it. Wow. What a shot.
• Detroit lead 98-92
• Detroit have killed Boston on the offensive rebounds here in the fourth quarter. The Celtics just couldn’t find a way to protect their backboards. Dice and Sheed pulled both of the bigs out and from there Detroit just found a way to steal a few.
• 50 seconds to play
• Posey inbounds to pierce, Pierce dribbles, high screen and roll at 30 feet, Pierce drives right, Wallace stays with him on the switch, nothing going, Pierce checks back, crossover dribble, dribbles back left into the paint, layup
• Billups dribbles up calmly, Prince gets a good look from 15 feet, blocked by Posey. 3 seconds left on the shot clock. Flip decides to use a timeout to set up a play.
• Inbounds to Billups, reverse layup. That’s the game. Billups curled off a stagger screen, Posey got lost on the screen, Billups was wide open under the rim. Pierce was defending the inbounds pass, he left the middle open to take away the corner to stop Rip popping out for a J
• Rondo drives, nothing oging, out to Ray, Ray gets the screen, long three, hits it.
• Detroit timeout as they fail to inbounds the ball
• 10.7 seconds to play
• 100-97 Pistons
• Detroit have to hit FTs now
• Detroit can’t get it in, Timeout, that’s their final timeout
• Detroit can’t ge it in, forced to lob it across to Wallace, foul on Posey. Wallace will go to the line. Wallace steps back, takes a long walk up. 10.2 left on the clock. Pistons have a foul to give. Wallace takes the first, makes the first, four point game, he takes the second, misses the second. Quick timeout by Boston.
• 9.8 seconds to play
• Boston have no timeouts left
• Detroit lead 101-97
• Posey inbounds, they can’t get it in, Pierce in the corner, decides to drive, nobody is leaving their shooters, out to KG, three, miss. Defensive rebound Prince. Foul.
• Game Over

Detroit just stole homecourt. Good win.

Game One: Los Angeles vs San Antonio

• Gasol and Duncan are going to defend each other. Good matchup
• Bruce Bowen knocks down a two pointer on the right wing. He’s had quite a few solid scroring nights against the Lakers over the years.
• Radmanovic and Parker trade buckets
• Bryant on the screen and roll to Gasol, layup
• Parker knocks down the 21 footer from the left corner, using the screen off the ball to free him up. Nice pass from Bowen from the top of the key.
• Kobe to Gasol, short runner, rolls off the rim, good shot
• Ginobili’s nail ripped off. Not nice. He has an acrylic nail. You betcha I spelt that word wrong.
• Odom on the boards. Odom runs the court, layup, stripped on the attempt, Spurs run the other way, Parker into the paint to Duncan, layup.
• Radmanovic drives on manu, gets the off balance runner to go
• Parker and Oberto run the screen and roll, Parker bounce pass to Oberto, shot fake, layup
• Bryant with a lovely pass to Radmanovic 4 feet from the rim, turnaround short hook. Nice. Lakers going right at Manu Ginobili.
• Odom down in the paint, blocking foul on Oberto.
• Fisher misses a pull up on the slow break
• Spurs lead 10-8 after 5 minutes
• Duncan into the paint off the shot fake, blocked by Odom, Fisher leads the break the other way, layup, miss, Radmanovic tips it back in
• Radmanovic is defending Ginobili on the other end too. Byrant has Bowen.
• Bowen hits a 21 footer on the left wing this time. Nice catch and shoot off the baseline inbounds pass. Smart play.
• Timeout Popovich
• Duncan dunks off a set play
• Robert Horry checks in. I think we’ll be seeing a good bit of Horry checking Odom in this series. Odom goes right at him and gets the roll on the short hook off the spin move into the paint.
• Parker has a long J rim out. They kept him nicely out of the paint
• Odom drives into the paint again, Horry blocks him
• Ginobili misses the short J, offensive rebound Duncan to Bowen, long J, miss, loose ball foul on Horry fighting for the rebound. He#s doing that a lot in the playoffs.
• Gasol misses a 14 footer, face up J over Duncan, loose ball, out of bounds off LA
• Tony Parker drives right past Fisher, 10 footer, nails it
• Horry blocks Fisher out of bounds, inbounds to Gasol, drives right into the middle, layup
• Gasol deflects the ball out bounds. Good work in the passing lanes stopping Bowen from swinging the ball into the corner
• Spurs lead 16-14
• Drive and dish by Parker to Udoka, three pointer in the corner
• Pass over the top to Odom, Duncan breaks it up, Odom retrives it, ball goes inside, miss
• Duncan inside again, lovely pass by Parker, screen and roll, lovely pass threading the needle to Duncan through two Lakers down the middle of the paint, foul and the layup. Hits the FT.
• Spurs lead 22-14
• This Laker team can go on runs quick
• Bowen fighting Bryant off the midpost, Bryant eventually gets free, seals him, gets the pass on the left wing, face up, drives right into the paint, dish to Gasol to beat the help defense, layup
• Defensive rebound Gasol
• Spurs transition defense has been excellent so far
• Horry forces Odom into a tough shot falling away from the hoop on the drive, miss
• Parker drives in on the left wing, two Lakers in his way, Odom on the left at the elbow, Gasol to the right, he draws Odom down, spins back the other way, layup over the stretched Odom, wow.
• Timeout LA
• Ball fake Radmanovic, drives through the middle, layup. He’s playing very well in the first quarter
• Vujacic fouls Manu off the dribble
• 2 minutes to go in the first, Spurs lead 24-18
• Ginobili on the drive and dish, to Parker, drive and dish to Finley, swings it to the corner, Manu filling his spot, three pointer, nails it
• Gasol goes right at Oberto, turn and face in the middle of the paint, gets the foul and the 10 foot jump shot. Hits the FT. Two fouls on Oberto. Still no Kurt Thomas. Looks like he’ll be the fourth big in the rotation this series. Kurt enters the game.
• Farmer gets Kurt on the switch, gives it up, wants it back, Kurt gives up the jumper, three pointer, hits it
• 6-0 run LA, they needed that
• Parker runs down the clock, misses the short jumper
• Lakers defensive rebound, Kobe controls the slow break, drive and dish to Sasha, three pointer for the tie, no good
• End of One
• Spurs lead 27-24
• Udoka opens up the second quarter
• Sasha reponds with a three from the left wing. Nice pop out off the screen at 18 feet, just shot over the top of Manu
• Manu squirms through the trap, into the paint, half hook over teh Lakers help defense, hits it
• Walton misses the open jumper, rebound bounces to LA, Odom on the midpost against Udoka, Udoka bodying him up and keeping him outside of the paint, Odom picks it up, shot fake, doesn’t bite, forces Lamar into a tough shot, miss.
• Vujacic strips Ginobili, pushes the ball up through the middle of the floor, over to the right lane to Farmer, layup and the foul
• Duncan back in, fadeaway, bad shot, air ball. That was a one handed fadeaway jumper on the baseline over Turiaf
• Walton posts up Finley, spin move, turnaround from 6 feet, misses. Nice move, good shot, just missed.
• Duncan on the left post, spin move baseline, pump fake, layup under the rim
• Turiaf goes up through Duncan’s arms, foul, dumb foul TD.
• Tied game at 33
• Duncan fouled in the paint again, rims the first the FT. Brent Barry enters the game for Manu. 8 minutes to go in the half. Duncan hits the second. 8 minutes to play in the first half.
• Sasha gets the hand off off the high post on the left wing, takes one dribble left, corner J off the bounce from 18 feet, miss
• Loose ball foul on Duncan, that’s two on Tim. He has 10 points.
• Gasol with a nice quick move against Kurt, finishes over the top of him, nice.
• Parker hits the shot. Next Spurs possession, Parker pushes the ball hard, hits Barry on the right wing, three pointer, miss
• Spurs lead 45-39 as Parker turns it over after the show by Gasol on the screen and roll
• Spurs now have 2 turnovers. Lakers 3. Great game, flowing offense.
• Barry picks off Gasol’s pass, Spurs come up the other way, reset it, Fisher knocks it loose on Ginobili, no foul. Fisher had 21 steals in 6 games against the Jazz. Sideline out, Odom defending the inbounds, they get it to Manu, opposite wing to Barry, hits the three
• Ginobili strips Fish, out of play, give and go off the inbounds, good help defense, Vujacic brings it back out, changes his mind, drives baseline, layup, blocked by Duncan
• Duncan forces a 20 footer, rebound Odom
• Kobe bounce pass in traffic, out of bounds off LA. Turnover.
• Timeout
• Spurs lead 47-39
• Fastbreak, Bowen ran right by Odom, Odom missed the layup. Bowen might have bothered him.
• Duncan in the low post, turnaround bank shot, hits it. Spurs up 10. Four point swing.
• Bryant on the left elbow, spins right into the lane, layup. That’s Kobe’s first field goal.
• Duncan driving runner, hits it
• Gasol down low, jump hook, miss, rebound Bowen. Outlet to Tony, Spurs get into their halfcourt, Tony drive and kick to Udoka, to Ginobili off the bad drive, misses the 18 footer along the baseline. That baseline on the left wing got real crowded, three Spurs there in the end, they could have just swung the ball out to Parker and allowed him to exploit his defender.
• Kobe drive and kick to Sasha, hits a long two
• Timeout, 20 sec, Spurs
• 2.9 seconds remaining. Fisher fouled there, that’s two.
• Duncan inbounds, Gasol all over him, can’t get it in, Ginobili swerves loose, pump fake from three to get Odom out of his way, shot, Odom gets back in it, misses the shot.
• Halftime
• Spurs lead 51-43
• Some Team Stats – Spurs slightly edge the boards 20-19. Combined blocks/steals is 6-4 Spurs. Spurs have two turnovers conceding three points. Lakers have 5 turnovers conceding 6 points. The Lakers have 11 assists on 18 made field goals, shooting 44%, 2-4 from three, 5-8 at the line. The Spurs had 5 more shots, making all five. They had 12 assists on 23 made baskets, shooting 50%, 3-9 from three, 2-3 from the line (all Duncan).
• Lamar Odom has 4 points, 6 rebounds, 2 dimes and 2 blocks. He needs to get his scoring into gear. Kobe has been quiet also with only 2 points, he does have 5 assists though. Gasol and Radmanovic lead LA with a combined 21 points and 6 rebounds. Farmer had 8 off the bench, Fisher 0, Vujacic 5.
• The Spurs were led by Duncan with 16 (7-13) and 9. Parker had 12 (6-10), 5 and 4 rebounds. Manu was 2-7 with 5 points and 3 dimes. Bowen had 7, Oberto 2, bench had 9 (Udoka 5).

Second half

• Bowen hits from 18 feet off the right elbow. Lead back to 10
• Kobe misses from 16. He’s now 1-4 from the field
• Duncan goes galss from 17 feet on the left wing
• Gasol spins baseline on the left block, dunk attempt, miss
• Fisher picks up a foul, that’s three
• Lovely passing by San Antonio. Lakers very aggressive on the screen and rolls, Parker and Duncan work the left wing, Parker drives to the corner, behind the back double bounce pass to Duncan on the top of the key, quick pass down low to Oberto, pump fake, draws the foul, hits the layup
• Spurs lead 57-43
• Turnover, Spurs steal, fastbreak, Parker draws the foul, hits the first
• Laker timeout
• 8 minutes to go in the third
• Kobe gets a long jumper to go
• Parker misses a teardrop, Gasol rebound, foul on Udoka
• Duncan blocks Gasol’s lefty hook
• Duncan throws the ball away on an errant pass, turnover
• Spurs run the break, Parker to Udoka, 13 footer on the right baseline, hits it
• Parker drives into the teeth of the defense, fouled
• Lakers miss again
• Duncan down on the right block, slow dribble backing down Gasol, short hook in the lane
• Foul off the ball on Bowen
• Bowen comes out, Udoka on him
• Bryant immediately takes the 19 footer from the top of the key
• Fastbreak, Bryant lob pass to the rim for Gasol, layup
• Spurs Timeout
• Kobe nails a three
• Kobe posts up Udoka on the right wing, clear out, high post, drives right, razzle dazzle drive draws the foul
• Doug Collins hit it on the nail. Udoka isn’t quick enough to defend Kobe.
• Gasol shows on teh screen and roll, knocks the ball away from Parker, Parker gets it back, into the paint, to Duncan, misses from 5 feet
• Ginobili on Kobe now
• Kobe takes a three, miss
• Vujacic passes up Bryant in the post, three pointer, hits it
• 12-0 Laker run
• Spurs now lead 65-57
• The Spurs were up 20 just a few minutes ago. Now they’re in a dog fight.
• Duncan blocks Kobe, Gasol fouls Duncan as he falls over. Duncan misses both
• Kobe lobs it to the rim, tapped in by Gasol
• 6 point game
• Timeout Spurs
• Nice ball movement from the Spurs, bad final pass by Finley to Manu’s ankles, Manu takes it anyway, hits the three
• Kobe lobs it to the rim again, layup
• Duncan clear out on the left block, bank shot from 14 feet. Duncan has 22
• Spurs lead 70-61 with a minute to play in the third
• Bryant behind his back, loses Manu, pivot, Manu runs by him, pump fake, Manu runs by him again, hits it
• Parker into the lane hits the floater. He has 18 now
• Kobe to Gasol, layup, he has 19 points now
• Parker spinning move into the lane, fallaway over Gasol, misses
• End of three
• Spurs lead 72-65

Fourth Quarter

• Kobe on the iso against Bowen, Kobe tumbles, calls a 20 second timeout to avoid the turnover
• Kobe steals the ball, layup, lead down to 5
• Duncan hits Barry cutting to the rim, Barry throws up an odd rolling hook, miss
• Walton with a tricky backwards between the legs pass to Fish on the move, Fisher misses the 18 footer after a bounce
• Duncan fouled. He’ll shoot two. Hits both
• Ginobili gets a good look from three, miss
• Turiaf misses an 18 footer
• Duncan doubled, kick out, re-post, Duncan spins baseline,  one handed fallaway J and the foul against Turiaf. TD misses the FT. He’s 4-8 now from the FT line.
• Fisher played by Vaughn, he muscles his way to the hoop, runner
• Doug Collins thinks Vaughn is in the game to pressure Fisher in the backcourt in order to slow down the Laker offense
• Turiaf fouls Duncan again.
• Timeout
• Byrant squeezes by Bowen for a driving shot. He has 17 points in the second half now. Still 8 minutes to go in the fourth
• Odom defensive rebound, fastbreak, Kobe on the right wing, drives into the middle, runner, hits it
• Parker’s pass deflected by Bryant, Bowen gest it, takes it, hits the corner three
• Good contest by Bowen, Bryant has his 14 footer rim in and out
• Lovely pass in by Fisher, down low on the baseline side of the left block, Odom under the hoop, foul on Finley.
• Odom misses the first, hits the second. He has 6 points now
• Spurs lead 81-77
• Manu dishes to Udoka, shot fake, dribbles baseline, turnover
• Lakers push it, Fisher misses the quick 22 footer
• Duncan clear out, doubled, Parker gets the open three, miss, offensive rebound Duncan, Udoka shot fake, pull up, misses, loose ball foul on Duncan
• Great defense by Bowen forcing a difficult shot, miss
• 5:20 to play
• Same score as above
• Parker misses a 18 footer
• Turnover, Lakers fastbreak, Fisher drivign through the Spurs, gets the foul
• Manu threw that ball away. He’s had a bad night.
• Fisher hits both. Two point game with 4:32 to play.
• Gasol blocks Ginobil, still Spurs ball on the inbounds
• Duncan misses glass
• Odom runs the floor, layup, miss
• Spurs have 3 points in the last 3:30
• Down into the left block with Duncan, Duncan takes a tough right handed hook, miss, Laker rebound, Odom loses his balance and falls out of bounds
• Finley takes a quick three, misses
• Kobe posts up Lamar, down low on Finley, miss, taps it in
• Finley cannot defend Lamar Odom
• Tied at 81 with 3 minutes to play
• 20 point turnaround since the 5:50 mark in the third. They are 5-23 from the floor with 7 turnovers.
• Spurs turnover, Parker this time
• Kobe on the right wing, drives baseline, foul on Bowen, soft foul, bad call, Kobe to the line. He hits both. Lakers take their first lead of the game.
• 2:42 to play
• Udoka air balls a three. Not who you want shooting right now.
• Pull up J from Kobe from 16 feet on the right wing, hits it
• Duncan doubled, Udoka misses another badly
• Bryant swerves up the floor, nothing on, resets, Gasol in the paint, passes out to Fish, step back J from 18 feet, miss.
• Ginobili is 3-12 tonight with a couple of turnovers, they give him the ball anyway. Blocking foul on Fisher. Lakers in the penalty. That’s 5 for Fisher. Manu takes two, makes two.
• Lakers lead 85-83
• Odom misses the runner, Duncan rebound, deflected out of bounds, near ref says Laker ball, Duncan says the Lakers hit it out, the other two refs come over to confer, Lakers ball. Baseline ball LA.
• 20 sec Timeout
• Gasol pump fake, misses the dunk, out of bounds. Spurs ball. Foul could have gone either way on that loose ball foul.
• 55 secs to play
• Ginobili has it, high screen and roll, Duncan takes the floater, misses, he taps in his miss, Duncan has 30 and 18 now.
• Tied at 85
• Kobe trapped hard, Bowen slips, Bryant drives, bumps off Bowen, 12 footer, hits it. Huge shot
• Timeout Spurs
• 20 secs to play
• Spurs need a two to force overtime.
• Horry comes in, alongside FInley, Manu, Parker, Duncan. Parker has it up top, he drives inside, gives it up, Manu takes the three, miss, loose ball on the rebound, four players dive on the ball, squirms lose to Vujacic, foul
• Sasha hits the first, three point lead, 7 seconds to play, hits the second. Four point lead. The Lakers biggest lead of the night.
• 20 sec timeout Popovich
• Game Over

Lakers win. Great start to the series, both teams laid down interesting claims to being the victor overall.

Game One: Boston vs Detroit

• Garnett hits the first shot of the game. Unfortunately due to ESPN’s horrible camera angle I couldn’t see any of it.
• Prince and McDyess miss early shots.
• KG on the right wing, drives left, spin right, turnaround J off the glass from 10 feet. Nice.
• Hamilton air balls a three. Off Pierce, no they say off Prince.
• Ray Allen left wide open on the hand off, 18 footer from top of the key, miss
• Offensive foul Prince
• Detroit have started very poorly.
• Rip is on Rondo defensively, he’s cheating off Rondo actively.
• Pierce with the fallaway off the midpost as Prince is beaten on the pass
• Rondo gambles for the steal, foul on the reach in
• Wallace on the turnaround from 16 feet on the right wing, miss, Rondo on the drive, floater, miss, offensive board Perk. Kick out to Ray, Allen drives through the middle, layup
• Timeout Detroit
• Celtics lead 8-0
• Billups hits to stop the bleeding
• Celtics now lead 12-7
• Garnett with a carbon copy of his previous move but forced 3-4 feet further out, miss
• McDyess tips in the miss, he has 4 points now
• Perkins misses a layup, McDyess did just enough. McDyess knocks down the open 18 footer as Perk sagged off of him.
• Garnett misses a good look from 18 feet on the baseline
• Hamilton has a running J from 15 feet rim out, nice move, forced shot
• Rondo misses the reverse layup, Perk with another rebound, Ray drives in, forces a 12 footer
• Tayshaun misses a quick three
• Timeout Boston
• Celtics lead 12-11
• Pistons deflect the pass out of bounds.
• Does Perkins have 8 rebounds already? Great series for Perk. One of the few times where he’s the biggest player on the court.
• Prince knocks down a jumper, 8-0 Piston run, they take the lead. The crowd starts to brighten up, attempting to get their team back in it.
• Rondo drives into the paint, floater
• Turnover, Ray Allen steal, Ray Allen dunk
• Hamilton misses off the catch and shoot on the off the ball screen.
• Stolen by Billups as he falls over, Rondo steals the pass out, to Ray, layup, goaltending
• Billups is stripped from behind by Rondo
• Celtics on a 6-0 run now. That’s the type of series it’s going to be.
• Wallace hits a long J
• Ray Allen hits PJ on the move, layup and the foul, nice finish. PJ is the first big off the bench. Tony Allen and James Posey are also on the floor, alongside Powe. Rondo is the only starter in.
• 8-0 run by Boston, 8-0 run by Detroit, 8-0 run by Boston. That’s the type of first quarter it’s been, that’s the type of game it’s going to be, that’s the type of series it’s going to be. Both teams feeding off their defense and both incapable of making a prolonged offensive attack with regularity.
• End of One
• Celtics lead 22-17
• Not surprising. The Celtics are better than Detroit in nearly every way. Detroit need to play a near-perfect game to beat this Celtics team. First quarter after a few days rest? As you expect, not a lot of quality.
• Turnover Eddie House, Rip Hamilton catches the outlet, layup, foul.
• Pistons running full court pressure on Eddie House
• Pistons tie it up at 22
• Pierce on a spinning fallaway, hits it from 14 feet. He’s got to dominate this series, and right now in that second unit he has to especially control the unit
• Pierce brings it up the floor, Rip pressures him, Pierce fakes using the screen, drive and kick to Eddie from three, miss, rebound PJ Brown, reset, Posey turns down the corner J, drives through the open baseline, dunk
• Pierce throws a bad pass, turnover, steal Hunter, ahead to Hamilton, fouled. He hits both
• Celtics lead 26-24
• Rip was 53rd in scoring this season and the team leader in points
• Powe with an early two, nice catch and finish from the Pierce set up
• Rasheed misses the turnaround J along the baseline
• Timeout
• Eddie House off the bounce after the pump fake, hits from 18 feet
• Nice hand off from Rasheed, entry pass by Stuckey into Wallace down on the left block, Stuckey cuts baseline, takes the handoff, layup, foul, misses the FT .
• Boston lead 30-26
• Celtics turnover
• Foul off the ball on Garnett holding Wallace after the roll on the screen. They’re in the penalty, 7 minutes still to go in the half. Wallace will shoot two, he hits both. Detroit need to make use of Boston’s foul trouble. Considering it’s Detroit, they likely will not. Team full of jump shooters, lacking interior bruising in the post, lacking slashing.
• One foul right at the start on Ray against McDyess. Two were on the fastbreak against Rip Hamilton after turnovers. Another was Stuckey on the handoff cutting layup which was a silly foul. That last one was 7:52 mark, the next foul was 7:22, KG’s first.
• Detroit are a jump shooting team that lacks a deep interior presence and lacks slashers. They’re not going to take advantage of the C’s being in the penalty …… unless Boston make silly fouls.

  Play with your heads, you’re in the penalty, don’t reach in as often. This is a good FT shooting team that struggles to score in the halfcourt against the Celtics. Don’t give them easy points. No reaching, gambling, overzealous defending. Just keep it tight, show the refs your hands and move your feet. No need to give away unneccessary easy points for the rest of the half.

• Pierce drives into the lane, layup. Easy.
• Wallace in the high post, Garnett up in his face, Wallace drives right baseline, dunk. Good Sheed.
• Pierce throws it away again. That’s 6 turnovers for Boston.
• Foul on KG, getting up underneath Wallace’s shirt on that midpost action. Wallace will shoot two more. Kevin playing nice defense against Wallace, he’s clearly bothering him.
• Stuckey drives again, to the line again, FTs again, hits two.
• Pistons lead 34-33
• Pistons in the penalty now, 4 and a half to play, KG misses the first, hits the second. Foul on Theo, he comes out. Game tied at 34.
• Pistons are 13-15 from the line, C’s 4-5
• Prince knocks down a three at the buzzer, calm pump fake on Pierce, freakishly composed, hit the three as Pierce ran right by. Good save by Detroit after their offense fell apart on that possession.
• Nice move by KG, faked the turnaround, got Sheed on his feet, draws the foul, misses the first FT, hits the second
• KG is closing down Sheed hard on the catches to stop his high post passing
• Deflected, out by Boston, turnover
• Nice defense by McDyess in the post, he’s on KG now.
• Prince misses from the corner, McDyess should have taken that 15 footer instead of dribbling in and passing out
• Rondo steals the entry bounce pass by Billups, can’t control it, slips out of bounds, dives on it, can’t save it
• Timeout
• Celtics have 14 assists on 17 baskets shooting 52%. Stop the knucklehead offensive plays and silly turnovers and this is a double digit lead. Then take away the dumb reach in fouls and you’re up 15+ points. Dumb play spoiling their quality play.
• Celtics lead 41-39 with 30 seconds to play
• Billups on the high screen and roll, Billups to 19 feet, hit by Rondo has Rajon slips. Billups misses the first, hits the second. One point game. 24 seconds to play, Boston will hold it for the final shot.
• Pierce drives inside, to Rondo, dunk attempt, missed by Rondo. Should have taken the layup
• Halftime
• Boston lead 41-40 at the half
• Some Team Stats – Boston lead 20-16 on the glass. The Celtics have 5 turnovers, giving up 7 points. Pistons have 4 tunrovers, giving up 6 points. Combined steals/blocks is 4-2 Boston. The Celtics have 16 assists on 19 made shots, shooting 51%, 0-3 from three, 3-7 at the line. Celtics have had 6 more shots but a lot of that is from Detroit’s 10 extra FTs, plus one extra offensive rebound. The Pistons have 7 assists on only 12 made baskets, shooting 39%. 2-5 from three, 14-17 from the line.
• Silly fouls. Unneccessary turnovers. Not sticking to what’s working. That’s why Boston aren’t up 15 right now.
• McDyess led Detroit in the first quarter finishing the half with 10 and 7. Prince has 9. Sheed has 6 and 4 assists. The Pistons starting backcourt has only 7 points total. Their backcourt needs to get it together. Stuckey did well taking it to the rim, finishing with 6, bench has 8.
• Celtics were lead by Paul Pierce who has 9, 4 dimes and 3 rebounds. He would have had more assists if his teammates made shots. Pierce also has 3 turnovers. KG was very good with his scoring, lacing up 14 and 3 rebounds on 6-11 of shooting. Ray has 6 on 3-8 shooting. Perk had 8 rebounds in 12 minutes. Four Celtics bench players scored, totaling 8 points. Rondo has 2, 4 dimes, 2, and 3 steals.
• Ray Allen has missed his three jump shots but is 3-4 in the paint on drivesSecond half

• Boston lead 41-40
• Rondo with a lovely bounce pass to KG off the screen and roll, dunk
• Foul on Rondo, that’s the third on him. Reach in foul from behind
• McDyess jumps in the air, doesn’t know what he’s doing, turnover. Shoot or pass. If you have no passing lane you should shoot.
• Rip bounces off Pierce, hits the 18 footer after almost losing the ball
• Defensive three seconds against Detroit. Tech.
• Perk with another defensive rebound
• Garnett muscling up in the post against McDyess. Goes up under Antonio’s arm, foul as he goes right through his arm.
• Boston lead 50-44
• McDyess hits an 18 footer. Perkins struggling to get out to McDyess.
• KG responds with a wide open 18 footer himself. Pierce created that one. Paul is doing a fantastic job of creating for his teammates tonight.
• Timeout
• Wallace misses a three badly. Luckily Rondo and Pierce fought against each other on the defensive board, losing possession out of bounds. Pistons inbound and reset. Billups goes into the post, doubled hard by Perkins, turnover. Really hard for Billups to pass out of a hard double by a big man. He’s not used to seeing that and passing from that situation, once he picks up his dribble he’s dead.
• KG turnaround at the buzzer over Sheed, hits it
• Celtics back up 8
• Garnett has 22 points in 24 minutes
• Prince misses an 18 footer taking on Garnett on the switch
• Billups strips Ray, saves it, Rip gets it, fastbreak, Rondo from behind, Pierce gets it, Celtics bring it up the other way and find Perk in the paint. KG struggled with the catch from the nice feed from Rondo, KG saves it right to Perk with a lovely behind the back pass, foul under the rim. Perk misses the first, hits the second.
• Wallace goes to the bench. He has 4.
• 6 minutes to go in the third
• Detroit turnover, McDyess again with a bad pass
• Ray misses a three, Rondo found him in transition open behind the line
• Pierce fouled on the drive off the pick and roll, hits one of two. Celtics are 7-9 from the line in the third, Pistons haven’t gone to the line.
• Pick and pop for McDyess, nails it. He has 14 and 10.
• Rondo with a hop and step, gets the hard layup after passing up the open jumper
• Maxiell fouled in the paint, misses the first, misses the second.
• Celtics lead 58-50
• The Pistons are just about hanging around but the Celtics are playing them off the park
• Hamilton steals it, throws the outlet out of bounds
• Pierce spinning fallaway from 15 feet on the right wing
• Rip hits a layup
• Teams trade misses, Maxiell fouls Pierce. They’re in the penalty I think.
• Timeout
• Pierce knocks the ball loose on Prince’s post up, Prince retains it, layup as Pierce is out of the picture
• McDyess blocks the shot, turnover, Rip turns it over on the other end
• Stuckey fouled on his penetration. He’ll shoot two, make one.
• Celtics lead 62-55
• Pierce hits another fallaway on the midpost
• McDyess misses his 18 foot left wing J
• Pierce drives in, hits PJ, layup, miss, offensive rebound Powe, fouled.
• Hamilton misses the 10 footer, bounces right to him, hits the second attempt
• Eddie House drains a three, back breaker
• Celtics lead 69-57
• Fourth quarter
• Stuckey has outplayed Billups tonight
• Nice drive, stopped on the dime, Rip ran past him, Ray misses from 10 feet. That boy has no luck right now
• KG comes back in early in the fourth. Pierce is resting.
• Rasheed air balls a 18 footer. He’s just 1-6 tonight.
• Offensive foul on KG, moving pick
• Brown fouls Rasheed in the low post. Not sure what that was. Shouldn’t have been called.
• Hunter knocks down a corner three
• Foul on Rip for a touch foul. That wasn’t a foul either. Make up call?
• Pierce throws the elbow on the midpost, no call, Detroit double, Pierce hits PJ for the layup. Nice cut by Brown
• Wallace misses another jump shot
• Rip Hamilton knocks KG in the face with the elbow, he wasn’t happy with those screens by KG
• Rasheed Wallace rips KG 25 feet from the rim, Wallace runs the break, Posey fouls him. Sheed misses both
• Mark Jackson is making a point of talking about coaching throughout every game in the playoffs
• Timeout
• Celtics lead 73-65 with 8 minutes to play
• Celtics fail to get anything going on the possession, last ditch three by Posey, miss
• Wallace again, Rondo from behind, steals the ball
• Pierce with a step back 20 footer, miss
• Posey knocks it loose from McDyess, turnover, fastbreak, Rondo to Posey to Rondo, layup. Lead back to 10.
• Prince with that long stride into the paint, layup
• Posey forces up a J to beat the shot clock. Good defense by Detroit.
• Stuckey makes a 18 footer on the baseline on the quick halfcourt offense push
• Celtics lead 75-69
• They’re playing the clock instead of the Pistons. Waiting to long to attack and getting poor shot attempts against the shot clock. There’s too much time on the clock and the Celtics aren’t good enough at it. At least let Rondo create those plays, he can get into the paint off the dribble quicker than anyone. He’s able to create some mayhem in a moments notice to get a good shot on the drive or kick.
• Garnett gets a close J off the set play after the timeout
• Rondo drives inside, misses the runner
• Billups beats Rondo off the bounce, layup
• Celtics lead 77-71 with 4:30 to play
• Garnett off the dribble to Perk, layup and the foul. Nice pass by KG.
• You’d swear Boston are up 20, that’s how badly they’re outplaying Detroit tonight.
• Billups on the 20 footer, in and out and in again
• Pierce on the drive, turnover
• Wallace takes a dumb three pointer. Silly shot. He had a man open on the wing for a three, Billups and Prince. Both are better shooters and both have shot better tonight. Dumb shot.
• Rip hit on the arm, air ball, no call on Garnett’s foul
• Rondo from 17 feet in the left corner. Lead back to 10
• Timeout Detroit
• Rip fouled on the drive, he hits both. The lead is 8. There’s 2:10 to play.
• Pierce is running the point right now. Celtics get nothing going on that possessio, Rondo ends up nailing a three.
• KG gives a dumb foul, Chauncey knocks down two.
• Pierce misses the 16 footer
• McDyess misses, Rip misses, KG gets the rebound.
• Celtics up 10 with a minute to play

Game Over. Boston dominated and controlled this game from start to finish. They could have easily won by 20 or more points tonight but they allowed Detroit to hang about. This game is a good indicator for the series. Boston will control this series and win this series.

Three Road Victories …..

I picked three road victories in the final three games a few days prior. Well I got two right. The Spurs won on the road in Game Seven, and the Lakers closed out in 6 like I thought they would.

I picked the Cavs in Seven (even though I said they only had a 5-8% chance of winning, just a gut thing) but they messed that up. In fact they messed up three great opportunities to get road victories in Boston.

Road woes of the second round were just some wierd anomaly. Forget it, it’s irrelevant. There’s not some new playoff home dominance in the league, just the same as it always was.

The Conference Finals are shaping up nicely. Detroit vs Boston will be good and the Lakers vs Spurs will be very good.

Game Seven: New Orleans vs San Antonio

I picked the Spurs to win this series by a nose hair prior to the second round begining. I stand by that. I think Timmy D will find a way to get his team that win. It’s going to be very close and very hard fought though, this Hornets team is excellent.

• I missed the start of the game. We’re at the halfway point of the first quarter, the Spurs just called timeout. The Hornets lead 14-10 and are on a 5-0 run. They’ve gotten their fastbreak going over the past few possessions.
• Tony Parker from the blind side, blocks West’s shot in the post. Starts the break going the other way, knocked loose by Paul, Oberto picks it up, back to Parker, Parker brings it up, gets the Spurs into their early half court set, to Oberto in the high post, quick pass to Bowen in the corner, hits the three pointer.
• Screen and roll on the right wing with Manu and TD, ball rotated over to Tony, inside to Oberto, 6 foot bank shot
• West is 4-6 for 8 points in the first quarter and is moving very well.
• The score is tied at 16, Duncan off a curl from the down screen by Kurt, hits from 16 feet off the elbow. Spurs lead 18-16
• Referees timeout. Some knucklehead threw ice onto the floor. The refs are clearing up the mess and sweeping off the water from the melted ice. Bonzi knocked over his teammates drink and split it onto the floor. Well done Bonzi. That’s a lot better than a fan throwing it out there, refs having a word, they don’t want it to happen again.
• Three minutes to go in the first
• Baseline inbounds to Udoka, pump fake, into the paint, bounce pass to Thomas, ball spills loose, Pargo comes up with it, Duncan jumps on top of him and ties him up. Timeout. Jump ball, Duncan wins the tip, gets it back to Parker. Spurs set up, into Duncan in the low post, kickout, two passes swung to the corner, three pointer Udoka, good.
• West refuses to go against Duncan, passes up.
• Kurt Thomas takes a quick 18 footer on the other end, misses.
• Spurs get a touch on Paul’s lob pass, still gets to Tyson, Chandler mishandles, turnover
• Offensive foul on Duncan. Pargo took the charge. Duncan passed on the 20 footer, pump fake, drive right into the paint, pargo met him there
• David West hits a 17 footer on the left wing. He’s in double digits.
• Two offensive rebounds Kurt Thomas. Spurs reset, Duncan drives low, runner, Kurt Thomas gets the offensive rebound and putback
• Late whistle, West is fouled on his drive turn fallaway. On Bruce Bowen. He heads to the bench. No he stays on, he just walked down to Pop for a quick word and came back. He’s still looking over at Pop, now he comes out. West hits both.
• 27 seconds left in the quarter.
• Spurs hold the ball up for the final shot, Parker has it, makes his move at 8, great D by Pargo, knocks it loose, Pargo gets called for the foul. 7.1 seconds remaining. They had a foul to give. Parker up top, drives, turnover, dumb play. Manu Ginobili fouled Chris Paul on a 65 foot heave. Dumb dumb dumb. That’s two fouls too I think. Three shots for Paul. Refs review to make sure it happened prior to the clock. Man if the Spurs lose by three the Spurs will lose it, dumb dumb foul. Paul didn’t get the shot off before the clock. The ruling from the refs, the quarter had run out before the foul. Wow, San An and Manu are off the hook. Dumb dumb dumb play by Manu. C’mon keep your head in the game, Ginobili, you’re too smart to go making a foul that dumb in a big game.
• Spurs lead 23-20 at the end of one
• Ely misses a 17 footer from abover the right elbow to start the second
• Horry catches it in the mid post, gets booed loudly, turns, thinks about the drive, starts a move, thinks better of it, rotates the ball out, in to Duncan, out to Manu, three, offensive rebound Udoka, layup.
• Defensive rebound Finley, foul Pargo who tried to slap the ball away but hit Finley instead
• Steal Bonzi Wells, Horry sprints back and runs in front of Wells as he goes to dunk, Wells changes his mind, layup, Horry ran straight past, didn’t contest, Wells leaves the ball on and off the rim, miss. Spurs defensive rebound, Spurs turnover, Paul steal, foul in the backcourt. Hornets ball.
• Oberto dribbles out of the paint, knocks into Ely, forced to pick up his dribble, decides to shoot it, hits it off the glass from 6 feet. He only took that shot because Ely walked into him.
• Paul gets the lob pass, misses the layup, putback Paul
• Ginobili on the screen and roll, to Parker, 18 fotter, miss
• Nice one handed rebound by Horry, Spurs turn it over again on the other end, Paul runs back, Horry deflects the pass in the paint, steals it back for San Antonio.
• Timeout Pop, he’s pissed off at the careless turnovers and should be
• Horry knocks down a three from the wing right out of the timeout. Big Shot Bob strikes another blow. Pick and pop with Manu on the right wing.
• Oberto fouls Ely inside, Ely makes one out of two. Over 8 remaining in the half.
• Spurs lead 30-23
• Foul away from the ball on Bonzi Wells. Hornets are 1-7 to start the fourth. Chandler back in for Ely. The Hornets have 1 bench point, Spurs have 10. Bonzi Wells pushes over Horry after the inbounds pass. Another foul for New Orleans. Duncan and Udoka come back in.
• Parker with the teardrop, miss, Pargo blazes out, gets fouled. It’s on the deck, Pargo didn’t shoot it.
• Paul gets another field goal for Tyson. Horry tells Parker he needs to smarten up his rotation.
• Tony gets the kickout from Duncan, gets the foul on Paul, gets the layup and the foul.
• Paul at the FT line, misses the first, misses the second. Odd seeing Paul miss two.
• Spurs lead 36-27 with just under 6 to play in the half
• Horry getting an extended run here
• Ginobili misses the lefty scoop shot, Paul runs the other way, hits Peja, three pointer in transition, lead sliced to six. Crowd back in it, Hornets back in it. One of the biggest backbreakers in the league, Peja’s long three, especially in transition.
• Mo Pete nails a three from the left wing in the halfcourt. Three point game. 8-0 run Hornets
• Horry takes and misses a three pointer
• West down low on Horry, doubled team, kick out, Paul drives inside, gets the foul, hits the floater, soft foul by Udoka. Paul misses another FT. Hornets on a 10-0 run over the past three minutes.
• Parker on the drive and kick to Udoka, miss, tap out Oberto on the rebound, Parker has it. Over to Udoka, turnover.
• Pump fake by Peja in the right corner, Manu goes for it, Peja dribbles right by, hits the 18 footer on the baseline.
• Terrible defense by Ginobili over the past few minutes on Stojakovic. He just ruined all over Bruce Bowen’s work in three minutes. You never let a shooter/scorer of Peja’s caliber get hot. Pop has to bring Bowen back in. This should never happen, Bowen has to play whenever Peja is in the game.
• Ginobili answers with a three of his own from the left wing. He’s 2-9 now.
• Paul drives inside, Duncan dissuades him from the shot, kick out, missed long shot. Tony Parker gets the outlet, muscles off Paul, keeps going, splits two Hornets in the paint, fouled, soft foul, layup
• Timeout
• Pop has to bring Bowen back in
• Peja misses another good look. Bruce Bowen now!
• Tim Duncan works his way low on the right block, one handed fadeaway off balance shot, hits it.
• Chandler misses the dunk, foul. It’s on Parker. No foul there. Chandler misses the first. Just under 2 mintues to play in the half. Spurs need to get to halftime badly. Still no Bowen. Bowen! Chandler hits the second
• Duncan out to Manu, three pointer on the right wing, hits it
• Paul weaving through the screen and roll, out to Peja, nice curl by Peja, drives inside the paint, runner, misses
• Spurs push it quickly the other way, Manu hits another three, this time from the left corner
• Spurs lead 49-38
• Great comeback by Spurs to build that lead back.
• Spurs have 10 turnovers already. The Hornets have four.
• Paul on the cross over, gets the 11 footer, miss, right back to Paul, nobody on the Spurs caught the ball despite having inside postion, Paul back out to Mo Pete, Mo hits the driving layup
• Parker drives into the paint, hits the runner.
• Paul with a few seconds on the clock, dribbles the length of the floor, throws up a scoop shot, hits it
• Halftime
• Spurs lead 51-42
• Some team stats – Spurs dominating the backboards 28-18, almost even offensive 8-7 Spurs. Combined blocks/steals is 9-3 Hornets advantage. Turnovers 10-4 Spurs with more turnovers. Spurs have 13 assists on 20 field goals, shooting 50% from the floor, 8-15 from three, only 3-4 from the line. Not many FTs. The Hornets have 12 assists on 18 field goals, on 42 attempts, 43% from the field, 2-6 from three, 4-9 from the line.
• Hornets bench has only 1 point, 2 rebounds, 0 assists, 3 steals, 1 turnover, 4 fouls. They got a lot of firepower in Wells and Pargo, they need to do better. They got 16 minutes.
• The Spurs bench has 10 points (5 Udoka), 11 rebounds (5 Kurt), 2 assists, 2 steals, 4 turnovers (3 Udoka). They played 24 minutes.
• Chuck thinks this is a nervous crowd tonight. He wants them to get back involved in the game.
• Chris Paul has 10 (5-10), 9, 4 and 4 steals. West has 12 and 5. Chandler 7 and 7. Peja has 7 points hitting 3 field goals. Mo Pete has 5 points in 14 minutes.
• Duncan has 10, 7, 2 and a steal. Ginobili has 14 (5-12), 4 and 3 rebounds. Parker has 7 (3-7) and 2. Oberto has 4 and 5. Bowen 6 points.

Second Half

• The team that has won the third quarter has won all 6 games in the series
• Spurs lead 52-41
• West drives by Duncan, hits the layup
• Byron Scott told his starters they might play every minute in the second half. He’s upset with his bench.
• Duncan on the left block, he goes to the middle, foul on Chandler. Duncan hits one of two.
• West iso on the left wing, step back J out of the face up on the low post, miss
• Duncan on the left block, tough one hander fadeaway over Tyson, hits it
• Tyson gets loose under the rim, Duncan smacks him across the head and wraps him up before Tyson can go up for a shot.
• West off the dribble, fouled on the driving layup. Hits both.
• Duncan into the paint, misses badly
• Spurs come up off the rebound, Manu gets a clear out, step back three from the top of the key, miss
• Paul bodies up Parker in the paint, passes out, Mo Pete on the drive, wild drive, block Duncan
• Parker misses, offensive rebound Duncan, reset, back to DUncan on the left block, he drives left, one hander over Chandler, misses
• Hornets crowd starting to get into this second half
• Foul on Parker on the floor, that’s three team fouls
• Paul drives on Parker, forces it, 24 second violation, didn’t hit the rim. The Hornets think it did, nope.
• Spurs lead 55-46 with a little over 8 to play
• Offensive foul on Tim Duncan
• West in the left block, left handed hook shot, miss, rebound Duncan
• Screen and roll Parker and Duncan, out to Manu on the opposite left wing, pump fake, drives into the lane, hits a runner
• Peja on catch and shoot, miss
• Duncan dribbling, spinning, gets it off, off the bank, miss, West loses it, Duncan taps it loose, Chandler dives on it to save the possession, right to Paul, Paul laces them up and runs the break, finishes the fastbreak layup
• Timeout Spurs
• Defensive 3 seconds. Manu hits the FT. Spurs up 10.
• Tim Duncan getting single coverage, Horrt back on the floor
• Parker air balls a baseline J, Bowen has it, to Duncan, Duncan misses the fadeaway banked to beat the shot block, Horry slaps it out
• Hornets miss, Manu rebounds, Manu trapped on the screen and roll, to Horry, to Bowen, three in the corner, miss, Horry keeps it alive, Hornets secure hte ball.
• West working on the left block, spinning middle, hook shot, miss, rebound Horry
• Lovely ball movement again by the Spurs, Bowen has a three in the left corner rim out. Spurs would be up 16 if he hit those two open looks in the left corner
• In to Duncan, on West, West strips him, falls over Paul, that’s four on Duncan. Bad foul by Duncan, the little fella got in between Duncan on the loose ball while Duncan lost his balance. Tim goes to the bench. He’s been their go-to offense in the third quarter.
• Hornets have only 2 points in the last 5:42. We’re at the 4:30 mark now. Offensive foul, West moving screen. That’s his first foul.
• Spurs lead 58-48
• Ginobili fouled on the deck. Second team foul on New Orleans. Mo Pete is going to have to do some defending here. Michael Finley comes on for Robert Horry. Not sure I like that sub. Chandler came out for the Hornets for Pargo
• Finley fouls Paul inthe backcourt, they’re in the penalty, Paul hits both.
• Parker on the drive and kick, long three by Finley, nails it
• Peja air balls a three over Parker. That was a good three-four feet off to the left from the rim
• Good double by Manu, West was deep in the paint, forced the ball out, Mo Pete has a three go in and out
• Parker hits the 16 footer on the left wing off the screen and roll. West should have trapped him on that screen and roll, Oberto was setting the pick, instead he stood back and let Parker have the shot. The shot clock was winding down, bad call.
• Timeout
• 2 thirty to paly
• Paul on the drive, out to West, West misses the 16 footer on the left wing, good shot, missed. The Hornets are 2-13 in the quarter
• Parker has a long two rim out, Horry gets his hand on the offensive rebound again, Hornets retain the rebound again
• Pargo into the paint, lob pass to Chandler, dunk
• Finley hits another three, this time from the left wing. Spurs 10-20 from three
• Pargo pump fakes Finley, he goes right into the paint, hits the driving layup
• Spurs lead 66-53 with a minute to paly in the third
• Horry hits the three after the pass out from Oberto
• Defensive rebound Horry
• Parker fouled on the drive, non-shooting foul, third team foul. 33 seconds to go. Ginobili splits the trap on the screen and roll with a behind the back dribble, into the paint, fouled by Paul. Manu hits both. The Spurs are up 17 points. Udoka in for Finley.
• Pargo comes up, dribbles slowly, he has a clearout on Manu, dribbling show, goes nowehere, kick out to Paul, Paul drives into the paint hits West for the dunk
• End of Three
• Spurs lead 71-56

Fourth Quarter

• Spurs are in good shape but this Hornets team is capable of putting points on the boards quickly. They’re more than capable of a 10-0 run inside of two minutes. The Spurs need to stay strong and score.
• Ginobili misses, back tap by Horry, gets to a Spur at long last. Horry misses a three, Kurt gets the offensive rebound. Spurs reset, Ginobili misses a three. One minute long possession.
• Spurs have 4 offensive rebounds to zero in the second half
• Paul hits the fadeaway from 16 feet. He has 16 and 10
• Parker misses the 18 footer on the left wing
• Frustration foul by Parker knocking over Paul in the open court
• Bowen back on Paul, Udoka on Peja. Gotta be careful here, can’t let Peja get hot
• Lovely pass by Paul, alley oop to Chandler, Tyson hadn’t even made the cut before the pass was thrown. Paul just let it hang there
• Duncan misses on the right block
• Travelling violation on Paul
• Spurs lead 71-60 with 10 to play. This game is far from done.
• Parker hits the 18 footer from behind the screen and roll
• Pargo/Paul/Peja/West/Chandler
• Pargo nails a 18 footer on the spin
• Parker cuts into the paint, pins Pargo, gets the pass, layup
• Paul resets on the switch, passes up, he had Kurt Thomas on him. Pargo drives inside, hits the floater off the glass, nice shot.
• Spurs lead 75-64 with 8:32
• Udoka for three, hits it. Nice pass from Manu off the screen and roll on the left wing, out to Udoka on the right wing, Udoka looked to pass to the corner, defense rotated over before the pass and left him open, he took it
• Paul to Chandler, lay in right at the rim
• Parker drives baseline, finds Udoka in the right corner, miss
• Pargo gets the step, hits the floater. Pargo is starting to cook, this guy can put points on the board in a hurry
• The Hornets are 6-6 from the field in the fourth
• Duncan air balled a 18 footer
• Paul into the paint, floater over Duncan, hits it. Lead down to 8. Spurs need buckets
• Parker step back J, miss, Udoka runs baseline past three Hornets while the ball comes off the rim, steals it off the finger tips of a Hornet rebounder, resets the ball, quick pass inside where Duncan has a two-on-one, takes it himself, foul. Duncan hits the first, hits the second.
• Spurs lead 80-70 with 6:27 to play
• Paul lets the ball bobble up on the floor to the halfway line to get more time on the clock, turnover Paul, Spurs hold it up. Manu comes up on the early screen and roll, firing off a three from the top of the key, miss. Quick shot, not a good shot.
• Foul on Manu
• Paul misses a wide open three, it rimmed in and out, the Hornets first miss of the half
• Offensive foul on Manu, turnover, he hit Paul with his elbow fighting for room on the pivot.
• Pargo on a quick catch and shoot from three, miss
• Pargo went for the steal, Manu goes right to the rim, hard foul by Chandler, Manu to the line. Manu hits the first, and misses the second. Spurs up 11
• Spurs lead 81-70 with 5 minutes to play
• Pargo misses a 17 footer off the dribble. He pounded that ball into the floor and din’t look to pass. Reggie asks “Why is Pargo taking shots?” “They have Paul and West on the floor”. Damn right Reggie.
• Duncan picks up his fifth foul on Pargo’s drive. There’s a little over four minutes to play.
• Pargo goes to the line, gets the roll on the first attempt. Peja Stojakovic hasn’t gotten a shot in a long time. Pargo gets the roll on the second attempt
• Duncan stays in. Pop thought about and stayed with his man.
• Ginobili falls over, loose ball foul on Paul as he tries to rip Manu on the floor. Byron Scott hates that call.
• Duncan misses the turnaround out of the post
• Pargo with the step back three. The lead is down to 6.
• Spurs lead 81-75
• Ginobili bricks a drive
• Pargo gets the step on the break, goes baseline, layup, foul. Pargo hits the first, hits the second.
• There’s 3 minutes to play
• Spurs lead 81-77
• Spurs are in a world of trouble right now. They need a basket badly, very badly. The Hornets are far better finishers.
• The Spurs have only 1 point over the past 3 and a half minutes
• Parker on the catch down in the post, turnaround, foul.
• Timeout
• Parker hits the first, hits the second. My goodness they needed those
• Lot of backcourt pressure on the inbounds. Hornets get it in to Peja. Hornets bring it up, Paul doesn’t get anything going. Peja takes a 29 footer, misses. Odd shot, looked good when it left his hand though.
• Duncan into the paint, right hook, miss
• Bowen is on Pargo, beats Bowen baseline, Bowen gets back in it and blocks the shot. It sticks in Pargo’s hands, he falls down. Jump ball, Bowen needs to win this tip, Parog does, Paul runs it down. Pargo has a three rim out, tap out by Chandler, to Peja, miss, Duncan has it, Chandler pokes it away, Paul calms them down, out to West from 18 feet, miss, offensive rebound. Pargo gets an open three, hits it.
• Spurs lead 83-80
• Duncan spins baseline, great look, miss
• Pargo open in the left corner, miss. Duncan rises over everyone, snares it.
• Parker off the dribble, off the screen and roll with Duncan, hits from 20 feet over Paul
• Timeout
• Spurs lead 85-80 with a minute to play
• Paul drives into the paint, Duncan slaps at the shot attempt, puts Paul off, brick, defensive rebound Spurs. Chris Paul fouls, that’s his fifth. Manu goes to the line. Manu hits the first, he looks so relaxed out there, two quick bounces and up, no bounces and up, hits it.
• Spurs up 87-90 with 40 secodns to play
• Pargo misses the fallaway from 15 feet, Spurs rebound, get it to Manu Ginobili. 33 seconds remaining. Manu two dribbles, up with it, hits it. Two dribbles, up hits it, gets the roll off the rim.
• Spurs lead 89-80
• This is over

Incredible seiers win for San Antonio. This Hornets side is truly a championship caliber ball club and this series was as close as I imagined it being. My pick was the Spurs by an inch with Duncan finding a way to bring it home. Spurs move on, they meet the Los Angeles Lakers in the Conference Finals.

The Hornets will be a contender for years to come. I’d like to see them work on getting more balance and ball movement in their offense. I don’t like Paul controlling the offense as much as he does, no matter how good he is, it makes his team vulnerable against playoff defenses and that’s what happened in this series. The Hornets got better at this with their improving bench and should continue to do so next season. I’d like Peja to have a slightly bigger focus. Excellent side here in New Orleans.

Game Seven: Boston vs Cleveland

Game Seven. The rules – anything can happen and anybody can win. Anybody can get hot, even Ben Wallace. One game, anything goes.

My pick before the series was Cleveland in 7. I said after game 5 that I still thought they’d do it but that they odds were awful. I’m giving the Cavs 5-8% chance of winning today but I think they’ll get that 5-8% and win the game. They’ve been better than the Celtics of playing the game style they want.

Pre-game

• Danny Gibson is still out so he won’t play. Damon Jones was awful in game six. Eddie House had his way with Jones so let’s see what Mike Brown does tonight. I’m guessing he still goes with Damon but, like Game Six, keeps him on a short leesh.
• Celtics all time record in Game Sevens 18-5, and 15-3 at home.
• TNT’s best crew is here tonight. They have JVG, Mark Jackson, Mike Breen. Van Gundy wants to see KG look for his shot more, even against soft doubles which he normally passes out of it.

After a hideous start to the series, in which he shot just 8-of-42 in the first two games, James has been slowly but surely heating up. Over the past three games he’s averaged 29.3 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, right at his season averages.

• The players introductions are beginning
• Usual starting lineups. Cleveland have Big Z, Big Ben, Bron, Wally World, Delonte West. The Celtics start Rondo, Ray, Pierce, Garnett, Perkins.
• How do both teams look? Cavs look primed. Serious looks on everybodies faces. Not a huge amount of energy but definitely not stiff. A quiet confidence that reads like … if they do what they want to do they’ll win, no doubts about that. Boston has their nice video clip, and KG’s scream along withe their pyrotechnics. Loud noise, lasers, here we go. More bounce in Perk’s steps but the backcourt came out like Cleveland, as did KG. The Captain gets low, getting a little energy going. Similar looks on both teams faces, that’s really the first time that’s happened in this series. Normally there’s a different look mainly due to the Celtics. Either very exhuberent at home, or the look of low belief on the road.
• JVG wants KG established in the post early and often. Then Ray or Paul need to step up and fill in the blanks.
• Cavs starting to jump around a little bit, Joe Smith especially.

First Half

• Here we go, Celtics win the tap. ESPN is starting with that awful camera along the sideline. First C’s possession goes to Perk in the post, stripped by Wallace out of bounds. Inbounds to KG, step back 18 footer off the bounce, miss, offensive rebound, to Pierce, hits it.
• Pierce deflects and steals James’ pass, fastbreak, Pierce on the layup, miss, Bron rebounds, saves it. Z misses a turnaround in the post.
• Ray drives baseline, tries to hit Rondo on the cut, high over Rajon’s head
• West ties the game at two with a 18 footer
• Pierce comes off the screen and roll with Perk and hits the 17 footer in the centre of the floor
• James comes right back and takes a quick 21 footer, hits it.
• Pierce gets by James again, this time misses. Decent shot. James’s defense hasn’t been good on those first few plays.
• Offensive foul on Delonte West, he hooked Rondo in the post
• Pierce gets Wally on the switch, mid post action, drives baseline, help defense comes, KG hits the open 18 footer o nthe opposite side of the floor along the baseline
• Wally bumping Ray inwards, picks up his dribble, nothing on, forces it, good rebound by KG in traffic
• KG open on the left wing from 18 feet, KG drives inside, hand off to Perk, reverse layup
• Z misses the open 17 footer on the left corner
• Rondo on the drive, no look to Perk in mid air after he draws the defense, foul by Wally. Perk hits one of two, rebound spills out of the scrum right to Perk, out to Pierce, three pointer, good.
• Timeout Cavs
• Celtics lead 12-4 after 4 and a half minutes
• James forced into a contested shot from three in the left corner, rebound off Perk.
• James gets a good shot out of the midpost on PIerce, but then double clutched and made the shot harder, miss
• Rondo puts on the jets, gets to the rim, pass back to Pierce, blocked by Z. Offensive foul on Perk for a moving screen after the inbounds pass
• Perk deflects the pass by Z, Z dives on the floor, Perk goes after it. Jump ball. Z wins the tip.
• James with another nice move to free himself for the fallaway uncontested 15 footer, miss
• Pierce gets the fastbreak layup
• Wally penetrates, sets up Z for the open 20 footer, miss
• Z in the low post defending Perk, line drive hook, partially blocked, rolls off the rim
• James drives inside, misses the floater over Perk
• Pierce comes the other way, forces his way into the paint, falls over on Wallace, jump ball. Wallace got a piece of it. Pierce wins the tip, not suprising he jumps far quicker than Wallace
• KG takes a 20 footer from the left wing off the glass, miss
• Offensive foul on Z, moving screen
• There’s 5 minutes left in the first quarter. Celtics lead 14-4.
• Joe Smith in for Wallace
• Rondo gets Z on the switch, comes back out, shoots over Z from 20 feet
• James drives left, up and under on Perk, Pierce gets a bit of the ball, James muscles the ball into the hoop anyway.
• KG passes up a 12 footer over Delonte, Rondo misses the 16 footer off the dribble.
• Rondo gets a partial block on West’s shot. Varajeo comes in. Under 4 minutes to go.
• James drives inside again, cuts by Perk on Perk’s left side while Perk was forcing him right, hard layup off the glass, nice.
• Cavs defend that screen and roll better, KG forced to take the 17 footer over Joe to beat the buzzer. Loose ball foul on Perk for the push. That’s two fouls on Perk. He’ll probably sit.
• Timeout
• Under 3 minutes remaining. The Celtics lead 16-8.
• James beats Posey ont he drive, goes left, gets the baseline, no help there, Ray runs by Perk, hard foul. James hits both FTs.
• Garnett misses the 19 footer, Perk keeps it alive, Joe gets it.
• Joe Smith takes the 15 footer off the dribble at the FT line, miss, rebound Rondo. Celtics push it ahead, offensive foul on Rondo.
• Screen and roll between Delonte and Varajeo, dish to Andy, reverse layup
• Wally knocks it loose from Ray, Ray out to 40 feet, Wally bodying him up, great D, Ray can’t shake him, gets another screen, slips away, tough shot contested by the big, miss.
• Eddie House and Powe are in, along with Posey beside Ray and KG.
• Defensive 3 second violation against the Celtics. James hits the FT.
• Boston lead 16-13 with a minute to play
• Great inbounds pass by the Cavs to the cutting Varajeo, ahh, spills loose, regains control of the ball, out to Sasha, three pointer, miss
• Eddie House misses a three, offensive rebound. Celtics reset, go to KG in the low post, KG hits the fadeaway shot over Joe
• Damon Jones misses the long J off the dribble, offensive rebound Sasha, miss. Celtics heave it from the backcourt, miss
• End of the First Quarter
• Celtics lead 18-13
• Mike Brown does the first quarter interview, he wants his team to do a better job on the defensive glass. Celtics have 4 offensive rebounds, and lead 14-8 overall on the backboards. KG has 6.
• Cavs miss the runner in the lane, Joe Smith follow Dunk on the rebound
• Ray doubled on the screen, ball knocked loose.
• Ray is out there with the second unit. PJ, Eddie, Powe, Posey.
• 24 second violation. Pierce immediately gets up off the bench.
• James with the drive and dish, House deflects it out of bounds.
• James drives baseline, gets trapped under the hoop, jumps up, no pass is open, throws it away over the head of Damon Jones
• Pierce tells the screen to go away, he wants the iso on Sasha, he drives left, spins right, jumper for 16 feet on the centre of the floor
• James misses a long J over Powe, defensive rebound, Powe leaks out, foul by James.
• Cavs turn it over
• Celtics lead 22-15
• Varajeo fouls Powe off the Pierce set up for the layup
• 10 minutes to go in the half.
• The Cavs are letting this second unit build the lead. Not good. Not good at all.
• Wally gets the wide open three, misses badly
• Eddie House knocks down the long two from the right corner
• James gets the clear out, drives by Posey, tough runner in traffic, gets it to go
• Eddie House with the long J off the set up by Pierce, miss
• James on the screen and roll, trapped hard, keeps going, blocked by PJ but fouled by three Celtics. He hits both FTs.
• Celtics lead 24-19
• Garnett comes back in
• Ilgauskas, Szczerbiak, Pavlovic, Jones all have 0 points
• 8 minutes to go in the half
• Pierce brings the ball up, gets the high screen and roll up at 28 feet, Pierce gets into the paint and hits the reverse layup. He split the trap up high.
• Pierce now has 13 points on 6-10 shooting with 3 assists, could have had a couple more if his teammates made their shots
• Delonte takes it to the rim, fouled, hits both
• Pierce takes up full court again, another high screen and roll from about 30 feet, Pierce doesn’t get the drive, takes the three, gets the bounce, good.
• PJ Brown got lost on the defensive rotation, Joe gets a dunk, dumb foul by PJ. Joe misses the FT.
• Another high screen and roll for Pierce, foul on Sasha on the deck.
• There’s 7 minutes to play. Bron gets a rest. Z back in.
• Celtics lead 29-23
• Pierce on another high screen and roll, trapped hard, to KG, swings the ball to Posey, three pointer from the left corner, wide open, hits it
• Cavs turnover, Eddie House gets the steal to Posey, layup, foul. Posey hits both.
• Celtics lead 34-23 now. James has to come back in.
• Sasha drives, blocked out of bounds
• Rondo has been sitting for a long time now but Eddie is doing well
• Sasha gets the inbounds, takes it to beat the shot clock, loose ball foul on Smith, they’re in the penalty. Perkins has shot 70% from the line in the postseason, up from 61% in the regular season, Perk misses the first, hits the second. They’re up 12.
• James came back in there
• West misses the open jumper from 18 feet, Eddie House gets the rebound, falls over, Delonte dives on him. Little scrum. Jump ball called. Timeout. Eddie and Delonte get double technicals for their part in all that going ons. Delonte wins the tip
• James on the high screen and roll with Z, Celtics leave James open, he takes the 22 footer. Celts got too worried about Big Z there.
• Pierce fouled on the drive, gets to the line, hits both. He hits both.
• James spots Ben on the roll, out to Sasha, he drives left, fouled by Pierce, gets the short J to go. Misses the FT. They could have used that.
• Under 5 minutes to go
• Cavs have to get this under single digits, Celtics have to keep this up in double digits by halftime
• Pierce sets up Perk on the roll, layup
• James takes a bad shot, long three contested, offensive rebound, James drives, gets to the rim, misses the layup
• Pierce takes a bad three, miss, offensive rebound KG, timeout
• Pierce fouled on the pass, back to the FT line. That’s two fouls on James. Pierce makes one of two.
• Celtics lead 40-27 with under four minutes to go
• Foul on Perk as he knocked him out of bounds. James seems in a lot of pain, foul didn’t look that bad, must have been the fall. Yep the shoulder on the fall. James hits both FTs. That’s three on Perk.
• James forces Pierce into the 20 footer, miss
• James to the rim, wants the foul, doesn’t get it, hits the layup
• James back behind the rim, Rondo pushes it hard, up to Pierce, James still back, tough contest, PIerce misses it.
• James sets up Varajeo, another two. Lead down to 8.
• Pierce hits a three out of the kickout from KG in the post
• KG stops Bron on the drive, Bron kicks it out to Wally, KG switches out, KG kicks the ball and forces the turnover, Wally with the hard foul on the break, KG misses the first, hits the second.
• 2 minutes to go
• James beats Posey baseline, KG is there, Bron goes anyway, muscles up through KG, uses the basket to protect the shot, reverse layup and the foul. Hits the FT. Lead down to 9.
• Ray Allen beats the trap, gets the reverse layup to go
• James’ pass deflected out of play.
• Cavs got to get this lead below 10
• Delonte drives, out to Sasha, they swing the ball to corner, Jones hits the three
• Pierce on the drive, Sasha falls over, Pierce goes up, fouled by Delonte.
• Celtics lead 48-38 with 30 seconds to go.
• Cavs turn it over, bad pass by Delonte, Pierce steals the pass, fastbreak, Pierce takes it to the rim, fouled. Pierce rubbing his ankle but he’ll be alright, maybe not, he wants Doc to take a timeout to get himself together. He’s walking but gingerly. I think he’ll be fine.
• Pierce takes the first, swishes it. Takes the second, his 8th of the night, hits it.
• Cavs are going to hold it for the final shot. LeBron barely made it up in 8 seconds he was walking so slowly. James fouled on the drive. There’s 4.2 seconds remaining, they have to be careful after these FTs, no easy baskets on the other end. James makes both.
• Pierce comes out and heads to the locker room
• Rondo runs it up, takes a three, miss
• Halftime
• Celtics lead 50-40
• Pierce has 28 points on 8-15 shooting. Hit 3 threes and knocked down 7 FTs. Pierce had 3 rebounds, 2 dimes, 2 steals.
• LeBron James had 23 points on 7-15 shooting, 9-11 from the stripe. He has only 1 board and 1 assist. His defense has been average at best. He needs to get on the backboards. Then his teammates need to knock down some shots, especially Z, Joe, Wally.
• Some Team Stats – Celtics leading the battle of the backboards 22-14 with KG getting 9 by himself. Combined blocks/steals led by C’s 7-3 over the Cavs. The Cavs have 8 turnovers which has cost them 13 points. The Celtics have 3 turnovers, costing them 4 points. Celtics have taken two less shots, made two more. Boston have 9 assists on 16 made shots on 47% shooting, 4-8 from three, 14-20 from the line. The Cavs have 5 assists on 14 made shots on 39% shooting, 1-6 from three, 11-15 from the line.
• Delonte has 4 points. The rest of the Cavs starters have 0 total. Nobody on the bench has more than Delonte.
• KG’s scoring has been quiet with 5 points on 2-6 shooting but he’s dominated the glass and his help defense has been excellent.
• Ray has only 2 points on only 1-2 shooting. Ditto for Rondo on 1-3 shooting. Perk has 6. Bench has 9 led by Posey’s 5. Eddie House was very good, great energy, long range threat and good defense.
• David West update …. he took part in nearly the entrie Hornets basket, he’s moving really well and says he doesn’t have much soreness.

Second half – third quarter

• Celtics lead 50-40
• Teams swap misses. Wally now picks up his fourth foul.
• Celtics turnover, fastbreak James, he runs the length of the court, splits the defense, gets fouled, get the layup to go. Ray didn’t foul him hard enough. Bron misses the FT, Bron traps KG on the rebound, out of play. Cavs ball. Celtics got lost on their defensive rotations, Perk switched out on Delonte, then let him go, nobody rotated out, open three pointer Delonte, good.
• Rondo drives into the paint, hits Perk, 14 footer, nails it
• Z works Perk down low, foul on Perk. That’s four. Perk stays out there. Z goes right back at him, misses the shot, gets the offensive rebound. James misses a three, Pierce loose ball foul, that’s three team fouls. Back down low to Z, travel, he moved his pivot foot.
• 9 minutes to go
• Celtics lead 52-45
• Great defense to deny KG’s turnaround, kickout, Delonte knocks the ball loose on Pierce, heave to beat the buzzer from 24 feet. Fastbreak, nothing on, pull back, Delonte drives int, hits Z, open from 18 feet, hits it.
• Ray Allen drives on Sasha, misses the pull up J from 15 feet
• Z makes another from 18 feet on the opposite side (right) this time
• Timeout Celtics
• Celtics energy has been awful out of the timeout. Slow tempo, losing loose balls. Bad.
• Celtics leading 52-49
• Pierce hits a three right out of the timeout after some nice ball movement
• Z hit on the cut to the hoop, fouled by KG under the hoop. That’s four team fouls, penalty the rest of the way. Z hits both FTs.
• 7 minutes to go
• Pierce weaves his way into the hoop, to Rondo, bad pass by Rondo to KG, KG was wide open but had to take to long to gather the bad pass, KG drives to the hoop, gets the odd runner to fall (kind of like Dwight Howard’s winning slam in the dunk competition)
• James hits a long two from 22 feet after dribbling the ball for 16 seconds
• Pierce comes right back and hits the step in J off the screen and roll from 19 feet on the right wing
• James turns down the screen and roll and nails a long three
• Rondo misses the floater, Z rebounds
• Delonte turns the ball over. Bad turnover, you needed a basket to put the pressure on, now Delonte has Pierce on the switch, step back fallaway jumper from 22 feet over Delonte before the double gets there, good.
• Timeout Cavs
• Celtics energy is back up
• Delonte runs the screen and roll with Ben, drives to the rim, hits Ben, slam dunk
• West fouls Rondo. Rondo gets the inbounds on the left wing, shakes loose from Delonte, layup
• Delonte on the screen and roll again, goes the other way, Delonte dribbles it off his foot, Cavs ball. Bad inbounds pass. Turnover. Celtics ball.
• Celtics lead 63-58
• Celtics not getting a lot going, go back to the Pierce/KG pick and roll, to KG to Rondo in the corner, Rondo drives, bounce pass to PJ who’s open on the other side of the hoop, fouled to avoid the dunk. He hits both FTs.
• Four minutes to go
• LeBron pulls up from 25 feet on the left wing, in and out, miss
• KG in the post, doubled, out to Rondo, miss, in and out also. Loose ball foul on Ben Wallace. That’s four team fouls on the Cavs.
• Pierce runs the pick and pop with PJ, 15 footer on the right wing, hits it
• Wallace fouled inside after the nice feed by James. That’s three on Rondo. Ben gets a crazy bounce and roll, four bounces on the first. Ben misses the second. Rebound KG, that’s 11.
• It’s an 8 point game
• Ray drives to the hoop, misses the layup, fastbreak led by West, he’s tripped, turns it over. Ray open for three, James runs by on the pump fake, now he takes it, misses it, defensive rebound Joe Smith.
• Pick and pop, Smith hits it from 20 feet
• Foul off the ball on Cleveland. They’re in the penalty. Wallace and Garnett jawing with each other off the ball. Dumb foul. Wallace heads to the bench. KG hits the first, 7 point game, hits the second, lead is back to 8.
• 2 minutes to go in the third
• James inbounds, gets it back, brings it up, dribbles down the clock, runs with Joe, bad, he gave it up, blocking foul on Rondo against West’s penetration. Delonte has been aggressive looking to be James’ sidekick. West hits the first, West misses the second.
• Celtics up 7
• Rondo drives again, out to PJ, Pj spots Ray open, miss
• Fastbreak, nothing from it, Cavs hold it back, James hand off to West on the drive, three pointer on the left wing, nails it. Four point game.
• Foul off the ball on Varajeo, Powe will go to the line. Powe hits both.
• Celtics lead 71-65 with a minute to play
• James brings it up, he has Posey on him, James was going to take the three, then noticed the late defensive rotation on the roll in mid air, hits Varajeo, fouled. The first rims out. Another missed FT. These are killing Cleveland, have been every game in Boston. Hits the second.
• Celtics bring it up, reach in foul on James on Pierce’s high screen and roll above the three point line. Pierce will shoot two. JVG berates another dumb foul, no need to that that far from the hoop, giving Boston easy points in a close game, you know you’re in the penalty, you just gave Boston a 2 for 1 opportunity because of the clock.
• James gets the screeen and roll on the left wing, goes the other way, drives right, cuts back left to beat PJ, hard foul, Bron hits the first, hits the second.
• Boston lead 73-68 with 21 seconds to go
• Pierce brings it up full court, winds down the clock, drives, step back J, miss
• End of Three
• Some starts – Boston lost 11-5 on the boards that quarter. Boston had only 1 turnover, losing them two points. The Cavs had four losing them four points. The Cavs had 6 assists on 9 for 17 shooting. The Celtics had 5 assists on 7-14 shooting.
• Rondo has 6 rebounds and 7 assists, only 4 points though. Ray missed four shots in the third, scored nothing.

Fourth Quarter

• Celtics lead 73-68
• Pierce now has 35 points on 11-20 shooting, James has 32 on 10-20 shooting. Bot h look pumped for the fourth
• Second unit for Boston out there again. Pierce is there with them, he forces the pass, turnover as Rondo can’t save it. PJ, Powe, Pierce, Posey, Rondo,
• James has West, Smith, Jones, and Pavlovic.
• James drives inside, foul on Posey on the pass. Defensive three second call against Pierce, technical. James takes the FT, hits the FT.
• Inbounds  to Joe as he cut backdoor, out to Damon Jones, he’s wide open, miss. Pavlovic picks up the loose ball foul. That was a funny flop by Posey, Pavlovic fouled him about 5 seconds before Posey went down.
• Rondo on the drive and kick to Eddie, nothing gooing, they repeat the feat, Eddie misses the three, offensive rebound KG, out to Pierce, Pierce drives inside, hits Rondo for the layup
• Blocking foul on Posey, nice drive by James, KG had a clean block although onyl because Posey’s foul stopped Bron’s momentum to the hoop. James misses the first, hits the second. That’s 17 FTs. Crowd chanting bullshit during those FTs refering the call I imagine.
• Rondo drives inside, gets the doopsy doo layup
• Eddie House harrassing West, West throws a bad pass, turnover.
• Rondo drives again, floater, miss, loose ball foul on KG. Another team foul.
• Celtics lead 77-70 with 9:37 to play. Cavs need some buckets here. Third team foul.
• Eddie checks out for PJ as Big Z returns
• West takes the pull up J from 15 feet over PJ on the screen and roll. Great screen by LeBron. Big shot.
• Pierce loses the dribble, turnover
• Cavs inbound and push it, Pavlovic misses the layup, James gets the offensive rebound. James brings it back up top. Takes the three, misses it. Posey rebounds the ball. Rondo brings it up, over to Pierce, to KG, foul on Big Ben. Second team foul. Foul was on the deck.
• Timeout
• 8 and a half minutes remaining
• Celtics leading 77-72
• Ben Wallace cannot defend Kevin Garnett. All KG needs to do is attack him.
• Garnett has only 9 points but 12 big rebounds.
• Pierce on the clear out, step back J from 20 feet over James, nails it. Huge shot.
• James splits the double, out to Delonte, swung to Sasha, three pointer, hits it, nope foot on the line
• KG works Wallace, air balls the turnaround, PJ Brown scrapes the ball off the floor, layup
• Celtics lead 81-74 with 7 minutes to go
• James nails a three pointer off the screen and roll. Four point game.
• Back low to KG, hard drive, loses it, gets rid of it, out to Rondo, miss, he gets his own rebound and steps out of bounds trying to save the ball. Turnover. Good effort young fella.
• Z front rims a 22 footer
• Rondo dribbling up top, over to Paul, iso at the top of the key, pull up J from 19 feet over James again, hits again. He has 39 points.
• James with a long three from 27 feet on the left wing, hits it, Garnett leaks out, gets the pass, short hook. Terrible defense, Cavs didn’t get back. JVG is pissed again.
• Celtics up 5.
• Pierce on that iso again, Paul beats James, Bron knocks the ball loose from behind, out of the Celtics. Cavs ball.
• Timeout
• Celtics lead 85-80
• There’s 5 minutes to play. Cavs ball.
• James on an iso, high screen and roll with Z, gets KG on the swtich, he drives on KG and elevates over KG, hits the one handed floater, nice move.
• Foul on LeBron James. That’s four. That’s three team fouls. Pushed Pierce.
• Blocking foul on Ben Wallace, if he didn’t dive that’s a no call. That’s four team fouls.
• Pierce gives it to KG, KG picks up his dribble, Pierce misses the pull up J, PJ Brown on the tap out to Pierce. Rondo dribbles around for 10 seconds goes nowhere, over to Pierce, quick pass to KG, turnaround, hits it.
• 87-82 Celtics with 3:30 to play
• Big Z fouled by PJ on the drive
• Timeout Cavs
• JVG thinks the Celtics should Hack-a-Ben
• I’d bring in Joe Smith if I’m Mike Brown right now. They need his shooting and rebounding. Plus avoiding just one hack-a-ben possession is a bonus in my book. Brown normally lets it happen once before pulling Wallace.
• James has 42 points on 25 shots. Pierce has 39 points on 23 shots.
• James on the drive and kick to Sasha, passes up the shot, over to Delonte, Delonte beats Rondo, draws the foul on KG. Posey a little sore on that fall. Delonte is heading to the line. Hard drive by Delonte. Good work. He is 3-4 from the line tonight. Makes the first, makes the second. 3 point game.
• Celts lead 87-84 with 3 minutes remaining
• Rondo has it top of the key, over to Pierce with 14 seconds on the clock, down to KG, kickout, back to KG, over to Rondo, air ball, PJ Brown steals position inside, rebound and layup
• PJ Brown has been huge in the fourth quarter
• PJ Brown hacks Z in the paint hard to avoid the dunk. He hits the first, hits the second.
• Rondo brings it up, 2 and ahlf remaining. Pierce trapped, James steals it, slam dunk on the break
• Timeout
• C’s lead 91-90 over the Cavs
• James has 44 points
• There’s a little over 2 minutes remaining (2:20) in the game. Huge finish here.
• Ray Allen and Eddie House come in for Rondo and Posey
• KG in the post, turnaround, doesn’t get the roll, defensive rebound James
• James takes a long 26 foot three, bad shot. PJ Brown defensive rebound.
• PJ Brown with the 18 footer on the left wing, nails it, Sam Cassell is all over him on the bench. That’s a nice warm hug.
• 1:20 to play
• Joe Smith comes in for Ben Wallace
• Cavs inbounding from the backcourt. Delonte brings it up quick, gets it to James, to Delonte, missed three pointer, jump ball between Posey and Z. Good hustle from both sides fighting from that loose ball.
• Z wins the tip, Pierce steals the tip, dives on the floor to corral the ball, timeout called by Pierce. Great job by Pierce cutting LeBron on off. It was a good tip by Z in beween two Cavs, James and Sasha.
• There’s one minute remaining in the half. Cavs have to get a stop.
• That’s two huge mistakes by James on the last three possessions
• Celtics inbound the ball at midcourt. Ray is going to make the pass, Eddie telling him where he wants it. Celtics advance it further to 3/4 side on the left wing, in to Pierce. PIerce dribbles out the clock, tells KG to go away, he wants to milk the clock, now KG comes, PIerce trapped, KG from 20 feet, miss.
• Defensive rebound LeBron James, he brings it up, takes a tough runner, misses.
• This game is over
• Cavs let the clock slip away. Foul Ray Allen. Ray hits the first, he’s now 31-32 from the line in the postseason, he hits the second.
• Timeout Cavs
• West inbounding it, James is going to get this, James gets it goes to the hoop, fouled by Pierce, misses the shot. Two and a half seconds. James misses the first, hits the second.
• This game is over
• Cavs go for the steal, inbounds to Eddie, foul. Quick foul. Eddie hits both. Rondo comes in for Ray to help the D.
• James drive and kick to Sasha, three from the corner, miss. Pierce shouldn’t have left Sasha to stop the layup, the layup wasn’t important. Three point game.
• Pierce fouled after the inbounds. There’s 8 seconds remaining. Cavs have one timeout remaining. Pierce gets the high bounce and it falls, it must have bounced 5 feet. Pierce looks relieved. Pierce hits both.
• Timeout Cavs
• Cavs down 5 with 8 seconds to play. This is over. They’ll keep fighting. Tony Allen coming over and slapping his hands loudly, trying to keep up the intensity to finish the game.
• West inbounds it to James, turnaround three, miss, Joe Smith rebound, turnover.

Celtics win the game. All eyes to Detroit.

Cleveland fought hard but just didn’t get enough help for LeBron James. James made a couple of mistakes down the stretch also.

Celtics got an extraordinary performance from Pierce. They handled the Cavs pressure in the final quarter extremely well. The supporting cast for Pierce did just about enough, the biggest difference was the Celtics had the threats on the court around Pierce to give him more space to work with. The difference in the levels of the supporting cast was felt most that way, plus the few extra plays they created (Rondo, KG).

Media: Bos vs Cle

Mike Brown was an assistant coach in Indy backwhen Doc’s Boston collapsed in Game Seven a couple years ago.

“Somebody told me that when I was in Indiana, I think we won a Game 7 my second year there, and it was against Boston,” Brown suddenly recalled. “We finished sixth and they finished third and it ended up going to a seventh game and we ended up winning the seventh game in Boston.

Doc wants ball movement

Rivers reiterated that ball movement will continue to be a key if the Celtics want to keep the offense fluid and unpredictable.

“We haven’t been saying it, but we’ve shown them it on film not just from [Game 6] but other games,” he said. “[Friday night] for the first quarter and a half, it was awesome. The ball never stopped moving.”

On Ray Allen

About Allen, Rivers said, “We make a conscious effort to keep him running off of screens. Then he has to make a play. They’re not going to give him shots.

“We’re going to give him shots with ball movement at times. But as far as running plays, catching off of screens, they are trapping every time he catches it. That’s fine with us. It opens things up.”

Sammy on the demotion

“I just told him we were going in another direction,” Rivers said of Cassell. “Just stay ready. Sam’s perfect. Sam’s a pro. He wants to win. If that means him playing tomorrow, if that means him sitting . . . he’ll do whatever he has to do to help his team win.”

Cassell has not scored a point in the last two games and is averaging 5.7 points per game in the playoffs. While Cassell said he is eager to play, he respects Rivers’s decision.

“When I was 25, 26, or 27, it wouldn’t have been a problem,” Cassell said, “[because] I know if I was that young, I would have been playing 35 minutes. [Rivers] went with his gut feeling. I don’t question what Coach does. Eddie played wonderful for us.”

Cassell said he tried to relay what he saw on the court to Paul Pierce and the other players.

“This is going to be my future job anyway, so it just gives me an opportunity to do it,” he said. “Of course, I want to play. I’m a competitor. I’m not overzealous, where I’m going to pout and shout.”

Brown on Z’s declining scoring

Brown said he was hoping to get 7-foot-3-inch center Zydrunas Ilgauskas more involved in the offense, especially in light of his decline in production in the last two games of the series in comparison with the first two. In Games 1 and 2, Ilgauskas tallied 41 points on 17-for-30 shooting (7 of 8 foul shots) to go along with 17 rebounds; in Games 5 and 6, Ilgauskas combined for 13 points on 5-for-16 shooting (3 of 3 foul shots) and 17 rebounds. “Boston is doing a nice job of defending him in the post with pre-rotations on the pick-and-roll and the pick-and-pop,” Brown said.

Brown on how to win

“Now it’s a one-game series,” Brown said. “We have to go in with the same mindset by doing the things that got us to Game 7, which is to defend, move the ball from one side of the floor to the other, take care of the basketball and try to get some offensive rebounds. And not get too far ahead of ourselves.

“Stay poised.”

Ray’s numbers

Allen, who averaged a team-leading 23.8 points in four regular-season games against the Cavaliers, has struggled in the series, averaging 10.2 points on 35 percent shooting.

The All-Star has missed 18 of his 22 shots from 3-point range and has taken just 55 shots in the entire series (averaging just nine per game).

Doc on Ray some more

In a rare move, Allen declined to meet the media, but Coach Doc Rivers said the Celtics’ offense can still work without Allen’s usual rate of scoring.

“They’re trapping him on pick-and-rolls,” said Rivers. “Ray’s making the right plays, the right pass. When he does that, we’re still going to score.

“We don’t make a conscious effort to get him shots. We make a conscious effort to get him running off screens and then he has to make a play. They’re not going to give him the shot. They’re trapping every time he catches it. Detroit has done that every time we’ve played them.”

When the Celtics get bogged down on offense, which occurred after the midway point of the second quarter in Game 6 Friday night, Allen is left out of the equation.

“If the ball sticks on one side, it never gets to the side Ray is standing on, for the most part,” said Rivers.

More on Ray

We can get him shots by ball movement at times, but as far as set plays running him off screens they are trapping every time he catches it.

“That’s fine with us. It opens guys up. The first two plays of the game were Ray coming off screens. He didn’t get the shots, but we got two layups coming out of it. I’ll take those shots.”

Rivers noted that the Pistons were one of the first teams to pressure Allen 30 feet from the rim and that the Cavaliers have done it throughout the season as well.

“I was laughing with Ray today that the good news and the bad news is that if we win (tomorrow) you’ve got Detroit and they are going to do the same thing with you. He started laughing and said: ‘They started it.’ Which they did. Nobody had done it until we played Detroit, then everyone basically did it. Some teams are more successful at it.”

Doc on the lengthly playoffs

“The worst-case scenario is you play 15 more games,” said Rivers after practice yesterday. “That’s not a lot. I think our guys will take that right now. If you told our guys we were going to play 15 more games, they would take it right now . . .

“If you win it and you do it the hard way, what’s the difference? You know what I’m saying? There is a good basketball team that we’re playing. We knew that coming into the series. And, yeah, we would love to win them all in four. But that hasn’t happened, so why worry about it? We’re in a seventh game and you have to take care of business.”

Mike Brown on the pressure

Said Cavaliers coach Mike Brown, “Any time you can go through an experience as a group, it benefits you the next time because you kind of know what to expect. There probably won’t be as much pressure because there’s not as much unknown. So going through that Game 7 in the first round for them was a nice experience.”

Sleep

“I’m going to try to [sleep],” Kendrick Perkins said. “I didn’t sleep [Friday] night. I’m going to try to get some [Saturday night].”

Cavs lead league in comeback victories

You should hear how James talks about “learning to close out games.” The numbers back him up as the Cavs led the entire NBA in fourth quarter comeback victories — the reason being No. 23 in wine and gold was NBA’s leading fourth quarter scorer.

Offensive execution

“Offensive execution, as far as continuing to make the extra pass,” said Rivers, explaining the emphasis of the late-afternoon practice. “It’s not like we haven’t been saying it, but we showed them on film. They shake their heads sometimes. For the first quarter and a half (in the 74-69 loss in Game 6 on Friday), it was awesome. The ball never stopped. The ball never stuck. Then we get in these ruts, and it’s been a recurring theme. Once you get in them, it’s difficult to get out of them.”

How do you fix it?

“Trust,” Rivers said. “That’s what you’ve got to do in a big game. You can’t do it yourself. You’ve got to understand that you have to lean in to each other even more and trust your teammates.”

Boston’s Home Record

The Celtics are 7-0 at the Garden since the playoffs began, 42-6 overall.

LeBron’s Turnovers

He’s shown before that he can. In the 4-2 series win over the Wizards in the first round, James had 46 assists and just 17 turnovers, including a 13-assist, one-turnover performance in the series-clinching game.

In the battle with the Celtics, James has been less trusting, especially on the road. He has 47 assists and 35 turnovers in the six games, and he’s often gotten into ruts in which he’s dominated the ball and made it easier for the Celtics to set up their defense.

The Press: Bos-Cle

Here’s a bunch of clips from articles around the web from last night’s game with an eye on Game Seven

Mike Brown sending a warning shot and do you know what? I believe him. Cavs look very strong mentally at this moment in time.

Said Cavaliers coach Mike Brown, “The group we have now is tough and resilient and they understand what it takes to win. We’ve faced a lot of difficult situations this year. Our guys have just found a way to win. We look forward to going to Boston and having the opportunity to play there again and win on the road.”

Kevin Garnett on the loss

“There’s a lot of things that were frustrating,” said Garnett, who led the Celtics with 25 points and eight rebounds. “Obviously, we held a team to a pretty decent percentage, as far as shooting. I think second quarter they were like something weird [5 for 15 from the floor], but it’s what it is. It’s Game 7, and we’ve got to win at home now.”

If you didn’t see the bench at the start of the fourth quarter, the facial expressions spoke tons. Rondo looked lost with no idea of what happened or whether they could win. Perk looked defeated. Ray and KG had the speechless going and neither looked like they knew how to win the game.

Perk doesn’t go negative, protects himself against the media

“KG came out with a lot of energy tonight,” said Kendrick Perkins. “I thought he played well. I thought all our guys played well and played hard tonight.”

Shaugnessy continues his unhappiness with the Celtics

The maddening trend continues. The Celtics were soft road-trippers again last night, and now they have only the Garden parquet floorboards to keep them alive in this way-too-difficult postseason.

The mighty Celtics have been exposed in the tournament

On the big call against Pierce

“I thought the charge call on Paul was . . . well, you guys can take it from there,” said the Celtics coach. “I mean, that’s a huge call in a game to make, but listen, we played hard. I’m just going to stop there.”

Pierce (5 for 15 from the floor) chalked it up as “part of the game,” but he was clearly disgusted.

“I got the ball clean,” said James. “I knew he was going to drive left. At the same time he went through me. I didn’t foul him. I thought it was just out of bounds on me, but he called a charge. So, that’s what it is.”

Some more news on PJ Brown

“I’ve got more to offer,” Brown said. “Don’t judge a book by its cover.”

And

“He’s become a guy,” Rivers said, “who stretches the floor for us at a big position. Whenever you have a big man who can stretch the floor, it helps you offensively. That’s what (the Cavaliers are) doing with (Zydrunas) Ilgauskas and Joe Smith. We do that with Kevin (Garnett), and now we can do it with P.J. as well.”

Brown wasn’t as productive in Game 5 at Boston, but he made his presence felt by fouling the Cavs hard whenever they came near the basket.

“Amen,” Rivers said.

More

Learning the plays and feeling comfortable with his new teammates took even longer. Having played for Pat Riley in Miami, Brown was familiar with the similar defense the Celtics played, but the Green have had only about 10 full practices since he signed on Feb. 27

On training camp

For the first time, Brown had no training camp or preseason to develop that tempo.

“I didn’t appreciate that part of the season until now,” he said. “You really need that.”

Z on the big fella

“He was always able to shoot the ball,” Ilgauskas said. “When you shoot the ball, the game is a lot easier. They’re not asking him to do a lot, but he does all the little things, sets the screens, knows all the plays. He’ll never have any mental mistakes, just a veteran guy who has been through a lot so he can help them with his experience.”

Game Six: Utah vs Los Angeles

I expect the Lakers to close out this series tonight

• According to Hubie the Lakers’ transition game has been brilliant so far. They’ve been attacking the basket. All five Lakers have scored.
• Lakers lead 12-8 with 7 minutes to play.
• Kobe drives into the paint, fouled by Kobe
• …….
• Lakers lead 18-10 with 5 minutes to go in the first
• Kirilenko stripped in the paint, fastbreak, Fisher pushes it, nobody stops the ball, layup, fouled and forced the miss. Hubie is having a go at Utah for not stopping the ball.
• Vujacic nails a three with a minute to go in the first quarter
• Lakers lead 33-18 with 30 seconds remaining and with Ronnie Price shooting two FTs, hits the first, hits the second. Lakers lead 33-20.
• Second quarter
• Takes a minute and a half but Utah opens the scoring. Korver hits a three from the right corner.
• Kobe hits two FTs. Lakers lead 42-29
• There’s 8 minutes to go in the second. The lead is 13, largest lead has been 16.
• Defensive rebound Odom, Kobe puts on a dribbling show, then loses control, regains the dribble, blows past Harpring on the baseline, draws the foul. Great call Hubie, Kobe set Harpring up on that play, he called the pick and roll over, never had any intention of using it, blazed right and beat Harpring in two dribbles to the rim. He hits 1 of 2.
• Fisher gets the steal, fastbreak, fouled, Fisher gets the layup up and gets the cotinuation
• Kobe Bryant on the break, slam dunk. He’s back.
• Deron drives inside, hand off to Booz for the open layup.
• Lakers lead 50-35 with 5 plus minutes to go
• Sasha has a three pointer rim in and out from the top of the key
• Deron gets Odom on the mismatch, he calls a clearout, threatens the drive and takes the pull up J, miss. Gasol snatches the rebound, that’s 10 boards for Gasol.
• Screen and roll between Kobe and Gasol, threaded bounce pass in traffic, dunk
• Okur misses the turnaround out of the post, tip by Kirilenko, good
• Utah is shooting only 31% shooting and they have only 5 offensive rebounds. Great defense by LA tonight.
• Vujacic hits his fourth FG, that’s 4-5 from the field and 2-3 from three.
• Lakers lead 55-37
• Deron Wiiliams catches the ball 28 feet and on the left wing, drives right towards the middle, spin move backwards, layup in the lane. Nice move.
• Deron swings it to the opposite wing to Okur, Okur spots Kirilenko cutting to the rim, passes, foul on AK
• Timeout
• Fisher picks Williams’ pocket again
• Kirilenko with blocks forcing the turnover on back to back possessions
• Boozer picks up the offensive foul with the lead shoulder
• Deron Williams fouls after the non-call on his shot to beat the half
• Fisher takes two FTs, hits two
• Halftime
• Lakers lead 61-43

Calling the game, this over LA wins. Even if Utah make a comeback charge, Kobe and Fisher won’t let the game slip away.

Game Six: Cleveland vs Boston

Elimination game. I like Cleveland to win tonight but I don’t favour them by much. I think Boston has a good chance of winning tonight, easily their best chance on the road this series (I didn’t fancy them in the other two)

No Daniel Gibson tonight, he’s out injured for 1-2 weeks with a seperated shoulder from Game Five.

• Boston look ready in the pre-game lineups. Focused look on their players faces, especially Paul Pierce.
• Cleveland look relaxed and confident in their pre-game lineups. Big difference. Haha, Ben Wallace is back in the corridor for the introductions. I’m assuming he didn’t want to be near all the pyrotechnics which he thinks might have affected his allergies.
• The Q is pumped. Fans all all standing, waving towels around above their heads, the noise, everything. Brilliant.
• Ben Wallace comes out as all the others wait at the centre circle. Ben has the fro out tonight, he looks younger. I expect a really good game out of Ben tonight, he’s capable of rolling back the clock every now and again and putting in quality performances.
• Perk and Z mis-time the tip, both miss the ball, it hits the floor, Bavetta will throw it up again, Z wins it.
• Rondo deflects West’s pass, steal. He brings it up and sets up the half court. Ray Allen hits Perkins on the cut to the rim for the layup
• West hits the runner in the lane over KG. Tought shot, not a great contest
• KG has a layup, passes to Rondo, Rajon gives it back, layup
• Z misses the fadeaway, Ben hits the offensive board, gets it, out to Wally, Wally drives baseline, screen Ben, Wally misses the reverse, Z grabs the offensive rebound and puts it back in off the glass
• Tied at 4 after 10 minutes.
• Ben Wallace shows on the screen, Rondo falls over, Ben ties him up and wins the jump ball
• Wally Szczerbiak hits the midrange J off the glass on the right wing off the dribble
• Wallace takes the hard drive, layup high off the glass, miss, Z offensive rebound, miss
• Pierce misses a three, cavs get up quickly, LeBron dribbles behind his back but loses control of the ball, steal Pierce, Big Ben hustling back, Pierce shoves him off with the left hand in the open court, offensive foul
• James runs down the paint, blocked by Perkins
• LeBron air balls the three
• Ray Allen misses a three pointer from the top of the key on the curl. Wallace with another defensive rebound
• Another offensive rebound for Z, his fourth, out to Delonte, three pointer
• LeBron James turns it over again, bad bounce pass, off target and right into Pierce who was beat, steal. Fastbreak, foul by Z to deny KG’s layup
• Timeout
• KG misses the first. Hits the second. Cleveland lead 9-8 halfway through the first
• LeBron James offensive foul on the drive. Another turnover.
• James strips Perk down low, James leads the break, sets up Wally for the open three, miss, LeBron taps it out, Rondo gets the loose ball, ahead to Ray, layup which Ray almost missed
• Bron sets up ben inside, KG knocks the ball loose
• KG on the right wing, travel, turnover
• James from 18 feet on the left wing, miss
• Pierce gets West on the switch, drives inside, beats West easily, great help defense by Wally and he forces the miss, Ilgauskas gets the board.
• Joe Smith and Varajeo in there together
• Varajeo turns it over, Rondo turns it over, steal Varajeo, Smith dribbling in on a 3-on-2 from 30 feet, dribbles into 16 feet, hits the J
• Perkins travels on the post move, turnover
• PJ Brown in for Perkins
• Delonte drives down the middle, kicks it out, bad pass a foot or two behind Wally, Wally tries to save it to no avail. Turnover.
• Rondo drives inside, sets up KG, Kevin hits the long 21 foot jumper
• Offensive rebound Smith, taken away from him. Celts bring it up, Pierce works Bron over and hits the 14 footer over James
• Varajeo misses the jump hook in the lane off the LeBron set up
• James goes down into the low block, he’s on the right post, backs Pierce down, layup, miss, offensive rebound, putback, fouled by PJ Brown, he gets the layup to go and hits the FT. Game tied at 14.
• Glen Davis checks in for KG. No Leon Powe? Okay. There’s a minute to go in the first.
• Rondo on the drive and kick to Posey, miss, Bron skies up for the defensive rebound. He dribbles up, gets into the paint, draws the defenders, finds Joe, short shot good
• Paul Pierce hits the 22 footer over LeBron off the dribble
• LeBron cuts under the hoop seals Pierce, Pierce fouls him on the catch. That’s two on Pierce. He has it cooking offensively, a stretch on the bench could hurt him.
• Eddie House is playing. Come on Eddie. LeBron hit both FTs.
• Boston hold for the final shot, Rondo on the drive and kick to Posey, to House, long two. Tied at 18.
• End of the First Quarter
• Do you think Doc just put Eddie in for the end of the quarter or will he roll with him as the backup point? I’m not sure. He did this against Atlanta and then went back to Cassell for the backup minutes
• Great for House to hit an early shot, that’ll do his comfort level the world of good the rest of the way.
• Ray Allen in for Pierce in the second unit
• Joe Smith and Varajeo tap the rebounds to themselves, four taps then the board. Damon Jones took two shots inside of a minute, a floater and a corner three
• Pavolovic picks up the foul on Ray Allen. Boston are up 20-18 off the BBD finish inside from the Ray feed
• Oh Eddie House hits a three pointer off the ball rotation
• Joe Smith pump fake, goes baseline, fouled on the layup, Joe hits one of two. Gotta hit your FT to win these close games.
• Eddie House off the dribble, hits Davis for the dunk
• Wally misses two shots. He’s 1-6 tonight. Bron is on the bench now. They need him back
• PJ deflects the entry pass over the top when fronting Z, out of bounds. Pavlovic misses a face up three
• Joe Smith picks up a ticky tack foul defending Ray on the show on the screen and roll
• Timeout Mike Brown
• Eddie House has a three rim in and out
• James drives on Posey, spin move, layup
• Celtics lead 25-21 with 8 plus minutes to play. Offensive foul on BBD for the moving screen. KG comes back in for PJ Brown.
• Glen Davis fouls on the steal. That was harsh. Cavs ball. Perk back in for BBD.
• James drives inside, James turns it over again after picking up the dribble. Eddie House steals the ball, dribbles for 12 seconds, then passes. Celtics move the ball, going nowhere, oh no, KG wide open from 18 feet and hits off the glass. Varajeo left him alone and wasted a great defensive effort from his teammates for 22 seconds. How can he leave KG that open to go down and double Perk 6 feet from the rim when Z is right there on him? C’mon. That’s dumb.
• James fouled on the drive, hits two.
• Eddie dribbles for 10 seconds, gives it up
• Wally blocks Ray, fastbreak the other way, LeBron against Posey and KG, splits the two, fouled on the layup. James misses two.
• Eddie brings it up, quick pass, into KG, Garnett works on Varajeo, hits the turnaround in the paint
• Ray Allen fouls Wally off the ball coming through all those screens. Wally hits two.
• Eddie House sits down. Rondo back in. Very good job by Eddie House.
• KG hits a 20 footer on the left wing off the dribble with a hand in his face over Wallace. Bad shot, lovely make.
• Wally fouled again, hits both.
• Celtics lead 31-27 at the halfway point in the second
• Rondo works the screen and roll, nothing going, still nothing going on another screen and roll, KG ends up taking a three pointer from the top of the key, miss
• Turnover, LeBron stepped out of bounds. That’s his fifth turnover. He was pushed by Perk in fairness to LeBron this time.
• Posey misses the three, Celtics starting to settle for jump shots
• LeBron in the post, miss, offensive rebound snatched from Posey, out to Wally, miss, out of bounds of KG. Celtics ball, bad call.
• Offensive foul on Perkins, that’s three fouls on Perk. Glen Davis comes back in, Davis has three fouls also. Tony Allen is up on the bench standing and cheerin.
• Better ball movement Cleveland, open three Sasha, hits it
• Timeout Boston with 3:30 to go
• Celts lead 31-30
• Pierce draws the foul, hits two
• Delonte on the pump fake, Rondo jumps by him, misses the 18 footer
• Pierce sets up Glen Davis, layup, miss, offensive rebound, putback, blocked by Wallace out of bounds.
• Ilgauskas back in for Smith, immediately gets a rebound, outlet to James, James dribbles up, hits the trailing Z for a 20 footer at the top of the key.
• Pierce over Wallace, miss, KG fights Z for the rebound, Z gets it
• Rondo fouls James, he’ll shoot two, Celts in the penalty.
• Glen Davis the offensive rebound, Z blocks it, fastbreak, James runs into the paint, nowhere to go. He holds it up, they look agitated, he tries again, messes it up, hands off to Ben, Ben jumps up has nowhere to go, hits it out 30 feet, Delonte kicks it back to Bron, Bron takes a rolling hook on the drive, miss. Rebound KG, outlet pass, Rondo loses it, Wallace gets to the loose ball, tips it off Davis. Z hits a 20 footer off the screen and roll after the inbounds
• Cavs lead 36-33 with 50 secs to go
• Z with a great rebound in the paint, heavily contested off of Rondo’s 20 footer. KG passed up an open 20 footer so Rondo could shoot.
• That ticks me off … KG was open from 20 feet and he passed up the shot to Rondo in the corner. Take the shot, you’re the best shooter on the team from that range. Rondo has barely shot the ball. Why do that? Just take the shot.
• James drives into the paint, fouled. He hits two.
• Pavlovic gives the quick foul. 7 secs remaining. 20 sec timeout Doc.
• Celtics turnover, steal Delonte, dribbles the court, around Garnett, lightly contested, three pointer at the buzzer, hits it.
• Cavs lead 42-33
• Halftime
• Cleveland closed the half on a 17-2 run over the last 6+ minutes
• Some Team Stats – Cavs winning the rebounding battle 26-18 and 10-5 on the offensive boards. The Cavs have 5 assists on 12 made shots. The Celtics have 10 assists on 14 made shots. Shot attempts is equal. The Cavs have shot 32% from the floor, 3-9 from three, 15-18 from the line. The Celtics have shot 38%, 1-10 from three, 4-5 from the line. Combined blocks/steals 8-7 Cavs. Celtics have 9 turnovers (2 for Rondo/Pierce/Garnett/Perk), Cavs 8 (5 James, 2 West). Cavs have given up 5 points off their turnovers, Celts gave up 10.
• Some individual stats Cavs – LeBron James has 13 (2-9), 6 rebounds and 3 dimes. Z has 7, 7 and 2 blocks. Joe Smith has 5 off the bench plus 3 boards, Andy 2 boards, Sasha a three. Delonte has 8 on 3-6. Wally has 6 on 1-7 shooting
• Some individual stats Celtics – Garnett has 13 (6-9) and 4. Pierce has 6 on 2-8 shooting. The bench gave good service, Eddie had 5 and 1, Davis had 4 and 3, Posey had 3 boards and 3 dimes. Rondo is scoreless but took only two shots, he has 3 dimes, 2 boards, 2 steals. Ray has only 3, Perk 2.
• Celtics missed their last 10 shots of the half. They were 14-27 from the field (52%) before their poor finish

Second Half

• Ray misses, James hits, Z defensive rebound. 11 minutes to go.
• James on the right wing, drives left, fallaway in the lane over Pierce, Garnett jumps from behind Pierce, James pump fakes in the air on the fallaway, doesn’t shoot on his way up, doesn’t shoot as he reaches the top of his jump, starts falling back to earth, halfway down he releases the ball, from 12 feet? Swish. What a shot.
• Timeout Doc
• Cavs lead 47-33 with 10:44 to play
• Celtics miss, defensive rebound James, James runs the floor, crossover from 25 feet, goes left, turns on the gas, draws the foul on Pierce. That’s three on Paul. James hits both. Cavs up 16.
• Pierce turns it over as he throws it out of bounds
• Defensive rebound C’s, Rondo pushes it hard, doesn’t get anything, passes to Perk, Perk back to Rondo, Rondo holds the ball up, looks to drive, floater in the lane, blocked by Z.
• Turnover Cavs, moving screen in the open court by Delonte. Ruined a fastbreak.
• Pierce spinning on LeBron, drives inside, hits KG for the dunk, KG goes up soft for the layup, blocked by Ben Wallace and Z.
• Ray gets the rebound, layup. Pierce follows that up with a three pointer. Huge shot.
• LeBron drives inside, to Ben, miss, tap out, Bron has it, didn’t hit the rim, to Delonte, nope, 24 second violation. Good defense Boston.
• Cavs lead 51-38 with 7 and a half to play
• Rondo almost lost it, dribbled for 10 seconds, gave it to Pierce, three from 32 feet. Miss. That was Rondo’s fault. Rebound Wallace.
• Eddie House comes in for Rondo
• Ilgauskas misses the turnaround
• Eddie pushes it, gets it to KG in the post, blocking foul on Wallace. Bad call. That was an offensive foul. Z gets called for a foul on the show. 2 fouls on each.
• Garnett hits the 20 footer over Wallace from the top of the key. His first bucket of the second half.
• Ilgauskas pump faking, driving inside, spin move, almost loses it, turnaround floater, in and out.
• KG’s elevelation has looked off tonight. There’s been a couple of plays where he didn’t look like he could get up high enough to dunk the ball. Maybe he just had poor balance on those plays or something … wierd
• Perk misses the first FT, hits the second. 10 point game now with 6 minutes to play. Cavs need some baskets.
• Ilgauskas misses the layup and three tips
• Garnett comes back and hits off the glass from 10 feet. 8 point game.
• KG has 17, the rest of the team has 26 points
• 5 minutes to go
• Mike Brown about to make some changes, about 90 seconds to late. They’ve been losing their energy for three mintues now.
• Joe Smith comes in for Ben
• Garnett step back J off the dribble from 20 feet. 10-0 run by Boston.
• Delonte throws it out of bounds
• Pavlovic comes in for Wally
• Pierce knocks down the three. It’s a three point game. Down from a 16 point lead.
• James in and out on the J, Joe keeps it alive, Varajeo snatches it, out to LeBron, LeBron holds it, then drives to the rim and gets the layup. Brilliant drive through four Celtics in traffic.
• Garnett misses a 20 footer. He’s been on fire, about time he missed one. KG doesn’t fit in for this series, he’s making too many shots. He’s making everyone else look bad.
• Timeout
• Eddie House sets up Garnett, fouled hard by Joe. Celtics need these. Pressure is on, KG will make them. He hits the first, hits the second
• Varajeo misses the shot, defensive rebound Garnett.
• Garnett on the left wing, drives left, goes back right across the paint, avoids the contact, floater, miss. Loose ball foul on Perk, that’s five.
• Varajeo taps in Bron’s miss
• Eddie House misses a long two off the backboard from the top of the key
• Garnett drives, great defense, Joe helps, Garnett picks up his dribble, tries to get rid of it, 3 second violation. KG took too long to make up his mind.
• Screen and roll between the King and Varajeo, James hits Varajeo, Garnett rotates slowly, off balance, fouls Varajeo, Varajeo gets the shot to go and has a FT. Miss.
• LeBron with the steal, fastbreak, fouled. He hits two.
• Garnett and the Celtics on the bench right now. They’re frustrated. Rondo especially. Then KG. Then Ray. Then Perk. All look mentally beaten up. Gotta get fresh and ready to compete guys.
• Pierce on the clear out, off balance fadeaway, miss.
• End of Three

Fourth Quarter

Ah damn it, my compute froze during the fourth quarter so I lose the detailed accounted of the fourth. LeBron James has been huge.

• 2:30 to go, Cavs lead 69-63, LeBron holds it for the final shot, clear out he’s 40 feet out, Boston send the extra defender, over to Wally on the left wing, huge three pointer from 27 feet. He’s only 2-11.
• Perk with a dunk
• Pierce fouled, he shoots two, hits two
• James forced to give it up, Cavs swing the ball, Z posts up, turnaround misses
• Pierce runs up the floor, offensive foul on the drive
• Cavs lead 72-67
• Turnover, Wally fouls, West blocks from behind
• 23.4 seconds to go
• Ray hits both. Cavs lead 72-69
• Inbounds to Bron, out to Wally, they break the pressure. Wally fouled. He’s an 87% FT shooter. We have a Wally chant. No wait, it’s an inbounds, must have had a foul to give
• There’s 16.2 seconds to go. Cavs lead 72-69, James has 32, 12 and 6 assists. 20 second timeout. LeBron couldn’t get the ball in.
• Joe sprints the floor, hear the shout “throw it high”, Joe goes up and gets it. Joe to shoot two, not a great foul shooter this series. Only 4-8. Joe hits the first, Cavs up 4 points. There’s 14.4 seconds. Ben Wallace comes in for Z for D. Joe hits the second.
• Timeout Doc
• Celtics inbounds, miss, save, miss.

Game Over. Cavs win.

Game Six: San Antonio vs New Orleans

I like the Spurs for this game tonight

Tuning in late today, near the end of the first quarter

• Ginobili is at the point as Tony rests
• Spurs lead 26-17
• Skip ahead
• Spurs lead 33-23 after two FTs by Bowen
• Wells has been beating on Udoka down low but hasn’t gotten much success
• Duncan is defending David West right now. He’s getting close, taking away his jump shot and forcing him to put it on the ball. Duncan’s length is enough to trouble West after the drive
• Bowen three pointer left wing. That’s seven straight made shots by the Spurs
• Tim Duncan has 10 and 5 in the first quarter, he’s 5-7 from the field. The Spurs have appearantly been feeding him hard and consistently in the low post.
• End of One
• Spurs lead 36-24
• Scoring for San Antonio – Udoka has 7 off the bench. Bowen 6. Manu 6. Parker 5. Robert Horry is the only other bench player to play getting four minutes replacing Oberto who has 2, 1 and 4 assists.
• Scoring for Hornets – Peja leads the way with 9 on 4-6 shooting, that has to delight New Orleans. Chandler has 6. Paul 5. West 4. Four scoreless players – Mo Pete, Pargo, Wells, Wright
• Second Quarter
• Kurt Thomas starts the second on Chandler
• Wright drives off the right wing, drives to the FT line, runner, hits it
• Duncan draws two fouls early, and takes four FTs. Second foul was the first on Chandler today. He hits 3/4.
• Spurs lead 39-30
• Terrific defense by Tim Duncan on the contest and forcing West to the fadeaway going left off the drive from the top of the key, missed shot.
• Lovely ball movement by San Antonio leading to an open 20 footer for Parker
• Spurs lead 46-39
• Paul screen and roll with Chandler, alley oop pass, dunk
• Paul drives inside, nice layup avoiding Duncan’s shot blocking attempt
• Ginobili nails back to back three pointers
• Parker comes back in
• Spurs lead 55-45
• Timeout with 3 minutes to play in the first half
• Lovely ball movement for San Antonio again, although no good shot, Bowen puts it on the floor, drives, takes the 9 footer, misses. Great look but Bowen creating offense for himself isn’t great.
• Spurs lead 55-45 with two minutes to play
• Peja drives inside, hits the runner. Good defense, better offense.
• Parker posts up Paul, Parker spins inside, layup blocked
• Paul before the half ends, yes
• Halftime
• Some Team Stats – Spurs lead 22-17 on the boards. Hornets have 9 assists on 21 made field goals, the Spurs have 15 on 22. Hornets have taken 5 extra shots. Hornets shooting 48% from the floor, 2-5 from three, 7-7 from the line. The Spurs are shooting 56% from the field, 5-8 from three, 9-14 from the line. Spurs have 5 turnovers and have lost 6 points on them. Hornets have 2 turnovers which San Antonio haven’t exploited. Combined blocks/steals 6-2 Hornets.
• Chris Paul has 15, 6 and 4. Peja has 13 (5-7), Chandler 10. West 8. Rest of the team has 5.
• Tim Duncan has 14, 8, 2 and a block. Manu Ginobili has 15 points and three assists. Parker has 10 points, 2 dimes and 4 boards.
• Spurs lead 58-51

Second half

• Ginobili drives right on Peja, foul. Sideline out, nice movement from San An, into Duncan, double, out to Manu, three pointer, no good.
• Paul drives into the paint, pivots back, fadeaway from 9 feet, miss
• Parker into West, Oberto fadeaway from 10 feet, miss
• Paul hits the runner off of the CHandler screen and roll
• Mo Pete doubles Duncan, catches the kick out
• Chris Paul picks up his third foul pushing off Bowen on a layup attempt on the break
• Paul pushes off on the fastbreak, pushing Bowen off 30 feet from the rim
• Bowen misses a three from the right wing
• Spurs lead 60-55
• Peja misses a face up 17 footer on the right wing
• Byron Scott decides to leave Chris Paul in the game. He has to, good move. Mark Jackson wants Paul to switch onto Bowen though rather than stay on Parker, not happening so far.
• David West called for a foul, he’s upset, yelling at the refs, Mo Pete comes over and calms him down. Tim Duncan immediately takes West into the post, draws another foul on West. He’s livid again, calms himself down this time after a little arm flailing.
• Chris Paul runs the screen and roll with West, drives inside, Duncan helps, out to West from 17 feet, West hesitates, allows Duncan to get out, West goes right, goes left, comes back right, great defense by Duncan sliding his feet and drawing the charge. That’s four fouls. West is pissed off again, he gets a Tech.
• Spurs up 8 now
• West and Paul have four fouls each
• Parker penetrates against Paul and looks to take advantage, steal by Chris Paul
• Oh that was lovely, Manu dribbles on the outside, hits Duncan in the high post, quick pass, lookaway bounce pass through the paint hitting Oberto on the move for the reverse layup. He caught Chandler cheating there.
• Timeout
• Duncan finds an open Parker, nails it
• Paul into the paint to Chandler, alley oop dunk
• Paul into the paint again, floater, hits it
• Spurs lead 68-61 halfway through the third
• Parker on the drive and kick to Manu, open three pointer left wing, nails his fourth three. Spurs up 10.
• The Spurs ball movement has continued throughout the third
• Paul bounce pass on the drive to Chandler, dunk
• Timeout
• Turnover Spurs, no refs looking at each other, yes turnover. Oberto and Manu messed up a hand off on the left sideline
• Block and defensive rebound in traffic by Tim Duncan. Great play. He was surrounded by Hornets.
• Paul drives inside, kick out to West for the 20 footer, miss
• Oberto on the offensive boards, keeps it alive, Hornets come up with it
• Paul backs Parker down, gets the double, pass out, Manu picks up a foul
• Duncan passes out of the double, three pointer Udoka, hits it
• Udoka’s three point shooting has been disappointing all season long after what he did in Portland. It’d be great for San An if he could shoot better in the playoffs, it’d be much easier for them to put him on the floor.
• Chandler on the long tap out, Hornets miss another
• Duncan backs down, left hook in the lane, good move
• Pargo drives to the rim, blocked by Duncan
• Pargo on the fastbreak, reverse layup, blocked by Udoka
• Fastbreak the other way for San An, ahead to Duncan, layup and the foul on Chandler, that’s four on Tyson. Duncan shouting, he’s excited, like Phoenix Suns game winner excited. Misses the FT, Horry gets the offensive rebound on the FT.
• Bowen misses an open three in the corner, another offensive rebound Horry, steal by Paul, Paul pushes it up the floor, through the middle, contested layup, miss.
• Manu misses a three to end the third

Fourth Quarter

• Spurs lead 78-63
• Spurs need to be up by 12 with 6 minutes to play
• Ginobili hits his fifth three from the left wing to start the quarter
• Great ball movement by San Antonio
• Manu Ginobili hits his sixth three off the Duncan double
• Pargo keeps shooting and Pargo keeps missing
• David West fouled, hits his back, he isn’t moving after the fall. He doesn’t want to move. He’s in pain. He might be done for the night. Spasm. Still down. Still has his hand wrapped around his back. Timeout. Hornets trainers looking after him now.
• It was Robert Horry setting a back screen on David West’s bad back. Haha, Mark Jackson thinks veterans all around the country are smiling at Horry’s choice to go at West.
• Horry takes a three from the top of the key, miss
• Horry has 7 championship rings
• Horry fouls Ely down low
• Spurs lead by 21, they’re up 84-63. There’s 9 minutes left in the third. Ely misses the first, hits the second.
• Ginobili yo-yoing at the top of the key, drives and kick to Udoka, three pointer
• West is back in the locker room now, he’s in a tremendous amount of pain, he’s being evaluated now. He had a pinched nerve from game five.
• Another offensive foul on Chris Paul, that’s five. Well done Kurt Thomas taking the charge on the pick and roll. Spurs up 24 with 8 minutes to go.
• Spurs need to be up 12 with four minutes to go or 17 points with 5 minutes to go. I’ll check out at either point.
• Chris Paul checks out for the night. Hornets throwing in the towel.
• JVG makes a very good point. Jacque Vaughn needs to continue shutting down Pargo, you don’t want to give him anything to build on
• Spurs up 22 with 7 minutes
• Horry from 22 feet, misses again
• Wright drives right, pull up on the baseline, hits it
• Spurs up 20 with 6 minutes remaining
• Mike James misses a three pointer from the left wing
• Timeout
• Chris Paul gathers everyone around and gives them their orders. Nice work young fella. Helping out his teammates even in the blowout loss. Showing you give a damn and that these minutes aren’t worthless and should be regarded well because something can still happen.
• Barry with the fadeway off the dribble over James
• Wright drives right hits the FT line, spins back left towards the rim, layup, wow
• Matt Bonner hits the 16 footer off the dribble
• Vaughn misses a 19 footer
• Spurs up 22 with 4 minutes to go
• Ely hits the baseline fallaway

This is over

Spurs win. We’re going to Game Seven.

Should Eddie House Play?

Eddie House blew my mind this season. I didn’t expect much from him this past offseason when Danny hired Eddie but throughout the year he proved himself over and over again. He was one of Boston’s best eight players. He was a capable backup point. He did push the ball, he did play defense, he did help ball movement, he did hit big shots, he did provide a huge shooting and shot making threat, he did give the Celtics one of the better three point shooters in the league, he did play with an unbridaled passion, an energy, he did pump up his teammates and get more out of him.

Back when Sam Cassell was signed I said that their three things about these two guys: (1) They’re comparable in overall positive impact for the Celtics (2) They’re very different and effect the game in different ways. Not better, different. Sam is ball controlling playmaker. Eddie is role playing fill the holes very well kind of guy. (3) That Sam is more dynamic and capable of taking games over but Eddie is more consistently good.

Nothing that has happened has changed my evaluation of Eddie or Sam or what they offer to this team. Against Atlanta I wanted Eddie House to get the backup point minutes, I thought his energy, balls, shooting, defense, passing were the right antidote. There was also a lot to be said for the comfort levels of himself and his teammates when they were out on the court. Eddie was the guy here at training camp, he was the guy here when they were 29-3, he was the guy who developed that chemistry with all his teammates and was more responsible for their 66-16 record than Sammy. House had a comfort level with everyone and he was reliable. When times got tough, you knew what he was going to do and so did everyone of his teammates. He was the right man for the job.

Is he still the right man for the job? No

Maybe you get lucky but I don’t think you can expect it. I have two reasons with the first garnering the most importance by far.

• Eddie House has not played competitive minutes once in the playoffs. The last game where he played important minutes for a decent stretch was the final game of the season on April 16th. That’s 29 days ago and it wasn’t exactly the toughest night. Eddie didn’t play for a whole week prior to that game. So that’s once in the last month when he’s played game time minutes.Practice is all well and good but it’s absolutely not a replacement for games. You can’t get that level of match sharpness from a team practice. He’s only played once in over a month, he doesn’t have that sharpness.Eddie is a streak shooter and is cocky confident player but he’s been benched. He’s sat down behind Sam Cassell and Rondo for a month, you really expect his confidence to be the same as it was before he was benched? That’s a long shot in my book.

  The playoffs are a whole different level of intensity and performance. Eddie hasn’t played, can he really get up to that level straight away? I don’t think so. I think he’ll need to be given time to get to that level and to get back his consistency.

  Remember that while Eddie is a 8 year veteran with solid experience he’s never had a good performance in a playoff run. He has nothing to fall back on.

  That reliability that Eddie offered early in the playoffs against Atlanta, does he really offer that anymore? No he does not. He hasn’t played in 29 days. His teammates haven’t played with him in 29 days. That comfort level is, at best, shaky. The simple truth is that nobody can expect that cohesion, that fluidity, that chemistry to resume at it’s previous high level. It’s simply been too long since he played competitive minutes and this series is being played at too high a level for Eddie to be slowly nurtured back into action without the Celtics being punished by Cleveland.

• This is a great series for Sam Cassell, he has a brilliant matchup to exploit. Neither of Cleveland’s point guards (Delonte or Gibson) will regularly attack him off the dribble, they’re simply not good enough at it to tear down the Cavs offense to try to exploit Sammy. On the other end neither of them can defend someone of Cassell’s size or post skills and neither of them have the smarts to defend Sammy. This is the single best matchup Sam Cassell is going to get in the 2008 Playoffs and it isn’t close.

Eddie House should not play, he should not be given his backup slot back, and Doc needs to keep his butt on the bench for the rest of the playoffs. It’s simply been too long since he played, it’s too a big of a risk to insert him now.

Game Five: Los Angeles vs Utah

I just can’t see LA losing this game tonight. Two championship caliber ball clubs who have excellent offenses, this should be fun.

• Fisher nails a three
• Lakers up 8-2 after two minutes
• Brewer had a fastbreak dunk after stealing the ball from LA
• Brewer with another wide open dunk, nice pass by Utah, bad defense by LA
• Deron runs the break, kicks it back, another layup Brewer
• Brewer has all 8 Jazz points, the Lakers lead 11-8.
• Kobe with a nice fadeaway J out of the mid post over Ronnie
• Two more Jazz turnovers, is that 5 now? Doug Collins answers my question, thanks Doug
• Timeout
• Lakers lead 15-8
• Okur misses the one handed leaner out of the low post
• Deron Williams smokes the 18 footer on the inbounds play. The Jazz are 5-7 from the floor. The Lakers are 6-10.
• Fisher drives inside, foul on Williams. That could have gone to Boozer just as easily, he fouled him two and that would have been his second
• Brewer sneaks free on that baseline, layup
• Kobe is cheating off of Brewer consistently and trying to help on Boozer and Williams. Kobe has to stay home more often.
• Boozer drives inside, misses the runner, Kobe mistimes the rebound, extra bounce on the rim, Odom mistimes the rebound, right to Boozer, fouled.
• Radmanovic doesn’t rotate out, open J, Kirilenko hits it.
• Lakers are up 19-16
• Radmanovic catches it at the top of the key, jab step, three pointer
• Williams misses the jumper over Kobe
• Odom dribbles up the court, weaves his way into the paint on the break, finds Radmanovic open in the corner, he hits the three pointer
• Deron to Kirilenko from 19 feet in the corner, hits it
• Skipping ahead to the two minute mark. Boozer and Turiaf trade turnovers. Kyle Korver pops into the corner for a three on the fastbreak. Lakers lead 27-23 with one minute to play in the first
• Harpring muscles his way down under the hoop for a layup over two Lakers
• Kobe holds it for the final shot, turnover, Price to Korver to Boozer, foul on Odom.
• End of One
• Lakers lead 29-26
• Gasol is averaging 18 and 8 in this series after putting in 22 and 9 in the first round. Also less blocks, almost double turnovers, an assist less per game also. Shooting a higher percentage from the field but much lower from the FT line, only 61%. They need Gasol to step it up to be a true contender.
• Offensive rebound Gasol, dunk
• Okur has a sore achilles for the past few days
• Farmer hits a three. He was 1-17 in the series prior to this.
• Gasol hits a midrange J. He’s out there leading the second unit
• Lakers coaches on Farmer – Fisher is 33 years old, if you want to be the heir appearant you have to show us something more than offense. You have to show defense, rebounding, passing, something to effect the game
• Williams hits a jumper over Farmer
• Farmer misses a jumper over Williams
• Gasol blocked twice, once by Millsap, once by Korver. It looked like he had an easy layup both times. He sticks with it, fouled.
• Timeout
• Haha some fun audio clips of Lamar Odom walking around the court singing different songs at various stages of the game
• Jazz turn it over, Kobe steals, bulls his way through the middle of the floor into the paint, foul
• Lakers lead 40-33 with 7 minutes to play
• Okur misses a wide open fallaway (why fallaway I don’t know?) from 10 feet on the left block off a screen.
• Vujacic hits a three pointer
• Lamar Odom gases past Boozer, misses the layup, Gasol fouled on the rebound
• Williams gets into the paint, out to Okur, out to Miles, bad pass by Miles to Kirilenko, spills out of Andrei’s hands
• Vujacic misses the three after the catch and shoot off the curl. Offensive rebound LA, Kobe pump fake, gets his man to go by, takes one step in one the drive, defense converges, out to Fish at the top of the key, into the paint, pass to Gasol, foul.
• Gasol again. He has 9 points in the quarter. Created from Kobe on the screen and roll
• Okur over Odom in the post
• Lakers lead 48-39
• Lamar Odom over Boozer. He just put on the jets on the fastbreak and took Boozer right to the rim. He’s averaging 18 and 12.5 against the Jazz
• Another Utah turnover, Bryant steals it, fastbreak, Kobe runs it down, passes it to … Jerry Sloan. Nobody on his wing.
• Okur hits a three pointer on the right wing over Odom
• Deron deflects Odom’s pass, fastbreak Kirilenko dunk
• Fisher starts to drive, Odom cuts behind the backboard, cuts under the rim, bullet pass by Fish to Odom, layin. Great pass.
• Kobe turns it over again
• Deron dancing over Odom, and draining the 16 footer off the right elbow
• 53-50 Lakers
• Pass ahead to Kobe ahead of the break on the left wing, holds up the ball, centres it to Gasol, dunk
• Deron Williams drives into the paint and draws the foul
• Kobe gets past his man, look away pass to Odom, layup, miss, Gasol tips it up
• Halftime
• 61-54 Lakers
• Some Team Stats – Jazz winning on the boards 17-14, and 9-7 offensive boards. Lot of offensive boards for both teams. Jazz have 15 turnovers, Lakers have 11 turnovers. Combined turnovers/steals is 12-10 Lakers. Lakers have 15 assists on 21 made field goals, Jazz have 14 assists on 20 field goals, both took 38 shots. Lakers 3-6 from three, Jazz 6-9 from three. Lakers are 13-15 from the line, Jazz are 11-13.
• Lakers have 24 points in the paint, Utah 20.
• Lakers scored 20 points off of 15 Jazz turnovers

Second half

• Brewer slashes inside, fouled by Fisher. Brewer hits two FTs. He has 12 and 12 minutes. Radmanovic had 10 points in 9 minutes. Who’ll win the scoring per minut battle?
• Deron pushes it off the defensive rebound, Deron loses it, bounces right to Boozer, layup off the bounce
• Lakers lead 61-58
• Fisher fires another long J from the left wing, nice shot
• Deron works Fisher, bumping, backing him down, off balance fadeaway from 16 feet in the middle of the floor
• Odom with the defensive rebound, pushes it, spots Fish in the corner, offensive rebound Odom, turnover on the bad pass by Odom. Kirilenko gets the steal, kicks it ahead, gets it back, layup
• Gasol inside, four players trap Gasol, poor pass, almost a turnover. Ball goes to Kobe, he’s had enough, drives inside and draws the foul
• Deron Williams nails a three and ties the game at 69 with 7:30 to play in the third
• Deron pushes it hard off of Gasol’s miss, oh incredible no look wrap around pass after the behind the back dribble to Brewer, travel by Brewer.
• Utah is on a 15-8 run in the third
• Okur from three, misses
• Kobe the other way, has Williams in the post, Deron reaches, Kobe spins the other way, layup. Lakers take the lead back. Kobe has 17 points
• Doug Collins thinks Kobe is going to look to assert himself on the game here. I agree. The game is getting away from LA a bit, he’ll look to settle them down.
• Kobe in the post on the left elbow, double, pass over the top to Odom, layup
• Boozer has Gasol in the post, turnaround J in the lane, rolls around, Brewer gets under the hoop and gets the tip
• Gasol with the face up from 17 feet, drives right, posts up, Kirilenko doubles, steals the ball
• Boozer misses a short J
• Up and under finger roll from Gasol in the left block, rolls off
• Deron Williams orchestrating the bench, centering the ball to Brewer, touch pass to Boozer, layup
• Kobe drives from the left wing, to the rim, dunk, nope foul. Kobe misses both FTs
• Game is tied at 73
• Kirilenko blows the layup, offensive rebound Millsap, out to Williams. Walton picks up the blocking foul. Inbounds to Deron, out to Brewer, Brewer doesn’t have the pass, settles for the 20 footer, misses
• Defensive rebound Odom, Odom dribbles it up, turns on the gas, takes it to the rim, foul. Odom hits both FTs
• Boozer faces up Boozer from 14 feet, jab step right, Gasol buy sit, drives left, layup, blocked by Odom
• Jazz turn it over. They stepped out of play.
• Timeout
• Most playoff games before 30 – Magic Johnson leads all players. Kobe is second. Horace Grant is third. Scottie Pippen fourth. Interesting list.
• Kirilenko getting some rest now. Brewer has struggled with Kobe late, Kirilenko will get the assignment
• Kobe hits one of two at the line.
• Lakers up 76-73
• Boozer bricks a 16 footer over Odom, offensive rebound Brewer, dunk
• Two minutes to go in the third
• Bryant gets a clear out on Harpring on the left wing, drives right through the middle, foul, layup. Kobe has 20 points now. Kobe hits the FT. Three point play. Lakers up four.
• Walton deflects the pass out of play. Still Jazz ball. Harpring posts up Walton, drives left, Walton strips him, knocks it out of bounds. Still Utah ball. Walton called for a holding foul on Harpring before the shot. Nice little battle here. I like watching these two go at it. Harpring makes his FTs, that’s 16 consecutive FTs.
• Offensive foul on Millsap, that’s four. Kirilenko back in
• End of the third

Fourth Quater

• The game is tied at 81 apiece
• Radmanovic drains a three from the top of the key to beat the shot clock
• Deron misses the turnaround out of the post along the baseline
• Gasol takes the 16 footer, miss
• Deron dribbles up top, over to Harpring, Deron across, Korver runs off the pick on the weak side, curls up top, 19 footer, good
• Williams with a lovely bounce pass to Okur on Mehmet’s cut, fouled on the layup. Okur hits 1 of 2.
• Game tied at 84 with 10 minutes to go
• Utah have never led in this game
• Laker possession, Walton with a fadeaway out of the post from 16 feet to beat the shot clock, foul by Harpring. Terrible foul. Bail out foul. You play brilliant defense for 23 seconds and then just throw it all down the drain for a silly reach
• Walton makes 1 of 2
• Foul by Vujacic, looked like a turnover there. Nice pass over the top by Kirilenko into Williams, misses the layup
• Vujacic misses the three, Walton keeps it alive and smacks out to 40 feet, Lakers retain possession. LA feeds Gasol inside, foul on Okur. Go back to Gasol. Kirilenko knocks it away from Walton, Walton retrieves 9 seconds on the clock at halfcourt, Gasol comes up for the screen and roll, slips backdoor, Walton hits him, layup
• Deron with a layup off the dribble on the other end
• Farmer responds right back with a layup and a foul
• Timeout
• Lakers lead 89-86
• Lakers look in control
• Kirilenko gets the layup to cut the lead to 2. Kirilenko is doing good work as always at power forward. He gave Odom a nice pump fake at 20 feet, got him off his feet, went right by him and took the layup
• Odom draws the foul inside on Matt Harpring
• Odom with the authoratative dunk, set up by Odom’s baseline cut off of Kobe’s penetration
• Deron drives inside, finds AK wide open for three, miss, Jazz scrap for the rebound, Boozer gets it, misses it, out of bounds. LA ball.
• Offensive rebound by Boozer again, blocked by LA. Boozer is 4-13 from the field now.
• Vujacic fell over and dribbled the foot out of play off his leg. The refs gave him the foul though, Sasha will shoot two because Utah are in the penalty, he hits both.
• Lakers lead 94-88 with 7 minutes to play
• Boozer throws his chest into Gasol, offensive foul, nope called on Gasol. Boozer smacked his shoulder into Gasol’s chest. Bad call back to back.
• Memo with the head fake, drives, to Deron, three pointer. Halves the Laker lead. Deron has 24 points on 7-14 shooting.
• Ball into Gasol off the right elbow, Odom cuts through the middle, pass to Odom, dunk and the foul. Odom hits the FT. Lakers back up 6.
• Boozer travels on his spin move
• Timeout
• We’re at the halfway point in the fourth
• Lakers lead 97-91
• Lakers look in control
• Utah lead the boards 36-26.
• Okur ran off two staggered screens along the baseline, popped out for a three, Odom fouled him on the floor. Okur hit two FTs. Defensive rebound Okur after Fisher’s miss.
• Kirilenko to Korver, missed three pointer
• Fisher out to Lamar, over to Vujacic, to Kobe in the high post along the baseline, Lamar Odom runs over and calls for the ball. Kobe gives it to him. Lamar wants to take Okur one-on-one, he drives left right past Okur, tough runner in traffic, missed the shot. Nice aggressiveness from Lamar.
• Boozer fouled, Booz hits 1 of 2. Down 3 now. Four and a half minutes to go. Booz has 14
• Gasol in the post, passes to Kobe off the curl at the elbow, foul off the ball on Andrei. Derek Fisher will shoot two, Fisher hits both. Lakers back up 5.
• Fisher misses a three out of the corner
• Williams runs the break, spins into the break, out to Korver in the right corner, three pointer, miss
• Defensive rebound Kobe Bryant. Lakers come up, move the ball, Vujacic misses a three off of Kobe drive and kick
• Lakers lead 99-94 with 3 minutes to play
• Lakers look in control
• Boozer with a good hoop in traffic
• Silly foul by Deron, that was a soft foul and unneccessary. Fisher will shoot two, little hold was the foul, Fisher hits two. Lakers up 101-96
• Technical foul on Vujacic, Korver knocked him him over, Korver comes back up giving Korver a lot of a lip. Utah get the FT. Four point lead.
• Jazz inbound. Korver to Deron, Korver runs through from the right wing, down the middle, down the baseline, out to the corner, up the to the left wing, gets teh ball two passes later, drives inside, sets up a teammate, they miss the shot, offensive rebound, out to Deron Williams, three pointer
• Gasol sets up Vujacic for a three, miss. He’s 1-10. Offensive rebound Gasol on the long rebound. Nice penetration, dish to Lamar, dunk. Great play by Kobe Bryant, his 7th assist.
• Deron shoots from behind the screen, misses the three, Okur on the offensive boards (Fisher had him on the switch), layup
• Kobe hasn’t shot the ball in the fourth quarter
• Gasol posts up Okur on the right block, spins middle, finger roll, he has 19 points.
• Defensive rebound Odom
• Lakers lead 105-102 with 40 seconds to play
• Fisher holds onto the ball, gets it to Kobe, high screen and roll, Kobe drives inside, the defense collapses, kicks it to Vujacic for the open the three in the left corner, oh in and out, offensive rebound by Gasol, slam dunk. Huge rebound by Gasol, huge finish too.
• Lakers lead 107-102 with 20 seconds to play
• Timeout Jazz
• Deron for three from the top of the key, miss, defensive rebound, Fisher fouled, Fisher misses the first FT, hits the second FT.
• Lakers lead 108-102 with 15.5 seconds to play.
• 20 second timeout.
• Boozer with the fadeaway two along the baseline, makes it
• In to Kobe, fouled. Not sure why they fouled him, this game is over. Kobe hits the first, hits the second.

Lakers led from start to finish and won. I like their chances of closing out this series in Utah in Game Six

Game Five: Boston vs Cleveland

Swing game

I thought the Cavs would win one on the road, admittedly that was one of the first two I expected, but now is as good a time as any for Cleveland.

This is a must win for Boston. They simply haven’t handled pressure well this postseason. I don’t like their odds if they lose tonight.

• James nails a long jumper to start the game
• Offensive foul Perkins
• Oh oh, James hits the fadeaway J off the dribble in the corner
• Rondo dribbles below the three, hits the FT line jumper over Delonte
• James misses a wild three. I guess he was just happy to make a jump shot earlier, that felt like a heat check
• Szczerbiak nails a three as Ray fell over, step back three. Nice.
• Drive and kick from Rondo to Ray, wide open three from the left wing, miss
• Delonte drives inside, layup, miss, out of bounds. Celtics ball.
• Pierce catches the ball near the top of the key, drives right, spins left, fallaway in the lane over Bron, good. Nice seperation on the drive.
• 24 second violation on the Cavs, that’s twice now. 8 minutes to go in the first
• Rondo misses a runner, offensive rebound, nope slips out of Rondo’s hands out of play. Cavs ball.
• Turnover, Wallace to Bron, James took his eye of the ball on the pass, out of bounds.
• Delonte ended up with Perk on the switch, foul by West..
• Pierce nails a three. Tied at 7 with 7 minutes to play. Great start by Piece and LeBron.
• LeBron dribbles, tries to answer with the three, misses
• Pierce drives inside, pump fake, James rips the ball out of Pierce’s hands, fastbreak, one-on-one with Ray, foul, layup, three point play. Good stuff.
• Garnett open from 17 feet, hits it
• Wally down low to Z, foul, away from the ball on Ray Allen. That’s two quick fouls on Ray inside of a minute, he’ll sit down. Posey enters. Z hits the first FT, hits the second FT. Cavs up 12-9 halfway through the first.
• Pierce comes off the screen, pops out, three pointer, in and out. Wallace rebounds, pass, steal by Garnett, to Perk, pump fake, two Cavs go for it, Perk up and under, layup, blocked from behind by Wallace. Wally was guarding Pierce on that last possession. We’ll watch out for that.
• Garnett with the pull up from 15 over Wallace, misses off the side of the rim, Cavs rebound.
• Posey on James
• James beats Posey with the jab step on the catch from the left corner towards the middle, swings back the other way, drives baseline, goes by Perk, reverse layup
• Turnover, Rondo slips, loses the ball while trying to catch the pass on the nice cut
• Pierce drives strong to the bucket, misses the layup, great contest by Big Ben
• Wally gets a screen and roll from Ben, Pierce hits the loose ball, out of bounds off of Wally
• Garnett too low, nice move, short jumper from four feet over the top of Ben, misses
• Wally misses a three, Z on the glass, tapped away by Perk, Wallace gets to it, back to Delonte. Pierce knocks it out of play. Still Cavs ball. James gets the inbounds pass on the left, wing cuts back centre, drives right by Posey, one on one with Garnett, finishes with his left off the glass on the run over KG’s outstretched jumping contest. Great finish by James
• Timeout
• Pierce shoots over Wallace from 16, nope
• The Celtics offense has looked stagnant since Ray Allen came off. Not enough player or ball movement.
• What a pass by LeBron to Z right under the hoop for the layup. Great pass.
• The Celtics need to keep feeding KG in the post, he’s getting good looks at the hoop, he’s just missing. He’ll make those shots as the night goes on.
• James Posey with a nice backdoor cut after Rondo’s drive, layup
• KG takes the dribble step back J from 17 feet over Wallace, good. Nice shot, nice move.
• James with a lazy pass, steal by Rondo, fastbreak layup
• Wally step back three pointer on it’s way, good
• Cavs up 21-15
• Pierce splits the trap on the screen and roll, drives through the middle, Varajeo goes for the charge, blocking foul, Pierce gets the layup. He hits the FT, three point play. PJ Brown enters the game along with Powe.
• Pick and pop with James and Joe on the left wing, James spots Joe, 17 footer, in and out. Offensive rebound Cleveland, reset, Gibson hits Bron, Bron drives inside, finds an open Wally, three pointer, good.
• Rondo wide open, three pointer, nope
• End of one
• Cavs lead 23-18
• Celtics need to shut James down. That was the easiest quarter of the series for LeBron. He was able to get what he wanted regularly.
• Outside of that the Celtics are doing fine defensively. The Cavs just made outside shots.
• Offensively Boston needs to get their act together and start making some baskets. The Captain made a few big buckets which is a great sign. KG did well in the post but didn’t score, let’s see if he goes away from the post? I’m thinking he will.
• Rondo has played good defense tonight
• Sam Cassell in. There was some pregame noise about Eddie House possibly playing, let’s see what happens here. Sam might get pulled if he starts badly, particularly if he’s not making shots. Gibson beat Sam off the dribble a few times in the fourth last night, let’s see if he goes at Sam, I doubt he will.
• Joe Smith fouled inside, misses the two FTs. Gotta hit your FTs in a game of this importance.
• Pierce drives in, finds Brown for the 15 footer on the baseline, miss. Defensive rebound Cleveland, they get it to James quickly, James pushes it, beats the Cavs halfcourt defense up the floor, drives inside, fouled. He hits two from the line. He has 13 points already.
• LeBron is defending Cassell now. Gotta feed Pierce.
• Pierce comes off a curl on the elbow, one dribble, fallaway, nice shot.
• James dances with Posey, puts on the acceleration, gets to the rim, layup
• James pressures Sam in the backcourt, turnover. Cavs ball. Great defense.
• Cavs lead 27-20 with 10 minutes to go in the first half
• James fallaway along the baseline, miss, Varajeo taps it three times to himself, kicks it out to Gibson, open three, nope.
• Pierce drives and spins against West, layup, miss. Lovely move, no finish.
• Pierce penetates again, spots the shooter again, Cassell in the corner, miss
• Joe Smith with the post up over PJ, hits it. Joe Smith with a lovely turnaround J.
• Timeout
• LeBron James ran off the court on that timeout. Didn’t say a word. He’s back now as the timeout ended, no idea what that was about.
• KG on the iso, gets the bump off Varajeo, misses the jumper, he’ll shoot two. Hits two.
• Cavs lead 29-22 with 9 minutes to go
• Gibson sees KG come out on him on th switch, drives, runner over KG from 15 feet, air ball, Varajeo gets it inside, dribbles it out, shot clock, beats the buzzer with a 15 footer. Nice.
• KG inside, pump fake, Varajeo from the weakside, block. Great play by Varajeo to help out Smith down low.
• Fastbreak Cavs, West fouled at the rim. He hits two FTs. Cavs lead 33-22 with 8 to play.
• Perkins comes back in now. Cassell and Posey in for Pierce and Rondo, three other starters.
• Perkins loses the ball at the top of the key, unforced error
• Gibson drives on Cassell, Cassell rips it, falls over, loose ball, Varajeo dives on it, gets it to Gibson, Gibson drives baseline against three Celtics, over KG again, layup. Wow, great play by Gibson.
• Ray Allen gets the reverse layup
• Great ball movement from the Celtics, contested three pointer by Ray Allen in the corner. Ray started the move with an offensive rebound, dribbled out to the FT line, drove left, towards the baseline, picked up his dribble, trapped kicked it to Perk, Perk swung the ball up top, then swung to the corner to Cassell, Cassell drove, Ray popped out, open, Delonte ran out and got a hand up, three pointer. Good. Lovely ball movement from Boston. That ball moved all around the court before getting an open shot.
• That shot looked really good from Ray, he’s moving well too. I get the feeling he’s about to come up big for Boston.
• Varajeo has to drive on Perkins and take the shot to beat the clock, Garnett from the weakside, 24 second violation.
• Halfway through the second. Cavs lead 35-27
• Garnett with a nice move, turnaround out of the post, miss, no, he gets the bounce, three bounces on the back end of the rim
• James drives right past Posey again, gets to the rim again, fouled by KG, not called, finishes at the rim. Nice play.
• Rondo misses the open reverse layup
• Posey takes the pull up J off the bounce from 19 feet over LeBron on the baseline, miss
• James catches the ball on the right elbow, spin move baseline, foul on the layup. Great move. That’s unstoppable. He hits both, James has 19 points now.
• Pierce comes back in for Posey, starters on the floor now for Boston
• Ray dribbles inside, jumps up, has nowhere to go, turnover, Delonte gets the ball, pass ahead to LBJ, lovely pass through two Celtic defenders, KG fouls Bron, Bron hits two FTs.
• Ray gets a great look on the fallaway, challenged by Wally but it was from 14 feet and he had some seperation if he got the shot off quicker, miss
• James hits another long jump shot
• KG hits a 12 footer open on the screen and roll at the elbow. Nice play by Pierce I think it was.
• Ilgauskas air balls a forced fadeaway J out of the post
• Rondo open from three, hits it
• Cavs lead down to 9
• 2:30 to play
• James takes Pierce off the dribble, misses the pull up, Z gets the offensive rebound. James uses the screen and roll, passes to Wallace, Wallace drives, tries to hit Z, turnover
• Rondo hits another open three. 6 point game.
• Pierce on the breakaway, fouled by Wally
• Timeout
• This is a really wierd game. I can’t get a feel for who’s in control at all. The Cavs have been the more composed side but Boston are the dangerous one who look capable of making a run. Boston could just as easily go on a 20-6 run and turn this into a blowout as lose by 10. I can’t figure out the rhythm of this game.
• LeBron James has 23 points. There’s 1:33 to play. We’re back from the timeout. Pierce is shooting two FTs, hits two FTs. Cavs lead 43-39. 10-0 run by Boston. Huge run. Very important. Huge difference.
• LeBron in the mid post at the FT line, double team, hits West, three pointer, yes.
• KG open from 14 feet, passes up the shot, tries to take Ben off the dribble, picks up his dribble, pivots, turnaround, air ball. Out of bounds of a Cav. Inbounds to KG, 18 footer, good.
• James has a 22 foot fallaway rim in and out over Pierce
• Timeout Doc Rivers. There’s 21 seconds to play. Cavs lead 46-41. Another score would be huge for Boston. Big possession. It’s all about momentum before halftime right now.
• Pierce and Rondo run their screen and roll, Pierce gets West, Pierce backs him down, 15 footer, gets the roll.
• Halftime
• Cavs lead 46-43
• Celtics make a 14-3 run to close out the half
• Some Team Stats – Cavs winning the rebounding fight 19-15. C’s have 8-7 advantage on combined blocks/steals. Celtics have 5 turnovers, Cavs have 10. The Celtics have had 7 more shots, they made one of them. The Celtics have 11 assists on 17 baskets. The Cavs have 6 assists on 16 baskets. The Cavs have shot the ball 47%, 3-10 from three, 11-14 from the line. The Celts have shot 42%, 4-9 from three, 5-5 from the line.
• Pierce leads Boston with 14 points. KG has 12 and 6. Rondo has 10. They have 36 of their 43 points. Ray has another 5. The rest of the team has 2 points.
• LeBron James has 23 points, 3 assists and 2 rebounds. Wally has 8. West 5. Z 4. They have 40 of their 46 points.
• Chuck is encouraged by the Boston Celtics because they’ve weathered LeBron’s scoring binge despite not playing and are within 3.
• Great game so far
• Cavs blew a 14 point lead with 3 plus minutes only left on the board. That could hurt

Second half

• Cavs lead 46-43
• Cavs turn it over, that’s 12 turnovers. Ray takes the pull up 3, nails it. They changed the shot, foot was on the line.
• Rondo is forcing West right
• Pierce picks up his third foul as James drives
• Steal Rondo, fastbreak layup
• James dribbling up, takes 14 seconds before making a pass. Wally drives inside, takes too long, Z gets a 3 second call. Another turnover.
• Delonte smokes a 22 footer to give Cleveland the lead back. He needed that after the poor start, great D by Rondo.
• Ray takes a 13 footer in the lane over Wally, rims out. Unlucky.
• James misses a three from the top of the key off the dribble
• Rondo drives inside, draws the defender, hits KG for the corner J, makes it.
• West drives inside, tripped by Perkins, that’s two. West makes one of two FTs. Celtics lead 50-49.
• Cavs retain possession off of West’s miss. Inbounds to Z, screen and roll up top with Delonte, no shot, James gave up his dribble, Wallace in trouble, Rondo strips him, Wallace fighting for it against three Celtics. Foul on Perkins, that’s three.
• James drives inside, fallaway from 15 feet, misses.
• Delonte steals it from Rondo, West dribbles the length of the court, he’s going to take KG to the rim, Rondo gets the ball from behind. Cavs ball
• Tied at 49 sorry the scoreboard keeps changing. I’m not sure what’s going on. 8 minutes to play.
• West on the screen roll, takes the drive, blocked by Garnett, Wallace gets the loose ball, dunk
• Wallace knocks the ball loose from Rondo, 5 on the clock. Inbounds to KG, jumper from 19 feet on the baseline, good.
• Ilgauskas takes teh turnaround, misses
• KG down low in the post, shoulder shake right, goes over the left shouler, turnaround, good.
• Big Z hits a 20 footer from the top of the key. Tied at 53. Halfway point.
• Rondo on the screen and roll, blows by the help defender, layup
• Wallace finishes high off the glass over Perkins from the West dish
• Tied at 55
• Rondo looks to drive again, nope, Rondo doesn’t pass the ball for 16 seconds, gives it to Perk, nowhere to go, out to Pierce, James runs hard, pump fake, open three.
• Delonte with another inside shot.
• Garnett hits his 6th shot in a row, one dribble left pull up.
• Boston lead 60-57
• Wally misses the leaner, Perkins rebounds, Ray takes him off the dribble in the open court, layup. Timeout Cleveland.
• Boston look great. They’re playing brilliant basketball to start the second half. They’ve moving the ball. They’re being aggressive and taking it to the rim. They’re D’ing up. The tone has been set and set by Rajon Rondo.
• Rondo from the weakside, blocks West’s circus shot. Great play.
• Rondo drives inside, out to Ray, Ray drives baseline, offensive foul.
• Gibson has come in for Cleveland. Small backcourt. Smith and Varajeo also in. There’s four minutes to go in the third.
• Turnover, Joe air balls a three, fastbreak Ray Allen, foul James. Ray has 11 now.
• Full court pressure by the Celtics
• James drives inside, blocked by Perkins and KG
• Pierce misses a three, offensive rebound Rondo, Rondo drives inside, hand off to Perk, foul on Joe Smith.
• Timeout
• The Celtics are dominating and starting to build a lead but they haven’t managed to pull away
• Rondo has 14 and 9 now
• Celtics lead 64-57 with Perk’s two FTs to come. Three minutes to play. Perk misses the first, big FT next, he gets the roll. 8 point game.
• James on the screen and roll to Varajeo, hits the cutter Joe, Perk fouls. That’s four on Perk. Joe misses the first, hits the second. The Cavs need these. C’mon Joe. Glen Davis comes in for Perk. Davis looks in great shape I gotta say.
• Garnett hits Davis, Davis pinned his man on his back, easy layup
• James drives baseline, spots Varajeo under the hoop, fouled by Garnett. He gets one of two.
• Pierce drives, out to Rondo, collects it back, pump fake, drives baseline dunk.
• James clears it out. He hasn’t scored in the quarter, draws the defense, finds Gibson open in the corner, miss. Loose ball foul on Davis. They’re in the penalty. Varajeo has to make these FTs now, he gets 1 of 2. Not good enough. Too many missed FTs.
• Celtics up 10 now
• Rondo gets into the paint, teardrop, 12 point lead.
• James with a teardrop of his own. Back to 10.
• BBD posts up, finds PJ open down low, foul. Great pass by Davis. PJ misses the first, hits the second. Celtics up 11 with 32 seconds to play in the third.
• James dribbles it down, drives on Posey, hits Smith, 20 footer, nails it.
• Rondo holds it for the final shot, clear out, dribbles in, tried to draw the foul, doesn’t get anything or the shot up.
• End of three
• Boston lead 72-63

Fourth Quarter

• All eyes on Doc’s lineup to start the quarter. He likes his bench dominated second unit and it’s brought them problems in the past. Let’s see what he does.
• Rondo/Ray/BBD/PJ/Posey
• Glen Davis hits the fallaway in the paint to start the fourth
• Wally misses a three from the corner. Cavs need to be below 7 at the 8 minute mark. Try to get quick baskets now. They’ve been one of the best fourth quarter teams all season. Gotta finish strong here,  gotta start strong.
• Smith passes low to Varajeo, PJ Brown fouls. Varajeo hits one of two. More missed FTs. Lead back to 10.
• Gibson comes off and heads to the locker room, he hurt his left hand/arm/shoulder on the play before. He might be done. Shoulder.
• Varajeo draws the foul on Brown on the pump fake.
• West misses the layup at the rim, it was a tough contested shot
• Fastbreak, ahead to James, ahead to Wally, foul by PJ. Good foul, he stopped the layup. That’s three fouls on PJ and three team fouls on Boston in under two minutes to start the fourth. Garnett comes in for PJ Brown. 10:12 to play. Wally hits both FTs. 8 point game.
• Foul off the ball on Wally, holding foul. Ray shot a three after the foul, nails it. That looked good.
• Paul Pierce back in for James Posey. Starters going to play a lot of this second half.
• Glen Davis finishes inside after the feed from Ray
• Joe Smith with a right handed hook shot. Lead is 8. Celtics up 76-68
• Double screen for Rondo, Rondo drive and kick to KG, 20 footer, nails it
• LeBron down low, short shot on the turnaround, good.
• Ray with the catch and shoot from three, miss. KG rips the rebound away from Bron.
• Rondo drives inside, bounce pass in traffic, slam dunk Kevin Garnett
• James misses a three, bad shot
• 10 point game with 8 minutes to go
• Rondo drives inside again, bad pass, falls to Davis, misses the tough contested layup, tap out, tap out, Wally gets it. Loose ball foul on Davis as he jumps over Wally trying to get that ball.
• Timeout
• Rondo has 16 and 12 against 1 turnover
• Celtics are in great shape
• James misses a runner
• Gibson has a shoulder contusion
• Ray drives inside, misses the layup, Glen Davis gets the offensive rebound, putback, no fouled. There’s 7 minutes to go. Celtics lead 80-70. Davis misses the first, in and out, misses the second
• Z comes in
• Z tips the rebound to himself
• James misses another runner, that was off balance but a very clean look right in front of the rim
• Rondo hits a runner in the lane. They’re up 12 with 6 plus minutes to go. Timeout Cleveland.
• Delonte West drives inside, foul, reverse layup. Three point play, no misses the FT. Lead to 10. 6 minutes to go.
• The Cavs are 19-28 tonight from the line
• Pierce with the short jumper in the lane. That Rondo/Pierce screen and roll again, backs him down, spins to the middle, short jumper.
• Offensive foul LeBron James
• Offensive rebound Boston. 5 minutes to go. Cleveland just wasted a minute and lost two points. Steal West, runs ahead, loses control of the ball, back to James, dunk.
• Turnover Boston, West runs ahead, fouled by Rondo. West will shoot two, Boston are in the penalty. There’s 4:24 remaining. They need these two FTs. Hits the first. Hits the second. 8 point game.
• Celtics go away from the Pierce/Rondo screen and roll. Rondo dribbles for 14 seconds, passes to KG, KG with a great spin move and dunk.
• West drives to the hoop, fouled again. This is good for Cleveland, they’re stopping the clock and getting quick points on the board. Delonte hits the first, misses the second. Another missed FT.
• Cavs need stops desperately.
• Rondo dribbles for 14 seconds doing nothing, then drives, hits the runner.
• James with a backdoor cut, bounce pass from Delonte, layup, nope fouled though. James hits both FTs. 9 point game again. There’s three and a half minutes remaining.
• Rondo dribbles for 11 seconds, passes to Ray, Ray to Davis, spills the ball, dives on it, jump ball. Nope they’re going to give Boston the 20 second timeout.
• Pierce takes a quick shot, KG offensive rebound. Killer rebound for the Cavs. Pierce finds Posey open from three. Again too quick, although slower than the prior possession.
• James pump fakes, gets the foul on Pierce. James misses the first. That’s 22-34. 65%. James hits the second. Missed FTs have cost them this game.
• Defensive rebound Cavs
• 88-80 Cavs with 2 minutes to play, Cavs ball. James misses a three. They didn’t need a three, they needed a two. Defensive rebound KG, outlet to Posey, back to Rondo, steal by West, layup
• Rondo pushes the ball, ahead to Pierce, he takes the layup, misses
• Wally misses a three, defensive rebound KG. That miss was huge. They would have been down to a three point game.
• Pierce makes one of two after being fouled
• James layup
• 89-84 lead Boston
• Turnover Boston, nope, blocking foul on Pavlovic, Pierce was flying, he was out of control and falling to the ground. Bad call. Pierce hits the first, hits the second. Two huge shots. Cleveland need a three now.
• Celtics lead 91-84. 7 point game one minute to play. Cavs need a three.
• James dribbles up, three pointer, nope, he drives on KG, fouled by Garnett. James misses the first, hits the second. 6 point game. 55 seconds. Boston get it in, Boston get it up, nope steal, Pavlovic ahead to West, foul. Hard foul on the layup attempt. 45.5 seconds remaining, West will shoot two. West hits the first, West hits the second.
• Timeout Doc Rivers
• 91-87 Boston. There’s 45.5 seconds remaining.
• Posey inbounds, nothing going, gets it to KG, to Rondo, Rondo holds it, lets the clock run, 15, 11, 8, drives onthe screen and roll, Garnett misses a J at the buzzer. Tip by Ray on the long offensive rebound, gets it to KG, to Paul. Huge. Foul. Pierce to shoot two. He hits the first, hits the second
• Only 15.6 second remaining. That offensive rebound by Ray killed them.
• Inbounds by West, to Bron, back to West, West drives inside, blocking foul. West makes two FTs. He has 21 points and is 10-13 from the line tonight.
• Full court press, Pierce fouled. Pierce is 8-9 from the line tonight. He hits both.
• Cavs are out of luck but they keep on trying. Something admirable about that.
• 5 second violation on the inbounds pass, now it’s over.

Celtics win and go up 3-2 in the series. Let’s go to Cleveland.

Cleveland have now had two good chances to win in Boston this series. They’re going to be very disappointed. Difficult to accept for them. I still think this team can win in Boston so let’s wait and see what happens in game six, we could have a titanic game seven if Cleveland can pull out game six.

Game Five: New Orleans vs San Antonio

Huge game tonight. This game will shape the rest of the series. Huge huge game. Two great sides tonight also. I’m pumped up for this one. Great game ahead.

• Tip off
• Duncan vs Chandler, Duncan wins the tip. Quick jump by Timmy. Parker behind his back to Kurt, Chandler blocks his 18 footer. Duncan has it, takes it, misses, offensive rebound Kurt Thomas. Tony Parker works the pick and roll but has his pass deflected out of bounds. 5 seconds on the shot clock, Mo Pete trips up Parker on the inbounds pass, accidental. Manu takes the clear out, misses. Chandler taps the rebound to a teammate.
• West has it on the left wing, looks for the pass, isn’t there. Foul on Bowen for holding on Peja on the off the ball screen. Paul gets it to Peja on the left elbow, dribble backwards, fadeaway, Bowen is in his face, air ball. Turnover.
• Parker runs the baseline off a pick, gest the ball back, over to Manu, to Kurt, Kurt drives, air ball over Chandler.
• Chandler gets good position in the paint on the break, entry pass, Duncan pushes him out, hook shot from 6-7 feet, miss, rebound Kurt
• Duncan misses a 18 footer
• West hits a 18 footer at the top of the key. All of the Hornets fanst stood until they hit a shot
• Parker loses it on the drive, Paul pushes it, hits Peterson on the left wing, missed three pointer.
• Three minutes in now
• Duncan on the left block, moves inside, kicks it out to Manu, three pointer.
• Paul on the pick and pop with West, drives inside, passes backwards to West on the right wing, hits the 18 footer
• Duncan going glass on the right hook shot on the right block, miss
• Peterson hits the three. Hornets are 3-6 now. Spurs are 1-7. Turnover Spurs, off the ball offensive foul on Kurt Thomas.
• Offensive foul on Chandler. He hit Parker cold on the screen in his back with his knee into his backside.
• Ginobili misses the runner. Spurs get the offensive rebound, Spurs reset, Peja switches onto Parker, Parker goes ta him, step back, Peja taps it loose, Parker kicks it over to Manu, Manu uses the screen and roll, three pointer, fouled by West. Bad foul. After the shot, just ran into him. Manu hits all three.
• Hornets lead 9-6
• Bruce Bowen with the midrange J
• West hits consecutive shots, nice right hook shot
• Parker hits a three from the right corner
• Hornets lead 13-11
• West with his first miss tonight from the top of the key
• Duncan with the right hook over West, may have been fouled, not called, miss. Duncan defensive rebound.
• Bowen open in the left corner, three pointer. Spurs lead.
• Stojakovic gets off a shot, misses. He got a little daylight off the screen that time but Duncan came out and contested it.
• Nice ball movement by San An, layup Duncan, slapped away by Peja. Turnover. Fastbreak, Hornets don’t make use of it.
• Bowen blows by and hits the layup
• Offensive foul Chandler. That’s two. He comes out for Ely. Pargo comes in aslo for Mo Pete.
• Kurt misses the 17 footer on the baseline, Spurs lead 16-13
• West in the low post against Thomas, blocked by Kurt. Outlet pass to Parker, Paul tries to take the charge, flop, Parker moved enough out of the way to avoid the charge, Parker fouled at the FT line, still gets up the runner, hits it. Three point play.
• Manu to Kurt, 17 footer, misses
• West slips inside again, gets the lay in
• Pushing foul, Ely just pushed Oberto to the ground. Refs call the play back. Let’s see what they do. Double personal fouls and double techs on Oberto and Ely.
• Spurs lead 19-17 with a minute to play in the first. Bonzi and Finley check in.
• Parker splits the trap, passes out to Kurt, 16 footer from the FT line, hits it
• West fallaway over Kurt from 17 feet. Hits it. He has 14 points on 7-9 shooting. The rest of the team has 5 points on 2-9 shooting.
• Finley hits the 22 footer from the top of the key, bank shot, lucky boy, beats the shot clock.
• Robert Horry checks into the game. He has the record for the most playoff appearances in NBA history.
• Hack-A-Ely with Horry. Ely hits the first, hits the second
• Parker fouled, Hornets had one to give. 3.6 seconds to go. Inbounds here. Brent Barry to Parker, 21 footer, no good.
• Second Quarter
• Spurs lead 23-21
• Wells misses both FTs
• Pargo in the open court, drives on Finley, goes right, gets to the baseline, pump fake, Finley doesn’t budge, great defense. Hornets reset and swing the ball, open lane for Wright, Duncan stops the dunk, turnover, Bowen with a three in transition.
• Ely misses the face up J out of the post
• Duncan spin move, turnaround, off the glass, miss. He’s 0-6.
• Pargo with a bad brick. He wasn’t even close to the rim. Wells misses the follow up.
• Duncan fouled on the drive, gets the continuation, three point play. That’s three quick fouls on Ely. David West comes back in.
• GInobili takes Wright right to the rim, dunk attempt, foul by Wells. Manu hits both FTs. Spurs lead 30-22.
• Duncan hits another
• Wright passes on the three, front rims the 17 footer
• Foul on Wells as Udoka shot fakes and drives by. Timeout San Antonio. Spurs lead 31-24. Refs change the call.
• Paul blocked from behind by Duncan out of bounds. Off Paul. Hornets ball for some reason. The Hornets have only 2 points in the first four minutes of the quarter. Inbounds pass to Peja, Peja takes it, gets the roll. Well contested by Bowen.
• Parker misses a three, offensive rebound Tim Duncan, Duncan resets, posts up, gets the pass back on the left block, drives left on the baseline, floater, doesn’t get the bounce, miss.
• Peja in the mid post, Paul with the entry pass, Bowen taps the pass off Peja out of bounds. Great defense.
• Chandler back in. He was sitting for awhile. Immediately forces a turnover with a great double team.
• Kurt Thomas gets called for a ticky tack foul.
• Mo Pete misses the 18 footer on the baseline
• Ginobili misses from three, rebound Chandler.
• Paul worms his way into the paint, gets the layup and the foul by Kurt Thomas. Great drive by Paul, I have no idea how he got into the paint on that drive.
• Udoka hits the three from the right corner. They are 5-7 from downtown now. Spurs lead 34-28
• Peja has Udoka on him, fouled by Udoka on the contest, ticky tack call.
• GInobili responds with another three. 37-30 Spurs
• Peja on that left elbow, faces up Bowen, jab step, step back, shoots over Bowen, good. Nice move.
• Paul into the paint, doesn’t get the layup to go, Duncan gets the rebound. That’s his 10th rebound tonight.
• Paul smacks Horry in the back of the head while trying to steal the ball. Nothing intentional. Horry to shoot two, hits two.
• West knocks down two FTs, then hits a 20 footer. Hornets within two.
• Parker inside, pivot left, layup
• West misses from 21 feet
• Lovely pass by Horry. Horry caught the ball on the left elbow, Manu with the backdoor cut, catches the ball on the run on the right hand side of the rim, layup and gets the foul
• Spurs lead 43-36
• West works down low on the left block, double, hits Mo Pete in the right corner, three pointer.
• Turnover, Paul comes up on the steal, Horry tracks him, it’s a footrace, Horry makes up about 8 feet and fouls Paul in midair and stops the easy layup. Well done old timer. Paul hits both FTs.
• Spurs lead 43-41 with a minute to play in the first half
• Manu slips on the curl, turnover, Hornets run, Mo Pete misses the layup, West on the boards, put back. Tie game.
• Ginobili draws the foul, goes to the line.
• Screen and roll with Paul and West, behind the back pass to West, open baseline, goes for the runner, Timmy D comes over and contests it, miss, Hilton Armstrong on the glass, fouled. He misses the first, hits the second. Foul was on Horry. That was his fourth.
• 21 seconds on the clock. Spurs lead 45-44. Spurs ball. Timeout Spurs. Spurs take it in the backcourt, Tony dribbles up, 10 seconds to go, 6, Parker drives, fouled by Pargo, rejected by Armstrong. Pargo hit him in the head, then Parker slammed his head on the floor on fall. He gets up, shakes his head a few times, swings his arms 360 degrees, shaking it off. Steps up to the line, there’s 4.2 seconds remaining, watch Chris Paul on the inbounds. Parker hits both FTs
• Inbounds to Paul, can’t get it to him, West passes long, Udoka steals it, to Duncan, to Udoka, miss, Duncan on the glass, miss
• Halftime
• Spurs lead 47-44
• David West has shot 10-14 from the field, the rest of the Hornets have shot 5-23 from the floor
• Some team stats – The rebounding battle is even at 23. Combined blocks/steals are 7-3 Hornets. The Spurs have 6 turnovers, Hornets 4. Hornets have 12 assists (Paul on 15 made baskets. The Spurs have 10 assists on 15 buckets. The Spurs have shot 40%, Hornets 41% from the field. Spurs are 6-9 from three and 11-14 from the line. The Hornets 2-6 from three and 12-16 from the line.
• Tim Duncan is only 2-11 for 4 points. However he does 11 rebounds and he’s stopped at least 4-5 layups. He’s controlled the middle. It’s been easier for him with Tyson sitting so long.
• Tony Parker has 10 points (3-5) and 2 assists. Ginobili has 15 points (3-7 from the field, 7-8 from the line) and has 5 dimes.
• Chris Paul is only 1-6 for 6 points and 8 assists. Kenny Smith said at halftime this is one of the rare games he’s seen from Paul where his decision making has been questionable at times. I agree.
• David West has 22 and 7. Chandler has 4 rebounds and 2 blocks in 12 minutes. He avoided that third foul which is huge because he can be aggressive in the third quarter now.
• Spurs bench has outscored the Hornets 6-4. Not much scoring from either side.

Second Half

• West opens the third with an 18 footer off the left elbow
• Lovely passing by San Antonio as Oberto leaves it to Duncan for the slam
• Chris Paul nails a three on the left wing. Hornets take back the lead. They’re up 55-51
• Duncan on the left block, nice move, drives right, swatted by Chandler.
• Scrum under the basket, Hornets keep getting the offensive rebound. Foul eventually against Ginobili. No Parker called for a foul. That’s four team fouls. They’re in the bonus.
• There’s 7:34 remaining in the quarter
• Chris Paul gets the short layup, Timeout Spurs. That’s an 11-2 run by the Hornets. They’re pumped. The crowd is pumped. San Antonio are in dangerous territory.
• Turnover Spurs, Hornets run, slow break, Peja turns into the post, misses the short shot over Manu in the paint
• Parker misses from the FT line, rebound Duncan, Parker turnover
• Paul gets into the paint, pushed by Bowen, he’ll go to the line.
• Turnover Spurs, 24 second violation. That’s their third straight and fourth turnover in the third. They only have 2 points in the last 6 minutes.
• Horry in for Kurt
• Alley oop from Paul to Chandler. Hornets up 10 points
• Hornets trap Duncan, stop Ginobili’s penetration, trap Parker. Football. Reset of the clock, Manu misses a three from the corner. They’re 1-10 from the field over the past few minutes.
• Mo Pete hits a three from the left wing
• Ginobili responds with a three of his own. Lead back to 10. 4 minutes to play in the third. They’ve been outscored 20-7 in the first 8 minutes of the third.
• Rebound Duncan, post up Duncan, hook shot, brick.
• Foul on Paul on the break, he’ll shoot two.
• Lovely pass by Parker to Udoka for the layup, blocked by West. Great block. Turnover. Mo Pete hits a three in the corner. The lead is up to 14.
• Hornets lead 68-54
• Parker misses from 20 feet
• West misses the runner, Chandler misses the layup. Duncan rebounds, outlet pass to Tony, layup. Duncan has 17 rebounds.
• Paul drives into the paint again, lowers his shoulder into Parker, foul on Parker. Timeout. He hits both. He has 12 points in the quarter, 17 for the game.
• Parker drives inside, fouled. Parker gets two.
• Lob to Chandler over Udoka, fouled by Udoka.
• Duncan defends West, screen and roll with Paul, he leaves Paul to drive, comes back, alters the shot at the last minute, tip Chandler, tip Duncan and West, smacked out of the paint, Spurs run, take a three at the buzzer. Miss.
• Spurs down 14.

Fourth Quarter

• West hits for 32. Hornets up 16
• Udoka hits a three
• 10 minutes to play
• Spurs need to get it below 10 points with 8 minutes to play to have a chance. Chris Paul is that good of a closer.
• West hits a turnaround hook. He was on the left block, drove left, spun right, hook shot in the middle of the paint
• Spurs miss, loose ball foul on Oberto.
• David West pinched his back on that last play. He has a heat pack on his back now.
• Peja missed a long two, Manu into the paint and gets the layup. Lead down to 13. Under 9 minutes to go.
• Tyson Chandler twisted his own foot. He was running back and just moved akwardly on the side of his foot. His teammates help him off the court. He sits on the bench. He’s probably done for the night. No idea if it’s serious or not but it looks very giner right now. He bumps into Ime but I think the injury was afterwards when he tried to regain his balance. We’ll know more soon.
• Duncan checks back in, along with Parker. Ginobili gets a breather.
• Chandler wincing over on the bench, he’s taking off his shoe, wasn’t happy.
• Barry for three, misses.
• Paul with the drive and kick to Pargo, misses. Duncan rebounds.
• Spurs swing the ball into the corner to Barry, he takes Peja off the dribble, foul, gets the continuation and the layup to go. Hits the FT. Lead down to 10. There’s under 8 minutes to play. Close enough. Spurs still in it. That was the Spurs first FT of the half.
• Paul misses a banked on the drive, Tim grabs his 20th rebound.
• Parker misses the layup, Paul pushes it in transition, back to Pargo, over to Peja, for three? Yes. Huge shot.
• Parker hits a 17 footer
• West drives on Duncan, goes under the backboard, uses the rim to protect his shot, hits the reverse.
• Duncan drives left on West, blocked by West. Fastbreak, Pargo with the midrange J, hits it.
• Duncan slams it home after sealing West who was fronting him.
• Pargo into the paint, misses the floater, rebound Duncan, outlet pass to Parker, layup on the break. Great play by Parker
• Offensive foul on Paul. That’s their first turnover in 17 minutes.
• Hornets up 11. There’s 5 minutes left to play.
• Parker misses two FTs. They needed that.
• Spurs need to score 80% of their possessions or thereabouts now just to have a shot. Watch Chris Paul control this game, it’s something special watching this guy control the game. Spurs will have 8-10 possessions max the rest of the way over the last 4 minutes.
• West spots Paul for the layin
• Manu misses the layup, Spurs get the offensive rebound, Udoka misses a three.
• This is over. Paul will dominate the rest.
• Paul misses the runner in the lane, Spurs big men out of position, offensive rebound, Paul runs time off the clock. He finds West for an open baseline J, loose ball foul on Ginobili trying to track down that rebound. Hornets ball.
• Game OVer

Hornets win. Great victory for New Orleans. They’re in great shape to win this series. Back to San Antonio for a do-or-die Spurs performance.

Game Five: Detroit vs Orlando

Elimination Game

• McDyess hits an 18 footer to give Detroit a 6-0 run and a 8-6 lead.
• Dwight Howard muscles his way inside, foul on Rasheed. Howard misses both. Rasheed drives inside, misses, taps it back up. Nice second effort from Rasheed. Sheed forces the miss, rebound, outlet pass, fastbreak, Tayshaun gets the layup after the feed from Rip Hamilton. Timeout Orlando with 6 minutes to play in the quarter
• Rip Hamilton misses another midrange shot badly. He’s gotten open off of those screens but his shot has looked terrible. He’s not just missing, he’s missing badly, lot of iron.
• Steal Rip Hamilton, centres the ball, Tay hits him back, layup. Let’s see if that gets him going.
• Rasheed misses the turnaround over Howard. McDyess steals Howard’s dribble.
• Detroit lead 16-12 off of two Hamilton FTs
• Mo Evans throws the ball out of play trying to take advantage of a Piston (Hunter) who fell over. That’s the seventh turnover for the Magic, they’ve been very sloppy and have several times tried to make passes too quickly before they were set to make the pass.
• Prince on the iso, half the court is cleared out for him, backs down Evans, backs him down some more, short jump hook from 10, miss, Maxiell on the offensive board, back to Prince, quick J from 16 feet, good. Detroit lead 20-13 with under 3 minutes to play.
• 7-0 run by Orlando. Tied at 20-20. 30 seconds to play in the first quarter. Hayes takes Mo Evans in the post, misses the turnaround. Defensive rebound, Orlando hold it for the final shot, Lewis travels. End of one.
• The Magic have given up 12 points off of turnovers
• Stuckey with the 18 footer off the scren and roll. Detroit lead 23-21.
• Howard draws another foul down in the paint. He’s getting ready to take his 9th FT already tonight.
• Turkoglu with another dumb foul. So many dumb fouls in this series. The Magic, and normally Hedo, play really good defense and then bail out the opposition by fouling. Hedo turns it over on the other end. Nice sequence. Timeout
• Both teams trading punches here. Not a lot of controlling play from either side, both teams fighting through the motions. Neither team is making it their night.
• Orlando turn it over again, that’s 10 turnovers. Orlando lead 33-27 with 5 minutes to play.
• 5-0 run by Detroit in 40 seconds. Rip Hamilton’s three pointer forces SVG to flinch and call a timeout. Howard turned it over for Orlando in between baskets.
• Mo Evans hits a big three on the slow break to stop Detroit’s 10-0 run.
• Foul off the ball on Mo Evans. They’re in the penalty, Tay hits two.
• Lindsey Hunter nails a wide open three in the left corner. Timeout Orlando.
• Orlando miss two FTs, Howard on the offensive boards, three point play. Big swing for Detroit, gotta box out and protect your backboards on free throws.
• Detroit miss, offensive rebound, reset the offense, they hold it for the final shot, clear out for Rip, drives right from the top of the key, foul on Bogans. Rip hits two. Rip has 15 in the quarter.
• Halftime
• Detroit lead 47-41
• Some team stats – Orlando lead 21-18 (Howard on the backboards. Detroit have 10 assists on 16 field goals. Orlando have 6 assists on 15 field goals. Combined steals/blocks Detroit lead 6-3. Orlando is 15-28 from the floor for 54%. Orlando are 4-10 from three and a dismal 7-16 (6-13 Dwight) from the line. The Pistons are 16-43 for 37%. They’re 2-10 from three and 12-13 from the line.
• Orlando have 12 turnovers for 19 Detroit points. No turnovers and the score would be 41-25 Orlando with 12 extra attempts for Orlando to score against tougher Detroit shots in the halfcourt.
• Scoring for Orlando – Dwight has 10, Mo 8, Nelson 8, Hedo 7. Nice balance. Lewis has only 2 points and has struggled. Howard has been dominant when he’s off the free throw line. Orlando’s bench has 6.
• Rip Hamilton had 15 of his 19 points in the second quarter. The rest of Detroit’s starters have 6 points apiece. Their bench has 4.
• Chuck says this game is over, that’s it dull and that he wants to move onto the Hornets-Spurs. I second that. Well perhaps not the game over part, Orlando can win this, but this is seriously dull and this series is over. Detroit are about to make their 6th trip to the conference finals.
• Short video clip of the players arriving for San An, Timmy D looks ready. I can’t think of a better word than ready, I’d be worried if I were a Hornets fan. That’s not a face I’d like to see.

Second half

• Rasheed Wallace air balls a three with 10 minutes to go in the third. Detroit lead 53-47.
• Hedo bags a 16 footer off the dribble drive on the left wing
• Tayshaun misses from 19 feet, Hedo on the boards, Hedo sprints the length of the floor, passes it off to Howard in the paint, dunk. Timeout Detroit.
• Nelson to the rim, layup. 8 point run by Orlando to tie the game.
• Rasheed down on the left blcok, turnaround over Howard, good
• Turnover Howard
• Stuckey hits a layup. Sheed misses a three, rebound McDyess, ball movement, Stuckey sees a gap in the defense, takes into the paint, Howard goes for it, hard collision, Stuckey knocks Howard to the floor and knocks down both FTs. Detroit up 6.
• Rashard Lewis knocks down a three. Magic now on an 8-2 run over the past four minutes. This is getting silly. Can anyone keep it going for more than 4 minutes? Block Howard, to Nelson, to Lewis, layup. Orlando take the lead.
• Orlando have 13 fastbreak points to 4
• Rasheed has the ball midway on the lane in the left block, turnover over his right shoulder, hits it. Detroit back in the lead.
• Rashard drives hard, gets fouled. Hits two. He has 7 in the quarter and 9 in the game. Orlando lead 66-65 with a minute to play in the third. Orlando were 8-18 from the line prior to those two makes. Dooling fouled in the backcourt, hits two FTs, Detroit were in the penalty.
• Rip drives inside, throws up a prayed, Lewis and Gortat had him for the block, Rip just cocked it back and threw up a prayer to avoid the block.
• End of three

Fourth Quarter

• Orlando lead 68-65
• Orlando should win this game. They’ve been the far better side if you ignore the stupid mistakes, even if you count them they’ve been better. Just close it out and lengthen the series.
• Rashard Lewis opens the fourth with two FTs.
• McDyess responds with a 18 footer on the left wing on the catch and shoot. McDyess hits a 19 footer from the top the of the key
• Dooling forces the drive, doesn’t look to pass to Dwight or Rashard, misses the layup
• McDyess from 17 feet from above the left elbow, misses, Maxiell on the offensive glass, kicks it out. Nice set up by Stuckey to create that McDyess shot. Dixon takes a 22 footer off the dribble, misses, Antonio hits the offensive boards, beats Turkogllu to the ball. Pistons miss again, finally Orlando protect their boards.
• Hedo drives right into the right lane, takes the runner, blocked by Maxiell
• Dooling misses a three. Take him out coach! He’s thick. I lvoe him but he’s dumb and makes horrible decisions offensively in the fourth quarter
• Stuckey blows by Dooling from 40 feet, drove left, took the open lane to the hoop, hit the layup. Pistons take the lead
• Orlando haven’t scored since those FTs. We’re at the 8 minute mark, Lewis got his at 11:39 mark.
• Hedo misses another runner. Nelson is back in.
• Orlando collapsing again
• Rasheed misses, McDyess with the offensive rebound over Lewis, long rebound, Lewis couldn’t hold him off and was too busy fighting for position to actually go get the ball anyway. McDyess with the loose ball foul over the back on the next shot attempt.
• 7 minute mark, Orlando still haven’t scored.
• Howard has great position in the paint, foul by Detroit on the deck.
• It’s been 5 scoreless minutes for Orlando
• Howard gets the clear out from 16 feet out on the right wing, Wallace rips it from Howard.
• Orlando are 0/6 from the floor and have 2 turnovers this quarter
• Meanwhile, Lewis fouls McDyess, they’re in the penalty, he shoots two, hits two. he has 12 points and 9 rebounds. Detroit are on a 8-0 run over the last 6 minutes and lead by three. Tayshaun Prince hits a three off the Stuckey feed. Make that 11-0 and a 6 point lead.
• There’s 5:50 left to play. Timeout Orlando
• Detroit have plus 22 points in the turnover department. Orlando could have ran away with this one.
• Hedo misses another
• Stuckey and Dice work the pick and pop, 18 footer from the top of the key, good. 8 point lead.
• Detroit lead 78-70
• Foul on McDyess, they’re in the penalty. There’s 5 minutes to play. Hedo takes two, makes two. Orlando were scoreless for over seven and a half minutes.
• Stuckey fouled by Nelson 40 feet out. He hits one FTs. Both teams in the penalty. Lead at 7 for Detroit.
• Turnover Orlando
• Tayshaun dribbles down the right wing, into the paint, spin across the FT line, out on the left wing, swings the ball, Rasheed with the pass over the top to Dic who had his man (Bogans) pinned. Dice will shoot two after being fouled, he hits two.
• McDyess has 16 and 10 while shooting 6-9 from the field. He has 10 points in the fourth
• Detroit lead 81-72
• Crowd starting to finally get into this game
• Orlando turn it over again
• Stuckey drives it again, Howard blocks it, McDyess gets tho the loose ball, foul.
• 5-0 run Orlando, lead down to 5 for Detroit. Lewis hit a three after a long jumper prior, Bogans I think. Timeout.
• Bogans forces the miss
• Nelson dribbles it off his leg, turnover.
• Detroit have 32 points off turnovers now. Orlando have 5.
• Stuckey drives in against Nelson and gets the lay in
• Dwight misses the FTs, now 6-13, offensive rebound Bogans to Nelson, three pointer
• Bogans almost turns it over, saves it to a teammate, Nelson saves it, great defense by Detroit, back to Bogans, Bogans drives, misses the runner, fouls Prince on the loose ball. Prince hits both.
• Detroit lead 86-80
• Hedo hits on the drive
• Rip misses the baseline J off the bounce, miss. Out of bounds
• Orlando down 85-82
• Hedo drives inside and hits a runner from the left block
• Detroit lead 85-84 with 30 seconds left
• Rasheed misses the 19 footer, off Orlando, Detroit ball. SVG is pissed, he thought that was Orlando ball. Timeout Flip Saunders. There’s 21 seconds to play. Orlando are going to foul.
• Inbounds to Rip, foul. 19.6 seconds to play. Rip is their best FT shooter, he’s 10-10 from the line tonight and has 25 points. No points in the fourth, does now, hits the first, hits the second. Stan is still pissed. Orlando call a 20 second timeout. Detroit up 3.
• Detroit lead 87-84
• Tayshaun Prince blocks Hedo, turnover, Tay fouled, he’ll shoot two. Great drive by Hedo and he tried to dunk it home ala Bron last night but Tay matched him and beat him. Pistons up 5.
• Hedo turns it over
• Pistons ball

This is over. Detroit win and they’re heading to the conference finals. Well they grinded that out. Detroit didn’t play well btu they took advantage of Magic mistakes and made just enough plays down the stretch to close it out.

Great Article On Garnett

Michael Grange of the Globe and Mail wrote a really interesting article on KG, here’s the link:

Here’s some excerpts

Can I have my MVP vote back?

Kind of cheesy, because I didn’t have an MVP vote this year. But if I did I would have thought long and hard about putting Kevin Garnett on top. I had him and Kobe and 1 and 1A, with Chris Paul at 1AA, if that’s possible.

On last night against the Cavs

The knock against the Big Ticket has always been that for an A-list player he’s decidedly B-list in the fourth quarter.

Last night as the Celtics were sputtering against the Cavaliers it was pretty amazing to see little Garnett asserted himself in the second half. He kept letting Ben Wallace and Varejao tie him up on the block before kicking it out or settling for a fadeaway. He would rise for a shot and make a jump pass – a sure sign of not being sure. One time he caught the ball in motion in the lane and instead of lifting for an eight-footer he spit it back out as soon as he touched it.

Garnett deserves credit for getting his team off to a good start on the road – he had 13 points and eight rebounds in the first half – but how does a player that good get two points and two rebounds in the second half and go scoreless in the fourth?

Studying the 82games clutch stats

According 82games.com’s ‘clutch stats’ – which tracks player performance (on a per 48 minute basis) in games where the margin is five points or less with five minutes or less to play in the fourth quarter or during overtime, Garnett has been disappearing all season.

Garnett appeared in 27 games that fit the category and shot just 41 per cent in the guts of those contests, compared with his overall mark of 54 per cent. And while Yao was earning 23.2 free throw attempts (per 48 minutes) in the clutch and Nowitzki 19.9, Garnett averaged just 7.9 trips. Chris Bosh did nearly twice as well, averaging 13.7. (Not surprisingly it’s ball-handling guards and wings who dominate these stats – the Kobe’s and the Ginobili’s, so I’m just looking at bigs.)

His plus-minus (again, not the greatest stat, but still) was -25, which is pretty bad considering Garnett only played 27 games that fit the category and Boston was 66-16 on the season. Oh, and Boston was just 15-13 in close games on the year.

LeBron was +141 to lead the league. Plus-minus is really a team stat, but consider that everyone else – pretty much – in the -25 range were good players on bad teams.

It’s a good read, go check out the rest of the article.

Interesting Quotes, Bos-Cle Related

Coach Doc Rivers said his team needed to play better “under stress” during the final stretch of games. Kevin Garnett responded

“I wouldn’t say we’re lacking poise,” Garnett said. “In a situation like ours, we are trying to do everything that Doc wants us to do. He makes all the calls. He gives us direction. For the most part, we pretty much try to do what he wants.”

Kevin’s blaming Doc. He’s refusing to take any of the blame himself. There’s no other way to look at that quote. He’s looking for the cop-out.

Have you ever heard Shaquille O Neal say something like that? No. It’s the players responsibility and every champion knows that. Even this season Shaq took the blame and said the players didn’t do enough, that it’s not on D’Antoni, it’s on them. That they’re the ones who play, who have to execute the game plan, and have to win the games.

The team hasn’t done what Doc Rivers wanted. They didn’t take it the hoop like he told them with 8 minutes to go in the quarter in the Cavs penalty. They didn’t take good shots. They took those “hero shots” that Doc kept telling them not to take. Rondo repeatedly looked for his shot instead of being a playmaker.

This is a loser’s attitude from Kevin Garnett. The one he’s always had. Get it together Kevin.

………..

Some people have been adamant about PJ Brown being over the hill, I completely disagree. He had an excellent season last year and has been very solid in the playoffs. Here’s what Ben Wallace had to stay on the subject:

Wallace, who had played with the 6-foot-11 power forward in Chicago, told the Boston Globe: “We didn’t start winning until we put him back in the lineup [last season]. He definitely still can play.”

“He’s a professional,” Cleveland’s Ben Wallace had said of Brown when the Celtics signed the 38-year-old off his living room couch in late February. “He’s a veteran who’s going to come in and do his work. He knows the game. He does a lot of talking when he’s on the floor, and that’s going to help the younger guys out.”

Game Four: Cleveland vs Boston

This is probably a must win for Cleveland. If the Cavs lose they’ll need to win three straight and two of those are in Boston, don’t like those odds for them.

Celtics have struggled mightily on the road in the playoffs. This is one of those swing games that could really effect their confidence the rest of the way. I don’t like the idea of them losing 5 straight on the road to start while clearly showing a lack of mental strength in the postseason

• Here we go, Z wins the tip
• LeBron in the mid post, fallaway over Pierce on the baseline, rims out. Nicer shot than several of his past shots
• Ray misses the 18 footer after dribbling the baseline.
• Wally hits a three. Ray Allen went to help on LeBron, Wally was open on the opposite (left) wing
• Z takes the fadeaway from the low post, misses
• LeBron on the steal from Garnett’s offensive rebound, passes it back to Delonte, Delonte kicks it ahead, Rondo taps the ball loose from behind.
• Z takes the hook shot in the lane, miss
• Garnett gets a quick post up in transition, fallaway over Z
• LeBron with a lovely bounce pass to Delonte who went backdoor and got the easy two
• LeBron with a terrible defensive rotation. Boston ran a high screen and roll near the end of the clock, Wallace switched onto to Pierce and took the drive away, Bron didn’t bother to cover KG resulting in an open lane to the rim, open passing lane for Pierce, open layup for KG. Bad defense James.
• Rondo is open from 17 feet, miss.
• Delonte drives on the othe end, hits the runner.
• Cavs double and trap Ray Allen, ah bad foul. They had him, they were playing good defense only for Wally to bail Ray out with a foul.
• Turnover, fastbreak, Wally leads the break, ahead to Wallace at the rim, touch pass around KG to James, dunk, nope, fouled. Misses both. He’s missed both FG attempts also.
• KG with a 18 footer. He’s 3-3 from the field. The rest of the team is 0-5.
• Ilgauskas off the dribble, gets inside, blocked by KG. Turnover.
• Rondo takes the floater over Wallace, misses, Ben bothered him, Z rebounds, Rondo form behind steals the ball. Rondo resets the offense, then takes the dribble drive, another floater, another miss, Perk rebounds, Perk misses, KG rebounds, KG fouled from behind by Delonte, gets the putback and the FT.
• Boston lead 11-9
• Wally air balls a three. Garnett throws the outlet, Rondo sprints the floor, jumps in the lane, has nowhere to go, Ray retrieves the ball. Ray resets the offense, then attacks and sets up Rondo for the 17 foot baseline J
• Wally hits a long two
• Turnover. LeBron and Wally go 2-on-1 against Ray Allen. Bron centres it, gets it back, goes up, Ray hits him, Bron’s sheer strengths smacks Ray to the ground and Bron gets the layup to go.
• Timeout
• Ray Allen hits a mid range J
• Z hits the 17 footer on the left wing. Danny Gibson set that up with the baseline penetration
• Perkins takes the post up, goes one-on-one, turnaround in the middle, miss. LeBron runs up, shoots the three, miss. Perkins offensive foul. Four minutes to go in the first
• Gibson dribbled the ball for 14 seconds at the top of the key, gets it to Bron, long J, miss
• Nice cut by Rondo, layup
• LeBron James steps on the baseline on the offensive rebound, Unlucky. Nice move to the rim to take advantage of the open space on Z’s long jumper
• Timeout
• Celtics lead 17-16. Garnett is 4-4 for 9 points. Bron is 1-5.
• Pierce misses, rebound LeBron. He brings it up, dribbles for 10 seconds, tries to thread the needle to Joe Smith on the backdoor cut, Joe can’t handle the pass
• Rondo hits from 19 feet over Gibson
• Gibson comes off a screen, three, nope, great rotation out by Garnett to take away that shot, Gibson looked wide open there. Gibson stays calm, dribbles up top, Rondo runs out, switch, Gibson drives, gets passed the left elbow, off balance fadeaway, hits it
• Leon Powe avoids the charge, misses the layup, rebound Varajeo, Powe smacks it out of play
• LeBron on the drive, fouled, gets the midrange runner, and htis the FT
• Powe on the screen and roll, nice roll, gets the pass, fouled.
• Posey comes into the game. Powe ties the game at 21 on that FT. There’s a little over a minute left in the first.
• LeBron uses the screen and roll, settles for a 20 footer, misses.
• Leon Powe with the long stride spinning into the lane, pump fake, Varajeo not buying, Powe goes up, misses.
• Joe Smith down low hits the turnaround over Posey. Cleveland take back the lead.
• Boston hold for the final shot, Rondo dribbles up top, uses the high screen and roll with Pierce, gets it to Pierce who now has Gibson on him, Pierce gets it to Posey after the double, miss.
• Second Quarter
• 23-21 Cleveland
• Rondo took 7 shots in the first quarter. He hit three of them, two jumpers plus one layup
• Pierce starts the second quarter alongside the bench to form the second unit. We have Sammy/Posey/Powe/PJ on the floor with Paul.
• The Cavs have Joe/Bron/Pavlovic/Varajeo/Gibson.. Gibson misses a two from above the FT line. Boston turn it over on the other end. Posey hit Cassell on the wing, Cassell was already thinking about his next move but forgot to catch the ball first.
• Bron drives inside, passes to Joe in the right corner, shot fake, one hard dribble, fadeaway, hits it.
• Posey cuts through the paint, Gibson switched onto him, easy pass over the little fella for the layup, foul.
• Delonte West has been getting some treatment in the locker room, something to do with his eye
• Screen and roll again, Bron hits Varajeo, layup, goaltending call. Cavs up 27-23 with 10 minutes to go in the half.
• Pierce has Pavlovic on him, catches on the midpost on the left wing, drives baseline, layup
• Pavlovic knifes by Posey, layup, foul, miss. LeBron went over to Pavlovic and told him to D up Pierce, don’t let him get going. Doug Collins loves the communication between teammates.
• Cavs double Pierce. Pierce moves the ball, Sammy drives in takes the midrange J, misses
• LeBron drives into the paint, tough contested runner in the lane, gets it to go off the glass. Tough shot.
• James takes the three, two foot was on the line at the top of the key, misses, in and out. He had to take it to beat the clock.
• Garnett with the turnaround over Varajeo on the left block, miss
• LeBron James gets inside again, hits on the drive. James has 10, first player in double digits. Cavs lead 33-27 with under 8 minutes to go.
• Cavs are in the penalty. Clip of Doc during the timeout telling his team to attack the basekt and make them pay
• Gibson hits the long two over PJ as he was late on the rotation
• Great defense by Varajeo to stop KG getting low on the post, Gibson gave a nice late double team to cause some doubts in KG’s head.
• LeBron gets into the paint again, foul, lowered his shoulder, turnover
• Garnett hits from the top of the key. He’s 5-6 from the field for 13 points now. Garnett has 5 of Boston’s 10 field goals.
• Varajeo goes one on one with KG in the post, spin move, finishes off the glass. Nice move. The bench is 6-7 from the floor for Cleveland.
• KG with an aggressive drive into the middle of the paint, bricks the runner, dives on the loose ball, KG and two Cavs get caught on the floor under the hoop. Cavs gain possession. Timeout
• Gibson drives, hand off to Varajeo, layup. He has 6 points. Cleveland have shot 7-9 in the quarter.
• Ray Allen drives, teardrop, doesn’t get the roll, PJ taps it up
• Gibson flies by Sam again, gets to the rim, layup, fouled. Misses the FT.
• Celtics take a quick shot, miss, James drives and hits Varajeo, Andy misses the 15 footer on the left wing
• Cavs lead 39-33. There’s under 5 minutes to play. Jump ball between KG and James, 6 seconds on the shot clock for Cleveland, KG wins it, Cavs steal it, Wally drives, takes the fallaway from the FT line, misses.
• Good recovery defense by Ben Wallace to take away KG’s 13 footer. He hits it out to Rondo, Rondo drives, looses the ball, steal Wallace. Outlet pass to LeBron, he’s on a breakaway against Pierce. Wrap up foul. They tumbled 12-14 feet on the foul. Pierce was trying to avoid hurting Bron on the foul, Bron recognizes it. Crowd didn’t llike it. Bron hits both FTs.
• Ray Allen goes one-on-one, moves in from the left wing, drives inside, foul. That’s the thid on LeBron. There’s four minutes left in the quarter. Mike Brown …. will he take him out? Yes. Big four minutes for the Cavs. Cleveland needs to hold onto the lead. Celtics need to take the lead. Ray hits both.
• Cavs lead 41-35
• Pavlovic misses from 18 feet. Fastbreak Boston, Pierce gets the layup over Sasha. Delonte misses a J. Boston push it back up, Pavlovic caught in a screen, quick three by PIerce, miss. Doug Collins doesn’t like that shot, I don’t either. Quick low percentage shot. Take it to the hoop and get the lead. Entry pass inside to Z, foul on Perk. That’s three on Perk. Timeout
• Turnover Cavs. There’s three minutes to play. Pierce with a double pump running layup against Pavlovic. Wallace misses the dunk over PJ, West misses the three. Pierce misses, Rondo has the offensive rebound, Celtics work the ball, Rondo from 20 feet in the corner, miss. Ben Wallace with the big rebound.
• PJ Brown with nice defense on Z. KG traps hard. He’s doubling Z on every pass, heck he’s doubling before the pass. Boston are on an 8-0 run now and the game is tied at 41. The Cavs haven’t scored in four and a half minutes. Rondo gets the ball, pushes it on the break, falls over, turnover. There’s 50 seconds to play. Cavs need a bucket before halftime. Gibson comes back in to share the backcourt with West. Gibson drives inside, finds Big Ben, misses, Z tips it, miss, Z taps it, good.
• Timeout Boston. There’s 26 seconds on the clock. Let’s see what they do out of the timeout. Doc and KG having a conversation, KG seems a bit upset. Pierce iso, they work the ball, Ray hits a long two. Tied at 43
• Timeout Cleveland. They have 7.2 seconds. Whatever happens they can’t turn the ball over or take a good shot. Boston cannot recieve another shot. Gibson drives hard on the left wing, blocking foul on Rondo. Gibson hits two.
• Halftime
• Cleveland lead 45-43
• Some Team Stats – Boston have been working Cleveland over on the backboards, leading 23-18 and 5-2 offensive. Combined blocks/steals is 4-3 Boston. Boston have 6 turnovers, Cavs 4. Boston have shot 40% from the floor, 0-4 from three and 13-15 from the line. Cleveland have shot 44% from the field, 1-3 from downtown and 10-14 at the line. The Cavs have 10 assists on 17 FGs. Boston have 9 on 15 FGs. Celtics shot only 2 FTs after getting the Cavs into the penalty with 8 minutes to go.
• KG leads the way for Boston with 13 points (5-8) and 8 boards. Pierce, Ray, Rondo have 6-7 points each. Pierce has four boards and three dimes also. The bench for Boston has 9 points.
• LeBron James has 12 points (4-10), 5 assists and 4 rebounds to lead the Cavs. Delonte West has played only 9 minutes scoring 4 points, Z has 6 (plus 5 boards), Wally has 5. The bench has 18 points. Ben Wallace has only 2 rebounds, Varajeo has only 2 rebounds, Joe has only 1 rebound. The Cavs big men need to get on the glass.
• Charles likes the situation for the Celtics, they have more weapons and a close game suits them coming into the second half. I agree.

Second half

• Rondo and Wally trade baskets. Dumb foul by Wally, he hit Ray on a three pointer. Three FTs coming up. Nice way for Ray to find his shooting touch. Ray hits two of three.
• Wally hits the jumper on the weak side of the floor after Bron gives it up
• Kevin moves out of the low post, takes the 18 footer over the top on Ben. C’s up 50-49.
• Screen for Ray by KG, takes the open three at the top of the key, bad miss. That barely hit the side of the rim, it hit the back of the side also.
• Cavs turnover. Ray brings it up, runs another screen and roll, gets a second screen from the trailor, he cuts the corner, drives inside, has the layup, misses it
• Wally hits a three from the left corner
• Rondo drives inside and hits the layup over Wallace off glass. Pretty finish.
• Nice ball movement from Cleveland. Bron on the right wing, double, up top to Delonte to Wally on the left wing, to Big Ben on the left block, touch pass to Z, touch layup.
• Big Ben misses the hook shot in the lane as he beats the shot clock. Cavs never got into their offense. James looked in pain from a fall on the defensive possession prior. He was slow to get involved. His team didn’t have enough time to get a good shot.
• LeBron with a 40 foot bounce pass to Z in the post, turnover. Bad pass. Turnovers tied at 6 apiece.
• Ray Allen comes off the baseline screen, Wally cheated, Ray faded to the corner, hit the three
• Wally comes right back and returns the favour, screen off the ball, hits from 22 feet on the right wing.
• LeBron collision off the ball with Ray. He gets up, gets the ball, drives left from the right wing, has his pocket picked by Rondo. Turnover. Steal Rondo, foul in the backcourt to stop the fastbreak. Timeout.
• The Cavs have started the second half very poorly. Lackadaisical play especially from James. They need to move into their offense quicker and get better shots. The Celtics have been better but not by much.
• Tap out by Z, James wide open from three, he’s two-four feet behind the line, takes it, makes it. Cavs lead 61-60.
• Rondo hits over West. Consecutive baskets by Rondo. Rajon has 15 points.
• West drives right into Perkins, takes the contact, finishes the tough layup
• Garnett blocked by James from behind. Lovely ball movement from Boston. They’re working Ray on those baseline screens, Ray is making a touch pass on the trap, Celtics moving the ball quickly and getting very good looks at the hoop.
• Ilgauskas drives right on the baseline, fouled. Z hits both at the line.
• Rondo takes the fallaway three to beat the shot clock, miss, rebound James. Loose ball foul on PJ Brown, knocking Varajeo to the ground going for the rebound.
• Cavs lead 64-63 with 2:26 remaining. Cavs ball. Timeout.
• TNT had a clip there of KG saying how tired all players are after these tough playoff games. They, Celtics, look like that in close games.
• James drives inside, spots Joe for the layup, great recovery by Boston, challenged the shot, Joe didn’t get the layup to go. That would have been a big hoop.
• Minute and a half to go. Posey in the corner, gets it back up, Ray works West, misses the spinning fallaway J off the dribble from 18 feet on the top of the key
• James works his way inside again, drive and kick to Joe for the 19 footer, hits it.
• Varajeo fouls Posey off the ball. No fouls to give, he’ll shoot two, he’ll make two. Cavs lead 66-65 with 46 seconds to play in the third.
• Ray Allen has 15 points, 9 in the quarter
• West hits Bron off the curl, Bron leaves it back for Joe, touch pass to Varajeo, layup. Lovely play by Bron and Joe. Nice set. I love seeing James curl off screens, so dangerous, so tough to defend.
• James comes out to avoid picking up his fourth foul. There’s 7 seconds left, KG takes at the buzzer, misses. End of three.
• Cavs ended the third qith a 7-2 run to take the lead back
• Cleveland shot 56% in the third quarter

Fourth Quarter

• Great clip of Doc Rivers letting Rondo know he wasn’t happy “that’s a hero’s shot, that’s a hero’s shot, make a play, that’s a hero’s shot, you agree?” Rondo just nods. He’s looking for his shot too often.
• Sam/Posey/Pierce/PJ/Davis vs Bron/Gibson/Wally/Varajeo/Joe/Wally
• PJ Brown knocks down the 15 footer on the pick and pop with Sam Cassell
• Gibson knifes by Cassell, gets inside, PJ rotates over, Gibson keeps his dribble alive and runs into the middle, fallaway, hits it from 11 feet. Joe Smith with another defensive rebound.
• James takes the three, rims in and out. Bad luck. 10 minutes to go.
• Glen Davis takes a fast short jump shot out of the post
• James drives right, no help on the right side, James gets to the rim, fouled by two players. It’s on BBD. James misses the first FT, hits the second FT. He’s 5-8 from the line. Cavs up four. James has 16.
• Sam drives inside, Sam pump fakes, Joe goes for it, gets hit in the midsection by Sammy on the shot, he’s winded, taking his time to get up. Nice move by Cassell. Glen should attack Joe on this second FT but I doubt Sammy misses, he hits both.
• James on the clear out, Gibson runs around the baseline screen, Gibson gets the catch on the left wing, starts to move on Cassell, push foul on Sam. Timeout. 9 minutes to play.
• Little weave from the Cavs, Gibson will take the three over Cassell, hits it. Cavs up 5.
• Pierce hits the fallaway from 17 feet, that’s his fourth field goal.
• 8 minutes to go
• Pierce takes a pull up three on the push, brick, off of PJ’s knees. Turnover. Terrible shot by Pierce. That could have put a huge amount of pressure on the Cavs if they got a basket inside.
• Look away pass by James to Joe, layup. James has 16 points and 10 dimes tonight. Doug Collins – “he’s 5-14 but he’s still the best player on the floor”. James has played well tonight. Like Joe johnson did in game six down in Atlanta. His passing and ability to run the half court offense have been huge.
• Cassell has a three rim out. KG and Ray is back in with 7 minutes to play.
• Cavs lead 76-71
• Garnett tripled lightly in the paint, gives it to PJ, PJ hits the 15 footer from the opposite wing. He has all four bench field goals tonight.
• Long quick jumper by Wally. Bad shot. Defensive rebound Varajeo, Boston missed an easy one in the paint, I think that was Cassell on the drive.
• Loose ball foul on Pierce. That’s two on Pierce. Great play by Gibson beating Pierce to that loose ball. The Cavs lead 76-73 with 5:42 to play. Sam heads to the bench for Rondo. Sam is pissed, he’s cursing at himself right now. He’s not happy with his contribution. Rondo back in.
• Gibson gets into the paint, tough runner, misses. Nice drive though, he blew right by Ray Allen.
• KG misses his turnaround jumper
• James takes a tough shot in the paint, brick. Rebound Boston, fastbreak, Pierce pushes inside, layup, miss, rebound Varajeo. Good job by Delonte West challening Pierce on the break and his shot attempt.
• Screen and roll wtih James and Joe, Joe from 18 feet, miss, offensive rebound falls right into James’ hands. Timeout Cleveland. There’s four minutes nine seconds to play.
• James’ scoring – 8 points in the paint, 3 points from three, 5 points at the line, 0 from midrange where he’s taking most of his jumpers. LeBron has missed 6 consecutive shots now. Make that 7 as he forces the fadeaway three to beat the buzzer.
• Garnett misses the 18 footer on the right baseline on the screen and roll
• James hits the three pointer off of the Varajeo screen. They left him open. The bigs didn’t trap, they were more worried about the roll. It was right in on that left sideline where James had hardly any room to maneouver, great place to trap.
• Timeout Doc. Cavs lead 79-73. There’s 3:13 left to play. Posey, KG, Rondo, Ray, Pierce. Big Z and Big Ben are on the bench for Cleveland for Varajeo and Joe. Gibson is at the point with Wally and James on the wing.
• Pierce on the hard drive, fadeaway short J off the bank from 8 feet off the drive. Tough drive.
• Pick and roll between James and Gibson, wide open three, Gibson nails it. Cavs lead 82-75 with 2:16 to play.
• Boston miss, loose ball, KG dives on it, Varajeo and co all dive on top of KG. Jump ball between Joe and KG. Cavs need this ball, not sure who won the tip, both got a piece of it, Boston gain possession. James from behind knocks the ball loose form KG’s grips, Joe Smith has it. His 9th rebound tonight.
• James off the screen and roll, into the lane, powerful dunk. Cavs up 9 with under 2 minutes to play. Nice dunk over KG. That was anger.
• Timeout
• Garnett loses the ball in the post, brilliant defense by Varajeo, Pierce drives, misses it, Gibson gets the rebound.
• LeBron to Varajeo, he banks it over Garnett. Cavs up 11 with a minute to play. This is over.
• 8 of the last 10 Cleveland opponents have scored under 90 points. Excellent work.
• Pierce hits the spinning 17 footer from the top of the key. 9 point game. Cavs get it in and up easily. West is dribbling out the clock, now Gibson is, Varajeo hits a 18 footer at the end of the shot clock. Turnover Celtics, LeBron stole it from Pierce. Bron dribbles it out. This is over. Crowd giving a standing ovation.

Cavs win 88-77. Great win from Cleveland tonight. The series is tied at 2 apiece, we’re heading back to Boston with all the pressure on the Celtics to respond. Best of three now.

Another disappointing performance from Boston. Their offense has been terrible considering their wealth of weapons on the road.

Some Stats

1. The Celtics scored only 12 points in the fourth quarter. The Big Three had only 6 of those points.
2. Ernie said it best – James shot 7-20 tonight and his shooting percentage went up!
3. Kevin Garnett had only 2 points in the second half. None in the fourth.
4. In the last 17:20 of the game Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen went scoreless. PJ Brown had 4 points. Nice ratio.
5. The Big Three combined for 43 points.
6. Boston shot 39% on 70 attempts from the field, 3-14 from three, 20-26 FTs
7. Cleveland shot 46% on 77 attempts from the floor, 6-17 (35%) from three, 12-18 from the line
8. The Cavs ran the rebounding battle 42-38. They outrebounded Boston by 9 in the second half.
9. Cleveland had 24 assists on 35 field goals
10. Boston had 16 assists on 27 makes
11. Combined blocks and steals were even at 7 apiece
12. LeBron James had 21 points, 13 assists, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks
13. Gibson had 14 points, Varajeo had 12 points, Wally had 14 points. The top trio of Cleveland scorers outscored the Big three by 6 points. Joe added 8 and 6 (the box score might be wrong here, announcers said he had 9 boards, felt like 9 anyway).
14. The Cavs bench outscored Boston 36-17
15. Varajeo, James, Joe, Gibson all had 6 rebounds each. Ben Wallace and Ilgauskas had 7 rebounds apiece
16. Pierce shot 6-17 leading the team in field goal attempts. Rondo shot the ball the second most with 14 attempts, hitting 7 for 15 points. Garnett was 6-14 and Ray was 4-10 (2-4 from three).
17. Posey had only 3 points and 4 rebounds. His defense was very good but not as brilliant as previous games.
18. Perkins had 2 points and 4 rebounds in 19 minutes. He was the only Celtic to have a positive plus/minus tonight, it was 4 points the better. Everybody else was single digits negative below 7 except for Posey who was minus 18.
19. Not surprisingly Joe, Varajeo, James, Gibson all had +15 plus minuses. Why not surprising? Because they were the guys on the floor at the end when Cleveland pulled the game away.
20. Boston had 8 turnovers, Cleveland 7.

Some Thoughts

• Anderson Varajeo defended Kevin Garnett brilliantly. KG didn’t know how to attack him. Varajeo was strong enough to hold KG down in the post, to push him off his spots and long enough to contest his jump shots/turnaround jumper.
• “He was the Andy we’ve all grown accustomed to,” LeBron James said. “That’s the best game I’ve seen Andy play in a long time, and we needed it.”
• None of the Big Three stepped up. In fact none of them have this entire series. Garnett had by far the best game during Game One but he only scored 8 points in the last 20 minutes of that game and wasn’t a dominating factor. He just made two big plays in the final two minutes, that’s not nothing but it’s not domination either.
• Rajon Rondo was terrible tonight. Ignore those 15 points. He destroyed Boston’s offense. He’s the point guard, he’s the one who directs the play and controls the floor. Kevin Garnett recieved hardly any post ups in the first three quarters. Ray Allen was being missed on screens all night. Rajon got obsessed with scoring rather than making plays and putting his teammates in better positions to score the ball. He should not be second for FG attempts. His lack of shooting was exploited all night but Cleveland’s cheating defense. On the other end his defense was mediocre again.
• LeBron James looks more comfortable against this Boston defense. His shot still isn’t falling but he’s making lots of big plays. He was easily the best player on the park tonight.
• Joe Smith had another huge game for Cleveland. I really like what he brings to this team, his offense, defense, reliability, shooting, experience.
• Wally outplayed Ray Allen again

Fun From Big Z

A little fun from Big Z, discussing his lovely finger roll off the dribble during Game Three

Center Zydrunas Ilgauskas put the ball on the floor with his left hand and drove in from the top of the key for a “1-foot driving finger-roll layup,” as the official play-by-play described it.

“I think every time I put the ball on the floor, coach [Mike] Brown’s heartbeat goes up by 10 beats a minute,” Ilgauskas said.

Brown said, “You can take the words ‘I think’ out of that quote.”

Ilgauskas said the move felt better than it looked.

“I saw the replay — man, I looked really slow,” he said, laughing. “I thought I was faster. It was a little depressing.”

Mike Brown’s reaction

“It is a little scary to see Z [handling the ball],” Brown said. “But the reality of it is Z has had some terrific drive-and-kicks for us in this postseason. So I’m not going to encourage it, but every time he does it and it works out, I’m going to say ‘Yes.’ If he does it and it doesn’t work out, we’ll deal with it afterward.”

Game Four: San Antonio vs New Orleans

Scroll down to the bottom for a box score roundup and some notes on the game.

• San Antonio up 12-8
• West hesitates on the 17 footer, dribbles in to the FT line, takes it, misses it
• Manu Ginobili from three, yes
• Paul and Parker trade pick and rolls and drives to the rim. Great play by the two.
• David West says no more jump shots, passes up the jumper, takes it hard to the rim and gets it to go
• Spurs lead 22-16, Timeout
• Pargo hits a three from the right wing. Him going off would be a huge thing for the Hornets.
• Parker responds right back. He has 11 points (4-6) and 4 assists already.
• Paul with a 20 footer off the dribble, misses. He leads New Orleans with 8. Looks like another duel.
• Duncan fouled on the move. They had one to give.
• Manu Ginobili is now the backup point guard. Appearantly Pop is shortening the rotation. Good move. I like that.
• West blocks Oberto, fastbreak, Paul pushes the ball, Paul trapped by three Spurs at the three point line, Paul loses it, kick ball by Paul. Turnover.
• Spurs hold it for the final shot of the quarter. Tony comes back in, Tony with the drive and kick to Finley, wide open at the top of the key, misses
• Spurs lead 24-22 at the end of one
• Duncan doubled down low, out to Manu, three pointer, good
• Bonzi posts up Udoka, throws it out, looks for it, face up J, good. Nice play by Bonzi. It’d be a huge lift for New Orleans if he could get a few baskets here for them. That’s his first bucket of the night. Turnover Wells on the next possession. Udoka hit an open three from the corner in between the two Wells moves.
• The Big Three have 27 of the Spurs 32 points
• Stat from game three – hat tip to Reggie repeating Scott’s work – 32 of the Spurs 42 points in the paint came from the guards
• Offensive foul on David West as he pushes off Oberto after the screen
• Parker to the rim again. The Spurs lead 36-26
• Pargo forces the drive, gets a layup, misses it, rebound is on the deck, Pargo scraps for it, gets it back, shoots it back up, swatted by Duncan. Turnover.
• Duncan on the left block, double team, quick pass cross court to the right corner to Bruce Bowen who hits the three pointer. Timeout Hornets. 12-2 run Spurs
• Wright missed jump shots early, passes up another, travels on the drive
• Parker cuts through the middle, changes his mind, posts up Paul, gets the pass and layup as Paul jumps out of the way on the ball fake
• Finley takes one hard dribble right, pull up from 19 feet with two hands in his face, money in the bank. I love seeing Finley hit that shot, it means some big things for San An.
• Screen and roll with Duncan and Parker, Parker comes off hitting from 18 feet. He has 17 points and that’s how much San Antonio lead by.
• Paul knocks down a runner after two FTs
• Duncan spins into the post, fouled, hits the layup, misses the FT
• Paul hits a long J
• Spurs up 47-35. Timeout Spurs. Three minutes to play in the half. Spurs need to keep this lead in double figures, preferably get it back above 15.
• Paul misses a three at the shot clock buzzer, miss, loose ball San Antonio. Hornets reset, Paul forces a layup, misses, long rebound, he tracks it down, Paul runs it in, steal Parker, Paul hits him in the mouth trying to fight for that ball back, Parker is pissed, Duncan comes over and calms him down and tells him good work …. good work? Oh yeah he didn’t sweat the hit for a second, instead led a one man fastbreak and had a three point play after being fouled again on his layup attempt. Tough cookie. Plays to the whistle, I like that.
• David West knocks down the 17 footer from the right wing. Double foul on Mo Pete and Manu off the ball. Getting physical.
• Duncan in a lot of room down low, takes the short hook. He’s 6-7 for 12 points and 5 rebounds
• Peterson open in the corner, Parker sprints 20 feet to get a hand in his face, miss, rebound West, to the cutting Peterson, foul. Mo hits two of two
• Spurs lead 50-39
• Robert Horry comes on for San Antonio and he recieves a standing ovation as he now has tied Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the NBA record for postseason games played with 237. He hits a long J immediately. Then stops West down on the block. Now spaces the court, throws a nice cross court pass.
• Great defense by the Hornets, Paul knocked it away, Parker got the step, Chandler and West come off their men and stop the drive, force him outside of the paint, Chandler knocks it away, Ginobili gets it, shoots it, Chandler blocks it. Nice play Hornets.
• Hack A Chandler. Tyson hits 2 of 2. Spurs lead 52-40.
• 15 seconds to play, Spurs hold it for the final shot. Timeout. Spurs go early to Duncan, Duncan hand off to Manu, quick pass back, Duncan drives from the right elbow, fouled by Ely, hits the runner off the glass. He has 15 and 7 plus two blocked shots after the three point game.
• Hornets have 10 seconds to use here. Peja inbounds to Paul, Parker pressures him, changes his mind, Paul bullies his way into the paint, pushes off, not called, gets the layup
• Halftime
• Spurs lead 55-42
• Team Stats – Spurs lead the boards 20-17 although New Orleans have 7 offensive boards to 3 San An offensive rebounds. The Spurs have 14 assists on 23 made FGs. The Hornets have 8 assists on 17 made FGs. Hornets are shooting 40% (3 shots more than the Spurs), 3-6 from three and 5-6 from the line. The Spurs are shooting 58%, 4-14 from three and 5-8 from the line. Hornets have 6 turnovers, Spurs 5. Combined blocks/steals edge to New Orleans 8-7.
• Some Hornets stats – David West is struggling to hit his jumpers. He shot 4-13 for 8 points. He has only 2 rebounds and 1 assist. Hornets can’t win without him being a 20+ scorer. Not with Peja being held down, Peja has 6 on 4-7 shooting. Pargo hit two threes but was 2-7 from the floor. Bonzi had one bucket, Mo Pete one bucket and two FTs. Chandler hasn’t shot the ball, either has Ely. Julian Wright has struggled with his shot. His energy and defense have been solid but his lack of offense has hurt when he’s in the game. The Spurs have shut down the supporting cast and West is having a bad shooting night, Hornets can’t surivive that. Someone needs to get going, probably 2-3 guys. Chris Paul leads the charge with 14 (6-10), 4 dimes and 5 boards.
• Some Spurs stats – Duncan has 15, Parker 18. That’s 33 of the Spurs 55. Add another 8 for Manu and that’s 41 of the 55 points. Bowen and Udoka combined for 10 points while Horry and Finley chipped in with a bucket each. Duncan (7-10) has 1