2008 NBA Finals: Lakers vs. Celtics

[Brett Favre 0]

Didn't LeBron get swept last year in the Finals and look rather pedestrian (.356 FG%/.200 3PFG%/.690 FT%)? You can't have one series be the decisive margin between two guys when they're not playing each other.

 

The second best player on that team was like Drew Gooden. LeBron faced this same Celtic team by himself and did way better.

 

Kobe can't even get a shot off.

[naiwf 0]

I will predict now that the Lakers end up at least +10-15 from the line in Game 6 and that Game 7 on Thursday night will be the most hyped basketball game ever.

[Ripper 0]

I gottta tell ya. The Celtics have been getting dicked over right here in the last few minutes. Garnett just so HAPPENS to miss that tip in...ignoring Farmar knocking him out the way with his body. That was cute.

 

But yeah, I think the Celtics close this out next game.

[naiwf 0]

Didn't LeBron get swept last year in the Finals and look rather pedestrian (.356 FG%/.200 3PFG%/.690 FT%)? You can't have one series be the decisive margin between two guys when they're not playing each other.

 

The second best player on that team was like Drew Gooden. LeBron faced this same Celtic team by himself and did way better.

 

Kobe can't even get a shot off.

 

I'd agree except for the fact that LeBron played like shit against the Celtics this postseason.

 

Game 1 - 2-18 FG, 0-6 3P, 8-10 FT

Game 2 - 6-24 FG, 0-4 3P, 9-13 FT

Game 3 - 5-16 FG, 3-5 3P, 8-12 FT

Game 4 - 7-20 FG, 2-5 3P, 5-8 FT

Game 5 - 12-25 FG, 0-5 3P, 11-13 FT

Game 6 - 9-23 FG, 1-3 3P, 13-15 FT

Game 7 - 14-29 FG, 3-11 3P, 14-19 FT

 

TOTALS 55-135 (.407), 9-39 (.231), 68-90 (.756)

[Ripper 0]

The end of that game was so horribly officiated.

[Damaramu 0]

I just really can't picture the Lakers winning this series at all at this point. They had a 19 and 14 point lead and still almost lost the game.

 

Of course the Lakers fans are running around and saying "We still believe! It's not over! If anyone can do it Kobe can!" Is Kobe going to hit some magical switch in 6 and 7? He's looked pretty bad up until this point. It's ok to have faith in your team, but looking at it realistically it's pretty obvious this series is over.

[Brett Favre 0]

Didn't LeBron get swept last year in the Finals and look rather pedestrian (.356 FG%/.200 3PFG%/.690 FT%)? You can't have one series be the decisive margin between two guys when they're not playing each other.

 

The second best player on that team was like Drew Gooden. LeBron faced this same Celtic team by himself and did way better.

 

Kobe can't even get a shot off.

 

I'd agree except for the fact that LeBron played like shit against the Celtics this postseason.

 

Game 1 - 2-18 FG, 0-6 3P, 8-10 FT

Game 2 - 6-24 FG, 0-4 3P, 9-13 FT

Game 3 - 5-16 FG, 3-5 3P, 8-12 FT

Game 4 - 7-20 FG, 2-5 3P, 5-8 FT

Game 5 - 12-25 FG, 0-5 3P, 11-13 FT

Game 6 - 9-23 FG, 1-3 3P, 13-15 FT

Game 7 - 14-29 FG, 3-11 3P, 14-19 FT

 

TOTALS 55-135 (.407), 9-39 (.231), 68-90 (.756)

 

You must have missed the series. The first two games he played like crap. Why don't you add the assist and rebound numbers in Games 3-7? He played very well in crunch time the last 5 games.

 

[Ripper 0]

I just really can't picture the Lakers winning this series at all at this point. They had a 19 and 14 point lead and still almost lost the game.

 

Of course the Lakers fans are running around and saying "We still believe! It's not over! If anyone can do it Kobe can!" Is Kobe going to hit some magical switch in 6 and 7? He's looked pretty bad up until this point. It's ok to have faith in your team, but looking at it realistically it's pretty obvious this series is over.

All that was missing was a guarantee that the series was over and this would be the ultimate jinx post.

[Guest]

I wouldn't say it's obvious that the series is over. Win one at a time. Odom and Gasol are playing super hard. Kobe needs to be more efficient. Get more from THE MACHINE. It's possible.

 

Did you guys forget how Kobe played in series previous to this and in Game 3 as well? He can do it. Writing the Lakers off when they've shown they can win on the road...I'm not so sure I'd do that.

[Guest Vitamin X]

The end of that game was so horribly officiated.

You mean like Sam Cassell grabbing Sasha Vujacic around the waist and THROWING him to the ground without so much as even getting a foul called on him, then making a 3 at the other end of the floor and getting fouled without getting touched? Yeah. If Boston won with that bullshit, it would've been a travesty.

 

[Just John 0]

The Lakers better hope for a league conspiracy, otherwise they're gonna get stomped in Boston on Tuesday. That was a very uninspiring win for the LA, blowing two separate double digit leads against a Boston team playing without their starting center and Leon Powe being non-existant after he was announced as a starter. KG played pretty terribly too. The Celts really should maul the Lakers in Game 6.

[Damaramu 0]

The end of that game was so horribly officiated.

You mean like Sam Cassell grabbing Sasha Vujacic around the waist and THROWING him to the ground without so much as even getting a foul called on him, then making a 3 at the other end of the floor and getting fouled without getting touched? Yeah. If Boston won with that bullshit, it would've been a travesty.

 

That was some nice acting by Vujacic, but Cassell had all ball and was just trying to rip it away. Vujacic is such a bitch.

 

I just really don't see the Lakers winning two in a row in Boston. Pierce took over for the most part tonight and I bet he does it from the start of game 6. Even if they lose game 6 (highly unlikely) then they have game 7 with a jacked crowd and the Lakers trying to grab a third victory in a row. No way the Celtics lose two in a row at home.

 

Plus, the Lakers just really haven't looked good at all this series. When they get a lead they can't hold it at all and they seem unable to guard Paul Pierce. The Celtics look like the better team, even in the loss tonight I thought they looked tougher.

[KingPK 0]

The end of that game was so horribly officiated.

 

So was the beginning with that absolutely TURRIBLE phantom call on Garnett's first foul that set the tone. Not to mention the non-reach in call on the Kobe steal.

 

The Lakers still can't play D for a full 4 quarters and their bench guys are dreadful (CHRIS MIHM in an ELIMINATION GAME, Phil!?), so unless Don Stern has second thoughts, this ends Tuesday.

[naiwf 0]

You Celtics fans are going to be shocked when it's 8 against 5 on Tuesday night.

[KingPK 0]

I will say that Garnett got fucking abused by Gasol, who apparently realized that it's smart to be phyiscal against a smaller guy. Clanking those two FTs certainly doesn't help his "Shrinkage" rep, which is a shame because they were probably starting to engrave Pierce's name on the MVP trophy before that.

[Ripper 0]

The end of that game was so horribly officiated.

You mean like Sam Cassell grabbing Sasha Vujacic around the waist and THROWING him to the ground without so much as even getting a foul called on him, then making a 3 at the other end of the floor and getting fouled without getting touched? Yeah. If Boston won with that bullshit, it would've been a travesty.

 

 

Jesus dude, were you just watching the game in passing? First, Cassell had the ball and all ball. And it was a 2 on the other end. And I don't understand the shock and dismay over getting called for a foul when the defensive man leaves his feet and gets jumped into. That is what happenes. That is why you don't leave your feet on a jumpshot. Its really time for people to stop calling that.

 

The biggest turnover of the game was a foul. Then you have a obvious foul on farmar. Then you have the refs ignoring the intentional foul on Gasol (the bad freethrow shooter) then calling it when it got to Kobe (thus losing about 8 seconds also). THEN they let Kobe travel while he and Fisher play "who can make the sloppiest pass" and then ignore the intentional foul on Fisher to stop the clock and let Fish run off another 5 seconds before its called. That was just horribly done.

[Warriorfan 0]

THEY LIVE!

 

I thought The Lakers had no chance so I watched the Good, The Bad, and The Ugly and decided that I would turn it back at midnight just to see the result. Of course, I came just in time to see The Lakers almost blow the game again.

 

Its strange rooting for a team to lose rather than truly being a fan but I would love nothing more than for every man, woman and child in Boston to have to deal with The Lakers raising the trophy in Bahston Garden.

[A Happy Medium 0]

The reach-in that wasn't called was just horrible. It seems to me that while guys can take four steps in the lane and they never call a lane violation, the referees still call the reach-in foul.

 

Kobe didn't touch the ball. He slamed Pierce's elbow and grazed his jersey. He then made what I believe may have been his only field goal of the forth quarter. He'll get on Sportscenter, too.

 

Van Gundy was tearing them a new asshole at the end too.

 

And Pierce...is so pissed off. I honestly believe he may score fifty on Tuesday.

[KingPK 0]

So now both teams travel cross-country overnight and have one day of rest after having two days off between two games in the same city.

 

*Throws up hands*

[Damaramu 0]

You Celtics fans are going to be shocked when it's 8 against 5 on Tuesday night.

 

Surely the NBA wouldn't pull that bullshit with what's been going on lately.

 

The Celtics will be absolutely jacked Tuesday, flight or no flight. I honestly can't picture them coming out listless like they did tonight. And, I can't picture the Lakers being all that jacked in Boston.

 

If the Celtics do somehow lose this series then this seems to be an even bigger epic fail than the Yankees losing to the Red Sox. At least the Sox were somewhat competitive in two of the three games they lost in that series.

 

The Lakers haven't looked like all that except when Boston really isn't trying all that hard (the end of game 2 and the first quarter tonight) and Boston has looked like the absolute better team in nearly every game and quarter for that matter. If they lose game 6 and 7 then it's just a complete epic collapse and failure.

[Just John 0]

You Celtics fans are going to be shocked when it's 8 against 5 on Tuesday night.

 

When was the last time we saw some real 8 on 5 action favoring the road team? There might be a riot in Boston if we see some Heat/Mavs Game 5 level officiating.

[The Niggardly King 0]

The Lakers haven't looked like all that except when Boston really isn't trying all that hard (the end of game 2 and the first quarter tonight) and Boston has looked like the absolute better team in nearly every game and quarter for that matter. If they lose game 6 and 7 then it's just a complete epic collapse and failure.

 

 

Not really bro... the way things have been going is almost like every single game for the Lakers this year... Jump out early with a well established lead, blow said lead due to some horrible fucking D and taking out guys who are good against a key man on the opposing team (see Odom on Pierce for this series... only guys who plays him well) and then leaving in someone who stinks it up for way too long as the other team makes a great run

[Warriorfan 0]

You Celtics fans are going to be shocked when it's 8 against 5 on Tuesday night.

 

When was the last time we saw some real 8 on 5 action favoring the road team? There might be a riot in Boston if we see some Heat/Mavs Game 5 level officiating.

 

What I would give to see that.

 

As far as the allegations of rigging games and their potential impact on game 6 and 7 , I think its pretty much nil. The story hasn't caught hold at all and the only sports network of note in the US is in the pocket of the NBA. Kobe puts his head down and gets calls, Garnett's throat starts to tighten and Allen gives a similar performance we will have a game 7.

[A Happy Medium 0]

You Celtics fans are going to be shocked when it's 8 against 5 on Tuesday night.

 

When was the last time we saw some real 8 on 5 action favoring the road team? There might be a riot in Boston if we see some Heat/Mavs Game 5 level officiating.

 

I finally read the box score from that night. 49 free throws for the Heat in that game. It's still unbelievable. My friends and I were so pissed off. The worst part is that the Mavericks shot nearly eighty percent from the line for most of the series. The Heat were somewhere in the sixties.

[A Happy Medium 0]

If only it were a Dallas home game when that happened to us. There would have been a terrible riot.

 

Everyone around here is still bitter...and a lot of people wrote off the NBA.

[Ripper 0]

I called Boston to take this series and all, but the Celtics have had to play really REALLY hard for the last two games just to get back in the game. That will wear you out eventually.

 

The Celtics have bullshitted away what should have been a 5 game series. Now I don't know.

[Black Lushus 0]

Don't know what? This shit is over. I say Celtics by 20 in Game 6.

[HarleyQuinn 0]

The fact that the Celtics came back to tie the game and were within 3 points of tying it AGAIN at the end makes me think game 6 will either be another comeback win or a blow out.

 

As A Happy Medium said, it wouldn't shock me if Pierce just puts the team on his shoulders and scores 45+ if Allen/Garnett start struggling.

[TheOriginalOrangeGoblin 0]

So, assuming the Celtics win, does anyone outside of Pierce have a shot at the MVP?

[Ripper 0]

I think he and Allen were battling until last night. Pierce put it out of reach.

 

And what I am saying is that it takes ALOT of energy to make big comebacks like that. They have to play 3 times as hard in the second half of these games to make up for the early holes they put themselves in. They had 2 days to recover last time. Now they have to travel across the country and play tommorrow with little rest.

 

the Lakers should be rested. They have only played hard for 3 of the last 8 quarters. And they defensively took the entire second half off in the last two games.

 

I still expect Boston to win, because matchup wise, LA doesn't stand a chance and never did. But energy wise, guys getting banged up...the Celtics need to end this NOW.