We present "NBA 1987 Finals Game 6 "Lakers - Celtics" (part 8)."

Enjoy.

BK

Wherever The Commish happens to be this morning, we guarantee he's in a very, very good mood.  Positively giddy, even.  Why?  Because the matchup he, and about 89% of the basketball watching public, wanted to see has officially come to fruition.  The Lakers will face the Celtics for a chance to hug and kiss the Larry O'Brien at center court.  The Lakers got there by knocking off the Spurs on Thursday night to polish off the Spurs in five, while the Celtics closed out the Pistons last night in Motown to win that series in six. Together, the teams combine for 38 Finals appearances since the Lakers moved to L.A. in the 1960-'61 season, and overall have squared off 10 times previously for the title. That makes this the old-schooliest of all old-school rivalries, with more iconic matchups and moments than perhaps any two teams in sports. 

Yes, it's been a little while since the rivalry was renewed, but finally what once was Must See TV is again.  Time to fire up the WAYBAC machine, bring out the old highlights, and bask in the glory of short shorts (not literally this time, please).

Given all the excitement over history (and television ratings), it's easy to forget there is actual basketball to be played. The Celtics, with their Big Three of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen might seem like a team ready to pile on the points, but all year they've won with grinding, physical play and defense.  They beat L.A. in both regular-season matchups this year, but have struggled in the playoffs while the Lakers have rolled, and as Pau Gasol, Sam Cassell, and PJ Brown weren't on the floor for either game and they haven't played since Dec. 30, it's hard to take too much stock in those results.  L.A. will enter the series favored to win, but make no mistake -- the Pierce and KG-led Celts want it.  Bad.

Seriously, how much fun is this going to be?

Very simple: Boston or Detroit?

BK

At this point, the T-shirts will be printed.  "Los Angeles Lakers: 2008 NBA Champions."  Whether they end up sold locally or on the backs of poor and suffering children in far-flung places around the globe depends on what happens in the next round, but as it is the Lakers will be heading to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2004.  A few months back this sort of thing might have seemed utterly impossible, what with all the controversy surrounding the purple and gold, but a 100-92 win over San Antonio Thursday night at Staples closed out the Western Conference finals.  It wasn't necessarily easy, though.  The Lakers came out slow and found themselves down by 17 early in the second quarter, but used an 11-2 run to close the gap to six by halftime.  In the third, L.A. held San Antonio to 35% shooting and finished the frame with a one-point lead.  From there, it was all about Kobe Bryant.  24 went off for 17 in the final period, running off an endless parade of screens and picks to crush any lingering hopes the Spurs had of a comeback.  Overall, 26 of his 39 points came after the break, as Kobe continued to put his stamp on the 2007-2008 season.

Kobe is back in the Finals, this time as the unquestioned leader of a team.   All that's needed now for a cap to the incredible Lakers turnaround year are four more wins.   Pleased as they are, the Lakers should, and do, have their eyes on a bigger prize. 

Because tonight's 100-92 win over the Spurs, a victory that vaulted the Lakers into the NBA Finals, was hardly secured by what they did over most of the opening half.  In fact, the first 20 minutes or so came pretty close to guaranteeing a Game 6 on Saturday.  Lamar Odom suspected his team came out amped to knock out their opponents in a style more suitable for a diamond than the triangle.  "We came out batting like a DH," smiled Lamar.  "Trying to hit the home run, trying to get them right out of the game really early."  But instead of long balls, the Lakers were putting up long jumpers, most of which clanged rim and all of which eschewed the ball movement (especially inside) that's become a 2008 Laker staple.  Down 17 at one point in the second quarter, the Lakers concluded the first half on an 11-2 run, with points mostly coming off layups.  Perhaps inspired (or simply slapped into reality), the Lakers spent the second half knuckling down on both sides of the ball.  Chipping away at San Antonio's lead, slowly but surely putting their foes back enough in the rear view mirror. 

Kobe Bryant's 26 second-half points were obviously huge (making the 39 total even bigger), but contributions came fittingly from every Laker who stepped on the court.  Pau Gasol's 5-15 shooting was offset and then some by 19 boards (10 offensive) and a quartet of blocks.  Vlad Radmanovic led his teammates in the first quarter with five points.  Jordan Farmar provided a big spark of energy off the bench, with his fellow mobsters following suit in their quest to make a mark or two while on the court.  In the end, the team that's talked happily about its all-important bond found success through a group effort, creating a box score that accentuates a truly remarkable season. 

The breakdown is below, courtesy of BK.

AK

They've been called cockroaches, ticks, and Steven Seagal.  They are indeed hard to kill.  But that is indeed what the Lakers are trying to do tonight to San Antonio, and end this Western Conference Final in five games. 

BK with the first quarter.

FIRST QUARTER:

Good start for the Lakers, as Pau slams home a Vlad Rad layup attempt.  That's the sort of aggressive play they're looking for out of him. 

I mentioned yesterday (as perhaps the only major outlet to break this news, I might add) that Ronny Turiaf practiced with his hair out and wild, a decision I thought he made simply to let his braided hair breathe.  As it turns out, there was a method to his madness.  The do is braided again, but pulled into a pony tail Samurai style, which Ronny  felt was "appropriate for today," given the close-out opportunity in front of them.  Like many athletes, Turiaf is on the superstitious side, so I was surprised he would change horses (or hair styles) in midstream.  But the stakes tonight are big enough that Ronny, clad in a button down shirt with Epaulettes on the shoulder and a majestic bird on the back, was willing to mess with routine in order to help set a tone.  "We have to be warriors."

Update:  More on this issue from David Neiman of SportsHubLA.com.

In lieu of a formal breakdown of things to watch for tonight, since nothing particularly new has emerged worthy of analysis, I decided to share a few thoughts on the NBA's admission that they bricked the Fisher/Barry no-call.  Their announcement has sparked debate everywhere from the radio talk shows to this here blog.  How much weight should the mistake carry, since the sequence itself was set up in very large part because a shot by Fisher that grazed the rim was incorrectly ruled an air ball.  Does the incorrect decision by the refs somehow "asterisk" or "taint" the series, much less a title if the Lakers manage to go the distance?  To toss out the ol' cliche, what does it all mean?

In a nutshell, a whole bunch of nothing.

As most Laker Nation residents know, rapper/actor/producer/all around mogul/Los Angeles native Ice Cube is among the high-profile members of their crew.  He's also a Raiders fan, but I won't hold it against him.  The Artist formally known as O'Shea recently shared some purple and gold-centric thoughts with ESPN The Magazine that I thought you'd dig.  My personal fave was the Vlad Rad/ODB comparison.  Hilariously accurate. 

Enjoy.

AK

Around this time last year, the idea that the Lakers would be playing a Game 5 at Staples Center for the right to move on to the 2008 NBA Finals seemed, well, kinda ridiculous.  Yet here we are, with the Lakers holding a 3-1 lead over the defending champion Spurs, who understand they are most definitely up against it.  Los Angeles (the team and the town) remembers what happened the last time L.A .was up 3-1 in a playoff series, so suffice to say, nobody in purple and gold is taking anything for granted.  The Lakers want to close this thing out tonight, and not give San Antonio any reason to hope (not that they're flush with it, given that as a franchise, the Spurs are 0-6 when trailing 3-1 in a best of seven).  Pretty good for an L.A. squad still not quite settled on an identity (one that'll change again next year when Andrew Bynum comes back).

That's the basketball end of things.  Off the court, of course, the issue of Brent Barry's last-second shot and the no-call on Derek Fisher is still percolating, thanks in no small part to the league issuing a statement saying the officials got it wrong.   Still, even in San Antonio, there are voices telling people to put down their megaphones, pitchforks and torches - there is no conspiracy.  Others note that it's never one call, but a series of questionable ones, in a game where getting everything right is virtually impossible.