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The lead in to the question presented to Doc Rivers after the game seemed innocent enough:
"Doc, we've seen teams come back from deficits like this before..."
Stop right there. No, we haven't. Not in the NBA Finals, at least. No team, going back to the 1971 championship series (the NBA's records for in-quarter stats don't reach back any deeper), has ever blown a lead as large as the 24 point cushion the Lakers gave away Thursday night in their 97-91 loss to Boston in Game 4 of their best-of-seven. No team has ever blown a bigger first quarter lead than the 21 point margin LA had after the opening 12, or a bigger halftime advantage than the 18 they held at the break. I'm sure there are more ugly numbers buried in the books, but those are the biggies, and they're more than enough. With the win, the Celtics take a commanding 3-1 lead heading into Sunday's Game 5.
This, folks, was a killer.
Click below for the breakdown... or at least a rundown.
What looks in the box like a tale of two halves- Lakers up by the aforementioned 18 points when the buzzer sounded on the second quarter- was really a tale of one great 18 minute run for the Lakers, and total domination by Boston over the last 30.
Let's start with what worked...
THE FIRST QUARTER:
No question, the Lakers were the beneficiary of some bad shooting from the Celtics, but importantly, they took advantage. They ran, they pushed, they forced the Celtics into mistakes. They moved the ball, they got men open underneath the Boston defense. LA's first possession of the game saw LO aggressively come off a screen at the top of the arc, and drive hard to the basket and draw a foul. Derek Fisher penetrated on Rajon Rondo, and drew a foul. Kobe aggressively drove the hole on the break, picking up a foul on KG. The Lakers hurt the Celtics on the pick and roll, activated Odom early, found space for their shooters, and basically looked like the offensive juggernaut they had been throughout the regular season.
By the time the curtain fell on the first, Odom had 13 points on 6-6 from the floor, five boards, and a pair of dimes. Boston, in contrast, had 14 points, six boards, and one assist. Tack on the rest of the team and LA held a 35-14 lead, shot nearly 65%, held the Celtics to 27% and forced four Boston turnovers.
At this point, I can only assume many of you were dancing wildly in front of the recliner, dousing yourself joyously in tequila while swinging your pants over your head (perhaps you celebrate in a different way, but you get my point). I'm sure many in the media corps hit up Expedia to check flights to Boston. From there, it was supposed to be all down hill.
It was, but not in the way LA (the city, the team, the fans) had hoped.
THE SECOND QUARTER:
The record will show LA finished the quarter with an 18 point lead, but from my end, it was misleading. Over the course of the period, Boston began to exert its influence on the game, and the Lakers began to wilt. After playing even for the first six minutes or so, Boston went on an 18-7 run, and looked like they'd shave LA's lead down to a very manageable margin by the break. With nine seconds left, Fish showed some incredible patience, working the Boston D and resetting on a high screen with Gasol. On the second go round, Pau was there, Fish threaded the needle between two defenders, and Gasol went to the hoop for the and-one. After a Vlad Rad PF gave the Celtics a point at the line, Jordan Farmar hit a running triple at the buzzer. 6-1 advantage in the last 10 seconds, 13 point lead goes to 18.
It only masked what was going wrong, though. Perhaps we didn't realize it yet, but the writing was on the wall.
THE SECOND HALF:
Whatever good things the Lakers did early, they abandoned them as a group in the second half. The numbers on both ends are staggeringly bad for loyalists of the purple and gold. LA abandoned the offense, became impatient with the ball, and started taking and missing a lot of bad shots. That, of course, led to a lot of good looks for the Celtics. In the third, Boston logged seven dimes on 11 field goals, a very impressive number for a team on the road. They out rebounded LA 12-6, out shot them 61%-28%. Most of the damage, though, as it did in the second, came in the last half of the period. Boston shaved all but two points off LA's 20 point lead with a 21-3 run over the last 6:04. The Lakers were limited to a single field goal in that stretch, and even that was a lucky break, as Kobe gathered the ball after a near turnover from the Lakers, and found Gasol underneath for an easy dunk.
Aside from that, the Lakers offense was truly busted.
In the fourth, the toxic combination of bad offense and weak D again bit the Lakers, who were outscored 26-18. The Lakers were 8-21 in the quarter, while Boston was an even 50%, including two critical threes from James Posey. On perhaps the last chance for the Lakers to get a stop, down by three with under 20 seconds left, the Celtics spread the floor, isolated Ray Allen on Sasha, and the vet blew by him for a layup, before Gasol could recover from the wing.
Game over.
Obviously, there were plenty of things to point to when trying to figure out what went wrong. Here are a few thoughts:
- The Lakers, after the first quarter, completely abandoned the offense. They began pounding the rock, looking for shots as individuals rather than moving the ball, moving themselves, cutting and passing. The patience they showed early, complimented by Doc Rivers after the game, was gone. And, as we all know by this point, when they stop operating with efficiency on the offensive end, LA suffers on defense. Boston began to find space. Pierce, limited to six points in the first half, had nine in the third. Eddie House, in because Rivers felt the Lakers were playing off Rondo too much, hit a pair of threes. Allen had six. And so on.
- At halftime, it seemed like a good sign that the Lakers were up by 21 while Kobe didn't have a field goal. In hindsight, I'm not sure it was. Kobe came out in the third looking to get himself going. More iso, more one-on-one, more jumpshooting. All of that equals less ball movement. I'm not blaming Kobe any more than I am anyone else on the team- I don't think he played particularly well, but it's not like he was the catalyst for Boston's comeback- but any rhythm the team had, from getting the ball inside to Pau or keeping LO involved, was gone by the fourth.
- Kobe took eight of LA's 21 shots in the fourth, dominating the ball early in the quarter but moving it late, when the Lakers were able to generate some buckets. He didn't get much help, though. Sasha, who followed up his big Game 3 with a clunker tonight, was 0-4. LO was 1-3. Pau was 2-3, including a dunk on a nice feed from Kobe with 40 seconds to go, and a dandy runner on KG in the lane a few minutes before. I thought he might have been more effective, if...
- He had been on the floor earlier. I think PJ left Pau on the bench for too long, going with Ronny for the first six minutes of the quarter. Other aspects of the late game rotation I didn't like- Fisher sitting for all but the final two minutes of the game, and LO out for Vlad Rad down the stretch. The former, Jackson said, was a matchup thing. "I just felt that Jordan's quickness against Eddie House was probably important for us to have, a little more harassing defense up the court and some pressure in his reactive time a bit." As for the latter, it had to do with floor spacing to get Kobe looks late. "Lamar had a great first half, but the second half obviously wasn't as successful. They were, what we call spying off him, going and helping off him and double-teaming, and we need to spread the court and open up the court so we could get something accomplished there at the end of the game and get some opening opportunities in the lane."
Both are certainly plausible, but I feel like on a guy like House, who isn't going to do much but catch and shoot, run off screens, etc., Fish is more than capable of handling the task of checking him. When the team is having so much trouble running the offense, that would seem to be a good time to go back to the guy who has been there, who has the experience, and is likely to make better decisions. Removing Odom for Vlad makes some sense, and he's actually finished a few games of late on the bench, but in this case, while Radmanovic spreads the D, he's also a liability on the other end, and can't handle the ball. At that point, there was no other threat on the floor to create other than Kobe.
On the one hand, the Lakers scored enough over the last two minutes, but couldn't keep the Celtics off the board. Would either of these personnel decisions have really made a big difference? Hard to say. I'll have to look at the tape, as they say. As a group, though, the Lakers had already fallen apart. One guy here for one guy there? Not sure if that matters.
- No supporting cast. Nice early minutes for Trevor Ariza, who finished the first half with six points and five boards, but in the second half, he was on the floor for the 10-0 run the Celtics had to close the third quarter. Sasha? 1-9. Farmar? 1-6. Walton? 1-3. Turiaf? No points in 10 minutes. Vlad was a non-factor after the first quarter.
In the end, the biggest problem for the Lakers is the Celtics. They're a better team. If both teams show up and play well, the Lakers are likely to come out on the wrong end of the stick. Boston is bigger, stronger, more disciplined, and far better defensively. For all the talk of this guy not playing well or that guy not showing up, the elephant in the room is the quality of the two teams. At this point, I'm ready to say that I, like a lot of other writers, underestimated Boston and how they match up to LA. Can the Lakers come back? It's possible, I guess, but I'd be pretty shocked if they managed to win three straight from a team that has proved themselves superior.
BK
- Lamar Odom: Download lamar_odom_postgame_boston_4.mp3
- Sasha Vujacic: Download sasha_vujacic_postgame_boston_4.mp3
- Vlad Radmanovic: Download vlad_radmanovic_postgame_boston_4.mp3
- Derek Fisher: Download derek_fisher_postgame_boston_4.mp3
It struck me as interesting how a couple players were asked about what went wrong, whether what the Lakers did wrong, the Celtics did right, and their answer included the following phrase: "I don't know." Sometimes you hear that from a player and you know it's simply him not wanting to talk, hoping a lack of details will eventually lead to a lack of interest from the surrounding reporters. This was different. I honestly felt like these guys weren't dodging questions when stuck for an answer. Truth be told, a lot of writers uttered the exact same words when we talked about it afterward. A collapse of such a magnitude is really hard to wrap your head around. I sure haven't managed to do it yet.
The most common explanation I got (and I happen to agree) was purple and gold offensive execution going to hell in a hand basket. Derek Fisher said so. Ditto Ronny Turiaf. And you won't get any argument from Lamar Odom or Pau Gasol. From almost the moment the second half commenced, the Lakers inexplicably got away from the crisp ball movement, multiple touches and continual motion on display in the opening 24 minutes, the same prowess that allowed them to build a huge lead with only three points and no field goals from Kobe Bryant. In the second half, we saw much more dribbling and fewer passes, much more Kobe (who never found an offensive groove and didn't seem to accept it) in isolation holding the ball for several seconds, little running, zero patience, and a decreased variety of guys with the rock, especially inside. Everything was thrown out of whack and the Lakers never were same again.
"It was bad execution as a team," lamented Odom in the locker room. "We stopped running our offense," vented Ronny Turiaf, who grew increasingly frustrated talking about the matter. "We stopped doing the things that got us the lead. Making sure that everybody was touching it and getting us easy looks. We weren't respecting our offense." Asked about what the Celtics did "better" on defense in the second half, Fish didn't see much of anything. "I don't think it was that spectacular compared to the defense they played before," shrugged Fisher. "I think we just did a poor job. If we came in with 25 turnovers, then I'd agree that the defense was spectacular. It's not as if they forced us to do some things that we didn't want to do. We just weren't smart on our end in terms of making sure we continued to execute."
There were other elements I don't think helped matters. I thought Phil Jackson went too long without Derek Fisher in the fourth quarter. I get why he wanted to spread the floor during the last couple minutes with Vlad Radmanovic, meaning Odom would grab a seat, but considering how poorly Vlad played in the second half, Fisher and Sasha Vujacic were already on the floor, I'd have kept Lamar in there and tried to involve him more. There were also matters like missed assignments (especially around the arc), lowered energy, and a decided lack of poise and focus. But all season long, we've seen the Lakers get tripped up on defense when their offense is cockeyed. The latter typically dictates the former, which is why Kwame Brown's excellent defensive ability in the paint never elevated the Lakers one bit. Putting aside his other limitations, 54's total inability to operate within the offense resulted in defensive breakdowns each game. The Lakers are often at their best defensively when they do the right things on the other side of the ball. Tonight, the Lakers tore apart their offense as a unit and a big price was paid.
Great line from Fisher, though, when asked if winning was possible. "Call Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz, Jason Varitek and all those Boston Red Sox and ask if it's possible." More than a little ironic that he'd reference another Beantown squad that overcame big deficits in 2005 and 2007 en route to a pair of World Series titles to help illustrate his point, but for those seeking out silver linings, ain't a bad angle to run with.
AK
Apparently, after this latest debacle, Bryant's done more choking at the NBA Finals than he did at the Colorado resort.
-Jeffs Aho
Posted by: Jeffs Aho | June 12, 2008 at 11:48 PM
How dare they! As a fan I'm offended.
In the first half they finally played up to expectations, as they've played against (at times) superior competition in earlier playoff rounds.
Then they pull this piece of junk out in the second half.
If they still win it all, I will still be pissed off about this game.
I've been very loyal up to this point, but their collapse was unforgivable.
I blame the coaching staff too. Way, way too casual in the 3rd quarter. Put the guys back in that made the big lead happen. Stop screwing around.
Posted by: | June 12, 2008 at 11:50 PM
So, it's all come down to this. No margin for error from here on in. One play at a time, one quarter at a time (in five minute increments), one half at a time, one game at a time. Times three.
We may have to say it when it's all over. The Celtics are the better team. More physical. More talented. More character. More collective experience. A coaching style more suited to today's NBA players.
But we're not there yet. The Lakers may crumble from Thursday night's defeat. Or, it may be the tough lesson they needed to really break through in this series.
Now, it's all about Sunday. Kobe will come on strong in the first half, to be sure. But that's all we know. Can Lamar and Pau replicate their first quarter play in Game 4 and extend it to 48 minutes? Can Jordan and Sasha learn from their miscues in the 2nd half of Game 4? Will Phil start Trevor Ariza and give him some run, considering how little we've gotten from VladRad and Luke in this series? It's time to go for broke. No reason to stick with the things that have resulted in failure in this series. That's called insanity. But with VladRad, Luke, and Ronny all contributing nothing in this series, and Mihm, Mbenga, and Newble too rusty to play, we may discover that the Lakers aren't really deep enough to compete with the Celtics. Check mate.
No reason to beat on the Laker players and coaches after this one. They all have to look in the mirror, and none of them will like what they see. They will punish themselves for the Game 4 meltdown. But maybe they shouldn't. Maybe they're just the 2nd best team in the NBA. They've still given us a season to be thankful for. And it ain't over till it's over. The improbable is not the same as the impossible. I'm not ready to give up on my team. Go Lakers!
Posted by: Rick Friedman | June 12, 2008 at 11:51 PM
Don't give up on the Lakers yet - there are a lot of positives to take away from this game. Game 5 will be the toughest one, but we do have the keys to beat this team!
Posted by: Vikram Mohan | June 12, 2008 at 11:51 PM
What do i do?what do i do? how do i pick myself up from this? Is there anything else i'd rather do with my time?is there any other sport i can follow?How does one get over depression... ??
Or maybe phil jackson is a cylon and he has a plan...
Posted by: Anomalous | June 12, 2008 at 11:58 PM
the lakers could have lost the series but won tnight and i would have been happy
instead they have yet to play a 48 minute game this series and completely let down thier fans-tonight was an embarrsemtn to root for them- yes, i feel fans owe their team alot, and should not animadvert their losses, but when you literally play half assed for 28 minutes [including the last part of the 2nd quarter where they just decied to jack up threes for a coupleminutes] you offend the people who care about the game
i literalyl feelsick, maybe im crazy to care about a team so much but tonight the effort of thelakres, not to take away from the celtics who showed heart, but the fact that our team did not, it just sickens me- these are the highlights of a joe schmo life like mine, a great bunch of guys who give ma pleasure and emotion anadpassion, not a bunch of people who feel entitled and can't even work hard for an hour of real time
and kobe can never be compared to jordan again- that's 2 absolute stinkers in the finals
Posted by: d | June 13, 2008 at 12:00 AM
Everyone played bad. Phil Jackson for his moronic subsitution patterns. Kobe for wanting to score and not move the ball. For Gasol and Lamar that can't guard anyone when guards penetrate the lane -- they're too darn slow to get there in time, Sasha couldn't by a bucket, Farmer consistently not being able to get through screens well, Luke not good enough to play vs. the Celts defense, Rad... uggh.
One game at a time. Heart broken. Voice lost. Waiting for Sunday.
Posted by: Steven Loi | June 13, 2008 at 12:00 AM
This loss really hurts! If anyone still feels that Phil J. is still a hall of fame coach, please explain. During the most important quarer of the season is not the time to let the momentum slip away. Rambis, Shaw, anybody, please call a timeout for Phil if he is just going to sit there like he is being entertained by a movie or concert. Wake up and call a timeout. The so called hall of fame coach calls his timeouts during the times we have the momentum (for example, up by 17 in the 1st quarter as we are about to drive for an additional basket) or after the ball is inbounded, so that we have to spend another timeout late in the game to advance the basketball. His luck my be running out. You can only be bailed out by your superstars so many times. No, it is not all his fault. Pau G. playing without any heart also really hurt us.
Posted by: B.Bryant | June 13, 2008 at 12:01 AM
Gonna be saddened by this until the Sunday's game starts... let's hope the season doesn't end there.
Lakers in 7! Help us out, David Stern! :P
Posted by: CHAMP | June 13, 2008 at 12:04 AM
*repost*
get over it.
for Laker fans, it sucks.
so?
there is still another game to play. until there are no more games to play, it's not over.
don't think i'm not giving Boston credit. it's not like they haven't been a juggernaut all year long. but they haven't bagged the trophy quite yet.
Posted by: man | June 13, 2008 at 12:04 AM
Dude, what's up with Sasha Vu-yah-chick's girly man hair bandana?
Guy looks like a wuss.
Posted by: Let's go C's! | June 13, 2008 at 12:09 AM
Man, that was a hard loss. Sad as it is for me to say, the Lakers deserved to lose that game. The Celtics simply wanted it more. Giving up that kind of lead is devastating.
I still believe that these Lakers are special. I know they need a lot of work, but the fact that we made it to the Finals is pretty damn amazing. Tonight was incredibly disappointing, because you want to see the Lakers come out and play the best basketball possible. Tonight was not that night, at least not for the second half.
Hey, records are made to be broken. There's always hope.
Simply put, though: My heart is broken.
Go Lake Show!
Posted by: The Outlaw | June 13, 2008 at 12:09 AM
Laker Fans : How bad does it hurt to think that Hawks & Cavs came "Oh Soooo Close" from eliminating the Celts in April & May?
That would have spared you this current nightmare!!!!
The Lakers should do themselves a favor. Lose Game 5. Why travel 6,000 round trip miles to get eliminated?
Posted by: Red`s Love Child | June 13, 2008 at 12:12 AM
Nothing has changed....
Lakers averaged a mere 92 points against us in regular season....and 92 points against us in playoffs.
Posted by: Red`s Love Child | June 13, 2008 at 12:15 AM
The three reasons the Lakers are losing this series, has everthing to do with the three major advantages they had entering the finals, or at least we thought.
1) KOBE BRYANT:- has clearly been out played by his counterpart Ray Allen. Allen has hit more clutch shots, has shot a much higher FG and FT percentage and has been much more effective on defense than Bryant.
2) PHIL JACKSON:- has been outcoached by Doc Rivers in every aspect of the game. Substitution patterns have been better, team match-ups and player motivation have been major advantages for Rivers and his team. And for PJ to keep Trevor Ariza and Derrick Fisher on the bench for as long as he did in the seond half is utterly ridiculous.
3.) BENCH PLAYERS:- have contributed absolutely nothing for this team. Other than the extraordinary play by Sasha V. in game three, the bench has not provided anything in this series, nor the conference finals for that matter. I knew that it would finally come back to haunt the team, having your best player off the bench being Sasha V.
This team has no chance of coming back to win the title his year. The Lakers can only hope a legimate big man named Andrew Bynum will be completely healthy to pose a consistent inside presence on offense and defense, which is what it will take to win the title next year.
Posted by: MDC | June 13, 2008 at 12:15 AM
Hey, that game took the heart wind out of L.A.
But dont give up on our team ya'll. You never know.
Man Bynum was really missed in this series.
Posted by: Paul Lee | June 13, 2008 at 12:17 AM
On a side note. 2nd half could have used some more Ariza energy. And Doc Made some good adjustments. All in all the inexperience really showed tonight tho. But losing big leagues has always been an issue throughout the year
Posted by: Paul Lee | June 13, 2008 at 12:18 AM
AK/BK
if u look at the thread i mentioned 2 things as u did
ronny it is not for the finals on the offensive end. his playmaker abilities r none under pressure
2. pau was too long on the bench
3. kobe letting and involving his team for a half game, even in the regular season resulted in loses. he need some rhythm too. if allen played 48 minutes, i'm sure kobe could have played 48 or 45. in the second qt. he was on the bench too long.
fisher has a terrible series, does not look like a vet. at the same time i agree that the red sox example can still work
Posted by: Zin Master | June 13, 2008 at 12:21 AM
AK/Bk
as i posted before
ronny needs his old hairstyle back
this pony tails is bad luck
PLEASE, SUGGEST.... u will see him at least 2 days in a row
Posted by: Zin Master | June 13, 2008 at 12:23 AM
We can do the blame game all night long... simple fact is, and it took me until tonight to get thru my thick skull, that Boston is simply the superior team. They have better starters, they have a better bench, and it seems a better coach. Everyone, including myself, got caught up in the "West is so much better than the east" BS that all sports writers cant seem to stop talking about. Fact remains that, except for San Antonio, the west does not produce champions.
Posted by: Maxers | June 13, 2008 at 12:28 AM
I tip my cap to the Boston Celtics for having the superior team.The best i can say ,hold your head high the Lakers will be the juggernaut next year. Andrew Bynum and the team as a whole will grow from this debacle. Life is about experiencing the valleys before the peaks,and then triumph.
Posted by: WHITE MAMBA24 | June 13, 2008 at 12:29 AM
They made history. Now it's our turn.
-Ajax
Posted by: ajax | June 13, 2008 at 12:33 AM
That was painful. The most painful of it all, really, is that Kobe just didn't look out of rythym, he looked out of gas for the entire game. We know the lakers are better than this, and something got to them to play differently than they had through the playoffs. Whose gonna be that locker room guy who goes - "don't worry guys, we are winning the next 3". Who's gonna step up, be a sidekick to kobe, and give him room to breathe. How do the fans on Sunday recover from this. We can beat Boston, I AM SURE OF IT, we just aren't playing laker basketball. What we need now is the belief that we Can win (we couldve won every 1 of these games, they were all within reach). We haven't been blown out - and I don't believe Boston has what it takes to deliver that finishing blow. But what has to happen is leadership, accountability, spreading the floor, some hard fouls, and some tough defense on the one who has destroyed us all series - Ray allen.
Posted by: Cdog | June 13, 2008 at 12:34 AM
its 12:31, more than 3 hrs past the game and i still can't sleep..i am shell shocked. this may have altered the career of many Lakers and I don't think I will ever forget the feeling of this collapse.
Posted by: daniel | June 13, 2008 at 12:36 AM
The offense sputtered but the defense just died. Trapping a team with 4 spot up 3 point shooters was just stupid. Sadly no one heard the screams to just stay home on defense until Sasha was left on an island by himself guarding Allen. Just not smart plays and defense. Just don't get the feel that this teams' make up is tough enough.
Hoping we can come up with 2 good quarters to take game 5. Then maybe 3 good quarters for game 6. Then finally find a way to play 4 complete quarters in game 7. One can hope.
Posted by: Andy N | June 13, 2008 at 12:39 AM
I feel like slitting my wrists, but in keeping with the theme tonight of epic failures, I think I'll do it with an electric razor.
Our youth showed tonight, plain and simple. Did you see Farmar and Walton headed into the locker room at half? They thought they had it won then. Everyone was paralyzed in the 4th, terrified that they would screw it up. We're just not ready.
My God, do we miss Bynum.
Posted by: Slim | June 13, 2008 at 12:39 AM
Boston just seems to be the better constructed team. The blog fighting and insulting 9 on both sides ) should be a thing of the past.
The Lakers can technically still win but I doubt it. Boston is just better and good for them. They have several older guys who have never won a title and when is it a bad thing when a hard working player like Garnett wins a title ?
Doc Rivers seems like a classy guy and tough to dislike.
It's just sports and it's entertainment. Losing can hurt but look at the flooding taking people's homes. Let's get real. This is nothing.
There is always next year.
I wish the Celtics the best because I really do believe they happen to be the best team this year.
Posted by: Let's face it | June 13, 2008 at 12:41 AM
This may seem dirty - because generally I don't want basketball played like this - but Ray Allen played so bad because he got hit - and hit hard. When's Phil gonna send Mbenga in and say - you see that guy over there, if he drives at you, hit him hard, and get in his head. The threes don't fall quite as well when they have fear. The lakers look afraid - we need to plant some reverse punishment on the Celtics - we need to make a stand, and take this team down!!
Posted by: Cdog | June 13, 2008 at 12:42 AM
Excellent post Rick. I agree. Lakers have to take this one quarter at a time and just let the chips fall where they may.
That's exactly the approach the Celtics took and it worked for them.
One thing is - the Lakers have nothing to lose now.
They can play loose and not under the pressure.
The pressure is all going to be on the celtics to close out the series.
If the Lakers duplicate their first half of game 4 in the first half of game 5, then the Celts will give up and tell themselves," let's just close the series when we get back on home court."
From a 2-3 position, anything can still happen.
Before you know it, it's a 7 game series and anything can happen.
The way this Laker team seems to abandon the things that got them success in the first place has deep psychological roots.
Fear of success - yes. Especially by players like Odom and Gasol.
The Lakers have not truly bought the idea of the triangle - yes. Kobe as the team's leader keeps sending the message that he has not completely bought on the offense. The rest of the team follows his lead.
Youth. Nerves on the big stage.
All of these things can be cured by maturity and the transformational bitter experience of defeat. This Lakers team needs to lose the Finals to fix its psychological demons and start becoming a dynasty by next year.
Of course having Bynum back and Ariza for a full year will have a great impact. Odom as the 4th option will be even under less pressure. Having Bynum will take the weight off Gasol. Having even more options will take the weight off Kobe. After this Finals, Kobe will start becoming described by everyone as overrated. Good. He'll work even harder.
No need to panic. This team was good enough to win the WC. If they don't win the championship this year, only one team was better then them - Boston. Anyone willing to bet the same thing next year? I don't think so.
Posted by: LakerinBC | June 13, 2008 at 12:46 AM
I'm so bummed. Wasn't the Phoenix loses the last 2 years with essentiallly the same team supposed to be the hair growing experience for our team?
When the game is close all we can do is give the ball to Kobe and wait for him to create for himself or for others. We depend on Kobe too much. The Celts can iso Garnett, then iso Allen, then iso Pierce. Just too many individual talents. As a team our defense is lacking a clear understanding of our opponents. Need to know the strengths of who we're playing. Stay home and chase guys off the 3 point line. Make them make pull up j's.
With quicker and smaller lineups it boils down to 1 on 1 mathchups. Outside of Kobe we can't win any of the 1 on 1 matchups offensively or defensively.
Posted by: Andy N | June 13, 2008 at 12:54 AM
I hope they will lost the game sunday so that they will not experience losing in the C's home court.
Bring Coach Z and fire Phil J.
Posted by: | June 13, 2008 at 12:54 AM
I'm a Boston fan, and I would just like to:
a) thank the K brothers for a fine blog, and
b) apologize for my churlish brethren.
Perhaps all I can say in our defense is that we have been well trained on the Red Sox blogs by Yankees trolls, and we have adopted their mannerisms.
It was a great game for us. It looked like a horror show the first half, and then it became your horror show, instead. I've watched Boston lose enough games in which they have had a lead, whether Sox, Celts, or Pats, to know better than to gloat.
I believe we will win the series, but... the 2004 Yankees taught me never to overlook the other team. I expect that Doc Rivers and Phil Jackson, both, will be pointing that series out to their players.
Posted by: rumplestiltskin | June 13, 2008 at 12:55 AM
It's been said that the Lakers will only get to game 7 in this series now if the NBA is rigged...
I say the Lakers will only win if the NBA is NOT rigged...David Stern, given the choice, would probably never want anyone (PJ included) to supercede fellow Jewish buddy Red Auberbach's ring count.
Complete conspiracy theory, I admit, but not 100% implausible.
Posted by: Just a thought | June 13, 2008 at 01:01 AM
See you by October for another year...
Hope the Fakers will be more hungrier this time...
Posted by: | June 13, 2008 at 01:03 AM
Man we had those guys beat and on the way to being demoralized. Lost and beaten...but it ends up that is us at the end.
The Kobe as facilitator role is fine but he has to get a few drives to the basket in the first half or PHil learned nothing from game 3.
Anyway we need a super human effort from every player and some serious D. Kobe has to breal out the old Jordan tapes and start emulating the greatest ever. This Championship is his to take. Joe Johnson and the Hawls almost beat these guys. Has anyone looked at that film.
Pau and LO sorry guys you just haven't made a dent yet!!!! So Get going boys - Sasha and Vrad its is redemption time, make us all proud and play better than you have all season. That is what CHAMPIONS do in the clutch.
Posted by: Peter Maguire | June 13, 2008 at 01:04 AM
It was a tale of 2 halves; the best of times, the worst of times; a tale of 2 cities.
And when it was over, after the Boston Celtics in inspirational fashion had relentlessly harassed the Los Angeles Lakers' offense, narrowing their sense of what they could do, forcing them away from where they wanted to be on the floor, shredding their sets and getting inside their skins, turning the Lakers inside out, and into playing as if the Celtics knew what was coming next and they didn't, they did finally know, for they had lost, and likely thrown away their chances of being the 2008 NBA champions.
The Celtics had laid a hurting on them and bruised their hearts.
They're the Lakers and they will be back, perhaps in game 5, but the Celtics irrevocably proved they are, for now, the better team, the team that deserves to win the title, coming back from so far, it was as if there wasn't a today, only a tomorrow, but they believed, and in the end Posey made that killer 3 and Ray that sweet lay-in, and the Celtics had come back in a fashion almost unimaginable in a hostile arena, and Eddie House pointed to his jersey, lifting it up, as if to underline where it says Boston-team-we are a team-it was from us and out of us-we are the Boston Celtics.
Posted by: brasstacks | June 13, 2008 at 01:08 AM
it's over. this is becoming a theme for the lakers. play good in the first half, collapse in the second half. celtics are the new bad boys. i think the celtics just employed mamba rules, celtics shutdown other laker players and let kobe do his thing. i've been living a lie. i really thought lakers had the chance against the celtics. the reality is celtics are a better team than the lakers.
once again, offense is good during the regular season but defense wins championships. any chance we can steal tom thibodeu from the celtics?
wow! the west is going to be tough next year. lakers have the core, i really hope they add some key pieces during off season. lakers need players who are committed to playing defense. i've been wrong about mitch before, i'm sure he'll make the right decision.
even in his peace, red auerbach is keeping phil from getting his 10th ring. the celtic curse is back! i hope this develops into a new rivalry. i can't wait to see the lakers face the celtics again next year. i hope by then the lakers will be in the winning side.
Posted by: depressed in LA | June 13, 2008 at 01:09 AM
There needs to be an investigation!! The Lakers NEVER deserve to lose!! The Lakers are ALWAYS better than their competition, the Washington Generals. The Lakers didn't get enough whistles, the Celtics are dirty players. The Lakers have NEVER lost, this wasn't really the Lakers you saw out there on the court. Don't worry though, after tonite, David Stern will advise the (ahem) game officials to officiate a bit more (ahem) judiciously in Games 5 and 6, and the Celtics will be dead meat (their starting 5 players will foul out by halftime, Ariza the backup will have one foul, none others for the Lakers) Same two teams in the finals for the next decade, 'till the NBA gets back in the black again...
Posted by: herkimer jerkimer | June 13, 2008 at 01:23 AM
"" THE MAILMAN ALWAYS DELIVERED ON SUNDAY""
Posted by: KARL MALONE | June 13, 2008 at 01:24 AM
Celtics were the better team all season. They are now 5-1 against the Lakers this year. The national media dropped the ball on this one by overwhelmingly picking the Lakers to sweep. Lakers started to read their own press clippings and underestimated the Celtics.
Posted by: Doc | June 13, 2008 at 01:26 AM
3 words as to why the Lakers will never ever win a championship with Kobe Bryant at the helm.
Decision making process.
It was evident tonight when the Celtics made their run, what does Bryant proceed to do during the 3rd quarter?
Launch ill-advised jumpers.
Here's Brian K's (LA TIMES Blog) take:
"Kobe came out in the third looking to get himself going. More iso, more one-on-one, more jumpshooting. All of that equals less ball movement. "
Usually when the spotlight is shining, the real stars step up and seize the moment. Let's take a look back at Bryant's stats in Finals history.
Remember, this is the Finals. Doesn't get any bigger than this, correct?
Here we go:
***Against Indiana 1999-2000
15.6 PPG and 36% FG (While Shaq avg. 38 PPG, 16.6 RBDS, and 61% FG).
Wow. Talk about stepping up Kobe.
Revisionist like to imagine as Kobe being "clutch". Once again, the actual numbers tell a whole different story.
***Against Philly 2000-2001
24.6 PPG and 41.5% FG. Once again. Look at the staggering high shooting percentage. Coming through again.
Remember, this will have been the 2nd Finals series that he has shot poorly in.
***Against New Jersey 2001-2002
26.8 PPG and 51.4% FG. Finally. For once, Bryant lives up to expectations in the Finals.
It's strange how some like to romp and cheer when Bryant has a performance like 30 PPG and 50% FG.
Isn't it expected from the "best player in the game"?
Or are they cheering because those type of performances are atypical, hence since it's not expected, they are pleasantly surprised?
Puzzling.
***Against Detroit 2003-2004
22.6 PPG and 37% FG. Obviously Bryant had "choking" issues on and off the court that year.
***Against Boston 2007-2008
After tonight's catastrophe, FG% is probably hovering around 40%.
As clearly demonstrated, Kobe has only performed in 1 out of 5 Finals series.
Is that acceptable for someone that anointed by quick to the draw Kobe zealots that proclaim him as the best ever simply because of his scoring prowess?
Though amazing as singular feats (string of 50+ pts, string of 40+ pts, 62 pts in 3 quarters, 81 pts, etc.), what have those done for the bottom line, anyway?
The bottom line is to win a championship, is it not?
That's what all athletes should strive for.
Go back and look at those stats again.
Bryant's done practically nothing in the Finals 4 out of 5 series.
That's a HUGE sample size already.
24 games total.
When can the fans see one of those performances worthy of MVP chants?
If he's in a slump, when will it end? 2015 when he retires?
Most fans would be all for Kobe being anointed as the best ever.
But as clearly shown, he's far far far from it. One has to do it on the biggest stage for it to matter. Who cares if he wins 5 more scoring titles, 3 more MVP's.
Bryant's play in the Finals (career-wise) as been a huge letdown. His play has cemented and tarnished what little veracity to begin with regarding his clutchness (biggest choke up in the Finals, can't "take over" on the Finals stage), basketball mind (look at all those low FG% - poor shot selection - low basketball IQ), and leadership (team on its heels, he cowers and launches jumpers).
Stats don't lie.
Bryant is an absolute choke job when comes to the Finals. All those All-star MVP's, scoring titles, All-defense teams, MVP's, means absolutely zilch when it doesn't come into play during the Finals.
And as for fans holding out hope that Bryant will lead the charge in the revival, don't hold your breath.
Using history to serve as a reminder, most of know that it ain't gonna happen.
-Jeffs Aho
Posted by: Jeffs Aho | June 13, 2008 at 01:31 AM
to those who watched the live game, how was the insertion of Eddie House and Posey in the line up shook the laker defense?
i missed the game...and i read from espn that this was the key adjustment from the Celtics
Posted by: kobelovesjuan | June 13, 2008 at 01:34 AM
By: Wes Nixon
We may want to put our names first for a while to reduce the number of troll threads accidently read.
Hmmm.
Strange series. Good enough to really dominate every WC team, not nearly good enough to handle the Celtics.
Bynum will help, but we really need to add some experienced vets to this bench. And, unfortunately, I don't think we can wait for guys like Turiaf and Farmar to learn how to play championship ball. We need a stud PG and a cagy big man.
Wes
Posted by: | June 13, 2008 at 01:47 AM
I wonder how the Lakers will do on Sunday? The guy on espn was referencing the Maverick's complete breakdown against the Heat, which they still havent recovered from. It would be sad if they didnt try.
This game reminded me of Game six in Detroit, and that got their coach fired and all their dudes on the trade block.
hehe i'm gonna go see the real Green Troll issue a beatdown tomorrow!
Posted by: Greenmeanie | June 13, 2008 at 02:05 AM
Give the rings to KG, Allen, and Pierce...
I think they deserve it more... than this bunch of guys
in the LAKERS...
Hope next year will be ours for the taking..
Congratulations BOSTON fans....
Posted by: Shaggy | June 13, 2008 at 02:31 AM
All it takes is 1 quarter to change a series. The lakers aren't going to go down without a fight - the fans in game 5 will not let that happen. And then game 6 the pressures on Boston, because if they dont win 5, and don't win 6, than the lakers will be in there head.
Posted by: Casey | June 13, 2008 at 02:39 AM
"From almost the moment the second half commenced, the Lakers inexplicably got away from the crisp ball movement, multiple touches and continual motion on display in the opening 24 minutes, "
Yep. That'll happen when the cog that makes your offense go (Kobe) is being held nonstop on defense by the opposition and no whistle is called.
I've already watched the tape. The Refs called 2 different games. In the 2nd half the Lakers would get mugged constantly and no whistled would be called. I think they started going more one-on-one in an effort to show the refs the fouls, but they just weren't going to call it.
The NBA Finals. Where FIXED happens.
Posted by: WWJWWD | June 13, 2008 at 02:42 AM
BTW, the second comment was mine. Somehow I missed getting my name on there. Probably user error.
Now I'm going to have to endure the ridicule of all those that know I'm a Laker fan.
They couldn't just lose like a normal team. Oh no...
One positive note for me was Sasha. He passed up iffy tough looks on the perimeter. He was also super pissed when they lost, as he should be.
Horrible excuse for a defense in the 3rd/4th quarters. Totally inexplicable.
They have to win game 5 simply for the sake of pride.
Posted by: Benjamin | June 13, 2008 at 02:43 AM
The game was fnished 7 hours ago and I still can't sleep. Phil Jackson has finally been exposed as a coach who can't overcome adversity without at least 2 future Hall of Famers on his team. The best coaches know you have to show emotion and passion in order to motivate your players. Just ask Doc Rivers.
Posted by: Jay | June 13, 2008 at 02:49 AM
rumplestiltskin,
It's nice to see a Celts fan with some class. I wonder if the attitudes of the others is born from some insecurity and now the decent Celt fan (or side of a Celt fan) can come out of the woodwork now that you guys look a lot better.
History was made twice tonight. The widest margin of victory after the end of the first quarter and the biggest comeback in a finals game.
This series is not yet over. Perhaps history can be made another way, as you alluded to by mentioning the 2004 Yankees.
It pains me to say this, but if you guys win, you deserved it more.
Posted by: Benjamin | June 13, 2008 at 02:50 AM