Fortunately, it's not a Best of One...
Those inhabitants of the Laker Nation with a natural inclination for worry will not sleep well after the Lakers hit the famous parquet floor in Boston with a thud, dropping Game 1 of the NBA Finals to the Celtics, 98-88. It was a night with few highlights for the purple and gold. They ran out to a very early four-point lead, and used a 16-6 run at the end of the second quarter to take a five-point lead into the half. Unfortunately, the rest of the night clearly belonged to the home team, which otherwise tended to dictate the flow of the game. Boston was able to erase L.A.'s lead only 45 seconds into the third quarter, engaged the Lakers in a dog fight, then slowly took control of the game. The iconic moment of the night? Paul Pierce put the Celtics ahead for good with two huge three-pointers after a dramatic return to the court less than two minutes after being rolled off the floor in a wheelchair because of a knee injury. Call it a Willis Reed moment for the Gen X folk.
On the other hand, optimists will look at Thursday's loss and believe that the Lakers probably won't get another 9-26 shooting night from Kobe, only six boards from Lamar Odom, or 15 points combined between Vlad Radmanovic, Sasha Vujacic and Jordan Farmar. The Lakers didn't look all that good in Game 1, but still were in the game until the final four minutes or so. A little more execution down the stretch, and they might have stolen a game they didn't deserve.
Click below for the breakdown.
The Good:
- Derek Fisher: He was as close to a consistent influence as the Lakers had over the course of the game. Nearly 41 minutes of run, 4-9 from the floor for 15 points, plus six assists. He was particularly effective in the second quarter, when he scored 11 points and helped keep the Lakers close, then pull ahead before the half. He had some issues with Sam Cassell in that quarter, but while Sam-I-Am couldn't keep me out of the paint at this point in his career, he can still get hot offensively and drill some turnaround J's on just about anyone. Overall, Fish was one of the few Lakers who managed to find his way to the basket and stay aggressive.
The Bad: Wow. Lots to choose from.
- Sasha Vujacic: Overall, he had a tough night. 2-7 from the floor, four personals and some undisciplined play offensively. On the other end, he had a tough time keeping up with Allen, who ran him pretty ragged over the course of the game. If you had asked me before the game what player might be a little too amped up for his first Finals game, I would have thought long and hard about Sasha.
- Offensive Discipline: Too often the Lakers became content to be a jumpshooting team, and spent long stretches of time outside the paint. The patience and ball movement characteristic of the team weren't there for nearly enough of the game, and practically disappeared in the second half. "We had 14 assists in the first half and seven in the second. That was the difference. We did a lot of things off the dribble we didn't do in the first half," Phil Jackson said. Still, PJ didn't seem to think they, whether Kobe or the rest of the gang, were taking a lot of bad shots. "Our guys had good looks. A lot of in-and-out shots for us tonight," Jackson said of the team. Similar reaction to Kobe. "I think he thought he was shooting the ball pretty well, they just didn't stay in. A lot of them rattled out. I said to him, check it out, he had some guys open in other parts of the offense, but he said he had some good looks. You live on that. That's going to happen." To some extent I think he's protecting his guys. The shot selection wasn't all that good, and the patience wasn't there. Some of that can be chalked up to the Celtics, who are a very strong defensive team, but some of it goes to the Lakers as well.
- Rebounding: Rebounding, rebounding, rebounding. So bad it should be mentioned at least that many times. The final margin was 46-33 Boston, including 10 offensive boards for the Celtics that helped explain their 98 points despite 42% shooting. The extra chances often put the Celtics on the line, where they were 28-35, and led to an eight-point advantage in second-chance points that seemed a lot bigger. A lack of attention led to what was likely the dagger score for Boston, a ferocious dunk put back off a James Posey three with 92 seconds to go. Gasol, in the same ZIP code but a decidedly different neighborhood, never put a body on him. A six-point deficit became eight, and that was the end of that.
The Occasionally Good, but Not Nearly Good Enough:
- Defense: In the halfcourt, it wasn't bad. As I mentioned, L.A. held Boston to 42% shooting, and limited them to under 25 points in three of four quarters. But because the rebounding (did I mention the rebounding) was so awful, it's hard to give them high marks. Moreover, the Lakers struggled to defend without fouling, part of the reason the Celtics were able to make some hay at the stripe. Too many ticky-tack fouls, or ill-timed shooting fouls (a Vlad hack on Pierce for a three+1 and an awkward Allen jumper late in the shot clock where Sasha bailed him out with a pop to the arm come to mind). The groundwork is there, but if the Lakers are going to come back strong on Sunday, they'll need to shore up those weak spots.
- L.A.'s Big Three: It wasn't an MVP performance from Kobe by any stretch. He forced jumpers, forced passes and forced plays (explaining the four TOs). It's not that he was awful - Kobe also made some excellent decisions with the ball, was able to set up his teammates, and hit some big shots - but he clearly wasn't sharp, and wasn't able to find any sort of flow in the game save the last six minutes of the second quarter, when the whole team was on fire, going from five down to five up into halftime. There are nights where he is able to exert influence on a game in all sorts of ways, controlling the flow. Tonight, he couldn't do it, and seemed to get stuck trying to figure out how. Lamar Odom had some nice moments and was 6-11 from the floor, but like Kobe, they were quiet points, and his 2-5 showing from the line took some of the fun away from the numbers, too. LO wasn't dominant on the boards, didn't distribute, and overall couldn't make an impression on the game in the way we've seen over the second half of the season. So inconsistent was his play that PJ had him on the bench for critical minutes in the fourth.
Pau Gasol was also 6-11 and had four assists, generally coming from his work at the top of the post, but was also limited in his effect on the glass, and had a ton of trouble with KG on the other end (in fairness, Garnett can play a little). His performance tonight reminded me of some of his lesser efforts against San Antonio.
If you want to pit Big Three vs. Big Three, Boston's was the clear winner. 65 points to 53 for L.A.'s trio. Rebounds- 25 vs. 17. Big moments? Too many vs. way too few.
Audio to come ASAP.
BK
It's been widely reported that Lamar Odom is the X factor in the series. If true, the Lakers may be in trouble.
Physically, and perhaps mentally, Odom doesn’t seem up to the task. Early in the 1st quarter after Boston had scored, Odom tried to get past Perkins who had just reversed direction, but Perkins wouldn't budge. Odom submissively tapped Perkins on his rear, then went around him. But the moment perfectly captured Boston's message to the Lakers: "you don't scare us." Sure enough, Odom played weak the rest of the game. At least today, X equaled zero.
To be fair, as several posters have mentioned, Luke Walton, whom often plays recklessly, didn’t have a productive night, but at least he brings a Kurt Rambis-like energy sorely missing. Moreover, Walton is a role player, so the team’s loss can’t rightfully be laid at his feet. And yes, as with Odom, Pao Gasol lacks strength. But since his acquisition, Gasol’s finesse and effective style of play has been routinely characterized as “the” missing ingredient in the otherwise hapless and Shaqless Lakers' squad of the past few seasons; the catalyst to Kobe’s resurrected image. Yet Kobe reverted today to pre-MVP form by allowing Ray Allen to draw him into a peeing contest, forgetting that one always loses such a contest to a skunk.
If the Lakers are going to win this series, Kobe has to play like a leader again. He can start by telling Odom to play strong, to not back down from anyone, and that the Celtics don’t scare his Lakers either. Ultimately, whether or not Odom is the X factor in this series, when all is said and done, it’s Kobe’s legacy at stake in this series, not Odom’s. So let’s see if Kobe has truly transformed himself from one of the NBA’s superstars, to NBA MVP and possibly one of the greatest.
Posted by: UnderTheBlueSky | June 05, 2008 at 11:17 PM
We just saw Paul Pierce deliver one of the greatest single game turnarounds in NBA Finals history. Let us count ourselves lucky to have borne witness to true greatness on basketball's biggest stage.
It was breathtaking to see how he single-handedly gave his team the will and power to claim victory, all with a gutsy return from an injury that would have sent kobe to the emergency room.
Paul Pierce's performance will go down as a classic ala Ali beating Foreman, and the US Olympic hockey team beating the russians for the gold.
Might want to get Paul Pierce on Team USA for Beijing!
Posted by: BUTLER | June 05, 2008 at 11:21 PM
I'm still puzzle by the insertion of Bill Walton in the third quarter(For LO). He didn't contributed anything to the team and allowed KG to take Off RB on a few occasion. Jordan were outplayed by the the 38 years old, Caseel. How pathetic was that? He was real tentative in game 1.
We lost the game tonight for two reasons: Poor 4th quarter shooting PCT and out-rebounded by the C (Thanks to LO & Luke). We had a chance to stretch the lead when Pierce and Perkins were out but we didn't take advantage of those opportunity. PJ Brown came in and excited the crowd with his plays and the rest was history...
Posted by: Wallace | June 05, 2008 at 11:23 PM
this is the first time this postseason that the lakers will be battling from behind in the series. I'm curious to see which lakers team will show up on sunday. Camaraderie is fine when things are going good, like having dinner after wrapping up a series. But the true test is how does this laker team handle adversity, the next two days will be crucial.
Posted by: Levy | June 05, 2008 at 11:23 PM
Too many hack fouls the Celtics got non calls and ticky tack touch fouls the Lakers got called for.
John Q Betts really showed up.
What really happened in locker room with Pierce and Ainge.
PP -How did I do?
Ainge-Acadamy Award performance. (snicker) better than a flop.
PP - What now boss? (Wink Wink).
Ainge- Do your best Willis Reed impersonation and game in the bag! Ha Ha. Go on now get out there and wait for ovation from crowd.
PP- Gotcha!
Posted by: JustaLakerFan | June 05, 2008 at 11:26 PM
PJ Brown planted lamar odumb into the ground and then added water.
Be glad laker fans that Eddie House and Glen Davis and Tony Allen didn't play - lakers could have lost by 10 more pts east.
How about the KG dunks, especially the poster on Ga-Shawl! Now that was a heroic performance from the Big Ticket!
Ray Allen had a monster all around game. Rondo made Fisher look like an old fella with a terrific performance.
Paul Pierce, though, is the new Michael Jordan!
Posted by: BUTLER | June 05, 2008 at 11:29 PM
It's been widely reported that Lamar Odom is the X factor in the series. If true, the Lakers may be in trouble.
Physically, and perhaps mentally, Odom doesn’t seem up to the task. Early in the 1st quarter after Boston had scored, Odom tried to get past Perkins who had just reversed direction, but Perkins wouldn't budge. Odom submissively tapped Perkins on his rear, then went around him. But the moment perfectly captured Boston's message to the Lakers: "you don't scare us." Sure enough, Odom played weak the rest of the game. At least today, X equaled zero.
Posted by: UnderTheBlueSky | June 05, 2008 at 11:17 PM
I saw that too and wondered what was he doing. He should have bulled over Perkins and make it evident that Perkins was causing delay of game by blocking Odom from getting to inbound the ball.
Posted by: JustaLakerFan | June 05, 2008 at 11:30 PM
Let me make my predictions...
I predict the Lakers to.............................................................WIN!
That's right I said it!
RIDE 'TIL I DIE!
Posted by: never | June 05, 2008 at 11:32 PM
Let's get back to Boston and ride these fools at their own barbecue...
Posted by: never | June 05, 2008 at 11:32 PM
Sasha, Pau, Vladimir, Lamar - all of these guys' limitations came shining through tonite.
The reason? Celtics D shuts kobee down so effectively that those jump shooters have always got hands in their mugs. So it forces them to do something they don't like to do - drive to the hole and play D.
Advantage: Celtics
PJ Brown planted lamar odumb into the ground and then added water.
Be glad laker fans that Eddie House and Glen Davis and Tony Allen didn't play - lakers could have lost by 10 more pts east.
How about the KG dunks, especially the poster on Ga-Shawl! Now that was a heroic performance from the Big Ticket!
Ray Allen had a monster all around game. Rondo made Fisher look like an old fella with a terrific performance.
Paul Pierce, though, is the new Michael Jordan!
Posted by: BUTLER | June 05, 2008 at 11:33 PM
Lets give our young guys this one and hope they will learn.
I am king of concerned about the fact that we lost 3 straight to Boston. At least we have beaten all of our previous opponents before , but Boston is still undefeated by us.
Posted by: novolakers | June 05, 2008 at 11:36 PM
Gee, Butler, you need to watch more basketball games.
Posted by: spokanlakerfan | June 05, 2008 at 11:37 PM
Looking forward to Sunday's adjustments by lakers.
We payed poorly but were still in it until the end.
Go Lakers!
Posted by: Laker Fan 24 | June 05, 2008 at 11:41 PM
Is this the Celtic blog?
Sonnybelfast
Posted by: sonnybelfast | June 05, 2008 at 11:43 PM
If Paul Pierce and Ray Allen play like they did tonight throughout the series, we are in serious trouble.
Kobe just cannot check his ego at the door.
He's got to be THE MAN
Kobe needs to realize that this series is like the
WILT, ELGIN, WEST, Laker team of the late 60's that faced Boston in the finals only the team roles are now reversed.
It's the Celtics who have the Big Three and it's up to the Lakers to play team ball (like the Celtics did) to win it.
The Sky Is Falling
The Sky Is Falling
The Sky Is Falling
Posted by: Who are You | June 05, 2008 at 11:45 PM
Agree with the analysis.
The Lakers can win a series even while being outrebounded. Jazz outrebounded Lakers in 4 of 6 games, sometimes horribly, it was even in one game and Lakers outrebounded Utah in only one game.
But the Lakers beat Utah from the foul line.
Even though Lakers were outrebounded in Boston they still had essentially the same number of FG attempts and conversions but they got beat from the FT line as Boston went to the line 35 times versus Lakers 28.
Perhaps bec. Celtics made a reputation in the regular season for their defense, refs will have a tendency to allow them more leeway before calling a foul. Perhaps it was the home court of the Celts w/c tend to get favorable calls from the refs. Perhaps it was the bets.
Or maybe bec. Celts have better fundamental defense so they need to foul less than Lakers.
Since the Lakers have the reputation of having the better offense, they really need to beat the Celts field goal percentage by about 5 percent every game to win the series even if they have slightly less possessions by being outrebounded.So that means executing better what got them to the Finals in the first place. That is by playing the triangle - ball movement, inside-outside passing, P & Rs, letting Kobe read the defense and make the right decisions on when to facilitate and when to shoot, open 3 pt attempts.
The Lakers did this in the first half then stopped doing it in the 2nd half. And it wasn't because of adjustments that Celts made in defense. What happened was Celts especially Pierce started making improbable shots and Lakers especially Kobe lost patience with the triangle trying to counter too fast.
I will argue that Lakers beat themselves in Game 1. Celts deserve the props for some of their big game shot making but Lakers still had to beat themselves for Celts to win. This is not going to happen all series long.
Posted by: LakerinBC | June 05, 2008 at 11:45 PM
Speaking of Paul Pierce, he's saying on the Boston blogs that's he might be doubtful on Sunday. He learned fast from PJ. lol!
Well, if there is a sprain and played it while hurting, that would put you in a lot of pain the next day, isn't it? But to say that he will not play on Game Two, that's a stretch! Perkins never came back, how severe is the injury? If both of them can walk then, they can play on Sunday.
Posted by: Edwin Gueco | June 05, 2008 at 11:50 PM
This is not a dominant Celtic team. Allen thinks he did a good job on Kobe, but lots of Kobe's shot were good looks, but rattled out. The Lakers shot poorly,but were still in the game at the end. We only need one on the road. We will take game 2.
Posted by: spokanlakerfan | June 05, 2008 at 11:50 PM
Every team can deliver a clunker, even in the Playoffs. Well, the Lakers delivered a big clunker on Thursday night in Boston. The Celtics showed the most poise, the most energy, the most focus, and came out like winning the NBA Championship was a done deal.
The Lakers came out tentative, and even though the first half was competitive, it fell short of the quality effort we've seen from this team until Game 1 of the Finals. In the second half, the wheels fell off.
The Lakers need to get their mojo back on Sunday and most of all need to get on the same page. After the game, the coach said they lost the game on the boards.
But Lamar Odom, who didn't come out playing aggressively, said after the game, "It wasn’t like we got pounded inside." Ronny Turiaf said, "I don’t think the rebounding made the difference tonight. Excuse me: Boston had 12 second-chance points to only four for Los Angeles. Pat Riley once said, “No rebounds, no rings.” Riley is right. Odom and Turiaf are wrong.
Worse, the Celtics did something I thought I'd never see. They shut down Kobe Bryant. Kobe waved it off, calling it a bad shooting night. No. I think the Celtics played excellent defense on Kobe.
But some of the game thread comments were moronic. Phil wasn't outcoached. His players failed to execute consistently. Luke Walton only played six minutes, so he didn't cost us the game, despite what the haters say But the Bench Mob pretty much did curl up into a ball and crumble. As for all the demands to see Ariza, you might notice that PJ tightened the rotation even further. Don't get your hopes up.
The Lakers must view Game 2 on Sunday as a must-win. It is. The Celtics are for real, and they know it. Someone on the Lakers staff needs to Windex all the hotel bathroom mirrors, so the team can take an honest, unfiltered look at themselves. Only D-Fish and Pau exceeded expectations in Game 1. In Game 2, everyone needs to exceed expectations and even this series. This is our team. This is our year. Go Lakers!
Posted by: Rick Friedman | June 05, 2008 at 11:53 PM
Repost
I'm not really going to go into details, but I am not really concerned yet... We played better than I thought. We missed a lot of shots and gave up too many rebounds. We will adjust but I only question the timing of substitutions. I also question the use or lack there of bodies; like Ariza , Mbenga, and even Minm. Thats all I got at this time.
Posted by: JBizzo | June 06, 2008 at 12:00 AM
Simple recipe for a victory on Sunday. Kobe makes his shots and Ariza gets Luke's minutes. I thought Kobe played like crap and they were still in the game. No worries it's all good in LakerLand. Even if they don't win on Sunday something tells me the Lakers are capable of winning all 3 in LA and only needing 1 in Boston to end this Magical Season.
Lakers in 6
BD
Posted by: BD | June 06, 2008 at 12:05 AM
Lakers had about a million shots go into the basket, then pop back out.
If half of those would've gone down, the Lakers would've won by 10 points.
Posted by: Captain Obvious | June 06, 2008 at 12:32 AM
Does anyone else have a nagging feeling that Pierce was sandbagging just a little on that injury? Phil alluded to it during post game questioning by the press.
At least Garnett was predictable. His first quarter was indeed very agressive, then he finished off the game just like I had predicted. Being timid and hoisting up fallaways and various other jumpers.
Garnett missed 10 of his last 11 shots. The only one he made was a put back on an offensive rebound. Garnett won't be a problem this series as long as you beat up on him a little early in the game.
Green Bastards............come on Phil, make the right adjustments. You had a great first half game plan. Those pick/rolls by Kobe and Gasol just shredded the Celtics, and I can;t believe Doc adjusted on the fly enough to take that option COMPLETELY off the table the second half of the game, especially with 2 opposing players supposedly suffering from a sprained knee and a sprained ankle, thus limiting those 2 players' mobility.
Posted by: MiloRambaldi | June 06, 2008 at 12:36 AM
Aloha
Its pretty simple, we have to learn to win a game in Boston, because we will take care of our home court. We didnt win in Utah until the 3rd try and in San Antonio until the 2nd try, so we will see on Sunday, how much we learned from this game. I remember after the Spurs pushed us around in game 3 we came out and pushed back. I expect the same Sunday.
MH
Posted by: michael h | June 06, 2008 at 12:42 AM
The key to this series is how well the Lakers execute the triangle for most of the 48 minutes.
Lakers are supposed to have better offense and s/d have a higher field goal percentage. That's why most analysts favored the Lakers.
Kobe needs to shoot a higher FG % than the Celtics team.
One good indicator of how well the Lakers triangle offense is working is to watch the offensive game of Derek Fisher. If Fish is having a good offensive game that means the triangle is working. Fish is not a good one-on-one offensive player, he can not create his own shots and he needs the triangle to work to get his points. If Fish and Sasha are doing good on their 3 PT shooting percentage that means they are getting the open looks that ball movement s/d create.
If Lakers perimeter game is working that opens up the floor and allows Kobe and Gasol to work the P & Rs, and for Kobe and Odom to drive and penetrate. The Celts are packing it in the lane w/c also gives them good defensive rebounding position. Perimeter shooting from Vlad, Fish, Sasha and Kobe are essential to get better spacing and to get some offensive rebounds.
Posted by: LakerinBC | June 06, 2008 at 01:52 AM
i will have my hair cut if the lakers fail to win the championship.
Posted by: isang | June 06, 2008 at 01:55 AM
s this the Celtic blog?
Sonnybelfast
Posted by: sonnybelfast
No, this is the queens blog. Geez what a bafoon!!!
Posted by: Fire32 | June 06, 2008 at 02:13 AM
Most telling moment wasn't Pierce's 3s but Gasol standing agog at Garnett's slam in the closing moments. Lakers got slaughtered on the boards. The can still win in such games, but only when Kobe goes over the top. The Celtics are one tough defensive team.
Posted by: Phddownunder | June 06, 2008 at 02:39 AM
Unfortunate game to say the least.
The Lakers started out so well, then just didn't seem prepared to play.
The bench and Gasol wilted. It was despicable.
I do think officials called a lot of ticky-tacky crap in favor of the Celts.
I don't know who showed up today to play, but it wasn't the Laker team I've grown to really enjoy and respect during these playoffs.
Ray Allen, Pierce, and KG played well, but otherwise I was unimpressed with Boston's play. Their defense was strong, but not insurmountable.
It's extremely important that we do a better job of moving the ball inside to big men. I don't care if they foul Gasol 50 times and he loses his mind. It absolutely must happen to keep the Celtic defense honest and open up the floor for better looks from our outside shooters.
I got the sense late in the game that the Lakers didn't feel that they could win this game (last four minutes). I really hated to see that and I'll be pissed if I see it again.
Posted by: Benjamin | June 06, 2008 at 03:06 AM
I guess I'm one of the optimists. Sure, I'm disappointed about the loss, but I don't think the Lakers played all that bad. Yes, just about everyone was a bit OFF of their game, but no one was truly OUT of the game (note that Sasha was the only one who actually made the Bad category).
If each of the players takes a good look at the game tape from last night to see where they each went wrong, just some minor tweaks to each of their games (a bit more than minor in Sasha's case) could turn Sunday into a blow-out.
I'd rather be an optimist and be wrong, than to be a pessimist and be right...
Posted by: David in Spain | June 06, 2008 at 03:13 AM
Good morning Laker Nation...I have no voice today but I have to say that was a hell of a game last night.
First and foremost let me say that this is only game 1 and you really have to like most of what you saw. The game was close the entire time and Odom, Luke and Vlad were stinking up the place so it can only get better.
I'm calling out Lamar Odom and Luke Walton for playing the dumbest games in the playoffs so far. Odom was not agressive and Luke made several dumb turnovers in the game. These guys have to step up bigtime...and they will, and Kobe won't be shooting like that in 2 games consecutively.
We have an opportunity to split these games on Sunday and go home for 3 straight home games and I like our chances.
Keep the faith!!! Lakers in 5!!!!
Posted by: EastCoastJessie | June 06, 2008 at 05:35 AM
We were not blown out. Celts played as well as they can. We did not show up. Stay calm. Breath deep. We take #2. I stay firm in the '5' camp.
Goooooo Lakers.
Posted by: BaywoodGal | June 06, 2008 at 05:40 AM
Did anyone notice how nervous Doc Rivers looked at his post game presser? He couldn't stop touching and picking his face. A bad shooting night, Kobe in particular, compounded by the horrendous officiating, he knew his squad got away with one... and about Paul Pierce and his fake injury, I think Truth had to go to the toilet and drop a BUTLER. I mean, talk about attention whore, left court on a wheelchair? Pierce isn't the truth he's the Faker - no pity for him, he will never be like Mike. Shoot, he doesn't even come close to Kobe at that. Who cares for him? His rookie cards aren't worth crap and he's nothing but a wannabe gangster.
MiloRimbaldi - Good call on the KG stat and analysis, I think he looked timid and could not hit from ten feet out towards the end; his game will never reach the next level because when it comes down to it, he cannot and will not take the shots that matter.
My favorite moment of the game - Fisher's oop to Kobe in the third. Unbelivable jaw dropping hang time there.
Nothing to worry about yet, I expect the same game plan but improvement on execution and tenacity on the boards by our guys come Sunday.
Posted by: eevee | June 06, 2008 at 06:17 AM
Good Morning, Laker-land!
I'm sure our team will rebound on Sunday! Alas, I won't be able to watch it - at some point during the 4th last night - I think it was when Garnett "saved" that over-and-back by jumping from four feet to the wrong side of the half court line - I seemed to have fired my shoe at the T.V. Who knew that when traveling at about 200 feet/second, a Rockport will shatter a Pioneer Pro-Vision Series? So, then, in an effort to save my marriage and stay out of anger management therapy, I am going cold turkey until WE TURN THIS AROUND AND TAKE THE LEAD!!!
Good luck to you, Citizens of Lakersville! My fondest farewell!
P.S. How sad, for that little 'Butler' character? To have nothing in his life to root FOR. He spends so much time over here, gloating and whining and trying to light fires. Seems like a lonely little person, that deep down just wishes that someone, anyone, could be his friend...
Posted by: karyanr | June 06, 2008 at 06:32 AM
Well.....Boston's a pretty good team. Fortunately, the pressure is on them right now. If they lose their next game at home, you better believe that the local media will start getting their funeral dirges going.
We've got that under out belt - now let's take it as a learning experience and push for a win in game 2!
Posted by: Caliphilosopher | June 06, 2008 at 06:47 AM
Disappointing loss. I thought the game turned when Vlad missed the open three at the end of the first half (would have been an 8 point lead), then basically got schooled by Pierce in the first three minutes of the 3rd quarter. I also thought the Lakers did not seize the moment when Pierce went out -- that was the time to run up a 5 to 8 point lead.
I think Pierce oversold the injury and the announcers bought into it. Willis Reed? I think not. If the Celtics needed all of that to win the first game, what do they do for an encore?
Finally, given how poorly the Lakers executed either the triangle or the pick and roll (which seemed to work for a while), I'm surprised the game was this close. I have faith things will turn around in Game 2.
Posted by: teamn | June 06, 2008 at 06:55 AM
Whose your Daddy?
How many more times do we have to kick your ass before you figure the obvious....WE OWN YOU!
You`re now 3-16 when held to under 100. You can`t even score 90 on us.
You`ll be going back to LA in an "0-2 Body Bag"!!!!!!!
Posted by: Red`s Love Child | June 06, 2008 at 06:56 AM
Maybe a bit of a hangover effect from the Spurs series? Spurs were the champs and a major hurdle, Lakers had to be clutch to beat them, it is in them.
Things should return to a norm, which includes the Lakers hitting shots, not Boston winning a series. Sasha amped, but prefer that to shrinking. Basket got smaller for the Lakers. Lakers need what Celts would not like to see on their home court, which is some strong runs.
My nagging thought, is it scripted? Boston = older, KG currently titleless.
No interest in seeing the next pregame show and the invetible Willis Reed montage.
Posted by: Doublehaul | June 06, 2008 at 07:01 AM
You know, I guess I'm the only one that sees this, but I'm not letting up on it, because it needs to be revealed.
Pau Gasol is worthless, and I'll explain why.
* Role. He is supposed to be a 20/10 player who fulfills the #2 role. Now this is very important, because it takes the I-need-to-score-to-carry-my-team mentality away from Kobe, and it puts the mentally fragile Lamar Odom in a more comfortable role as the #4 (after Fisher). But since Pau is not doing what he should be doing, Kobe is forced to having to play Kobe ball, and Lamar is back to hiding in his happy place. This blog, for whatever reason, fails to recognize this, and this will be our downfall
* Effort. Tivo the game. I promise you, you will find AT LEAST 4 different times where Gasol, at 7ft tall, literally stands flat footed, hands NOT in the ready position, and makes no effort to get the rebound. Now, if you're playing the 4/5 spot, your main goal is to rebound. Since Pau's shot isn't going in, he can at least rebound like a mad man. But he doesn't. We're getting killed on the boards and I blame that squarely on Gasol. And don't give me this "he doesn't have the build for that", BS. Garnet is every bit as skinny as Gasol, but he has heart, something Gasol doesn't have.
* The Triangle. When Pau loses confidence, he tries to be invisible out there. I remember when I was playing ball, I fell into this trap myself. I didn't want to be trashed because my shots weren't falling, so whenever I got the ball, I passed. Now, for a 17 year old, that's okay, but for a starting center for the LA Lakers, you have to come with more confidence than that. All Pau does when he's struggling is catch the ball and pass it. He doesn't even try to make a move, usually. If he does, it's abbreviated and without conviction. This allows the Celt bigmen to key in on rebound positions and clog the lane, frustrating Kobe, and we know that when Kobe gets frustrated, he starts shooting too much.
* Defense. Now, the only credit you can give Pau is average defense. He did a decent job, but not a great job, on D. Problem is, you're in the Finals. You can't survive on doing decent.
* Turnovers. Now, I don't know about Pau's personal life, and I'm not homophobic, nor am I saying that Pau is gay. I'm just saying that he's not the most masculine player out there, and what happens is that his limp wrists and weak hands don't secure the ball, so it's easy for the ball to either get stolen from him, or for him to just fumble it. In a way, dare I say it, he's similar to the infamous Kwame "Butterfingers" Brown.
* Offense. Not very much to say here. Pau tends to miss wide open shots, so his midrange game is ineffective. His left hand shot is horrible. He's abandoned his back to the basket moves, and he either gets his layups blocked, or he sissies the ball up and misses. Many times last night, I recognized opportunities from which he could have driven the ball hard to the hoop, thus drawing a foul on Garnett. But, he literally stopped short, seemingly afraid to hit Garnett, and limp wristed the ball up, missing it. Now, the coaching staff has already warned him about not doing this, but Pau hasn't changed his game.
* Attitude. Which brings me to attitude. Although Kobe will have his bad nights, and Lamar will hide at times, at least they have heart and will adjust their games. Pau does the same BS every night, night in night out. He hasn't become more aggressive, he's not holding the ball higher, he's still hesitant, he hasn't improved. Now you can trash Luke Walton all you want; but fact is, he's a bench player and not expected to do much. Pau is OUR NUMBER 2 GUY! He needs to improve and bring it, and since the Utah series, where he was exposed for being the bust that he is, he hasn't changes or improved his game.
* Trade. Which brings me to my conclusion. Some of you trash me because you say we wouldn't be here without Pau. But I say this, as Kobe says, WE ARE THE LA LAKERS, WE ONLY PLAY FOR CHAMPIONSHIPS. I don't give a damn what Pau does during the regular season; if you can't perform when it counts, you don't need to be on this Laker team. Pau has proven in his years at Memphis and now with the Lakers that he cannot perform in the playoffs. Ask yourselves, honestly, what has Pau truly contributed this playoff series that has been influential in the Lakers winning? We need impact players, not posers. Next year, we should have a starting line up of Fish, Kobe, Ariza, Lamar, and Bynum. That is a tough minded, physical line up wtih scorers. Where does Pau fit in there? Think about it.
Either he's a bench player, or lets take advantage of his trade value. I don't know who's on the Free Agent Market, but there must be a quality PF out there that we can trade Pau and Luke for. With that new PF, we'd have the perfect lineup.
Pau Gasol is a good man, but he's not the player the Lakers need, as we try to build the dynasty we all cherish.
Posted by: troy | June 06, 2008 at 07:01 AM
Our shots just didn't fall last night.
That's it.
Hey, I woke up this morning and internal walls of my house had been smashed in with a sledgehammer and my television broke into a million tiny pieces. I wonder what happened. Huh.
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: Jon K. | June 06, 2008 at 07:08 AM
So the forces of Evil take game 1. Time to regroup, folks! The forces of Good shall overcome!!
Posted by: The D | June 06, 2008 at 07:09 AM
WHERE IS TREVOR ARIZA?
WHERE IS CHRIS MIHM?
THE LAKERS WERE OUTREBOUNDED. JUST LIKE THE UTAH SERIES
Posted by: Botsoy | June 06, 2008 at 07:30 AM
Good morning LAL friends:
Rick F. - good points. I am going to replay the game tonight (can't get enough torture). Some of PJ's subs were really interesting to me - he played Ronny with Pau and we haven't seen that. He was being conservative by keeping the starters PT high. But he was also making substitutions we haven't seen to gauge the C's reaction.
If Luke and Rad play poor defense or LO & Pau get too many fouls collectively - he might sacrifice them to just put big bodies out there to defend. I think we might see Ariza if only to come in to raise defensive energy (late 2nd/3rd Q) and because we need his length. I don't believe PJ wanted to show all his cards in G1.
My bigger worry is offensively. Our team has always said we can get our offense from anywhere but that wasn't the case last night. It looked like we had good shots and I felt a LOT of them rimmed out. But I didn't see a lot of "gimmes" from LO and Pau. And that's where we have been successful - in the paint - they shut us down there. Fish was our savior who I said would be our X-factor. I hope it continues for as long as this thing lasts.
Overall, I am not downtrodden - I really feel like we could have stolen that game and we wouldn't have deserved it. As PJ said it was a tale of 2 halves. I really liked what I saw in the 1st half and if that can be extended for 48 minutes - we will have another banner.
GO LAKERS!!!
But I also felt we were really tentative - I felt Pau and LO were holding back a little on both sides because they didn't get a grasp on how the game was going to be called by the refs. And when the refs don't make the calls, the stronger defensive team is going to win. Thankfully, that will change with each game but LO and Pau have to adjust a lot quicker to that
Posted by: PsychedLakerGirl | June 06, 2008 at 07:38 AM
Paul Pierce was full of drama. It was the greatest staged
injury in the NBA Play-offs!!
I had the game recorded and went back to the play many times, I could not see anything that could have tweaked anything that seriously. As soon as I saw his return to the game running, I knew something was up!!
Posted by: Robyn | June 06, 2008 at 08:03 AM
Pretty simple answer: the Celtics were the better team last night. This loss was NOT the result of the officiating. Pierce's injury cost the Lakers some momentum, and they never seemed to get it back.
Posted by: exhelodrvr | June 06, 2008 at 08:03 AM
Morning y’all.
Some thoughts on the game:
- First off, PP isn’t the second coming of Willis Reed, not even close, so enough of that talk. That won’t happen in game 2, the crowd won’t get that geeked up and he won’t hit those miraculous shots again. He’ll feel the effects of that “injury” in the next game.
- KG disappeared after the first half and will probably do so again, so we need to try and contain him early.
- Cassell won’t be that hot again-count on it.
- Fish is going to eat up Rondo, this kid doesn’t scare me at all.
- The refs, while not as bad as in the western series, made some questionable calls, most notably the “backcourt violation” and legit block, both involving Pau.
- The Cs lucked out on some cheap fouls at the very end of several possessions that resulted in freebies.
- I guess we won’t be seeing much of TA in this series, apparently another week isn’t enough to get him into game shape.
- We need to drive to the hole and get some early fouls on their bigs, not just rely on the jumpshooting. Get KG and/or Perkins in foul trouble and they’re dead.
- Box out! No way PJ Brown should be grabbing offensive rebounds.
- The commentators on tv suck. Comparing PP to Ali? Stupid...
- Our D wasn’t that bad for the most part, it’s the free throws that we gave up that killed us.
- Vlad Rad. Love the guy but he’s spacin’. There was a possession where he got stuck guarding Rondo and as soon as Rondo got the ball and made the motion to shoot Rad started running to the other end of the floor, he didn’t even bother to gat a hand up in Rondo’s grill or go for the rebound. He needs to step up his D.
- I loved that Ronny hit some shots, but the rest of the bench could’ve followed suit.
Despite some crappy play, we were still in this until the end. Boston needed “heroics” from PP to overtake us while we played poorly and still had a chance. I still like our chances in 6 or 7.
-bozz-
Posted by: bozz | June 06, 2008 at 08:07 AM
BK,
I like your breakdown, but I still think you are a little to harsh. They were clearly 15 or so shots from the Lakers as a whole that rimmed out on the guys, of every variety. And, these were shots these same guys have been making all through this playoff run, except that one game in Utah when everything rimmed out, too.
Unless you are assuming that from this point forward the Lakers are going to barely miss their good looks, then you can't be overly critical. Plus, part of the reason for the lower number of assists, are those aforementioned missed shots. You gotta make the shot to get the assist, you know.
Heck, did you notice that when Fish sank those two consecutive jumpers to get the Lakers back in the game, BOTH of those jumpers rimmed *in*? Those two didn't want to go down, either.
The only dude who didn't have that problem with the rim was Vlad -- but he got himself in foul trouble, so we couldn't take advantage (his shots rarely even touch the rim, as you know).
We here in Laker Nation have always thought that Boston is using substandard rims for this very reason. Even Magic, Coop and Scott would have numerous shots rim out back in the day. I wouldn't put it past either Red (back in the day) or Ainge (now) to pull that crap.
If you win a game when you give your opponents wide-open looks that you already know they can drill 70-80% of the time, you can't be feeling too confident about your position. This Laker team responds very well to losses, as we all know.
Let's just see how things go tomorrow before we start calling those shot selections poor. That's all I'm saying.
--Fearless
F the Celtics!
Posted by: Fearless | June 06, 2008 at 08:08 AM
Hawks and Cavs were way tougher than you guys!
Welcome to Eastern Conf. Basketball...where we actually play defense & rebound.
You`re not playing "soft" Western Conference teams anymore. This is Men vs. Boys!
Your worst nightmare arrives next Thursday...We`ll "party" in Staples with Title #17.
Posted by: Red`s Love Child | June 06, 2008 at 08:08 AM
First, take the blog back.
Then take the series back Sunday.
NEXT!
Posted by: Vman | June 06, 2008 at 08:09 AM
Good morning Mamba24, Charles, JonK, MORNING CRUE & the rest of this fabulous LAKER NATION!!!!!
Well, last night I was so mad I wanted to spit, but my mind is clearer today & I know what it will take for the beloved Purple&Gold to win:
1. Of course, PJ's adjustments & Kobe making his bunnies.
2. Charles was sick - JonK needs to get him some liquid sea minerals & dit da jow PRONTO!
3. complex brotha was out of town. He needs to get back in that cave!
4. When I got in the car this morning, the voice of the late, great Bob Marley told me not to worry - that every little thing was going to be alright.
5. Chick can kick Red's @$$ every day of the week & twice on Sunday's, PLUS - I'm pretty sure there's no smoking in heaven.
SO - all in all things are looking up & Lakers will perform GREAT on Sunday & we will win this bad boy at home in front of all the adoring fans - as it should be.
One more thing - troll alert! Please - someone - AK/BK - for the love of God - close the screen door! Break out the troll-B-gone or something! It's getting smelly up in here - too many pitiful bean eaters on the loose.
4 to O'Brien.........
Posted by: justanothermambafan | June 06, 2008 at 08:14 AM