The NBA officially canceled games through December 15 on Tuesday, killing 26 percent of the season. The cancellation came on the same day that the NBPA decertified, with 15 players joining class-action antitrust lawsuits against the league.

With players seeking over $6 billion in damages, it would take a very player-favorable deal to get everyone back to the negotiating table. Meanwhile, every day that basketball isn’t played is another day where non-diehard basketball fans disgustedly give up on the NBA, possibly for good.

Of course, the NFLPA also decertified before a new CBA was finally agreed upon. But the animosity with which both sides have treated each other – the owners’ uncompromising demand for a significantly salary-capped league, the players’ uber-defensive unwillingness to believe their salaries might be dangerously overblown – makes this lockout far more hostile, and far more likely to cause irreparable damage to the NBA.

Because while billionaires and millionaires yell at each other over mere percentages, unemployed, angry, everyday Americans just decide to change the channel.

Where’s the Humanity?

Though both the NFL and NBA lockouts were/are first and foremost about money, NFL owners and players found a way to remain human beings whom others could identify with.

It wasn’t just that football players wanted a higher profit share: they wanted accountability.

Despite being the workforce of their industry, professional athletes do not directly benefit from the increased profitability of their companies (except for higher salaries, but NBA owners want to curtail that). Since stock options aren’t available, shouldn’t players at least get to know where all that money they can’t have is going?

Smaller side-issues during the NFL lockout also humanized the two sides. Players wanted better health insurance for retirees, including longer-term care – necessary, considering how damaging football has been shown to be on its athletes.

They wanted lower career-length requirements to get health insurance, which before had required longer service than the average NFL career, effectively meaning only the good players got it.

They wanted to keep the 16-game schedule because they were afraid of even more injuries. Most football fans have realized by now that health is almost as important as talent when it comes to NFL playoff success.

Even rookie wage-earning rules made sense to NFL fans, if only because fans had grown sick of first-round draft picks getting ridiculous contracts without having played a single NFL game.

Instead of the NFL and its two basically human sides – though it might be cynical to say, the death of Myra Kraft humanized Patriots-owner Bob Kraft, and by proxy all the owners – we have two virtually faceless sides bickering over nothing but money in the NBA. The owners speak only through the cold, disinterested NBA commissioner, David Stern. The players speak only through the equally unemotional, equally unsympathetic Derek Fisher.

Can anyone on either side think even a bit beyond his own economic needs? Can anyone see the merits of another argument, or the reality of the damage both sides have already caused their league? Does anyone care? It doesn’t appear so.

Fans Heading Elsewhere

Without anything humanizing to latch onto, basketball fans are left by the wayside. Watching people bicker can be amusing for awhile, but eventually everyone wants to see a solution. Drama and emotion can make a fight more fun to watch – just ask anyone who watches “Jersey Shore” – but absent that, fans are left watching two sides lob criticisms across the vast expanse of the sports media world.

There’s nothing wrong with players fighting for their rights. Without legal protection, management in any industry would probably screw labor every chance it had if it meant more profit. But neither side will even acknowledge that the people who ultimately make them all this money – the fans – are finding it increasingly hard to stay attached to this league.

No one who works two jobs just so he or she can afford to fill up the gas tank of the broken-down car he or she needs to work those two jobs, let alone feed a family and pay off a massive credit-card debt, can relate to people who make 50 times as much arguing over relatively piddling amounts. This lockout isn’t just costing players money: it’s costing the league fans.

The lockout will without a doubt end at some point. But how many NBA fans will remain? How many will come back to a sport they think abandoned them?

No one knows. But those numbers are quickly plummeting.

© Matt Goisman for Sports of Boston, 2011. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: Celtics, Featured, NBA.

After over three months of stalled negotiations, the players’ union and owners brought in federal mediator George Cohen on Tuesday, Oct. 18, in the hopes his oversight could help the two sides resolve their stalemate and end the lockout.

In the end, 30 hours of meetings over three days turned out to be just like the NBA season thus far: pointless.

Let’s rewind the clocks to the start of Tuesday and break down the most recent (and depressing) developments in the ongoing NBA lockout. We definitely will not be fast-forwarding to the part at the end where there’s no season.

Initially, David Stern had set Tuesday as the deadline for a deal on a new collective bargaining agreement in order to keep more games from being canceled. Maybe not every single egg was in this one basket, but there were certainly quite a few. It was Tuesday or bust.

That’s where federal mediator George Cohen came in.  If anyone could resuscitate the 2011-12 NBA season, Cohen would be the man/mediator (or so we thought). He was appointed by President Barack Obama as Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service Director (I didn’t know such a thing existed, either) in 2009. He was called on to help negotiate the frightening NFL lockout this past year (I mean, just imagine if we had no basketball OR football right now). He also has been an advocate for MLS players, helping them with their union issues.  You’re right, I’m sorry, no one cares. Long story short, Cohen theoretically had the experience and the expertise to actually make a difference.

On that first day, Cohen seemed to do just that.  The two sides met for a prolonged (I refuse to use the word “marathon,” that laughably suggests some sort of accomplishment) 16 hour session. Progress was supposedly made, and by 2 in the morning, when the meetings supposedly ended, the first sign of hope arose. The owners put aside their egos and rescheduled their own set of meetings and conferences originally set for Wednesday and Thursday to make way for more discussions.

Sadly, Wednesday and Thursday saw the eggs crack in two as negotiations ultimately returned to status quo (apparently Latin for “stagnant”). Each side refused to budge on the issues of compensation and salary caps, and players and owners left Thursday’s meetings feeling as if they had been wronged by the opposing side. Quotes and accusations flew from Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver, Player Union President Derek Fisher, and NBA Players’ Association Executive Director Billy Hunter. Apparently none of them knew that expression about living glass houses and throwing stones.

Meanwhile, George Cohen quietly exited stage left.

Unsurprisingly, no more meetings are scheduled.

Ultimately, the players and the owners worked what amounted to three ten-hour days, made little to no legitimate effort to strike a compromise, and then abruptly quit when the going got tough. Despite all those hours spent, efforts put forth, mediators hired, and articles updated, it appears the most recent flurry of meetings between NBA players and owners has given us nothing and gotten us nowhere. Not only are games through Christmas in serious and almost certain jeopardy now, the rest of the “upcoming” NBA season may be in doubt, too.

At least the Red Sox are in the World Series to keep New Englanders occupied. Wait, what’s that you say? The Texas Rangers? 7-20? Fried chicken? Beer?

Sigh. I could sure use one of those.

© Nick Bohlen for Sports of Boston, 2011. | Permalink | 2 comments
Filed under: Featured, NBA.

NBA owners and players met Wednesday for about six hours in an attempt to get the proverbial ball rolling at the negotiating table and hopefully lay the ground work for a new CBA. This was the first bargaining session since August 1 and only the second since the lockout was imposed.

Union President and Lakers guard Derek Fisher said, ”Everyone loses if we don’t reach an agreement, that’s something that I think has always been understood.”

Neither side was willing to reveal their positions or if there was any progress, but they did acknowledge the need to work quickly if they wish to open the 2011-2012 season as scheduled.

“I will say we are not apart in terms of an agreed urgency on getting a deal done and we’re not apart on the need to avoid missing games,” said Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver

Players and owners may be in agreement on that, but there are still a number of major issues that still stand in the way of an agreement. Commissioner David Stern said that there will be more meetings, but there were no official deadlines in mind. No one from either side would reveal any dates or locations for future meetings.

“We had a meeting before Labor Day and agreed that we would continue to meet,” Stern said

Fisher did say that there were no new proposals made. The last offer came on June 30 from the players but wasn’t well-received by the owners. The owners claimed that the deal would have increased player salaries too much in the sixth year. Too much was a tune of about $7 million.

The owners are fighting to lower player salaries significantly in any new deal, an idea that clearly the players aren’t fond of.

The only time that the NBA has lost games due to a lockout was in 1998. The ’98 lockout lasted from July 1 to January 20, 1999, shortening the NBA regular season to only 50 games.

Exhibition games are scheduled to begin on October 9 this year and the regular season on Nov 1. There is still time for both sides to find a happy medium, but not a lot of it.

Fisher said. “We’re very focused on getting a deal done and that’s how we’ll proceed from this point going forward.”

They’re going to have to proceed this way and ramp things up if they wish to save their season.

Follow Brian Moller on Twitter: @Brian_Moller

© Brian Moller for Sports of Boston, 2011. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: Celtics, NBA, News, Now!.

Despite a late run and a very huge scare by the Los Angeles Lakers in the fourth quarter of Game 5 of the NBA Finals, the Boston Celtics were able to hold onto to for the 92-86 win and 3-2 lead, their first series lead in the NBA Finals. The Celtics also became the first team to win two straight games in the series, and did so on the back of Paul Pierce.

Game 5 was all about the starters and defense. The bench came up huge for the Celtics in Game 4, but it was time for the five Boston starters to solidify their positions as the leaders and best players on the team. Paul Pierce led the way as he and Kobe Bryant traded baskets throughout the third quarter. In all, Pierce finished the night with 27 points.

Kevin Garnett continued his resurgence with his third solid game in a row for the finals. Garnett had 18 points, 10 rebounds, 5 steals, and 2 blocks on a very impressive night both offensively and defensively. Ray Allen was nothing spectacular (he still contributed a good deal with 12 points), and failed to regain his rhythm from beyond the three point line as he went 0-4 from downtown. Of course Rajon Rondo continued to put up stellar numbers with his 18 points, 8 assists, and 5 rebounds.

Now just because the starters carried most of the workload, that does not mean the bench did nothing. Tony Allen was especially good on the defensive end as he was able to hold Kobe in check for the most part and even had a huge block against Pau Gasol in the second half that halted some Laker momentum. So although they did not score a ton of points, the core group off the bench (Glen Davis, Rasheed Wallace, Nate Robinson, and Tony Allen) still played effectively against both the Lakers’ starters and bench players. Depth for the Celtics has been and will continue to be the driving factor for them in the entirety of the playoffs.

So what happened to the Lakers?

Well, Kobe Bryant was himself as usual. He sunk bucket after bucket, especially a couple in the third quarter that some would say were impossible shots. Bryant (like him or hate him) was incredibly impressive with 38 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists. Just like Dwayne Wade, Lebron James, and Dwight Howard in the rounds before, Bryant will get his points and the Celtics need to at least be able to contain his supporting cast.

Contain Kobe’s supporting cast is just what the C’s did and more in Game 5. Pau Gasol was the only other L.A. player able to reach double digits in scoring, as he finished with a double-double of 12 points and 12 rebounds. Derek Fisher had 9 points and Andrew Bynum was ineffective due to his knee injury, finishing with only 6 points and 1 rebound. And don’t forget about Ron Artest, who looked completely lost against a much better Paul Pierce. Artest had 7 points and 2 rebounds.

The Lakers’ bench was also completely ineffective on any end. Lamar Odom was the only spark for them there, as he got 8 points and 8 rebounds.

Looking Ahead

So, the series head back to Los Angeles for Game 6 on Tuesday night and Game 7 on Thursday if needed. The Celtics were able to take Game 2 out in L.A. and hope to be able to finish this one off on Tuesday night. Is it time to start planning a parade route through downtown Boston, or will the L.A. Lakers be able to reign themselves back into the series with their familiar Staple’s Center floor to play on? It’s been a series that has shifted gears so many times already that anything could happen, but Celtics’ fans can agree that the Garden was shut down for the summer in good spirits.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

© Geoff for Sports of Boston, 2010. | Permalink | One comment
Filed under: Celtics, Featured, Top Story.

The Boston Celtics faced off against the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 3 of the NBA Finals Tuesday night at the TD Garden. Tied at one win apiece, both teams were looking to seize momentum for the rest of the series by winning the pivotal third game. In the previous 32 Finals in which the series was tied 1-1, the team winning Game 3 eventually took home the championship 28 times. So, it goes without saying that this was a crucial game for both teams. The Celtics got out to a strong start, but the team’s shooting went cold midway through the first quarter. The Lakers suffered no such power outage and built up a 17-point lead by midway through the second quarter.

The Celtics, keyed by strong play from their bench, came back to bring the score within one by the fourth quarter, but in the end they could never get over the hump. The Lakers, led in the fourth by Derek Fisher (16 points), made too many shots down the stretch, keeping the lead perpetually out of reach. The Celtics wound up losing the game, 91-84, and falling behind in the series, two games to one.

The Celtics on Offense

First the good news: Kevin Garnett. After struggling as much as he has in the first two games of this NBA Finals, it was refreshing to see him bust out of his slump so emphatically. He put up a more-than-adequate 25 points to go with his 6 rebounds and 3 assists. Unfortunately, he had virtually no help. Paul Pierce, despite some key three-pointers down the stretch, and Ray Allen combined to go 5-25 from the field, and all five of those made shots belonged to Paul Pierce. Ray Allen followed up his record-setting Game 2 performance with an unbelievable zero made shots from the field. He was 0-13 from the field, missing multiple open shots that he was able to drain two nights ago.

And while he had a strong start, Rajon Rondo slowed down from the second quarter on, putting up only 11 points and 8 assists. The bench almost made up for it with 26 points (as compared to the Laker bench’s 22), but in the end too many missed shots from key shooters doomed the Celtics offense, which didn’t have trouble getting open so much as it did knocking down shots (except for Garnett). The Celtics’ offense requires multiple contributors to work, and Tuesday night there was only one player contributing. It was not enough to match the Lakers’ offensive production.

The Celtics on Defense

Anytime you can hold a team to 91 points, your defense has done a pretty good job. The biggest problem once again was rebounding. The Celtics got out-rebounded 43-35, and it led to too many second chance points for L.A., most of which came via the free-throw (21 made from the line, as opposed to the Celtics making just 16). But overall, the defense was not the problem for the Celtics. Up until now, they had won all but one game in which they held their opponents to under 100 points. And the defense held the Lakers’ shooting percentage to under 45%, which is not bad, all things considered.

Overall, the defense did its job. A couple of more rebounds would be nice, but the Celtics did not get outscored in the paint (50-38 in the Celtics favor), so the rebounding troubles were not quite so debilitating as they were during Game 1.

The Game in Review

The problem with teams that thrive on perimeter shooting is that when the shooting goes cold, as it did on Tuesday, it’s tough to score. The Celtics got good post play from Kevin Garnett, and his offensive explosion is hopefully a sign of good things to come. The defense played well too. This was a game that the Celtics really should have been able to win. But they didn’t, and the fault really lies with Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. If either of them  had even decent shooting nights, the Celtics likely would’ve won. But with them not scoring, the Lakers were free to double-team inside and concentrate on the only Celtic able to do anything: Kevin Garnett.

For the next game, we’d better hope Pierce and Allen find their shooting stroke again. The Celtics’ success in the playoffs (and the Lakers’ too) has shown that teams with just one top performer (Miami, Cleveland, Orlando) do not do well. To win at this level, you need contributions from multiple sources. Tonight, the Celtics only got a game from Kevin Garnett (although, to be fair, Glen Davis played pretty well off the bench). If this continues, the Celtics will lose this series. If one or two more green players step up, the Celtics can absolutely win this series. They still have a great chance to go 2-for-3 at the Garden and head back to the Staples Center up one game. But to get there they’ll need more from their shooters.

© Matt Goisman for Sports of Boston, 2010. | Permalink | One comment
Filed under: Celtics, Featured, Top Story.

The Boston Celtics did what they had to do in a Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Sunday night, defeating the Lakers 103-94 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.  Game 2 was all but a must-win for the Celtics, who will head back to Boston feeling pretty optimistic about their chances to take control of this best-of-seven NBA Finals Series in Games 3, 4, and 5.

Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo were the catalysts for Boston. Allen’s record-breaking three-point shooting display in the first half was perhaps the biggest reason why the Celtics were able to even the Series at 1-1.  The soon-to-be 35-year-old veteran absolutely bombarded Los Angeles from beyond the arc, hitting a Finals-record eight three-pointers.  He scored 27 of his 32 points in the first half, and kept the Celtics in the game throughout the first two quarters.

Rondo provided the offensive firepower in the second half, recording yet another postseason triple-double. The Boston point guard finished with 19 points, a team-high 12 rebounds, and 10 assists on the night. Ten of those 19 points came in the fourth quarter, with the game in the balance. A crafty layup from Rondo put Boston ahead 91-90 with 3:21 remaining, and the Celtics never looked back. Kevin Garnett hit a jumper on the next possession, and Rondo then iced the victory with a jumper of his own.

“He just did a lot of things — the blocked shots, the steals,” Boston coach Doc Rivers said. “He’s our quarterback, and he does a lot of stuff for us. He was special tonight.”

The Celtics maintained a healthy double-digit lead throughout the first half thanks to hot shooting from Ray Allen, but suffered an almost-devastating collapse at the end of the first half. A couple of careless turnovers by Shelden Williams helped the Lakers whittle the lead from 13 to six in the 90 seconds of the second quarter. Kobe Bryant drained a deep three-pointer with two tenths of a second remaining, making the score 54-48 Boston at the break.

The home team came out firing in the second-half, picking up where they left off, and at the end of the third quarter the game was tied 72-72. The Lakers countered strong performances from Allen and Rondo with big efforts from interior players Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol. Bynum finished with 21 points, while Gasol recorded 25 points and eight rebounds in the loss.

Paul Pierce had an off night, and Kevin Garnett continued to struggle, scoring just six points. Luckily, Rasheed Wallace and Glen Davis were able to pickup the slack for the C’s. The two bench players combined for 15 points and 14 rebounds.

Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant got into foul trouble early in the game, and was never able to find his rhythm. After finishing with 30 points in 39 minutes in Game 1, he managed just 21 points in 34 minutes in Game 2.

Celtics Bring More Energy, Focus, and Intensity to Game 2

After being embarrassed in Game 1, the Celtics admitted they weren’t mentally prepared for the opening game of the series. In Game 2, the Celtics played with a lot more effort, and it showed.  They’ll need to continue to play with the same energy and focus to have a shot at dethroning Los Angeles.

“It’s a disappointing loss for our ballclub, but they did a good job,” Pau Gasol said. “They really executed and had a good game plan. We definitely need to make sure we hustle a little more. They got to the ball a lot of times quicker than we did, second-chance opportunities, loose balls. They were pursuing the ball with a little more desire.”

Black Mamba Silenced

Kobe Bryant did an excellent job defending Rajon Rondo in Game 1, but he was forced to cover the red-hot Ray Allen throughout the latter part of Game 2. Although Allen had a quiet second half, Kobe’s defensive switch allowed Rondo to have a big night against the likes of Derek Fisher, Shannon Brown, and Jordan Farmar.

Kobe’s play also dipped on the offensive end in Game 2. He managed just 21 points after dropping 30 in the Game 1 victory. Early foul trouble and tenacious defense from Ray Allen and Paul Pierce put a damper on the Black Mamba’s evening.

Celtics Big Men Step Up

After being out-rebounded 42-31 and outscored 48-30 in the paint in Game 1, it was obvious the Celtic’s big men had to have a better effort in Game 2, and they certainly did. The Celtics out-rebounded the Lakers 44-39 on Sunday night. They also held a 36-26 edge in points in the paint, and held Los Angeles to far fewer second chance opportunities.

Looking Ahead

The Celtics have officially stolen home-court, but need to win Game 3 to keep it. It would appear the C’s have that sense of urgency back, and they’ll need it against a strong Lakers squad. We’ll see you for Game 3 on Tuesday night!

© Andrew Kipp for Sports of Boston, 2010. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: Celtics, Featured, Top Story.

Other than Cavaliers-Lakers, it’s the matchup the NBA was hoping for, and they got it. For the second time in three seasons, the Boston Celtics will butt heads with their arch rival, the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals. The Celtics come into the contest with a veteran, battle-tested group, ready to claim its second NBA Title in three seasons. They’ll take on a young and explosive Lakers squad looking to defend its crown. Led by superstar Kobe Bryant, and 10-time NBA Champion head coach Phil Jackson, they’ll present a big challenge for Boston.

On their way to the Finals, Boston dispatched Dwayne Wade and the Miami Heat in the opening round in five games, upset LeBron James and the number-one seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in six in the Semis, and ousted the Orlando Magic in six games in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Meanwhile, Los Angeles took care of business out west, defeating Kevin Durant’s up and coming OKC Thunder in six games, sweeping the Utah Jazz in the Semis, and toppling Steven Nash’s Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference Finals.

Thursday’s tip-off will mark the 12th time these two historic franchises have squared off in the NBA Finals. The Celtics defeated the Lakers in their first eight Finals meetings. Los Angeles then took the title in 1985 and 1987, but lost the most recent Series in 2008.

This time around however, unlike in 2008, the Lakers, who finished the regular season as the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, will have home-court advantage. There will be some new players like Ron Artest and Rasheed Wallace looking to make an impact, and some familiar faces like Rajon Rondo and Pau Gasol, who have significantly improved their games since 2008.

So, it is without further delay that I bring you an extensive preview of the 2010 NBA Finals, or what many are now simply calling “The Rematch.” As Judge Mills Lane would say, “Let’s get it on!”

Regular Season Series: Celtics 1, Lakers 1

The Lakers and Celtics split their regular season series 1-1. The Lakers won the first meeting in January in Boston, and the Celtics won less than a month later in Los Angeles. The combined margin of victory in the two games was just two points.

1/31/10: Lakers 90, Celtics 89

Kobe Bryant nailed a go-ahead jumper with 7.3 seconds remaining to lift the Lakers over the Celtics in their first meeting of the season. Rajon Rondo scored a game-high 21 points and had 12 assists, but it was not enough to overcome Bryant’s late-game heroics. Ray Allen missed a potential game-winning shot as time expired.

2/18/10: Celtics 87, Lakers 86

Ray Allen and the Celtics got revenge less than a month later, scraping by with a one-point victory over the Lakers in Los Angeles. Allen scored a game-high 24 points, and this time around it was Derek Fisher, not Allen, who missed a potential game-winning buzzer-beater. The Lakers played without the services of Kobe Bryant, who sat out the game with a sprained left ankle.

Lakers Player to Watch: Pau Gasol

We all know Kobe Bryant is going to bring his A game, but what should we expect from Pau Gasol? Gasol was physically dominated by the Celtics throughout the 2008 Finals. The Spanish International averaged just 14.7 points per game, 4.2 points lower than his regular season average. However, Gasol has been an absolute beast throughout the 2009-2010 season averaging 18.3 points and 11.3 rebounds per game. He’s currently averaging 20 points per game this playoffs.

The Celtics hope Kevin Garnett will be able to knock around Gasol like he did in 2008, while the Lakers hope Gasol will continue to effectively supplement Kobe on the offensive end of the floor. Gasol is by far the best member of Bryant’s supporting cast, and he’ll have to play well for the Lakers to have a shot at winning the series.

Celtics Player to Watch: Paul Pierce

In order for the Celtics to defeat the Lakers, Paul Pierce will need to have a big series like he had against Miami and Orlando. Boston cannot afford to have Pierce disappear offensively like he did in the Cleveland series. In that series, Pierce had a hard time scoring against a younger, bigger, more athletic LeBron James.

The Lakers will use defensive specialist Ron Artest to try to shutdown Pierce. Like James, Artest is a big and physical defender. He’s not as quick as LeBron, but he’s got the ability to make the player he’s guarding a non-factor, which is something Pierce and the Celtics can’t afford to have happen.

Key Matchup: Ray Allen vs. Derek Fisher

If the Lakers use Kobe Bryant to guard Rajon Rondo, that will force Derek Fisher to match up with Ray Allen. At 6-foot-5, Allen has four inches on 6-foot-1 Fisher. This should allow Allen to shoot over Fisher with ease, and beat him up inside and on the glass. Fisher probably isn’t tall enough to effectively guard Allen, but he’s certainly not quick enough to stay with Rondo. At 35, Fisher just doesn’t have the legs to keep up with the Celtic’s speedy playmaker. If Allen catches fire from beyond the arc, look for Phil Jackson to use a lot more of Jordan Farmar and Shannon Brown in this series.

Series Prediction:

A lot of people believe this series will go seven games, but I see the Celtics winning it in six. In my opinion, Boston presents too many match-up problems for Los Angeles on both ends of the floor. Derek Fisher will be exposed trying to guard Rajon Rondo or Ray Allen, and Pau Gasol will find it difficult to operate against the Celtics tenacious interior defense that shut down Dwight Howard for part of the Eastern Finals. The Lakers also have to be a bit concerned with Andrew Bynum’s injured right knee. Boston has held seven of its last nine opponents to 92 points or fewer, and they won all seven of those games. Defense is what won the C’s a championship in 2008, and it will be the reason they win again in 2010. There will be no revenge for the “Black Mamba.” Celtics in 6.

© Andrew Kipp for Sports of Boston, 2010. | Permalink | One comment
Filed under: Celtics, Featured, Top Story.

The Celtics had a few different players that performed exceptionally well. Ray Allen led the way with 22 points just a few hours after he had been named to the Eastern Conference All-Star Team. Paul Pierce had 21 points and Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo each added 16. Garnett fouled out after a very controversial call on a loose ball, which, maybe if the call had gone the other way, we might have seen the Celtics win. 

Eddie House got back on track with 16 points and Leon Powe had 10. The Celtics bench really could have used a bigger contribution from Glen Davis who only finished with two points (on his go-ahead jumper late in overtime) after his last few red-hot games.

For the Lakers, there should be no surprise when I say that Kobe Bryant led the way with 26 points and 10 rebounds. Pao Gasol was right behind him with 24 points and 14 rebounds. Lamar Odom added 20 and Derek Fisher had 13. Odom will be key for the Lakers while they try to fill the void left by Andrew Bynum’s injury.

The Celtics hopefully will not fall into another slump like they did after Christmas when the Lakers beat them in L.A. They have quite the road trip ahead of them and need to move past this loss and get back on track if they want to compete with Cleveland and Orlando in the East. The Celtics head to New York Friday night to take on the Knicks.

© Geoff for Sports of Boston, 2009. | Permalink | 3 comments
Filed under: Celtics, Featured, Top Story.

The Celtics were led by captain Paul Pierce, who looked unstoppable at times on drives to the basket. Pierce finished the night with 38 points, eight assists, and six rebounds in a losing effort. Kevin  Garnett continued to struggle, finishing with 13 points and 14 rebounds. Ray Allen added 16 points, but continued to shoot the ball well.

Solid bench play, which is so important to an NBA Finals victory, was not consistent in Game 5. Sam Cassell contributed nine points and gone-but-not-forgotten Tony Allen had six points. The Celtics did not really have the strong bench presence they had in Game 4, and that is part of the reason they lost this one.

Once again, Kobe Bryant had another strong night with 25 points, seven rebounds, and four assists. Lamar Odom responded to criticism from coach Phil Jackson with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Pau Gasol finsished with 19 points and 13 rebounds and Derek Fisher added 15 points. The Lakers bench played well, including Jordan Farmar’s 11-point night.

The fact that the Celtics could not close out this series in Los Angeles does not surprise me. The Lakers are too good of a team to lose the final game on their own home floor. The Celtics will get their chance to go back home and close this series out in Boston, which I strongly believe they can and will do.

The Celtics will need to not dish out so many free throw opportunities to the Lakers in Game 6. The foul problems caused difficulties for the Celtics as several of their players were in early foul trouble. Ray Allen fouled out of the game, while Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and P.J. Brown all finished with five fouls. When you play in foul trouble, it’s hard to play consistently strong defense. They need to watch their fouls more in Game 6.

Game Notes:

• Ray Allen left immediately after the game due to a health scare with one of his three children.
• Game 6 is Tuesday night at 9PM in Boston.

© Geoff for Sports of Boston, 2008. | Permalink | 4 comments
Filed under: Celtics, Featured, Top Story.

Paul Pierce bounced back after his poor performance on Tuesday night by scoring 20 points and having seven assists. Ray Allen also had another solid game and played the entire 48 minutes of game time. He finished with 19 points, nine rebounds, three steals, and two assists. Kevin Garnett had another double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds. The two key players to this game I believe were James Posey and Eddie House.

Posey and House provided the biggest sparks off the bench the entire time that they played, even when the Celtics were down. Posey seemed to hit just about every shot that he took and Eddie shot well and brought speed and energy out onto the floor. Both players had 25 minutes of playing time and used all of them well. Posey finished with 18 points and House had 11 with four rebounds. House, however, hit the shot that finally put the Celtics on top late in the fourth quarter.

The Lakers were the team that almost came back from being down by 21 in Game 2 back in Boston, but it was the Celtics who were down by 24 but could make the come back complete. The Lakers also were just shut down in the second half after scoring 35 points in the first quarter alone and then only putting up 33 points in the entire second half. The Lakers starting lineup were really the only ones that were able to do much of anything against the Celtics tonight as their bench only scored 15 points.

Lamar Odom had a breakout night with 19 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists, and was the biggest pain in the first half for the Celtics. Kobe Bryant, who was not much of a factor early on, finished the night with 17 points, 10 assists, and four rebounds. Pau Gasol also had 17 points and 10 rebounds. Derek Fisher had 13 points and Vladamir Radmanovic had 10 points. Trevor Ariza was about the only factor (a small one at that) off of the Lakers bench tonight. He had six points and five rebounds.

Greatest Comeback Ever?

Yes, because according to the Elias Sports Bureau, no team (until now) had ever overcome more than a 15-point deficit after the first quarter, and it was the largest comeback overall in the finals since 1971.

Final Thoughts

This was a great game, but I have to say quite a strange one at that. The Lakers were up 24 points in the second quarter and then up by 20 in the third, and Kobe did really contribute much during the Lakers’ run. He was there when the Lakers desperately tried to hold the Celtics back, but it was too little, too late for Bryant, who finished just 6-19 from the field.

I honestly believe that the Celtics can close this out on Sunday because it will be difficult for the Lakers to bounce back from a game like this. Just one more win for the Celtics though and banner No. 17 will be raised to the rafters in the Garden again. Game 5 is Sunday night at 9 p.m. One more…BEAT LA!

© Geoff for Sports of Boston, 2008. | Permalink | 5 comments
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