NBA Finals, Celtics are Champions Again!

Tuesday, June 17

Game 6, Boston. Congratulations to the Boston Celtics on their 17th World Championship. They came out to win game six and win they did 131-92! They beat a Hall of Fame Coach (Phil Jackson) and player (Kobe Bryant) who many thought, including myself, were unbeatable. The Celtics beat the Lakers in all phases of the game tonight. Besides winning each quarter of the game, they forced L.A. into 19 turnovers with 18 steals. That's great defense. Los Angeles on offense, only made 27-64 field goal attempts (42%). The Celtics took an unbelievable 23 more shots than the Lakers and made 43 field goals total (49%). An incredible performance for the Celtics. 

Since their last championship in 1986, Boston had struggled to have winning seasons, much less a championship. I think it began with the death of Len Bias. The University of Maryland star forward had just been drafted number one by the Celtics, when he died from cocaine use. It seems that this started years of bad luck for the franchise, until this year. Again congratulations to the entire Boston Celtics organization. You are true champions.

NBA Finals, Lakers Find Way to Win, Celtics Lead Series 3-2

Sunday, May 15

Game 5, Los Angeles. The Boston Celtics have played great defense against Kobe Bryant in this series, but last night they couldn't make the shots they needed down-the-stretch to win game five and the series. Kobe scored 25 and four other Lakers scored in double figures to beat Boston 103-98. Bryant made 8-21 field goal attempts and the Celtics made him work hard for the ones he did make. Meanwhile, the Celtics' Kevin Garnett missed two free throws in the fourth quarter that would have tied the score and later missed a tip-in. I think just those two plays could have changed the outcome of the game and series. Garnett didn't seem to have the killer instinct, at least in the fourth quarter, like Paul Pierce did. Maybe he was worried about his fouls, but come- on, you have to give it your best at all times! Pierce played another great game with 38 points to his credit and great all-around play, but it wasn't enough for the Celtics. Nobody else had a killer game. Next: Game 6, Tuesday, Boston, 8:30 p.m. ET, ABC.

NBA Finals, Celtics Make Classic Comeback, Go Up 3-1

Thursday, June 12

Final Score: Celtics 97, Lakers 91

Game 4, Los Angeles. With Boston winning game four, it´s looking gloomy for Los Angeles. It´s not just that the Lakers lost the game, but how they lost it. They seemed in control at first with a big lead, but you can´t get too confident in basketball, as momentums can shift and leads can disappear quickly. This is one game that got away from L.A. and credit Boston with not giving up.

Again, the Celtics were sparked by their bench. In this game it was James Posey with 18 points (4-8 from the three-point stripe) and Eddie House with 11 points (two three-pointers). The big three for the Celtics did their job as well, but it was nice to get some help. It was a team effort.


During the playoffs, the Celtic bench has really aided their cause, and it´s been a different face every game. First, there was Sam Cassell, then Cedric Perkins and Leon Powe. Last night it was House and Posey, combining for 29 points. They outscored the entire Laker bench, which scored only 15 points!

Next: Game 5, Sunday, Los Angeles, 9:00 p.m. ET, ABC.

NBA Finals, Lakers Win at the End, Cut Celtics Lead 2-1

Tuesday, June 10

Game 3, Los Angeles. It's not how you win, but that you win. Even though it wasn't their best game, the Lakers played well enough to win game three 87-81. L.A.'s defense did a good job of shutting down two of Boston's big three- Pierce and Garnett. Combined, they only made 8 of 35 shots, incredible. The Celtics, however, were able to shut down the Lakers' Odom and Gasol. They made only 5 of 18 shots combined. Kobe Bryant led L.A. in scoring, as expected, with 36 points. Sasha Vujacic scored 20. I think everyone knows how to pronounce his name now, after that performance. For Boston, Ray Allen lead the Celtics with 25 points.

How did the point guards do in this game?  

Rajon Rondo, Celtics: 8 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 turnovers.

Derek Fisher, Lakers: 6 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 turnover, 1 steal.

(O.K., maybe this isn't such an important match up, but Rondo left the game for a while with a sprained ankle).

I thought the assists totals were low for both teams. Boston had 19, Los Angeles had 17. Is basketball a team game or an individual player's game? Game three seemed to be both, for both teams. 

Boston shot the ball from the field 83 times, compared to 69 attempts for the Lakers. They made 29 and 30, respectively. Even with that, the Celtics were in the game, most of the game. I think they have a good chance to win a game in L.A.. Next: Game 4, Thursday, Los Angeles, 8:30 p.m. ET ABC. 

NBA Finals, Celtics Hang On to Beat Lakers, Lead 2-0

Sunday, June 8

Final Score: Celtics 108, Lakers 102

Game 2, Boston. After leading Los Angeles by big margins most of the game, the Boston Celtics put their guard down and the Lakers came roaring back to almost win game two. Some clutch free throws by Boston at the end saved them. The Celtics were lucky to win. Boston, in winning game two, now has a good chance to win the NBA title, but so does L.A.. Yes, they're down 0-2, but they have the next three games in Los Angeles, where they are unbeaten in the post season. Yes, Boston is their toughest post season opponent, but they still should be able to play much better at home. The Lakers almost beat Boston last night! I think they're a play-here or a play-there from having a complete game and victory. Kobe Bryant will have to overcome his slow starts in games one and two, and break out early, for the Lakers to triumph in game three. As a whole, the Lakers played a good game. The home court will favor them in the next three games. Boston will have to play their best basketball ever, in order to win a game in Los Angeles. That's how much I respect the Lakers. I hope L.A. will come back and make this a competitive series, for the sake of entertainment. Someone from the Laker bench needs to step up and give them a lift, like Leon Powe did for the Celtics last night (21 points in 15 minutes). Outstanding! Next: Game 3, Tuesday, Los Angeles, 8:30 p.m. ET ABC. 

Click on my NBA widget on the right for game two stats.

NBA Finals, Celtics Control Lakers, Take 1-0 Lead

Thursday, June 5

Final score: Boston 98, Los Angeles 88

Game 1, Boston. Winning game one gives the Boston Celtics a chance to win the NBA Championship this year. Winning game two will ensure that they return to Boston for game 6, if the Lakers win games 3-5  in Los Angeles, where they play well. So, tonight's win by Boston was huge, but they have to win game two on Sunday, if they want to win it all. Tonight's game wasn't the best by the Celtics, but they played well enough to win. It helped that Kobe Bryant missed 17 shots in the game, scoring only 24 points for the Lakers. The Celtics played great defense against him though and probably affected his accuracy. Statistically, both teams played pretty even, except in rebounds and fouls. Boston out-rebounded L.A. 46-33 and the Lakers had more fouls called on them 29-22. The Lakers can take comfort in the fact that this was only one game, on a foreign court, and that they still have a good chance to win game 2. One play, here or there, can change a team's fortunes quickly. The Lakers will undoubtedly come back strong in game 2. Watch out Celtics when those Kobe Bryant shots start falling! 

Individually, the two point guards were about even. Derek Fisher and Rajon Rondo each scored 15 points. Rondo led in assists 7-6, Fisher in steals 3-0, both had 4 rebounds and 2 turnovers. I'm telling you, this match up is going to determine which team wins the series. So far, the point guards are even. Boston's big three led the way again. Pierce with 22 points, Allen 19 and Garnett with 24 points and 13 rebounds. Garnett missed a lot of shots in the fourth quarter. I think the Celtics could have done better than forcing the ball into Garnett all the time. Sam Cassell came off the bench for 8 points, giving the Celts a lift. Besides Kobe and Fisher, the Lakers had two other players in double figures. Pau Gasol with 15 and Lamar Odom with 14. Gasol was kind of quiet in the second half. I don't think the Lakers gave him the ball enough. Believe me, L.A. will get its act together, before this series is over. Next: Game 2, Sunday, Boston, 8:30 p.m. ET ABC.

NBA Playoffs, Some Great Match-ups for Celtics-Lakers Series

What a finals series this is going to be, with the Lakers and Celtics going head-to-head, starting tonight in Boston. The two number-one seeds from their respective conferences, trying to win it all. Both teams have players with NBA Finals experience and championships. Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher of the Lakers and Sam Cassell and James Posey of the Celtics. Bryant and Fisher have earned three rings each with the Lakers, Cassell two rings with the Houston Rockets and Posey one ring with the Miami Heat. There will be some great match-ups for this series:

 

1. Guards: Ray Allen vs. Kobe Bryant. Guarding Kobe will be a monumental challenge for the Celtics. Boston will probably try different players against Kobe, including Tony Allen, who is coming back from an Achilles injury. Boston will have to play their best defense against not only Kobe, but a balanced Laker team.

2. Point Guards: Derek Fisher vs. Rajon Rondo. Can the older, veteran Fisher out-play the younger Rondo? Fisher seems to always come through when the Lakers need a big shot. Rondo seems to spark the Celtics at times. Both need to be consistent and score. Whoever plays the best will determine which team wins it all.

3. Forwards: Paul Pierce vs. Vladimir Radmanovic. Radmanovic is 6-foot-10 and Pierce is 6-7. Can they guard each other effectively? Pierce is more athletic and should have a good series. If the Lakers can slow Pierce down, it will be a short series.

4. Power Forwards: Lamar Odom vs. Kevin Garnett. Both are quick, tall and good shooters. Who is the better defender? In the next few days they will answer that question. The Lakers need to at least equal Garnett's production, in scoring and rebounding to beat the Lakers.

5. Centers: Kendrick Perkins vs. Pau Gasol. Perkins is 6-10, 264 lbs. while Gasol is 7-feet, 250. Gasol is quite a shooter and rebounder, but Perkins is becoming a force inside. If Gasol plays well, the Lakers should win the series. The Celtics will need a solid game from Perkins to keep up with the Lakers.

Conclusion: I'm not going to make a prediction on the winner of this series, because both teams are qualified to win it and nobody can tell the future.  The winner, simply, will be the team that performs the best, i.e., the team that makes shots and makes stops. May the best team win.