What a strange game. It was a huge win for the Celtics. They played well more often than not.
>Early on the Lakers hit EVERYTHING, except for Kobe.
>Kobe did rim some shots in and out.
>The C's really had their way offensively, all night long.
>It seems that Lakers might have a hard time defending the Celtics afterall.
>This is 3 games played between the 3 teams, and 3 games where Kobe has shot mediocre, to poorly (9-21 in one game). Is that coincidence? I sure hope not.
>The C's should dominate the boards in this series.
>Derek Fisher really can shoot it in big games.
>Perkins can't defend high against either Odom, or Gasol. To much foot speed for the pick and roll, or drive to the basket.
>It truly was a tale of two halves for the C's.
>Doc did well, but he almost gave the game away in the 4th quarter. At the very least, he allowed the Lakers to hang around, when he shouldn't have. I hate to complain about Doc, who again, did well overall last night, but this irritated me. My point of contention is the beginning of the 4th quarter. Sam Cassell is what he is. He's going to shoot the ball period. He's not a fascilitator of the offense by any stretch. You can tell when he's made up his mind that he's going to heev it up there. It's when he starts half spinning up by the 3 point line, trying to use a team mate as a pick. Anyhow, he hit shots last night, but he still should not have been in the game at the 9-10 minute mark of the 4th quarter. Jackson took a gamble in leaving Kobe in teh game while the C's rest their regulars over the 3rd to 4th quarter transition. When Kobe finally came out to rest, so too should have Cassell & Posey. Doc left Pierce and Rondo on the bench till the 6 minute mark (or slightly under 6) of the 4th quarter. Why? What was an 8 point lead when Kobe sat, became a 4 point lead when he returned, cuz Doc had Sam in there, who took 2 awful shots. That bothered me cuz had the Celtics lost last night, that 3-4 minute period would have been why. The C's won, so no one will remember.
My concerns going forward are Pierce's knee, and Kobe's shooting. Kobe rimmed a couple of shots last night, and he also looked awful on some others. I'll be interested to see if he was simply off, or if the C's defense really gives him trouble. I'm thinking it's a little more the C's doing. Kobe will shoot better, but I'm not sure he'll shoot great.
Pierce's knee scares me. It's going to be stiffer, and more painful now, than last night. Radmanovich can't cover him at all. That affects Vlad Rad on both ends. A bum knee will hurt that advantage significantly. I hope it's simply some soreness that some treatment, therapy, and creams can make feel good. This is a tight series, and a 60-80% Pierce would be painfull.
