[LAL/BOS]Battle of the top seeds!!

[BMiller52]

hahaha refs? not because the of KG's double-double, Pierce's 28, Rondo's 16 assists, Allens 6 3-pointers, Powe's 21pts off the bench, or the lakers half-hearted play (especially Powe's drive from all the way down the floor).

no it had to be the refs .

"Jackson had passed Celtics coach Doc Rivers in a back hallway and offered not a word of congratulations or even a friendly “good game” as Doc had offered him. He merely pointed his finger and said, “See you in L.A.” He clearly wasn’t happy." -Dan Wetzel (Yahoo Sports)

wow.

Phil is classless. He also said Pierce was faking the knee sprain, now he won't offer congratulations on the game, he just seems really classless. He always has so I guess it's not that surprising.

 

[DocHolliday]

I'm really enjoying this series. Was last nights came called completely one sided, absolutely; I have no problem admitting it. I also have no trouble admitting that I enjoyed every second of it since it's usually the Lakers getting the one sided called games.

I enjoyed watching Kobe completely out of his game, completely angered, frustrated, and simply lost. He did not know what to do.

I really hope the Celtics can really keep this intensity.

 

[pdxKingsFan]

Its just gamesmanship from Phil. I don't think congratulations are in order until the series is done, then you can hug and make up.

The whining about the reffing though is pretty silly, the tone was set early when the refs called light contact both ways - one of LA's two early free throws was the result of a technical on a ticky tack offensive foul against Boston and the ensuing complaining. Boston adapted and became aggressive on offense, LA didn't. But what irked me the most was that Phil asserted he's never seen a game called so one-sided. Of course he has, and he's the beneficiary of 9 out of 10 of them.

The fact is LA just doesn't match up well against Boston which allows them to focus on shutting down Kobe. I figure that Phil's incessant whining and the home court might be enough to get LA 2 out of the next 3 but I can't see the Celts losing 3 in a row. The only reason this got close at the end was lights out 3 point shooting - if LA wants to do that all game I'm sure Boston will let them. Their season average beyond the arc was about 100 pts lower than they shot last night.

 

[Ryle]

I still can't understand why Bob Delaney is allowed to ref a game in the finals. It seems pretty clear that ability is not taken into account when they pick officials this late in the playoffs.

I do relish in the Lakers whining though........I think that whole Karma thing is working!

 

[est.1999]

phil can complain all he wants but Boston was the aggresor all game long and that's why they got the calls

With sac/la in 2002 all of a sudden when the fourth quarter came along the refs turned on a switch and gave the lakers 27 free throws in the 4th quarter and bibbys chin fouled kobes elbow

No sympathy from me towards the lakers

 

[Ayala11]

Well the better team won. All the Celtics have to do is win one in LA but they way they are playing maybe they can win two in LA. As for Phil Jackson crying about the free throws he just can accept that the better team is winning.

 

[Superman]

phil can complain all he wants but Boston was the aggresor all game long and that's why they got the calls

With sac/la in 2002 all of a sudden when the fourth quarter came along the refs turned on a switch and gave the lakers 27 free throws in the 4th quarter and bibbys chin fouled kobes elbow

No sympathy from me towards the lakers

No sympathy from me, either. But it's hard to watch the Lakers get beat with a bunch of Laker fans when the refs are clearly not calling a fair game. I like to give my friends a hard time when the Lakers lose, and I couldn't last night, at least not in good conscience. That makes me mad.

If it were an elimination game, I'd be ecstatic and I'd be throwing Game Six in their faces like crazy, but there's still a good chance that the Lakers come back and win the series, so I'm holding back on that.

 

[pdxKingsFan]

I watched in a bar without a single Laker fan (absolutely amazing, I must say), so I guess we all had blinders on. But its not like there were no fouls called against the Celtics, they had players in foul trouble too. They just seemed to get a lot of non-shooting fouls - it seemed like every time a Laker actually got penetration the Celtics were quick to foul before they could get a shot off so no free throw. They did this in both games forcing the Lakers to take bad outside shots.

So while there was a huge discrepancy in FTA, I think a lot of it had to do with playing style vs. the fix being in.

 

[Superman]

I watched in a bar without a single Laker fan (absolutely amazing, I must say), so I guess we all had blinders on. But its not like there were no fouls called against the Celtics, they had players in foul trouble too. They just seemed to get a lot of non-shooting fouls - it seemed like every time a Laker actually got penetration the Celtics were quick to foul before they could get a shot off so no free throw. They did this in both games forcing the Lakers to take bad outside shots.

So while there was a huge discrepancy in FTA, I think a lot of it had to do with playing style vs. the fix being in.

Did you go to Bostons' in Long Beach? That's the only place I can think of where you'd get that kind of crowd.

I'm not saying that the game was fixed. I'm just saying that I think the officiating was poor. The Laker defense was poor, too, and they should look in the mirror before blaming this loss on the refs. But I said in beginning of the first quarter that I didn't like the way the game was being called, and I think the free throw disparity is evidence that the Celtics got a lot of help. Anytime the FT count is 19-2 in the first half, something's not right.

By the way, I don't necessarily think the refs were calling bad fouls on the Lakers, even though a few of them were questionable. I think the Celtics did a good job of keeping the Lakers out of the paint and off the free throw line. But once the Lakers started to penetrate, it was too late, because the Celtics had already been established as the aggressor.

And while the Lakers had Kobe Bryant on the bench in foul trouble, the Celtics had Kendrick Perkins on the bench. Advantage: Celtics. By the way, it was Perkins early foul trouble that got Powe in the game, and he set the tone for the Celtics down low while Kevin Garnett was nowhere to be found.

And what makes me most upset about this is that the Lakers get make-up games. If anyone thinks the Celtics are going to win anything in LA, they've got another thing coming. I'm not saying that the League is going to cheat for the Lakers, but I think it's pretty clear that Stern is conferencing with his officials on a regular basis. They fixed the Paul Pierce "up-fake for a foul" move, where he shuffles his feet, between games. They'll make sure Kobe gets his calls, and he'll get some he shouldn't.

Besides, what's best for the NBA is for this series to be full of drama and intensity. And I think it will be, if the first two games are any indication. But the League will do whatever it can to help.

 

[pdxKingsFan]

I agree Phil will get his make up games, but at this point I just can't see Boston dropping all 3 in LA.

 

[Superman]

I agree Phil will get his make up games, but at this point I just can't see Boston dropping all 3 in LA.

Why not? They didn't win a playoff game on the road until two weeks ago. They went seven games with the friggin' Hawks. They've come together and played better since then, but with the crowd in LA, the MVP, Phil Jackson, and the refs, I have no problem assuming that the series will go back to Boston with the Lakers up 3-2.

 

[Rookie]

If anyone thinks the Celtics are going to win anything in LA, they've got another thing coming.

Celtic will win one!!

 

[SacKings7]

I agree Phil will get his make up games, but at this point I just can't see Boston dropping all 3 in LA.

I can. They played good in Detroit, but if you can't win a game in Atlanta or Cleveland, then I'm not giving them the benefit of the doubt. They better hope they at least win 1 in L.A., because if it comes back to Boston, that would be games 26 and maybe 27 for them this post-season, out of a possible 28. That's a lot of games

 

[pdxKingsFan]

Because ever since the Detroit home loss the Celtics have been taking things a lot more seriously and should they wind up dropping the next 2, the Celts have shown that they play best when faced with a little adversity vs. a perceived advantage, which suddenly having a series that was under your control all tied up would be. I thought this would be a long series, but I also thought the first two games would pan out a whole lot differently than they have.

 

[JayBird]

You know that commercial where the NFL referee says something like "we totally blew that call, but don't worry, we'll make up for it in the second half"? The reason that commercial is so funny is because it is true, in most sports. With all the excessive moaning and groaning from Phil and co., I'd be SHOCKED if the next few games are called fairly.

I don't know if the refs are picked for each game before-hand or how that process works. But if you see D*ck Bavetta suited up for Game 3, better believe Boston may as well forfeit and rest up for Game 4, because they will have no chance.

With that said, I think LA will win the next 2, lose a close one in game 5, and get blown out in game 6.

 

[est.1999]

haha just saw vlad rads dunk again. That was soo traveling. Almost looked as if he took FOUR steps! Haha

 

[Vlade4GM]

I'm normally not one to harp on officiating because I hate it when it's used to take away from a team's success or failure, but the officiating in that game was pretty pathetic. I don't see how anyone can deny that.

 

[gunks]

You know that commercial where the NFL referee says something like "we totally blew that call, but don't worry, we'll make up for it in the second half"? The reason that commercial is so funny is because it is true, in most sports. With all the excessive moaning and groaning from Phil and co., I'd be SHOCKED if the next few games are called fairly.

I don't know if the refs are picked for each game before-hand or how that process works. But if you see D*ck Bavetta suited up for Game 3, better believe Boston may as well forfeit and rest up for Game 4, because they will have no chance.

With that said, I think LA will win the next 2, lose a close one in game 5, and get blown out in game 6.

Pretty much my prediction too...Except I think game 6 is going to be close. I'm thinking one of the LA games goes into OT too.

I hope the Celtics make things interesting tonight. Lakers are going to come out strong, they have the crowd behind them, and officiating should probably swing back LA's way.

 

[mbkings10]

Did you all read Curt Schilling's blog about game 2 of the finals? http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/dailydime?page=dime-080610 go to the bottom.
The part about Kobe is interesting, he is still the immature Kobe from his days with Shaq. He gets all the credit being the MVP, all mature, team leader and player, yet he displays this kind of attitude on the biggest stage. I can understand his frustration with his team playing so poor and a few calls not going his away, but as Mr. Schilling writes, Kobe displayed his foul attitude from the tip. Still as a leader of a team, he should unite his team, keep them motivated instead of calling them out. I guess when everything is going well and the team is winning its easy to put on your best behavior, but when the team goes through adversity its when a leader should rise up, and clearly Kobe ain't that.

 

[Vlade4GM]

WTF does Curt know about bball and the lakers?

 

[Big Cuz 15]

WHY THE F IS HOUSE TAKING SO MANY SHOTS???? hes a streaky *** shooter! no freaking offense run in the final 3 mins! they didn't even go to KG EVERYTIME DOWN THE COURT! holy freaking disappointing ccrap~!!~!!!!!! unbelievable. that sequence when they went to double kobe and played right into the 3 point shooter sasha hands.

 

[Variant]

House has just got to hit that shot.

Bad news: The Celtics played pretty poorly and looked shaky down the stretch.

Good news: The Celtics nearly won this game anyways with only Ray Allen having a good game, the refs swinging firmly back in LA's direction and Kobe having a monster night.

Paul Pierce needs to get his head on straight for Game 4 -- no partying with his homies or whatever back in his home town...

 

[DocHolliday]

I would say LA is in real trouble. As stated, the Celtics had a horrible game, and lost by 6 comeing in within just a few in the last few minutes, and taking the lead in the 2nd half.

The game was officiated pretty fairly, there were calls on both sides, and yes Kobe got his superstar calls, but that's almost normal, so I would say it was fairly officiated.

LA should have won that game by much more as bad as the Celtics played, but they didn't.

All the Celtics have to do is hit a few more shots throughout the game, and they win this game tonight, bad sign for the Lakers.

 

[Variant]

The Celtics have that defense on their side which seems to keep them in the game even if everyone is having an off night offensively. Without Pierce though, they just don't have a go-to guy in crunch time.

Celtics need to win the next one IMO otherwise the Lakers take the momentum completely away...

 

[kingsfaninhumboldt]

I'm not surprised by the way this series has gone so far. I thought Boston would win the first two and the Lakers would win Game 3. Based on that, I'm saying right now.

Boston will win Game 4.

I'm that confident on that pick. I think the Celtics will adjust and get back to the things that got them two wins in Boston. When they do, they will establish the inside game again and win that critical game.

Then, the Lakers win Game 5. Finally, in the end, Boston wins Game 6 and wins the title.

 

[vladetomiller]

how they convince all of us.

Game 2 was called heavily in favor of the celts and game 3 in favor of the lakers, yet people tend to believe it was fairly called. As I predicted in the game 3 thread, the lakers had that 5-10 point lead pretty much the whole game except for a few minutes when the celts had a 2-5 point lead. The game was never out of reach for the lakers and joe ensured that was the case.

Looking at all 3 games cant you say the same about all of them, none of them were blowouts and the games were up for taking in the end if they made plays. But if you noticed there were key calls made to ensure it doesnt happen, things work to a script. Being a laker fan I will point out the call tonight - Offensive foul on KG for an illegal screen with 1 minute to go.

On pure basketball terms, pau and lamar had disappointing games and the lakers still won easily - bad sign for celts

 

[Bibby_10]

I'm not surprised by the way this series has gone so far. I thought Boston would win the first two and the Lakers would win Game 3. Based on that, I'm saying right now.

Boston will win Game 4.

I'm that confident on that pick. I think the Celtics will adjust and get back to the things that got them two wins in Boston. When they do, they will establish the inside game again and win that critical game.

Then, the Lakers win Game 5. Finally, in the end, Boston wins Game 6 and wins the title.

Dude you hit the nail on the head. I believe this is how it will play out as well.

 

[Arby's Roast Beef]

House is dynamic, but face it, he's a spot-up shooter at this stage in his career. He was able to create shots off the dribble back when he was with us, but now he's just relegated to hitting those open jumpshots--which he's excellent at doing. He's actually quite Iversonesque in his quickness and his constant sub-40% shooting, despite his shooting reputation; the problem is that he often takes ill-advised shots or forces things out of his repertoire.

As for the game, it's definitely safe to say Pierce and Garnett didn't show up, a product of the game flow, the Lakers' defense and their seeming lack of interest to dominate the game at any point. Odom and Gasol also didn't show up for the Lakers. There were only four double digit scorers all game...safe to say, both teams neutralized each other; Allen carried the Celtics (finally he showed up) and as usual Kobe carried the Lakers.

I think it can go either way in Game 4. The question is: which team wants it more? If the Celtics can get back to their regular season form and enforce their will, and simply develop a killer instinct (which is always in the realm of possibility with a warrior like KG), they can definitely win the next game. It seems like their defense is already is in the Lakers' heads, cutting off drives and they don't even need to put their full effort there to hold the opposition down. The question is that their underachieving offense is not overly reliable, and the Lakers weren't even playing their best defense tonight--the Celtics just kept missing .The Lakers can also win, of course; they have the best closer in the game that definitely strikes fear in the minds of opposing players, and if Gasol can string in another solid game, and if the light bulb ever turns on for Odom, and if Vujacic and their so-called "bench mob" start raining in the points, their offense can break free and gain some rhythm and momentum. Again, this all depends on mentality, and the game flow, and the jury's out until the game actually occurs.

 

[Variant]

On pure basketball terms, pau and lamar had disappointing games and the lakers still won easily - bad sign for celts

I'm not sure which game you watched? The Celtics played probably their worst game yet (with only Ray Allen producing) and still nearly won the game...

Leave it to a Laker fan to come up with a bizarro conclusion I guess.

 

[RKid]

I would say LA is in real trouble. As stated, the Celtics had a horrible game, and lost by 6 comeing in within just a few in the last few minutes, and taking the lead in the 2nd half.

The game was officiated pretty fairly, there were calls on both sides, and yes Kobe got his superstar calls, but that's almost normal, so I would say it was fairly officiated.

LA should have won that game by much more as bad as the Celtics played, but they didn't.

All the Celtics have to do is hit a few more shots throughout the game, and they win this game tonight, bad sign for the Lakers.

If I understand your reasoning then I would have said the same about the celtics after game 1 and 2.

(By the way someone give stuart scott some eye drops.)