The NBA Finals 2010: Celtics vs Lakers
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I don't just look at the pts, rebs, asts. After gm 3, he had two 38% shooting games and a 21% gm. He normally shoots 50%. Unless there is some legit evidence, I don't think you can really say a player like Lebron just decided to take a game off. He also had a 7TO & 9TO game. Lebron is the type of player that can put up #s even on a bad day. I never said Lebron was the problem or the reason they loss, but if you know basketball, you saw that he was limited.
As for the Magic not hitting shots... well no team can really win when they don't hit shots.
Gasol is probably the best post player in the league right now. Yes its going to be more a much tougher series than 08 for the Celtics. If the Cs play D like they did the last 2 series, they have a good chance.
The problem for Boston is that they're geriatric. Rasheed's been sleepwalking through the entire season, KG is useless when he shoots below 50% because he can't get to the line anymore and his rebounding is dropping precipitously, and Ray Allen is largely a one-dimensional on-and-off ball jumpshooter. Very good complementary players, yes, but they're definitely not what they were two years ago. Rajon Rondo and Paul Pierce are legitimate for Boston, but the Lakers have their firefighter in Artest and while Rondo can easily torch Fisher, the Lakers have 7-footers walling off the paint.
That being said, the Lakers can lose...if they just suddenly sleepwalk, which they have been prone to doing. But they've been on a roll right through the Finals, and so has Boston, so matchups will probably be the decisive factor...couple in homecourt and the fact that the Lakers can pull off all the stops, I'd say the Lakers win.
That being said, the Lakers can lose...if they just suddenly sleepwalk, which they have been prone to doing. But they've been on a roll right through the Finals, and so has Boston, so matchups will probably be the decisive factor...couple in homecourt and the fact that the Lakers can pull off all the stops, I'd say the Lakers win.
Well, I gotta say, L.A. played pretty well. L.A.'s offensive execution is pretty sound. The players (for the most part) know where they're supposed to be cutting, spotting, etc. and L.A.'s interior defense is a tad better than I expected. That + best player in the game & Artest guarding BOS best player, & it adds up to a tough journey for BOS.
BOS doesn't get into their offense efficiently enough unless they get stops and rebound on a consistent basis. And last night L.A. controlled the boards, especially the offensive board. Way to many 2nd chance oportunities for L.A. I have to give credit to Gasol, he's a skilled player (soft or not), who's always around the basket after shot attempts. There were even a few mismatches throughout the night where Gasol ended up on Rondo and R. Allen on switches, & he handled the spacing very well; even blocing R.Allen on 1 of those attempts.
It's not going to be easy for BOS this trip (not that I expected it to be).
BOS has to box-out and rebound better in game 2 to even have a chance steal one of these in L.A. Last night reminded me of games 4 and 5 of the ORL series. BOS offense becomes really stangnant when they have to inbound the ball after FT's and made shots for the majority of the game. And that 2nd chance points and put backs for dunks sh** has to stop.
KG, maaaaan, it's almost sad sometimes watching him @ this level/age, knowing what he came from early in his career. His foot speed, air off the ground, and the shots that he, I don't want to say settles for, but just shots that he pretty much has to take based on the limitation of what he can create for himself now. Alot of them are tough shots. Although he hits a few of them, it's just sad watching sometimes knowing that he knows he should still be able to have his way w/players like Gasol. That's why he doesn't get to the line like he used to. Gasol even blocked one of his fades last night.
I'm still calling a split in the first 2, and BOS holds their home court through game 5, but it's going to be tough.
BOS doesn't get into their offense efficiently enough unless they get stops and rebound on a consistent basis. And last night L.A. controlled the boards, especially the offensive board. Way to many 2nd chance oportunities for L.A. I have to give credit to Gasol, he's a skilled player (soft or not), who's always around the basket after shot attempts. There were even a few mismatches throughout the night where Gasol ended up on Rondo and R. Allen on switches, & he handled the spacing very well; even blocing R.Allen on 1 of those attempts.
It's not going to be easy for BOS this trip (not that I expected it to be).
BOS has to box-out and rebound better in game 2 to even have a chance steal one of these in L.A. Last night reminded me of games 4 and 5 of the ORL series. BOS offense becomes really stangnant when they have to inbound the ball after FT's and made shots for the majority of the game. And that 2nd chance points and put backs for dunks sh** has to stop.
KG, maaaaan, it's almost sad sometimes watching him @ this level/age, knowing what he came from early in his career. His foot speed, air off the ground, and the shots that he, I don't want to say settles for, but just shots that he pretty much has to take based on the limitation of what he can create for himself now. Alot of them are tough shots. Although he hits a few of them, it's just sad watching sometimes knowing that he knows he should still be able to have his way w/players like Gasol. That's why he doesn't get to the line like he used to. Gasol even blocked one of his fades last night.
I'm still calling a split in the first 2, and BOS holds their home court through game 5, but it's going to be tough.
It was sad watching KG last night. If he can't show more than that, the Celts are going to lose. Wallace, who looked out of shape played much better defense on Gasol than KG did. The Celts weakness is rebounding, so I don't expect it to get much better. Boston can still win this thing, but KG has to be productive and Allen has to stay out of foul trouble. Ditto Perkins.
I figured that if Boston was going to win one at LA it would be the second game. So we'll see..
I figured that if Boston was going to win one at LA it would be the second game. So we'll see..
So far, I'm not worried about anything except, as mentioned above, the performance of Kevin Garnett. He doesn't look hungry; in fact, he doesn't look interested. I don't like to see that in players I'm rooting for.
They always say the series doesn't start until a team loses at home; I'm hoping the series will start with game 2.
GO GREEN!!!!!
They always say the series doesn't start until a team loses at home; I'm hoping the series will start with game 2.
GO GREEN!!!!!
He didn't show up in Game 5, for whatever reason. If you want to take issue with me saying that he took the game off, I'll rephrase: He wasn't on his game. Whatever. Still, he was productive throughout the series. And if he was "limited" to 27/9/8 against one of the best defensive teams in the NBA -- including the Game 5 anomaly -- then I don't know what to say. The playoffs are tough. Sometimes a player will shoot poorly, but still impact the game in other ways. For someone who handles the ball as much as LeBron does, a few turnovers are going to happen, but it's not the end of the world.
And again, seeing as how he's the absolute only threat on that team and the Celtics were able to focus their efforts solely on stopping him, it's hard to really fault him.
In Orlando's case, they rely on their outside shots falling at a high percentage. They shot 43.4% from three point range in their two wins, 28.3% in their four losses. If they're shooting 28% from outside, it renders 3/5 of their starting lineup ineffective on offense, plus Dwight Howard can't operate down low without the shooters stretching the floor. So all you have offensively is Jameer Nelson, and again, if shots aren't falling, who is he creating for?
These are issues that the Lakers won't have, because they create offense without relying on the three pointer.
And again, seeing as how he's the absolute only threat on that team and the Celtics were able to focus their efforts solely on stopping him, it's hard to really fault him.
In Orlando's case, they rely on their outside shots falling at a high percentage. They shot 43.4% from three point range in their two wins, 28.3% in their four losses. If they're shooting 28% from outside, it renders 3/5 of their starting lineup ineffective on offense, plus Dwight Howard can't operate down low without the shooters stretching the floor. So all you have offensively is Jameer Nelson, and again, if shots aren't falling, who is he creating for?
These are issues that the Lakers won't have, because they create offense without relying on the three pointer.
The reason he looked like he didn't show up is because of the Cs D on him. I took your "he took a game off" the same as the common excuss the media has provided as the reason why Lebron didn't play well. That he just decided to not play for some mystery reason, which is bull to me. Unless we are to believe the Delonte West story. Again, I never said they loss because of Lebron. I said the Cs limited him. We both know that guys like Lebron, kobe etc can put up #s on a "bad" night. Of course they will still impact the game even with 9TOs, but not at his usual rate. He wasn't on his game because of the Celtics D which you agree so I don't know what else is there to say.
The Magic shot poorly in the first 3 games because the Cs were very very quick and on point with their rotations on D. Their 3pt % won't be high when its heavily contested. They also crowded Dwight very effectivly that led to TOs and poor passes that gave the Cs time to recover. The Magic made some adjustments for gm 4 and played very hard even though it was elimination. I give them credit for that.
My point was really simple. LeBron was still really good in that series, regardless of how good the Celtics defense was. Had a triple double in the last game of the series. The Celtics won because LeBron was all the Cavs had, and that just wasn't enough.
Again, I'm comparing them to the Lakers. The Celtics looked great against the Magic and the Cavs, but the Lakers are a more well-rounded and talented team than either of those two. I'm not trying to take anything away from Boston, because they proved to be better than the two teams that were ranked ahead of them coming into the playoffs, but I don't think they're good enough to beat the Lakers.
Again, I'm comparing them to the Lakers. The Celtics looked great against the Magic and the Cavs, but the Lakers are a more well-rounded and talented team than either of those two. I'm not trying to take anything away from Boston, because they proved to be better than the two teams that were ranked ahead of them coming into the playoffs, but I don't think they're good enough to beat the Lakers.
Yes KG didn't look like himself. I mean he hasn't for the whole season but the last 2 series gave people hope that he has fully recovered from the knee surgery.
Off topic, but that is the reason why I want to give Hassan Whiteside a hard look. You can't teach lenght and Gasol/Bynum has an advantage in that department even against tall/long guys like KG & Sheed. Not just in last night's game, but so often you see a big from another team about to get the rebound only to be batted away by Gasol or Bynum's long arms creating offensive rebs and 2nd chances.
I know what you are trying to say. And I think you get my point, Lebron didn't play as well as he is capable of against non Celtics D. The Cs slowed him down enough to win the series.
Of course the lakers are a better team than Magic. Some people may think its crazy but I would take Gasol over Dwight because his offense is still very very limited. Especially considering he is suppose to be the best center in the league in his 6th yr.
I made the Cs prediction before gm 1 based on KG being able to anchor the D. But he didn't play hard like the old KG, heck not even like the KG in the last 2 series. Gasol's length probably bothered him more than people think. But KG just didn't play with intensity. That basket he missed right under the rim in the 4th... normally thats a hard dunk. Instead he tried to shoot a softie and missed. LO recovered and KG still had a chance to make the 2nd chance but it sliped out of his hands again. If KG plays like that then yeah, the Cs are done.
Yeah, he's way too limited on offense to be the best center in the League.
Consider this:
Kevin Garnett: 34 years old, 1124 games played + 90 playoff games played = 1214 total games played; 41695 minutes played + 3567 playoff minutes played = 45262 total minutes played
Tim Duncan: 34 years old, 977 games played + 170 playoff games played + 128 NCAA games played = 1275 total games played; 35577 minutes played + 6740 playoff minutes played + 4492 NCAA minutes played = 46809 total minutes played
I always tend to think that Duncan is older and more toward the end of his career than Garnett is, but in reality, they are the same age, and have played the same amount of games and minutes, give or take a few here and there. The legs aren't there anymore for either of them. KG relied more on his athleticism than Duncan did, so it's even worse in his case.
Defensively, they're still deterrents. Both are smart defenders who know how to use their bodies, but they aren't as quick to help or recover anymore. Duncan got completely outplayed by Stoudemire; Garnett is going to get outplayed by Gasol. Two of the best power forwards of all time. Duncan might be THE best. But they are both well past their primes. Fortunately for both of them, they enjoyed most of their primes without really serious, major injuries.
In Garnett's case, he might have a couple of games here and there where he's challenging everything around the rim, and I kind of expected something like that in Game 1, but it wasn't there. Probably will be in Boston. But if the Lakers make a determined effort to feature Gasol in their offense, Garnett can't stop him.
Consider this:
Kevin Garnett: 34 years old, 1124 games played + 90 playoff games played = 1214 total games played; 41695 minutes played + 3567 playoff minutes played = 45262 total minutes played
Tim Duncan: 34 years old, 977 games played + 170 playoff games played + 128 NCAA games played = 1275 total games played; 35577 minutes played + 6740 playoff minutes played + 4492 NCAA minutes played = 46809 total minutes played
I always tend to think that Duncan is older and more toward the end of his career than Garnett is, but in reality, they are the same age, and have played the same amount of games and minutes, give or take a few here and there. The legs aren't there anymore for either of them. KG relied more on his athleticism than Duncan did, so it's even worse in his case.
Defensively, they're still deterrents. Both are smart defenders who know how to use their bodies, but they aren't as quick to help or recover anymore. Duncan got completely outplayed by Stoudemire; Garnett is going to get outplayed by Gasol. Two of the best power forwards of all time. Duncan might be THE best. But they are both well past their primes. Fortunately for both of them, they enjoyed most of their primes without really serious, major injuries.
In Garnett's case, he might have a couple of games here and there where he's challenging everything around the rim, and I kind of expected something like that in Game 1, but it wasn't there. Probably will be in Boston. But if the Lakers make a determined effort to feature Gasol in their offense, Garnett can't stop him.
We are on the same page for the most part. I was actually thinking about TD also while I was typing the last response. I remember TD getting outplayed by gasol in a late season match up against the lakers. The old TD rarely can't get a shot off because of his opponents length. Though Gasol is listed as 7', he is actually taller than most so called 7 footers in the league. Of course age has a lot to do with TD & KG's regression. Their knees are problems too.
I was expecting KG to be able to recover on D and help like he did in 08 because he was getting very close to the 08 form in the last 2 series. But a tougher opponent and a bum knee changes that. Just like Cwebb had his good and bad days after the knee surgery. But never quit the same.
I think KG needs to be more aggressive on offense. Basically he never took it at gasol. Whether he succeeds or not, he needs to make him defend. I think Perkins needs to go at Bynum as well. When he had the ball at a face up triple threat position, he was able to make one quick step around Bynum and got fouled. Drew doesn't really want to push off hard laterally right now. They need to take advantage of that.
The media loves to report Phil Jackson's jabs- gives them something to write about and Jackson does his regular thing to try to get into people's heads.
IMO Doc one upped him here-
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ba...2600-in-the-Staples-Center-cei?urn=nba,245661
IMO Doc one upped him here-
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ba...2600-in-the-Staples-Center-cei?urn=nba,245661
Carter? Heh. Moving on...
You said later that you'd take Pau over Dwight, so why are you using Orlando to gauge Boston's chances against a different team with superior talent? LA took Orlando out just as easily as Boston did by employing the same strategy of hounding Lewis and packing it in on Howard, making him a scorer. I think the second meek exit by Orlando by these two teams proves that they're gimmicky.
You gotta go by traditional head to head comparisons with LA and BOS in hindsight. The Cavs and Magic had glamorous records in the East, but Boston had no trouble identifying how to exploit their weaknesses and were able to do so for the entire series without the Magic or Cavs ever turning the tables. The Suns and Okies, eg, attempted the same thing against LA and weren't able to do it for more than 3-4 gms. They're not one or two dimensional like ORL and CLEV. Different animal.
You said later that you'd take Pau over Dwight, so why are you using Orlando to gauge Boston's chances against a different team with superior talent? LA took Orlando out just as easily as Boston did by employing the same strategy of hounding Lewis and packing it in on Howard, making him a scorer. I think the second meek exit by Orlando by these two teams proves that they're gimmicky.
You gotta go by traditional head to head comparisons with LA and BOS in hindsight. The Cavs and Magic had glamorous records in the East, but Boston had no trouble identifying how to exploit their weaknesses and were able to do so for the entire series without the Magic or Cavs ever turning the tables. The Suns and Okies, eg, attempted the same thing against LA and weren't able to do it for more than 3-4 gms. They're not one or two dimensional like ORL and CLEV. Different animal.