A Tale of Two Cities & NBA Headlines

The Raptor Core returns for a special Saturday entry, which is actually being written late on a Friday night but I guess the day doesn’t change until one goes to sleep, right? This will basically be a review of Game 4 of the NBA Finals, as well as a preview of Game 5 on Sunday and some random stories around the league.

Game 4: The Epic Comeback & Colossal Collapse

Now THAT was some playoff basketball. A lot of people were of the opinion that Game 4 would be the most entertaining of the four and I think they ended up being right. Game 3 was a total write-off because of the short turnaround between the East and West coasts but now that so many games had been played and the teams both knew what to expect for the most part, it was a phenomenal game to watch – for those viewers that didn’t tune out during the third quarter, of course. The Boston Celtics managed to win the game by a score of 97-91 – this after trailing by as many as 24 points in the first half and 20 points early in the third quarter. Here are the important storylines that were played out on Thursday night at Staples Center:

1. Lamar Odom finally showed up. It took him three full games to actually make a big contribution to his team’s efforts. I know he started off Game 2 in Boston with energy and went to the glass but it didn’t last the entire game and as fate would have it, that’s exactly how Game 4 played out. He was getting to the boards, making touch-passes to Pau Gasol, hitting shots from all over the place and generally started as well as anyone could hope to start a game in the NBA Finals: 6-for-6 in the first quarter. He finished the first half 7-for-7 but was 1-for-4 in the second half and as was the case in most of the games of this series, he wasn’t on the court in crunch time. Odom folded once again and his team really needed him to step up for a sustained contribution.

2. How can you possibly lose a 24-point advantage in the NBA Finals with Kobe Bryant on your team? As a fan of the Celtics, midway through the third quarter, I left my big screen TV in the basement, walked up the stairs as dejected as could be and decided to watch the rest of the game in my room. To my surprise, Boston went on a historic run that will go down in history as the greatest ever in the Finals. I believed that the Celtics’ defense could bring them close enough to strike but all it would take would be for Kobe to heat up and the game would be over. That point never came. The Lakers overcame large deficits in Games 1 and 5 of the Western Conference Finals against the Spurs and almost did the same thing in Game 2 against the Celtics but they couldn’t finish the job. How the best player in the league allowed such a huge lead to slip out of his grasp, we’ll never know.

3. The Lakers have this tendency to play ‘team ball’ in the first half and get the basketball moving and being swung around. They have great spacing, seem to play with poise and Kobe ends up being a facilitator rather than a scorer. Clearly, the team wins more when he shoots less but on Thursday, he didn’t have a single field goal in the first half so he hadn’t established any kind of rhythm to carry forward to the second half. That had a lot to do with the Celtics and the fact they showed him so many different looks and defenders, as well as bringing multiple players in his direction to clog up any potential driving or passing lanes. I think Boston was excellent in the second half of Game 4 and that was the difference.

4. On the flip side, the Lakers are your typical offensive-minded team. They – like any other team – can play defense in stretches. When players dig down deep and play together, get some shots falling, have calls going their way and momentum building in their favour, they’re a lot more willing to play defense. That’s exactly what happened with the Lakers in the first half. Granted, the Celtics just didn’t shoot well when they got some open looks but L.A. played with energy and control and brought good pressure in every sense of the word. Guys like Jordan Farmar and Trevor Ariza were pests in the minutes they played and Boston seemed to have problems with it early. However, the Lakers are not built around defense and it was too much to ask for them to sustain that effort and intensity throughout an entire game. Basketball is a game of runs and Boston was going to make theirs but the sad part about this is L.A. couldn’t step up to weather the storm at all. In the second quarter, Boston got the lead down to 12 before it went right back up to 18 at halftime. When similar runs were made in the second half, no resistance ever came.

5. Paul Pierce was magnificent. If the Celtics hold on to win another game in this series and secure the Championship, he will undoubtedly be the Finals MVP. He had a very poor Game 3 on Tuesday night but the other three he has played have been phenomenal. Every time his team needs him to do something, he does whatever it is. At halftime, he asked coach Doc Rivers to guard Kobe Bryant since he didn’t have any fouls called on him at the time and it would also put some more height and physicality on Bryant than Ray Allen could provide. Not only did he virtually shut Kobe down – except for a few amazing jumpers – but he got his own game off as well, to the tune of 20 points, 4 rebounds and 7 assists. The most important thing he did, though, was cleanly block a Kobe Bryant jump shot near the left baseline in the fourth quarter, shocking the crowd and wrestling away all momentum from L.A. He really is The Truth.

6. Ray Allen has had a very good series in my books: 19 points and 9 rebounds in Game 4; 25 points and 5 rebounds in Game 3; 17 points in Game 2; and 19 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists in Game 1. He would’ve been a hero in Game 3 had the Celtics won with his amazing shooting but he’s probably been the most consistent of the Big Three throughout the Finals. His defense has been underrated and it’s really been fun watching him play Kobe straight up. I remember a few years ago, there was nothing scary about playing Ray Allen when you had the ball. He wasn’t a pylon, but he wasn’t bringing the pressure that he is right now either. Factor in his age at 32 (turning 33) and we see what a shot at the Championship can do for someone’s drive and determination. I’m happy to see him producing so well because he deserves this too.

7. Kevin Garnett has disappointed me on the offensive end. I really thought that he could abuse the Lakers’ frontcourt in this series because he had an advantage on every player they could throw at him. If it was Pau Gasol or Lamar Odom, he could use his strength. If it was Ronny Ruriaf, he could use his length and quickness. He’s had opportunities to score but I think his ineffectiveness with the ball at times has been a product of not being in the right places, as well as passing up good shots. He’s too unselfish for his own good and I realize he’s not the clutch type of player to knock down jumpers in the last two minutes of a game but he still had a huge impact with his defense and rebounding. It sounds like a broken record in this blog but it’s what he always does well. He finished Game 4 with 16 points on 50% shooting, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and a block for good measure – all in 37 minutes of court time. His presence and activity in the second half helped key the run Boston went on, though, and he did actually hit some important shots in the paint in that fourth quarter. I’m sure he took Odom’s first quarter performance to heart and tried to do something about it.

8. The Lakers’ bench was supposed to be so much deeper than that of the Celtics in this series. Well, so far, Sasha Vujacic has been the only guy to have a great impact on any game – that being Game 3 on Tuesday. Jordan Farmar has been pretty decent defensively but not outstanding; Ronny Turiaf has been useless; Trevor Ariza has hardly played; Luke Walton can’t do anything right to help his team and hasn’t been able to throughout the entire playoffs. Meanwhile, Leon Powe exploded for 21 points in Game 2 to help Paul Pierce so that cancels out Vujacic’s game. Then there’s Game 4 where James Posey and Eddie House combined for 29 points on 9-of-19 shooting, with 6-for-12 accuracy behind the three-point line. Oh, don’t forget P.J. Brown’s physical defense in the frontcourt. I’d say the Celtics have annihilated L.A.’s bench in this series. There’s no debating it.

9. It was extremely important for the Celtics to space the floor and I think Rajon Rondo’s ineffectiveness and the first half blowout was a blessing in disguise. The same goes for Kendrick Perkins’ shoulder injury. With those guys below 100%, Doc Rivers had to find the right mix of players to help bring the Celtics back and House was able to create room for the Big Three because Kobe Bryant couldn’t just roam around freely anymore. He had left Rondo alone when he didn’t have the ball but the same couldn’t be done to House due to his shooting ability. The same goes for James Posey. By having Kevin Garnett as the only big on the floor, the Lakers had to respect Boston’s shooters and play man-to-man defense, which they are not good at. There aren’t a lot of teams in the NBA that can handle those three players in individual match-ups so Doc really scored a coup here. He has out-adjusted Phil Jackson in this series, in my opinion.

10. The play near the end of the game that left 16 seconds on the clock is particularly telling and I consider it a microcosm of these NBA Finals. Ray Allen knew that he could take Sasha Vujacic one-on-one and waved off a pick at the top of the arc from Kevin Garnett before getting into the lane and to the basket – untouched. Pau Gasol was so worried about leaving KG that he just barely zoned the area near Allen as he was driving and didn’t provide any kind of assistance or resistance at all. Allen finished with the left hand to increase the lead to five and that was pretty much the ball game. So how is this a microcosm, you ask? The Lakers just can’t get defensive stops to win ball games. Yes, if they have the ball, Kobe Bryant can go out and get them that win one way or another. There’s no other player I’d rather have controlling the ball at that point in a game but when you’re put in situations where you DON’T have the ball, I think that’s what defines truly great teams and the 2008 Lakers certainly are not one of them.

Game 5 Outlook: Lakers Try To Stave Off Elimination

First of all, let me look at my predictions for Game 4 and see how I did:

1. Boston Celtics will win the game by about 7 points = Correct (They won by 6)

2. Kobe Bryant will score 33 points = Incorrect (He had 19)

3. Kevin Garnett will have 32 points and 14 rebounds = Incorrect (He had 16 and 11)

4. Paul Pierce will have 21 points = Correct (He had 20)

5. Ray Allen will have 17 points = Correct (He had 19)

So for Game 4, I’m 3-for-5, which isn’t bad. I know I didn’t get any number exactly right but a one or two point difference is still pretty good, right? Anyway, I said in my entry following Game 2 that Game 4 was going to be the most important game of the series early on. Obviously, this seems like a silly statement because each game is important when you’re playing for the Championship. However, to me, it was a foregone conclusion that the Lakers would find a way to win Game 3 at home. I thought they’d win pretty comfortably and six points isn’t VERY tight but the game was relatively close down the stretch. Game 4 would set the table for how the series could end up. Either Boston was going to win it and take a 3-1 stranglehold on the series – a deficit no team in the NBA has ever overcome – or Los Angeles was going to win it, tie things up at two wins apiece and have all the momentum for Sunday night with Game 5 in their building. The Lakers had such a magnificent opportunity to take the series lead on Sunday if they played well, with a chance to win the Championship in Boston next Tuesday or Thursday. Instead, we’re sitting here waiting for the final nail to be driven into that purple and gold coffin so the Lakers’ 2008 season can be laid to rest.

There are no surprises from either team anymore. I’m not sure what the injury diagnosis is for Kendrick Perkins and what the extent of that shoulder injury is because he never did return. Either way, I’m pretty sure he’ll be able to go on Sunday night because it’s a close out game. Why even go back to Boston when the series can end right here in L.A.? Clearly, the Celtics have found the key to opening up the floor for their big stars: get shooters out there to keep the defense honest. There won’t be a lot of help or any roaming defenders when you have Eddie House set up in one corner and James Posey in another waiting for a few swings their way to drain a three-pointer. The Lakers are already a defensively-deficient team so it’s too much to expect that they can win three straight games under any circumstances – Kobe Bryant or not.

There’s not a lot to preview for Game 5. I think the Lakers fared pretty well early on in Game 4 but the Celtics didn’t play particularly well either so I don’t think we’ll be seeing another 40-19 score to start off Game 5. The Lakers are a very young team and it’s great they’ve made it this far behind the veteran leadership of Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Derek Fisher but guys like Sasha Vujacic, Jordan Farmar, Vladimir Radmanovic and others just won’t show up consistently enough to win right now. They showed their youth in Game 4 and at other times in the series with their lack of toughness and poise in some situations. After such a deflating loss where they surrendered a 24-point lead in the second half, how can they be feeling about themselves? I realize they have the best player in the NBA and a Hall of Fame coach in Phil Jackson but it won’t be enough. Could they rally around each other and steal Game 5? I’m thinking that they will, so that’s what I’m going with. I think the Celtics will play lackadaisically even though they desperately want to end this thing sooner rather than later. It’s a dangerous road to head down. Human nature dictates that it’s only normal to let up a bit with such a huge cushion but do the Celtics really want to go back to Boston up 3-2 against Kobe Bryant? If the Celtics have a bad defensive game – which they were well on their way to before fixing things midway through the third quarter of Game 4 – and Kobe goes off in a Game 6 situation in Boston, how could the Celtics feel about having to play a Game 7? I’m guessing it’d be similar to what the Lakers felt after losing on Thursday night: dread over a blown opportunity.

My predictions are the Los Angeles Lakers will win by eight points behind a 33-point effort from Kobe Bryant. KG will put up 23 points and 12 rebounds; Paul Pierce will have 28 points; Ray Allen will have 15 points; and Pau Gasol will have 20 points. Something tells me the Celtics could end this thing right now out of necessity but I don’t want to talk out of both sides of my mouth. I’m HOPING Boston ends it on Sunday night and I’ll be rooting for them to do so but I think the Lakers might have one more in them when Kobe goes old school and just looks to shoot, shoot and shoot some more. He started Game 3 very aggressively and got to the line so I expect more of the same in Game 5. It’d be nice for Paul Pierce to win the Championship at home in California but I wouldn’t mind seeing them get the job done in front of their home fans that have suffered for so many years through bad teams following the classic dynasties of the past.

Headlines

“Brand Undecided On Future”

Link: http://realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/52973/20080613/brand_undecided_on_future/

Elton Brand is weighing his options on whether or not he should opt out of his contract since he has an early termination option following this season. The Clippers’ forward is due $16.4 million next year if he stays with the team and I don’t know if he’d get that much elsewhere following a serious injury that took out his entire season for all intents and purposes. We’ll see what happens but my guess is he’ll end up staying right there in Los Angeles. Wouldn’t it be something if he opted out and signed with the Miami Heat if they didn’t bring back Shawn Marion? Dwyane Wade, Elton Brand and the #2 pick in the draft? That sounds good to me.

“Ratings Spiked As Celtics Charged Back”

Link: http://realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/52977/20080613/ratings_spiked_as_boston_charged_back_late_in_game_4/

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs2008/news/story?id=3442371

Game 4 of the Finals did an 8.7 rating, which was down from the 9.2 that Game 3 got. Game 4 was actually seen by over 13 million people in almost 10 million households, which is impressive stuff. Through the first four games, the Finals are averaging an 8.8 – up 42% overall from last year’s Cleveland/San Antonio series. Between 10:45 and 11:00 PM on Thursday night, ratings got up to 9.0. As the Celtics finished off their historic run between 11:30 and 11:45 PM, ratings topped 11.2. I think these numbers are great for the league and show just how epic the comeback was.

“Cavs Won’t Allow Ilgauskas In Olympics”

Link: http://realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/52975/20080613/cavs_wont_allow_ilgauskas_in_olympics/

For the first time in his career, Big Z wanted to play for his native Lithuania. The Cavs aren’t allowing it, citing his importance to the team, as well as his past injury history and the higher risk he has compared to other players. Since the Lithuanian basketball federation probably can’t offer sufficient insurance to cover Big Z, he won’t be playing in Beijing this summer.

“Azubuike Opts Out Of Deal With Warriors”

Link: http://realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/52974/20080613/azubuike_opts_out_of_his_deal_with_warriors/

Kelenna Azubuike has joined teammates Monta Ellis and Andris Biedrins as free agents by opting out of his deal. He made $797,581 last season and he’s probably due for a raise with the way he played when the Warriors had injuries this season. He was especially good when Stephen Jackson was out early and kept that production up when he got opportunities later in the season. I’m sure he’ll find a home somewhere because I don’t see the Warriors re-signing him with everything they have on their plate right now.

“Perkins Uncertain For Game 5”

Link: http://realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/52971/20080613/celtics_perkins_uncertain_for_game_five/

The injury to Kendrick Perkins is still being called a strain and he might not be able to go but I’m sure we won’t know for sure until Saturday evening or maybe game-time on Sunday. He has virtually a day and a half to rest and get it right so we’ll see what happens. Rajon Rondo and Paul Pierce also aggravated their injuries in Game 4, although Pierce’s was more of an ankle roll than another knee tweak.

“Tendinitis Bothering Odom During Finals?”

Link: http://realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/52967/20080613/tendinitis_bothering_odom_during_finals/

So apparently, Lamar Odom has been playing with knee tendinitis all season and it’s flaring up right now, leading to his craptacular performances. I’m not buying it. So what if his season averages are down in the Finals? I think every player on the Lakers has seen their averages drop across the board due to the Celtics’ defense. It’s not much of an excuse. I won’t question the fact Odom may be bothered by it but if he can start games off as well as he did on Sunday and Thursday this past week, what’s stopping him from doing it a bit more consistently?

“Woodson Intends To Sign Two-Year Deal”

Link: http://realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/52964/20080613/woodson_intends_to_sign_two_year_deal/

I’m glad Mike Woodson is getting a short-term extension with the Atlanta Hawks. I think making the playoffs this season was a nice accomplishment for the team and it would set them back to lose their leader, especially considering their youth. Mike Bibby and Joe Johnson are not vocal guys so the importance of Woodson is underlined. Hopefully the Hawks can build on their success next season because they sure made the news a lot thanks to that first round scare they gave the Boston Celtics.

There are several great stories over on ESPN’s web site involving the NBA Finals so head on over there to read them:

“Game 4 Not Finest Hour For No.24”:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs2008/columns/story?columnist=stein_marc&page=Gm4-080613

“Daily Dime, June 13”:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/dailydime?page=dime-080613

“Daily Dime, June 14”:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/dailydime?page=dime-080614

“For Garnett & Gasol, Game 4 Told The Tale”:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs2008/columns/story?columnist=adande_ja&page=GarnettGasol-080613

“Rivers Punching All The Right Buttons”:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs2008/columns/story?columnist=hollinger_john&page=Rivers-080613

I guess I only enjoy reading all of these because of how well the Celtics are doing but either way, the writing was great so hopefully people enjoy them.

Anyway, that’s it for this entry. Don’t expect to hear from me again until Monday when I’ll be reviewing Game 5 of the NBA Finals and hopefully celebrating the Championship win of the Boston Celtics. I really hope it happens on Sunday and this thing doesn’t get dragged out because Kobe Bryant is still a weapon, even if he has been held down for about two and a half games. I also wanted to correct an error from a previous blog entry where I said the Raptors would be holding workouts with players in Toronto on Friday. The workouts actually took place in Buffalo and Raptors’ brass attended. With that said, feel free to leave feedback in the comments section at the bottom of the entry and get ready for the live blog happening on Monday co-hosted by myself and James Borbath of the Dino Nation Blog. The link will be up in a mini-entry on Sunday, perhaps. Until next time..

-Mark R.

[The Raptor Core]