Wow, that game was Sam Cassell ugly. I don't think anybody is going to look at that game and say that was the deciding game of the series. It definitely won't be remembered in 20 years like the Celtics classic clashes with the Lakers in the Bird-Magic era. Rather it was a game, where it looked like only three people belonged on the court. For the Celtics, it was Ray Allen (25 pts.) and for the Lakers it was Kobe Bryant (36 pts.) and Sasha Vujacic (20 pts.).
The story of the game was that four of the big stars of the Celtics and Lakers, didn't even show up. Kevin Garnett settled for outside jump shots going 6-21 while Paul Pierce was in foul trouble for most of the game scoring six points on a horrendous 2-14 shooting.
Now, a lot of that had to do with the Lakers defense, especially Kobe who stepped his D up against the hometown boy Pierce, but some of it has got to be him feeling the lingering effects of the Game 1 injury. Pierce wasn't as explosive going to the basket, which was evident when Farmar set himself up for a charge, giving Pierce another his fifth foul in the 3rd quarter. I don't believe Pierce was pressing because all of his family and friends were watching him, since he averages more points against the Lakers than any other team at 28.6 PPG. Expect to see Pierce to have a rebound performance while Kevin Garnett should be receiving more post-up opportunities against Paul Gasol.
Speaking of everyone's favorite Spaniard (and I'm not talking about Rafael Nadal) Pau Gasol, he resembled Casper yesterday night. Sure he had 12 rebounds, but he was completely useless in the post, as he repeatedly kicked it out when he was posting up Garnett. It was sickening to see a Laker re-post to him, only to have Gasol kick it out again! I thought that the Lakers were going to re-establish him early just like they did in Game 2 when he was 6-6 in the 1st quarter, but Pau has proven he does not want the ball. Phil Jackson will be in his left ear and Kobe in his right all night if he doesn't assert himself offensively. If he doesn't, the label of Pau "Gasoft" will be his to bear like the scarlet letter "A" for quite some time.
Lamar Odom might as well be on the show "Lost." The dude has no idea what is going on the court. Every time he attacks the basket, he is rejected by a Celtic, or he throws up a wild air ball. He was 2-9, but had 9 rebounds. Odom has to keep it simple. He needs to shoot the open jumper and make the Celtics pay for sagging off of him. Also, he needs to just be a steady rebounder, and defend the paint. If the Lakers get the little things from Lamar Odom, and consistency from Pau Gasol, they will be tough to beat in Game 4.
Finally, what to expect in Game 4? Well, to be honest, I don't really know. The Lakers were favored by 9 1/2 pts. in Vegas, and they couldn't even cover the spread. You don't really know which Lakers or Celtics team is going to show up, but I'm going to bet on the MVP Kobe Bryant.
The funniest stat of the night was that Kobe had only 1 assist. He took it upon himself to be aggressive and go to the hole. He sliced and diced his way through the Boston defense, and may have figured out how to get past the Green Hole that is the Boston D. Expect Boston to double team him more often on the catch, and make another Laker starter beat them. So far, no other Laker starter besides Kobe has had a huge impact on the series. The bench is another story...
THE MACHINE! MACHINA! EL MAQUINA! Whatever language you want to use, it sounds just as nice, because The Machine was locked, cocked, and ready to unload his offensive arsenal, as soon as he touched the ball. He was a highly efficient 7-10 shooting the ball making three 3 pointers, and he made me a happy man because I picked him to have a breakout game.
My next breakout performer will be Jordan Farmar in Game 4. The man is fearless as he stood toe to toe with that bully arm-pulling ancient Center P.J. "Clown." He would benefit playing more minutes as well.
Both teams looked exhausted when the game came to a close. Expect a cleaner and crisper Game 4. If the Lakers lose Game 4, this series will be over. They have to play with the same intensity, but better smarts. Boston will play better, so it's up to the Lakers to continue to hold serve. By the way, before I make my prediction, how awful was that Laker crowd?! The Lakers have officially priced out their home court advantage.
My Prediction: This one is up for grabs, DON'T BET ON THE GAME!
10 comments:
the lakers had a chance to take a big lead early in the game.The Celtics only scored 2 points in the first 5 minutes yet the lakers were only up by 7 points. If the Lakers don't start playing better as a team and if Lamar dosen't wake up they will lose game 4 and go on to lose the series. GEORGE IN HB
The biggest positive I see out of game 3 was the reappearance of Kobe Bryant. He played with the intensity he has had all season, and finished the Celtics off in the final minutes. He can't do it alone though, and I don't think we can count on Sasha to have another outstanding performance. Lamar is done, but Pau really needs to step it up offensively.
Great post.
As for the Lakers a very sloppy win. W's are W's but if they continue to play that way you better believe the Celtics are going to snatch one in L.A. Kobe as always contributed in various ways. Sasha stepped up big when needed, the rest of the team must follow suit and score. Hey Lamar! Are you going to show up to the game this week? If not let me have your seat!
As well as Kobe played in Game 3, he could have easily shut the Celtics down earlier if he made his free throws! The Lakers can't complain about never getting to the line if they can't produce when they get there. GO LAKERS GO!
Man Oh Man. The Lakers need to start playing better as a team and Pau is the one who needs to wake up. I cant believe we have 2 Lamar Odoms on the team now. Pau and Lamar are both inconsistent and dont have the attack mentality that Kobe has. Pau needs to start dunking instead of flipping the ball up towards the rim and just hope it goes in. He needs to rough up KG a little. He's playing against the defensive player of the year. Stop being scared of of getting blocked and take that ball to rim. It seems like Lamar was trying to get started early but couldnt hit any shots which doesnt suprise me. Lamar did what he had to do and created a lot of opportunities for pau but pau didnt recognize it. I also heard today that Sam Gaysell and Rajon Rando did not practice because of injuries so thats a little bit of a plus for us.
Jordan Farmar had 5 assists and 4 rebounds yesterday in limited minutes. Time to give him more time, Phil.
- James
Keep fisher on the bench,and let farmar play,fisher has no diffense and anybody can pass hin easly,sasha played great and he is the key for winnig.
By the lakers fans,don't worry about game 4 , lakers by 18.
i'm looking forward to watch the game tonight,i hope the lakers will win and win again in game 5,jonathan great article about the lakers,keep it up,good job.
I agree that both teams looked exhausted at the close of game 3. Game 3 may have been ugly due to the effects of jet lag on the players. I keep hearing that the Celtics are the better team and that they were ready with their “A” game for their first 2 games of the finals, but isn’t it blatantly obvious that the Lakers started out the Finals with a disadvantage due to this jet lag factor? Let’s not forget that basketball is one of the most physically demanding sports there is. Add jet lag to the game and it is bound to be ugly. Getting back to this jet lag idea, the Lakers are definitely at a greater disadvantage as they have flown cross-country twice. The Celtics have only flown cross-country once and get 2 days to “settle in,” whereas the Lakers only had 1 day back in Boston. It’s pretty “jakked up” that one team starts out the Finals with the disadvantage and the only way for that disadvantaged team to get rid of this disadvantage is if they can make it to game 6 (the point where travel would be equal).
We saw that
I also agree with your prediction that Game 4 is up for grabs, because in the past 2 games we have seen the Celtics up by 6 in Game 2 and the Lakers up by 6 in Game 3. Although, if Games 1 and 2 hold any precedent for Game 4, then the Celtics will be able to keep a closer scoring range on the Lakers. The Lakers were able to decrease the scoring range on the Celtics by 10% from Game 1 to Game 2. Now that the Lakers have a win and the Celtics have had their day to “settle in” LA, the Celtics should be able then to decrease this gap. Tonight’s game will be close!
Thanks for the advice…I will not be betting on Game4!
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