2010 NBA finals; Lakers/Celtics: Game 3

Derek Fisher not Kobe was the fourth quarter closer in game three

I am aimlessly typing this blog wondering where do I begin to discuss this game. If you watched game three of the 2010 NBA finals tonight, you too are still trying to figure out what you just watched. It was by far one of the sloppier NBA finals games ever played. I really don’t know what to make of this game or even what to write. I don’t think anyone from the Los Angeles Lakers or the Boston Celtics could describe what happen tonight verbally or on paper. This blog entry may end up being as lame as Drake’s debut album.

Boston started the game playing extremely well going up 11 – 3 during the first four minutes of the game. Kevin Garnett came out looking like the Garnett from 2008 by running the floor and beating every Laker big man down the court on the first three plays of the game scoring on a dunk, lay-up and alley-oop. L.A. started the game completely out of sync. No one in the Lakers starting five seemed to know who they were guarding or who on the Celtics had the ball at times. Offensively they couldn’t do anything right. Phil Jackson then did something uncharacteristic by calling a time out while his team was down early in a game. Immediately out of the time out, it seemed as if the teams had switched jerseys. Boston couldn’t guard anyone on the floor, and on offense they looked perplexed. This was an early sign of things to come from both of these teams tonight.

Kobe Bryant was pretty much the only decent bright spot in the entire first half as the Lakers erased a eight point deficit to take a fifteen point lead midway through the second quarter. Lamar Odom aided Kobe in establishing this lead by coming off the bench for Ron Artest who couldn’t run an offense if he was playing a game of one on one basketball. Lamar chipped in with eight points by being aggressive and attacking the basket instead of settling for jump shots. Odom’s mobility caused the Celtics duo of plump big men of Kendrick Perkins and Glen “Big Baby” Davis issues. Other than Kobe and Lamar, the Lakers weren’t anything special. A lot of what they were able to accomplish was aided by Boston’s ignorant, sloppy play on both ends of the court. Boston made a run that cut the fifteen point deficit down to eight at one point. But L.A. was able to push it back out to a twelve point lead before the end of the half.

Ray Allen wondering what happened in game three

After watching a half of bad basketball, you expected or at least hoped to see a better played game in the second half. Unfortunately what many of us may have expected or hoped to see didn’t happen. Immediately both teams started the second half as they had ended the first by playing bad basketball. Kobe by himself allowed the Celtics to get back into the game by taking several ill advised shots that were not within the flow of the offense. Kobe became 2004 to 2007 Kobe Bryant where he was going to jack up shots whenever he felt like it no matter what. Kobe may have taken some bad shots, but Ray Allen couldn’t hit anything whether he took a good or bad shot. After putting on a shooting clinic on Sunday, Ray went 0 for 13 and became more of a liability for the Celtics rather than an asset when he was on the court. Paul Pierce wasn’t much better and he had no one to blame but himself tonight because Ron Artest sat on the bench most of the game in foul trouble.

Finally in the fourth quarter the Celtics made a run to come within one point of the Lakers. Glen Davis came up huge in Boston’s fourth quarter comeback. Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett also contributed in the comeback. On the defensive end of the court the Celtics had no answer for the Lakers and their pick and roll offense that they were running with Derek Fisher on every trip down the court. Usually in the fourth quarter it’s Kobe that’s the closer, but in game three it was D-Fish who hit all of the big shots in route to scoring eleven fourth quarter points. Garnett, Rondo and Davis hit some big shots of their own, but Fisher was too much for Boston in the fourth. Once the tomfoolery of a basketball game was over, the Lakers stood victorious in a 91 to 84 victory over the Celtics.

Overall you would have to give the Lakers credit for hanging in there and winning this game. L.A. Was able to play gritty, tough defense and get huge contributions from their bench in this game. Kobe and the Lakers did what Boston usually does on a regular basis and it’s something that many people including myself have wondered about the Lakers. Can they win “ugly”? That question is put to rest after tonight’s game three. On the other hand you still wonder what is wrong with the Celtics and will they ever get their form back that they had coming into this series. Right now Doc Rivers needs to figure out a way to get the “Big four” playing well again. Part of me wonders if old age and injuries are starting to catch up with the Celtics now. If Boston doesn’t come with it on Thursday, then there will be a cause for concern as to what will happen in games five and six.

Earlier today I posed the question in my blog as to if game three was the most important game for the Lakers. They didn’t play like it was at times, but when it really counted. Derek Fisher played as if it was the most important game for L.A. During Fisher’s teary eyed interview after the game, he commented that game three was a very important game for them and possibly the most important game for them in this series. I completely agree with that statement.