6/13/10: Lakers @ Celtics, NBA Finals, Game 5

[UConn Celtics Fan]

http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n35/mlmdaniels/NBA/nbafinals2010.jpg

GAME 5
Series Tied 2-2
Sunday, June 13, 2010
8:00 PM Eastern
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[pieman2005]

Go Celtics! Rondo for finalsMVP!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rajon-Rondo-for-finals-MVP/125896977435141?ref=sgm

[OB- wan]

Moving f-ing screen by KG....unreal.

[OB- wan]

Perk is brain dead....coast to coast....come on, man.

[LordRC]

First Fisher gets a gift foul on a three pointer, then Artest flops to draw a tech on Rondo (dumb, Rajon). And Capt wonders why we call them soft? It'w why we call them the Fakers, at least.

I want to see if the Lakers are tough if they fall behind in the series. They've been front runners all playoffs long. Can they dig deep and fight back with their backs against the wall? If they bounce back to win game 6 or collapse, we'll know our answer.

Very good first half. Compliment it with a better second half and put them away to get one step closer to #18.

--LordRC

[missing35]

Everyone is looking good right now. We need to take advantage of this cold shooting by the Lakers by limiting the TOs and the O boards for the Fakers. Step it up in the 2nd half!

[meta4]

let's just keep playing celtic ball and dont let the fakers try to play our ball and we got game 6

[westones]

great
we hate we beat LA

[CelticSooner]

Just one more win to go folks! This has been an amazing playoff run.

[jcpry]

One win to greatness for the C's. Solid performance by all and really should take the next one as I wouldnt like our chances in game 7.

[CaptChris]

Move the ball -- get the easy shot -- make critical foul shots -- TEAM baskeball = WINS! PP played very well. He was the Man in the beginning! Rondo and Paul took 18 shots in the 1st half. Ray and KG only got 3 shots each in the half. Not TEAM basketball.

When we moved the ball, got everyone involved, took easy shots, the game became TEAM basketball. We end up with 4 starters in double figures. That's Celtic (TEAM) ball. Lakers had to defend everyone. As soon as they cheated off their man -- we passed to the open man. EASY BASKET!

We had Tony's block on Gasol.l KG's hustle. Ray's "Ice Water at the Line"! PP's save on the side-line pass, and turning it into an easy basket. -- Rondo's tip in basket against the Giants! Great TEAM "D", holding the Lakers under 40% shooting.

RC: When the Lakers FLOP -- they are SOFT! When PP FLOPS against Kobie, (Gets 5th foul) -- we are TOUGH! HUH?

Rondo was all over the lot. GREAT on some plays and "WILD" on others = 7 T/O's. Have to tighten it up for Game 6. PP, it is O-Kay for someone else to get shot. Perk -- Keep your Cool for one move game. Don't get suspended, if we have a Game 7. Ray -- It is not against the law to make a "3" Pt. shot.

One more to GO! Get them in (6)!

[OB- wan]

I think the Lakers have quit. Kind of like we saw with the Cavs, when the going gets tough the tough get going and the Lakers don't want to do what it takes to win.

I think the Lakers will play tough at the beginning of game 6 but by the second half of game 6 it will be obvious they are done. Kobe is already melting down. He was losing his composure big time at the end of this game and I don't think that bodes well for the Lake-show.

The 2010 Celtics are not pretty to watch for casual fans but they have the heart of Champions and that's what the Kobe Bryant led Lakers cannot compete with. Mr. Ice Water Veins looked like a whiny immature adolescent last night at the end of the game.

Kobe has always known he cannot put a team on his back against a really good team and beat them and it was proven last night, and Bryant was furious about it. The fact that the C's pulled away while Kobe was unloading his clip was a stark reality to Kobe that he is not good enough. After this series it will be laughable to hear the Jordan comparisons to me, if they are still even made.

[nepg]

I think the general consensus is that we don't want it to go to Game 7... The C's have been great all throughout the playoffs. The only reason the game got close last night was because Doc let Paul guard Kobe rather than the Allens (who were both doing a great job, Kobe was just hitting crazy shots). Paul made a few horrible mistakes, and probably swung the game from being an easy 15-20 point blow-out to a nail-biting, "please don't blow it" squeaker at the end.

If they come out and play good team ball early in Game 6, the Lakers will fold like the Magic did in Game 3 of the Conference Finals.

[CaptChris]

OB: You get better all the time. There isn't a Celtic who can put the TEAM on his back and Win a Championship. Not because they aren't good enough, but because it is a TEAM game.

When we WIN, it will be because we have 4, 5, or 6 guys in double figures. Kobie is a fantastic ball player. Who isn't good enough to Win by himself. No one is with todays "D"! Kobie was facing one -- two -- three defenders, and still hit shots that were damn near impossible.

Problem is that when one guy is getting all the shots, it is no longer a TEAM game. Go ask Lebron. Ask if he thinks it can be done by one guy.

The MJ stuff is History.

So let's get # 18, and leave the Ya-Buts FOR THE DREAMERS.

[OB- wan]

If KG could hold onto rebounds and Rondo could shoot the series would be done already. :cool:

I've complained a lot about the C's and these little things they do that bug me but I have to give them credit, they overcome with team-work and non-stop effort. They keep coming and coming and coming and finally teams just give up. It's like a staring contest or something and we've seen the Cavs, the Magic and now last night the Lakers blink.

I can almost hear what's going on in the head of Laker players .... "If we stop Pierce we are gonna get Ray. If we stop KG we are just going to get Sheed and Baby. Tony Allen is going to come off the bench and terrorize people. Nate will go nuts if he gets any playing time..... we can't win."

I'm ready to start talking about what the C's should do with the roster for next season but I don't want to just yet and jinx it so I'll wait a few days.

[LordRC]

Capt,

It can be a thin line between flopping and selling a legit foul. Kobe's fifth on Pierce was a legit blocking foul. Maybe Pierce could had kept his feet on the play, but there was no question Kobe moved into Pierce. The drawback of being a flopper is you develop a reputation and you don't always get the call. Look at Derek Fisher when he tried to draw the offensive against Ray in the post. Refs swallowed the whistle, saying, "Playa please!" Yeah I'm biased, but I don't classify Pierce as a flopper. He's a seller, as in he exaggerates real contact. The Lakers always try to sell fouls, but sometimes they go the extra mile that it's absurd.

And as you stress "TEAM" basketball and criticize KG and Perk for their play, remember the team that had the edge in rebounding won every game. So it wouldn't matter who is on which team as long as the whole TEAM attacked the glass. ;)

I have a gut feeling LA will come out like a house on fire in the first quarter. They'll be on a emotional high from being back at home. If Boston can withstand that onslaught and not fall into a deep hole, they can come back and win the game.

And hitting a 3 isn't as important to Ray as some here believe. The bottom line is he contributes offensively. Let him post up Fish some more. I loved when he faked a three, took a few dribbles in, and hit a midrange J in game four. Maybe he gets free for a layup or two again. When your shot ain't falling, rely on other methods to score. He's more versatile than a spot-up shooter.

--LordRC

[CaptChris]

And as you stress "TEAM" basketball and criticize KG and Perk for their play, remember the team that had the edge in rebounding won every game. So it wouldn't matter who is on which team as long as the whole TEAM attacked the glass.

RC: You missed the point. The Lakers were called "SOFT"! Especially Bynum and Gasol. All I did was show that Bynum and Gasol had out-played Perk and KG. Not just ihn this series but in the play-offs. This with Bynum playing on one leg. Want to check every stat?

Celtic fans can't admit when their Hero plays poorly.Perk played reasonbly well before the finals. He had series of 11 Blocks against the Miami -- 14 Blocks against the CAvs. -- 7 blocks against the Magic -- and (0) Blocks against the Lakers. You don't see a problem there? Perk has gone 7 Pts. -- 7 Rebs. -- (0) Blocks. in this series.

We are lucky that Bynum is hurt. The kid is a player. Thank the Lord for small favors.

Nice to live long enough to be able to see when my Hero is great, and when he stinks, and call it like it is. When RAy broke the record with 8 "3"'s -- He was Great. When he went 2 - 13 the next game, he Stunk. No Excuses - No Ya-Buts.

[LordRC]

Personally I never called Bynum soft, though I did for Gasol in the past. My question for him became is Gasol tough enough in a series against the Celts. Considering his diminishing returns, Pau's not making a good case for himself.

Bynum is struggling, and it's too bad for him. Only he and Kobe would bring it every night in this series it looks like. Maybe a healthy Bynum would had been the difference in this series. We won't know, but that's sports for ya. I'm not gonna bother speculating or feeling sorry for the Lakers.

Perk is shorter than Pau and Bynum, which contributes to his struggles. But it's the team defense that has led to Boston taking a 3-2 series lead. We don't see Lakers slicing into the paint like they did in game one anymore. And Perkins was there with KG to block a Gasol layup in Sunday's game.

What pleased me most about Perk is how much of a non-factor Gasol was in game five as he barely reached double figures. Kendrick will never be an offensive force, but if he's able to negate the other team's big man, then I can live with his lack of points and decreased rebounds.

I just want the results, and for Boston to be one win away from #18, I'm not gonna nitpick to the point of completely tearing a player apart if not every "t" is crossed and every "i" is dotted. If Perk negates Gasol for one more game, I'm confident Boston will be celebrating on the Staples Center floor.

--LordRC

[nepg]

I love Capt trying to use stats to argue that the Lakers aren't soft or that Perk is useless or other intangible things... It always gives me a good chuckle.

Tough and Soft are not tangible. The C's are tough because they play their style of basketball and impose it on the Lakers. The Lakers are soft because they let the C's do this...

Judging defense by blocks and steals just doesn't work. Just like calling Bynum and Gasol not soft because they had decent offensive stats doesn't work. Perk keeps the other team's offense away from the basket...forcing them to be guarded outside and take contested jump shots. When he's not in there, things can fall apart. Like in Game 3 where having Baby in there allowed Kobe and Fisher to drive in for layups and floaters - which essentially cost them the game.