2010 NBA Finals Game 7 - Lakers Vs. Celtics Play By Play

Some people are calling this game 7 one of the most important NBA games in recent memory. And since I've written about every game so far in this series, I figured I might as well do it again. But rather than write an article of reflection and letting what I just saw soak in, I'm going to do a play by play where I will be writing as I watch.

The announcers just said that the team who won the rebounding battle has won each game. Here's another good stat: I'm one for six in picking these games in the finals. And for the record, I think the Lakers pull this one out at home with a big run late in the 4th quarter.

Rasheed Wallace is starting tonight in place of Kendrick Perkins. If you're a Celtics' fan, you just hope he doesn't go 0-7 like in game 6.

First Quarter

11:21 - Rondo has to have a much better game controlling the tempo and he can't give the ball away. Well, just 39 seconds into the game, he turns it over.

10:54 - Derek Fisher hits the first shot of the game and it's a three-pointer, his first of this finals.

10:00 - After a Sheed turn-around bucket, the Lakers' two-some of trees, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum bat around a rebound like a game of keep-away volleyball before Gasol finally puts it in.

8:31 - Remember what I said about Rondo controlling the tempo? He just committed a silly back court foul that should've been a non-play for him.

7:24 - And just like that, Rondo redemption. He scores the second of back-to-back layups for him and Boston is up 10-7.

6:54 - Kobe goes one-on-two with a wide open man to his right, only to take a fade away that hits the top of the backboard. He didn't trust his wide open teammate over his 10-degree of difficulty shot.

5:55 - First timeout and the story of the game is that the refs are allowing these guys to play. There have been at least two eyebrow-raising non-calls so far and both to the Lakers' detriment.

5:10 - Big Baby comes in for Rasheed and he isn't slobbering. Yet.

4:42 - Ray Allen knocks down his first three-pointer, making sure he doesn't go 0-8 again.

2:27 - Gasol picks up his second foul on a charge and Bynum has to come back in the game just a minute or so after he was replaced by Lamar Odom. The announcers said before the game that Bynum is only good for about ten minutes per half. Does this mean we may see some DJ Mbenga? We can only hope.

1:20 - Garnett picks up his second foul on an illegal screen that wasn't illegal and he has to go to the bench. Back comes Sheed.

0:00 - Rough first half, but Boston's just shooting better and leads 23-14.

Second Quarter

11:12 - Kobe comes out of the game for the first time. Both Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson are ripping his first quarter, saying it was his worst 12 minutes of basketball in the playoffs. It wasn't that bad guys. He had questionable shot attempts, but he played really well on the defensive end.

(They just showed Ryan Seacrest, George Lopez, Ellen Pompeo, Dustin Hoffman, and Jack Nicholson in a star montage of those in attendance. Who's Ellen Pompeo?)

8:21 - The Lakers tie it up on a Ron Artest steal and lay-up. It's now 23-23. Boston hasn't yet scored in the second half. The tide has definitely turned.

6:15 - In two consecutive sequences, Kobe was doubled and gave it up to Gasol. On the first sequence, Gasol kicked it to Artest for a missed three, and on the second, he missed a short jumper. At some point, Kobe's going to stop giving it to him if he doesn't make those possessions count.

5:15 - The Lakers are only shooting 28%, yet are only down two points. So far, Pierce isn't getting his shot off, and Allen is missing some very open shots. That's why the score is where it's at.

4:14 - Allen is having a stinker of a game. Maybe Denzel Washington should get his gear on to make Ray angry.


(Yet another star celebrity crowd scan shows us Usher, T.O., and Leo Dicaprio. Usher and T.O. were wearing some phat sunglasses. Dicaprio is wearing a UCLA hat. The dude's always wearing local college gear.)

2:08 - Rasheed hit his third old school Sheed turnaround jumper. They're isolating him now on Gasol, which tells you how confident they are in that match-up.

1:22 - Artest and Pierce get tangled up and we get our first small scrum. Double tech time. With Bynum only playing a handful of minutes, they can't afford Artest to pick up another one and get tossed.

0:34 - Brian Scalabrine checks in and for a second, I thought it was Michael Rapaport and this was the Celebrity All-Star game.

0:09 - Kobe missed a terrible three-pointer and was going crazy. He may get a technical tonight if he keeps shooting the way he is. He's 3-14 so far.

0:00 - Kobe and Gasol are shooting a combined 6-27, but the Celtics are only up by six. It's 40-34 at halftime.

(Magic's analysis at the half - Kendrick Perkins being out may be a blessing in disguise for the Celtics because Rasheed can score and the Celtics have to outscore the Lakers. And he also added that water is wet.)

Third Quarter

12:00 - The Lakers have fifteen offensive rebounds compared to just two for the Celtics. If the Lakers can shoot better than 40% in the second half, they should be able to win this game. But the Celtics are playing tough defense and the referees are letting these guys play.

11:20 - Ron Artest came to play today. He leads all scorers with 14 points after being aggressive and taking it to the hole for a score.

9:45 - Rondo hits a runner in the lane to extend the lead to eleven at 47-36. Kobe missed another long three. You know he's not going down quietly. This is going to be an interesting 22 minutes here.

7:37 - Kobe finally hits a jumper to bring the Lakers to within ten. He's 4-17 now.

5:38 - Odom follows an Artest miss to bring the deficit down to six. Garnett is killing Gasol on the other end and I think he's getting into his head.

(Third celebrity go-around; Jeremy Piven, my girl Christina Aguilera, Andy Garcia's mustache, Greg Kinnear, Courtney "Cougar" Cox-Arquette, and Laura Dern. The pool is getting a little shallow here. I'd hate to see what round four brings us. "There's Rita Perlman and Danny DeVito!")

3:48 - Kobe's only 4-19 shooting, but he does have ten boards. He's just not getting that call where he gets the defender in the air and then jumps into him.

2:37 - Gasol gets to the free throw line after what looked to be a clean block on Garnett on the other end. The replay shows that he didn't come near the ball and slapped the heck out of his hand. Derek Fisher just went back to the locker room after slipping on the court.

2:12 - Rondo goes to the free throw line which has been an adventure for him. He goes one-for-two. Celtics still up by six.

1:24 - Big Baby was close to slobbering after getting called for a foul and complaining.

0:00 - The Lakers close strong and are down only four after at the end of the third quarter 57-53. This fourth quarter is going to be rough.

Fourth Quarter

12:00 - Phil Jackson just said that Kobe needs to do more off the ball. I don't think that happens. I think Kobe is going to have a breakout fourth.

11:43 - Gasol finally hits a shot where he's defended well instead of passing it out and is fouled, but missed the free throw. Boston is still up by two.

11:20 - Who would've thought that Ron Artest would be the Lakers' MVP tonight? He just caused another Celtics' turnover.

9:00 - Gasol has 14 rebounds, but he's being badly outplayed by Garnett tonight. He needs a strong nine minutes or will have to deal with that "soft" moniker all off-season.

8:46 - Kobe suckers Ray into fouling him beyond the three-point line and gets three free throws while down four. He hits all three. Nate Robinson comes in to give Rondo what looks to be a quick breather.

7:29 - Artest gets in the key and hits a short jumper while being fouled. His free throw ties the game. By the way, Derek Fisher still isn't back. Jordan Farmar has to play big time fourth quarter minutes if Fish doesn't come back in.

7:13 - Allen misses his first free throw in the finals. He hits the second and the Celtics are up by one. Garnett and Rondo are back in. That wasn't much of a rest for Rondo.

6:49 - Gasol misses another two free throws and is now 2-7 from the line. More importantly for the Lakers though, Fisher is back in the game. You knew he was coming back.

6:12 - Of course, Fisher hits his first shot after coming back in, which is a three. Tie game.

5:21 - Kobe sinks two free throws and then a jumper to give the Lakers a four-point lead. The Celtics might need to stop running plays for "Little Play" Ray Allen. He's missing too many make-able shots down the stretch.

2:20 - Down five, Pierce runs at Gasol and gets called for an idiotic blocking foul while in the penalty. Gasol hits one of two and the Lakers are back up by six.

2:14 - Artest commits just as silly of a foul while defending Pierce who was 30-feet away from the bucket. Pierce hits both and it's back down to four.

1:30 - Gasol gets Wallace back by abusing him on the baseline for a double pump put-in. I think all is forgiven after that shot. Lakers are back up by six.

1:23 - Sheeds says, "No sweat" and hits a desperation three-pointer (and a terrible shot if he misses) to bring the Lakers' lead back down to three. Sheed's played a game seven before.

1:01 - And Ron Ron gives it right back with a three. He's my favorite player today.

0:50 - "Little Play" Ray with a three from the corner, and all of a sudden in the last 90 seconds, both teams can shoot.

0:16 - These guys were just kidding for the first forty six minutes. After Kobe hits two free throws, Rondo hits a three from the corner and the lead is back down to two.

0:11 - Sasha Vujacic, who is in the game simply to knock down foul shots, knocks down two big ones and makes sure the Celtics can't tie it on another Hail Mary. Maria Sharapova must be so proud.

0:00 - The Celtics can't get a good shot off as Rondo shoots a corner three and it's a near air ball. Odom grabs the rebound and throws it the length of the court while Bryant snatches it just before it goes out of bounds and the game is over. The Lakers win 83-79.

Post-game

- Ron Ron thanks everyone in his hood and then thanks his doctor and his psychiatrist and pimps his new single. No, it's not about Michael Jackson. Only Ron Ron.

- Kobe's wife could be a Kardashian. I never saw that until now.

- Dr. Buss had problems clearing his throat. I thought maybe he was crying, but when I asked my Lakers' buddy what his deal was, he simply said, "He's old." Ok, then.

- Kobe says, "Anything is possible!" Ok, he didn't really. He said this championship was the sweetest because it was the hardest one.

- Mark Jackson says that Magic Johnson now has to move over and that Kobe is now the greatest Laker. He must not have watched Kobe shoot the ball tonight.

- Phil Jackson now has 11 rings and has coached the greatest player ever and a guy who is probably in the top 7 or 8 of the greatest players of all time and probably breaks into the top three or four when it's all said and done. Don't tell me that luck isn't a part of being great. Phil is lucky and great all at the same time.

If anyone says this was a great series, I'd disagree with them because the offensive play wasn't as up to snuff as the defensive play was. However, it was one of the more competitive NBA Finals we've seen in some time. Both teams left it all on the court.

Oh, by the way, I want to thank Ron's psychiatrist too.

Boston's Game Two Win Tells A Different Story

If you were a very casual basketball fan and didn't follow basketball all that closely, you'd have a few thoughts about Saturday's Boston Celtics victory over the LA Lakers in game two of the 2010 NBA Finals, and you'd be clear that it was how this series has, was, and will play out.

Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo are the big two for the Celtics

When the Celtics beat the Lakers in 2008, they had a big three. And there was an order to the big three. Kevin Garnett was the final piece of the puzzle, Paul Pierce was the longtime Celtic, and Ray Allen was the perimeter player who stretched the defense.

Back then, Rondo was still the young point guard who might've held them back. Today, Rondo runs their team like few point guards do. He's their best all around player and save for a lack of a real confident go-to jump shot, the weaknesses in his game are hard to find. He needs to have a hand in nearly every situation in order for Boston's offense to succeed, whether it's making the right pass, going to the hole, or pulling an offensive rebound. The day he has a bad game is the day Boston gets run off the court.

Ray Allen needs to be on the court or else the game slows down and the Lakers' length becomes too much for Boston. He stretches the defense because he's so hard to close out on when he's open. He has a quick release and is really good at recognizing when the defense is closing tight. Will he hit eight treys again in a game? No, but he remains the second most important offensive player for Boston in this series and his success is key to their success.

Pau Gasol is better than Kevin Garnett

While history will more than likely say otherwise, today, Gasol is head and shoulders above Garnett. He's simply the better player. He's always had the great offensive skills and now, he has a little bit of snarl in him. He won't play as overtly loud and angry as Garnett needs to because that's not him. But he's not backing down at all.

In the first two games, Gasol has averaged 24 points and 11 rebounds a game while Garnett averaged just 11 points and 4 rebounds a game. Celtics fans may argue that the referees haven't allowed Garnett to play his physical style and they might be right. But Garnett needs to adapt his style so that he's on the court more than 24 minutes like he was on game two. Gasol is having his way with him, but Garnett's the only defender in the front court who can match Gasol's length and who is savvy enough to make things harder for him.

Doc Rivers is Phil Jackson's coaching equal

This is never going to be true.

But game two was a good game for Doc. The Lakers were dominating the middle, but Doc allowed Kendrick Perkins and Big Baby to guard Andrew Bynum without much help. Bynum had a terrific game. But partly because of it, the Lakers' guard play wasn't as good as Boston's and that was the difference in the game. Kobe didn't have many open kick-outs and Fisher only shot 2 of 8. Kobe also looked frustrated at the way the refs were calling the game.

There might be a time in the series where Jordan Farmar has to play more in crunch time because he's one of the few guys on the Lakers who can get to the basket who is not Kobe Bryant. Fisher had a bad game, yet Jackson went to him in crunch time like he probably should've, but Farmar might need to play more down the stretch in close games, at least offensively.

And if Ron Artest is terrible offensively, Phil has to take him out on offense in crunch time right?

Jackson has used the postseason to call out players and officials, which is his own way of having fun with the earned perception that he's such a cerebral coach. But now that Boston has tied the series and can win it out on their home court, Phil is going to have to find the solution to his team's ills, rather than Steve Nash's and Kevin Durant's.

While game two didn't really tell the whole story of both teams, it did show that one game can tell a different story. Will the series play out like it did in game two? Probably not. But that different story might be closer to the real story than we thought could possibly be true after game one.

Game three should be the best game yet.

2008 NBA Season Preview - Monta's Mopeds

I'm not going to go in depth with a 5000 word NBA preview. I'm haven't done far enough research to do that, don't have the stamina for something like that, and I don't want anyone to fall asleep reading this. Thus, I have put together a list of ten for you.

These ten things are the top ten things that I'm looking forward to this upcoming season.

I'm looking forward to ...

Lebron and Mo Williams becoming the next dynamic duo.
Ok, maybe Mo isn't going to set the world on fire. But he does give Lebron a reliable second option (and one who doesn't run like he's on stilts). This has to be the year that Lebron takes Cleveland back to the NBA Finals because, um, he might not be around next year. And then it will be Mo Williams and everyone's favorite Wally Szcerbiak as Cleveland's dynamic duo.

Dwayne Wade upstaging rookie Michael Beasley.
A healthy Dwayne Wade (did you watch the Olympics?) means more to Miami's upcoming season than a Rookie Of The Year type of year from Michael Beasley. If you get both, Miami can contend for the playoffs. But if I were to bet on one, I'd bet Wade. Beasley is talented, but already has that Donyell Marshall vibe to him. Who me worry?

(By the way, I get to take that back if MB goes for 20 and 10 out of the gate. As for Donyell? He will just go back to hanging out with Tom Gugliotta.)

watching Portland early on.
The Blazers come out of the gate with Greg Oden, Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge, Rudy Fernandez, Jerryd Bayless, Steve Blake, and Ike Diogu - sorry, I had to get in another ex-Warriors player. To me, they are the single most intriguing team all year long. How's Oden going to do in his rookie year after last year's injury? Is Brandon Roy ready to lead these guys to the playoffs? Is Rudy Fernandez going to continue opening eyeballs (did you watch the Olympics?)? Here's hoping Ike gets some run.

seeing if OJ Mayo can back up the hype.
I think he'll struggle early on, but have a solid second half, and probably the best last month of all the rookies. But what might be the most exciting competition on the Grizzlies is to see who chucks up more shots between Mayo and Rudy Gay.

hoping that Kobe Bryant has a great year.
The odds are against him according to Bill Simmons. But I think Kobe is a different breed. Even after playing all the way into the NBA Finals and the Summer Olympics, I don't think Kobe wants to do anything else other than play more basketball. If he stays healthy, I think the Lakers are back in the finals.

wondering if KG, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen have it in them to beat a hungry Lebron.
It's going to take a supreme effort to keep Lebron James out of the finals this year. And that's especially if Kobe gets there again. I have to wonder if those guys are as hungry as last year. They had a special season and as hard as it is to win a title, it's even harder to do it again.

Ron Artest's influence over the Houston Rockets.
For some reason, Artest's addition intrigues me. And I'm not sure why. I've never really been an Artest fan. Maybe it's because I have a soft spot in my heart for Yao and Tracy McGrady. Maybe it's because my friend Billy Parker roots for the Rockets. I'm still unsure about it, but I do know that Ron makes Houston the biggest wild card team in the West.

the Baron Davis era in Clipperland.
I'm going to deeply miss Baron Davis in the Bay Area. Eddy Zucko is going to deeply miss Jessica Alba at Warriors games. Even if his wheels fall completely off, it's better than the CJ Watson, Marcus Williams, DeMarcus Nelson three headed monster that the Warriors will throw out there this year. How old is Tim Hardaway? Maybe he can come out of retirement? Sleepy Floyd? I'd even settle for a 250 pound Keith "Mr." Jennings right about now.

the Anthony Randolph era.
Actually, I'm not really looking all that forward to watching him play basketball as much as the fact that I've always been a Bell Biv Devoe fan and Randolph is a dead wringer for Devoe. Really though, are they Warriors going to run Randolph, Brandon Wright, and Andres Biedrins on teams all at the same time? Calista Flockhart would be so proud.

Photo of Anthony Randolph, I Mean Ron Devoe, By cMacDutt

playing pickup ball with Coby Karl after no one signs him.

seeing how creative the mascots get in mocking Monta Ellis.
I predict that every mascot comes riding into the arena on a moped. By the way, I imagine that every Fantasy Basketball league has at least one (and possibly many) Monta's Mopeds, Mississippi Mopeds or Moped Monta team in their league. At least it's better than those Oden's Bad Knee teams that your leagues had last year.

That's all for now. Enjoy your hoops tomorrow. Welcome back NBA.