Before we get started, let's get a little history of this date out of the way...
And there is my fun for tonight!!! You gotta respect O.J., right? Okay, maybe not...but what about his buddies that were with him in Vegas that one night? Remember the robbery case? You can find it here! I mean, what do you say if your with buddies with Simpson? "Hey, Juice, let's go get your stuff back!!" ... okay let's get to the game...ten minutes until tip!
Christina singing the anthem...for the second time in the series. I think I remembered how this played out the first tiem. The Lakers dominated. Yes, it will happen again and here is why:
- Kobe will not let the Lakers be outplayed. Period. End of Discussion.
- The loss of Perkins hurts much, much, much more than you think. KG, Baby, and Rasheed have to play more minutes and guess who is coming off the bench...Sheldon Williams. That name should make you sick, unless you are Lakers fan or think he is still playing for Duke.
- Ray Allen didn't lose his jumper. He never had it. It randomly showed up in game 2 but hasn't been seen since. I think I saw an ad on milk carton looking for it.
- Rajon Rondo just hasn't been the same as he was against the Magic or the Cavs. It looks like he is playing a little scared....which is not good in the NBA Championship.
- KG and Paul Pierce will get theirs, but that will be it. Bynum & Gasol will shut down KG enough and Artest will win the battle with Pierce.
- Legacy's are on the line tonight...for Kobe (again) and Phil Jackson. One of the best coaches ever and one of the best players ever. They are NOT losing this game!!!
And right from the start, we see what the Lakers have been doing all series, pound the glass. Another reason why Boston has no chance in this game. I do feel really sorry for Kendrick Perkins...this is something you dream about and you can't play in it.
What did I just say? Offensive rebounds are killing the Celtics. The first four possessions, the Lakers has at least two chances to score. Somehow, Rasheed has made two quick buckets to at least stay close early. Looking like a LONG night for the Celtics.
Rondo with back to back layups to give the Celtics an early 10 to 7 lead, followed by Kobe jacking something up. Ray Allen is all over him, but this won't happen all game. Look for Kobe to get going here soon. Gasol...again...nobody on the Celtics team can stop him.
Early thoughts during the first TV Timeout. Lakers rebound advantage 10-3. Yikes. Gotta give props to the referees. No bailout calls as of yet and they are letting them play. Always a good thing to see!
Did Ray Allen find his jumper? I won't believe it until I see at least three of them go in. I do have to give him credit for being all over Kobe early on. These two absolutely hate each other.
After an alley-oop to KG, Kobe finally gets on the board. Look for him to go on a run here. It's going to get scary (if your a Celtics fan!).
Allen wide open for three and misses...those shots need to go in for the Celtics to have any chance. Huge foul on Gasol, that's two for him early. The Lakers can't afford to have him in the bench for long. KG now picking up his second. Even worse for the Celtics...
Well...that was an ugly way to end the first quarter. An air-ball from Kobe, loose ball on the floor that somehow the Celtics came up with. Eiher way, no points and a nine point Celtics lead. Unfortunately for them, the second quarter will be ALL Lakers. Time for players to get going...aka Kobe...just watch! Lakers are not going to shoot 22.2% the rest of this game. Even if they do, they will continue to grab offensive rebounds and get second chance points. Gasol and KG both have two fouls. The Lakers can afford Gasol being out longer than the Celtics can with KG. The third foul in this quarter will be huge.
Lakers come out much more aggresive to start the quarter. Celtics put Pierce back in early. Smart move...they either need him or KG on the floor to score. Ray Allen hasn't hit anything since that first jumper.
And here comes that Lakers run I was telling you about....
The difference between both teams missing shots? The Lakers have been getting second and third chances, but the Celtics have not. Kobe is back in for the Lakers. Going to have a big lead here shortly...
Mark it down. 23-23. GAME. OVER. Lakers win.
Lakers just have so much more energy than the Celtics. They are getting loose balls and grabbing offensive rebounds. Celtics are getting open jumpers but not hitting them. They have the tired legs and that extra energy that the Lakers also comes from that home court advantage. The Lakers survived early and now have the Celtics where they want em. My guess is that they will go into halftime with about a 7-10 point lead.
Ray Allen with no points since his opening three and KG picking up his third fould. Can't win with KG off the floor and Ray not playing up to snuff. Baby & Wallace are now forced to play the rest of this half. Look for Gasol to get a bunch of touches now.
Rebounding advantage is starting to even up, however Lakers have 15 offensive compared to teh Celtics 2. Lakers are also winning the turnover battle (3-7). Little less than three minutes left...sounds like Kobe time!
Artest didn't go off on the double technical? Are you serious? Is this really the same Ron-Ron that was in Indiana? Artest actually keeping his cool and has been a key part tonight. Last minute could get interesting...
Game SEVEN. One more half to play! Let's get it!! I'm still in shock that Scalabrine checked in for one possession, although I will give him credit for checking Odom! Artest the suprise of the first half with 12 points, leading the Lakers. Kobe only has 8, so I think the over/under for him is about 24 for the second half. He will probably have another HUGE third quarter.
The biggest factors so far are still the same thing, offensive boards (15-2) and turnovers (3-8). Once the Lakers start hitting shots, they will run away with this thing. Garnett is really the only person in foul trouble with three.
Let's get this started! GAME SEVEN!!!!!! ONE HALF TO GO!!!!
Celtics doing a nice job of getting the ball the KG to start the second half. KG is the key (along with Pierce) for the Celtics to try and win this game. Ray Allen still hasn't made a shot since his first three. Kobe is now 3-16, but will get going here very soon.
Random thought here...this game is very sloppy. I would have never expected that from a game seven in the NBA Finals. Kobe just got a foul call and Pierce is leaving holding his shoulder. Not good for the Celtics. Kobe going to take over NOW!
Kobe and Gasol back to back baskets. These will be the two guys that will have to put together a streak so the Lakers are able to make a run. D-Fish with a big basket, I expect a big 4th quarter from him as well. He has been a little too quite lately.
Crowd is going CRAZY NOW!
Good T.O. by the Celtics...but here is the Lakers run that they need. This one is OVER!
After two ugly shots by Allen and Wallace, Pierce drills a three. Pierce, KG, and a little Rondo is how they could possibly pull an upset. But, Kobe has yet to go off yet, so he is saving up for the 4th quarter!
Derek Fisher heading for the locker room...Shannon Brown repeat from Game Six on the way?
Celtics are starting to force too many shots, they need to let the game come to them. They missed the chance to put the Lakers away multiple times.
Ron Artest is BALLIN' tonight. He has REALLY stepped up tonight and will definitely help take the load off of Kobe come crunch time.
Well, my prediction is probably out the window, so time to go with a new one. Final Score: Lakers 77 Celtics 70. Kobe will end up with at least 25 points and will be named MVP.
The reason is still simple. The Celtics never took advantage of their chances and the theme continues to be the same, Lakers offensive rebounding advantage of 20-5 and overall is 43-31. Too many second chances for the Celtics to try and stop.
FOURTH QUARTER. GAME SEVEN. HERE WE GO!
Great play by the Lakers to open the quarter and then an even better defensive effort. Celtics look tired and are not attacking the basket, both bad news. Big Baby with another foul...they really miss Perkisn right now.
Kobe back in...
It's TIME!
Celtics are way too sloppy on the offensive end and still can't block out. Has anyone else noticed a recurring theme?
9:00 left before Lakers are crowned champions!
I don't care if you double Kobe, he is still going to score and the Celtics can't put back to back possessions together.
RON ARTEST is playing out of his mind right now! Tie game with 7:29 left!!!
Lakers are trying to give this game away, but the Celtics won't let them. HUGE three by D-FISH followed by a miss and foul...Lakers going to take a lead and not look back. Good-bye Celtics!
It's officially KOBE TIME! This game is over....just have to put the finishing touches on it. Might take the next five minutes off to relax and grab something to eat before the awards ceremony. We'll see...
Well Kobe didn't have his greatest game, but the Lakers still won. Pau Gasol and Ron Artest were HUGE tonight in helping him out. Lakers are back to back champions and should be the favorites again for next year. Kobe now has five rings, but please, still no MJ comparisons, it's just not right.
The Celtics put up a great fight, but they had no offense most of the games and couldn't keep L.A. off the glass. This loss will definitely sting and will be the end of the Celtics most recent era. Allen lost his jumper, KG and Pierce are both going to be a year older, but they still have Rondo. A couple small moves and they could be back in this game as well.
Ugly game, but all the credit that the Lakers will get, they deserve. Congrats Lakers and let's get ready for the draft next week!
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