Ball or Nuthin' » Kevin Garnett

Celtics’ Team Play Beats Lakers in Game 5

T Lamont — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 03:29:38 +0000

In the pivotal Game 5 of the 2010 NBA Finals, the Boston Celtics gave us a little math lesson.

Four is greater than one.

Many would argue that Rondo has become the most valuable Boston Celtic on the current team.

Celtics’ Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen combined to outplay Lakers’ star Kobe Bryant as Boston defeated the visiting Los Angeles Lakers, 92-86, giving them a 3-2 series lead.

Boston got out to a good start shooting the ball from the field. In a closely contested first half, the Celtics outshot the Lakers 66% to 33% from the floor. Paul Pierce was magnificent, shooting 7-10 and putting up 19 in the opening 24 minutes. Rajon Rondo and Kevin Garnett were also effective contributors. With such a notable discrepancy, what kept Los Angeles in the game?

In a word – turnovers. The home team committed 11 first half miscues, and L.A. converted them into 11 points on the offensive end. The Lakers also attacked the offensive glass, with Pau Gasol securing some valuable second chances for the purple and gold.

Kobe Bryant (38 points) put on a miraculous show in the third quarter. Three-pointers. Fade-aways. One-handed alley oops. He threw everything but the kitchen sink. And it went in. After struggling early in the game, Bryant scored 19 points in the period (the first nineteen of the period for L.A.) and accounted for 23 consecutive points for his team at one time in the quarter. But for all of his effort, the end result was that the Celtics increased their lead to eight points at the end of the third.

Everyone got into the act for Boston. Pierce (27 points in Game 5) remained killer from mid-range. Garnett (18 points, 10 rebounds) made a couple of forceful baskets. Allen hit a couple of field goals, too. While Los Angeles was once again riding the talents of Bryant, the Celtics were getting ball movement and involvement from virtually all of their key players.

In the final period, the Lakers opened by going to Gasol (someone other than Bryant). They were able to get the deficit to six points, but it wouldn’t stay there for long. Behind more team play on both ends of the court, the Celtics were able to push their advantage back out to double figures. Undeterred, Los Angeles continued to fight back.

Key play down the stretch: Down by five with 46 seconds to go, veteran guard Derek Fisher won a jump ball against Garnett. The ball was tapped up to Ron Artest on a breakaway – and he was fouled by Pierce. Artest badly missed both free throws and Boston secured the rebound. The Celtics called for a timeout in the backcourt. On the ensuing inbound, Garnett tossed a jump ball to Pierce – who caught it, turned and whipped it to a cutting Rondo (18 points, 8 assists) for a layup with 28 seconds remaining in regulation.

Although Los Angeles is more well-rounded and a much tougher team than they were two years ago, this series is beginning to take the flavor of the 2008 Finals. The Celtics are getting a more greater level of team inclusion than the Lakers – several Boston players were taking turns making plays tonight. Los Angeles desperately needs to orchestrate a way to get all of their important contributors into a rhythm. Bryant can get his anytime. Gasol, Odom, and Artest cannot.

Now that the Lakers are trailing in the series, will Bryant allow someone else to shoot the basketball?

Lakers head coach Phil Jackson was mic’ed and commented to his team that:

“This (the Boston Celtics) is a team that knows how to lose games in the fourth quarter. They led the league this year in games lost in the fourth quarter.”

But Jackson needs to know how to coach his team to win this type of tough contest. Against a defense like Boston’s, you cannot rely on one player to win. Ask Dwayne Wade. Ask LeBron James. Ask Dwight Howard. They are all league icons who have stepped up and taken a seat in this year’s postseason. If Jackson doesn’t tighten the reigns on Bryant early in the game and get others involved, L.A. could see their hopes of back-to-back championships diminish on Tuesday at the Staples Center.

Garnett played with fire again tonight. Pierce played like the unheralded leader that he is.

But can enough be said about Rondo?

Comparatively speaking, he can’t shoot – anything beyond the free throw line is a challenge. But has there been a player as good as he has been with such a well-documented handicap. One could argue that Shaquille O’Neal would fit that bill, but he’s well over seven foot (in height and width) – so he’s just too hard to stop from a physical standpoint. Everyone knows Rondo’s weakness, however, in each game he overcomes it in a bigger and better way.

In 2008, Kobe was outplayed by three Celtics. Bryant worked hard, and is perhaps a better player than he was two years ago.

But unfortunately in 2010, Jackson is counting on him to outplay four Celtics.

Tonight, he couldn’t do it.

Celtics Comeback in 4th; Defeat Lakers 96-89

T Lamont — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 04:40:34 +0000

If, at the beginning of the season, we were told that a Slam Dunk champion would have a huge impact on the NBA Finals – I would have put all of my money on that player being #12 from the Orlando Magic.

But in our wildest imagination, we would not have concurred that the player would “Krypto” Nate Robinson.

As the playoffs have continued, Robinson’s minutes and impact on the Celtics’ success has increased. And tonight, along with his other bench-mates, Robinson’s contribution directly accounted for evening up the NBA Finals between his team and the Los Angeles Lakers, 2-2.

Let’s look at the events as they unfolded:

First Quarter:

Both teams got out to a very slow start offensively, each shooting under 40%.

Lakers:

Pau Gasol comes out aggressive – ending with eight points in the quarter.

The Lakers couldn’t get into a rhythm. Kobe Bryant only took 4 shots in the opening stanza.

Paul Pierce scored 10 points in the opening quarter of Game 4.

Celtics:

Paul Pierce attacked the Laker defense early and often. He’ll need to stay focused and aggressive all night, unlike his tendencies in Games 1-3. Pierce is the most vital player to the Celtics’ success. If he plays well, Boston’s chances at a Game 4 victory increase exponentially.

Nate Robinson canned a huge three to close the quarter.

End of 1st Quarter Score: Los Angeles 16, Boston 19

Second Quarter:

Lakers:

L.A. is receiving big contributions from Jordan Farmar and Shannon Brown – they’ve combined for eight points in this period.

With about four minutes left before the half, Bryant buries three consecutive jumpers, including two treys.

The talented, but inconsistent Lamar Odom has been active thus far tonight.

Ron Artest needs to make Pierce work on the defensive end of the floor. He’s been quick to remind us that he was a 20-point scorer who has sacrificed his scoring ability for the good of his new team. Well, his new team could definitely use some of that old ability. I’d say that about 75-85% of it would work just fine.

Celtics:

Nate Robinson connected on another triple early in the second.

“Big Baby” Davis is taking the ball to the rim, giving us a taste of how important the Boston reserve unit truly is.

Meanwhile, Rasheed Wallace can’t keep his hands to himself. Gasol has backed him down several times already in the contest, and the last three times Wallace has either smacked him or hog-tied him. Well, now ‘Sheed is going to the bench with three personals.

It was interesting to hear that Rajon Rondo is 4-14 from the foul stripe in the Finals. If I were the Lakers and I was losing late in the game, I would certainly consider implementing “Hack-A-Rondo”.

Halftime Score: Los Angeles 45, Boston 42

Third Quarter:

Lakers:

Pau Gasol has made ten trips to the free throw line (he’s made nine of them). His 17 points leads Los Angeles thus far.

Bryant is going nuts from the three-point arc. After another set of back-to-back triples, he’s now 5-7 from deep.

Celtics:

Kevin Garnett only has seven points, in large part to the fact that he has missed a few of his automatic mid-range jump shots. K.G. is 3-10 from the field at that time. But a couple of easy field goals has the Celtics in the game.

Boston’s defense has kept them in position to make a run in the middle of the period. Neither team is looking good offensively, and this type of game inherently favors the Celtics.

End of 3rd Quarter Score: Los Angeles 62, Boston 60

Fourth Quarter:

Pau Gasol didn't get many touches late in tonight's game.

Lakers:

Gasol is still putting Celtic defenders in the washer and them hanging them out to dry. He up-and-unders Wallace for a deuce.

Celtics:

Glen Davis still has it going. He puts a spin move on Odom and uses the basket to protect his reverse lay-in. He uses his strength to come back with another score about a minute later.

Ray Allen is all over the place. Hitting mid range shots. Blocking Gasol from behind. Penetrating and dishin to a cutting Tony Allen (for what should have been a lay-up, but ended up as a bucket for Davis). He’s playing a multi-dimensional game, and it has given Boston a big boost in the fourth.

The Celtics’ run has put them up by 7 with five and a half minutes left in the contest.

Down the stretch:

Odom counters with a tough drive ending with a left-handed floater in the lane. (81-74, Boston)

After a unproductive L.A. possession, Robinson hits a floater in the lane. The Slam Dunk champ now has a dozen points. (83-74, Boston)

Glen Davis hits two FTs, but Artest made a strong baseline move on an offensive rebound and is fouled. He converts the conventional three-point play. (85-77, Boston)

After being fouled on the perimeter, Bryant nails two free throws. (85-79, Boston)

Allen misses a quick trey, but Boston secures the offensive board – which leads to a Pierce step-back mid-range jumper. (87-79, Boston)

Bryant responds with a triple head fake jumper. (87-81, Boston)

Pierce comes back with a tough lay-up and the foul. Bryant was the foul victim on a bang-bang call by the refs. But in vintage Kobe form, he’s fouled shooting a three (another close call on a shot contest by Allen) and swishes all three freebies. (90-84, Boston)

The Celtics got 18 points in a tremendous effort from "Big Baby".

With 40 seconds left, Kobe Bryant makes the game-sealing play. After a series of crossovers fails to gain him an advantage on Ray Allen, a penetrating Bryant sails a bailout pass back out to the perimeter. But a waiting, baiting and anticipating Rajon Rondo tips it out to mid-court and turns it into an uncontested lay-up that sends the crowd into a frenzy. (92-84, Boston)

Derek Fisher, Game 3′s hero, drives and hits a lay-up to get the deuce back – but now there’s only 22 ticks left on the regulation clock. (92-86, Boston)

Garnett is fouled with 17.7 left, and K.G. crushes both free throws. (94-86, Boston)

Fisher misses, but Bryant tosses up a fade-away trey and it goes down. (94-89, Boston)

Pierce is fouled with 9.5 left in the game, and he cans both free throws. (96-89, Boston)

End of Game Score: Los Angeles 96, Boston 89

The Celtics played tonight’s game with more heart and passion than the Lakers. Boston’s bench support was just ridiculous. The home team got 36 points from its bench – including an astounding 21 of them in the finals 12 minutes of the game.

The Boston defense stepped up big once again. They did a good job of keeping Bryant from dominating the flow of the game – he finished with 33 points, but also accumulated a game-high seven turnovers. Lakers forward Pau Gasol didn’t have much of an impact late in the contest. The home team outscored the visitors 36-27 in the fourth, a time usually reserved for the game’s top clutch performer, Kobe.

Instead, it was a total team job by Boston. After the great bench play, the starting unit returned to the game and closed things out accordingly.

With tonight’s Celtic win, a good series just became great.

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Fisher Leads Late Push by Lakers

T Lamont — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 04:25:21 +0000

“Faith…nothing means more to me than helping this team win.”

That was Derek Fisher’s response when asked what inspired him to keep competing throughout such a tough, physical game in which his team had squandered a 17-point lead.

Odom brought the goods tonight, shooting 5-5 from the floor off the bench.

The Lakers certainly had faith in him as his fourth quarter heroics enabled Los Angeles to pull out a key Game 3 victory in Boston, 91-84.

The game saw Los Angeles establish the aforementioned huge lead, only to see it vanish in the final quarter. And while Kobe Bryant had an inefficient game (more on that later), his team carried the Lakers to a win which reverted home court advantage back in favor of Los Angeles.

Here are my assessments of what went down in Game 3:

- Ray Allen and Paul Pierce combined to connect on just two field goals through three quarters. Allen never made a shot in this game. Although this essentially kept Boston from winning, a fellow named Kobe Bryant allowed Boston to remain in touch with L.A.

- Even by his standards, Kobe Bryant took several poor shots (particularly in the third quarter) that kept Boston in the game. Bryant (10-29 FG) seemed so preoccupied with going for the jugular, that he ignored his teammates. And it was those teammates that came up big in the fourth, when Kobe was uncharacteristically shut down. The Celtics were absolutely struggling offensively in the third quarter, and it was certainly an opportunity for the Lakers to extend their lead. They didn’t and, consequently, found themselves in a dog fight for the rest of the night. Hopefully, Bryant will review tonight’s game tape, eat a little humble pie and realize that L.A. has an insurmountable height advantage that they need to tap into.

- Is there anyone more willing to take big shots in the fourth quarter than Derek Fisher? The veteran guard scored eleven points in the final period, including attempts during which he absorbed major amounts of contact. But Fisher’s tough three-point play with 48 seconds left in the game showed his true colors. He knew he was going to be hit very hard, but he concentrated to make to tough layup – and then got up to swish the ensuing free throw. I’ve never really been a Derek Fisher fan, but this play clearly indicated that this guy really is the heart and soul of the Lakers.

Ray Allen displayed one of the all-time worst performances in NBA Finals history.

- Boston appears to be incapable of getting at least two of their “Big Three” (Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett) into a sustained offensive rhythm. Garnett looked like the colck was turned back tonight. Allen, after a record-setting performance in Game 2, didn’t convert a field goal tonight (0-13, 2 points). Pierce connected on three triples, but missed just about everything else. In Boston’s two losses, he has waited too long to force the issue. Pierce needs to be aggressive early and often – he’s the Celtics’ most versatile offensive player.

- How many times has this been said: When Lamar Odom plays good, the Lakers win. And it seemingly always holds true, and tonight was no exception. Odom was 5-5 for 12 points.

- In an interesting instant replay twist, it was particularly enjoyable to see the offensive rebound play (with 39 seconds left) reviewed. It clearly showed that the ball went out of bounds off of Lamar Odom’s hand, but also revealed that the officials missed a foul committed by Rajon Rondo…which forced Odom to lose the ball. The officials could not use the replay to correct the missed foul call, but the could determine that the ball was out off of Odom. This was indeed a very interesting turn of events that forced the instant replay to reveal a mistake that couldn’t be corrected.

My Game 4 prediction: Boston adjusts and gets the job done. The Lakers will stay true to who they are, and not play top-notch basketball two games in a row.

Lakers Ease by Celtics in Game 1

T Lamont — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 04:39:44 +0000

At Game 2, I wonder if Chris Rock will sit beside a different Laker.

As Rock was trying to conversate with Kobe Bryant, the star had his game face on – basically ignoring the comedian. Nothing was funny for Bryant – he was all business as he led Los Angeles to a decisive 102-89 victory in Game 1 of the 2010 NBA Finals.

Los Angeles got out to a great start – distributing the ball and getting everyone involved. Each of their first five field goals was scored by a different Laker. They were able to maintain the lead throughout the first half, but exploded prior to the break due to some untimely errors by Boston.

The Lakers extended the lead to 20 behind Kobe Bryant’s 14 points in the third quarter.

Los Angeles outscored Boston in each of the first three periods to build a comfortable cushion that Boston could not overcome despite a small push late in the fourth.

Let’s look at how each player fared in the Finals opener:

Boston Celtics:

PG Rajon Rondo – When opposing teams put taller, longer guards on him to affect his penetration, his game suffers. With Kobe Bryant covering his from the start of the contest, Rondo deferred to his teammates. That was not what the Celtics needed. They need Rondo to dictate the flow of the game, and he did not tonight. He managed to come up with a decent number of assists, but his influence on the game was minimal.

Grade: C

Due to foul troubles, Allen was never able to establish an offensive rhythm tonight.

SG Ray Allen – The NBA’s premier shooter had nothing go his way in Game 1. He battled foul trouble early and often (two fouls in the opening quarter; he committed his fifth foul late in the third quarter), and consequently, he was unable to establish any offensive rhythm. Allen was not able to slow down Bryant at all.

Grade: D-, Allen avoids an “F”, but only because Bryant is the best shot-maker in the league.

SF Paul Pierce – “The Truth” was was anything but that tonight. Pierce was the best performer in the last Finals meeting between these two teams (in 2008), but he didn’t interject to anything Los Angeles did tonight. He didn’t seem aggressive enough for Boston to have a chance at stealing this game – until the final quarter. Pierce waited too long to try and win a game in the Finals. He needed to bring it from the opening tip.

Grade: C-

PF Kevin Garnett- Garnett was abysmal defensively. Gasol got 10 free throw attempts tonight, and had a double-double by the end of the third period. Gasol outrebounded K.G. 14 – 4. That’s right – Garnett only corraled 4 rebounds. And from what I counted, he missed three uncontested layups.

Grade: F, because we expected a more physical presence from Garnett than we did from Gasol.

C Kendrick Perkins- Well, at least Perk avoided his seventh technical foul. But maybe Phil Jackson is just waiting to provoke him when L.A. needs a little extra boost. Perkins almost scored as many points as Andrew Bynum, so this was a respectable performance from him.

Grade: B

Bench: Rasheed Wallace acted like a kid that didn’t have anything go his way. For every positive thing that Tony Allen did, he counterbalanced it by trying to do too much on another possession. Glen Davis gave Boston his usual inspiring, but drastically undersized (from a height perspective) effort. Due to some Celtic foul trouble, Nate Robinson came in and helped Boston briefly get back into the game. His speed and ball handling gave Boston a change of pace that they need to figure out how to use to their advantage more than once per game.

Grade: C-, Although Robinson played great during his brief stint.

Los Angeles Lakers:

PG Derek Fisher – Fisher played admirable defense and didn’t turn the ball over. That’s about it. But it looks a lot better when you do nothing for the winning team.

Grade: B-

SG Kobe Bryant – Bryant did it all tonight (30 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists), and he didn’t ball hog in the process. He did a good job in slowing down Rondo, rendering him ineffective.

Grade: B+

SF Ron Artest- Ron Ron played within himself tonight. He made a few key shots and played smart and aggressive. Artest kept Pierce quiet for most of the game, and contributed 15 points of his own – nailing a game-high three treys.

Grade: A-

Bryant played with controlled aggression against the Celtics.

PF Pau Gasol- 23 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 blocks. Pau stuffed the stat sheet, embarrassing K.G. in the series opener.

Grade: A, The Lakers have been to three straight NBA Finals since he’s arrived. Their success is not coincidental – this guy is good.

C Andrew Bynum- Bynum didn’t do much. He ran up and down the court. Worked for a couple of buckets, snatched a handful of boards – but the Lakers didn’t even need him tonight.

Grade: C

Bench: Los Angeles only had 15 points off the bench. But Shannon Brown and Jordan Farmar keyed a late second quarter burst that widened the Laker lead. Boston was never able to recover from it.

Grade: B-, What would be a decent bench performace for most teams is a great one for the Lakers. L.A. doesn’t expect much from anyone sans Lamar Odom, except perhaps some minutes to give the starters a quick breather.

Overall Observation: Game 1 came down to heart. The Lakers played like they wanted Game 1 more than the Celtics. They hit the boards harder. They dove after loose balls. They were aggressive on both ends of the court. At times, the Lakers have appeared to lack that killer instinct that separates the good teams from the great ones.

Tonight, they looked great.

Celtics / Lakers: Who Holds the Edge??

T Lamont — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 03:04:22 +0000

We’re all set for another Lakers-Celtics NBA Finals showdown – to be exact, the twelve edition of this storied rivalry.

Both teams have avoided being pushed to seven games in any of their series this postseason. Each team has endured two six-game series during their respective runs to the Finals, which seems like a necessity in today’s NBA given the widespread amount of talent in the league.

But the best of the best have risen to the top and come Thursday night, the start of another epic chapter will commence.

Who holds the edge in this series? Let’s look at the individual matchups, as well as the categorical strengths and weaknesses or each conference champion:

Position-by-Position Breakdown

Point Guard: Rajon Rondo vs. Derek Fisher

These guards are the very definition of night and day. Rondo has north-south and east-west speed. Fisher has decent quickness, but mostly relies on his anticipation and knowledge of his opponents. Rondo is at his best when he’s penetrating and setting others up. The Celtics don’t particularly like him shooting from the perimeter. The Lakers get a boost from Fisher’s clutch three-pointers, 99% of which are set up by a more offensively creative teammate. But as far as the impact of his team, Fisher can’t match what Rondo has done thus far in the playoffs. This is a pivotal battle and Fisher won’t back down easily.

Rondo has given his all to facilitate the Celtics' success in the 2010 postseason.

T Lamont’s Edge: Rondo. Fisher’s competitiveness and experience keeps it closer than the talent gap between these two dictates.

Shooting Guard: Ray Allen vs. Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant versus anybody in the NBA (particularly in the playoffs) would easily go in favor of #24. So, what do you expect? That being said – Allen’s role with Boston is not to do what Bryant does for Los Angeles, but simply to be another cog in their offensive artillery. It’ll be interesting to see how the Lakers choose to match up defensively with the Celtics. Phil Jackson may very well have Braynt cover Rondo to give the Lakers the length to shut down the ultra-speedy guard, while putting Fisher on Allen to chase him around screens. Don’t be surprised to see this move which will preserve Bryant’s stamina for the offensive end of the court.

T Lamont’s Edge: Bryant is more fierce and doesn’t allow himself to be contained for very long.

Small Forward: Paul Pierce vs. Ron Artest

Pierce fits the mold of a player that could be shut down by Ron-Ron. Pierce isn’t quick, his handle is inconsistent and he prefers to bully his defender by backing them down and executing a variety of spin moves and fakes. Artest has the right combination of strength and lateral quickness to frustrate Pierce. The key to this matchup is Artest staying out of foul trouble, and giving the Lakers some production by knocking down his unguarded field goal attempts. If all else fails, don’t be surprised to see the former Pacer revert to one of his old tactics.

T Lamont’s Edge: This is about as even as it gets. Pierce gets the slight nod for his ability to affect Boston’s success is many different ways.

Power Forward: Kevin Garnett vs. Pau Gasol

In 2008, Gasol wasn’t ready for his showdown with Garnett – illustrating two of the most versatile big men in the Association. K.G.’s stat line wasn’t much better than the Spaniard’s, but he was much more aggressive and assertive in the paint. Garnett basically dared Gasol to be physical with him. Can the Lakers’ second-leading postseason scorer keep of his impressive interior dominance against a team that plays ten times tougher than he’s used to when matching up with his Western Conference counterparts?

T Lamont’s Edge: I think Gasol can be more productive, from a statistical standpoint, than Garnett. But during those crucial, game-changing moments, will he succumb to the emotionally charged play of Garnett?

Center: Kendrick Perkins vs. Andrew Bynum

The fact that Bynum is entering this series hobbling due to knee injuries certainly levels the matchup between him and Perkins. We’ve seen Perkins have varying degrees of success against Dwight Howard in the Eastern Conference Finals, and figures to have an easier time controlling Bynum (plus he won’t be the center of the L.A. offensive attack).

T Lamont’s Edge: Would have gone with Bynum if he was 100% healthy, but this is basically a draw. Perkins brutal defense neutralizes any offensive advantage that Bynum has (considering it would be very small at the moment do to his fragile state).

Bench:

The Lakers bench support mainly consists of Lamar Odom. He has played well at home, but has left plenty to be desired in his road games. When the 6’10″ Odom comes in to play small forward, the Lakers sport one of the tallest frontcourts in the league. Odom would be battling Pierce, a true competitor, but Odom would maintain a noticeable advantage in height and length. Jordan Farmar has given L.A. good minutes and production of late. Farmar was an impressive 9-16 from beyond the arc in the Phoenix series, and Los Angeles will need his accurate shooting to continue.

The Celtics counter with seasoned playoff veteran Rasheed Wallace and solid big man Glen Davis, who provided slightly over 16 points per game against the Orlando Magic. Tony Allen gives Boston another versatile player (primarily a defender / slasher) to throw at Bryant. 5’9″ sparkplug Nate Robinson finally saw some daylight towards the end of their last series – scoring 19 points in two games, but probably won’t get much burn against the Lakers.

T Lamont’s Edge: Both reserve units are effective at what they do, but Boston’s seems to have more flexibility – as well as the ability to make a clear impact of the outcome of each game.

Overall:

Prepare for a long, grueling series. The Celtics have too much pride. Kobe Bryant has too much pride. The Finals champ will be the one that is able to play their game effectively. The Celtics want to play in half court basketball, and do a little R. Kelly (bump and grind) on the Lakers. The Lakers must knock down their open shots.

It may come down to home court advantage. Or maybe not. Every game should be close with one or two critical plays determining the winner.

Let the games begin.