DUCES WILD

Boston implored their defense and won the game 96-89 as their bench played big minutes in the 2nd half. As the game began the Lakers saw that the Celtics were desperate and guarding the Boston backcourt was going to be a task until this series is over as Derrick Fisher found out the hard way as he found himself in foul trouble early, after he picked up his 2nd foul in the 1st half. The Celtics played a great 1st quarter of defense and held L.A. to 16 pts in the 1st qtr. and led 19-16 behind 10 pts. from "The Captain Paul Pierce".

Laker coach Phil Jackson said "both teams are in good defensive mode in 1st quarter" and then he subsequently puts his team to work and they camped down the defensive hatches on the Celtics. With Nate Robinson in spelling Rajon Rondo the offense seemed to take a positive aggressive form as they started to facilitate the pick and roll nicely and look like a team that wanted to pull even in an NBA Finals Series.  Ray Allen, after he hit an early jumper, remained "cold-as-ice-baby" and finished the 1st half of Game 4, 1-22 from the field over the last 6 quarters. Good solid play with very few mistakes allowed the Lakers a 45-42 lead at the half after they led by at many as 8 pts.

    After an UNREAL 3 second in the lane call on Garnett 20 seconds into the play clock, which was mathematically impossible, the Lakers took  53-48 lead. Kobe Bryant finally caught fire in the 3rd qrtr. with 9 pts and L.A. finished the 3rd with  a 2 pt. lead, 62-60. Coach Doc Rivers stated they "they were getting great shots" and "I want Ray Allen to continue shooting because eventually they will start going in". Turnovers for the Lakers were key as they turned it over often in the 2nd half and allowed the Celtics to take the lead 66-64 at the 9:40 mark after an 8-0 run and stellar defense.

(Glen "Big-Baby" Davis & Nate Robinson celebrate during Game 4 win)

Glen "Big Baby" Davis played long minutes in the 2nd half and played well posting 19 pts. in 22 minutes of  play, with 9 pts. in the 4th. He played well on the offensive boards as well as in the set offense while Coach Doc Rivers rested the starters and enabled the Celtics to take the lead and play better as a whole unit.
Late in the 2nd half there were 2 technical fouls called on the Celtics in the 4th and Bryant & Fisher stepped up and clanged both shots in a foreshadowing of things to come. With the Laker offense going cold the Celtics were able to build a 9 pt. lead with 4:00 in the 4th, with 11 pts. being the largest. The Lakers were able to cut the lead to 6 with 1:45 to go in the game but thats as close as they would get. Pierce has a strong drive to the rim and gets fouled by Bryant to push the lead back to 9 pts. as crowd cheers "BEAT L.A." in unison! At the 1:08 mark, Bryant comes right back down the floor, is fouled on 3 pt. attempt by Ray Allen and makes all 3 free throws to cut the lead back to a 6 pt. game. After a wasted trip on offense L.A. heads down court and the Celtic defense forces a bad pass by Bryant which leads to a steal and layup by 1st team All NBA defender, Rondo, with .31 to go. At 17.7 left the fouling strategy starts and the game is over as Garnett & Pierce steps up and hit both of their foul shots to make it an 8 pt. game
    Boston scored 20 2nd chance pts. and as I have been preaching, they kept the score under 90 pts. The defense is clearly the key to the Boston attack so we will look to see if it shows up again the remainder of the series. For the first time since 2006 the NBA Finals are tied at 2-2. The Celtics have to play solid defense every game to garner their two needed wins to win the title and keep the L.A. offense under 90 pts. again and the Lakers have to stop turning the ball over to stay in the game at all.  Game 5 is set for Sunday in Boston @ 8pm.



Player stats are below (provided by ESPN.com)


L.A. LAKERS

KOBE BRYANT-33 PTS.

PAU GASOL-21 PTS.

LAMAR ODOM-10 PTS.

RON ARTEST-9 PTS.

DERRICK FISHER-6 PTS.

BOSTON CELTICS

PAUL  PIERCE-19 PTS.

GLEN DAVIS-18 PTS.

KEVIN GARNETT-13 PT.

RAY ALLEN-12 PTS.

NATE ROBINSON-12 PTS.

ROJON RONDO-10 PTS.

KENDRICK PERKINS-6 PTS.

LAKERS TAKE GAME 3 IN BOSTON

The Celtics returned to Boston Tuesday night, after  Game 2 where everything seemed to click, promptly allowed the L.A. Lakers to have their way with them in route to dropping Game 3, 91-84. The Lakers played a complete game from start to finish in making the Celtics look a step slower all game long.



As Derrick Fisher awakened from his old man slumber he also started to make shots. Fisher led L.A. in the 4th quarter when Kobe Bryant couldn't find the bottom of the basket. Scoring 11 of his 16 pts in the 4th quarter Fisher certainly played outside of his 35 year-old body. “To come through tonight again for this team, 14 years in, after so many great moments, it’s always quite surreal,” Fisher said. “It’s quite humbling to experience it again and do it again. But it’s like being a kid, man. You just never get tired of candy.” L.A. led the game for most of the night behind the leadership of Bryant that was displayed on and off the court, as he was seen coaching the team during timeouts as well as up and down the court. "Black Mamba" led the Lakers with 29 pts., Pau Gasol 13 pts. & 10 rbs. and Lamar Odom added 12 pts off the bench in clearly his best game of the series.


Boston fell behind the Lakers early by as many as 17 points and did not seem to have the wherewithal to come back and even make the game interest until the 3rd quarter when Rajon Rondo joined the much maligned Kevin Garnett in attempting to will their team to victory. Garnett, scoring 25 pts. and pulling down 6 rbs. was the only Celtic to play with a sense of urgency from the beginning of the game. 

The other four starters played unmotivated on the offensive end of the court and uneducated on the defensive end of the court as they allowed the Lakers easy baskets while running a flawless offensive game. Paul Pierce was the second leading scorer with 15 pts but was only 5-12 from the field. Ray Allen, after setting a new NBA Finals record for 3 pt. shots, finished the game with 2 pts. and was 0-13 from the field. None of his shots had the rainbow that he is known for as he continued all night to try and find the bottom of the cup without any success. In the same manner that the Boston globe listed the APB for Kevin Garnett after Game 2, they may need to do the same for Ray Allens missing jumper.
“He won the game for them,” Celtics Coach Doc Rivers said. “Derek Fisher was the difference in the game.” Game 4 is set for Thursday June 10 in Boston @ 9:00.

JESUS SHUTTLESWORTH MAKES IT RAIN IN TINSELTOWN

In route to setting an NBA playoff record with 8 three pointers in a game, Ray Allen scored 32 pts. and helped keep the Lakers at bay as the Celtics walked away with a win in Game 2 103-94, tying the series 1-1. Allen shot 8-11 from 3 pt. range, with seven coming in the 1st half,  and was a large part of the defense that reappeared for Boston.

 
(Allen tosses up one of his record setting 8 three-pointers)


Playing their style of defense, the Celtics slowed the Laker offense down as they built a commanding lead in the 1st half and finished up 54-48 at the break. The Lakers started gaining momentum as they scored seven straight points late before the half as Kobe Bryant started what looked to be his best Reggie Miller imitation as he created two steals, hitting a deep three on one and being the facilitator on the other.

 The Celtics, playing a complete game from start to finish, were led by Rajon Rondo's 12 pts., 12 rbs. & 10 assts., Kendrick Perkins 12 pts & Paul Pierce's much needed 10 pts. as he played heady old school offense that caused the Laker-General Bryant to be in foul trouble much of the night.  Although Rondo finally played the type of game that he has been known to play in this post season he has to realize that he must turn in that type of performance for the remainder of the series. He has to make the plays that have established him as a budding star and not plays that Derrick Fisher is allowing him to make because  as we all know Fisher is not known for his stellar defense or being the most fleet of foot at this point of his playing career.

The Lakers, playing without Bryant for a good portion of the 2nd half,  could not muster the same game of highlights that they displayed in Game 1.

Pau Gasol was the only bright spot for L.A. as he poured in 25 pts. and 8 rbs. but far short of his Game 1 stats. Bryant chipped in 21 pts. and Andrew Bynum came up big scoring 21 pts. and blocking 7 shots. Before eventually fouling out of the game with 4.7 seconds to go in the 2nd half Ron Artest managed just 1-10 from the floor as the officiating was called even on both sides of the ball, something that this writer is sure that Phil Jackson will have an opinion about REAL soon..

The Celtic defense was the key to the win  as they finished Game 2 on a 16-4 run in the final 5:30 after L.A. crept close but was unable to keep the lead long enough to pull out the win. The intensity that is a Boston staple was present in Game 2 after being ghost in the opening game. It should be noted that Kevin Garnett, shooting 2-11 from the field, is attempting to play through a left shoulder injury as he was seen wincing and rubbing on it for most of the game between timeouts and rests on the bench. Although there has been no word form the team, this is an injury that could play a VERY significant role in the series if Garnett has to miss any time out. The Series now shifts to Boston for Games 3-5 as part of the 2-3-2 format. Boston will attempt to return to L.A. with a lead in the Series and they will have many rowdy Bostonians cheering them on for the next week at home. After losing their first home game of the 2010  post-season the Lakers will be hungry to steal a win or two in the Garden and General Bryant will be focused and the Jordanesque-scowl will on display.
Game 3 is set in Boston, June 8, 2010 @ 9pm.

SEVEN GREEN PAY PACKERS QUESTIONED IN ALLEGED SEX ASSAULT

Seven Green Bay Packer players were questioned by Lake Delton police in reference to an alleged sexual assault of two women. The two women befriended the players earlier in the day as they were in town to play in a celebrity golf tournament and later in the evening the women accompanied the players to the condo that they all were sharing. After drinking for a good part of the evening the women and one player went into a bedroom where the alleged assault occurred. The women called 911 and claimed that they were assaulted by more than one man at some point of the early morning. Upon arrival, the police questioned all seven players and released six of them. One player, whose name has not been released, was questioned for a second time and admitted that consensual sex occurred between him and the women. According to police, the women changed their story when questioned in depth and at this point the investigation continues. The case will be presented to Lake Delton prosecutors Monday or Tuesday stated a spokesman for the police department. The players who were identified as being present were QB Matt Flynn, S Khalil Jones, G Josh Sitton, FB Korey Hall, LB Brad Jones nd LB Clay Matthews. Second year CB Brandon Underwood is said to the the investigated player says sources close to the team.

NO LUCK OF THE CLOVER IN L.A. FOR CELTICS!

Whewww, what a game the Lakers put on display last night in Staples! With the Laker faithful filling the house to the brim inside and out Kobe Bryant, behind chants of MVP, scored 30 pts. to lift the Lakers to a huge Game 1 victory, 102-89. Right off the bat L.A. showed that they were going to be as physical as possible as Ron Artest did the dirty work and wrapped Paul Pierce up into a small package pulling him to the floor in his best WWF move 38 seconds into the contest.

Right after that the game was called as tightly as I have seen a game called in quit some time.  The Lakers led by as many as 20 and never allowed the Celtics to catch a rhythm thus never getting close enough to make it a game at all. Bryant got all the help he needed from his supporting cast as Pau Gasol played  "Admiral-like" defense pulling down 14 rbs and scoring 23 pts. Ron Artest added 15 pts but his defense was the most pleasing part of his game on Pierce as it set the tone early.

The Celtics looked out of sync from the first whistle after the skirmish under the basket betwen Artest and Pierce and they never recovered. After getting favorable calls in most of the playoffs, in Game 1 the referees did not allow the Celtics any wiggle room when it came to the physical fouls and let Coach Doc Rivers and his team know it from the onset. Paul Pierce led Boston with 24 pts and 9 rbs, followed by Kevin Garnett with 16 pts and 4 rbs, Ray Allen 12 pts and 5 fouls and Rajon Rondo finished with 13 pts and 8 assts. Shooting woes were often for the Celtics as Garnett, Allen and Rondo combined for a tawdry 16-38 from the floor as every shot and pass were contested by the Laker defense.


To make matters even worse Boston was 10% from 3 pt. range as they managed just 1-10 from beyond the line. The Celtics, who have more size to use,  were out-rebounded 42-31 in THE battle that must be won in order to win the series.

Bryant took a final 3 pt. shot and nailed it in what will be locker room motivation for Boston as it is sure to create more bad blood as the game was well in hand and only seconds remained. Keeping the scores under 90 pts. is what the Celtics have to do to produce wins and Game 1 was well over 90 and you witnessed the final result. Bryant, who also added 7 rbs. and 6 assts. on the night, stated "Nothing else matters at this point! Media attention, hype around the series is not important at all"! With that said he gave his #1 hype-man, Artest, a huge fist bump to the chest and walked off the court. This series promises to be one for the ages and if Game 1 is any indication, the Celtics have to go back to the drawing board and retool their efforts for the remainder of the series or else it is going to be one trip to Boston and then ....gon fishing!!!

Game #2 is set for Sunday 6-6-10 in Staples @ 2pm on ABC

NBA FINALS PREVIEW

                             






















The NBA Finals are here and the  #1 seed in the Western conference, the Los Angeles Lakers, face off against the #4 of the Eastern Conference, the Boston Celtics. The series is one that is exciting to many because of the teams involved as well as the matchup sounding so classic. When you think of the NBA at it's greatest you think of the 80's when the Lakers & Celtics seemed to meet in the Finals for what felt like every year.

The Lakers are the Lakers and we all know what that means; KOBE! The Lakers have their defensive issues where they go into long slums and look almost lost on the defensive end. The biggest discrepancy that the Lakers have defensively is that they simply cannot guard the backcourt of other teams. If Fisher and the Laker guards cannot keep up with the young Boston point-guard and backups then it is going to be a long series. They have to stay out of foul trouble and play team defense in order to rectify the problem. This has been an issue all season and even the Zen-Master, in his 13th Finals Series,  recognizes it but simply tries to overlook it and coach harder on the offensive end of the court. When the Lakers are on offense they have three to four formidable weapons in Bryant, Gasol, Artest and Fisher. Fisher can be a great closer when he is able to knock down the long-windup jumper that he has been known for in his last 4 Finals Series wins. Gasol has an array of post moves and a very high basketball IQ. Artest has started to show his old offensive form but he is still not the player that he was in his prime. If the knee problems that Andrew Bynum has been enduring don't get any better then that will cost the Lakers down in the post in the worst way.

The Celtics are an older more experienced team that has bought into coach Doc Rivers plan of playing together and playing intelligently. Basketball brains will beat basketball speed all day long and they know this. Led by the "Big-Three plus One", the Celtics have become healthy at just the right time and have caught fire this year in the playoffs looking much like the team that brought home the Finals trophy in 2008. With Rajon Rondo running the show Boston has saw this young Kentucky guard bloom into a superstar. He has to be able to run the floor once he receives the ball on the rebound or from the out of bounds play and then scan the floor the way that he has all post season. Failure to do that will put pressure on Pierce and Allen to knock down shots and with Pierce more likely to draw the defensive assignment on Bryant it may all fall on the shoulders of Jesus Shuttlesworth.  Garnett has to keep that fire burning and play intense and stretch the floor by knocking down the long range jumper because he will keep Pau away from the rim and cheap easy rebounds that could lead to quick breaks down to the other end. The size of Boston will play a major key as they have more large bodies than the Lakers do so therefore they have more fouls to use and more of a chance to rest their starters when they can. The defense of the Celtics is their staple and has carried them throughout this years playoffs. Typically if Boston keeps their opponent under 90 pts. they win, so keep an eye on the scores when the second and third quarters end. Anything over 90 pts. and it is a crapshoot to see who comes out on top because the Celtic legs are either tired at that point or they have conceded defeat, one or the either. It is and has been an ominous sign and if your a Celtic fan you have to notice this and hope that true Boston defense slows the Lakers down and allows the offense to do their job.

I like the Celtics in 7 and only because I know that Phil Jackson is going to irk the refs about fouls, Artest is going to play NY street ball and again, KOBE.  Both teams have a lot of fight in them so I cannot even fathom that there will be a sweep or even a 4-2 win by either. There is too much pride on both benches and too much history for either to roll over and play dead when the chips get down.
Celtics champs again!!!

The series schedule is shown below.

• Game 1 Thursday, June 3 Boston at LAL 9 p.m. ABC/R/TSN
• Game 2 Sunday, June 6 Boston at LAL 8 p.m. ABC/R/TSN
• Game 3 Tuesday, June 8 LAL at Boston 9 p.m. ABC/R/TSN
• Game 4 Thursday, June 10 LAL at Boston 9 p.m. ABC/R/TSN
• Game 5 * Sunday, June 13 LAL at Boston 8 p.m. ABC/R/TSN
• Game 6 * Tuesday, June 15 Boston at LAL 9 p.m. ABC/R/TSN
• Game 7 * Thursday, June 17 Boston at LAL 9 p.m. ABC/R/TSN
(courtesy gather.com)

GRIFFEY, JR. CALLS IT QUITS!

Ending one of the most storied careers in MLB history today, Ken Griffey, Jr. retired ending a 22-year dream career. "While I feel I am still able to make a contribution on the field and nobody in the Mariners front office has asked me to retire, I told the Mariners when I met with them prior to the 2009 season and was invited back that I will never allow myself to become a distraction," Griffey said in a statement. 

After the flare-up of the "Seattle-Sleep-Gate" where Griffey was claimed to be asleep in the clubhouse when the team attempted to locate him to bat, the writing was on the wall that the future Hall of Famer was on his way out. In 22 seasons Griffey has amassed 630 home runs (5th All-Time), with what most baseball enthusiasts will agree was the "sweetest"  "most-true" swings in the league next to the great Dave Winfield, 7 Silver Slugger Awards and 10 Glove Glove Awards . 

The 40 year old Griffey, who was the overall #1 pick in the 1987 draft by the Mariners returned back to Seattle after stints in Chicago & Cincinnati and seemed to be back home where many believed he belonged and would eventually retire, but not this soon. No word has been released on what professional move Griffey will make next.