haha…what a pic…classic.
Game 4 preview
The last 90 minutes before the game is unerring. The key to this game is how the Boston point guard’s ( Rondo/House) shoot the ball, if their given open shots and they miss than PP KG will be doubled and find it hard to score again.
Game Preview: Celtics at Lakers - Game 4
Couper Moorhead
Celtics.com Correspondent
June 12, 2008
The Boston Celtics just cannot escape the injury bug. Paul Pierce was bitten in Game 1, leading to The Return (or whatever name ends up sticking). The affliction hit Kendrick Perkins’ ankle, too, keeping him on a Game 2 minutes watch (which foul trouble, and Leon Powe, helped). Now it’s gotten to Rajon Rondo, who suffered a bone bruise near his ankle in the second half of Game 3.
The Celtics lead the NBA Finals, 2-1, but Rondo’s availability for Game 4 (9 p.m. tonight, ET) is in question. The answer will be instrumental is deciding whether this becomes a three-game series with Game 5 in LA or a study in survival should the Lakers fall to 1-3, needing back-to-back-to-back wins.
The sophomore point guard took part in the first part of yesterday’s practice at about half-speed, and depending on another day of ice treatments, said he’s sure he’ll play.
“There’s no way I’m going to miss the game, probably,” Rondo said. “I don’t want to hurt the team and go out there and not give it my all, but I think I’m pretty sure I’ll be playing tomorrow night.”
Rondo will face the same question Pierce and Perkins faced before him: can he be effective? An ankle injury can severely hamper any player, but especially one built on speed such as Rondo. Of course, there’s always a Plan B. Sam Cassell has been used in the early parts of this series, to varying degrees of success (3-of-15 shooting in the series), but Doc Rivers turned to Eddie House when Rondo went down in Game 3.
Then there’s the surprising Plan TA – Tony Allen – whom Rivers said is an option to start in the backcourt because of his ability to guard Kobe Bryant.
“[Rondo] sets the tempo for us offensively and defensively, understands what we try to do at the start of ballgames,” Pierce said. “So it would definitely be a blow to us if we don’t have Rondo out there. But I think we have guys who bring something different to the game that can definitely help us.”
This rash of injuries is just about the only issue that’s remained planted firmly on the Celtics’ side of the court.
Both teams found little victories in playing a competitive – a two-point difference with 2:41 left in the fourth – Game 3 despite two stars on either team failing to find their rhythm. Both Pierce and Kevin Garnett relegated most of their offense to jumpers, shooting a combined 8-of-35 for 19 points. Ray Allen’s 25 points at least kept the game close. But Kobe Bryant more than matched Allen with 36 points to make up for Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom’s sub-standard performances (5-of-18 combined for 13 points).
“I told our guys this: The losing team always says, as bad as we played, we had a chance to win the game,” Rivers said. “And I can see our team liked to hear that. I said, well, the Lakers are saying as bad as they played, they won the game. I said, so you can look at that either way you want, but the Lakers didn’t play well either.”
Players on both sides were visibly running on fumes after traveling across the country – corner to corner, no less – a journey Gasol compared to going home to Spain. Rivers even admitted to using a timeout after Pierce signaled to him for a timeout, needing a blow, while Phil Jackson noted that Garnett seemed “gassed” in the fourth. But for one cross-Atlantic Laker, the trip had little effect.
The difference in Game 3 was Sasha ‘The Machine’ Vujacic, who dropped 20 points and three triples off the bench. But the Celtics got a similar boost from their reserves in Game 2 when Powe ignited (almost literally on a couple dunks) for 21 points.
Throughout this young series, aggressive play on offense – not the officiating – determining a sizeable free throw advantage. In Game 2, the Celtics were whistled for 21 personal fouls to the Lakers’ 28 but enjoyed 28 more free-throw attempts than their opponent thanks to getting in the paint and drawing shooting fouls. The opposite was true in Game 3, as the perimeter-happy Celtics drew 23 Laker fouls but got to the stripe 22 times while Kobe earned 18 trips by himself (34 for the team) on just five more personal fouls called on Boston.
“The balance at the end of [Game 3] is probably what you’re going to see as far as foul shooting is going to be, spaced out in the game,” Jackson said. “Boston came heavy [in the] second half, aggressive, more foul-shot situations for them. I think the emphasis has been there in this series about the aggressor is going to get the favor.”
Given that even the volume of three-pointers is comparable (19-of-49 for LA to 23-of-51 for Boston), the W will go to who takes advantage of the little things, like Gasol’s length possibly bothering Garnett or Tony Allen getting burn opposite Kobe. What all the similarities ultimately add up to is something that should’ve been common sense before Game 1: it’s anyone’s series. And up 2-1 or not, tonight’s game is anyone’s game.
Boston down 18 at half time. Their point guards have been pathetic.
21-3 run by Boston , down 2 4th quarter. Playing House/ Allen on the floor & Rondo on the bench…I told you doc!!!
no shit rondo is hurt, u said allen/posey/paul.
It doesn’t matter if its Allen, House, or Pierce at the point as long as they can shoot the ball. 4th quarter Pierce at the point … I Like it
Celtics up by 5!!!
if la lose this one its over… posey is big time!
[b]
Boston by 7 points.[/b]
Ray Ray… huge play late in the 4th quarter. I cant believe it, was hard to watch when Boston went down 24 points. Now I am going to give these Lakers fan some trash talk- they thought they had this game!!!
l.a. collapsed. that was pretty bad. not even going to try to defend it. great job by posey and house showing why they are pros and still in the NBA
good for boston to win this year because presuming bynum comes back from injury all right l.a. should be awesome for the next few years.
not too fast my friend, every season is different and the west is very strong dont forget about portland getting better.
If Rondo can improve his open shooting and if Boston can acquire another back up point guard or maybe big man free agent, they will only get better next year.
I had to turn hat shit off. CAN’T believe LA gave up that lead. Too young. If they d up hard on kobe nobody else can score dick. Kobe has no REAL number 2 guy and definitely no big 3. Maybe with the youth they will roll in the next few years. We’ll see. He’s got 3 already so…
Remember this is the first season that this current celtic team has been togeather. They could be even more improved next year.
Never underestimate the genious of Danny Ainge. Last year local talk shows were calling for his head on a platter. This year they just marvel at his off season moves.
who can they get that competes with a healthy bynum?
d_nasty who can they get that competes with a healthy bynum?
I just think Boston is playing unbelievable team Basketball, Ray and KG play for the team first and that’s something that I don’t see in LA. I don’t see Bynum being dominant on the boards. This has been huge for Boston rebounding and transition points. Phil Jackson said at the 3rd quarter end, Boston had their half court and transition game firing. I don’t see Bynum stopping B transition or offensive game. Boston has many spot up shooters ( House, Posey, ) and three guys who need to be pressed or doubled in the high and low post- this makes them a extremely hard match up for anyone. I think Houston has a great team if healthy but their bench is weak. Next seasons NBA should be very interesting.
How do you think the Boston fans felt when they went down 24 points in the 2nd quarter? I was thinking to myself if they can get it down to 10- than it’s still anyone’s game. Boston did go on some mini-runs but L.A seemed to counter and get the lead back to 20. When Boston went into the 4th only 2 points behind, when I saw Phil Jackson body language I knew Boston had this game then.
This is really a great day. It feels great knowing all those fickle celebrity fans went home pissed. ESPN interviewed Will Smith at half time, and that fool acted like they already had the series.
Allen Goes The Distance in Game 4 Victory
By Scott Tribble
Celtics.com Correspondent
June 12, 2008
On Thursday night at the Staples Center, the Celtics made history with their 97-91 comeback victory over the Lakers in Game 4 of the NBA Finals. No one had a better vantage point than Ray Allen, who played all 48 minutes and registered some of the night’s biggest plays.
“There was a point out there in the game where I knew I wasn’t coming out,” Allen said. “I just said, ‘I have to suck it up.’ I have plenty of time to rest the next couple of months, so suck it up.”
After chipping away at a 20-point third-quarter deficit, the Celtics took their first lead of the game with 4:07 remaining. On the Lakers’ subsequent possession, Allen seized an errant pass from Pau Gasol and pushed the ball back up court. Paul Pierce missed a three-point attempt, but Allen grabbed the offensive rebound and drove the baseline for a nifty reverse layup that put Boston up 86-83.
In the final minutes, the Lakers threatened their own comeback, but it was Allen who ultimately sealed their fate. After a Gasol dunk cut the lead to three with forty seconds remaining, Allen dribbled precious time off the game clock. As the shot clock wound down, Allen blew by Sasha Vujacic and converted a left-handed layup. With sixteen seconds left, the Celtics led 96-91. An Eddie House free throw put the final exclamation point on one of the greatest comebacks in Finals history.
In his post-game press conference, Celtics’ Coach Doc Rivers praised Allen’s layup, literally a last-minute improvisation.
“It was really supposed to be a middle pick and roll with Kevin and Ray, and Ray waved Kevin off because he liked the match up that he had already, so he didn’t want to bring another defender in to help. It was a great call by Ray. And then him getting to the basket was huge. The layup was just tremendous.”
Allen shared his own thought process after the game.
“If they were going to foul anybody, I wanted it to be me and go to the free throw line. They hesitated, they stayed off the foul, so they got over half court and saw the shot clock was running down, and Kevin [Garnett] ran up to set a screen, and as he was setting the screen, I told him, ‘Back off, let me take him one on one, five, six seconds left, at least I’m going to get a good shot up.’”
All told, Allen scored 19 points on 6 of 11 shooting from the field. The veteran guard also pulled down nine rebounds and notched three steals. Arguably, though, Allen’s greatest contribution of the night came at halftime when Pierce asked to take over defensive coverage of Kobe Bryant. Many veteran stars would have balked at the request, but Allen understood The Truth’s position.
“I knew what he was trying to do,” Allen said. “I would have suggested it a long time ago, but it took for Paul to say, ‘Let me guard him.’ When he said that, I knew he wanted him and he was ready for the challenge, and I was like, 'Let’s do it, take him.”
Pierce added, “I felt like I could be a little bit more physical on [Bryant]. I didn’t think he would be able to post me as easy as he wanted to. You know, I’m a little bit taller than Ray, so I can get a hand up, challenge him a little bit more.”
The different defensive look clearly affected Bryant, who shot a middling 6 for 15 in the second half and reached the line on only one occasion. The defensive switch likewise sparked the Celtics’ offense, creating new opportunities as well as confusing the Lakers’ defenders.
“It just created more of an opportunity for us in transition,” Allen said. “We got some easy baskets in transition. They were trying to find me, they were trying to find Paul because they were cross matched.”
With Thursday night’s victory, the Celtics stand only one win away from an NBA championship. But, rather than as a potential series-clincher, Allen is doing his best to regard Sunday’s matchup as just another game.
“At this point it’s the same thing,” Allen said. “We have a task at hand. We have a game that we have to play and we have to win. So we’re not going to get too worried about what’s on the other side of the fence yet.”