Finals game three: Kobe/Sasha defeat Boston/Lakers
Posted by: SPQR on Jun 11, 2008 - 02:17 AM
lakers-blog
|
The Los Angeles Lakers opened their first home game of these 2008 NBA finals ready, eager, willing and able to give Boston their third straight win and their 17th NBA championship. But The Great Man, Kobe Bryant, with a big assist from Sasha dragged the Lakers kicking and scream to their first win of the Finals.
Over the years, I have occasionally seen one or two players lead their team over another, but anyone who watched this game saw the rarity of two men forced to beat both their opponent and their teammates. It's a testament to both of them that they pulled this unlikely feat off.
The game started out ominously, Kobe shooting an airball and Vlad throwing up something that looked like a shot. Phil made a substantial switch getting Kobe off the exhausting Ray Allen and putting him on Rondo. The thinking obviously to rest save Kobe some energy for offense and cut down on the assists and offense sets Rondo got the Celtics into the last game. First smart move Phil has made in the series. Kobe set the early pace, attacking the basket and sending a message that even if the team lost tonight, it wouldn't do so standing around and letting the Celtics set the pace and tone.
The Lakers were not especially effective offensively except for Bryant, but they had energy on defense and tried to hit the boards with a little more brio than they had in past games. The LA Lakers for the first time in the series were the aggressors and began picking up points on the line. Just when things seemed to be going our way, Odom continuing his dismal play picked up two quick fouls. When Garnett blocked Gasol's "dunk" attempt, and Posey, Cassell and Brown scored the quarter ended tied. Not a good sign as the Lakers were hustling like mad and had nothing to show for it.
Odom kept up his series theme in second, grabbing his reaching his third foul before he could get his third point and going to the bench, forcing Layup Luke Walton to come in. Luke immediatly made his presence felt by missing a layup which Ray Allen then converted into two with a jumper. At the 8:50 mark little gaurd Farmar took on massive forward PJ Brown in a heated scrum for the ball which almost escalated to a fight, and you could see tempers and fire rising in both teams as the importance of this game was very clear to both teams. This was the first aggressive emotion the Lakers had shown in the series to date and it was nice to see. Too bad with veterans like Lamar, Gasol, Vlad and Fisher on the team it took second year bench player Farmar to do it.
This was he period when Kobe finally got help. Sasha began teeing off like only he can and piled up 12 quick points. It was no surprise that that Kobe and Sasha, the only two players on this team who seem to have championship fire and desire kept the team in the game. You knew if these two men were not playing like they were, the Lakers would already be down by a big margin and ready to be run over. At this time the timid towers of Odom and Gasol had two points between them. Kobe and Sasha somehow managed to beat the Celtics and their own teamates and establish a 6 point halftime lead, but could they keep it up?
In the third, it looked like our two man team would lose the valiant fight they had fought against all odds. The Celtic defense tightened up, and Garnett finaly got loose from a horrific shooting night and Celtics found a rhym on offense to go on a 12-2 run and the lead. Gasol finally decided to do something instead of watch the game and got his first bucket. A two point lead at the end of the quarter felt about as safe as a fly in a Venus Fly Trap.
A nerve wracking fourth started with Sasha and Allen exchanging threes and featured Kobe and Gasol missing free throws and Pau falling down like a limp, wet noodle that falls out of spatula as the Celtics picked up another rebound.
With 6:27 to go and the game on the line, the Great Man hit a three to put us up 69-68. It was a lead we would hold for rest of the way. Pau, utilizing some empty space undoubtably shocked himself by picking up two offense boards for points. Watching this huge, timid, 7 foot rabbit score these points after Kobe and Sasha did his work for him the whole game only makes one realize how humorous and unjust life and sports can be.
The killing blows thankfully fell to the men who deserved them. At the 1:50 mark Kobe came down and was hit with Celtic trap in the backcourt. Sasha was wide open in the left corner. One could see the play unfolding as though in slow motion. Kobe read it perfect, hit Sasha with the ball and...swish, three more on our lead and 20 for Sasha.
With 38 seconds left Kobe ended his abuse of the Celtics by hitting another smart shot thus ending the Celtics four game winning steak against the Lakers and giving us our first win of the finals.
It was great to win this game. Losing to team, getting bullied and deconstructed for four games and two in the finals can really whet ones appititite for a win and this one really tasted good. Just to beat this team for change.
What do I take from the game? To be honest, pretty cold comfort. We stay alive for another game. One more shot to come up with some answers. Thats about it. Though we won, the Celtics once again took out almost the entire Laker team from the offensive equation. Odom, Gasol, Fisher, Vlad, Ronny, Luke, Farmar. All missing in action. Our starters(baring Kobe) shot 7-28. The fact that this happened in the friendly confines of Staples, where all our players were kicking butt and taking names during the playoffs is perhaps more ominous than the two Celtic home victories. Unless Gasol and Odom somehow start to perform up to the level that helped us get this far, the heroics of Kobe and Sasha will end up being the one happy memory of a dismal finals. One more game by the starters like this and Boston can plan the party.
There will plenty of discussion on the starters and the bench mob after the season. I'm sure all of us will have plenty of thoughts on this. I will say, this however , Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol look like players who in no way, shape or form want to, desire to, or expect to rise to the challenge pressed on them by Boston. Watching two such large, physically gifted and talented men just shrink up like this, literally destroying any realistic hopes we have of winning a title is pathetic. Pau for Javaris and two number one picks may indeed end up the steal of the century, and if Javaris ends up a great player, its Memphis that will have the steal.
These two "men" still have time to right the ship and make this a series. Wether they do will decide how they are viewed by Laker fans for the rest of their lives.
Congratulations Kobe and Sasha, you guys rose to the occasion and beat both those teams. Thanks for the great win.
|
|
| |
|
