2008 NBA Finals. Celtics V Lakers!

[Tiger Hawk]

A huuuuuuuuuuuuuge run to start the third sees Celtics up 4!

KG working down in the post against Gasol, total mis-match, should have finished a 3-point play but blew the dunk, had a nice jump hook over him and dished it out to Pierce to get it back for a 17 foot baseline jumper. He needs to keep it going, the C's are playing well, GOOOOO CELTICS!

 

[Ridders]

GOOOOOO Lakers! lol

Scrapy 87-81 win, but a win nevertheless. Bryant going off again in the 4th but boy did sasha step up, without him, lakers woulda struggled to get through. Odom is again a worry, he's got the aggressive mindset right, but he just can't finish at the rim.

How wierd were the final 30 seconds, celtics just seemed to give up when i thought they still might have been able to pull it out.

 

[Tiger Hawk]

With 5 minutes to go Celtics get possession off a loose ball, Pierce is going downcourt, is fouled first by Fisher then by Vujacic whilst shooting and neither are called. Commentators are going off about a blown 3 on 2 but how come neither ref makes that call?

Then with 25 seconds left, even though the Celts aren't winning this, Garnett is called for an illegal screen. I mean come on, why call that on their last possession, why not call that earlier in the game. No consistency.

Should have known with Bennett Salvatore & Joey Crawford calling this game. They did a good job of making it look like they were being even handed but those two plays were just amazing.

I'm not sure why they were running the offence through Pierce late in the game, should have kept going to KG in the post or working Allen off screens. Pierce had a horrible night. Terrible free throw shooting from both teams as well. This game was there for the Celtics, they might struggle in the next game, although don't expect KG or Pierce to be quite so poor to start the game.

 

[Ridders]

With 5 minutes to go Celtics get possession off a loose ball, Pierce is going downcourt, is fouled first by Fisher then by Vujacic whilst shooting and neither are called. Commentators are going off about a blown 3 on 2 but how come neither ref makes that call?

thats pretty much what kobe went through in Boston, he had blatant fouls on him yet they weren't called.

Then with 25 seconds left, even though the Celts aren't winning this, Garnett is called for an illegal screen. I mean come on, why call that on their last possession, why not call that earlier in the game. No consistency.

Thats because KG was setting up illegal screens for a majority of the 4th quarter, they at least called one of them

This game was there for the Celtics, they might struggle in the next game, although don't expect KG or Pierce to be quite so poor to start the game.

i'll agree with you there, the Celtics missed a golden opporunity to pretty match wrap the series up with both odom and gasol struggling big time and Kobe doing a great impersonation of The Diesel at the free throw line.

 

[Tiger Hawk]

thats pretty much what kobe went through in Boston, he had blatant fouls on him yet they weren't called. .

No, a little different. Kobe's were on shot attempts, Fisher's was effectively a loose ball foul which should have been called. Wouldn't have resulted in free throw attempts I think because the Lakers weren't in the penalty. The Vujacic call I can let slide, but Fisher should have been whistled.

Thats because KG was setting up illegal screens for a majority of the 4th quarter, they at least called one of them.

Maybe so, but as I inferred, why call that with 25 seconds left? That's ridiculous and what pisses people off. Refs shouldn't decide games that way, if you're going to make that call, make it early and often or not at all.

i'll agree with you there, the Celtics missed a golden opporunity to pretty match wrap the series up with both odom and gasol struggling big time and Kobe doing a great impersonation of The Diesel at the free throw line.

If Pierce could have got it going early, or KG, would have been a different game. What were they 1-12 or something in the first half. Eeek, that's terrible. Kobe was hot tonight, no question, some of those shots are just incredible, and they aren't even "highlight reel" stuff for this generation. But you look at those pull-ups, spin moves and how he creates space and you just applaud.

 

[Ridders]

if they had off called every screen where Garnett was either grabbing the player trying to run around him or shouldering him, Boston wouldn't have even gotten close. I'll agree that the Lakers got some calls they shouldn't have got, especially the fisher one, but thats the pattern that was dictated by the officiating in the first two games. It's gonna take something special for one of these teams to win on the roads, if the officiating stays the same.

 

[Tiger Hawk]

It's not just Garnett though. You could call that on just about every second possession for either team. It was a joke to make that call with the amount of time left having not made the call at any time earlier in the game.

Game was there for the Celtics, I think they've got the Lakers figured out and just need better shooting performances from KG & Pierce. Cassell also needs to stop getting game time, honestly he's done. Brown & Perk did a good job on Gasol tonight, really upset him and kept him out of the paint. Odom's soft mentally and won't factor in this series offensively. Vujacic can break out like that but he's also likely to stink next game. For the C's, just do the same thing and count on your big guys coming through again.

 

[Ridders]

Odom's main problem is that he's been in foul trouble this entire series, which adds to his mentality. you could see how good he is when he's aggressive in the 4th quarter. even though he couldn't finish, he was getting to the rim at will, he's just lacking confidence atm. Speaking of Odom, how many offensive fouls does he give away, he's got to be more wary when he's backed against his defender.

Lakers were lucky that Pierce and Garnett struggled, would of been a painful night had they showed there form from the first two games. Game 4 will be interesting, as you said, i don't think Pierce and Garnett will struggle like they did plus i think they'll post up Garnett more rather than make him take outside shots.

 

[Special K]

so it begins.. lakers will not drop another game now

You can say the c's did not get going but neither did the lakers. If they went down 3 - 0 then it would of been trouble but now they finally picked up one and have more at home they will go on a run

 

[Panthers_God]

Ohh dear Boston just got knobbed in the first quarter by the Lakers 35-14.

Looks like we have a series

 

[Panthers_God]

Spoke too soon.

Boston on a 21-3 run going into the fourth quarter. omfg!

 

[Panthers_God]

Boston came back :shock::shock::shock:

3-1

 

[Tommy Smith]

What a comeback.

Paul Pierce was unbelieveable.

 

[Special K]

holy sh*t!

I guess i'll just sit down and stfu. wow just wow boston!! At half time I was really confident LA would go straight through now I really do not see them getting out of this one. Good luck winning back to back in boston!

 

[Ridders]

dead set, that is so frustrating. At half-time i was so confident with an 18 point lead that i decided to go out and come back to watch the end of the 4th. That has to be one of the great chokes in NBA finals history, fair play to Boston though. Posey was great down the stretch.

I thought KG was immense as well, LA don't really have an answer for him. Everytime they posted him up, regardless of whether it was Gasol, Turiaf or Odom, he would take them out of the picture by elevating over them.

 

[Mr Saab]

They choked harder than the Eels in 1998

 

[Bumble]

Pierce

What a man...

I said Celtics in 6 but 5 is looking good atm...

 

[eastsrule]

GO C's!!!!

 

[LESStar58]

I was having a heart attack at work yesterday. My mate was sending me updates and i thought we were gone for sure when we were down by 24. What a game!

 

[nöyd]

Game 5 just underway