NBA '08 Playoff Thread

Oh, I'm with you.

This has been unreal.

 

Well, the Celtics are up 2-0, but if I am a Lakers fan I am feeling quite confident about winning three in a row in LA.

Oh, and Mike Breen, this game wasn't played at the Staples Center.

 

Maybe confident was the wrong word, but I wouldn't feel like this series is over by any means.

 

Of course not. But if Boston wins even one in LA, it gets pretty tough for the Lakers pretty quick. Such is the 2-3-2 format. Huge advantage for the team with home court.

 

There is a huge problem, as Phil Jackson admitted, when Leon Powe shot more free throws than the entire Laker team combined...I don't doubt the Laker's ability, but Phil needs to figure some stuff out

 

Celtics shoot 38 free throws(I believe Powe shot 13 free throws alone) and the Lakers shoot 10. That's amazing. I know the Lakers weren't as aggresive as the Celtics, but holy krap.

 

It's going to be difficult to defeat any team that shoots nearly 65 percent from 3-point range and dishes out 31 assists as a squad. That's a team that is just clicking offensively. The Lakers could've played better defense, to be sure, but the Celtics (especially Paul Pierce) are unconscious from 3-point range right now. My hat's off to them for taking a 2-0 lead.

None of the other Laker stats really stand out. They were only outrebounded by one and committed just 13 turnovers in the game, to the Celtics' 15.
I still say the Celtics' 38 free-throw attempts to the Lakers' 10 is quite a bit lopsided, especially when you consider the Lakers have Kobe Bryant (who I believe was second in the league all season in FT attempts) and that they attempted a lot of shots from close range and didn't receive very many calls.
I'm not crying conspiracy, but I'm just saying when you don't get to the line nearly as much as your opponent, you're gonna be on the shitty end of the stick more times than not.

 

And by the way, that "knee injury" of Pierce's? Officially bullshit. He's fine.

 

Considering all those numbers, losing this game was an absolute heartbreaker for the Lakers.

I think they're done. Oh, they'll win one or two at home, but they had to have this game.

 

If Kobe doesn't start playing like Kobe, then chances are Lakers are swept. Gasol stepped it up a bit tonight, but not enough. L.A. has to find a way to slow down either Pierce or Garnett.