NBA Finals: Game 1 thoughts
The Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers kicked off the NBA Finals with a flurry of pyrotechnics, some good, clean trash talking, multiple celebrity sightings, a Willis Reed comparison, and a big boost in television ratings. And they haven’t even begun to play the second game of the series.
We’ve all heard various individuals give their interpretation of whether or not Paul Pierce was overreacting or legitimately hurt himself enough to be taken off the court in a wheelchair. Even I had a few moments of doubt after he returned to the game so quickly and hit those back-to-back three pointers, but I really think he was only taking every precaution necessary, and that he wasn’t faking. I mean, come on, it’s the NBA Finals and if he did indeed hear something pop, like he said, then he might as well play it safe. Sure, he was probably being overdramatic, but who wouldn’t given the circumstances?
This is what Pierce said about the incident: “I thought I tore something; that’s the way I felt at the time. Usually when I go down, I’m getting right back up, but it was an instance where I turned my knee and it popped, and I was just in pain where I couldn’t move.”
When Pierce returned to the game shortly after, he drew immediate comparisons to Willis Reed, the former New York Knicks great who once hobbled onto the court of Madison Square Garden before Game 7 of the 1970 finals against the Lakers. Some of the savvy Celtics fans chanted Reed’s name in tribute, but that’s just over dramatic Boston fans that are looking for any excuse to add to the lore of an already storied franchise. Just because a guy gets wheeled off the floor and comes back to jack a few threes doesn’t mean the Reed comparisons are valid.
Of course the Willis Reed comparisons are ridiculous, but Pierce never compared his situation to Reed’s and neither are any of his teammates. The fans and media conjured up this story to add more drama to a series that already had enough of it. In typical Phil Jackson fashion, the Lakers coach expressed skepticism about the severity of the injury because of how quickly Pierce returned after being carried off the court by teammates and transported in a wheelchair to the locker room. Jackson was a teammate of Willis on that 1970 New York Knicks.
“It still could be worse than I’m really putting off. I’m not planning on getting an MRI until after the season, so I mean, it could be bad, but right now I’m just getting treatments and see how I feel on Sunday,” Pierce said Friday, adding that there’s a “great chance” he’ll play in Game 2 against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Keys to Game 1
As we discussed in a previous post, not letting Kobe get to the lane would cause him to ineffectively fire away from the perimeter, and that isn’t a good game plan for the Lakers. His 9 for 26 shooting was painfully reminiscent of the two games he had against the Celtics during the regular season, and he wasn’t able to get to the free throw line to pile up points like he always does.
Plus, Kobe isn’t going to beat the Celtics by himself, so the bench not showing up is something that simply cannot happen if they want to win Game 2. Where does this theory that the Lakers have a better bench come from? As we discussed on Thursday, the Lakers are young and inexperienced as a group, and it showed. Plus, when Ronny Turiaf is your second string at the four and the five, that can’t be a good sign.
When the Big three of the Celtics go off for 65 points, it’s will be difficult for the Lakers to win in Boston. Of course, the Lakers did have Pierce under control, then he caught fire when he returned to the court and gave the C’s an emotional boost. When all three are playing well offensively, that puts a tremendous amount of pressure on the Lakers defense –- which then opens things up for the other guys to get open and hit open shots, as they did in Game 1.
Highlight of Game 1:
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June 7, 2008 at 3:36 PM
The key to the Celtics win in Game 1 (aside from sufficating defense) was the play of Rajon Rondo. 15 points, 7 assits and most importantly, 2 TO. If that is a stat line that holds throughout the series the Lakers are in serious trouble.
June 7, 2008 at 6:54 PM
Thanks for the comment. I completely agree that he played exceptionally well, though of course I didn’t include that in the post. I’m sure that the Lakers are in a world of trouble if he keeps going off like that.
Having said that, I still think the big three combining for 65 points is a a stat that is critical for the Celtics to maintain from game to game. Ray Allen had a poor showing against the previous three opponents, yet they still won, so him having a big series makes the Celtics that much better. If Rondo can control the game like he’s capable, Boston will be just fine.
June 8, 2008 at 8:33 AM
I didn’t get a chance to see the whole game but from what I saw and the final score it appears the Celtics team that had the best record in the league has finally replaced those posers that played in the Eastern Conference playoffs. C’mon, going seven games aganst Atlanta? Anyway I’m glad. I actually rooted for the Lakers to knock out the Spurs – I’m sick of Tim Duncoan’s puppy dog eyes – but I could NEVER hope for the Lakers to win it all. I’ve mellowed in my opinions about Kobe and recognize him for his great talent. I’ve even decided that Phil Jackson is an OK guy and has some talent as a coach (although I still think he has been the beneficiary of some incredible talent). My long standing dislike of the Magic Johnson that got his coach fired when he was a rookie has been replaced by my admiration for his dealing with adversity in his health and for his desire to invest his money back into the black community. There are other strides I have made in recognizing the greatness of the Laker’s franchise (this sounds like a twelve step program and I guess, in some ways it is) but I still cannot see me EVER rooting for the Lakers. Go Celtics.
June 8, 2008 at 5:12 PM
Looks like Pierce is “ready to go” for Game 2. Hopefully, he really is and the Celtics can win another one. However, wins tonight will be in control of the series and is most likely to win the series. I still think the Celtics can and will win, even if they lose tonight, but it will be that much harder.
June 8, 2008 at 9:51 PM
By the way, I’ve always said Phil Jackson was a very good coach. Probably top ten all-time. I have bee rather hard on him because of the high level of talent he’s been fortunate enough to coach, but I still think he’s a solid coach.
Having said that, I still think Jordan would have five or six rings without him. Shaq and Kobe would have at least a couple.
June 8, 2008 at 10:12 PM
Now that the Celtics have a 2-0 series lead, LA has to either win four in a row or win Game 7 in Boston. Tough to see either happening after watching tonight’s beatdown, but I believe Miami did something like that two years ago.
June 10, 2008 at 10:08 AM
The Lakers will be a different team at home, just watch.
June 11, 2008 at 2:47 PM
Sure, the Lakers were a different team, few doubted that they would be upon their return to Staples Center. At the same time, the Celtics played horrible and still only lost by six, so that has to be discouraging for the Lakers going into Game 4.