Can the Lakers win a game under a total of 180 points?

[oneofthesedays]

The Lakers not being an elite defensive team won't matter because the Celtics are NOT a great offensive team.

Don't throw regular season stats at me, I'm talking about the playoffs.  Playoff basketball is a totally different beast than the regular season and it is the only thing that is relevant right now.  The bottom line is the Celtics score in the 70-80 pt range just as often as they do in the 80-100 pt range.  Hell I've even seen them put up a pathetic 69 pts.

[nickagneta]

The Lakers not being an elite defensive team won't matter because the Celtics are NOT a great offensive team.

Don't throw regular season stats at me, I'm talking about the playoffs.  Playoff basketball is a totally different beast than the regular season and it is the only thing that is relevant right now.  The bottom line is the Celtics score in the 70-80 pt range just as often as they do in the 80-100 pt range.  Hell I've even seen them put up a pathetic 69 pts.

Hate to tell you this but the old adage doesn't go

"Offense wins championships!"

Celtics averages this postseason: Scores 91.6 Gives up: 87.3
Lakers averages this postseason: Scores 105.9 Gives up: 99.5

One team dictates the tempo through offense and the other through defense.

The Celtics have played against two stiflinf defenses already and  I don't see where the Celtics offense couldn't suddenly get very healthy against a defense like the Lakers that allows lots of looks and baskets.

On the other hand, the Lakers haven't yet seen the type of defensive pressure the Celtics play so far this postseason. Not even close. The Spurs were a great defensive team this regular season but weren't even close to performing to their regular season capacity in the playoffs.

The Lakers might take one or two too many games getting acclimated to being  hit, clutched, grabbed, knocked to the floor, constantly have hands flying at the ball during the shot and dribble, and the relentless no stop action of this as the Celtics bench brings the same defensive intensity.

The Lakers had better hit their free throws because there aren't going to be any uncontested drives to the basket.

[Bahku]

The Lakers not being an elite defensive team won't matter because the Celtics are NOT a great offensive team.

Don't throw regular season stats at me, I'm talking about the playoffs.  Playoff basketball is a totally different beast than the regular season and it is the only thing that is relevant right now.  The bottom line is the Celtics score in the 70-80 pt range just as often as they do in the 80-100 pt range.  Hell I've even seen them put up a pathetic 69 pts.

There's another bottom line ... the Lakers can't play defense ... period. Including the playoffs, the Lakers are 5 and 19 in games where they scored under 100 points ... that's horrendous! For that reason alone, I'd be terrified if I were a Lakers fan. The Celtics are a defensive Monster, and the Lakers very rarely win if they score less than a century ... we don't even have to put up huge offensive numbers to win this thing, just play the defense we've played all year long. Defense wins over offense, this team has proven it, and the Celtics of Bill Russell's era proved it. Tough to score points when you can't get the ball to the basket!

[oneofthesedays]

The Lakers not being an elite defensive team won't matter because the Celtics are NOT a great offensive team.

Don't throw regular season stats at me, I'm talking about the playoffs.  Playoff basketball is a totally different beast than the regular season and it is the only thing that is relevant right now.  The bottom line is the Celtics score in the 70-80 pt range just as often as they do in the 80-100 pt range.  Hell I've even seen them put up a pathetic 69 pts.

Hate to tell you this but the old adage doesn't go

"Offense wins championships!"

Celtics averages this postseason: Scores 91.6 Gives up: 87.3
Lakers averages this postseason: Scores 105.9 Gives up: 99.5

One team dictates the tempo through offense and the other through defense.

The Celtics have played against two stiflinf defenses already and  I don't see where the Celtics offense couldn't suddenly get very healthy against a defense like the Lakers that allows lots of looks and baskets.

On the other hand, the Lakers haven't yet seen the type of defensive pressure the Celtics play so far this postseason. Not even close. The Spurs were a great defensive team this regular season but weren't even close to performing to their regular season capacity in the playoffs.

The Lakers might take one or two too many games getting acclimated to being  hit, clutched, grabbed, knocked to the floor, constantly have hands flying at the ball during the shot and dribble, and the relentless no stop action of this as the Celtics bench brings the same defensive intensity.

The Lakers had better hit their free throws because there aren't going to be any uncontested drives to the basket.

The Celtics aren't anymore physical than Utah.  The Lakers have been held, kicked, grabbed, and pushed all throughout the playoffs.  They aren't going to be WOWED by physical play.  

The Spurs did exactly what you have to do to beat LA, something no other team came close to doing in the post season.  They held LA under 100 ppg, but simply couldn't score enough to beat them.  The Celtics will face the same fate if Jesus Shuttlesworth goes MIA again.  Pierce scores 20, KG scores 20.......but who is left to pick up the rest of the offense?  That's asking an awful lot of Rondo, Perkins, and the Celtic's bench that is clearly NOT offensive minded.  The Celtics IMHO will be easier to defend than the Spurs, they don't execute their offense anywhere CLOSE to as well as the Spurs.  They don't have a Tony Parker guard that will tear our perimeter to shreds.  They are a soft jumpshooting team with no real post presence.  Pierce is the only player I would legitimately worry about, but I know Phil's gameplan will be to make him very uncomfortable.  And he will succeed because he is that much better a coach than Doc Rivers.

[oneofthesedays]

The Lakers not being an elite defensive team won't matter because the Celtics are NOT a great offensive team.

Don't throw regular season stats at me, I'm talking about the playoffs.  Playoff basketball is a totally different beast than the regular season and it is the only thing that is relevant right now.  The bottom line is the Celtics score in the 70-80 pt range just as often as they do in the 80-100 pt range.  Hell I've even seen them put up a pathetic 69 pts.

There's another bottom line ... the Lakers can't play defense. Including the playoffs, the Lakers are 5 and 19 in games where they scored under 100 points ... that's horrendous! For that reason alone, I'd be terrified if I were a Lakers fan. The Celtics are a defensive Monster, and the Lakers very rarely win if they score less than a century ... we don't even have to put up huge offensive numbers to win this thing, just play the defense we've played all year long. Defense wins over offense, this team has proven it, and the Celtics of Bill Russell's era proved it. Tough to score points when you can't get the ball to the basket!

Keeping the Lakers under 100 ppg is one thing, but YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO SCORE that many points to beat LA.  BOS is not a great offensive team at all, and against a coach like Phil Jackson they will struggle to score.  How many low 70 and 80 point games have we seen from the Celtics thus far?  They will struggle just like the Spurs did, even more if Jesus Shuttlesworth goes MIA.

[Roy Hobbs]

The Lakers not being an elite defensive team won't matter because the Celtics are NOT a great offensive team.

Don't throw regular season stats at me, I'm talking about the playoffs.  Playoff basketball is a totally different beast than the regular season and it is the only thing that is relevant right now.  The bottom line is the Celtics score in the 70-80 pt range just as often as they do in the 80-100 pt range.  Hell I've even seen them put up a pathetic 69 pts.

There's another bottom line ... the Lakers can't play defense. Including the playoffs, the Lakers are 5 and 19 in games where they scored under 100 points ... that's horrendous! For that reason alone, I'd be terrified if I were a Lakers fan. The Celtics are a defensive Monster, and the Lakers very rarely win if they score less than a century ... we don't even have to put up huge offensive numbers to win this thing, just play the defense we've played all year long. Defense wins over offense, this team has proven it, and the Celtics of Bill Russell's era proved it. Tough to score points when you can't get the ball to the basket!

Keeping the Lakers under 100 ppg is one thing, but YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO SCORE that many points to beat LA.  BOS is not a great offensive team at all, and against a coach like Phil Jackson they will struggle to score.  How many low 70 and 80 point games have we seen from the Celtics thus far?  They will struggle just like the Spurs did, even more if Jesus Shuttlesworth goes MIA.

It's not like the Celtics struggled to score points during the regular season.  They averaged 110.2 per 100 possessions.  The mighty Lakers?  113.0, a difference of 2.8 points for every 100 possessions. 

On defense the Celtics allowed 98.9 points per 100 possessions.  The Lakers gave up 105.5.  That's a differential of 6.6 points per 100.

So, objectively, which of the two teams' respective strengths has been greater?

[Bahku]

The Lakers not being an elite defensive team won't matter because the Celtics are NOT a great offensive team.

Don't throw regular season stats at me, I'm talking about the playoffs.  Playoff basketball is a totally different beast than the regular season and it is the only thing that is relevant right now.  The bottom line is the Celtics score in the 70-80 pt range just as often as they do in the 80-100 pt range.  Hell I've even seen them put up a pathetic 69 pts.

There's another bottom line ... the Lakers can't play defense. Including the playoffs, the Lakers are 5 and 19 in games where they scored under 100 points ... that's horrendous! For that reason alone, I'd be terrified if I were a Lakers fan. The Celtics are a defensive Monster, and the Lakers very rarely win if they score less than a century ... we don't even have to put up huge offensive numbers to win this thing, just play the defense we've played all year long. Defense wins over offense, this team has proven it, and the Celtics of Bill Russell's era proved it. Tough to score points when you can't get the ball to the basket!

Keeping the Lakers under 100 ppg is one thing, but YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO SCORE that many points to beat LA.  BOS is not a great offensive team at all, and against a coach like Phil Jackson they will struggle to score.  How many low 70 and 80 point games have we seen from the Celtics thus far?  They will struggle just like the Spurs did, even more if Jesus Shuttlesworth goes MIA.

Your basing this on teams they've played other than the C's, not the Celtics, who allow fewer points than anyone in the NBA. Defense wins games, plain and simple ... it always has, and the Celtics are the best team defensively ... period. Not only have they dominated every team in the West, but your team hasn't even beaten us this year.

You can say that everything's different for the playoffs, and I'll agree that the intensity is different, but not the basic rules and disciplines of the game. Until the Lakers prove that their offense can overcome our defense, it's all just conjecture. Oh, and there's the fact that out of every meeting between Kobe and Pierce over the years, Paul has dominated in scoring ... yes, Pierce has scored more points on Kobe than Kobe has on him .... "bottome line" stuff.

[oneofthesedays]

The Lakers not being an elite defensive team won't matter because the Celtics are NOT a great offensive team.

Don't throw regular season stats at me, I'm talking about the playoffs.  Playoff basketball is a totally different beast than the regular season and it is the only thing that is relevant right now.  The bottom line is the Celtics score in the 70-80 pt range just as often as they do in the 80-100 pt range.  Hell I've even seen them put up a pathetic 69 pts.

There's another bottom line ... the Lakers can't play defense. Including the playoffs, the Lakers are 5 and 19 in games where they scored under 100 points ... that's horrendous! For that reason alone, I'd be terrified if I were a Lakers fan. The Celtics are a defensive Monster, and the Lakers very rarely win if they score less than a century ... we don't even have to put up huge offensive numbers to win this thing, just play the defense we've played all year long. Defense wins over offense, this team has proven it, and the Celtics of Bill Russell's era proved it. Tough to score points when you can't get the ball to the basket!

Keeping the Lakers under 100 ppg is one thing, but YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO SCORE that many points to beat LA.  BOS is not a great offensive team at all, and against a coach like Phil Jackson they will struggle to score.  How many low 70 and 80 point games have we seen from the Celtics thus far?  They will struggle just like the Spurs did, even more if Jesus Shuttlesworth goes MIA.

Your basing this on teams they've played other than the C's, not the Celtics, who allow fewer points than anyone in the NBA. Defense wins games, plain and simple ... it always has, and the Celtics are the best team defensively ... period. Not only have they dominated every team in the West, but your team hasn't even beaten us this year.

You can say that everything's different for the playoffs, and I'll agree that the intensity is different, but not the basic rules and disciplines of the game. Until the Lakers prove that their offense can overcome our defense, it's all just conjecture. Oh, and there's the fact that out of every meeting between Kobe and Pierce over the years, Paul has dominated in scoring ... yes, Pierce has scored more points on Kobe than Kobe has on him .... "bottome line" stuff.

Regular season, regular season, regular season.  How many times do I have to tell you guys that none of that is relevant?

There is a reason why the Celtics struggle to score points in the post season.  It's because teams have had time to gameplan against them and have exposed the weak Celtic offense for what it really is.  They are so heavily dependent on ISO plays from Pierce and KG, it puts a heavy pressure on all of the Big 3 to score (especially against a good offensive team).

If Jesus Shuttlesworth goes MIA the Celtics will not win this series.  They need him scoring 15-20 ppg every night, otherwise they will lose the same way the Spurs did.

[wdleehi]

The Lakers not being an elite defensive team won't matter because the Celtics are NOT a great offensive team.

Don't throw regular season stats at me, I'm talking about the playoffs.  Playoff basketball is a totally different beast than the regular season and it is the only thing that is relevant right now.  The bottom line is the Celtics score in the 70-80 pt range just as often as they do in the 80-100 pt range.  Hell I've even seen them put up a pathetic 69 pts.

There's another bottom line ... the Lakers can't play defense. Including the playoffs, the Lakers are 5 and 19 in games where they scored under 100 points ... that's horrendous! For that reason alone, I'd be terrified if I were a Lakers fan. The Celtics are a defensive Monster, and the Lakers very rarely win if they score less than a century ... we don't even have to put up huge offensive numbers to win this thing, just play the defense we've played all year long. Defense wins over offense, this team has proven it, and the Celtics of Bill Russell's era proved it. Tough to score points when you can't get the ball to the basket!

Keeping the Lakers under 100 ppg is one thing, but YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO SCORE that many points to beat LA.  BOS is not a great offensive team at all, and against a coach like Phil Jackson they will struggle to score.  How many low 70 and 80 point games have we seen from the Celtics thus far?  They will struggle just like the Spurs did, even more if Jesus Shuttlesworth goes MIA.

Your basing this on teams they've played other than the C's, not the Celtics, who allow fewer points than anyone in the NBA. Defense wins games, plain and simple ... it always has, and the Celtics are the best team defensively ... period. Not only have they dominated every team in the West, but your team hasn't even beaten us this year.

You can say that everything's different for the playoffs, and I'll agree that the intensity is different, but not the basic rules and disciplines of the game. Until the Lakers prove that their offense can overcome our defense, it's all just conjecture. Oh, and there's the fact that out of every meeting between Kobe and Pierce over the years, Paul has dominated in scoring ... yes, Pierce has scored more points on Kobe than Kobe has on him .... "bottome line" stuff.

Regular season, regular season, regular season.  How many times do I have to tell you guys that none of that is relevant?

There is a reason why the Celtics struggle to score points in the post season.  It's because teams have had time to gameplan against them and have exposed the weak Celtic offense for what it really is.  They are so heavily dependent on ISO plays from Pierce and KG, it puts a heavy pressure on all of the Big 3 to score (especially against a good offensive team).

If Jesus Shuttlesworth goes MIA the Celtics will not win this series.  They need him scoring 15-20 ppg every night, otherwise they will lose the same way the Spurs did.

If you look, they didn't score as many points against the 2nd and 3rd ranked defense.  I noticed the Lakers didn't score as many points against the Spurs as they did against the Jazz and Nuggets. 


In fact, looking at whatthe Lakers defense did to both Utah and Denver in the post season and regular season, there is little difference.  The only team that scored differently was the Spurs who were without a healthy effective Manu (except for one game where they did match what they did in the regular season)


So if other teams are score in the same range against the Lakers in the postseason and regular season, why would it be different for the Celtics?


As for Ray Allen, he got his confidence back and time off. 

[oneofthesedays]

Ray has had 1-2 good games in the entire post season.  He's a shooter, and by nature a streaky performer.  Just because he has a great game on day by no means is an indication that he is going to have a great series.  This huge 6 day layoff could put him back in a slump again for all we know.

I will say this.  If Ray-Ray is on fire and knocking down tres like he was in both regular season matchups the Lakers aren't winning this.

[BballTim]

The Lakers not being an elite defensive team won't matter because the Celtics are NOT a great offensive team.

Don't throw regular season stats at me, I'm talking about the playoffs.  Playoff basketball is a totally different beast than the regular season and it is the only thing that is relevant right now.  The bottom line is the Celtics score in the 70-80 pt range just as often as they do in the 80-100 pt range.  Hell I've even seen them put up a pathetic 69 pts.

There's another bottom line ... the Lakers can't play defense. Including the playoffs, the Lakers are 5 and 19 in games where they scored under 100 points ... that's horrendous! For that reason alone, I'd be terrified if I were a Lakers fan. The Celtics are a defensive Monster, and the Lakers very rarely win if they score less than a century ... we don't even have to put up huge offensive numbers to win this thing, just play the defense we've played all year long. Defense wins over offense, this team has proven it, and the Celtics of Bill Russell's era proved it. Tough to score points when you can't get the ball to the basket!

Keeping the Lakers under 100 ppg is one thing, but YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO SCORE that many points to beat LA.  BOS is not a great offensive team at all, and against a coach like Phil Jackson they will struggle to score.  How many low 70 and 80 point games have we seen from the Celtics thus far?  They will struggle just like the Spurs did, even more if Jesus Shuttlesworth goes MIA.

Your basing this on teams they've played other than the C's, not the Celtics, who allow fewer points than anyone in the NBA. Defense wins games, plain and simple ... it always has, and the Celtics are the best team defensively ... period. Not only have they dominated every team in the West, but your team hasn't even beaten us this year.

You can say that everything's different for the playoffs, and I'll agree that the intensity is different, but not the basic rules and disciplines of the game. Until the Lakers prove that their offense can overcome our defense, it's all just conjecture. Oh, and there's the fact that out of every meeting between Kobe and Pierce over the years, Paul has dominated in scoring ... yes, Pierce has scored more points on Kobe than Kobe has on him .... "bottome line" stuff.

Regular season, regular season, regular season.  How many times do I have to tell you guys that none of that is relevant?

There is a reason why the Celtics struggle to score points in the post season.  It's because teams have had time to gameplan against them and have exposed the weak Celtic offense for what it really is.  They are so heavily dependent on ISO plays from Pierce and KG, it puts a heavy pressure on all of the Big 3 to score (especially against a good offensive team).

If Jesus Shuttlesworth goes MIA the Celtics will not win this series.  They need him scoring 15-20 ppg every night, otherwise they will lose the same way the Spurs did.

  The Lakers scored 115 a game vs the Nuggets, 110 a game vs the Jazz and 93 a game against the Spurs. I don't see why the downward trend won't continue. You'd better hope Ray goes into another slump...

[BballTim]

Ray has had 1-2 good games in the entire post season.  He's a shooter, and by nature a streaky performer.  Just because he has a great game on day by no means is an indication that he is going to have a great series.  This huge 6 day layoff could put him back in a slump again for all we know.

I will say this.  If Ray-Ray is on fire and knocking down tres like he was in both regular season matchups the Lakers aren't winning this.

  You just said the Celts need him to score 15-20 a game. He's scored 14 or more in 4 out of his last 5 against a better defensive team than the Lakers. Anything can happen in the finals but I wouldn't rely too much on Ray playing like he did against the Cavs.

[nickagneta]

Ahhh. Poor Laker fans! They just can't let a little thing like the facts stand in their way of arguing a point. Good for them!

[Analyst]

The Celtic's under Doc play team D as opposed to individual D which is why they are so good at stopping other teams best players.

Shooting% against Boston 2008:
Bryant: .326
Anthony: .367
James: .414
McGrady: .364
Nowitzky: .439

[oneofthesedays]

If you play Kobe like you did Lebron Kobe will torch you.  The last thing you want to give Kobe is wide open jumpshots.  He is capable of knocking those down at a high percentage unlike Lebron.