Game three thoughts before i go to bed

[crownsy]

Overall, as much as it sucked to lose, pretty happy with this result and i'll tell you why.

1. Defense- All we heard going back to LA was how the lakers were going to light us up. Despite the expected surge from being back home, and the equally expected FT disparity in their favor (not griping, expected it, and acept it. just annoying)  34-22, we held the lakers to 87 points.

To me, thats a great sign. i fully expected them to drop 100 this game, and it didn't happen. holding them to 87 in front of thier home crowd bodes well for "win one in LA"

2. Paul was (predictably) sent to the bench early and often by crawford and crew with foul trouble (sweet lame offensive foul to break up his only semi-hot streak joey.) and never got into the game, KG shot terribly, and only ray had a good game from the big three offensively. yet, we still clawed into this one and had a shot to win late. again, bodes extremly well.

3. La's defense- Still looked pretty slow to rotate to me, though they made a much better effort than in Boston, credit where its due. but they looked terrible off screens for ray, and if we can establish KG in the post early,  as we tried to do mid way through the fourth, we should be able to get them in foul trouble.

4. Eddie house- good game by eddie, showed way more energy than sam, and hit some big shots. Hopefully (god willing) this ices the sam vs eddie issue in doc's mind, because once again, outside of one shot, sam looked awful and cost us 4-5 possessions with his poor shot selection, and farmer murdered him on cuts to the tune of 4 easy points. please let eddie play doc. I thought Sam would stablize the back up PG spot, I was wrong.


so, pretty much i go to bed deflated but pretty confident that one of these next two is a W for us.

What are you guys feeling?

[bbc3341]

I just feel the C's are the better team and tonight proved it. LA played well and the Celtics didn't.  A few bounces either way and it could be 3-0. Pierce will play much better next game, at least %s say he will!

[EJPLAYA]

Agree on all points. One of the two of KG or PP and we win that game.

I think we need to post Perk up a LOT more when Odom is guarding him. #1 he is pretty effective against him, and #2 it gets him in foul trouble. I think he should get quite a few more touches if KG refuses to go down there. It is actually a mismatch where Pau is long enough to bother KG's post game.

[vinnie]

I just feel the C's are the better team and tonight proved it. LA played well and the Celtics didn't.  A few bounces either way and it could be 3-0. Pierce will play much better next game, at least %s say he will!

Celts should win this series, but have to disagree on the L.A. played well statement.  They shot 42 percent from the floor and 61 percent from the line.  The refs let them play at the end and this was a game that Celtics should have won.  Honestly, I am disappointed in the way they played.

[LB3533]

We certainly could have snatched this game for a win, it was right there.

The Lakers had guys playing poorly too just like we did, but a couple of them showed a little signs of life in the end while we relied mainly on one guy all night (Ray Ray).

Lakers had two consistent performers all game.

[crownsy]

I just feel the C's are the better team and tonight proved it. LA played well and the Celtics didn't.  A few bounces either way and it could be 3-0. Pierce will play much better next game, at least %s say he will!

Celts should win this series, but have to disagree on the L.A. played well statement.  They shot 42 percent from the floor and 61 percent from the line.  The refs let them play at the end and this was a game that Celtics should have won.  Honestly, I am disappointed in the way they played.

im disappointed that KG or pierce didn't go off (though pierce was barley into the game thanks to the fouls) but we held them to 87 points in a game they wanted so bad it was painful, and they had (again, since i know a laker fan will quote this, not griping, thats the NBA, you deal with it as the visiting team) home cooking, going to the line 12 more times.

not really a bad loss in my opinion, and it dispels the "lakers are going to drop 100 on you whenever they want!" myth.

[GroverTheClover]

I feel relatively upbeat about the loss. The Celtics played about as bad as they could have, and only can improve from here. At the same time, it didn't look like the Lakers played as well as they could either. The Celtics were a few turnovers away from running away with this game. The Celtics dictated the pace pretty much the entire game and made the Lakers work in their half court sets, which is what I would prefer.

On a side note, KG needs to park his ass in the paint. Enough of the falling away 20 footers. Get in the paint, and get physical with Pau and Lamar.

[crownsy]

whats annoying is every single time he faced up with pau and went to the rim he won the match up.

go to the rim big fella.

[Frontierboy]

After the Tim Doneghey letter today, I'm not surprised we lost this game..... rating are up in the Finals so why would the league want the Finals to be a sweep?  The series is going 6 or 7 games easy.... let's just hope the refs like us and want us to win.

The NBA, where refs nots players decide games, happens.......

[jkron33]

I agree with everything you said. I really hope Doc keeps Sam out from now on. He is just awful. I think you missed on key point here though. Doc made a couple of mistakes down the stretch by taking Eddie out and putting Rondo in. That let LA back into the game. And, I'm not sure what they were thinking guarding Kobe straight up at the end on those last few possessions. Let someone else beat you. Get the ball out of that guy's hands at the end of a game. He is a killer at home at the end of game's.

[jimmyt]

you have to double team kobe during the final minute of the fourth quarter, sorry. hes the best shooter in the nba. you cant expect ray allen to be able to cover him one on one. double team kobe and take your chances with sasha odom or gasol. its simple. how you dont double kobe in the final minute is beyond me.

[crownsy]

they did double him, and sasha hit the dagger. that kids pretty money wide open, and to trap bryant at the three point line, you have to give him a wide open three.

rather have him shooting over the top with it being contested than see sasha hit a layup 3.

make no mistake, the dagger came when they DID double kobe and sasha put them up 4. combine that with the pierce no call and fisher "oh lord im hit!" move on the other end, and were down 6 and out.

[YouGotRondo d]

A couple things bother me from this game -- one mainly-- Doc Rivers.

Where were the in-game adjustments Doc? Cassell playing as long as he did? Perk seemed to be comfortable offensively, but no one ever got him the ball. How is Rondo on the bench the entire 4th quarter. You're telling me you'll risk a franchise player to injury but not a 22 yr old guard bouncing around like he's healthy? How is Ray Allen not the primary scoring option on the last couple of posessions? He's our only player even remotely in touch with his offensive game (granted KG got it going a bit for a while), and for some reason we try to postup KG when there is really no mismatch against Gasol? And finally the clincher, Ray Allen 1 on 1 with Kobe? You've gotta be kidding, not with the way Ray was being beat off the dribble all night. Just the double off of Odom, foul him, I mean please what was that?

Of course, it wasn't only Doc. Pierce was obviously off, (Did he look a little slow to anyone?),and KG was miserable. It seemed like Ray's night, but what do I know? Our defense also seemed to lack the kind of spirit it has at home and they seemed to miss a few key rotations (Sasha Vujachic anyone?)

With that said, this may sound like a rant, and it probably is, but c'mon Doc, youve done a great job all series, why let up now when we have them right where we want them? A win tonight would have been a killer for the Lake show, especially considering the putrid offense play of Gasol and Odom.

I hope tonight was just an off night for all parties not named Ray Allen, and based on the Lakers lack of offensive comfort at home I believe that the green have a lot to build upon for Thursday. (If we don't get killed by adjustments..)

[wdleehi]

they did double him, and sasha hit the dagger. that kids pretty money wide open, and to trap bryant at the three point line, you have to give him a wide open three.

rather have him shooting over the top with it being contested than see sasha hit a layup 3.

make no mistake, the dagger came when they DID double kobe and sasha put them up 4. combine that with the pierce no call and fisher "oh lord im hit!" move on the other end, and were down 6 and out.

The problem with that play, the Celtics double way far outside the 3 point line where Kobe is not a threat.  It spread the defense to thin.


but once Kobe gets inside the 3 point line in the 4th, double.

[cmoney]

Where were the in-game adjustments Doc?

you didn't see PJ playing over Perk down the stretch?  That's an adjustment baby!