First the obvious: We're a great road team ... we've proven that in the regular season and the playoffs, that playing in a foriegn and hostile environment is actually a motivating factor for us. Other motivation? The crap that Phil fed his team about us being the best team at losing/giving games away in the 4th quarter ... I'm glad he said it and glad it was taped, because it's the kind of thing that the C's feed off, and the kind of statement that inevitably comes back to bite the one who said it in the butt, (and it will on Tuesday).
Secondly: We can still play a heckuvalot better ... we turned the ball over far too many times, and gave the Lakers a ton of second-chance points. We've got to limit their activity on the offensive boards, and being smarter with the ball and limiting our sloppy plays and careless passes has to be a priority. Our bench can also play much better than they did tonight, and we have to get to the line more ... taking 13 free-throws is a travesty, and we've got to be more aggressive in that area. Our tres were pretty bad, too, so even that should improve.
Overall, we just have yet to play a great game start-to-finish, and we're due. If we improve even just one or two of these categories, and continue to play defense the way we have been, then Tuesday should be a similar blow-out to the 2008 Game 6 ... and that's just what I think we're in store for. But this time will be even sweeter, because we'll be doing it in their house, and sending the message that no matter where we play, we're just straight-up the better team ... period.
Go Celtics!
