Celtics 92, Lakers 86 (Celtics lead 3-2)

We knew before this game that each team would be fighting for their life trying to avoid being on the brink of elimination. There was only one team that deserved to win this game, and the other team truly deserves to be on the brink of elimination.

Both teams came out of the gate full of enthusiasm. They both had urgency and purpose, but that lead to many rushed plays and a ton of turnovers. The Celtics came out aiming to beat the Lakers with fierce team defense and smart shots. Throughout the entire game, they did just that. No matter who was on the floor for Boston, starters or bench players, the outcome was a group of players that were focused on defense and smart on offense. On Sunday night, the Celtics were the best team in the NBA.

For the Lakers, Andrew Bynum did play and start, but he was extremely ineffective. He couldn’t get any loose balls and his defense was not as intense as it would normally be. He played over 30 minutes, which is incredible, but other than having his body on the floor, he really had nothing to offer. Los Angeles managed to hang around in the first half, but you never had the feeling that they would be able to take a lead because they were being outplayed from a team standpoint. Their defense wasn’t terrible or anything, but their offense could not create anything outside of Kobe Bryant.

Speaking of Kobe, he was all the offense the Lakers had in the third quarter. He scored 19 of the team’s 26 points en route to his 38 total points. But then there was Paul Pierce for the Celtics, who was trying his best to match Kobe shot-for-shot. Not many people can do that, but Pierce was darn close. He scored 11 points in a very important third quarter, which allowed the Celtics to grow their lead to 8 points, despite Kobe’s mastery. After three quarters, the Celtics were shooting 66 percent for the game. The only reason they weren’t up by more is because they had so many turnovers.

The fourth quarter was more of the same. The Lakers couldn’t get buckets, and they had to resort to scoring most of their points in the quarter from the free throw line. The Celtics played terrific defense and got some odd scores on plays that were created on fate and luck. Call it the luck of the Irish, but the Boston Celtics are only one win away from an NBA championship.

Here are some questions that will be answered as the series moves back to Los Angeles:

Can anyone guard Rajon Rondo? He has been the thorn in LA’s side on offense and defense. When the Celtics are playing frantically or looking for something to be created, there’s Rondo. When a play is breaking down, there’s Rondo. He is the reason the Celtics are one game away from another NBA title.

Will the Celtics allow any points? Don’t laugh, this is a serious question. The Lakers have worked so hard for every bucket this series. They aren’t doing themselves any favors by not scoring from the free throw line, but it’s probably because they aren’t used to scoring in general.

Will anyone on the Lakers show up, other than Kobe? In Game 1, the entire Lakers team played terrific and it was owned by LA. In Game 3, Derek Fisher was the man in the fourth quarter. Those are the only two games the Lakers won. All the rest they relied on Kobe Bryant and were clueless otherwise.

Can the Lakers overcome this big loss to win both games at home? The Lakers can be a resilient team. Phil Jackson teams typically can erase a game and come out and win when they need to. But can they stop the Celtics’ momentum that they’ve built going into Game 6. I’m not sold on it.

Can the Celtics close it out in LA? They were just as good on the road this year as they were at home, plus they are 2-1 in Los Angeles this year (including the regular season). So yes, they can. But will they?

-Shooter

Bonus: Biased Rant – I can’t take this anymore, and since I am covering this game, I am allowed to do this. I’m a Nets fan, but the Lakers are my Western Conference team. So, 1) I’m rooting for LA, and 2) I hate the Celtics. I hate Boston because this team is made of guys who don’t play normal basketball. They set dirty screens and they are annoying, flat out annoying. Even their PA announcer is annoying – ask to hear my impression of him and you’ll probably hate him too.

As for the actual games, many calls in Boston have gone towards the Celtics. I do think that will change in Los Angeles. I’m hoping that Kobe can do this again because if he does, I think the Lakers will win. As long as Ray Allen isn’t hitting 8 three pointers, the Lakers can win at home. Turn it on Lakers, Kobe can’t do it all by himself.

I leave this post with a picture of what I’m looking forward to since the Lakers will likely lose. Let’s go NETS!