Reality check

I understand your paranoia. As a diehard Boston fan across the board, I still find myself in pre-2004 Red Sox mode..still! (wait, we did win 2 WS and 3 Super Bowls, right?). It just makes winning that much more thrilling I guess.

I see Garden/fan energy just emanating from everywhere on Tuesday. That leads to a major adrenaline rush in every man in a Celtic uniform. That adrenaline, the excitement of hoisting a trophy in a sea of Green will numb the injuries, the fatigue, etc.

The Cs will jump out to a huge lead, BUT will not relinquish it. They will play clamp down defense like never before. The Game 2 scare will NOT happen. Pierce won't have it.

Banner No. 17 will be raised.

Frank O'Brien trophy? Maybe if the B's were still playing and the year was 1950...I think you meant the Larry O'Brien trophy...

Whoops -- Frank, Larry, it's all the same....

Fixed in the post, thanks.

FYI, Ray Allen did not even attempt a 3-pointer in the 4th quarter.

You're right -- they were late third-quarter threes. Both wide-open shots during the stretch where L.A. grew a 4-point lead to a 9-point lead to end the quarter.

That's what I meant by "late in the game," although I realize most people take that to mean the fourth quarter.

Magic's sky hook came in game 4 of the 87 series, not game 6.

couldn't agree more....

Ah yes, Game 4. Fixed. Hey, I was 9 at the time.

As an aside, how are everybody's sleep schedules doing? Mine is obviously taking a beating.

Another aside ... love the wiki-style editing platform this post is becoming. Good work, keep it up.

Changed my daily workout to tomorrow night in anticipation of staying up late tonight to witness banner 17. I admit I have not stayed up for many of these. It's really a shame - my 5yo would have liked to watch this stuff on Sunday in the AFTERNOON like in the old days. Although I share some of your concern, I think they will likely do it tonight ...

I share the same concerns as Jesse. Since Im living half way around the world at the moment, I have not been able to get a good feel for the true pulse of Boston fans right now, but from what Ive read online and on the chats I sense a lot of confidence primarily because they are playing at home. However, the injury to Perkins is a major concern, much more so than Rondo I think, and this isnt the same physical, bruising Celtics team from Games 1 & 2. They won Game 4 by going small which Phil Jackson wasnt ready for but he learned his lesson in Game 5. I pray they close it out in Game 6, because in a Game 7 I dont see Kobe allowing his team to lose.

Good call... Everything that could go wrong for the C's has gone wrong, from the injuries to the travel mess. Now they have to turn around the very next day, after 12 hour delayed cross country flight (Thanks Stern) and play a relatively fresher and younger Laker team...They better end it tonight, because I'm not sure what they will have left for Thursday.

Hopefully the Garden faithful will give that added boost to their team tonight. GO CELTICS!

You have way too much time on your hands to worry. Calm down my friend. You are talking about all the reasons why it can't happen. Let's talk about why it can, and will.

1. The crowd is going to be setting their hair on fire with excitement!

2. It simply isn't possible for KG to play worse in game 6 than he did in game 5!

3. Ray Allen is the MAN!

4. Paul Pierce is like a shark circling. He can smell blood in the water.

5. Doc Rivers has proven this year that he can and will pull the right levers at the right time.

Number 17 will be won tonight. The Lakers are a good team but they have shown me nothing in this series. Limping to two weak victories on their own floor. Pau Gasol ("If I only had a heart") and Lamar Odom will not be nearly as effective in the Garden. They are never as good on the road.

Kobe said he won't be going for 40-50 points a game in this series, because that isn't the way they are going to win this series. The truth is that is the only way they are going to win this series, but he knows it isn't possible against this defense. Offense fills seats, defense wins championships.

This 2007-2008 Celtics team has restored my faith in the NBA. I thought the NBA game had become all about one star and other mediocre sideshow characters and the offenses were all one dimensional. This Celtics team has changed my mind on that.

If Paul doesn't step up, Ray Allen will. If Ray doesn't step up, KG will.

Who will come off the bench with a heroes performance. Powe? Posey? House? Cassell? P.J.? It will be someone.

Rondo and Big Perk will give what they got. If they can't, someone will step up.

It is time to believe.

Go Celtics!

rondo is definitely hampered. derek fisher beat him on a jump ball. that can't happen. jordan farmar was flapping his ears and blowing right by him. that can't happen.
and am i the only one suspicious of this plane heist? if you recall, the same thing happened to the spurs while playing...yep- the lakers! this one-ups any thermostat shenanigans red ever pulled off. can we get any video of purple & gold clad mechanics lurking near the team's charter?

Between Shank and your articles today, I think the legendary fatalism of Boston fans is sourced from it's media commentators! When you're ready to take a break whizzing in our Cheerios, relax and enjoy watching KG, Paul, Ray and the supporting cast bring home the trophy tonight.

The Lakers haven't shown to be anything resembling a NBA Champion yet. They lack resolve, cohesiveness, and regular bathing habits. Their defense is as porous as advertised, and that will be the difference tonight. The Celtics defense is clearly superior and will carry us to #17 tonight. "Just like that...[Pierce]...will...kill...you!"

As for the travel debacle, why didn't Celtic ownership charter a red-eye out of LA immediately after Game 5? They would have gotten in at 5 or 6 a.m., and then had all day to either sleep and recuperate.

I put this on Cs ownership, rather than on Stern. Who knows... Stern's rulers, ABC/ESPN probably forced his hands on the playing schedule.

I understand your paranoia, but you have to get a grip. Everyone keeps talking about Kobe going off, didn't he have 36 in game 3. Maybe, just maybe that is about as good as it will be for him. The key will be our role players. If they play like every bench plays when at home, we will win this. Allow it to sink in, we have had to deal with Dino Radja, Rick Fox, etc. so it is hard to remember being a perennial finals participant. We will be popping dem bottles tonight!

Thank you for keeping it real...I'm still very disappointed in Sunday's outcome, as the last thing I wanted to see was the series returning to the Garden. That's why I totally disagree with C's fans who say they were kinda hoping the series would return to Boston so they'd have a shot to win it in front of the home crowd. If a team has a chance to get it done, regardless of venue, they should take care of business. Since the C's didn't get it done, they've opened the door for all of the issues you mentioned above to potentially affect the rest of the series.

I had a bad feeling on Super Bowl Sunday, had a bad feeling all day Sunday about game 5, and am nervous as heck about tonight's game.

Your points are valid, but you're making them selectively. For instance, you harp on any negative Celtic trends, but use Kobe Bryant's lukewarm performance to point out that he is due for a big game.

The only issue that really concerns me is Kendrick Perkins being out. We saw how much less effective Kevin Garnett was without him. But come on, the Lakers have been without Andrew Bynum for months. This is professional sports. Players are going to get hurt and it's up to their teammates to compensate for it.

And could you imagine how great you would have felt if someone had told you a year ago today that the Celtics would be up three games to two in the NBA Finals and playing at home?

This will be a close one, a four- to eight-point game, but I think Boston's depth, defense, and home crowd make the difference.

This dude Nunes has been negative about the Celtics all season...it's irrational and annoying

I have many of the same feelings as Jesse, but thanks to Peter (#13) for cheering me up and getting me a little more hyped for the game tonight. GO CELTS!!!!

You might be the only one.. the Lakers have BARELY scratched out 2 wins in 3 MUST win games. They can't play defense, they have 3 offensive options and 2 have a tendency to disappear.. it would be shocking if the lakers win.

I’m seeing all this Nunes-worry on the Celts/Lakers, and thought I’d settle it all with some hard science, to end the upset stomach. It all comes down to one thing:

The Johnny Quest Factor. To wit:

- Nunes says when he was nine, he watched the Magic sky-hook.
- At 9 years old in '87, Johnny quest had to have been watched.
- At the prompting of Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, P.J. Brown joined the Green at the end of February this year.
- From 1996-2000 P.J. was coached by Pat Riley at the Heat.
- Riley also coached Kareem Abdul Jabbar of the winning Lakers team in ‘87.
- Kareem starred with, among others, Barbara Billingsley in the movie ‘Airplane’ (you’ll remember, she spoke jive).
- Barbara Billingsley was best known as Mrs. Cleaver in Leave it to Beaver.
- A young actor know as Tim Matheson appeared in two episodes of the show as a friend of the Beav.
- Tim Matheson voiced the character of the original Johnny Quest (but is best known as Eric, “Otter” Stratton, and his stirring speech that is capped with, “Well, I for one am not going to site around and listen to you bad-mouth the United States of America… gentleman!”).

- Therefore, P.J. Brown brings the karma of Johnny Quest to the Green.

*ahem*… Johnny Quest never loses a battle. Celts in Six.
(Why does everyone try to make things seem so difficult?!)

Hey I'm a die-hard Celtics fan and I have watched every Finals game so far, but I am living in Germany and due to the time difference the games start a 3 am, so my last week has been pretty crazy because I had to go to work after the games...
So PLEASE CELTS, finish it tonight!!
I'm ready for vacation...
GO CELTICS!

TH, if there were national awards for blog comments, you surely would at least have to be nominated. Johnny Quest? That was fantastic.

Too funny, TH!

Go Celts!

The fatigue factor comes into play here. I don't think the loss of Perk in itself is enough to cause the Celtics to lose tonight, but Pierce having to go nearly 48 minutes last game combined with the delayed flight is another matter.

Let's hope that the Celtics have a decent lead going into the 4th quarter because the fatigue factor will probably affect the (older) Celtics more than the (younger) Lakers late in the game.

What is up with this Jesse Nunes guy? He's a Celtics blogger and he can't even get his facts straight. Frank O'Brien trophy??? Are you kidding me??? Magic's sky hook in game 6??? Who cares how old you were at the time, if you were a Celtics fan, you should know it was game 4 as it was arguably the toughest loss in Celtics history and they've only been showing the highlight and discussing it on every channel & website over the last 3 weeks. And since when is the 3rd quarter "late in the game"??? Hey Nunes----ever heard of proof-reading your posts to make sure you have the facts correct? Funny thing is you probably did & still didn't know how badly you messed up. Let's just hope the Celtics have it together much better than Nunes. Bottom line is the Lakers haven't showed they have what it takes to win 2 in Boston. Even with the C's injuries, they will feed off the crowd & their defense will put them over the top. LET'S GO CELTS!!!

You know what when everything goes wrong something can go right.
- Paul may be out of gas, legs, age, and ruled out as washout couple years is there. Against all odds he is knocking all sorts of shots and defending the next best thing after Jordan. I call Kobe poor man's Jordon like my Dad used to call Airbus poor man's Boieng. Like Lexus the plastic Mercedes. I guess I am getting carried away on this. But Paul is acting like he cannot be denied like Barkley. Hmmm.. well he almost got the ring but real Jordan stood in his way.

-Allen was written off when he was traded to Supersonics. We wrote him off in the playoffs also but something triggered him in Detroit. Family problems and gaurding Kobe and yet he is still knocking shots.

-Garnett has written himself off and cannot do no worse than he did on Sunday. Yes he needs help from teammates and cannot handle pressure but you know what he is still getting double double in almost every name if not every game. He was three frew throws off from a title. Rest or no rest all he needs are four or five dunks in 4rth.

-Rondo is looking real shaky and even he cannot shoot 1-7 at home. All he needs to do is get it to 4-11. I would take 3 dunks/layups, 1 three, 2 blown layups, and 2 blown jumpers from him. Get to the line or make Lakers pay for letting him loose. Attack Kobe early. No FEAR!

I think what will Gel this team in Game 6 (if they win) is going to be the bench. Posey, Cassel, Eddy, DOC, and Thib. Powe, Rondo, and Garnett will hopefully be fed energy from Paul and the bench. If Kendrick comes back it will be Paul's Return Part II. Lakers want no part of that.

For some reason I don't think any more can go wrong tonight.

Couple of counter points:

1) Rondo plays MUCH better at home.
2) Powe plays MUCH better at home.
3) Because its a home game, the Refs will probably give us more calls. I hate how that is in the NBA, but we have seen it all Playoffs long.
4) Kobe will not get a no call late in the game when he got no ball and all of Pierce's body. To not call that a foul after the two ticky tack fouls on KG in the first half was a travesty.
5) I see Big Baby playing about 15 minutes of D on Gasol and fouling out, but making Gasol work for points.

The sky is falling . . .
The sky is falling . . .

Suck it up and deal with this like a man.

The Celts will win because they are the better team.

Stop crying!

Lots of neg, no pos.'s. Like the probable emergence of Tony Allen. If they can somehow control his over-exuberance without restricting his energy, he may just make up for Rondo's being less than 100%. Also, PJ seems to mesh a lot better than he was doing earlier in the playoffs.

PS: The stupid schedule is the same for both teams, and will probably hurt the "soft" Lakers more than the Celtics. Final Score: 111-94, Celtics.

Jesse, is the wedding off if the C's choke it?

Celtics Win Big Tonight. Career Performance from KG.

Celtics are a great TEAM. The injuries and problems are something they have overcome consistently throughout the year. They need to play the same way tonight. Energized, focused, and dedicated to finish the full 48.

The Celtics need to use the players who are delivering tonight regardless of their status as a starter. I saw House contribute more to the wins than Rondo. If Rondo is not delivering tonight, then play the bench. The bench had some great contributions, and Doc needs to play the players who can win TONIGHT.

If Perkins and Rondo are not up to par, put in the bench, or you might as well throw in the towel. The Lakers are a team that can light it up instantly, and we need to have good lead and play solid ball if we expect a win.

Kobe appeared to be a great offensive player in a league that did not have great defense. Now that the defense is there, he still shows as a great player, but no where near Jordan, as the press keeps stating. MJ was lighting it up even when he did not have a good team around him. His defense could stop a down hill locomotive.

I am a Celtics fan, but I realize that in the Championship games, they play them for a reason. The team that comes to play, wins. If they both come to play, then we win (the fans), and probably the Celtics.

More to say, no more time to type. Hope to see #17 tomorrow.

This game will come down to who wants it the most. Whichever team is the most aggressive will win this game. That's how this series has gone for the first five games. The most aggressive team usually wins. If Boston does not come out and play aggressive for 48 minutes, they could very well lose this game. It will come down to this: How bad does KG, Allen, and Pierce want a ring. Or how much Kobe wills his team to tie this thing up and force a game seven where anything can happen. Personally, I would not bet against Kobe Bryant in a game seven with a championship on the line. What out Boston! You had better end this tonight!!!

Gotta call you out on your logic, TH.

JERRY MATHERS was the Beav. Not Tim Matheson. Two different guys entirely.

Gonna have to look harder for your degrees of separation.

Go Celts!

Norm -- you're right, no excuses on those. Proofreading at midnight is not the best idea. Although I still contend the end of the 3rd quarter can be considered late in the game.

JG -- No, but it may have the feeling of a funeral if that happens.

Bob M. -- Great point on T.A. -- I loved how he got that early steal, you knew he was going to be in the game after that, and be useful. The thing about T.A. is, you put him out there early, and if he makes a mistake, you need to pull him for the rest of the game. He can't pull himself out of a mental funk, not this year at least. But if you put him in and he does something good right off the bat, you ride that for as long as you can. And Doc, to his credit, did that. Is was great to see Tony finally play some good basketball in a meaningful game.

celtics need to get ready for game 7 .....Lakers will prevail !!

Celtics have no business winning this title but they are about to. It should be Lakers who should be winning this title and it is them who are expected to win the title not these Celtics. Not Paul Pierce's Celtics, Not Doc's, Not this 2008 version. Bird's Celtics yes, but not these. Yes they won 66 games but it is supposedly the weak eastern conference (what Laker fans say). Right? I guess it is unless we win the game tonight.

Lets check history:

-Lakers get Phil Jackson with 6 rings to coach Shaq and the misfits. Phillip or should I say Shaq delivers 3 rings. Then 2nd fiddle becomes main fiddle (Kobe).
-Phillup now with 9 rings brought back to deliver another few rings with MJ wanna be clone Kobe.
-Fisher brought back for point. Odom added and still got schooled by SUNS for last 2 years.
-Then mid season gift from Memphis in Gasol. Jerry West was Manager for Lakers, then Memphis, and then cosulting for Lakers. Does that have anything to do with. Hmmmm. Anyway we got Garnett from McHale so I should not complain.

-Celtics get Doc with no rings
-Celtics get Big 3 but no one thinks anything of them. Whose is going to be at point .. Rondo?? Rondo who? Kendrick what? Who are these people? Basketball fans are shocked to see 66-16 record accumulated this year. Me included. But then its a weak East. Garnett never got out of 1st round, Allen shooting gaurd like Allan houston (softie and over rated), and Paul is a washout. Right? I heard this all over ESPN.
-Celtics taken to 7 by hawks with loosing record 37-45 team? I am like yeah that was going to happen. 66 wins got them tired like Dallas and Suns. Early success does not mean championship or deep playoff run.
-Here is the shock.. Celtics take Deeeetroit down. Okay with hobbling Billups but that may have taken Celtics 7. To be a champion you got to beat a champion and I think Detroit won it in 2004 and beat Lakers with Shaq and Kobe, let Game 7 slip from 1 quarter from bruce the cheat bowen, and let themself choke on King James Hype. Swallowed it, spit it back, and swallowed it again. Yuk what a mess Detroit did. Nevertheless they were the biggest hurdle other than these lakers.

Maybe it was MJ winning 6 rings, Shaq winning other 3, and Tex Winters inventing triangle. What did Phillip do? Well Phillip inherited a finesse player who could dunk, shoot, steal, rebound, assist, trash talk, cheat when needed, drive, have his own shoe, fly, .. did i say fade? Well, MJ could do it all. He did put 63 in 87 on US. So you add a few 3 pt shooters, third class centers, flaky moody Pippen (so like Odom), and hand the ball to MJ last 5 minutes team and you got 6 rings. He added Rodman (bug opponents like Malone in sick manner) to do dirty work like Bruce Bowen does. Phillip brings similar strategy with Rick Fox who tried to do Rodman part 2.

Then Phillip gets Shaq who even knocked Barkley Cold. 300 pounds of frieght train that could roll over any center. When in trouble send ball down low and dunk. Great strategy Phillip! When not in trouble free wheeling Kobe knocks 3 pointers. Fishers and foxes putting 3's also. 3 more rings and couple blown because Kobe the cancer can't handle being 2nd.

I wonder if Phillip can take this title. Everything has gone wrong for Celtics and yet Celtics are the ones going for the kill. Lakers won game 5 but Kobe looked like the one hunted. Why is he shooting long jump shots? Maybe he can't drive to the basket. Maybe he does want to take the beating. Maybe $150 million in his bank account has made him soft, maybe it looks better to miss a jump shot then get blocked down low, maybe a has 24 pts avg compared to MJ's 33 pts for a reason, maybe he is who we thought he is, maybe he is just kobe bryant.

Phillip handed the team to Tex, the ball to MJ or Shaq, and no wonder the sucker did not want to call timeouts. He does not want to be bugged during his Zen Meditations. Maybe Phillip is irked because he has to come up some other play other than "hand kobe the ball and move out triangle". Apparently 81 pts on Raptors got to Phillip and Kobe's head. He is a players coach and no wonder he does not call timeouts to bail them out becuase he got nothing better to offer. I think this title means more for Phil than anyone because he needs to get the asterisks out of his 9 titles. MJ asterisk and the three hundred pound asterisk.

Awesome Dennis Green Tirade:

The Bears are who we thought they were, the Bears are who we thought they were…We played them in Pre-Season, we played them 3 quarters, (expletive deleted), the Bears are who we thought they were, (expletive deleted), the Bears are who we thought they were. That’s why we took the damn field. Now if you want to crown em, then crown their (expletive deleted). But they are who we thought they were…”

LOL Laker are who we thought they are..

His fear is justified....we're all still reading from a certain massive choke job here in New England a few months ago. Don't light the cigars just yet. Even though the Celtics are a better team, the Lakers have enough fire power to force a game 7 and if that happens, anything goes.

We should be fearful of the fact that our team is very old. I think if they don't win it this year, it will not happen. The Western teams are so much younger and faster and I expect Cleveland, Detroit, and Miami will be making a splash next year so a repeat appearance may not be in the cards.

However...there is a big positive note tonight...Crawford is one of the refs at tonight's game and we all know he is not too fond of the Lakers. Besides, we know the league set this whole thing up for us to win it. It's the feel-good story the NBA needs to re-gain credibility. To us New Englanders, it's not cheating if we benefit from it so...oh well, maybe next year Lakers.

Melanie -- TH's post said, "A young actor know as Tim Matheson appeared in two episodes of the show as a friend of the Beav." ...Not the Beav himself:)

Pete & TH, I loved both of your posts. Lets keep it positive.
Tonight I'd like to hear the chant of "MVP" but it will be for Paul Pierce not Kobe.

GO CELTICS!!! Lets win # 17 on the 17th!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jesse put on you big-boy pants and saddle-up.

melanie..read the post from TH again...he said Tim Matheson appeared as a friend of the beav...and yes indeed, go celts!

When the Celtics play aggressive (i.e. take the ball inside, dominate the boards, & play smothering team defense) they win. When they settle for the outside shot they give up too many fastbreak points. The Lakers thrive on the transition game to break down defenses (just like Detroit, Cleveland, & Atlanta did). Play aggressive offensively & the L.A. fouls will slow the game.

In the NBA, home court equals more fouls on the visiting team. I think the Celtics realize what style they need to play tonight in order to win. L.A. fouls = Celtics win.

The C's will have a shut down D on the Lakers tonight, no doubt. Even though Kobe still has his points he's looking a little foolish with that MVP award knowing that they will be done in 6. It's not trash talk, it is what it is.

We know it,s not just easy, but the better team showed up so far, and they know what they have to do to finish this series. They have to do it tonight, though.

In game 7, this Lakers could become a giant.

Go Celts.

Oops! That's what I get for trying to read posts too quickly while at work! :)

I stand corrected.

But still... GO CELTS!!

stupid scheduling is what you gt whn you let TV set the schedule for its convenience.
celtsthruandthru

Keep the faith! The Celtics are the best defensive team in the league. Doc Rivers is a great coach. Whats more they are not the whining, pre-adolescent Lakers. Are you kidding me...Kobe an MJ? He'll never be the individual MJ is. Celtics are a scrappy team and they have class, lots of class!

This is how we do it.... Celtics all the way!

To All the Celtics and Celticfans: When the Garnett acquisition, and the Ray Allen trade happened last Summer, I felt we were going to be treated to something special. Now, with the mounting and nagging injuries, I can see so many more mountains in front of the "Stairway to Heaven"-Don't be Misled Zepplin-I believe this is the game to put the Lakers out. If we leave it to a 7th game, we'll be that much more drained. Just suck it up with the knowledge that we'll have 4 months to get R & R-Doc may not always have the best strategy, but he can motivate. Tonight preach like you're Billy Graham and Jesse Jackson rolled into one-KG, put all the demons to rest, play the game of your life, I don't know how much the Captain has left in the tank!-Give the Garden faithful and imprison the Lakers with that lockdown defense, like only Boston has played this year. DO NOT LET THE PURPLE & GOLD GET OFF EARLY!-GET THE LEAD AND DICTATE PLAY FROM THERE!- RAY RAY, take all your open shots-If the "J" isn't working early, drive to the hole-Let's bang them hard under the bords-Like Mickey told Rocky-"Don't let that bastard breathe,"-Give a 110%-Red would want you to do no less- GO CELTIC-BEAT-NO DESTROY LA

Hey Celtics fans,
triple "good luck" from an other big Celtics fan from across the ocean. All the best hops to the team and the fans from Bavaria, Germany.
I have a dream.... let's do it tonight ~ go Celtics!!!!
Stefan

I love KG, and we wouldn't be close to here without his MVP play this season. That being said, how can the "can't win in the clutch" sentiments be considered unfair? How is it possible to be 7 feet tall, athletic and spend 11 years in the NBA ans somehow not develop one post move. It is no coincidence that his T-wolves never did anything in the playoffs. Malone-Stockton should have on or two as well, but you can't have your 4 fading away from 10 feet. If he could get to the rim, this would have been over already.

The reality check article is just plain negative -- that kind of energy won’t help the morale. As a new C's fan I have faith that the team will pull it off !!!

You just have to know they will do it, thats it.

GO CELTICS.

Series recap...
Game 1: The Lakers outplay Boston until mid-3rd qtr when Inglewood makes his "miraculous" recovery. Boston eeks out a win.
Game 2: The Lakers win the 1st qtr, but Boston dominates 2nd and 3rd. The Lakers explode in the 4th to cut the lead to 2 pts, but lose in the last few seconds.
Game 3: An ugly game, but the Lakers squeeze one out. They outplay Boston in the 1st half. Boston wins the 3rd, but the Lakers control the 4th.
Game 4: The collapse. The Lakers have a 20 pt lead mid-3rd qtr, but give it all back. I feel like the '88 Oakland A's after Kirk Gibson's HR. Go Dodgers!
Game 5: The Lakers dominate the 1st half. Boston dominates the 3rd. The Lakers hold on in the 4th and force game 6.

Let me preface this by saying that I have been a Laker fan since 1980 and I'm also from LA. I've gone through the good and bad, fortunately more good than bad. I'm not a badwagon and I consider myself not only Laker fan, but a basketball fan as well. I would be stupid and ignorant to say "Boston Sucks" because you don't. You play tough, remain poised, and have an underrated coaching staff. These are definitely signs of a winner. But, here's my point...You should have closed it out in LA...gone for the jugular. And here's why...

1. You're defense can be beat and it will eventually break. Good offense beats good defense. The Lakers scored 41 pts in the 4th qtr of game 2 and also had huge 1st qtrs here in LA. The Celtics zone is easy to beat when the Lakers execute. In order to beat the zone, the Lakers simply have to drive and dish and hit the outside shot. Another thing they have to do is swing the ball, which will cause an imbalance in the zone. IMO, this will happen tonight. It's not so much that the Celtics are playing shut down defense, it's the Lakers being inconsistent in their shooting and not spacing the floor. Granted, the Lakers have been forced into bad shots, but most of the looks have been clean. It's a matter of execution, running the offense, spreading the floor, and running at every given opportunity. The Celtics play zone because the only person that can man-up for a whole game is KG.

2. The Kobe factor. He has yet to go off. As Kobe has said, "you keep shaking the tree, eventually a leopard's gonna fall out." In this case, it's the Mamba. Kobe's an intelligent player on both ends of the court. Sooner or later, he's gonna get you. Don't believe him when he says he won't go for 40 or 50. He'll do what's necessary. Remember, this is the man who scored 81 pts in 42 minutes and 62 pts in 3 qtrs. Kobe is also familiar w/ Coach Thibodeau (not sure how to spell that) as he coached Kobe as a youth. Kobe knows his schemes.

3. Pressure. The presure is now on Boston. They are expected to win. When has Pierce, KG, or Jesus felt this kind of pressure? Never! KG is already feeling it. He short-armed 2 late free throws in Game 5. Pierce was also stripped twice late in Game 5 and Jesus fouled out in a so-so game. On the flipside, the Lakers have taken this walk before w/ Kobe, DFish, and Phil and the coaching staff.

3. Injury/Age. Perkins has a bad shoulder. Inglewood's knee is supposedly ailing. Rondo's "feeelings" are hurt more than his ankle. As for age, the Lakers' young legs will take over. You know Boston did not want to play a game 6.

4. This is not the "old" Garden. There are no ghosts at TD Banknorth.

5. Irony...The Red Sox were down 3-0 in '04 to the Yanks and came back and won. How about the Lakers returning the favor? Phil would beat Red's record against Boston in Boston. Kobe would be > Jordan because of this comeback. The Lakers make the greatest comeback after having the greatest collapse.

Go Lakers! Purple and Gold! Magic is the GOAT!

if the big 3 play like the big 3 it's over whether kobe shows up or not. i'll be honest...after the superbowl, im not sure if i can take another meltdown of apocalyptic proportions. rondo, kg, pierce, and ray are going to have the biggest nights of their careers tonight! BLEED GREEN 17

Let's face the facts.....

1) The Lakers have been just as good at home this postseason as the Celtics. The Boston home crowd is extremely overrated....all of the bandwagon hopping Boston losers only come to the games so that they can dance to Gino on the jumbotron...and they are gonna have to wait until next year to see Gino again. Let's just say they weren't here supporting "their" team when the Celtics were playing the Pacers in the playoffs a couple years back.

2) Pau Gasol has outplayed KG in this series. Look at the numbers. KG has played soft D and been outrebounded. Face the facts..KG simply is not that good.

3) Ray Allen is softer than Sasha, and he isn't half as good a shooter. Let's put it this way, if Sasha got the same open looks as Ray, like he did in game 3, he would score more points than Ray and destroy Ray.

Go Lakers.......Boston sucks......1986

In case you didn't see it, the NBA announced the the Celtics will win game 6 tonight. If Kobe starts going off on them, the refs will just T him up and throw him out of the game.

"Kobe Bryant is the team" so says many a Los Angeleno. Yep, he's a great player. You got to be blind not to see that. But unfortunately, he'll never be the individual MJ is. Thats a ghost most wouldn't want to have hanging around.

I am looking at the TD Banknorth Garden as I write and I see the Green and White shining bright! I've seen it before... like the night I when I was in Marina Del Rey watching game 4 with the locals. Your Mamba's going to fall into the Green and White hole because this is how we do it!

Celtics!

"MVP" "MVP" "MVP" "MVP" "MVP" "MVP"

This is what you (Boston) fans were cheering for Kobe last year in Boston!! Who is the bandwagon? Who are the real "fakers?" This would never happen in LA! I guess this is what happens when you're team is irrelevant for over 20 years and you're fans show their true colors.

Go Lakers!
Purple and Gold!
Magic is the GOAT!

Something calling itself Bailey Heaps wrote "The Lakers have been just as good at home this postseason as the Celtics." (no. 56) Well, what good is that going to do them since the rest of the series will be played in Boston?

That's brilliant "wahoo." It takes a real rocket scientist to know that the next two games are being played in Boston. I was just making the point that it is a hoax to believe the Celtics are a superior road team. If not for a few horrendous calls, the Lake Show woulda taken game 1, and possibly game 2 as well.

Just like the Patriots, the Celtics will choke, and Sully and Murph can go back to their split-levels in Chelsea and start crying until October.

Also, forgot to mention this earlier, it is going to be fantastic when Phil breaks Red's record in Boston on Red's court, so all the haters out there can finally admit that Phil is a much better coach who has won more titles in a tougher era.

Thank you, that is all. Boston sucks.

Lakers in 7.
Hate to break to ya'....

Celts surprised tonight and then stunned on Thursday.
How? Kobe Bryant.

someone actually said girlname vujacisjjjac is better than ray allen?

please, please laker fans...show up here tomorrow.

GO CELTS

B. Heaps,

In post 61, you wrote, "I was just making the point that it is a hoax to believe the Celtics are a superior road team." Yet, your previous post makes no reference to the Celtics on the road; you were just talking about LA at home.

And as to Boston being better on the road than LA, who is making that claim? The Celtics 3-9 playoff road record is well-known. Their troubles away from Boston have been documented throughout the playoffs.

Next, what do the Patriots have to do with this game? It would make no more sense than me pointing to the Red Sox title as a sign the Celtics will win tonight.

As a Laker fan, I don't understand your concerns or your paranoia. Unless Perkins, Allen, and Rondo all don't play and Pierce twists his knee again, I don't see any way how this very soft Laker team can possibly win the last two games in Boston. Next year with a healthy Bynum...different story.

I am scared. Better team does not always win. NY GIANTS ends all the "better team" wins talk.

KB is a great talent. Why will he never be another MJ? Because at 15 years of age, KB was getting his Ass kissed by colleges AND the NBA, Jordan was getting cut from his high school JV team. Talent wise they are close, but this is the difference between them. Jordan had the fire built when he was 15, KB to know fault of his own, was a spoiled child given everything. No matter how hard he works, he won't know what it's like to cry all the way home from practice and tell his Mom he was cut. Jordan, on the other hand, never forgot.

Ernie (#66) nailed it right on the head.

I am all for fans being optimistic about their team, but here is a tip for the Laker fans:

http://www.latimes.com/

GO CELTICS!

Do we not remember The Patriots last February? It ain't over 'til it's over. I'm not worried just a bit concerned. They have to win tonight. No win tonight then I'm worried.

This whole thing reminds me of the overconfidence of the Super Bowl, that the SB would be a coronation for the Pats, etc....does anyone learn?
The Lakers are more than capable of winning both games against a very beat up Celtics Team. Watch out Boston.

If celtics fans wanna know why the Lakers fans are talking so much s..t it's because we feel the celtics can be beat even though we have'nt played well either.

The early rounds eliminated their invincible label.

Seeing them live eliminates any fear of them.

Injuries, exaggerated or real, are hampering the celts.

Fatigue due to age, travel, and an extended season are obvious.

The Lakers have been a resilient group all year. At least one of their bench mob WILL have a great game tonite.

As celts fans know, if not for that collapse, it would be 3 - 2 Lakers.

We will "hold" Pierce to

The game of basketball is nothing compared to the health and well being of a child. I am a life-long Laker fan, but my prayers are with Ray Allen that everything will be O.K. with his child.

Good luck Celtics fans. Hopefully tonight's game will not be as ugly as several in this series have been. It would be nice for one of these games to look like it is being played by the two best teams in the league.

be worried - its going to game 7

If nothing else, the sense of urgency in winning a championship should be motivation enough for Boston to win tonight. There are no guarantees. They realize this could be their only shot at it. There are so many young teams that will be really good in the next few years and may effectively close the Celtics' window of opportunity. These same Lakers that they are facing will be the perrenial favorites in the next couple of years and so they must beat them tonight .