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The Pierce return was great stuff. And I like that KG decided to be the man at the finish which is what everyone has been wanting from him.

Wheelchair was a stunt.
Most gullible people fall for it though.

One thing that was completely overlooked by the "experts" was the fact that defense always prevails, which was very evident at the end of the game when the Celtics got a bunch of key stops. Sam Cassell shouldn't play for the rest of the series, he was killing them for a while, and let the Lakers back into a game in which the Celtics should've put away. There's no way the Lakers can win the championship by relying solely on their offense, they need to tighten up their defense.

BRINGTHEPAIN wrote:That was the most entertaining NBA Finals game1 since Bulls/Jazz 1997 whereby Jordan capped off a tight and physical game with the buzzer-beater.

Wow dude...really?

Sixers/Lakers 2001 game 1 was much much much much much better than this game.

BRINGTHEPAIN wrote:That was the most entertaining NBA Finals game1 since Bulls/Jazz 1997 whereby Jordan capped off a tight and physical game with the buzzer-beater.

What about Sixers/Lakers game 1 2001?

The Laker Kid wrote:Did Phil get outcoached?

Looked more like execution and hitting shots. Phil wasn't to blame for that.

Big Lob wrote:-= original quote snipped =-



Looked more like execution and hitting shots. Phil wasn't to blame for that.

Agreed. Rivers made some mistakes, I def. wouldn't blame this on Phil. Hard to win when the MVP goes 9 for 26.

Sixers/Lakers game 1 2001 was good but the quality of performance wasn't at the same level as Bulls/Jazz. Niether was the level of drama.

Wasn't a blowout, so I think game 2 is still up for grabs. I don't expect Kobe to shoot so poorly again, either.

Once again, you do need at least decent depth in the playoffs, and it needs to be relatively diverse depth. The difference is just the rotations and players used are more set, and the factor of rest is lessened.

This is in reference to something I've seen said multiple times over the years, that you don't need depth in the playoffs. Of course you do, that's a key part in being a title contender.

BRINGTHEPAIN wrote:Sixers/Lakers game 1 2001 was good but the quality of performance wasn't at the same level as Bulls/Jazz. Niether was the level of drama.

Nobody said that game. You said tonight's Celts game was better than any Finals game 1 since Bulls/Jazz. Thats not true. Sixers/Lakers was better than tonights game. Not better than Bulls/Jazz.

Iggyemu wrote:-= original quote snipped =-



Nobody said that game. You said tonight's Celts game was better than any Finals game 1 since Bulls/Jazz. Thats not true. Sixers/Lakers was better than tonights game. Not better than Bulls/Jazz.

Yep, great Celtics victory tonight; but this game doesn't stand a chance against game 1 of Sixers - Lakers finals.

Once again we hear Mark Jackson comparing Kobe to Jordan, and once again it hurts his credibility....HEAVILY.

For those who haven't heard, Jordan describes Mark Jackson is a "hot dog".

eatyourchildren wrote:Wasn't a blowout, so I think game 2 is still up for grabs. I don't expect Kobe to shoot so poorly again, either.

I agree, Kobe should have a high % and Odom will be better. Boston is going to have to be even better than they were today. hopefully that means no Cassell

Pistons/Spurs G5 2005 is an all-time classic IMO, and has been shown multiple times on NBA TV and ESPN Classic...

And as mentioned same for Sixers/Lakers G1 '01... awesome game

Boston is just more physical. They have P.J Brown, Posey, Perkins, that are physical players. Lakers have probably more talented, but finesse players. They should try to speed up the tempo more at times.

Boston is a team, if Lakers win the next game. Lakers will probably win it in 6. If Boston wins the next one. This probably going 7.

idrinkrootbeer wrote:One thing that was completely overlooked by the "experts" was the fact that defense always prevails, which was very evident at the end of the game when the Celtics got a bunch of key stops. Sam Cassell shouldn't play for the rest of the series, he was killing them for a while, and let the Lakers back into a game in which the Celtics should've put away. There's no way the Lakers can win the championship by relying solely on their offense, they need to tighten up their defense.

I disagree on Cassell. He just needs to be kept on a short leash. When his shot is on it's very helpful since we have so little scoring on the second unit and he can take some pressure off the big three. When his shot is off he needs to yanked quickly though as he's a blackhole. I trust him with PG duties more than House though they should share minutes depending on who's got the hot hand.

The Celtics did what they planned to do to Kobe, turn him into a volume jump shooter. They have done that to him three times this year and that has contained him and beaten the Lakers three times. This is why Tom Thibodeau should be an NBA head coach.

I kind of feel like this series is going to be won in six by either team.

CoolD wrote:Boston is just more physical. They have P.J Brown, Posey, Perkins, that are physical players. Lakers have probably more talented, but finesse players. They should try to speed up the tempo more at times.

Indeed.