Game 3 Thoughts

Trying to keep things a little quicker tonight....

So the Lakers pulled it out in a strangely anti-climactic game. I kept waiting for someone to seize the game, as Kobe eventually did, but I don't think the Lakers want to be in another game in the 80s while they're in LA. Kobe really asserted himself from the beginning, taking it hard to the rim as much as possible. He ended up taking a good amount of midrange jumpers, but most of those came after he had established that he wasn't going to settle. He also worked hard at drawing fouls, despite uncharacteristically missing 7 or 8 free throws. And of course, when the game was on the line, Kobe abused Ray Allen two trips in a row to put the game out of reach.

Besides the aggressive play of Kobe Bryant, the biggest thing for the Lakers was the improved bench play. Turiaf and Walton didn't really put their stamp on the game, especially Walton, who really just looks overmatched out there at this point. However, Farmar, Vujacic and Ariza all played very well and ended up being the difference in the game. Farmar, I thought, played better than Fisher on the night, and really deserves more minutes when he's playing that well. Ariza did a good job defensively and on the boards on both ends. He's a big, athletic player who can really help out when he's playing under control- I like that Phil has been giving him minutes. And of course, there's Vujacic. Like I said in my series preview, Vujacic just loves playing at home. His antics are appreciated, instead of drawing boos, and he always shoots a better percentage. He is a complete pest to whoever he's guarding on defense, and he ended up making the biggest play of the game with a corner three down the stretch. The Celtics were gambling by doubling Kobe as soon as he crossed half-court, essentially opting to play 3 on 4 basketball, and Vujacic made them pay with the three pointer. After that, they had to play Kobe straight up, which is when he beat Ray Allen for those late baskets.

Oddly, the stars for both teams didn't really show up tonight. Out of the Celtics "Big 3", only Ray Allen played like he was a star, and Garnett joined the show late in the game. Pierce was a non-factor throughout. It's really refreshing to see Allen play well- people, myself included, forget how good he used to be and can be. In transition he's an absolute terror because of his ability to spot up and hit the three. As for the Lakers main three, only Kobe really made an impact. Gasol was especially troubling, because he really didn't play with any confidence and really was a liability at points. Odom gets himself in trouble with cheap fouls, and today was no different. Going on and off the court really hurts his ability to get into any kind of rhythm, but he finally got it going towards the end, taking it hard to the basket, and setting himself and others up for easier looks. Still, the lack of depth at the 4/5 is a huge problem for the Lakers, because all 3 big men of theirs are prone to foul trouble, and none of them really have the size/strength combo to match up with the Celtics. 

After these first three games, the one thing that struck me the most is how good the Celtics really are, or more accurately, how much I underestimated them. The Celtics are for real. Their great defense keeps them in every game, and they have enough firepower to make timely runs. And the fact that they were in this game without any contributions from their best player in the Finals so far (Pierce) really speaks to how good they are. 

One more thing that I thought was interesting about the game was the way it ended. The Lakers were up 87-81 with the ball and 20 seconds left, and the Celtics just let them play it out. At this point, NONE of the Lakers had been shooting free throws well, this includes Kobe, and yet, the Celtics let them just play it out. You always wish that teams would do this, but to see it actually happen, especially in the Finals, it just didn't seem right, almost like they gave up too early. Even if they had fouled they probably wouldn't have won, but I still think they should have tried.

However it ended, the Celtics are now up 2 games to 1 going into Thursday's Game 4. For me, not too many questions were answered- this was a sloppy game where Kobe really shined in the beginning and down the stretch, Ray Allen kept the Celtics in it, and the Lakers bench showed up for the home crowd to help them pull it out. If that style of game breaks out again, I'm not sure the Lakers win it. They really need some help from Gasol, and a complete game from Odom. I'd also expect Jackson to mess with his bench a little, giving a few more minutes to Ariza and Farmar, and taking some away from Walton. 

More thoughts to come before Game 4.