Game 2
38-10.
What a joke. It’s basically impossible for a team to win a game where the opposition has 28 more free throw attempts. This is not an excuse for the Laker loss, but is without a doubt, a major reason.
Some analysts will tell you that it was the difference in aggressiveness that led to the Celtics getting all the whistles, as they were the ones driving to the hole and playing a physical style. I have a different opinion. The Lakers came out much more aggressive in the 1st quarter than they were in game 1. Kobe and Odom were taking the ball to the hoop, and Pau was bullying Boston in the paint. Then the quick whistles against the Lakers started. Then they continued. This triggered a domino effect. The Lakers get whistled consistently. They get into foul trouble. They stop playing physical defense. They can’t get into offensive rhythm (same as game 1).
Due to this sequence of events, it seems as if the Celtics dominated the game, were more aggressive, and basically, just wanted it more. That may be partially true, but it’s a ‘chicken and egg’ scenario.
The Lakers two biggest problems, that the officiating doesn’t control, are defending Pierce, and transition defense. For the latter, there is no excuse. LA gave up way too many easy baskets, some so atrocious that it should get them an extra hour of sprints in practice (if that sort of thing went on at the pro level). As far as Pierce goes, Phil Jackson tried to throw a new wrinkle at him by inserting Trevor Ariza early in the 1st quarter. Ariza is known as a defensive stopper, and would be a key factor in this series and throughout the playoffs if he hadn’t missed the last 3 months of the season with an injury. His length and athleticism would be ideal for defending Pierce, but you cant expect him to be effective when he’s only played about 10 minutes (at the end of games 4 and 5 vs. SA) since January. The answer, as usual, is Kobe. Kobe defended Pierce in the 4th quarter and did a great job, obviously. The problem was that Kobe was in foul trouble early, thanks to a few dubious calls by the aforementioned refs, and Jackson couldn’t risk it. Expect to see Kobe play Pierce a lot more in game 3.
Back to the officiating. Whether it was the fact that the Celtics were up by 20+, or Kobe got into their heads by reacting after another ‘no-call’ and getting a technical foul, the refs laid off the whistles in the 4th quarter. It’s no coincidence that this is when the real Laker offense emerged. They made plays defensively, got out in transition creating easy baskets, open 3’s, or cleared space for Kobe to operate. In any event, it was clear that the Lakers can score effectively against the best defense in the league, as long as they are simply, allowed to play ball.
So now the series moves to the Staples Center. I expect things to change, drastically, as they began to do in the 4th quarter of game 2. The bench will feel more comfortable and play like they did most of the season, the crowd will energize the team (and hopefully influence the officials), and the Lakers will make this a series.