duncan228
06-18-2010, 01:25 AM
Ugly Game 7 ‘A Thing Of Beauty’ To Lakers (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=tsn-uglygameathingofbeau)
SportingNews
Elbows were thrown. Bodies tossed to the floor. Headbands were dislodged, technical fouls handed out and star players roughed up. Ultimately, though, the Lakers survived one of the most intense, physical and offensively inept Finals games in memory, to win the NBA championship by an 83-79 score.
You might not have been expecting Spurs-Pistons circa 2005, but in Game 7 on Thursday, that’s what you got. After the game, Lakers coach Phil Jackson, still looking a bit dazed by a game in which both teams appeared to be playing uphill, took a deep breath and exhaled.
“Well, it’s done,” Jackson said, with a crooked smile. “It wasn’t well done, but it was done. And we did it with perseverance. I thought our defense was terrific. We were able to step in and play the kind of defense that we’ve established as kind of a calling for this team, and we found a way to generate some points. And it certainly was that, generating points.”
Generating points is a bit different than simply scoring them. Scoring points comes off of well-executed pick-and-rolls, crisp transition plays and crowd-pleasing dunks. There isn’t much beauty in generating points—it happens in yawn-inducing spots like the free-throw line and put-backs on offensive rebounds.
No one will ask the Lakers to return this year’s trophy, of course. They’re the champions no matter how ugly or unpleasant their Game 7 win was. And, in fact, to some, there was actually a certain charm to the game the Lakers played, some real satisfaction in the ability of a sometimes too-pretty team to grease up its elbows.
“I loved it,” guard Derek Fisher said. “That was hard work and desire. They can say it was an ugly game, but it was a thing of beauty for me.”
If you’re a Lakers fan, most of the box score won’t be particularly beautiful. The 32.5 percent shooting by the home team was decidedly awful, especially because it included 4-for-20 shooting from the 3-point line and a 6-for-24 performance from series MVP Kobe Bryant. But there were three truly exquisite numbers for the Lakers in this game, numbers that confirm what most already have figured out — if you think you can beat the Lakers simply by ugly-ing up the game, you’ve got another thing coming.
• 23. That’s the number of offensive rebounds the Lakers grabbed in Game 7. They came in averaging 11.5 offensive rebounds in the Finals, but simply hammered the Celtics and demoralized their defense by keeping possessions alive no matter how hard the Celtics played. In all, the Celtics took 71 shots, to 83 for the Lakers, and that’s how L.A. was able to overcome its brutal shooting percentage.
• 37. That’s the number of times the Lakers went to the free-throw line, again well ahead of their series average (27.2). With Boston center Kendrick Perkins out of the game with a knee injury, the Lakers were particularly aggressive in attacking the paint, a major factor in the Laker win.
“I thought the lack of size at the end of the day was the difference in the game,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. “I thought our guys battled down there, but 23 8, you know, on offensive rebounds, and then the 37 17 discrepancy in free throws, that makes it almost impossible to overcome.”
• 20. Suffice it to say, all is forgiven between antsy Lakers fans and forward Ron Artest. Posting 20 points, Artest was 7-for-18 from the field (which qualifies him as a deadeye in this game) and helped hound Paul Pierce into 5-for-15 shooting.
“Ron Artest was the most valuable player tonight,” Jackson said. “He brought life to our team, he brought life to the crowd.”
Perhaps Jackson is on to something. At times in this series, Artest’s game has simply looked ugly. Fitting that he should be MVP of the series’ ugliest game.
SportingNews
Elbows were thrown. Bodies tossed to the floor. Headbands were dislodged, technical fouls handed out and star players roughed up. Ultimately, though, the Lakers survived one of the most intense, physical and offensively inept Finals games in memory, to win the NBA championship by an 83-79 score.
You might not have been expecting Spurs-Pistons circa 2005, but in Game 7 on Thursday, that’s what you got. After the game, Lakers coach Phil Jackson, still looking a bit dazed by a game in which both teams appeared to be playing uphill, took a deep breath and exhaled.
“Well, it’s done,” Jackson said, with a crooked smile. “It wasn’t well done, but it was done. And we did it with perseverance. I thought our defense was terrific. We were able to step in and play the kind of defense that we’ve established as kind of a calling for this team, and we found a way to generate some points. And it certainly was that, generating points.”
Generating points is a bit different than simply scoring them. Scoring points comes off of well-executed pick-and-rolls, crisp transition plays and crowd-pleasing dunks. There isn’t much beauty in generating points—it happens in yawn-inducing spots like the free-throw line and put-backs on offensive rebounds.
No one will ask the Lakers to return this year’s trophy, of course. They’re the champions no matter how ugly or unpleasant their Game 7 win was. And, in fact, to some, there was actually a certain charm to the game the Lakers played, some real satisfaction in the ability of a sometimes too-pretty team to grease up its elbows.
“I loved it,” guard Derek Fisher said. “That was hard work and desire. They can say it was an ugly game, but it was a thing of beauty for me.”
If you’re a Lakers fan, most of the box score won’t be particularly beautiful. The 32.5 percent shooting by the home team was decidedly awful, especially because it included 4-for-20 shooting from the 3-point line and a 6-for-24 performance from series MVP Kobe Bryant. But there were three truly exquisite numbers for the Lakers in this game, numbers that confirm what most already have figured out — if you think you can beat the Lakers simply by ugly-ing up the game, you’ve got another thing coming.
• 23. That’s the number of offensive rebounds the Lakers grabbed in Game 7. They came in averaging 11.5 offensive rebounds in the Finals, but simply hammered the Celtics and demoralized their defense by keeping possessions alive no matter how hard the Celtics played. In all, the Celtics took 71 shots, to 83 for the Lakers, and that’s how L.A. was able to overcome its brutal shooting percentage.
• 37. That’s the number of times the Lakers went to the free-throw line, again well ahead of their series average (27.2). With Boston center Kendrick Perkins out of the game with a knee injury, the Lakers were particularly aggressive in attacking the paint, a major factor in the Laker win.
“I thought the lack of size at the end of the day was the difference in the game,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. “I thought our guys battled down there, but 23 8, you know, on offensive rebounds, and then the 37 17 discrepancy in free throws, that makes it almost impossible to overcome.”
• 20. Suffice it to say, all is forgiven between antsy Lakers fans and forward Ron Artest. Posting 20 points, Artest was 7-for-18 from the field (which qualifies him as a deadeye in this game) and helped hound Paul Pierce into 5-for-15 shooting.
“Ron Artest was the most valuable player tonight,” Jackson said. “He brought life to our team, he brought life to the crowd.”
Perhaps Jackson is on to something. At times in this series, Artest’s game has simply looked ugly. Fitting that he should be MVP of the series’ ugliest game.