Next thing you know they'll call on Collins to show 'em how to run that zone. He's probably waiting outside their Motel 6 with his short pants and clipboard.
Game 1 doesn’t sit well with Allen
By Marc J. Spears
There weren’t many seats in Staples Center better than the courtside one just down the row from famed actor Jack Nicholson. Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers was roaming nearby, too. The problem, however, was that Ray Allen wasn’t getting paid to sit and watch Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
He wanted to play.
Saddled with five fouls, Allen spent 21 minutes of the Celtics’ 102-89 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on the bench. The reason? He was tasked with helping defend Kobe Bryant, who wouldn’t mind keeping Allen on the sideline as much as possible.
“It was frustrating,” Allen said. “I couldn’t buy a whistle, man. What can you do?”
Against Bryant, not much.
Bryant entered the Finals averaging 29.4 points, 7.6 free throws attempts and 6.2 assists in the playoffs. The biggest challenge he’s faced in this postseason hasn’t been a defender, but his own health. Still, Bryant hadn’t met a defense as formidable as the Celtics since, well, two years ago when the Lakers lost to Boston in the NBA Finals.
The Celtics wore down Bryant in that series, and they’d done the same to other stars in these playoffs. Dwyane Wade had some success in the first round, but his Miami Heat were still eliminated in five games. LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers looked surprisingly lost in a second-round defeat to the Celtics. And no one from the Orlando Magic, Dwight Howard and Vince Carter included, had a remedy for Boston’s tough, grinding defense.
While Allen was Bryant’s primary defender, the Celtics’ success – and, in this case, failure – is built from their team defense.
“It’s been a team challenge the whole playoffs,” Allen said. “I just got to follow the game plan. Keep him in front of me. Can’t do too much gambling.”
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Next thing you know they'll call on Collins to show 'em how to run that zone. He's probably waiting outside their Motel 6 with his short pants and clipboard.
LOL watch Boston run the zone in Game 2...![]()
One of the main reasons I think the Lakers took the C's out of their game was because Allen was on the bench. The Celtics couldnt generate enough offense without him. And most of the calls were pretty questionable too..
They were allowing Artest to get away with murder on Pierce, but if Allen even looked at jellybean the wrong way it was a foul.
some of those fouls on Ray Allen were brutal ....... they could have called a lot more if they really wanted to.
Ray Allen on Kobe Bryant with 4 fouls in the middle of the 3rd quarter. Looked like a dumb coaching move to me.
i wonder how odom feels. his 3rd foul forced phil to play gasol for 46 minutes
....I want to see Luva off his safety chain after three more victories.
tell him not to worry in game 2 we'll adjust the metal pipe we shoved up his ass more perfectly...
Allen said, as he tried to buy some whistles by publicly ing and paying Stern.
too slow on D, but kobe's giving too much weight on his end of D.
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