Lakers, Celtics shrug weight of history in Game 7
Boston at Los Angeles
Game info: 9:00 pm EDT Thu Jun 17, 2010
TV: ABC, TSN
By Greg Beacham
Even when Lamar Odom was a kid with limitless imagination growing up on New York’s playground courts, he thinks he might have dismissed Thursday’s season finale as a bit too extravagant.
When the Los Angeles Lakers take on the Boston Celtics in Game 7 of the NBA finals, Odom realizes it’s a fantasy come true for any basketball player with the audacity to dream this big.
“It’s historic, especially when you talk about these teams and what they stand for, the pride,” the Lakers forward said Wednesday. “This is what you envision when you’re a kid in your backyard. Counting down, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…”
Another memorable chapter in the NBA’s best rivalry will end with a coronation at Staples Center, where the defending champion Lakers will try to earn their 16th banner while denying Boston its unprecedented 18th le in the clubs’ second finals meeting in three years.
For the fifth time in their 12 finals meetings, Boston and Los Angeles need all seven games to decide it. Each previous time it went to Game 7, the Celtics won—but when the current Lakers and Celtics take the court for the NBA finals’ first Game 7 since 2005 and just its second in the past 16 years, most will try awfully hard not to think about the history and pressure heaped on their shoulders.
It’s fine for kids and historians to savor this scenario, but Kobe Bryant knows it’s not a good idea for players to get caught up in it.
“It’s got nothing to do with me,” said Bryant, the series’ leading scorer with 29.5 points per game. “(When) I look back, years from now, or even when I was a kid, (if) you’d talk about being in this situation, I’d be really excited. But when I’m in the moment right now, I’ve got to play. I’ve got to focus on that. I can’t focus on the hype about it.”
Although Boston has the rivalry’s Game 7 history on its side, the Celtics have plenty stacked against them after an embarrassing 89-67 loss in Game 6 Tuesday night. Most glaringly, Boston won’t have starting center Kendrick Perkins, who sprained multiple ligaments in his right knee in the first quarter.
The Celtics’ starting five has never lost a playoff series, but that five must change for Game 7. Although Perkins is a role player next to Boston’s Big Three and point guard Rajon Rondo, the Celtics must hope veteran Rasheed Wallace and youngster Glen Davis can make up for Perkins’ inside defense and rebounding.
No visiting team has won an NBA championship in Game 7 since the Washington Bullets did it in 1978, yet the Celtics are a whole lot more worried about the Lakers than the Hollywood crowd.
“I just love the pressure,” said Paul Pierce, who leads the Celtics with 18 points per game. “I love the fact that I get to play against the Los Angeles Lakers in a Game 7 on the road. I love the fact that if I don’t win multiple championships that I probably won’t be mentioned amongst the other guys in Celtic history that have done it before. That type of stuff motivates me. That’s what the challenge is for me, every time I put on this Celtic uniform.”
Pierce is usually the only player in this series who embraces its history, yet it’s too soon to say where these finals will fit in the rivalry’s annals. Although the games had been uniformly compe ive before the Lakers’ blowout win in Game 6, they haven’t been spectacularly played, with gritty defense trumping offense in most of the major moments.
Ray Allen’s historic 3-point shooting barrage in Game 2, the Celtics’ gritty victories in games 4 and 5, the Lakers’ blowout win in Game 6—all will be dwarfed by what happens in the deciding game.
“I guess it’s going to be another decade that people look back and see the formation of this rivalry again,” Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. “The ’90s was missed, and the ’70s was missed, but the ’60s and the ’80s were big decades. It seems to skip a decade, doesn’t it?”
The Celtics have more experience in seventh games than the Lakers over the past three years, playing in two deciding games in 2008 and two more last year. Boston coach Doc Rivers thinks his club’s big-game toughness mostly grew from those high stakes.
“It’s the ultimate players’ game,” said Rivers, a New York guard when the Knicks lost Game 7 of the 1994 finals in Houston. “Unfortunately, I’ve coached in a lot of them over the last few years—or fortunately. All the things you’ve worked on all year, you have to do it, and execute it, and trust and play.”
Los Angeles is in just its second Game 7 of the past three seasons, but that’s because the Lakers have been better at avoiding trouble while winning 10 playoff series since Pau Gasol joined them in 2008. When faced with elimination Tuesday for the first time in these playoffs, the Lakers responded with determination at least partially born from fear, according to Gasol.
“I think about how bad and how much it would hurt if we don’t come out as winners,” Gasol said. “I keep that thought in my mind sometimes, just to understand that I have to do everything possible out there to help my team in any way I can. You want to leave everything you have out there, and compete as hard as you’ve ever competed.”
Los Angeles has won three more les since Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal returned the club to NBA prominence by winning the 2000 championship, but the Lakers clinched all three of those crowns on the road. They haven’t celebrated at home since beating the Indiana Pacers a decade ago.
The Lakers weren’t discussing the prospect of a party on Figueroa Street during their light workout Wednesday, and the Celtics weren’t making plans for a raucous plane ride back to Boston. Given the weight of history and the intensity of this rivalry, both teams thought it best not to think beyond Thursday night.
“It’s all-out,” Boston’s Kevin Garnett said. “It’s for the marbles, it’s for everything, all-out. You save nothing. You leave nothing.”
*********************
Team Stat Leaders
Points
Paul Pierce Bos 18.3
Kobe Bryant LAL 27.0
Rebounds
Kendrick Perkins Bos 7.6
Pau Gasol LAL 11.3
Assists
Rajon Rondo Bos 9.8
Kobe Bryant LAL 5.0
*********************
Series Breakdown
Here is a preview that says Game 7 is all about energy, execution, and focus.
"Energy, execution, and focus will determine which team will win the 2010 NBA Championship."
Here is the link if interested: http://www.associatedcontent.com/art...ame.html?cat=9
The Lakers are meditating and the Celtics are calm.
The Lakers' mental preparation for Game 7I told Glen Davis what his opponents will be doing before Game 7: "They meditate?" he replied, his face scrunched up in confusion. "In the dark? What is that? They just sit there? For real? ... Naw, I ain't trying that. If that's what they do to get ready for the game, hey: Whatever floats your boat."
By Henry Abbott
The Celtics: Not stressed
By Henry Abbott
Celtics, Lakers feel electricity of Game 7
By Marc J. Spears
Magic Johnson had one final piece of business to tend to before he left Staples Center late Tuesday. He picked up his cell phone and called in an order for a new, expensive blue suit. Johnson didn’t acquire his latest wardrobe addition for a wedding, graduation or important business meeting. He needed it to wear to a much more selective event.
Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
The Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics have pushed the NBA’s most storied rivalry into another epic, winner-take-all game to decide the championship. Johnson, as much as anyone, understands the importance of looking your best when history calls.
“The world stops on Thursday because it’s Game 7,” said Johnson, whose Lakers lost the 1984 le to the Celtics in a Game 7. “You look so forward to it. You know everybody’s watching. You know every possession is a big possession. You know every shot is a big shot. You know every free throw is a big free throw. You know every rebound is a big rebound.
“You just look forward to being in a game like this because this is something that you talk about for the next 40, 50 years.”
This will be the 17th Game 7 in Finals history, and all but five have included either the Celtics or Lakers. The Celtics have won all seven of their appearances, including all four against the Lakers.
“When you have a rivalry that goes back this far, just the tradition … it’s like any gigantic rivalry, Dodgers-Yankees when they used to go at it every autumn,” said former Lakers center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who was on the ’84 team that lost to the Celtics. “It has its own cache.”
Said former Celtics forward Kevin McHale, who also played in the ’84 game: “It’s going to come down to heart, soul and the team that wants it the most.”
The Finals’ format allows for just one off-day between Games 6 and 7, but that’s more than enough time for the tension to build. Game 7 veterans often talk about not sleeping the night before the decisive contest.
Celtics Hall of Famer Tommy Heinsohn won Game 7s in the 1957, ’60 and ’62 Finals. The Celtics beat the Lakers for the ’62 le with a memorable 110-107 overtime victory in Game 7. Heinsohn said he would relax by going to lunch. Bob Cousy didn’t leave his hotel room. No one had a clue how legendary center Bill Russell spent his day.
“You might not sleep for two days,” Heinsohn said. “Some guys lock themselves in their room. Everybody deals with it in a different way.”
Even the effervescent Johnson, who beat the Detroit Pistons for the 1988 le in Game 7, tried to calm himself as much as possible on the day of the game.
“For me, it was just being quiet, being to myself, thinking about everything and getting ready for an incredible game,” he said. “Your mind has to be clear of everything. You have to spend the whole day getting off your feet, relaxing, just conserving your energy. You’re going to see the starters and the stars play a lot more minutes than you ever see. You can rest after Thursday night.
“I think it will bring out the best in Paul Pierce and Kobe Bryant. … What it’s really going to come down to is will. Who has the most will? In ’84 the Celtics out-willed us. In ’88, we out-willed the Pistons. This isn’t about ‘X’s and ‘O’s. This is about superstars who have to play like superstars. They got to deliver in the big game.”
The home team has lost only three of the previous 16 Finals’ Game 7s, which should make the Lakers happy. Two of the three road victories, however, were won by the Celtics, including the famous 1969 game against the Lakers. Armed with a roster that included Jerry West, Elgin Baylor and Wilt Chamberlain, the Lakers entered the game as heavy favorites.
Lakers owner Jack Kent Cooke was so confident his team would win that he put thousands of balloons into the rafters of the Forum and hired a marching band for the victory celebration. The Lakers lost 108-106 after coach Butch van Breda Kolff refused to put Chamberlain back in the game in the final two minutes.
“Having a sense of fear is the biggest thing, overcoming that,” said former Celtics forward Cedric Maxwell, who scored 24 points in the ’84 victory over the Lakers. “Fear paralyzes the average player. It’s in bent on the guy that has been there and done that before to step up and play big minutes.”
Twenty-six years after their battle of ’84, the Celtics and Lakers meet again for a Game 7. The Celtics are seeking their 18th championship and second over the Lakers in three years. The Lakers want their 16th le.
One game, one more epic chapter. To the men who have played in this historic rivalry, Thursday should be a night to remember.
“Your emotions are so high and so raw that it’s almost like cutting into a thousand-volt line,” Maxwell said. “You hook yourself into it, you wet your fingers and you touch it. That’s the sensation you get stepping onto the floor for the seventh game.”
Celtics mull options with Perkins out, more from Finals practice
Chris Mannix
SI.com
Kendrick Perkins limped to the podium with the aid of a pair of crutches, his baggy shorts covering up the bulky knee brace that enveloped his right knee.
"I'm out for tomorrow," said Perkins. "There's nothing I can do about it."
The loss of Perkins, who told reporters he tore the MCL and PCL in his knee (an MRI to confirm the diagnosis will be taken Friday in Boston), is a body blow for the Celtics. Though he hasn't had the same impact he had against Cleveland and Orlando -- largely due to the lack of a dominant post presence -- Perkins is a critical player in Boston's team defense.
"It takes 7-footer, a very valuable player off the floor for us," said Doc Rivers. "It's like I told our guys this morning, somebody has a great opportunity tomorrow."
By 'somebody,' Rivers is referring to three somebodies: Rasheed Wallace, who will likely get the start in Perkins place, Glen "Big Baby" Davis and Shelden Williams. Wallace is the most experienced of the bunch, having been involved in Game 7 situations with Detroit, including a deciding-game loss to San Antonio in 2005. Wallace isn't as physical as Perkins but he is a capable defender on either Andrew Bynum or Pau Gasol and can stretch the floor with his jump shot.
"It's that know-how," Wallace said of playing in a Game 7. "Certain times you know you can shoot crazy shots and certain times you know that you can't. I don't think it's going to be an up-and-down game like you have seen. I think it will be more ball control. Because every possession counts."
The 6-foot-9, 289-pound Davis has had an up-and-down series. He scored 30 points in Games 3 and 4 combined but has been held scoreless in the last two games, attempting just four shots.
"I think Baby, the last couple of games, has been doing way too much thinking," said Rivers. "Baby is an instinctive intensity player; when he starts playing with thought, that's not what you want. I think he has to get back to playing with the energy and the instincts instead of thinking 'What [do] I need to do?'"
Williams would settle for inconsistency, but that would mean he had played. Before being thrust into the lineup on Tuesday, Williams had played only once in the series: a four-minute stint in Game 2. The emergence of Davis in the second half of the season has limited Williams to eight minutes per game (in 20 games) after the All-Star break. Still, Williams is a more natural rebounder than either Wallace or Davis, and given the way Boston was crushed (52-39) on the glass in Game 6 -- and the fact that the team that has won the rebounding battle has won the game -- he could help.
"The whole thing about Game 6 was that they played hard and we didn't," said Williams. "It wasn't anything about X's and O's. It was all energy. We need to get that energy back and sustain it throughout the whole game."
With Perkins out, Rivers may tinker with a more unorthodox lineup. There is precedent that it could work: in 2009 the Lakers were pushed to seven games by a Yao Ming-less Rockets team, who small-balled L.A. all over the floor.
"There could be a lineup we could throw out there, and there is probably one we'll work on today that we haven't shown," said Rivers. "I can probably guarantee that."
Gimmicks aside, the Celtics' fortunes in Game 7 likely rest in the hands of their backup big men, a challenge each seems eager to take on.
"It's just hoopin'," said Wallace. "That's what I came here for. I love this situation."
The hits keep coming
Perkins' injury could affect more than just this series. Perkins said the Celtics doctors told him that had he suffered the injury in December, he would be out for the rest of the season. Translated, that could mean Perkins could miss time early next season.
"I knew something was wrong," said Perkins. "I didn't know exactly what it was. I couldn't get up [today], I couldn't walk. My whole leg was hurting."
Perkins said the toughest part of being out wasn't the physical pain, but rather the mental anguish of having to watch his teammates play without him.
"I'd be lying if I told you I wasn't hurting," Perkins said. "I'm hurting. Game 6 of the Finals, couldn't help your team, can't really do anything but sit on the sideline and encourage guys to play better. Probably won't get this opportunity again to even make it back to the Finals. So physically I'm doing better than I am mentally."
Bynum plans to give it a go
Andrew Bynum asked to come out early in the third quarter of Game 6, and he continues to be day-to-day with a knee injury. But indications are that he will be in the starting lineup for the Lakers on Thursday night.
"I need surgery, but I'm holding off," Bynum said. "Just gotta go out and lay it all out there."
Bynum's toughness has earned him major points with his teammates.
"It's pretty remarkable what he has been able to do for us," said Pau Gasol. "He is a factor every time he is out there, even though he might be limited. Whatever he has got, he is going to leave it out there, just like the rest of us."
Game 7: What It Means To The Players
SportingNews
Celtics and Lakers talk about the significance of playing Game 7 in the NBA Finals in a historic rivalry:
CELTICS SF PAUL PIERCE
I just love the pressure, truthfully, man. I love the fact that I get to play against the Los Angeles Lakers in a Game 7 on the road. I love the fact that if I don’t win multiple championships that I probably won’t be mentioned amongst the other guys in Celtic history that’s done it before. That type of stuff motivates me. That type of stuff, I think, helps me play at my best when I’m put to that type of test. To win another championship would be the best thing that can ever happen. But that’s what we play for. That’s what motivates me each and every year, and that’s what the challenge is for me every time I put on this Celtic uniform.
LAKERS F LAMAR ODOM
This is great. Game 7, that means it’s historic, it’s two teams that have a long rivalry. It’s fun to be a part of this. We play for pride, we play for players who came before us. When you talk about pride you talk about this organization. I don’t want to lose anything to those guys whether it’s a game of checkers or video games. I want to beat them. It’s the Celtics.
LAKERS SG SHANNON BROWN
I have never been part of something like this. But of course you are glad to be here, that is what you live for, that is what you play basketball for. That’s why you get all those extra shots up, that’s why you do all those extra hours in training camp. It’s all for this, for this one game. It’s what you live for.
CELTICS PF GLEN DAVIS
I love it. This is what it’s all about. This is what you guys are going to talk about for years. You guys are going to remember this moment. You are going to remember Thursday forever. I can’t wait. I can’t wait to step up on the floor and win here in L.A.
LAKERS PG DEREK FISHER
I know because it’s Lakers-Celtics we appreciate the way in particular our fan base—who, a large number of them have been fans their entire lives, generations, for decades—this is a different type of series whenever the Lakers and Celtics play. Whether it’s a Game 1 or a Game 7, there’s just something that Lakers fans and Celtics fans just don’t like about the other in this matchup. Both teams have obviously had some moments where we don’t like each other very much, and they’ll be a lot more on Thursday.
Referee Assignments
Thurs. Jun 17
Boston @ L.A. Lakers: Joe Crawford; Dan Crawford; Scott Foster
Christina Aguilera to sing national anthem—again
Is Christina Aguilera a good luck charm? The Los Angeles Lakers are hoping so.
Aguilera was chosen to sing the national anthem for the deciding Game 7 of the NBA Finals. The basketball championship series is tied between the Lakers and the Boston Celtics at three games each.
The Lakers were down 3-2 when Aguilera sang before Tuesday’s game at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Her latest album is “Bionic.”
Boston Celtics-LA Lakers Game 7 Ticket Prices Skyrocket
By Milton Kent
Wanna sit with Jack and Andy Garcia and e Lee and all the beautiful people at Staples Center for Thursday's deciding game of the NBA Finals? Well, if you do, you're not the only one and you'd better be prepared to pay through the nose for it.
StubHub.com is reporting that demand for the Lakers-Celtics le tilt is the highest in its 10-year history, according to the Los Angeles Times.
And the cost of a ticket is commensurate with the interest, according to the Times. StubHub reported that the average asking price for a seat at Staples was more than $1,100, double the cost for a ticket for last year's Fnals between the Lakers and Orlando Magic.
Before the Lakers smashed Boston in Game 6 to force Thursday's ultimate contest, Fansnap.com said it was getting requests of $1,260 per ticket.
After the game, a spokesman told the Times that the price jumped to nearly $1,600 a seat. The spokesman said tickets in the lower bowl center court area were drawing prices anywhere from $3,800 to over $5,600 a seat.
No word on if the ticket prices include a soul kiss from Dustin Hoffman or Jason Bateman.
Bateman is pretty cute.
4-2 Celtics.
2010 NBA Finals Game 7 Predictions
SI.com
Ian Thomsen
Celtics 92 Lakers 89
The Lakers have the best player, but Boston's depth of big-time playmakers will prevail in a game like this. I count eight Celtics -- the four current or former All-Stars in their starting lineup, plus Rasheed Wallace, Glen Davis, Nate Robinson and little-used Michael Finley, a three-point shooter with the potential to become this game's Steve Kerr -- who have it in them to make the big shot. The absence of Kendrick Perkins may create more offense for the Celtics, and they'll make up for his rebounding with a team effort led by Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo. Anticipate nothing less than a tightly wound classic played to a tempo that suits Boston.
Lee Jenkins
Celitcs 92 Lakers 89
With a Game 7 at home, the pressure tilts back toward the Lakers, and they will come out tight while the Celtics are free. By establishing an early lead, the Celtics will force the Lakers to play catch-up, and Kobe Bryant to stay on the court. In a closely contested series, the last game will come down to the final possessions, and the depth of the Celtics will help them survive one last surge from Bryant. Just like 1969, an aging group of Celtics will upset the Lakers in Los Angeles and celebrate on their floor.
Chris Ballard
Lakers 92 Celtics 91
Before the Finals, I had the Lakers in seven, and that still sounds right. Boston should come out with more fire than in Game 6. Expect big games from Paul Pierce as well as -- and I can't quite believe I'm typing this -- Nate Robinson off the bench. I'm envisioning another crazy Lakers finish that will end with Ron Artest's running around looking for someone to hug as if he were an overgrown Jim Valvano. It may be wishful thinking to expect a one-point finish, but after an uneven series these two teams are primed for a brilliant finish.
Chris Mannix
Celtics 96 Lakers 91
Consistency is a foreign word in this series, which makes a Game 7 very difficult to predict. For instance, the Celtics were crushed in L.A. in Game 6, but they played almost flawlessly to win at Staples Center in Game 2. Meanwhile, Ron Artest played an efficient game offensively in Game 6, but he has been a bull in a china shop for most of the rest of the series. Still, I'm taking Boston. The Celtics' defense won't get run over again like it did on Tuesday, and for one game, Boston should be able to compensate for the loss of Kendrick Perkins. Rasheed Wallace and/or Glen Davis will need heroic performances, but in what could be their last hurrah, the Celtics will get strong efforts from all their stars and celebrate a le on the Lakers' home floor.
Frank Hughes
Celtics 94 Lakers 91
I haven't seen anything to dissuade me from believing the Celtics still are going to pull out this le, the injury to Kendrick Perkins notwithstanding. Whenever the Lakers have punched them, the Celtics have found a way to respond. Boston's performance in Game 6 was human nature; it knew it had two games to win one, while Los Angeles was in a must-win situation. It is definitely dangerous to play that game, but the Celtics have gotten this far tempting fate. They will show the same resolve in Game 7 that they showed in Games 2 and 4. Yes, the injury to Perkins hurts them. But if a starter was going to sustain an injury, Perkins is the one they can most afford to lose. Either way, it should be classic.
Paul Forrester
Lakers 95 Celtics 84
Even if the Celtics were at full strength, they wouldn't have enough to overcome the Lakers' home-court edge and Kobe's hunger for a fifth ring. Another le puts him in the same conversation as Michael Jordan, and that alone should squeeze a ferocious effort from him. Bryant will have plenty of help from the Lakers' big men, who should find more open looks near the hoop without Kendrick Perkins defending the paint. Combine that with the boost L.A.'s bench will receive playing at home, and the Lakers look set to coast to their second straight le.
2-4, eh?
I don't like the sound of that.
Big police presence set in LA for NBA final game
By Robert Jablon
City officials are warning basketball fans to stay away from downtown unless they have tickets to Game 7 of the NBA finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics.
In an attempt to prevent the kind of unrest that broke out after the Lakers won last year’s championship, police will deploy hundreds of officers around Staples Center and other parts of the city Thursday to deter anyone from spoiling a potential celebration should the Lakers seize their 16th national championship.
“Win or lose let’s honor our hometown team for the amazing season they’ve given us and let’s honor our city and our neighbors by respecting all our laws,” Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa urged fans Wednesday.
Police Chief Charlie Beck said officers will set up a perimeter around Staples Center to let in only those with tickets to the game. Tactical units will stick around afterward to dissuade fans from congregating outside the arena.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca said he has notified hundreds of deputies to be on hand in case the police department needs backup.
In 2000, after the Lakers won their first NBA le in 12 years, fans rioted outside Staples Center, destroying two police cars and leaving more than 70 other vehicles damaged.
Last year, the Lakers defeated the Orlando Magic in Florida but that didn’t stop fans from pouring into downtown. Some set fires, threw rocks and bottles, looted several stores and vandalized public property.
Beck said police were deployed “too sparingly” because it was an away game. He vowed to have “four or five times” as many officers Thursday compared to last year.
To warn against a repeat of the unrest, authorities on Wednesday arrested 31 members of a tagging crew suspected of vandalizing a passenger bus and light rail train that night. The arrests followed a yearlong investigation looking into the post-victory violence that was captured on news footage.
He said he doesn’t expect problems, but warned anyone thinking of causing trouble that police will aggressively go after them.
“If you vandalize, if you graffiti, if you assault somebody in conjunction with one of these (celebrations), I take it personally,” the chief said. “By those actions, you defame the reputation of the city we all love.”
The true prediction for this game is:....
...It's anybody's game. Lakers can win. Celts more than capable of pulling out the win.
Simple as that.
This is the best of 1. No tomorrow.
Perkins out and not available for his game without recourse by suspension is an advantage for us.
Whoever can execute and make open shots. The shots will be there for both sides. They just will. Overcompensating will be apparent till half time, the shots will be there.
Reputations At Stake in NBA Finals Game 7
SportingNews
So it’s come to this. Tonight, the Lakers and Celtics will battle at Staples Center to crown the champions of the 2009-10 season. It’s the first Game 7 in five years and the end to the best Finals in arguably more than a decade.
As befits a game of this stature, there is much at stake for all the participants. Here are only a few of the most compelling storylines of the night related to some of the game’s most important players. The Larry O’Brien Trophy is not the only thing that hangs in the balance tonight—so does public opinion.
Kobe Bryant: After last season’s Finals victory over the Magic, it seemed as if Kobe had nothing left to prove. The one noticeable hole on this resume was that he hadn’t won a le without Shaq, and that win filled that gap. As this series has progressed, though, it has become clear that while Kobe has four championships, he has yet to truly dominate a Finals and pull his team to victory. The first three will always exist in the shadow of Shaq, and while he was the best player on the Lakers last season, he didn’t exactly bend The Finals to his will.
If the Lakers win tonight, Kobe will have his signature series. He’s been stellar throughout the series, alternating between excellent scoring games and solid all-around performances as the team has needed them. It has been a fantastic performance, and one worthy of becoming the one we instantly think of when we remember his career.
Kevin Garnett: Do not cry for Kevin Garnett, who already has the championship he wanted when he pushed for a trade to Boston nearly three years ago. Yet while that first trophy was impressive, it still smacks of mercenary activity, as if the Big Ticket were more concerned with padding his resume than picking up a meaningful championship. That might be unfair, but it’s still a common response to KG in Beantown.
This season, though, Garnett reads as a Celtic at heart, not someone much easier to associate with Minnesota. The injury troubles of the last two seasons seem to have changed his personality on the court, and he’s far more likable. That new reputation will likely stay the same if the Celtics win or lose, but a championship would be more heartwarming for those of us who never quite warmed to the idea of Garnett in Celtic colors in ’08.
Rajon Rondo: Rondo has reached another level in these playoffs, good enough to get praise as one of the best point guards in the NBA at various times throughout the last few weeks. Yet that acclaim has not been consistent, often vacillating from "he’s a star" to "he’s still not quite there" as triple-doubles have been followed by inconsistent games.
A Celtics win would change that. Rondo will have been the best player on a championship team throughout its playoff run, and guys like that get acknowledged as superstars. His skill and composure will receive the credit they deserve. It’s rare for a young point guard to accomplish so much, and public opinion will have to acknowledge it.
Andrew Bynum: Bynum has been a frustrating creature in his time in L.A., going from disappointing rookie to promising youngster to injury-prone enigma. Through it all, a consistent criticism has been that he’s a bit soft and perhaps not fully committed to playing through pain.
On the other hand, Bynum is really hurt right now and needs knee surgery as soon as the season ends. He’s not playing at peak effectiveness, but he’s still giving it his all and providing key energy boosts early in games. In Game 6, he helped get Pau Gasol going simply by being present. In other words, he’s sacrificing his own health for the good of the team. A championship would validate that performance and give him the attention he deserves.
Tony Allen: Do you remember when Tony Allen was a joke of a player who no one thought could be trusted in a serious playoff game? You should be able to, because it was only a few weeks ago. Over the course of this series, though, Allen has proved himself to be a capable defender of Bryant and someone who can even be counted on in crunch time.
Allen is a free agent this summer and could cash in with a big new contract. What better way to do so than by showing that he has been an effective replacement for noted champion James Posey?
Ron Artest: Pretty much everyone still agrees that Ron Artest is crazy. He makes bad offensive decisions, says really weird things to the press and defends like someone with deep-seated emotional issues. That said, he’s been a key player throughout the series defending Paul Pierce and has even had two solid offensive games.
To a certain extent, it is still hard to take Artest completely seriously as an important part of a championship team. But there’s no arguing with a ring, which would effectively prove that he’s not a useless cancer on any roster. Given the right cir stances, a player like Artest can make the difference between a Finals participant and a championship squad. That’s been true of basketball for years, but it’s still hard to convince many intelligent observers of its validity. If Artest holds the trophy above his head, it’d be an image worth a thousand words of argumentation.
Police brace for Boston crowds after NBA Finals
Authorities are deploying hundreds of state troopers and local police officers around Boston for crowd control as the Celtics take on the Lakers in Los Angeles in Game 7 of the NBA finals needing a win for an unprecedented 18th championship.
Boston police are closing some streets and ordering bars not to take in new customers at the end of the third quarter of Thursday night’s game.
Some of the streets being closed are in and around the Celtics’ home court of TD Garden and around Fenway Park, where the Boston Red Sox have a home game against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
State police also will have more than 100 troopers from various units staged in the city to assist Boston police, including canine, mounted, tactical and helicopter units.
Some Boston sports celebrations in the past decade have ended in tragedy, including three deaths since 2004
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