A year ago the Celtics had no hope. They were a team stuck in the bottom cellar of the Eastern Conference, with their lone star Paul Pierce looking for answers. He found them and they came in the form of Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. The new-look Çeltics, were, just like that, seen as a title contender, and as the final score of Game 6 would indicate, the hype surrounding this team all year long was right. Boston demolished the Lakers, to put it lightly, to win their franchise’s 17th title, 131-92 (yes that’s right, 131-92), proving to everyone that they are the best team in the league.
Paul Pierce and others played their usual stifling defense on Kobe Bryant, holding him down once again, as he mustered only 22 points on 7-22 shooting. Both teams, on an overall standpoint struggled for points in the opening quarter, but the Celtics nabbed a 24-20 lead after one. The one player that was red hot during the first frame was none other that Kobe Bryant, who scored 11 points on 4-5 shooting, including 3 threes. He was so confident about his teams’ chances he taunted the Celtics fans in the front row by the announcers booth, by making a bold, and oh so wrong prediction: “Not tonight.” The game got out of hand as soon as that comment came out of his mouth, as the Celtics began to take control not only of the game, but of Bryant himself.
Although the score was somewhat close during the first part of the second period, the Celtics seemed destined to pull away and embarrass the Lakers. They did so, using a 26-6 run to end the quarter, to take a beyond commanding 24-point lead at the break. It had been a reoccurring theme in these NBA Finals for a team to grab a big lead and not know how to play with it, but the theme didn’t continue during this contest.
The Celtics defense was otherworldly, making the Lakers take any open shot because that was all they were going to get. They took 27 threes and though they made 10 that was their hope of getting back into the game, which obviously didn’t work in the slightest. The Lakers shot 42% for the game and scored only 35 points at halftime, which ultimately doomed their chances of competing. The shooting wasn’t the biggest problem for Los Angeles, as they committed 19 turnovers. That is a large number, but it looks even bigger when 18 of those turnovers are by way of a Celtics steal. Rajon Rondo was the key in that department, harassing anyone who was near him to collect 6 steals, leading to many breakaway chances for Boston. Three other players had three steals of their own, Garnett, Allen, and James Posey, contributing to not only a anemic Lakers offense but a way for the Celtics to pull away quite easily.
Allen, Garnett, and Finals MVP Paul Pierce did what they do best, lead their team. For all of these stars this was their first taste of the NBA Finals let alone a title. Ray Allen, who scored 26 points while making 7 threes, an NBA Finals record, was heroic in many ways. Prior to game time he was tending to his ailing son, and during part of the game he was in the locker room tending to an injured eye. The team held their own in his absence, as it was during this time in the first half in which the Celtics put the game away. Kevin Garnett, like Allen, was stuck with a below average team (his Timberwolves to Allen’s Sonics) before he found his way into beantown. Everyone on this championship team deserved a ring, but I am especially happy for Garnett, who was repeatedly knocked out of the first round during his tenure in Minnesota. He rebounded from a Game 5 that he referred to as “garbage” (he scored only 13 points and collected 5 fouls in the loss) to score 26 points, grab 14 rebounds, dish 4 assists, and steal 3 steals. These guys, Allen and Garnett, never experienced the abysmal Celtics of old (in old I mean last season). Paul Pierce did. He was the solo performer on a repeatedly horrible team, but stuck with it (he has spent his whole career in Boston, amounting 10 years) hoping that this magical year would come. Though he didn’t shoot particualrly well in this contest, he was the unselfish player that he has been all season long, dishing 10 assists, 9 of which were in the decisive first half, to go with his hard earned 17 points.
Maybe it should be the Big Four, as Rajon Rondo had the game of his short career. He had been on a short leash with the fans all season long because of his poor shooting and inexperienced mistakes, but like his teammates, he grew with every minute of every game. His shot wasn’t dropping in this game as shot 8-20 from the field (he did end up with 21 points though), but he was very aggressive from the outset, not only on the offensive end but on defense as well. His scoring is a bonus when he does all of the intangibles like he did in this game, as he not only created turnovers by his previously mentioned six steals, but he snatched 7 rebounds, contributed 8 assists and committed only one turnover. His pestering style of play disgruntled the Lakers considerably, the style of play that helps reborn franchises win championships, which the Celtics did to end a exciting NBA season.
The Lakers obtained another thought-to-be insurmountable lead, and this time Kobe Bryant was leading the charge. The Lakers star scored 15 points in the opening period, helping his team jump out to a 17-point, 39-22, lead heading into the second. Once again the Lakers couldn’t hold the Celtics from coming back as they cut the lead 55-52 going into half. It was Paul Pierce’s 21 first half points that helped Boston out of a huge hole once again. The Lakers were shaking their heads heading into the locker room, pondering deja vu.
During the previous games in this series, the Celtics gained the upper hand in the third quarter, outscoring them by a wide margin. This was not the case in this game however as the Lakers stormed back with a efficient third period, stretching their shortened lead to nine by taking advantage of a few costly turnovers and poor offensive possessions by Boston. Though Los Angeles looked in control with the lead, they weren’t. The Celtics climbed back into the game. Yes because of very sound offense but also because of some very poor defense by L.A.. Los Angeles’s starters weren’t helping themselves on the defensive end as they repeatedly had trouble on the pick-and-roll. The Celtics took advantage as much as they could of the stand-still defense but came up short in the end.
Hoisting the trophy will have to wait until Tuesday as the Celtics head back home as they try to capture the franchise’s first title in 21 years. Paul Pierce ended up with 38 points, but made a horrible turnover in the closing minute that ended his performance on a sour note. Kevin Garnett scored 13 points and 14 rebounds, but didn’t put the numbers needed after a hot first quarter start. Ray Allen chipped in 16 points, but shot only 4-13 from the field.
Speaking of poor shooting, Bryant had another abysmal performance from the field, posting just 8-21 for his 25 points. This time he got enough from the rest of his starters and his bench to help the Lakers take game 5. Lamar Odom scored 20 points to go with 11 rebounds and 4 blocks. Pau Gasol, though soft on defense, was solid on the offensive end, scoring 19 points, as well as 13 rebounds and 6 assists. Jordan Farmar saved another below average outing by the Lakers bench, chipping in 11 much needed points.
There is a reason why it is hard to play with a big lead. The team ahead gets too loose and doesn’t stick to their game plan by taking ill-advised shots and making stupid turnovers. That wasn’t quite the case for the Lakers, but in the end they saw their once controlling 24-point lead evaporate to a better Celtics team. The Celtics turned up the heat defensively, starting in the third quarter, allowing them to make a historic comeback, winning Game 4 97-91 to take a insurmountable (teams that have taken such a lead have never lost a Finals game, 28-0) 3-1 series lead.
Although his team was unstoppable in the first half, the Lakers Kobe Bryant wasn’t. He was taken out of the game plan, shown in his 6-19 shooting for 17 points. The defense of Paul Pierce, James Posey and Ray Allen, those who guarded Bryant at different times, was the difference, especially in the second half. They didn’t allow Kobe to go off or allow his team regain their 1st quarter magic when they were making their comeback bid. You can’t make a comeback without good defense. The Celtics, who were down by 18 at halftime, gradually cut the lead down throughout the 3rd quarter with good sound offense, with plenty of defense thrown in. They outscored the Lakers in the third 31-15, ending the quarter on a decisive 21-3 run to lower the margin to two, 73-71 heading into the final period.
Although Bryant scored 10 of his points in the 4th, Boston’s defense wouldn’t let the rest of the Lakers team get into the scoring act. The rest of the team mustered only 8 points in the quarter. It wasn’t just the lack of offense that killed them in the second half, it was their defense that was the decider. They couldn’t stop the Celtics from coming back even if they tried, ( by the way they played defense it didn’t see like they gave much effort) allowing the Celtics to gain confidence, their chemistry and eventually the lead. Eddie House’s jumper with 4:07 remaining completed the remarkable comeback, giving them their first lead of the game at 84-83. The building full of die-hard fans and celebrities went silent. Did the Celtics comeback or did the Lakers collapse. This is one of many really pointless questions asked in the post-game coverage by the ESPN announcers. Don’t they know that it takes a bit of both? Did great defense hold the Lakers to 13-39 shooting in the second half or was it the Lakers fault for not taking and making more shots? A little bit of both, right? As the Celtics are put together, with three all-stars, they can score all the points they want, but if they don’t hold down the other team like thy did, they don’t win the game.
The injury bug once again hit the Celtics, as Rajon Rondo and Kendrick Perkins went down again with their respective ankle and shoulder injuries. That didn’t stop the Celtics comeback bid in the least as their bench played a crucial role in the outcome. Particularly James Posey, 18 points, 4 threes, and Eddie House, 11 points. They hit many a big shot in the final period, the biggest coming when Posey drained a corner three with just over a minute left to stretch their lead to five. Sure Pierce bounced back and scored 20 points and dished 7 assists, sure Kevin Garnett got into his groove, 16 points and 11 rebounds, sure Ray Allen continued his consistent play in the Finals, 19 points, including two on a uncontested lay-up to put the game away late, but the real stars were Posey and House. They outplayed the Lakers bench considerably, outscoring them 35-15. House’s play was very much a necessity with Rondo getting hurt. Not only do he anchor the point guard spot as well as he did, he scored his points in big spots in the game. Everyone stepped up, as much as needed to make the first quarter debacle a distant memory.
Even though the Lakers grabbed a 35-14 lead after the first 12 minutes, they couldn’t make it stick, like many previous teams in these here playoffs. Except Kobe’s crappy start, 3 points, all from the free throw line, L.A. was firing on all cylinders in the first quarter. Lamar Odom rebounded from a rough Game 3 performance, scoring 13 points in the first quarter after posting just 4 in the previous game. Despite his great first quarter play, he didn’t do much the rest of the game, scoring just 6 points the rest of the game. The teams’ heralded bench was all but in this contest. Sasha Vujacic, Luke Walton and Jordan Farmar each scored just 3 points, all coming in the first half.
After asked in the post-game press conference ‘What the hell happened’ Kobe Bryant summed up his answer for the stunning loss like this: “We wet the bed, a big one… not one you can put a towel over.” Kobe and the Lakers can try to put a huge towel over this game to regain composure for Game 5, but the loss will still smell.
Los Angeles Lakers v Boston Celtics. 30 of the NBA’s 60 titles have been split between these two franchises. Watch Out Magic/Bird, make way for Kobe/Pierce, Allen and Garnett. Kobe Bryant, the league’s MVP and I guess it’s best player (sorry Chris Paul), has put on a dazzling display so far in these here month and half long playoffs and will certainly be a force to be reckoned with in the Finals, right? Wrong. The Celtics, for a lack of a better word, are smothering on defense and will hound Kobe wherever he goes, therefore forcing him into a very tough series. Paul Pierce, the Celtics small forward, is not the fastest of players but when he wants to be he can be a lock down defender, and will need to be to make every point that Bryant gets earned.
The big thing that is in the Celtics favor to start the series is that they are at home for the first two games (thankfully because, except the two road wins in Detroit, they have been abysmal on the road). This is huge because they play totally different from home to road. In the first two series against the Hawks and the Cavaliers this postseason they averaged 20+ points more at home than on the road, while playing their signature defense to utter perfection. The player that has the most to be happy about is Ray Allen, the third member of the teams Big Three, who regained his stroke after he was atrocious during the Cleveland series as well as the first few games of the eastern conference finals against Detroit. His three-point threat will bother the Lakers to no end because even though they are a good defensive team, they, unlike the Celtics, have lapses. When Allen is on his game the triple threat of him, Pierce and Garnett are in full force, which could provide the Lakers with many problems. Pierce and Garnett are going to get their points so that makes Allen the catalyst of their team, he has to make shots to allow the Celtics to run the offense of their liking. To score points consistently you have to be able to run successful plays repeatedly. Although Boston runs countless plays for Garnett and Pierce, Allen gets his fair share to, which means that he has to be as productive as his two teammates for their team as a whole to run a successful offense and score enough points to put away their opponent.
The problem for the Lakers is that they don’t have enough talent to keep up with the Celtics. Yes Kobe is great but Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol are inconsistent. When Odom, Gasol and their proclaimed “deep” bench are firing on all cylinders it’s the Kobe Bryant show and teammates are just there to watch. That has happened many times this year even though they seemed to pull out those wins when Bryant dropped 40-50 points. That can’t happen in this series. For the Lakers to be successful Bryant has to be aggressive, that means getting to the foul line, which he had trouble doing at times against the Spurs. He also has to be unselfish and trust his teammates to make shots. If he tries to shoulder the load and score the majority of the teams’ points, the Celtics can just focus on him. If the Lakers want to contend in this series, especially in games in Boston’s house, they have to continually get solid games from the league MVP. The Celtics shut down defense could make it ridiculously hard for Bryant to get going because since the majority of the plays will be run for him, Boston will have an easier task of focusing on his input. The same sort of thing happened in the Finals last year when the Spurs shut down LeBron James. They made other players make plays, which they couldn’t, contributing largely to the sweep that San Antonio dealt Cleveland.
If Pierce, Allen and James Posey force Bryant into sub-par games I could see this series finished in 6, maybe even 5 if L.A. stinks it up at home. Somewhere Red Auerbach will be smiling.
When Antonio Mcdyess has been on the floor this post-season he has played as a man possessed, like a veteran hungry for his first title. His defense and consistency on the offensive end has made him the most valuable player for the Detroit Pistons throughout these playoffs. An unlikely hero had the game of his life in the pivotal, must win, game 4. In a gutsy defensive attack by both teams, McDyess pounded out 21 points, most of which coming on outside jumpers, while grabbing 16 rebounds in a 94-75 victory.
The final tally wasn’t how the game was throughout, on the contrary it was pretty close up until the Pistons pulled away in the final minutes. It was another grueling game for each team with both competitors played relentless defense. Detroit was especially effective, holding Paul Pierce (16 points, 3-14 FG), Kevin Garnett (16 points, 6-16 FG) and Ray Allen (11 points, 2-8 FG) to a combined 11-38 shooting. The majority of their 42 came from the free throw line, making 21-24 combined free throws. The free throw disparity in favor of the Celtics single handedly kept them in the game, outscoring the Pistons by 12. The lack of field goals made by the Celtics doomed their chances, making just 21 in the game, shooting 32% from the floor. It seemed like whenever Boston had the ball they were looking to draw a foul, rather than run a particular play to make a shot. Part of the reason why there were a lot of one-on-one offense displayed by the Celtics was the houding defense by Detroit. The Pistons wouldn’t allow Boston to get into a flow, forcing them to have very limited ball movement, as shown in just the 12 assists that they managed. Many of Boston’s players looked tenative, which has been a reoccuring theme during their road woes. Rajon Rondo wouldn’t take open shots, Garnett passed up shots that he would usually take. With the way the Pistons were playing on defense, the Celtics needed to take every opportunity they had, which they didn’t, forcing them into many empty possessions.
Jason Maxiell, like McDyess, carried the Pistons offense at times. He scored 14 points, including six straight midway through the final period, while making all six of his shots, bringing Detroit some much needed energy in his 20 minutes of work. He had a couple rim-rattling jams to stop Celtics runs, putting his team back in control. Richard Hamilton was also very efficient, scoring 20 points, 10 in the final quarter For some reason, even with the disparity of field goals made by each team (15 more for the Pistons), the Celtics were still within striking distance, to the surprise of the ESPN announcers. Detroit was called for a lot of fouls, 32 to be exact, but they weren’t because of the agressiveness by Boston. They bailed out the Celtics shooters many a time, and they got in the penalty early in quarters allowing Boston to take advantage. The Celtics couldn’t count on free throws the whole game though, and that is how Detroit made the margin as wide as they did.
The Pistons were very solid throughout, shooting 51% for the game. The Celtics stayed in the game longer than they should have, mainly because Detroit was also blanketed the good defense. The difference was the match-ups on defense. Kendrick Perkins, the Celtics center, couldn’t handle Antonio McDyess’s outside game, forcing one of the announcers to say that “he [Perkins] seems like he is stuck in cement in the middle.” A funny and true comment, as McDyess was open for the majority of his shots. Ray Allen, not known as a great defender (he was torched at times in the first round series by Joe Johnson), and it showed yet again as Richard Hamilton ran him ragged all game long. As a matter of fact the Pistons entire team ran the Celtics to pure exhaustion, outplaying them throughout. The 19-point margin was fitting because that is what it felt like, as McDyess said “we left it all on the floor.” They’ll have to do the same in Boston for game 5
Manu Ginobili bounced back in a big way from horrid performances in the first two games to score 30 points to keep San Antonio within striking distance with a 103-84 win. Tim Duncan also had a much needed big game for the Spurs, scoring 22 points, grabbing 21 rebounds and dishing 5 assists, after he himself had sub-par games 1 and 2. Despite Duncan’s stat-line, Ginobili was the story of the game, as he hit 5 three pointers in the first half to help his team take a big lead, this time, they wouldn’t relinquish.
The momentum shifted in the Spurs favor early in the first quarter after the Lakers had secured a 15-8 lead to start the game. Ginobili hit consecutive threes, to dwindle L.A.’s lead to one. This was big mainly because the Spurs definitely didn’t want the Lakers to gain a big lead, therefore allowing them to play at their tempo. Even though the Lakers led by three after one period those six points set fire into their team, and raised their confidence against #1 seed Los Angeles. They didn’t want to be in the same position they were in in game 2 where they had to try and comeback throughout the entirety of the game.
The Spurs were able to spread the floor in this game, especially when the Lakers brought their second unit into the game in he second quarter. They were able to exploit the opponents bench, getting the looks they wanted on the offensive end, as well as take advantage of the Lakers depleted offense without Kobe Bryant on the floor. Bryant came into the game after three minutes gone by in the second period, only to see the Spurs leading, as they started out the quarter on a quick 6-2 run. Kobe scored the next basket, but that was the last Los Angeles would see of the lead in this game, as the Spurs jumped out to a 10 point halftime lead, thanks to 22 points by Ginobili. The Lakers scored only 15 points in that pivotal period, as they were outscored by 13.
The Spurs kept playing their game in the second half, as they outscored the Lakers again, and more importantly held Bryant in check. Midway through the third period, the Lakers star had just 16 points, as because of superb defense, played without the ability to be as agressive as he needed to be. Bryant took only one free throw in the game, and missed it, a sign of sub par outing for him as he usually gets to the line over 10 times a game. Though he did finish with 30 points, 12 of which came late, when the game was already lost for his team. The 4 threes that he hit at the end only upped his scoring for the game and were meaningless otherwise.
The Spurs repeateldy have said throughout this series that Bryant is going to get his points, but the real focus is on shutting down the rest of the Lakers squad. They sure did in this game. Lamar Odom and Derek Fisher, two players that torched San Antonio in the first two games, combined to just 9 points on 3-15 shooting. The bench was held in check as well, scoring only 22 points 10 of which coming from back-up guard Jordan Farmar. Sub par compared to the 34 they put on the Spurs in the Lakers game 2 rout. In this game for Los Angeles, only Pau Gasol, with 15 points and the aforementioned Farmar scored in double figures. This lack of production left the Spurs in a comfortable position, knowing that Bryant was the only player with enough talent to put a scare into the defending champs. If the Lakers can’t stop Ginobili and Duncan on the defensive end and continue to get inconsistent bench play on offense they will be watching the Spurs in the NBA Finals in June.
Kevin Garnett had 26 points and 16 rebounds and Rajon Rondo delivered an unexpected performance, scoring 20 points and dishing 13 assists as Boston stayed unbeaten at home in the playoffs with a 96-89 win. The Celtics took control in the 3rd quarter after Cleveland had taken a lead as big as 14 in the 1st half. Boston outscored the Cavs by 12 in the 3rd, taking the tempo and momentum away from Cleveland. Paul Pierce led the Celtics in scoring with 29 points and clamped down on Lebron late to send the series back to Ohio with a 3-2 series lead.
Cleveland’s stifling defense in the first two quarters let up in the final two, allowing Boston to run their offense with ease, especially in the tide-turning third. The Celtics offense was so good that it seemed that the Cavaliers had to score on every possession just to keep up. They didn’t, allowing the Boston to go on spurts throughout the period to eventually take a commanding 9 point lead heading into the 4th. Cleveland couldn’t make up the deficit in the final 12 minutes, despite 10 points from LeBron. The lead hovered around 10 for most of the final period, up until the final minute. It was a 4 point game, 91-87, when Garnett missed a jumper allowing Cleveland to cut the lead even more if they could just grab the rebound. Sounds simple enough, but they couldn’t as Pierce jumped in to the fray and was fouled, ending the Cav’s chances.
Delonte West led Cleveland behind LeBron with 23 points, 10 of which coming from the free throw line, but the rest of the offense was non-existent. After being dependable for the first four games of the series, Zydrunas Ilgauksas struggled mightily in this crucial game, scoring only 6 points on 2-5 shooting. The lack of shots taken by him and Wally Sczcerbiak, 10 points on 3-8 shooting, isn’t a great recipe for winning games for the Cavs, specially of this magnitude.
The way the playoffs have been going this year for home teams, Cleveland has a great chance to tie up the series on their home floor.
Rashard Lewis posted a career playoff high 33 points, hitting 5 of his teams 11 threes as the Orlando Magic manhandled the Pistons by 25, 111-86. Orlando got a plethora of input from their star players offensively, unlike in the previous two games. Dwight Howard scored 20 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, blocked 6 shots and Jameer Nelson and Hedo Turkoglu chipped in 18 points apiece for the well balanced Magic. Jameer set the tone early in the first quarter as the Magic came out white hot with a 24-6 lead. They cooled off in the second period but led by 12 at halftime. By then the Pistons were already without their most important player, point guard Chauncey Billups, who strained his hamstring four minutes into the first quarter.
Even without Billups the Pistons made a huge comeback in the third period, outscoring the Magic by 8 to go into the 4th down just 4, 73-69. Besides a jump-shot by Rasheed Wallace, who finished 4-15 from the floor for 11 points, Tayshaun Prince, Rodney Stuckey and Richard Hamilton combined for the rest of the 27 Pistons’ points in the quarter. Orlando led them back in by shooting only 6-21 in the period. The Magic weren’t going to let this game get away, though, as they outscored Detroit by 21, 38-17, in the 4th. Hamilton led the Pistons with 24 points. Prince added 22 while the rookie Stuckey, in place of Billups, scored 19 off the bench. Detroit didn’t show the same emotion without their star point guard even though they came back from a huge deficit. As a team they shot 40% from the field and dished out only 12 assists, without the leadership of a veteran like Chauncey. Coach Flip Saunders said in the press conference after the game that he expects Billups to play in game 4. He will be re-evaluated today, Thursday, to get the long-term diagnosis.
After the first two games in which Rashard Lewis shot a combined 36% from the floor, he bouced back in a big way in game 3, shooting 11-15 from the floor, 5-6 from three point land. The win for Magic gives them a chance to pull even with the Pistons in game 4, which is more than possible with the uncertainty of Billups. They had previously lost 9 straight playoff games to Detroit including a four game sweep in the first round of last years’ playoffs.
Chris Paul scored 30 points and dished 12 assists to lead his New Orleans Hornets to another resounding victory over the San Antonio Spurs, 102-84. The Hornets took over in the 3rd quarter by outscoring the Spurs by 18, to take a 17 point lead into the 4th quarter. Paul made up greatly for the offensive absence of the previously dominant David West, who scored only 10 points on 2-11 shooting after he poured in 30 in game 1. Peja Stojakovic added 25 points, including 5 threes, to go with 6 rebounds. David West, despite the poor offensive outing, chipped in 10 rebounds and 5 assists. New Orleans shut down the Spurs in the third quarter after they had come back in the second period to take the halftime lead. The Spurs shot only 42% for the game and scored only 18 points in the pivotal third.
Tim Duncan bounced back from a horrid Game 1 to pace San Antonio with 18 points and 8 rebounds. They got good bench performances from both Manu Ginobili and Brent Barry, who scored 13 and 14 points, respectively. Ginobili also grabbed 4 rebounds and dished out 7 assists and Barry made 4 threes, but the defending champs didn’t get enough production from the rest of its starters besides Duncan. Tony Parker, who was brilliant in the first round series versus the Suns, shot 5-14 for 11 points. Bruce Bowen and Michael Finley, two outside shooters that the Spurs definitely needed to heat up, did not, scoring 4 points apiece, combining to shoot 3-14 from the floor.
Chris Paul ran the Hornets offense to perfection once again, especially in the third quarter. With West struggling, Paul repeatedly fed Stojakovic for outside shots, contributing to his 8-13 shooting, as he heated up during the period . Morris Peterson added 12 points, making all five shots from the field, including a three pointer in the decisive third period run. Paul, the runner-up for the MVP (because of Kobe’s lifetime achievement award since he hadn’t won one before) turned the ball over only once, as his team only coughed up the pill 8 times in the game, 4 of which coming from West.
San Antonio struggled throughout the game with turnovers, committing 15 in the game, 5 coming by way of Manu Ginobili, who turned the ball over on consecutive possession in the third, jump-starting the Hornets run.
Lebron James had 30 points, 12 rebounds and 9 assists as the Cleveland Cavaliers waxed the Washington Wizards for the second game in a row to take a 2-0 lead heading into game three. After a close first quarter, the Cavs took control in the second to pull away, grabbing a 50-38 halftime lead. Lebron scored 17 points and Zydrunas Ilgauskas score all 16 of his in the first half to wipe out the out-manned Wizards early, building up for an even more impressive second half. Cleveland didn’t let up in the third quarter, outscoring the Wiz by 10 to take a 23 point lead, 86-63 heading into the 4th quarter. The Cavs rested their starters with the huge lead in the 4th, playing their reserves to take them to Washington with a blowout victory.
The Wizards big time players, Caron Butler, Gilbert Arenas and Antawn Jamison were abysmal in this game, shooting a combined 10-36 for just 28 points. Butler and Jamison, the two starters from the trio, both shot 4-13 from the floor, playing without the ability to handle the determined Cavaliers. Gilbert Arenas, who before the series said that even though he is coming off a knee injury, he would give the Cavs a lot of “trouble” in the series. After a solid game 1 for Gilbert ( 24 points, 4 threes off the bench) he didn’t live up to his comments in game 2, shooting just 2-10 from the floor for only 7 points. To go along with the rough offensive performance, he allowed his frustrations of the beatdown get to him as he was tagged with a technical foul in the first half. The frustrations for Washington continued in the second half when Brendan Haywood, their center, was ejected in the third quarter after a flagrant foul on Lebron James. During his pre-game speech to his team, Eddie Jordan, the Wizards coach, wanted his team to “play harder, play with more intensity and play smarter”. The players took two of the three demands to heart, and the wrong way: rather than playing smart basketball, the Wizards played with too much physicality and intensity, resulting in frustration and horrid play. Caron Butler had the most balanced game for Washington and he scored only 12 points, but he did produce 7 rebounds 5 assists and 3 steals. The Wiz were out-rebounded by 15, 49-34, and didn’t have the greatest chemistry during the game, dishing 16 assists to the 27 by Cleveland.
Behind Lebron and Ilgauskas, guards Wally Szczerbiak and Daniel Gibson scored 15 and 13 points respectively, combining to make 4 of Cleveland’s 10 threes. As a team they shot 51% compared to 37% by Washington and committed only 10 turnovers. They head to Washington, as the Wizards try to get on track and stretch the series. If the series keeps going as expected, the “experts” will be wrong once again, as the majority picked a grueling seven game series.
