I don't know how much sense i'm going to have after a game like that!
The first half the Celtics play amazing basketball, their D was suffocating. All time highs! Amazing. But in the other end the were committing turnovers left and right, specially Rondo. At the halftime they were up by 6 shooting like 60%. The Lakers were smiling. Believe me!
The third quarter was epic! Epic! Best quarter of basketball I've seen in years. Kobe got off, 19 points. 15 of them he got them in a hardest way possible . Then Pierce got hot too. They started coming back at each other for at least 4 possessions. Pierce was less effective. He scored 11. Still it was something to see, Kobe's show, Tony Allen block on Pau Gasol. KG played solid 12 minutes defensively . Just amazing basketball.
At this point I was really sure i was seeing a future classic, that until the 6 minute point. The Lakers totally went cold. They made 2 baskets in the final 6 minutes but somehow managed to cut a 11 point lead to 5 working they way into the score from the free throw line. Artest and Fissher took bad shots. Kobe had a couple of forced passes the ended up being lost possessions. The Cs decided to make the game interesting and shoot themselves in the foot having 4 straight empty trips and going 0 from 3 from the floor while the Lakers were taking free throws. Neither had that cold blooded clutch perfomance. Both teams missed free throws. Both teams made mental mistakes ( Fisher won a jump ball against KG, Artest went for the uncontested lay up but Piercer fouled him. He made the first one, he missed the second one which got rebounded by Kobe but Pierce snatched the ball right out of his hands). The Celtics just did enough to hold on the lead.
Three key aspects of this game that could easily affect game 6:
1. Artest is about to snap. He was on the verge the entire second half. He gave two crazy look in the fourth. One to the Celtics bench that yelled at him when he was about to shoot and another one to Pierce when he walk in front of him between free throws. He could easily go bananas in game 6 given the motivation needed....
2. Kobe is not going to trust no one in game 6 or 7. I have the feeling that if the Lakers get behind in the second half for more than 5 points he is going to start shooting anything in sight. I mean anything. The basketball, towels, Phil's table, Vujacic's head. My point: Bad news to the Lakers.
3. Ray has missed 16 straight three pointers. He is due. This is not a streaky shooter we are talking about. This is Ray Allen. Just saying...
Everything looks like crap for the Lakers. But...
4. KG is not getting shot illegal stuff in his body at L.A.
5.Odom and their bench tend to play much better at home.
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