Powe, Celtics take a 2-0 lead; Lakers having referee issues
Paul PierceWhere were you during the NBA Finals game when Leon Powe outshined four future Hall of Famers? Putting his name right next to Gerald Henderson and Scott Wedman in Boston’s “One Shining Moment” archives, Powe played the game of his life in last night’s Game 2 win, dumping 21 points on the Lakers off the bench. In the first half Powe was a magnet for contact and got himself to the line time after time. In the second half he turned into a track star, getting a bunch of dunks and layups in transition as the C’s were on the verge of a blowout … Sparked by Powe and the outside shooting of Ray Allen (3 threes) and Paul Pierce (4 threes), the Celtics led by as much as 24 with about eight minutes left in the fourth. Then they got lazy on defense and sloppy on offense, and the next thing you know, L.A. had cut the lead to two in the final minute. Boston survived thanks to some big free throws by Pierce (28 pts, 8 asts) and James Posey and the fact that L.A. couldn’t get the ball in Kobe Bryant’s hands on a crucial possession near the end … And leave it up to Phil Jackson to crap on Powe’s parade. In the post-game press conference Phil was looking at the box score, pretending like he’s never heard of Powe and says, “I’m trying to figure out how Leon Powe shoots more foul shots than our entire team in just 14 minutes. That’s just ridiculous.” Well, it could be because Powe spends most of his time around the basket and doesn’t settle for jumpers … Vlad Radmanovic took more steps than a rehab program on that breakaway dunk he had late in the fourth. And on L.A.’s previous possession, did you see Tony Allen screaming in Sasha Vujacic’s ear as Sasha was launching a three in front of Boston’s bench? That was bush league … Where was Kevin Garnett (17 pts, 14 rebs) in the fourth quarter? He hit three jumpers when the Celtics were building the big lead, but from the 7:55 mark on, he didn’t score one point, grab one rebound, make one assist, block one shot or make one steal. Other than missing a couple of jumpers, he was just there. It would have been a bigger deal had the Celtics lost, especially because KG was also getting beasted by Pau Gasol in the first half … For the first 24 minutes Gasol (17 pts, 10 rebs) played like he had some hair on his chest — demanding the rock and yelling at teammates (including Kobe) when they didn’t get it to him where he wanted, dunking on KG, and pretty much scoring whenever he wanted — but over the course of the second half he went back to the same Gasol we saw in Game 1 … You’re going to hear a lot about the refs regarding Game 2, and like Phil implied, the numbers provide good reason: Boston shot 38 free throws to just 10 for L.A., and two ticky-tack fouls on Kobe early in the first half changed the landscape of the game when he had to sit down. Kobe (30 pts, 8 asts, 3 stls) also got called for a tech in the second half after he scored on a drive, thought he was fouled and got in the ref’s face about it … Wasn’t this series supposed to be easier for Derek Fisher? Sure he avoided Chauncey Billups, but Rajon Rondo (16 asts, 6 rebs, 4 pts) has outplayed Fisher so far. That could change once the series moves to L.A. and Rondo’s playing on the road, but right now he’s not looking like a wide-eyed kid … Coby Karl already looks like a coach, doesn’t he? … Nice halftime feature on Powe and his life story, but they somehow neglected to mention the fact that Powe has also had multiple major knee injuries that almost ended his career before he even got to the League … In Bill Russell’s pre-game interview he said the Finals is the first time all year that you see “great basketball” on both sides. We have to respectfully disagree with that, but we do understand how a guy with more championship rings than fingers doesn’t get too impressed by a regular season game … Russell on Pierce’s Game 1 injury/comeback: “That’s being a Celtic.” … When Kobe lost the ball in the first half but threw his hands in the air and screamed trying to draw a foul, is that going to be a fine-worthy “flop” next season? Have we even determined what exactly the NBA is going to be consider a flop? … Someone go back to the videotape and see if there’s footage of Curt Schilling at a Suns game wearing a jersey back when he played for the Diamondbacks, or at a Sixers game when he played in Philly. We’re not buying that he’s some huge Celtics fan … We know it’s not gonna happen overnight, but we can’t wait until game producers really master the X-Mo thing. We don’t need to see a suuuuuuuper-slow-motion clip of Paul Pierce saying “Yeah!” Focus that thing on a point guard who’s leading the break so we can see where his eyes are going … A couple members of the Dime crew were at the TD Banknorth Garden for the game, and afterwards said Donovan McNabb and Eagles owner Jeff Lurie were walking amidst the Boston fans and getting heckled left and right. The Pats won that Super Bowl, right? Don’t understand where the venom is coming from … In case you missed it on DimeMag.com yesterday, our man Andrew is in Italy for Reebok’s Eurocamp 2008. Check his Day 1 diary HERE and read about Serge Ibaka, a 6-10 teenager out of the Congo who is drawing comparisons to a young Shawn Kemp and is available in this summer’s NBA Draft … We’re out like calling a travel …
June 9th, 2008 at 1:22 am
Duke says:
is there ever a game where Rajon doesn’t go up for a dunk/layup without someone smacking him down hard?
June 9th, 2008 at 1:25 am
Remy Nguyen says:
Bring out the brooms?
June 9th, 2008 at 1:33 am
MoxWestCoastRep says:
speechless…
June 9th, 2008 at 1:38 am
Mikee says:
It was touching and all watching the piece about Powe but does anyone else find it kinda funny that Powe was having the game of his life and ABC just happend to have a featurette about him at the half?
June 9th, 2008 at 2:21 am
Beantown, son! says:
-Mikee, i also thought it was a weeeird coincidence.
-Rondo looks like hes gonna break his neck or his back at least once a game.
-McNabb gets heckled cuz he’s not a Patriot, that’s where the venom comes from…we ride or die in the Bean, haha…
June 9th, 2008 at 2:21 am
Oscarisalakerfan says:
WOW…….Credit to the celts for punkin the euro lakeshow
June 9th, 2008 at 2:33 am
LSM says:
vlad rad had the worst stretch of play in the 2rd quarter, where he fired 2 bad bricks and the ngot worked on the other end, then turned it over. After that the lead was 20, I can’t believe phil has the patience to keep playing him
pierce looked good though which is awesome as far as a good series goes, no asterisks if the lakers win it
June 9th, 2008 at 2:36 am
Bank says:
4 FUTURE HALL OF FAMERS??? YOU MEAN 2 RIGHT? KG AND KOBE. PLEASE NEVER IMPLY THAT PIERCE AND RAY ALLEN ARE FURTURE HALL OF FAMERS. LMAO!
June 9th, 2008 at 3:06 am
jz_smoove says:
i like this kid powe, ever since he was drafted. i was the only one who got him on the fantasy lineup even in the regular season he was overlooked in my pool. good pickup for me. and the celts. lakers will win 2 of next 3. but boston in 6.
June 9th, 2008 at 3:08 am
jz_smoove says:
and why in the hell does KG keep on launching those midrange jumpers. THEY ARE NOT FALLING. GO INSIDE. TAKE TIPS FROM GASOL.
June 9th, 2008 at 3:15 am
luckylester says:
Pierce and Allen will probably be hall of famers… sorry Bank, it is what it is, argue one way or another all you want, hell, you might even convince me – but in the end, those two guys, PP and Jesus, they are getting in, ESPECIALLY if the Celtics pull this series out. LYAO all you want, but that’s the truth.
Celtics in 6, I agree.
Kobe puts up 40+ next game.
I had a bet $10 to win $100 that KG would get 15+ rebounds. He had 3 slapped out of his hands in the last 3 minutes. Killing me KG! Damn!
June 9th, 2008 at 3:59 am
drewstar says:
LOL how does powe get more FTs in 14 minutes than the ENTIRE laker team the WHOLE game lmfao?! seriously even a celtics fan would have to agree that the refs played a big role in this game.
June 9th, 2008 at 4:30 am
Ding Dong We Got The 6th Pick says:
Welcome to NBA Corporation. Where $ happens
June 9th, 2008 at 6:07 am
kb24! says:
First…how does Leon Powe shoot more free throws than the entire Laker team?! Secondly why did Kobe not touch the ball when they were down by 2 win 20 seconds left? Seems pretty fishy to me. So much money riding on this series..the NBA making it go to 7 games?
June 9th, 2008 at 6:33 am
Soopa says:
How have none of the sites i visit come up with
“Powe’r Play” as a headline? Its not THAT corny is it?
Celtics in 6!
June 9th, 2008 at 6:39 am
Big Daddy says:
The Lakers will no doubt level it up in LA, the home court means so much… If that game was in LA there’s no doubt that a lot more Lakers would have gone to the line.
As long as Pierce steps up late game then Boston will be fine, those two free throws at the end are huge for his confidence.
The two that James Posey made at the end – the look on his face was like it was just another game…
June 9th, 2008 at 6:42 am
Big Daddy says:
And i will refuse to believe that the refs are making calls to change the outcome and make the NBA more $$… as soon as you start buying into that, then what’s the point in watching?
June 9th, 2008 at 6:52 am
Austin Burton says:
Did the refs also make L.A. leave Pierce, Allen and Posey wide open for three-pointers at the most inopportune times?
Did the refs make L.A. ignore Gasol in the second half even though he was killing in the first half?
Did the refs tell Odom to play like a confused rookie?
Did the refs make Rajon Rondo so much faster than Fisher?
Enough with blaming the refs. It’s childish. Even when I played Little League football our coaches would tell us, “You shouldn’t have let it get to the point where the refs were a factor.” Powe got 13 free throws because Powe was aggressive going to the rack. You do that, you draw contact. You take jumpers all night, you don’t get free throws.
June 9th, 2008 at 7:05 am
YOUNGFED says:
Amen, Preach on brother, Preach on!!!
June 9th, 2008 at 7:20 am
Damon says:
damn, i hope the lakers win all 3 in la, i want at least 6 games. but the celtics are now playing their best ball of the playoffs.if they played like the first two rounds or parts of the detroit series, the lakers would win easily.
if nothing changes dramatically, the celtics will win it.
June 9th, 2008 at 7:21 am
ERIC says:
That the refs played a HUGE role in the game and gave the Celtics call after call.
Leon Powe played the game of his life, however he was getting more love from the officials than Kobe, who (just like the Spurs series) is getting hacked time and time again).
Either let them play or call it fairly on both sides.
June 9th, 2008 at 7:24 am
shake&bake says:
After that halftime feature I don’t know how anyone could not want Leon “The Show” Powe to have a good game. I had to change channels in the 2nd quarter because there was a stretch where a foul was called everytime down. It was ridiculous. When I put the game back on, the Lakers made it close enough so I couldn’t go to sleep. I hope the Lakers got some confidence from the last 8 minutes so at least this series can get interesting.
June 9th, 2008 at 7:33 am
Kermit the Washington says:
Yo Austin…I’m feeling you (kinda) but you gotta realize that the refs were a factor EARLY in the game, and changed the whole dynamic. You got Kobe out with foul trouble, which kills you, and then when he IS in he can’t be aggressive on any of Boston’s hot shooters so they end up getting that “spacing” that Jackson and Van Gundy are talking about. It’s not like “oh the refs made us lose”, but the refs took the Lakers out of the game early and made them have to play too reserved.
June 9th, 2008 at 7:36 am
hahns says:
radman’s no-call travel in the fourth quarter after he stole the ball was the one of the worst no calls ive ever seen. he took 4 steps to get to the hoop.
June 9th, 2008 at 7:41 am
Austin Burton says:
The first two calls on Kobe were pretty weak, and I figured it would affect how aggressive he was moving forward (at least defensively), but at the same time that shouldn’t have affected how the rest of the team played. Even when Kobe came back in the game after sitting out, it wasn’t out of reach for them.
June 9th, 2008 at 7:54 am
Smitty313 says:
They were calling the smallest thing on the Lakers. They need to call the game the same on both sides. This reminds me of when the Heat won their ring. They were getting a lot of Phantom calls. The Lakers need to take all the games in L.A..
June 9th, 2008 at 8:06 am
K Dizzle says:
It’s about that time where we seperate the real Lake fans from the bandwagon jumpers. If you jumpin, don’t let the door crack yo’ ass on the jump. I’m just gonna bring a little reality to the situation. Congratulations to Boston for defendin they homecourt…like they supposed to do and have all playoffs, losin only 1 game to the Pistons. Lakers haven’t lost at home these playoffs so I expect them to hold it down in Inglewood. I’m watchin the game thinkin that the first 2 foul calls on Kobe were weak at best and don’t remember a legit superstar gettin that kinda treatment but the team let that affect their aggressiveness until the last 6 minutes (which makes me feel a lil better about the next 3 tilts – good momentum leadin into tuesday)
Once again, props to the person who managed to sneak a pic of Tupac onto Smack. We still got love for P-Double in tha I, but not for the next 3 games.
Peace
June 9th, 2008 at 8:08 am
Big Freeze says:
Powe got hacked on that two-handed cram right at the end of the first half. The refs blew too many calls. The Celtics should have gone to line more than 38 times. The Celtics MVP of the Finals so far has to be Vlad Radmonavich. When ever Boston needs a crucial turnover or a ill-advised shot-turned-brick, they just count on Vlad.
June 9th, 2008 at 8:11 am
Kermit the Washington says:
I just want it to be called even. Nowadays, if you just touch a guy who’s even THINKING about taking a jump shot, it’s a foul. But yesterday they were mostly calling that on one end of the floor (and then they switched to the other end of the floor in the second half lol).
And then all the and-ones that the celtics were getting…should have been called on the other end. Gasol and Odom were missing layups and dunks cause of contact. Then you go to the other end and cats make a CLEAN block but get called because their “momentum took them into the player after the block” COME ON!
June 9th, 2008 at 8:25 am
FK says:
Austin, its not BLAMING the refs, but it is pointing out that they contributed to the game way more than they should have. It was painful to watch and I’m not even a Lakers fan.
You can’t call touch fouls on one team and let the other team get away with grabbing, pushing and hacking all night. There is not a team on the planet that can overcome a 28 free throw deficit, let alone against a team like the Celtics.
June 9th, 2008 at 8:29 am
Chuck...Haters come in all fashions and forms so bear arms says:
The truth is
The lakers are playing like sh*t
Kobe 9-26 the first game, and the rest of the team was playing like doo-doo, the 2nd game ray allen and Paul peirce are splashing 3’s like ice in kool-aid. rondo is doing everything from dropping dimes to blocking 6′10 power forwards jump shots. BOTTOM LINE!
The celtics want it more!
June 9th, 2008 at 8:37 am
rangerjohn says:
what i keep finding more and more funny, some of the lakeshow fans are going to be right at some point just by sheer volume, YESA KOBE WILL GET 40+ EVENTUALLY. after just about every game in the playoffs when kobe scores in the low 30’s or less you hear “kobe is going for 40 in the next game”
you guys will be right EVENTUALLY, lmao
celtics in 6
gonna stick with the 6 games but i would not be surprised if it were less.
June 9th, 2008 at 8:38 am
rathauneak says:
I agree, blaming the refs for this one is a nothing but a cop out. Until late in the 4th, the Lakers were just outplayed. Yeah, the calls on Kobe were questionable, but the whole playoffs, they’ve been talking about the refs being consistent and if you wanna keep that whole mentality going, you have to make those calls…it just sucks that they were on Kobe. Ray got called for the same calls for “holding” Rip coming off the screens so you have to call it on Kobe. Same with the lil weak elbow Kobe threw. They got Rip and Chauncy for a few of those earlier in the playoffs. …Celts in 6!
June 9th, 2008 at 8:42 am
Chuck...Haters come in all fashions and forms so bear arms says:
@rangerjohn
I don’t want to see Kobe score 40. I want to see the Lakers play up in your shirt defense!
Kobe scoring 40 means nothing if the rest of the team is playing like Joe dirt. They should have never been down by 20 in the first place to have to come back in the last 6 minutes. If they play D, they’ll win, if they leave Paul peirce so open that he can brush and floss his teeth, take a dump, spin the ball and pray before shooting, they definitely lose!
June 9th, 2008 at 8:43 am
rangerjohn says:
hey chuck
question, when the lakers where killing my spurs, it was the lakers out playing the spurs, not the spurs playing like shit, now are the lakers just playing like crap or are they getting out played by the celtics?
oh how the shoe changes feet when the chips are down lmao
June 9th, 2008 at 8:46 am
rangerjohn says:
you know i had a little bet up on my forum for who the mvp would be, and i put my money on KG, but damn after game one i now know it will be pierce. looks like that cash is gone. but hey i didnt pick kobe because he was the “fasionable” pick lol
June 9th, 2008 at 8:46 am
fallinup says:
Game 1 = Paul Pierce was the reason the Lakers lost because he tricked everyone into thinking he was injured.
Game 2= The refs were the reasons the Lakers lost because all of the fouls dictated the game.
Get over it guys…the Lakers’ weaknesses are being totally exploited. No inside defensive presence, and too many jump shots…thats why they are down 2-0. Leave the bitching about the refs to Phil Jackson, he’s good at complaining enough about the refs that they grant his wishes…
June 9th, 2008 at 8:50 am
rangerjohn says:
also chuck, while i didnt watch the entire game, looking at the numbers, it doesnt look like they played that bad. they did shoot 49.4% and scored over 100. they had only 1 less rebound, assits is where they where really hurting. and they did have 7 fouls more. they do need some defense though, and from what i am gathering, they need to take the ball away from odom.
June 9th, 2008 at 8:53 am
Chuck...Haters come in all fashions and forms so bear arms says:
@rangerjohn
you right. LMAO!! I did say those things and the shoe is dangling on my foot like cinderella
The Celtics ARE outplaying the Lakers. I gotta give credit where credit is due. When Powe ig going for 21, and Rondo is blocking shots on 6′10 forwards, you gotta be real and just say, the Celtics are dominating.
I love my lakers and Kobe and co…
but I’m dissapointed.
I ain’t gone blame the refs and all that stupid stuff though. They just gettin outplayed plain and simple!
June 9th, 2008 at 9:05 am
doc says:
One word for Boston DEENSE. Acouple for LA Lamar ‘baby ass” Odom need to step his game up.
June 9th, 2008 at 9:12 am
E$ says:
Powe Show
June 9th, 2008 at 9:40 am
Phileus says:
38 to 10 free throws, wow… but even with that disadvantage, being down 22 at the beginning of the quarter but pulling it close before running out of time… I think the series momentum belongs to LA, especially now that we’re back home.
And how many road games have the Celts won this playoffs? One?
June 9th, 2008 at 9:57 am
rangerjohn says:
it is kind of funny, the celtics too 28 more FT’s on 7 more fouls? looks to me like the celtics let the leakers shoot and where set on not allowing them to gt “and 1’s” while the lakers just fouled when ever.
who knows maybe the refs did call it to the celtics, but then stern told the refs he wants the celtics to win it all since he LOVES kg and it has been like 20 yrs since their last title.
nahhhh the lakers just got out played.
celtics in 6
June 9th, 2008 at 10:10 am
Big Freeze says:
Every one has hated on Doc this year for supposedly being a bad, or at best, an average coach. What people fail to understand is Doc specializes on the defensive end. The Celtics have played superb defense all year long, and they have played especially well on the D end the last two Eastern Conf series and now into the Finals. They have been exceptional at turning thier opponents away from the paint and making them settle for long jumpers. They did it to Lebron and his bums, they did it to Rasheed and co, and now they are doing it to Kobe and his mod squad.
It’s not an accident. Doc Rivers is a great defensive coach. Phil Jackson’s team let Leon Powe go from court-to-court for an uncontested dunk. You should never see that happen, especially in the NBA Finals. The whole Lakers squad just stood there and watched. They could at least hack him before he crammed it. They are getting killed in the paint and dominated on the boards, and it all starts with effort. There is just no effort and no intensity from the Lakers D, and that falls squarely on Phil Jackson. He can’t get his player’s hyped up enough to play D, and that’s why they looked like the Nuggets out there. Phil’s players aren’t playing hard for him at all, and so far Doc Rivers has been out-coaching Phil on the defensive end. So quit hating on Doc and understand that he is a great defensive coach. Defense wins championships, right?
June 9th, 2008 at 10:17 am
Phileus says:
No, Phil Jackson wins championships
June 9th, 2008 at 10:20 am
fallinup says:
Tell that to Karl Malone, Phileus. LOL
June 9th, 2008 at 10:20 am
SWAT says:
Honestly yall LA fans kill me. Yall cats didnt drive nothing in the paint except for dumpster juice ass Lamar Odom and Gasol, who missed a handful of easy layups last nite, and yall want more foul shots. Damn drive in the lane and stop settling for more fouls shots. And you can’t blame anyone for not getting the ball to kobe except gasol. This fool cathes the rock then pivots the opposite way from Kobe and all he can see is trash ass sasha and you think that’s an nba conspiracy. No just honestly it seems like kobe’s squad is not palying with any sense of urgency, like oh well if we lose we will be back next year. They are getting a clinic run on them and it’s a dam shame that these cats aren’t coming to play. And how funny was it to see Kobe’s face time and time again, especially after Odom fumbled the rock and lost it, the close up they did on Kobe was priceless!!
June 9th, 2008 at 10:39 am
rangerjohn says:
big freeze, you are WAY off, doc is no defensive coach, what team before this team has even been remotely decent on defense? his teams defense is a pure reflection of his assistant TOM T. doc has done a good job of managing the egos but he is not a “great defensive coach” guys like popovich and larry brown, even sloan to an extent are great defensive coaches, doc is a manager and a so so manager at that.
lakers shoot almost 50% (49.4%) and it was a “great defensive effort?”
June 9th, 2008 at 10:42 am
SWAT says:
and real talk why the hell is Luke Walton still in the league? I swear that dude gets worse with each game. And damn are any of the lakers gonna hustle for loose balls or play with some sort of energy? And i was laughing my ass off when odom slammed the ball in Pj’s face trying to help the lakers retain poss. LOL PURE COMEDY.
June 9th, 2008 at 10:44 am
Big Daddy says:
@ Big Freeze
Doc employed Tom Thibodeau to do the defensive stuff for him.
Read this…
http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2008/06/04/it_all_stops_with_mastermind_thibodeau/
June 9th, 2008 at 10:52 am
for real says:
Hey, Big Freeze – post #44.
You can officially step off of Doc Rivers nutz and jump on Tom Thibodeau’s nutz right now. Doc handed over the Defense after hiring TT this summer. Doc couldn’t hack it on D, but I bet he would agree with your post 100%
http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2008/06/04/it_all_stops_with_mastermind_thibodeau/
June 9th, 2008 at 10:54 am
for real says:
funny BD – we were on it
June 9th, 2008 at 10:56 am
chrisGO says:
“Well, it could be because Powe spends most of his time around the basket and doesn’t settle for jumpers …”
KG should pay attention
June 9th, 2008 at 10:56 am
DaPro says:
Lakers lost the game and the free throw battle for not being aggressive enough and not moving the ball
The Lakers looked out of rhythm, there were some questionable calls but that happens every game
Lakerfans, don’t go the Phil Jackson route and not give the Celts credit-Powe went coast to coast and got a dunk, stayed in the interior and worked his ass off
I called it a few smacks ago that Powe would be the key. The Lakers had trouble with Milsap who isn’t as skilled offensively as Powe.
The Celts will be lacking a little energy Tuesday; Doc should play Powe and Big Baby early in the first half
to energize the team because we know LA will come out aggressive
June 9th, 2008 at 11:13 am
Big Daddy says:
Great minds think alike…
June 9th, 2008 at 11:47 am
Taj says:
I like how everyone out there thought D-Fish was gonna have it easy with Rondo, but the guy got benched in the 3rd Q cause Rondo was killin him!
Lakers will make this a series though! I’m really up in the air on who to cheer fgor in this one. Historically, I’ve been a fan of Magic’s Lakers but currently KG’s been my favorite player since coming outta hight school!
Celts in 7!!!
June 9th, 2008 at 11:54 am
Big Freeze says:
Doc might not be the “mastermind” behind the Celtics great D, but playing great D starts with EFFORT, and Doc has done a great job motivating his players to give all-out intensity on the defensive end. He has his players believing in a D first mentality, and it is paying off seeing how they are up 2-0. It’s just weird how everyone hates on Doc because he doesn’t fit they’re idea of a good coach. He might be an offensive genius with the X’s and O’s (how did that work for Flip?), but he is a great leader and motivator, and people should recognize and respect that.
June 9th, 2008 at 11:58 am
tomakazi says:
the NBA stands for—Not Believable Anymore !! what a joke ! it’s way too obvious now ! if the league is going to cheat in order to make money off of a seven game series at least teach the refs to conceal the manipulation a little better ! it was easy before the series started for me to predict that the league could not afford to allow the lakers to win one game in boston because they needed the series to go at least six games. when will there ever be one hugely rich mega-star who after suffering through such blatant game-fixing retires at the press conference after the game ! will it ever happen ? can a superstar ever walk away from the game saying “i’ve had enough!call me names throughout all history! but i cannot continue participating in a business that perpetrates a fraud upon an innocent public and that cheats its own employees while not allowing any opportunity to dissent.” walk away from millions ! then and only then will the cheating stop. just simply walk off the court during the game! cost the league ratings!
bring the issue to a head. force the league and the public to confront cheating and betting on games by officials and their relatives!
June 9th, 2008 at 12:04 pm
Chuck........I Love this game says:
@big freeze
them cats was motivated on they own. you have 3 all stars who were all losers. They didn’t need docs motivation. That’s like saying Phil motivates Kobe? Sh*t don’t make sense. Kobe has always been motivated, just like Garnett, Ray, and peirce. Just give props for ainge pulling the right triggers and making the right trades.
Props to Bun B for the illest cd out right now!
June 9th, 2008 at 12:05 pm
Celts Fan says:
ya Tomakazi, or your team could stop acting like a Jr High Girls team and drive the ball to the basket and be aggressive.
June 9th, 2008 at 12:08 pm
rick says:
Doc’s the man!
June 9th, 2008 at 12:14 pm
word says:
i co sign #6… fuck the lakers!!! kobe is going to have lebron like shooting this series it seems
powe was a beast last night
June 9th, 2008 at 12:15 pm
Chuck........I Love this game says:
The illest coaches ever
Rocky’s trainer
keanu reeves (hardball)
Gene Hackman (The replacements and hoosiers)
Samuel Jackson (coach Carter)
These are all the great coaches.
You cats is crazy thinking poppovich, Phil and Red can coach. The above mentioned are the greatest there ever was and will be.
June 9th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
word says:
young shawn kemp? hmm he could go top 10 then
and i hate andrew for getting to be in italy right now, italy has some fine ass and its euro mad parties over there
June 9th, 2008 at 12:19 pm
word says:
and fuck phil jackson that guy gets on my nerves with his rude ass comments like why you mad phil? cuz your team is losing? yea
June 9th, 2008 at 12:21 pm
tomakazi says:
ya celts fan— lakers:41 shots in the paint–celts:23 shots in the paint. lakers:42 perimeter shots—celts:45 perimeter shots. lakers: 10 free throws—celts:38 free throws.obviously the lakers were aggressive at taking the ball inside. powe: 14 minutes-12 possessions–13 free throws. entire laker team:48 minutes–102 possessions–10 free throws. “commissioner, we demand an apology”
June 9th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
Big Mike says:
Dime fam,
we all know the NBA is corrupted and trying to get money back from the Spurs NBA finals of the last couple of years; however, last night was ridiculous. I’ve played ball all my life and a 38 to 10 disadvantage will take any aggressiveness out of you. Yes, the Celts were aggressive but so was LA. LA just got the business end of the calls. The early Kobe fouls and the general fouls took the fire out of LA. Celts fans, say what you want but we know the truth.
Sound off
June 9th, 2008 at 12:47 pm
SWAT says:
ok so it’s the refs fault when Powe took it coast to coast, or better yet it’s the refs who didn’t get Gasol the rock in the second half. I agree alot of calls were suspect last nite but i would hate to think it was anything other than human error. Stop hating cuz’ yall boys got your ass beat. simple as that. and @tomakazi I’m researching your stats cuz’ “we don’t believe you, you need more people”
June 9th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
Dave says:
Phil Jackson is the most classless coach in the league. He can’t take any blame on himself and his true colors shine through every time they lose. No wonder every time any Laker doesn’t get a call or is called for a foul they complain…..they take on the coaches personality.
You would never hear Jerry Sloan or Popovich blame the officials or backhandedly dis-credit another team’s play or players.
Phil Jackson is the biggest prick in the league and deserves to be beat.
June 9th, 2008 at 12:52 pm
YOUNGFED says:
@Chuck
Lil Weezy has the hottest CD out right now.
June 9th, 2008 at 12:55 pm
SWAT says:
@youngfed…it technically hasn’t come out yet son.
June 9th, 2008 at 1:02 pm
Chuck...Haters come in all fashions and forms so bear arms says:
@SWAT
Thank you homey!
@YoungFed
Stop bootlegging homey! LMAO!
June 9th, 2008 at 1:07 pm
Kudabeen says:
Have to check myself, just figured out why Garnett stays at the top middle of the offense so much. Apparently in games where he hits his shot it is his job to stay in that position and set the picks for guys, because teams will not help off of him and it makes it difficult for teams to overload on one side or the other. (Mike Moreau)
Never thought of that and it is a viable scheme, but KG isn’t Okur…He should have been going at LAs “bigs” like Powe was… I hope the more Aggressive KG, that he promised shows up in game 3. I still don’t like seeing KG put in positions to be complacent, but that’s Celts BBall this year. The offense doesn’t revolve around one particular element. Rondo was in a dime-zone (that one past to Pierce on the baseline was next-level), Powe established his presence, and Ray/Pierce were knocking down the long ball. KG just played his offensive role…
I don’t hear too many people giving Ray Allen props for making thing difficult for Kobe. There were a couple of stretches where Pierce and Posey were guarding Kobe and Kobe got an angle on them or beat them to a spot and they were to late to get a hand up on the shot. Then Ray gets on Kobe and he consistently keeps him in front of him and contest shots. Pierce and Posey can be more physical with Kobe, but Ray is not a big as Kobe, so he can get away with a little more contact…Ray quietly is being a major difference maker in the series so far…
June 9th, 2008 at 1:09 pm
Chuck...Haters come in all fashions and forms so bear arms says:
@YoungFed
That boy young buck is a problem!
What you think about plies?
June 9th, 2008 at 1:17 pm
SWAT says:
You know what though…correct me if i’m wrong, but in the 91 playoffs didn’t bird get hurt or something and have to leave the game, then dude came back and started killing. I don’t remember the outcome but i wonder if people thought he was faking. I was just a kid but i remember my pops cheering when he got hurt…dude was a celts fan. LOL! Anyway just a thought…dime can you let me know if i’m correct.
June 9th, 2008 at 1:22 pm
SWAT says:
oops meant to say pops was NOT a celts fan…after our rockets lost to them when we had the two towers he never let that die. ahhh…good times.
June 9th, 2008 at 1:24 pm
DaPro says:
Chuck
Plies is garbage fam. I try to listen to a variety of mc’s but I can’t get with that dude
Sounds the same and his delivery is weak
June 9th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
schoops says:
LuckyLEster… You have any reasons or are you just making the statement that PP and Ray will be in the HOF? Both have had good careers, but frankly besides one trip to a final (this year) they haven’t done anything incredible. Neither was an absolulute star for their respective teams, nor did they define their teams individually. It wasn’t until they hooked up with others that their teams flourished (Ray in Milwaukee with the first “big three” and PP with Toine in Boston). And still they weren’t that great. They’re on the cusp of being a HOF, they win this championship and another one, then they’re probably in… otherwise, no.
drewster… GO TO THE BASKET. that is how you get fouled. I’m not a fan of the Cs what so ever, but if Kobe shoots jumpers (thanks to good D usually) and no one else besides Pau bangs inside then you aren’t getting that many FTs… but still, I would say there was a slight home court advantage.
Eric.. Kobe wasn’t getting hacked. that one paly where he threw it out of bounds and screamed bloody murder… yeah. Grow up anyways, Kobe’s been gtting more calls the past 5 years than anyone in the league (besides maybe wade and bron).
Big Freeze… Doc doesn’t specialize on D, that’s what he hands the entire assignment over to Tom, his assistant. wise up. He lost 18 ina row last year, usually D can win you 1 out of 18, no?
June 9th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
tomakazi says:
At some point the lakers had to realize that any attempt on their part to play defense would result in a foul being called. Therefore, why don’t they intentionally draw blood on each call? Seriously,this is the only fault I can find with the lakers. If everything they do results in a foul then make ‘em count big-time. Put newble in and take PPP (paul pussy peirce)down! take his head off! it’s going to be a foul anyway! Start playing the way Bird told his team to play in ‘84. Who on this laker team is willing to be called a villian ? who is willing to draw blood ?
June 9th, 2008 at 1:32 pm
YOUNGFED says:
Ain’t heard the plies fam, but I’ll probably cop it soon. And don’t act like you ain’t bootleg something you couldn’t wait for.
June 9th, 2008 at 1:33 pm
alaskan_fire_dragon says:
@ tomakazi
right on
it is very unforunate that the david stern has changed the dress code to induce some “class” in the nba
last nights game was absolutely ridiculous
the refs took all the spirit out of LA
i know the lakers didnt have their best D at times
but who can knowing that they’ll be called for a foul if they laid a fingernail on him?
i hope the celtics fans watch lakers dominate at staples
because the same thing is gonna to happen to them
calls won’t go their way and then they can blame david stern too
June 9th, 2008 at 1:36 pm
GEE...The wotten apple says:
was i the only one preplexed by that weird scream lamar odom did early in the game. he didnt even do anything big and screamed loooud lol. corny.
just for conspiracy theory sake hey Kobe got Mvp so celtics get the finals. more theory that there were a couple of no calls at the end of the game that really helped the lakers get close.
i was chilling with one of my cousins who is a huge Kobe mark. and close to the end of the game he is going crazy cause he thinks they are about to make this crazy comeback. meanwhile i told all in the room as i am reading the paper 1. the lakers wasnt gone win. 2. it,s gone come down to boston hitting so freethrows to seal the deal and they will make them. 3. it was just a ploy to keep raitings hot for the end of the game, by letting the lakers get in close.
i dont see where Rondo is outplaying Fisher so great. to me that battle is still a draw.
Pau is beasting on Kg early…why go away from that? He clearly was the aggressor and doing work, then Kobe got it and started jackin. Lamar Odom was playing weird last night taking awful shots. more calls for Boston or not they played a better game and deserved the win.
funny moment to me of the green videogame looking line showing Powe go coast to coast. Again the Lakers let POWE go coast to coast. all laker fans should hush and just get ready to run 3 on boston ….hopefully cause i want 7 in this series. boston is what 4 and 0 vs the Lakers this year with Kobe shooting a total 27% i think for all 4 games. Big 3 vs Big 1 might be to overwhelming. The lakers better act like they part of the party and kick in..
aaaahhhhhhh…just a random scream like odom. lol.
June 9th, 2008 at 1:41 pm
GEE...The wotten apple says:
Plies and young buck are garbage
June 9th, 2008 at 1:43 pm
Chuck...Haters come in all fashions and forms so bear arms says:
@Gee
young buck is FAR!! from garbage!!!
June 9th, 2008 at 1:54 pm
DaPro says:
Buck is decent Gee
Gee you need them Kurt Rambis joints cause Fisher has been outplayed by Rondo. He can’t stay on the court for extended periods
Anybody heard the A Milli freestyles- it’s like 20 of em
Allhiphop.com has a poll to vote on who killed it the best
June 9th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
Chuck...Haters come in all fashions and forms so bear arms says:
@Gee and Dapro
maybe me liven in the south so long dumbed me down.
I used to listen to nuttin but the roots, common talib, canibus and pharoah monch.
Now it’s all bun b, weezy, buck, outkast..
none of that shawty lo,rick ross or none of that corny sh*t though.
I am starting to like plies??
I Hate that single wit neyo though.
June 9th, 2008 at 2:12 pm
GEE...The wotten apple says:
first how is buck decent in anyway. lyrically dude is a bum. i have heard better lyrics from kids seriously. mind you his beats are nice and videos sometimes but he aint responsible for either of those. bout the only thing i can say bout dude is sometimes he has a catchy hook lol. otherwise dude is fecal matter.
now as far as rondo he is doing great and his dudes knocking down shots but it aint like he scoring all over fisher and fish been playing well. fish comes out not cause rondo is beasting him or fisher is tired its because phil is trying to get some o going with farmer who shoots more. kurt rambis line was funny.
June 9th, 2008 at 2:16 pm
DaPro says:
Bub B is my man, a legend along with Outkast
I listen to Ricky Ross, Jeezy, TI , I call em swagger rappers
but plies, shawty lo, boyz in the hood, d4l, shop boys, catz like that i can’t rock with.
June 9th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
DaPro says:
Gee, Rondo isn’t a scorer but he is making his mark on the game
Rondo is controlling the tempo and Fisher isn’t stopping him from doing that
I know that’s your man but Gee you can’t write the next Dime column and be baised son..You starting to sound like Bill Simmons LOL
June 9th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
GEE...The wotten apple says:
chuck Plies betta than buck lol no lyrically they both weak but Plies has a good bar on accident sometime lol.
June 9th, 2008 at 2:22 pm
Dave says:
why can’t Laker fans, coaches, or players ever lose with any sliver of class? Were you all born that way or did Phil Jackson rub off on every one of you poor crybabies.
June 9th, 2008 at 2:27 pm
GEE...The wotten apple says:
naw homey it aint even biased cause i like rondo pimpin but for that matchup, and you cant “just” base it on tempo control its still a wash to me but time will tell. lol at being banned from articles. that was cold homey lol
June 9th, 2008 at 2:40 pm
DaPro says:
Gee from a pg standpoint Rondo has been getting the Big 3 and others the ball in the spots were they can score. 16 assist and 1 turnover is controlling the game and defensively you know what Rondo brings
Fish is solid no question, but Rondo has been overlooked as to why Boston has been so successful in execution
I know the Lakeshow will show up at Home but Boston can get 1 in LA
Buck is/was decent to me not as good as people say but not as bad either
Plies , dude just doesn’t drop anything worth listening too
June 9th, 2008 at 3:26 pm
Chuck...Haters come in all fashions and forms so bear arms says:
@Dapro and Gee
I got some of bucks mixtapes and dude be goin hard!
Rondo is a good growing pg. Dude plays hard, and he plays D, sometimes he makes some questionable decisions, but dude is still mad young.
Derek Fisher is a proven vet though, and he knocks down BIG shots, and he plays D.
Rondo has been playing excellent ball, and that’s evident from his assist to turnover ratio.
1 question though. What is he going to do if Paul peirce and Ray Allen go cold like they have before in the playoffs?
Dude can’t shoot, and it’s easy to get 16 assist when everybody is hitten everything they shoot. It’s not like he’s creating those assist by driving and dishing like Paul, nor does he have a nice J like Fisher. So when the big 3 stop producing, he turns to garbage city!
June 9th, 2008 at 3:27 pm
Chuck...Haters come in all fashions and forms so bear arms says:
@Dapro and Gee
T.I. Jeezy and Plies be spitten that real though, as far as the streets go. Eightball and MJG all over again.
June 9th, 2008 at 3:32 pm
marcus the great says:
remember everyone, the first two games when the HEAT won the finals went like this for the mavs. and the first 2 games of each of boston’s first 2 rounds. they’ve been in Boston, they’re goin on the road now. the series gets real. the Lakers will be ready
June 9th, 2008 at 3:42 pm
K Dizzle says:
Give it a rest, Dave. If the Jazz had gone into Boston, got 3 weak calls on DWill and had been out free throwed 38-10 (maybe read that stat again) you’d be on here breakin down how the refs took over the game. The series is 2-0 and boston defended their home court. We got all the Laker haters talkin all this smack about Lakers are whinin and we need to win with class blah blah blah. Please STFU. We down 2-0 in the finals, scored 40+ in the fourth quarter to come back from a 24 point deficit in 6 minutes and only lost the game cuz we couldn’t get Kobe the rock late. Heads callin the Celts this great defensive team but we put it on em in the 4th and if the free throws are even 38-28 or 38-18, it’s a tied series goin back to Inglewood. Both teams shot around 50% from the field, both teams shot crazy from the 3 (LA-47%, Bos-64%). The only advantage was the ft shooting even with LA hittin 100%. Lakers had more points in the paint so all this junk about no aggression makes no sense. We went inside. Please stop with the “Lakers let Powe go coast to coast…” So? Odom goes coast to coast every game. It really don’t mean nuthin.Hater throw out all the junk they can find. All that’s happened so far is what’s supposed to happen with a great home team. We just wanted a split and sorry if u never played the game before, but when you get outshot by 28 points at the line, you ain’t gon win……I gotta agree with Gee on this; Plies is garbage. It’s days like this when we callin Young Buck and Plies “MCs” that I miss Pac and BIG
June 9th, 2008 at 4:13 pm
Chuck...Haters come in all fashions and forms so bear arms says:
@K dizzle
I ain’t callin em Mc’s. I’m just sayin they straight right now as far as rap goes.
Biggie’s ten crack commandments, ready to die
Pac’s me against the world. Them joints was classic records! That era has passed homey.
Now we gotta settle for what’s out there now?
June 9th, 2008 at 4:17 pm
Chuck...Haters come in all fashions and forms so bear arms says:
@marcus the great
Exactly! You suppossed to win at home! If you don’t you garbage! The knock on the celtics the entire playoffs has been their inability to win on the road. They struggled aganist ATLANTA!!
June 9th, 2008 at 4:29 pm
JCM says:
Lakers fans complaining about Kobe getting in foul trouble, NEWSFLASH! Pierce was on the bench with 3 fouls 1st half of game one. I didn’t hear any Celtics fans crying about it.
Kobe threw an elbow at Allen and then ran right through a Pierce pick. Those are both obvious fouls. He doesn’t get to pick and chose what rules he follows. He wants to stay on the floor he shouldn’t make obvious fouls.
June 9th, 2008 at 4:34 pm
rangerjohn says:
k dizzle
all the laker haters are talkin smack about the lakers whinning because the lakers lovers (most anyway) spent all this time tlaking about how the other teams they beat where whinning. now the shoe is on the other foot.
jackson is one of the biggest “whinnin about the refs” coaches EVER! he is ALWAYS bitching about the refs.
free throw shooting was a pretty big deficit but the total fouls where not, THAT STAT shows the celtics where MUCH more agressive, the lakers got fouled but the fouls where outside fouls, if the lakers had attacked the basket maybe they could have gotten to the line.
also the lakers where out assisted by 11 assists, that is a huge number also, 31 assists to 20 assists, thats 20 assists on 41 of 83 baskets vs 31 assists on 36 of 68. that stat right there shows how well the celtics moved the ball and how pourly the lakers did.
as for both teams shooting around 50%, well sort of the lakers shot 49% (49.4) and the celtics shot 53% (52.9)
that is a pretty decisive difference.
the lakers scored 41 i nthe 4th but only 19 in the 3rd. gonna need more then 19 points to get it done. kobe took 1/4 of the shots, and odom and raddy combined for another 1/4.
here is a telling number, fisher, odom, and raddy combined to shoot 42%, kobe needs more help if he is going to get anything done.
celtics in 6
June 9th, 2008 at 6:03 pm
Dave says:
KDizzle…..I appreciate where you’re coming from but I promise you I would not be bitching about the officials, that’s one pet peeve I’ve always had as a player (D-1, even played in the big-dance), coach, and fan….it’s never the refs fault. Gee will vouch for me, we had this discussion when the Jazz lost to the Lakers and were out-freethrowed bad but I didn’t put it on the refs. Kobe’s earned the right to get some calls, the Jazz haven’t yet.
38-10 on free-throws is a giant disparity for sure, but the total number of fouls called was much closer than that. There are always bad calls in any game, but it’s poor when the head-coach leads the crying.
I may yell at the games or at the TV but I think it’s chickenshit to blame officials for a loss regardless of how bad it may have been.
June 9th, 2008 at 6:12 pm
Commonsense says:
I don’t understand the crying about the ft disparity- the Lakers were a jump shooting team. You got to take it to the hoop to get calls. All Powe’s attempts were dunks or layups, of course he’ll have more ft’s than the Lakers who are standing around the 3 pt. line…