Ricko Says:
Though only 29 years of age, Kobe Bryant could be called an old 29, due to both the fact that he came into the NBA out of high school, and that with his playoff games, his current 12th season could easily equal 14 years in the league.
Bryant no longer has the need to score at will over long stretches as he did early in his career — a credit to the vastly improved talent around him, but perhaps he also realizes the need to do so has been diminished by his willingness to trust the system in which he now plays? Nonetheless, when the situation calls for it, Kobe can still deliver. His second half performance in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals versus the San Antonio Spurs was not a highlight reel, scoring-machine feature. Rather, it was proof that when the Lakers need it, Bryant can be a leader in pushing his team over the top.
In what was a very telling and insightful comment, Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich stated after the game, “Kobe, he was doing a trust-his-teammates thing in the first half. That’s why he had five assists, and he was checking it all out and see where his territory was going to be. In the second half, he went to work.”
Even the Spurs, well-known for their defense down the stretch, could do little to stop the Bryant train once it got rolling. Bryant finished with “only” 27 points, but 25 of them came in the second half on 10-for-18 shooting. He made just one three-pointer and was 4-4 from the line, far below his playoff average for free throw attempts. So credit San Antonio for making him earn his points, but earn them he did.
Unfortunately for the Spurs, their three-point shooting cooled off at the wrong time. What had been a major weapon for them in the last two games against New Orleans, both victories, their long-range daggers were misfires in Game 1. While Tim Duncan and his low-post play garner most of the attention, the Spurs’ 3s are just as important. They shot just 5-for-20 on Wednesday night.
Unlike the Phoenix Suns after blowing Game 1 in San Antonio, the Spurs are still very much alive in this series, as they are more adept than any team at rebounding from a loss that “hurts like hell,” in Popovich’s words. But winning Game 2 just got a little more urgent. Squaring the series at 1-1 will flush out the bad taste of Game 1 much quicker.
The Spurs did a couple of things I thought they would; Duncan got the better of Pau Gasol when matched against him, and should continue to do so more often than not. Also, they neutralized Lamar Odom. Neither Gasol nor Odom looked to be in rhythm offensively like they were against Denver or Utah. Which I suppose is all the more reason San Antonio should have won. However, don’t look for Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili to duplicate their combined 10-for-33 shooting night, or for the Spurs to again miss 15 of 20 three-point shots.
A perusal of the stat sheet shows no glaring advantage held by the Lakers in their Game 1 victory. But like it so often does this time of year, fourth quarter execution and making the open shots at clutch moments are huge factors on the floor that don’t jump out of the box score. The Lakers were better in those aspects, and deserved to win.
So it’s time for Popovich, one of the best adjusters in recent history, to put his team in a position to steal Game 2 in L.A., certainly no easy task. But if the Spurs execute even slightly better than they did Wednesday, they have a good chance of knotting the series. If not, Game 1 may come to be known as the one that got away.
Pistons Throttle Celtics, Steal Home Court
MeanDovine Says:
In a stunning reversal of fortune, the Detroit Pistons stormed into TD Banknorth Garden to defeat the Boston Celtics 103-97. The loss avenged the Pistons sluggish Game 1 performance as they siezed home court advantage, ending the Celtics perfect home playoffs record.
Richard Hamilton overcame his bad Game 1 performance, scoring 25 points, as the Pistons tied the series at one game apiece, seizing the home-court advantage in the process. Prior to the loss the Celtics were perfect at home in the playoffs.
Kevin Garnett had 24 points and 13 rebounds for the Celtics, who lost at home for the first time since March 24 against Phoenix. No team has reached the Finals without a road victory, so Boston must now win in Detroit to reverse its 0-6 playoff road record.
“I fully believe, and I’ve said many times, at some point we’re going to have to win on the road,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. “We’ve gotten away with it thus far. That’s been taken away. And if we want what we want, we have to win on the road and that’s just the way it is.”
Chauncey Billups had 19 points and seven assists, and his rookie backup, Rodney Stuckey, made several clutch shots in the fourth quarter, adding 13 points for the Pistons, who host Game 3 on Saturday.
Paul Pierce scored 26 points for the Celtics, who had won 15 straight at home and were 9-0 in the playoffs. But the only record that matters now is 0-6 — their playoff road mark. The Celtics also had a perfect postseason record when Pierce scored over 20 points in a game, however, that distinction is now out the window as well.
“We have no choice now but to get it done on the road,” Pierce said.
Ray Allen finally broke out of his shooting slump with his best performance in nearly three months, scoring 25 points. Allen, however, was limited to 29 minutes by foul trouble, picking up his fifth foul with 3:09 left in the third quarter after his flurry had given Boston the lead.
Antonio McDyess scored 15 points, Tayshaun Prince had 14, and Wallace had 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Pistons who shot 49 percent against the league’s best defensive team.
The Celtics missed their first six shots in the second quarter and didn’t make a field goal until James Posey’s 3-pointer with 7:03 left that tied it at 27. McDyess scored the next five points and the Pistons led the remainder of the half, opening a 50-43 lead at the break.
After amassing the league’s best overall record, as well as the NBA’s best team defensive mark, look for Boston to finally break through on the road. But to do so, Allen must stay out of foul trouble, and Rondo has to take better care of the ball. Although he had only two turnovers in the loss, he forced bad passes during several crucial possessions. With Eddie House’s less than adroit ballhandling, Boston may resort to struggling veteran Sam Cassell, whom they picked up for his championship pedigree, as well as to spell Rondo at critical points in the series.
NBA
Hold the Mayo …
Former USC basketball star O.J. Mayo has been dropped by his agent ahead of the June 26 NBA draft because of the “overwhelming intensity” of allegations that Mayo illegally received cash and gifts.
Mayo had announced that Calvin Andrews of Bill Duffy Associates would represent him. But the Walnut Creek, Calif.-based sports management group issued a statement Thursday saying their association was over.
“Due to the overwhelming intensity of recent allegations regarding the recruitment of O.J. Mayo, we feel that our representation of him is a distraction for he and his family at this time,” the statement said.
“This should be the best time in his life and anything that takes away from that enjoyment and the experience of this process is not fair to him.”
BDA Sports said it will ask the NBA Players Association to waive the standard 15-day cooling off period so Mayo could sign with a new agent immediately.
Among the NBA players represented by BDA are Carmelo Anthony, Greg Oden, Steve Nash and Yao Ming.
Louis Johnson, a former associate of Mayo’s, told ESPN that events promoter Rodney Guillory received money from BDA Sports and funneled cash and gifts to Mayo, who played one season at USC before declaring for the draft.
Mayo has denied the allegations, which are being investigated by the NCAA, Pacific-10 Conference and USC.
Photos:
Kobe Bryant: AFP/Getty Images/Stephen Dunn
Hamilton-Rondo: Brian Babineau/NBAE/Getty Images
Mayo: AP/Don Ryan
Credits:
AP: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=280522002
Mayo: Associated Press
Profiles/Teases are done for the season.
LOTL Postseason Edition posts Monday & Friday mornings.
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}, I’ll bow to your greatness. As for me right now, feelin’ good about my Pistons pick, not so much about my Spurs pick. Although the Hornets also stomped the Spurs the first two games in N.O.
spurs blew the first game.
sure kobe was “held in check” in the 1st half, but an old team can’t go up by 20. while an old team can squander a 20 point lead, they sure as heck can’t get one either.
there’s different types of old:
- yo momma! jokes are old
- d’antoni in phoenix got real old, real fast
- my 93 accord is old
- morse code is old
- the milk in my fridge is… well, curd. but you get my point.
there’s many types of old. i like to compare the spurs with my car: “old” by standards, but as reliable as ever.
now, as for game 1, spurs came out blazing, feeding timmy in the post and moving the ball when he faced double teams late.
all good so far.
then kobe happened. and i’ll just say one thing about this topic: kobe is the best in the game, and when his game is on, there’s not much the spurs, or a team composed of bowen, artest, camby, KG and duncan, can do.
this isn’t lebron and his one-man-band, this isn’t an “unexperienced” hornets team, or an aging/slowing phoenix team.
alot went right for the lakers this year. from getting gasol to vujacic finding his stroke during games (rumor has it he’s been deadly in practice for years), odom no longer is the proverbial “STOP” sign for ball-movement.
i love my spurs, and i know they aren’t dead. pop’s got some tricks up his sleeve, and the lakers have yet to face a good game from manu and tony.
however, put kobe in the mix and the smart man would put his money on the lakers winning it in 6.
ask my wife though, and she’ll tell you in 0.4 seconds that me and smart go together like ‘eddy curry’ and ‘jump’, so i’m going spurs in 7.
Left by kdjs on May 23rd, 2008