After literally counting the hours for game 7 and wearing my old #8 Kobe Bryant jersey under my work clothes, tip off finally arrived, but the expectations of an epic battle or a return ass kicking to avenge 2008 faded as I painfully witnessed a horrendous shooting performance by both teams and a Mamba who looked ordinary.Game 7 nerves or over confidence against an older team missing a key member? Who knows but the champs' play through the first 3 quarters was abysmal.
Before the game all fans knew that Grumpy's season had come to a close for the Leprechauns, while only averaging 5.8 pts with 5.8 rebs and no blks his presence against the length of the Lakers front men is going to be missed. With this in mind I smiled at the possibility of an epic beat down by 39 pts or more to erase ghosts of '08.
My long wait was over, here it was game 7, Lakers gain possession, right away Gasol hits the boards, only to come out empty, no prob, Lakers win the battle of the boards, they win, plain and simple. Fish breaks the score with his first 3 pointer of the series (No Shit!), Lakers still continue to pound the offensive glass but 'Sheed and KG are holding their own, even swatting their shots away. Kobe takes his first shot after the first 3 minutes, and misses, but he joins the offesive rebound party, and again misses, WTF!, Bryant gets another rebounds, but turns it over, Lakers looking a little rusty. Timeout.
Lakers come back take the lead 10-9, Ray Allen counters with a 3, WTF, this is not happening, Boston is looking confident and Lakers look desperate too early, Kobe finally scores, champs down by 2. Big Baby comes in, scores for the first time since his career Finals game 2 games ago. Lakers score 1 point the rest of the quarter, Boston closes on a 6-1 run and lead 23-14, are you kidding me?! 14 points! This has got to be the worst I've seen Kobe play ever in a Finals game. Damn!
Champs come alive and respond with an 11-0 to start the second led by Ron Artest who scored 6 in that span. Ron Ron was the only player that seemed to have his shot going as the duo of Bryant and Gasol could not shoot it in the ocean, it was a nightmare, hell of time to suck Kobe! Lakers with the lead, Farmar misses, Artest misses from 3, Gasol misses, this is sickening to watch, 2 more buckets for Celtics courtesy of KG and Rondo. Kobe continues to miss, he
s currently 2 of 9 and is now missing freebies as well, somehow the Lakers are only down 1, thanks to Ron Ron, who ties the game at 29. Leprechauns used a 9-2 run and get some breathing room, Artest and Pierce get a bit feisty, double technical, (BS, let them play), maybe this will fire the champs up, more free throws for Pierce, halftime. The Celtics lead 40-34, and looking very confident in taking the trophy back to Boston. Lakers on the other hand had barely managed to score over 30 points, for the half! Kobe looked terrible,3/14 and counting with Gasol, Fisher, Bynum, and Odom not looking any better. The one bright spot was the only player without a ring, Artest who was currently leading them with 12 pts. Bizarre offensive game so far and too close for comfort.
6 point deficit, no biggy, time to close this LA, someone forgot to let the Leprechauns in on the plan and they came out on the third aggressively. Kobe continues to miss 0/3 this quarters and Boston is suddenly up by double figures 3 minutes into the the quarter, Kobe missing from teh stripe, Boston up by 13, mercifully Phil calls a time out. Kobe scores! only his fourth bucket in the game. Odom,Fish, and Gasol all score, Boston timeout sensing a momentum change. The Lie answers with a 3, but Lakers have momentum they close on a 9-3 run to cut to a 57-53 score. Good defense? or Bad offense? You be the judge. Kobe is currently 5/20 but his team mates have stepped out nicely and are now in position to steal this game. Lakers dominating the Glass, Perk sorely missed, but where is KG and his board work?
One quarter to go, winner take all, bring it home LA. Gasol cut the lead to 2, both teams hit a small drought, Lakers cannot take advantage, KG scores, Phil not happy. Timeout. Kobe goes to his bag of tricks and gets 3 freebies, I know haters detest this maneuver, but hey don't be hating, Timmy was actually the first player I saw use it, now just about all big time scorer have adopted it, don't hate on Kobe, he's not the originator or the only who employs it. Lead cut to 1, Allen scores back to 3, Artest cuts, Gasol finds him, 3 point play, game tied! Lakers back from 13 down, up yours haters! Allen to the stripe and he misses! His first miss in the Finals, Gasol misses both free throws, Allen hits his next 2, my God Lakers you suck at shooting today. Fish went back to the locker room and is now back. Fishers takes a three and swish!! game tied. Kobe beats Baby to rebound, Lakers recapture lead for the first time since the first, Leprechauns now te ones missing, Kobe makes his only bucket in the 4th, Boston timeout with under 4 minutes to go. Yes!! Gasol, 2 more freebies, The Lie scores, champs up by 4, Kobe hits 1 of 2 from the stripe, KG throws it down, lead cut to 3, more free throws for the Lakers, Boston losing their legs. The Lie more free throws, Champs up by 4, Lakers go to Gasol, he's covered, still makes the basket upon further review, Gasol traveled, bad break for Celtics, game was not decided on that call, so stop hating, hard to catch that in regular speed. Lakers up by 6, 1:30 to go, title #16 getting closer, who would've thought as bad as Kobe has been. Boston timeout, 'Sheed hits a 3, cuts lead in half, The Lie dares Artest to shoot, he does, and it falls! Lakers up by 6, 1 minute to go, Artest blows kissed to the fans, the crowd is tasting banner #16. Ray Allen still not done, hits a 3, but Boston begining to run out of time. Kobe tries to throw the dagger, but missess, Pau with yet another rebound, back to Kobe, he gets fouled, 'Sheed is gone. Allen misses a 3, Rondo steals the rebound, Rajon for 3, ha! WTF he hits it, shit, LA only up by 2, 13 seconds to go. LA Timeout, they bring in the closer, The Machine, who get fouled and go to the stripe and calmly gives the champs a 4 point lead, Boston out of timeouts and out of time. Boston one last chance, Rondo for 3, c'mon Boston the kid can't hit from the Free Throw line, bad call, he got lucky on the last shot. Gasol grabs his 18th rebound, to Lamar who throws it down court, and it is over! The Los Angeles Lakers are back to back champions! Lakers grabbed 53 rebounds, 23 offensive, it was perhaps the worst shooting Finals game I've ever witnessed and probably will ever witness, but in the end, the LA Lakers are your 2010 NBA Champions.
Leprechauns.
Very formidable opponent, but revenge was sweet, thank you for taking King Crab and the Big Has Been out though and for a memorable series, from a hardcore Lakers fan, hell of a series.
Scalabrine - Scal logged in 1 full minute for the series, only due to Perkins' injury and contributed the dreaded 1 Trillion to the Leprechauns loss. May have played his last game.
Piggyback Finley - Was unable to get a freebie, played 5 total minutes in the series, did not see any action for game 7, missed his only shot and scored a 2 Trillion in game 1, his career is more than likely over.
Candece's husband - No show for game 7, played 18 total minutes, 14 of them coming in garbage time in game 6, missed both shots he took, tallied a total of 2 fouls, 2 turnovers, and 4 rebounds for the entire series. Won't see him in Boston green next year, waste of a uniform.
Marquis - A key acquisition in the off season, Marquis never got back in rotation after his injury, should be back next year, did not played in game 7, only action he saw was in garbage time in game 6 when he was perfect from the floor for 5 points.
Grumpy - Don't know if he would have been the X-factor in Boston 18th title, but surely he would have made the rebounding closer. To those haters who say that if Perk had been available Celtics would have won, know this, he was available the first 5 games, and Boston dropped two games, explain that. Perk average 5.8 pts, 5.8 rebs for the series, he did not register a single block. Surely the presence of Bynum made a difference even at less than 100%, hope he recovers though, Boston won't be the same without his pissed off face in the line up.
Krypto-Nate - After his big 4th game, Nate shot 4/13 including 1/6 from treys. He logged in only 4 minutes for game 7, missing his only shot. He averaged 4.9 pts and 1.9 assists for the series, he hit all his 5 free throws, I think the Celtics did miss Eddie House though.
Tony Allen - After averaging 16 minutes a game for the first six games, Tony Allen only played 5 minutes, contributing only 1 turnover. Who know why he didn't play much, through out the series he did a decent job on Bryant.
Big Baby - Was 2 for 8 since his Shrek game, did pick up the rebounding slack after Perks injury grabbing 9 on both occasions, but not enough against LA's big lineup, his offense was sorely needed in game 7 and he only scored 6 pts.
'Sheed - Filled in nicely for Perk and played some feisty defense, but not enough to contend against younger big bodies for 48 minutes. 'Sheed scored a series high 11 pts and 8 rebounds but seemed to run out of steam in the 4th, gutsy performance none the less.
Ray Allen - After his record setting performance was only 4/28 from downtown. He played 45 minutes in game 7 going 3/14 and missing his first Finals free throw since game 3 of the '08 Finals. He did have 3 steals, but had his second worst shooting of the series at only 21%, across the board he averaged playoff lows for the series for 2010. May have played his last game as a Leprechaun.
KG - Celtics' fans argument was if KG was healthy, they'd be looking at a three peat, well he's here, and the one's that are on the verge to 3peat are the hated Lakers. While KG played better than expected offense wise, he averaged a playoff low 5.6 rebounds for the series, the key statistic in this year's Finals, he got over 10 rebounds, once, and not getting more than six the other games. His good numbers for game 7 were 17 pts and 4 blks, his bad ones were 2 assists, and 3 rebounds, none offensive. His numbers against King Crab though were impressive.
Rondo - The "Best" All Around guard numbers were not shabby 14 pts, 10 assists, and 8 rebounds, but not enough for game 7, he like Allen played 45 minutes but was not allowed to wreck havoc in the paint and with the Lakers dominating the glass neutralized his attack. His averages for the Finals were playoff lows for 2010, the most significant being 5/19 from the stripe, 26%. I'm sorry but "Best All-Around" to me would include being able to seal the victory from the stripe.
The Lie - The self proclaimed best player in the world, who will never be confused with Nostradamus was the only Leprechaun with a + for the game. He finished with a team high 18 points, on 5/15 shooting, and also a team high 10 rebounds. His series numbers were decent, only the series against Cleveland was worse, so clearly physical small forwards have an impact on him.
The Champs
Morrison - The 70s porn star played 13 total minutes in the playoffs, averaging 4 pts, both games against the OKC Thunder. More than likely has seen his last game as Laker, hey at least he has 2 rings, don't know if his career is over, but his stint with the Champs is. Good luck Adam.
Mbenga - Saw no action in game 7, logged in 3 full minutes in game 6 and grabbed 1 rebound. A crowd favorite but more than likely will not be back with the Lakers next year. DJ played 3 total playoff games. Good Luck DJ.
Walton - Did not see any game 7 action and has not contributed since game 3, had career lows all across the board for the series, tied his Hall of Fame father with rings and may surpass him if his back holds up.
Powell - Yet another player who may have seen his last game in a Laker jersey, Josh scored a 1 Trillion for game 7 and had no points for the series. He contributed 1 rebound to this title in his 9 minutes of playing time. Good luck Josh.
Shannon - Played on 5 minutes and missed his only shot, Shannon was very inconsistent through out the playoffs and can opt to become a free agent, but c'mon why would you? Brown had career highs and can still help this team a lot, his spectacular dunks in game 6 should be top ten plays for the series for sure.
Machine - Sasha is still not to par on his old Machine persona but he came through and hit 2 clutch free throws to give the Lakers the lead for good. Sasha scored 21 times more than last years playoffs, and had flashes of good play, hopefully this will carry over to next year.
Farmar - The other Jordan played 13 minutes, missed all 3 shots, fouled twice, and turned the ball over once, no points. +10 for the game, second highest, WTF! Jordan had his lowest averages these playoffs in the Finals. Although he did not score much, he did hit some timely buckets and earned his ring, like the rest of the bench all season, the problem was inconsistency. If this is the last time we see him as a Laker, I'm sure he will be missed, and best of luck to him, hope he develops whereever he may go, except Boston of course.
'Drew - A bit disappointed with his play 19 mins 1/5 from the floor, 2 points, 6 rebounds. With Grumpy out, I expected him to dominate inside along with Gasol. To his defense, he's still playing with one leg and without him the first 3 games could have gone Boston's way. The jury is still out on Bynum 'til he plays healthy a whole year, he did get a lot of credit for grinding it out and helping the team out this year, hopefully he recovers in the off season, and can finally start fulfilling his potential. We still believe, 'Drew.
Odom - Candy man had a game high +13, 7 points, 7 rebounds, 3 offensive in 35 minutes. LO had a sub par series averaging playoff lows across the board, with few flashes of great play, still his contributions were timely and helped the champs repeat. Lamar was a key factor as Lakers came back from 13 down, scoring 6 quick points in the process.
Fisher - The ever dependable Derek Fisher hit his only 3 pointers in the series and finished with 10 points. Like Odom it was a matter of when hit a bucket not how many. Fish capped the Lakers comeback with a 3 in the 4th to tie the game, LA would not trailed after that. Fish joins original Lakers George Mikan, Jim Pollard, and Showtime era Lakers Michael Cooper, Kareem, and Magic Johnson as Lakers players with most titles, not bad from the kid from Little Rock.
Mamba - 6/24 from the field 0/6 from downtown, 4 turnovers, 2 assists, still finished with a game high 23 points, thanks to 11/15 from the stripe. With Kobe by far having his worst Finals shooting game, his team step up and came through. I'm glad Kobe didn't force the issue and contributed in other areas, most importantly his Finals career high 15 rebounds. Mamba walked away with his 5th ring, 1 more than the Big Once Was, "Hey, Shaq, tell me how his ass tastes". Kobe also earned his second consecutive Finals MVP.
Spaniard - Don't think anyone would have argued had Gasol been named Finals MVP. The Spaniard averaged a double double for the series along with 2.5 blks and almost 4 assists. Although he played center quite a bit, he excelled when playing his natural position. Pau finished with 19 points, 18 rebounds, 9 offensive and 2 blocks, his only stain was the 6 missed free throws. Probably will never get rid of the soft label, but has proven his anything but a pushover, while Kobe is by far the Lakers best player, I still believe Pau is the most important.
Ron Ron - If you ask the Celtics who would they want shooting the ball from the Lakers starters, it would probably be 'Drew and Artest. Artest was dared to shoot and he accepted the challenge, taking the most field goals for him in the playoffs. His shooting was not great 7/18, 2/7 from 3s, but he made them when his team needed, he shot well from the stripe 4/5 and finished with a series high 20 points. Ron Ron was brought here for defense and that's where he was outstanding shadowing Pierce through out the game and registering 5 steals in the process. Of his timely shots, none was greater than the late 3 he hit to put the Lakers up by 3 after Boston had cut the lead in half. As much as I liked Ariza, I don't think he would of had the same impact.
Player of the game: Ron Ron, Finals high 20 pts, 5 steals, 5 rebounds.
X-Factor: LO. +13 for the game, key factor in Lakers comeback.
Should Have Been Benched: I actually do not remember seeing Shannon play, but the box score says he played 5 minutes. With only 1 foul and 1 missed shot, he might as well been sitting.
Laker Hater: Surprisingly none.
Overtime: Would have loved to have seen the '08 Celtics vs. these Lakers. I give the Celtics the edge due to their more consistent bench and a non grounded KG, I like the idea of Bynum being present and obviously Artest vs. Pierce. I seriously doubt the Leprechauns would have spanked this team by 39. As far as the The Lie goes, his numbers were not too off from 2 years ago, how much did the Artest factor help, let's see. In 2008 Pierce made 38/88 field goals, 11/28 threes, shot .432 from the floor, .393 from the arc and 83% from the stripe on 44/53 free throws, he averaged 21.8 per game. He also chipped in 1.2 steals, 4.5 rebounds, and 6.3 assists. This year he actually shot better .439 on 43/98 shooting, shot better from 3s but made and took less .400 8/20, shot better from the stripe 87% but took 16 less, he did not get as many calls as 2 years ago when it seemed that every time he drove in he went to the stripe, a little different when you're being guarded by an established defensive stopper eh? He averaged less than1 steal, almost 1 more rebound, 3.3 assists less, and almost 4 less points overall. So while he did shoot a tad better, he didn't get many shots thanks to Ron Ron's harassing defense, again Ariza would have not had the same luck.
How about Mamba, how did he improve from 2 years ago. He shot exactly the same from the flor .405, he played an extra game so obviously he made and took more shots, he shot a fraction better from threes making 6 more this Finals, but improved significantly at the stripe connecting on 88% of his freebies compared to 80% in '08. He averaged half a steal less, but Ron picked up that slack and then some, so no big loss. He actually averaged a full assist less, even though he had more help this year. The main stat these Finals were rebounding, who ever won the battle of the boards won every game, Kobe increased his average from 4.7 in '08 to 8.0 this year, considering he plays along with Bynum, Gasol, and Odom and was going against KG and Perkins. He also increased his average almost 3 points.
How bout Mamba game 7 debacle, is that his worst Finals game ever? Actually no, back in the 2000 Finals, he shot 4/20, 20% in the game 6 spanking by Reggie Miller and the Pacers, to date that is his worst Finals performance. He has had 6 other playoff games with worse shooting than this year's game 7, most recently game 3 vs Utah in 2009 (5/24, 21%), game 1 vs Houston in 2004 (4/19, 21%), game 2 vs. Portland in '2000 which was an ass kicking by the Blazers, (2/9, 22%), game 1 vs. Seattle in '98 (1/5, 20%), game 3 vs. Portland also in 1998 (1/6, 17%), and way back in his rookie year game 1 vs. Utah (1/7, 14%), hard to believe there was a time Kobe was shooting less than 10 shots, he was playing off the bench then, behind Eddie Jones. It's interesting 2 of the games mentioned happened after the fallout of '04, while the rest happened while Shaq was leading the way, you would think, he would have more now, since he's a ball hog you know, just sayin'
Before the game all fans knew that Grumpy's season had come to a close for the Leprechauns, while only averaging 5.8 pts with 5.8 rebs and no blks his presence against the length of the Lakers front men is going to be missed. With this in mind I smiled at the possibility of an epic beat down by 39 pts or more to erase ghosts of '08.
My long wait was over, here it was game 7, Lakers gain possession, right away Gasol hits the boards, only to come out empty, no prob, Lakers win the battle of the boards, they win, plain and simple. Fish breaks the score with his first 3 pointer of the series (No Shit!), Lakers still continue to pound the offensive glass but 'Sheed and KG are holding their own, even swatting their shots away. Kobe takes his first shot after the first 3 minutes, and misses, but he joins the offesive rebound party, and again misses, WTF!, Bryant gets another rebounds, but turns it over, Lakers looking a little rusty. Timeout.
Lakers come back take the lead 10-9, Ray Allen counters with a 3, WTF, this is not happening, Boston is looking confident and Lakers look desperate too early, Kobe finally scores, champs down by 2. Big Baby comes in, scores for the first time since his career Finals game 2 games ago. Lakers score 1 point the rest of the quarter, Boston closes on a 6-1 run and lead 23-14, are you kidding me?! 14 points! This has got to be the worst I've seen Kobe play ever in a Finals game. Damn!
Champs come alive and respond with an 11-0 to start the second led by Ron Artest who scored 6 in that span. Ron Ron was the only player that seemed to have his shot going as the duo of Bryant and Gasol could not shoot it in the ocean, it was a nightmare, hell of time to suck Kobe! Lakers with the lead, Farmar misses, Artest misses from 3, Gasol misses, this is sickening to watch, 2 more buckets for Celtics courtesy of KG and Rondo. Kobe continues to miss, he
s currently 2 of 9 and is now missing freebies as well, somehow the Lakers are only down 1, thanks to Ron Ron, who ties the game at 29. Leprechauns used a 9-2 run and get some breathing room, Artest and Pierce get a bit feisty, double technical, (BS, let them play), maybe this will fire the champs up, more free throws for Pierce, halftime. The Celtics lead 40-34, and looking very confident in taking the trophy back to Boston. Lakers on the other hand had barely managed to score over 30 points, for the half! Kobe looked terrible,3/14 and counting with Gasol, Fisher, Bynum, and Odom not looking any better. The one bright spot was the only player without a ring, Artest who was currently leading them with 12 pts. Bizarre offensive game so far and too close for comfort.
6 point deficit, no biggy, time to close this LA, someone forgot to let the Leprechauns in on the plan and they came out on the third aggressively. Kobe continues to miss 0/3 this quarters and Boston is suddenly up by double figures 3 minutes into the the quarter, Kobe missing from teh stripe, Boston up by 13, mercifully Phil calls a time out. Kobe scores! only his fourth bucket in the game. Odom,Fish, and Gasol all score, Boston timeout sensing a momentum change. The Lie answers with a 3, but Lakers have momentum they close on a 9-3 run to cut to a 57-53 score. Good defense? or Bad offense? You be the judge. Kobe is currently 5/20 but his team mates have stepped out nicely and are now in position to steal this game. Lakers dominating the Glass, Perk sorely missed, but where is KG and his board work?
One quarter to go, winner take all, bring it home LA. Gasol cut the lead to 2, both teams hit a small drought, Lakers cannot take advantage, KG scores, Phil not happy. Timeout. Kobe goes to his bag of tricks and gets 3 freebies, I know haters detest this maneuver, but hey don't be hating, Timmy was actually the first player I saw use it, now just about all big time scorer have adopted it, don't hate on Kobe, he's not the originator or the only who employs it. Lead cut to 1, Allen scores back to 3, Artest cuts, Gasol finds him, 3 point play, game tied! Lakers back from 13 down, up yours haters! Allen to the stripe and he misses! His first miss in the Finals, Gasol misses both free throws, Allen hits his next 2, my God Lakers you suck at shooting today. Fish went back to the locker room and is now back. Fishers takes a three and swish!! game tied. Kobe beats Baby to rebound, Lakers recapture lead for the first time since the first, Leprechauns now te ones missing, Kobe makes his only bucket in the 4th, Boston timeout with under 4 minutes to go. Yes!! Gasol, 2 more freebies, The Lie scores, champs up by 4, Kobe hits 1 of 2 from the stripe, KG throws it down, lead cut to 3, more free throws for the Lakers, Boston losing their legs. The Lie more free throws, Champs up by 4, Lakers go to Gasol, he's covered, still makes the basket upon further review, Gasol traveled, bad break for Celtics, game was not decided on that call, so stop hating, hard to catch that in regular speed. Lakers up by 6, 1:30 to go, title #16 getting closer, who would've thought as bad as Kobe has been. Boston timeout, 'Sheed hits a 3, cuts lead in half, The Lie dares Artest to shoot, he does, and it falls! Lakers up by 6, 1 minute to go, Artest blows kissed to the fans, the crowd is tasting banner #16. Ray Allen still not done, hits a 3, but Boston begining to run out of time. Kobe tries to throw the dagger, but missess, Pau with yet another rebound, back to Kobe, he gets fouled, 'Sheed is gone. Allen misses a 3, Rondo steals the rebound, Rajon for 3, ha! WTF he hits it, shit, LA only up by 2, 13 seconds to go. LA Timeout, they bring in the closer, The Machine, who get fouled and go to the stripe and calmly gives the champs a 4 point lead, Boston out of timeouts and out of time. Boston one last chance, Rondo for 3, c'mon Boston the kid can't hit from the Free Throw line, bad call, he got lucky on the last shot. Gasol grabs his 18th rebound, to Lamar who throws it down court, and it is over! The Los Angeles Lakers are back to back champions! Lakers grabbed 53 rebounds, 23 offensive, it was perhaps the worst shooting Finals game I've ever witnessed and probably will ever witness, but in the end, the LA Lakers are your 2010 NBA Champions.
Leprechauns.
Very formidable opponent, but revenge was sweet, thank you for taking King Crab and the Big Has Been out though and for a memorable series, from a hardcore Lakers fan, hell of a series.
Scalabrine - Scal logged in 1 full minute for the series, only due to Perkins' injury and contributed the dreaded 1 Trillion to the Leprechauns loss. May have played his last game.
Piggyback Finley - Was unable to get a freebie, played 5 total minutes in the series, did not see any action for game 7, missed his only shot and scored a 2 Trillion in game 1, his career is more than likely over.
Candece's husband - No show for game 7, played 18 total minutes, 14 of them coming in garbage time in game 6, missed both shots he took, tallied a total of 2 fouls, 2 turnovers, and 4 rebounds for the entire series. Won't see him in Boston green next year, waste of a uniform.
Marquis - A key acquisition in the off season, Marquis never got back in rotation after his injury, should be back next year, did not played in game 7, only action he saw was in garbage time in game 6 when he was perfect from the floor for 5 points.
Grumpy - Don't know if he would have been the X-factor in Boston 18th title, but surely he would have made the rebounding closer. To those haters who say that if Perk had been available Celtics would have won, know this, he was available the first 5 games, and Boston dropped two games, explain that. Perk average 5.8 pts, 5.8 rebs for the series, he did not register a single block. Surely the presence of Bynum made a difference even at less than 100%, hope he recovers though, Boston won't be the same without his pissed off face in the line up.
Krypto-Nate - After his big 4th game, Nate shot 4/13 including 1/6 from treys. He logged in only 4 minutes for game 7, missing his only shot. He averaged 4.9 pts and 1.9 assists for the series, he hit all his 5 free throws, I think the Celtics did miss Eddie House though.
Tony Allen - After averaging 16 minutes a game for the first six games, Tony Allen only played 5 minutes, contributing only 1 turnover. Who know why he didn't play much, through out the series he did a decent job on Bryant.
Big Baby - Was 2 for 8 since his Shrek game, did pick up the rebounding slack after Perks injury grabbing 9 on both occasions, but not enough against LA's big lineup, his offense was sorely needed in game 7 and he only scored 6 pts.
'Sheed - Filled in nicely for Perk and played some feisty defense, but not enough to contend against younger big bodies for 48 minutes. 'Sheed scored a series high 11 pts and 8 rebounds but seemed to run out of steam in the 4th, gutsy performance none the less.
Ray Allen - After his record setting performance was only 4/28 from downtown. He played 45 minutes in game 7 going 3/14 and missing his first Finals free throw since game 3 of the '08 Finals. He did have 3 steals, but had his second worst shooting of the series at only 21%, across the board he averaged playoff lows for the series for 2010. May have played his last game as a Leprechaun.
KG - Celtics' fans argument was if KG was healthy, they'd be looking at a three peat, well he's here, and the one's that are on the verge to 3peat are the hated Lakers. While KG played better than expected offense wise, he averaged a playoff low 5.6 rebounds for the series, the key statistic in this year's Finals, he got over 10 rebounds, once, and not getting more than six the other games. His good numbers for game 7 were 17 pts and 4 blks, his bad ones were 2 assists, and 3 rebounds, none offensive. His numbers against King Crab though were impressive.
Rondo - The "Best" All Around guard numbers were not shabby 14 pts, 10 assists, and 8 rebounds, but not enough for game 7, he like Allen played 45 minutes but was not allowed to wreck havoc in the paint and with the Lakers dominating the glass neutralized his attack. His averages for the Finals were playoff lows for 2010, the most significant being 5/19 from the stripe, 26%. I'm sorry but "Best All-Around" to me would include being able to seal the victory from the stripe.
The Lie - The self proclaimed best player in the world, who will never be confused with Nostradamus was the only Leprechaun with a + for the game. He finished with a team high 18 points, on 5/15 shooting, and also a team high 10 rebounds. His series numbers were decent, only the series against Cleveland was worse, so clearly physical small forwards have an impact on him.
The Champs
Morrison - The 70s porn star played 13 total minutes in the playoffs, averaging 4 pts, both games against the OKC Thunder. More than likely has seen his last game as Laker, hey at least he has 2 rings, don't know if his career is over, but his stint with the Champs is. Good luck Adam.
Mbenga - Saw no action in game 7, logged in 3 full minutes in game 6 and grabbed 1 rebound. A crowd favorite but more than likely will not be back with the Lakers next year. DJ played 3 total playoff games. Good Luck DJ.
Walton - Did not see any game 7 action and has not contributed since game 3, had career lows all across the board for the series, tied his Hall of Fame father with rings and may surpass him if his back holds up.
Powell - Yet another player who may have seen his last game in a Laker jersey, Josh scored a 1 Trillion for game 7 and had no points for the series. He contributed 1 rebound to this title in his 9 minutes of playing time. Good luck Josh.
Shannon - Played on 5 minutes and missed his only shot, Shannon was very inconsistent through out the playoffs and can opt to become a free agent, but c'mon why would you? Brown had career highs and can still help this team a lot, his spectacular dunks in game 6 should be top ten plays for the series for sure.
Machine - Sasha is still not to par on his old Machine persona but he came through and hit 2 clutch free throws to give the Lakers the lead for good. Sasha scored 21 times more than last years playoffs, and had flashes of good play, hopefully this will carry over to next year.
Farmar - The other Jordan played 13 minutes, missed all 3 shots, fouled twice, and turned the ball over once, no points. +10 for the game, second highest, WTF! Jordan had his lowest averages these playoffs in the Finals. Although he did not score much, he did hit some timely buckets and earned his ring, like the rest of the bench all season, the problem was inconsistency. If this is the last time we see him as a Laker, I'm sure he will be missed, and best of luck to him, hope he develops whereever he may go, except Boston of course.
'Drew - A bit disappointed with his play 19 mins 1/5 from the floor, 2 points, 6 rebounds. With Grumpy out, I expected him to dominate inside along with Gasol. To his defense, he's still playing with one leg and without him the first 3 games could have gone Boston's way. The jury is still out on Bynum 'til he plays healthy a whole year, he did get a lot of credit for grinding it out and helping the team out this year, hopefully he recovers in the off season, and can finally start fulfilling his potential. We still believe, 'Drew.
Odom - Candy man had a game high +13, 7 points, 7 rebounds, 3 offensive in 35 minutes. LO had a sub par series averaging playoff lows across the board, with few flashes of great play, still his contributions were timely and helped the champs repeat. Lamar was a key factor as Lakers came back from 13 down, scoring 6 quick points in the process.
Fisher - The ever dependable Derek Fisher hit his only 3 pointers in the series and finished with 10 points. Like Odom it was a matter of when hit a bucket not how many. Fish capped the Lakers comeback with a 3 in the 4th to tie the game, LA would not trailed after that. Fish joins original Lakers George Mikan, Jim Pollard, and Showtime era Lakers Michael Cooper, Kareem, and Magic Johnson as Lakers players with most titles, not bad from the kid from Little Rock.
Mamba - 6/24 from the field 0/6 from downtown, 4 turnovers, 2 assists, still finished with a game high 23 points, thanks to 11/15 from the stripe. With Kobe by far having his worst Finals shooting game, his team step up and came through. I'm glad Kobe didn't force the issue and contributed in other areas, most importantly his Finals career high 15 rebounds. Mamba walked away with his 5th ring, 1 more than the Big Once Was, "Hey, Shaq, tell me how his ass tastes". Kobe also earned his second consecutive Finals MVP.
Spaniard - Don't think anyone would have argued had Gasol been named Finals MVP. The Spaniard averaged a double double for the series along with 2.5 blks and almost 4 assists. Although he played center quite a bit, he excelled when playing his natural position. Pau finished with 19 points, 18 rebounds, 9 offensive and 2 blocks, his only stain was the 6 missed free throws. Probably will never get rid of the soft label, but has proven his anything but a pushover, while Kobe is by far the Lakers best player, I still believe Pau is the most important.
Ron Ron - If you ask the Celtics who would they want shooting the ball from the Lakers starters, it would probably be 'Drew and Artest. Artest was dared to shoot and he accepted the challenge, taking the most field goals for him in the playoffs. His shooting was not great 7/18, 2/7 from 3s, but he made them when his team needed, he shot well from the stripe 4/5 and finished with a series high 20 points. Ron Ron was brought here for defense and that's where he was outstanding shadowing Pierce through out the game and registering 5 steals in the process. Of his timely shots, none was greater than the late 3 he hit to put the Lakers up by 3 after Boston had cut the lead in half. As much as I liked Ariza, I don't think he would of had the same impact.
Player of the game: Ron Ron, Finals high 20 pts, 5 steals, 5 rebounds.
X-Factor: LO. +13 for the game, key factor in Lakers comeback.
Should Have Been Benched: I actually do not remember seeing Shannon play, but the box score says he played 5 minutes. With only 1 foul and 1 missed shot, he might as well been sitting.
Laker Hater: Surprisingly none.
Overtime: Would have loved to have seen the '08 Celtics vs. these Lakers. I give the Celtics the edge due to their more consistent bench and a non grounded KG, I like the idea of Bynum being present and obviously Artest vs. Pierce. I seriously doubt the Leprechauns would have spanked this team by 39. As far as the The Lie goes, his numbers were not too off from 2 years ago, how much did the Artest factor help, let's see. In 2008 Pierce made 38/88 field goals, 11/28 threes, shot .432 from the floor, .393 from the arc and 83% from the stripe on 44/53 free throws, he averaged 21.8 per game. He also chipped in 1.2 steals, 4.5 rebounds, and 6.3 assists. This year he actually shot better .439 on 43/98 shooting, shot better from 3s but made and took less .400 8/20, shot better from the stripe 87% but took 16 less, he did not get as many calls as 2 years ago when it seemed that every time he drove in he went to the stripe, a little different when you're being guarded by an established defensive stopper eh? He averaged less than1 steal, almost 1 more rebound, 3.3 assists less, and almost 4 less points overall. So while he did shoot a tad better, he didn't get many shots thanks to Ron Ron's harassing defense, again Ariza would have not had the same luck.
How about Mamba, how did he improve from 2 years ago. He shot exactly the same from the flor .405, he played an extra game so obviously he made and took more shots, he shot a fraction better from threes making 6 more this Finals, but improved significantly at the stripe connecting on 88% of his freebies compared to 80% in '08. He averaged half a steal less, but Ron picked up that slack and then some, so no big loss. He actually averaged a full assist less, even though he had more help this year. The main stat these Finals were rebounding, who ever won the battle of the boards won every game, Kobe increased his average from 4.7 in '08 to 8.0 this year, considering he plays along with Bynum, Gasol, and Odom and was going against KG and Perkins. He also increased his average almost 3 points.
How bout Mamba game 7 debacle, is that his worst Finals game ever? Actually no, back in the 2000 Finals, he shot 4/20, 20% in the game 6 spanking by Reggie Miller and the Pacers, to date that is his worst Finals performance. He has had 6 other playoff games with worse shooting than this year's game 7, most recently game 3 vs Utah in 2009 (5/24, 21%), game 1 vs Houston in 2004 (4/19, 21%), game 2 vs. Portland in '2000 which was an ass kicking by the Blazers, (2/9, 22%), game 1 vs. Seattle in '98 (1/5, 20%), game 3 vs. Portland also in 1998 (1/6, 17%), and way back in his rookie year game 1 vs. Utah (1/7, 14%), hard to believe there was a time Kobe was shooting less than 10 shots, he was playing off the bench then, behind Eddie Jones. It's interesting 2 of the games mentioned happened after the fallout of '04, while the rest happened while Shaq was leading the way, you would think, he would have more now, since he's a ball hog you know, just sayin'
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