2011 Predictions & Team Previews

Over the years many teams have looked good on papers, too many to count. It's easy for fans to get excited about their team prematurely, but if you know anything about sports you know damn well that too many things can wrong and screw up your magic season. The most obvious is an injury, which can happen at the wrong time, drag on through the season, or worse case scenario finish a players season. Inner franchise turmoil can also play a factor from in-house bickering to new team mates not syncing, so having said that, I'm making the following analysis based on teams staying in good health. I'll break them down by divisions ranked from worst to best:

ATLANTIC

Toronto - Have again lost their franchise player, still have some talent and will win their small share of games, but do not have enough fire power to be taken seriously. The biggest threat is Bargnani, who gets an opportunity to get rid of his bust title. Back in the league Linas Kleiza had a is good shooter and may just end up as the teams second scorer. Barbosa arrives and gets a chance to revive his career along with Jack, they should form a pretty good reserve back court. In the end with an improving East, the Raptors will miss the playoffs for the third straight year.

Philadelphia - Improved a bit with the additions of Nocioni and the energetic Hawes from Sacramento and should be an exciting team as they are loaded with young athletic players. Team USA member Iguodala continues to steady and deserves All-Star recognition if he keeps it up. If Brand can earn his keep Philly will make opponents work for their victories, they should eclipse last years win total, but still miss the playoffs.

Brooklyn - Kept busy in the off season and will not suck as bad as last year under the leadership of former Coach of the Year Avery Johnson. If new additions of Murphy,Farmar,Morrow, and Outlaw can contribute right away they should at least triple last year's win total. An added bonus on Murphy is his expiring contract that could be used as trade bait come February especially if Murphy under achieves. The other three additions should flourish under Johnson along with Harris, Lopez, and newcomer Williams. I believe they have a shot at fighting for the eight spot.

New York - The latest on the mecca of basketball is that they are working to have their own version of a super team in the near future. Presently though the Knycks stayed quite busy trying to lure King Crab into their fold. With pretty much a roster overhaul, the only key member they lost was All-Star David Lee but with the numerous additions, I think they can live with that. All-NBA Amar'e Stoudemire brings his explosiveness to the Garden, while he may not get as many easy buckets minus the passing of Steve Nash, new floor general Raymond Felton should give him plenty of opportunities. Joining them in the starting line up will be Anthony Randolph from the Warriors, Danilo Gallinari and the athletic Bill Walker. How the bench produces will be the key factor on the team's success, the Knycks are on the right track to end their playoff drought and should make it as a low seed.

Boston - The Leprechauns will win their fourth straight division title and should be one of the top 3 teams in the East and one of the favorites to not only win the East, win it all. The one thing they have against them is time as most of their big names are no longer young guns and more prone to being sidelined by nagging accumulating injuries. They lost wing man Tony Allen who provided excellent defense off the bench and that job will now belong to Marquis Daniels who gets another shot with the boys in green. The two O'neals arrive with a history of injuries but also with the ability to still pose a threat at the post and should fill in nicely until Grumpy recovers from surgery. I don't think any other team poses a bigger threat in the East to the hyped Miami trio than the defending east champs. While probably losing some speed there's less than a handful of players who can guard Shaq straight up, none play for Miami, his skill in using his size also gives the Celtics a chance to enter the penalty early, now if only Rondo could hit his freebies. With both O'neals on board, Rondo now has two more targets with good hands to feed the ball to. Marquis,Big Baby, and Robinson could easily start with another team and should give the starters plenty of rest against lesser opponents. This team is not made to dominate in the regular season, if healthly come playoffs, they're definately favorites.

CENTRAL

Cleveland - Wouldn't it be something for the Cavs to come true on owner Dan Gilberts's word and win it before King Crab, that'd be awesome, I'll be rooting for them, and even though they have the majority of last years pieces in place, the open looks Parker and Mo' Williams were getting last year won't be there or the easy buckets for Varejao and Hickson. After 2 consecutive 60 win season the Cavs will be luck if they win half of that, I don't see them making the playoffs, sorry Dan, you shouldn't quote in the heat of anger.

Indiana - Well good news is that the Pacers will remain in Indiana, bad news is they will miss the playoffs for the fifth straight year. Team USA Danny Granger should have another All-Star season and if Darren Collison can duplicate last year's sucess, he will give the one Indiana bright spot, Granger some hope for the future. Pacers will be one of those teams that will have flashes but in the long run will only win between 34-38 games.

Motor City - Detroit shouldn't have been as bad as they were, but are far from being a legit threat. They have a nice collection of talent starting with title holdovers Rip, Prince, and Big Ben. Villanueva and Gordon should contribute better after one season and then there's T-Mac who wants to revitalize his career. They'll improve if healthy, but if they continue the rebuild plan, I don't expect Rip and Prince to finish the season as Pistons. In the conference dominated by 3 teams, Detroit has a shot to get into the playoffs, don't think they will though.

Milwaukee - The surprise team of last year improved with the additions of Gooden, Maggette, and Douglas-Roberts. Jennings and Salmons are a great back court and Bogut is one the better big men around with Ilyasova and Delfino providing a punch off the bench. The one thing they have against them is that they will no longer sneak up on teams as they are now a competitive team again. I believe they are the sixth best team in the Least, but can easily win their division if new Chicago Bull Boozer continues to be injured, speaking of which...

Chicago - Another team hoping to cash in the King Crab sweepstakes. They didn't do bad at all though loading former Jazz players All Star Carlos Boozer, sharp shooter Kyle Korver, and wing man Ronnie Brewer who is coming off an season ending injury last year. Anything less that a top 5 seed will be a disappointment. While not an elite team yet, they sure are on the right path and should remain competitive the next few years.

SOUTHEAST

Washington - Agent 0 probably won't remain a Wizard by season's end, while having some decent players, in Josh Howard, Blatche, and Hinrich they are most definately still rebuilding. They'll be improved and John Wall is an early favorite for ROY but will still be lotto bound.

Charlotte - Main reason I have them ahead of Washington is due to Coach Brown. MJ's team finally tasted post season and if they're to get back again will be looking at an early exit. The starters are decent but their bench is thin, may or may not make the playoffs they do play in the East after all.

Atlanta - Still in the top 5 but depending on the chemistry of Chicago may fall to the 5th seed. I like Joe Johnson but that contract was ludicrous the only other signing was former Lakers bench warmer Josh Powell. Their streak into the 2nd round will end, they are still a good team and should steal some W's from the 4 teams ahead of them.

Orlando - The reigning division champs can very likely win it's 5th straight. They still have a solid starting lineup who can light it up from downtown any given night. Lewis still poses mismatch problems and Carter has enough left in the tank to be productive. The addition of Q Richardson gives them yet another threat from distance and Reddick has proven to be a very valuable reserve along with Pietrus and the Polish Hammer. Oh yeah they also the most intimidating big man in the game, if only he could develop a post, oh the possibilities.

Miami - Jeff Van Gundy has stated the new look Heat have a legit shot at breaking EVERY NBA record including the Bulls 72 wins total in '96, and the immortal 33 game win streak by the '72 Lakers. Does breaking EVERY record include the longest losing streak? Just curious. JVG also stated they will not lose 2 games in a row due to the extreme gap in talent level with the lesser teams. While yes Miami is going to be a beast, let the season play out before handing them the title shall we? Don't know how the new Miami Thrice union will work out, honestly I hope it backfires and they miss the playoffs, but that's asking too much. They should be one of the 3 teams in the East maybe the league and may even contend for the top record, but that means absolutely squat if you can't bring in the post season. They're heavy favorites not only to win the East but win it overall. I say they fall short against Boston if healthy, Orlando has the talent of dismiss them as well.

NORTHWEST

Minnesotta - The Timberpups actually have some exciting young talent led by Team USA Kevin Love. The local newspaper admitted their team is not yet a contender, well, duh! What will they say next, Darko is a bust? For better or worse, those remaining 'pup fans if patient may have a team worth watching in 3 years with this collection of talent. Until then, the curse of KG lives on. Lotto bound


Denver - The supposed biggest threat to the champs last year seem different that the explosive Final Four team of two years ago even with most of the roster still intact. The problem with Denver is not the roster though but inner turmoil that will plague the team all season regarding their best player final destination. Barring distractions Denver still has a solid team led by Melo and ageless Chauncy Billups. Afflalo fit nice last season and newcomer Al Harrington should contribute immediately. Nene played all 82 games last season but actually contributed a tad less from the season before, still compliments the stars nicely. The bench will now have K-Mart, when he heals up, and instant offense J.R. Smith, Lawson was a surprise last season, and the Birdman should have a better season after surgery. Again it is not their talent, but inner turmoil that will be the downfall of this team, if they can solve the distractions and Coach Karl can remain at the helm, the Nuggets will again be a threat.

Portland - Rip City, considered a perennial power house, two years ago, now a question mark due to nagging injuries. Still employ one the best young players in the league and surround him with a pretty good supporting cast. While aging Andre Miller and Marcus Camby continue to be reliable when on the floor. Battum had a successful world championship round and may have a breakthrough season, Aldridge continues to be a good sidekick and has definitely All-Star potential. The bench is deep especially when Oden and Przybilla come back, and with the addition of Wesley Matthews should be very good if they can come to an agreement with Rudy Fernandez. With this kind of talent, only health issues and the loaded West will keep them from reaching the second round.

Utah - Lost an All-Star, a sharp shooter, and a surprising young reserve, and their starting center is sidelined, not very promising you would think right? Not for the Jerry Sloan led Jazz who will give it 110% regardless of the odds. Led by best point guard in league Deron Willams, the Jazz will now move Millsap into the starting spot and will not have to wonder if their starting PF will be available on a daily basis. Al Jefferson comes hungry and with lots to prove that he can succeed in a good team as well. AK 47 wil more than likely return to the starting lineup and will be the X-Factor for the team. The bench is thinner than last season but includes some scrappy blue collar type players that should mesh well in the Sloan system led by newcomers, Earl Watson, Raja Bell, and rookie Hayward, the bench will get a boost once Memo comes back.

OKC - Heirs to the West throne, are the expectations too high? MVP favorite Kevin Durant showed he can shine in the spotlight after a very successful World Championships tour, fellow Team USA mate Westbrook is developing into one the leagues best young guards, and Jeff Green almost made Team USA, so you know he has talent, at the 2 spot they have Sefolosha, who is developing into a superb perimeter defender but is limited offensively, the oldest player is big man Krstic at 27, which give you and idea how young this team is, and how excited their fans must be. Their biggest weakness is still big bodies and a developing bench which bolsters, Jeff Green, Sergei Ibaka, Eric Maynor, and added vet Morris Petersen who gives them an outside threat and much needed experience. The Thunder are one key addition or a couple of breakthroughs to be a legit challenger to the West throne. Barring injuries, OKC should only improve from now on under the guidance of Scott Brooks. Anything less than a 2nd round visit will be a disappointment.

PACIFIC

Sacramento - The Kings have missed the playoff 4 consecutive season, the streak is not ending soon. Tyreke Evans is an outstanding players but there just not enough help and unfortunately for them they play in the West. Lotto bound again.

Golden St. - The travelling M.A.S.H. unit have a nice collection of young players starting with future All Star Stephen Curry and newly acquired David Lee. Past the starters though they offer very little with the likes of Charlie Bell, Space cadet Radmanovic, and young promising Brendan Wright. They just don't have enough to dent the powers of the West.

The other LA - We finally get a chance to see Blake Griffin in regular season play. It's not uncommon to see the Clippers good on paper, but the curse is real, that's about the only way to explain their consistent bad luck. On paper they have an All Star level point in B Diddy, a good complimentary 2 guard in the Gold Medalist Gordon, All Star caliber rookie in Griffin and a legit post presence in Kaman, what's not to like, they may even contend for the playoffs if the bench can find a way to contribute, but these are the Clippers.

Phoenix - I actually can't believe how low the Suns are being ranked due to the loss of Amar'e. While yes they were better with him, they still have Steve Nash while in his late 30s still plays at All-Star level. Hedo Turkuglu comes in to give Nash another outside threat, and not counting last year Hedo was playing very well, if he can get back to his play back in his Orlando days, he can fill part of the void left by Amar'e, not with explosive maybe, but surely someone who can create his own shot and create for others. They also still have J Richardson, Frye, and the ageless Grant Hill, and a better than average bench led by Dragic, Hakim, Dudley, Warrick and will also be welcoming back into the NBA Swing man Josh Childress. They may not make the final four again, but should make the playoffs.

The Champs - The Lake Show comes back with their core intact, but a year older and recovering from injuries. Heavy favorites to keep the Title again, they may not play to their full ability until after the All-Star break due to the recoveris of Bynum and Bryant. The weakest part of their game was their bench, and with the additions of Steve Blake, feisty Matt Barnes, and solid vet Theo Ratliff, that problem should be solved. Still it dpends how it plays out, they look unbeatable on paper, but this isn't 2K11 where injuries can be eliminated or reset, if the bench can't meet expectations, too much will be asked from the starters to again carry the weight. Reigning finals MVP should still have an ALL-NBA season, but may take a while to get in rhythm. In the mean time fellow All-NBA Pau Gasol, should pick up the slack as first option while Mamba recovers. With Artest winning his first ring, the question now will be, "Will he go back to his crazy ways?", I don't think that's an issue anymore, besides his ring will be raffled, so he now again has to focus on one for him. Odom moves into the starting lineup utnil 'Drew is back and we can only hope he rides a very successful World Championships run and is not too exhausted come playoff time. Fish will still play in crunch time, but now has a solid high IQ backup who should be a better fit than Farmar was, sure not as exciting, but should be more reliable. When Odom goes back as 6th man, he along with Barnes, Brown, Blake, Ratliff, and even Sasha and Luke should give the Champs much needed rest if they can play to their pottential. Lakers should win their division again, and return to defend their title one more time adding even more to Lakers, Jackson, and Kobe's legacy.

SOUTHWEST

New Orleans - Hard to believe just 3 season ago they were one game away from the first Final Four. Chris Paul remains one of the top 2 point guards in the league, problem is, he doesn't have much targets. Greyhound Trevor Ariza will be a nice addition and David West should continue to be solid, even newcomer Bellinelli may make a splash, but their bench is thin and their division tough, they will not make the playoffs.

Memphis - Unfortunately for them they play in a very tough division, and they're one injury to their main core to make them ordinary. The starters are solid with futur All-Star Mayo, and Conley in the back court, surprsinng Zach Randolph, reliable Marc Gasol and Gold medalist Rudy Gay. The bench's bright spot is finalist defensive wing newcomer Tony Allen who should contribute nicely off the bench with his hard work and post season experience. If playing in the Least, they'd be a lock for the playoffs, too bad that's not so.

Houston - Without the Great Wall they still posted a winning record despite an injury raddled season. With an established post presence, Brooks, Martin, and Battier should flourish. Scola is one of the most underated reliable players and the bench has been strengthen with the additions of Courtney Lee and vet Brad Miller joining Chuck Hayes. If Yao stays healthy, they'll be back in the playoffs

San Antonio - The last stand of the Alamo is what most are seeing this season as. Lone Star rivals Spurs & Mavericks are clearly the two best i the division and either can take it. The blue collar feisty Spurs program is still led by mastermind Popovich and with their version of the big 3 still pose a threat to be among the best in the West. The question is the supporting cast, yes, they still work hard, but gone is that lock down defense they had in the championship years. Hall of Fame bound Timmy has lost a step, and no one has filled in the harassing role left by Bruce Bowen. RJ is younger and athletic and an above average player, but he is not the defender BB was or the consistent threat from the corner pocket that BB was. Still if healthy, Timmy while slower is still one of the best big men in the league, Manu can still wreck havoc, and Parker has healed and should be back strong. Very capable of going to the Final Four, health issues will tell.

Dallas - The only West team with depth to challenge the champs. Dallas comes in with a bad taste in their mouth after bowing down to hated Spurs. With consistent Hall of Famers Kidd and Nowitzki at the helm, the Mavs should post another 50+ win season and get to at least the 2nd round. Where they're seeded will play a big part for if they are not in the top 3, they will likely have to meet the champs early. With a full season coming up new comers Butler and Haywood should be more comfortable and improve from last season. Matrix has not been the same since his Phoenix days, but still above average. Super sub Jason Terry will not carry as big of load off the bench as he will get plenty help from newcomer Gold medalist Tyson Chandler, J.J. Barea, and explosive sophmore Roddy Beaubois. The Mavs have the personnel to match anyone in the league and have one of the best players period, a repeat first round exit, would be extremely disappointing

WEST FINALS

Lakers over Spurs

EAST FINALS

Leprechauns over Miami Thrice

FINALS

Lakers over Leprechauns

Oh, how sweet it will be!

Lakers/Cetlics dominance

With Lakers wrapping up their 16th title much to hater dismay, there will be plenty who insist they only have 11 not 16. Whatever bunch of haters, I may be a hardcore Lakers fan but at least I give credit where credit is due even if I despise the team. The only significant stat that the Celtics still lead the Lakers are total championships, 1 more, and consecutive titles (8), which again will never again me matched, and for those thinking Miami will tie or eclipse it, learn something about the game before making moronic assumptions. Anyway, even if the Lakers can never match the dominance of the 60s Celtics, they have clearly been the more dominant team since.

The league has existed for 64 seasons, Lakers/Celtics own 33 of those titles, more than half. Celtics won 13 of their 17 in the first 32 years of the league, the next 32 years, Lakers would win 10 to the Celtics 4, hell the Bulls have 6 in that span and Spurs also have 4. While the Celtics owned the 60s, 9 of the 10 titles, Lakers have won 3 of the remaining 5 decades, 4 titles in the 50s, 5 in the 80s, and 4 in 2K. You have to go back 48 years to find the Celtics having more recent titles than the Lakers. Most titles the last 5 years, Lakers with 2, last 10 years, Lakers with 4, last 15, Lakers, 5, last 20 bulls, 6, Last 25 Lakers, 7, Last 30, Lakers, 9, Last 35, Lakers 10, Last 40, Lakers 11, last 45 Lakers, 11, Last 48, Celtics 12, Last 50, Celtics 14. Lakers actually had the most titles up to the leagues first 15 years, then the Celtics took over in '63 with their 6th title, and have remained there since.

Leprechauns have have 2 championship streaks 1959-1966 and 1968-69, with the most recent repeat the Lakers have now won consecutive titles 5 times, '49-'50, '52-54, '87-'88, 2000-2002, 2009-2010. The 90s Bulls are the only other team to repeat more than once, Detroit and Houston both did it once. Boston still owns the longest streak, not only in basketball but any major sports.

During the first 10 years the Minneapolis Lakers reached and won 5 championships, from 1957-62, the Finals included either the Lakers or Celtics , 5 times they went head to head, the next ten years would see again either or both in the Finals 7 times, Celtics winning all 4 times they reached the Finals, the Lakers winning 1 of 5. After a 3 year layoff, one of teams again represented the Finals in 11 of the next 12 Finals. The longest drought between the two teams would ensue as the Chicago Bulls build their dynasty from 1992-199. The Shaq / Kobe era took LA back to the Finals 4 times in 5 years and Kobe would lead the most recent batch to its 7th appearance in 11 years, with Boston making 2 of 3 appearances after a 21 year absence. While other teams have combined with them in past none have had longer stints than these two.

Will the dominance continue? Lakers are in pretty good shape to return to the Finals and Boston most definitely has mindset to eliminate Orlando and much hyped Miami, so chances are good for both teams to continue reigning over the league.

Sweet 16, the Sweetest For Me as a Fan so Far

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'

Lakers Assure Game 7, Stomp Celtics

Playing with their backs against the wall, the defended champs ran away with game six to set up an expected epic game 7 between the leagues premier teams. The Leprechauns actually started the game and led by 2 on a couple of occasions. With the champs trailing 12-10, Lakers responded with a 8-0 run and never again trailed. Things would get worse for the Celtics as their big man would land awkward during that run and stay on the floor in obvious pain, he would not return and is likely out for the series. Sensing a tide turner the Champs attacked without pity, leading by 10 at the end of the first, 20 at halftime, and 25 to start the 4th, they would lead by as many a 27 points and looked very much like a team on a mission, amazing what home court can do. With the Celtics physical presence out, the Lakers big man Bynum, took the night off and hardly played, more than likely to have him rested for game 7. Lakers dominated across the board holding the Celtics to 33% shotting overall, 21.7% from 3s, and only 60% from the stripe on way to the second lowest score in Finals history. They also outrebounded them by 13, doubled their blocks total, and forced 14 turnovers including 13 steals, it was an all out ass kicking, showtime style. Leprechauns also lost the battle of the bench 25-13, not a HUGE gap, but all 13 points came in the 4th in extreme garbage time, for the first 3 quarters, the Leprechaun bench was scoreless. Even though LA would have an advantage with Grumpy out, I hope he can play, it always sucks to be missing a key element on your team and Perk is an important piece to the Leprechauns, it also concerns me that LA may get too comfortable and get blind sided by the Celtics. If Perk can't go, LA should attack without pity as Celtics did to them 2 years ago, but do not force the issue, Boston still a good team defender if they prepare to counter Bynum,LA should not force it, if the advantage is not there. The champs looked great and should ride the momentum to the next game and erase the ghosts of 2 years ago and claim the franchise's 16 title. Hell yeah!

Leprechauns.

Piggyback Finley - 3 minutes 0/1 from the floor, +3 for the game, 3rd highest for Celtics, strange.

Marquis Daniels - 5 point in 4 minutes, not really great he did it in the final seconds of extreme garbage time.

Candece Parker's Hubby - Somehow had the highest+/- with +7, yet he contributed only 3 rebounds, 2 fouls, 2 turnovers, and a missed dunk, this was a forgettable game for the boys in green. Only person I've ever seen that has missed more dunks than his girl.

'Sheed - Worst game of the finals as he went 0/7 including 0/6 from downtown and more fouls than rebounds, played extra minutes due to Perk's injury, not good on his back and bad news for the Celtics as they will need all the big bodies they can have.

Tony Allen. Never seemed to get into the flow of the game offensively. Defensively he had decent numbers, don't know if you can have decent numbers in a blow out though. 3 steals 2 blocks.

Krypto-Nate - Bench's leading scorer with 6 points, 2-8 shooting, overall a terrible game the Celtics.

Big Baby - Has taken 4 shots since his big game and missed all of them, did get 9 rebounds, probably due to more minutes, but will be needed much more now that they will be short a big man.

Grumpy - Bad break for the Leprechauns as their big presence went down and will likely miss the next game. Perk only logged 7 minutes and seeing that who ever wins the rebounding battle wins the game, he will sorely be missed. It sucks doesn't it Boston fans?

Rondo - 5/15 shooting for 10 points, and only 6 dimes. As mentioned in the preview, if Lakers can keep Rondo from distributing they will win. Rondo is shooting 26% from the stripe, that has got to be the worst free throw % by a guard. "Best" All around guard, what you smoking Magic?

KG - 12 pts 6/14 shooting, only 6 rebounds, without Perk, the other big men for the Leprechauns must win the rebound battle, KG has only had 1 game with 10 rebounds, 2 years ago KG average 20.4 pts, 10.5 rebs for the playoffs, his numbers this year are 15.0 pts, 7.4 rebs., still decent, but not enough to beat LA, especially if Perk is a no go for game 7. Did I mention the Lakers big center was out most of the game?

The Lie - 6/14 shooting, no free throws (wow!), 5 turnovers, 13 pts, had some flashes but not enough. I guess he's do a big game, but with Ron Ron sticking to him like stink on shit, not likely, unless the refs feels this is a WNBA game and protect him from breaking a nail and get Ron Ron in foul trouble, let them play refs.

Ray Allen - Led Leprechauns with 19, finally hit a 3 after his record setting night 3 games ago, the only bright spot for the Celtics. Wonder if the momentum will carry to the next game.

Champs.

Mbenga - 3 mins 1 rebound, 1 foul, no points, garbage time, chances he played as a Laker for the last time.

Luke - All career lows for the son of Walton 6 minutes, 1 block is all he contributed to this bitch slapping.

Powell - Has 9 total points in the playoffs, has not scored since game 1 of the West Finals, I like Powell I hope he comes back next year, but unlikely, probably played his last game as a Laker seeing he probably won't get any playing time in game 7 unless is a blowout.

Farmar - Glad to be back home, Farmar had 3 steals along with 4 points, and a dunk over KG.

'Drew - Took the night off after Perkins went down, good move especially since he was not needed this time, he should be rested the next game and Lakers should milk the mismatch if Bynum can take advantage of it. Bynum had 2 pts, 4 rebs and a steal before calling it a day.

Shannon - What can Brown do for you? 4 pts, 2 rebs, 2 assists in 19 minutes, his both buckets were some rim rattling tomahawks that send the crow in a frenzy, especially his second one off a lob pass that had Brown climbing the elevator almost reaching the rim with his head.

Machine - Led the reserves in scoring, career high in the Finals with 9, hit 50% from all angles, slowly Sasha seems to be getting back to the old pesty Machine, you got one more year inked Sasha, don't blow it.

Odom - X-Factor did not shoot well 3/9, for 8 pts, he did however made up for the loss of 'Drew and collected 10 rebs and 2 denials. At times he's an All-Star level player, others kind of like Tony Allen that he does his work beyond stats, then others he's just a waste of God given talent, now can he do it for 1 more game.

Fisher - Perfect from the floor, 1/1 from the floor and 1/1 from the stripe, 2 rebs, 2 steals in only 15 minutes mainly due to foul trouble, but with the Lakers in control and the bench not blowing it this time, looks like the Champs are saving him for game 7.

Ron Ron - Game high +26, bounced back nicely, Boston kept daring him to shoot and Ron came through for his team mates scoring 15 points including 3/6 from treys. He still found time to do what he's paid to do and harassed Pierce constantly forcing to 6/14 shots, 1/4 from 3s. Ron tied his high for the series from game 1, he failed to get into double figures the next 4 games, hopefully that won't be a trend.

Spaniard - All in a day's work for the Champs second best, Pau came 1 assist from registering a triple double, 17 pts, 13 rebs, 9 assts, 3, blks, 1 stl. Without Bynum, Boston should have neutralized him, but with Perkins down, no one outside KG can push Gasol around and as the game went on KG looked tired, Davis may have the weight but he cannot contain the Spaniard.

Mamba - Game high 26 pts, 13 rebs and 4 steals, made it look easy, and now is one win from a fifth ring, one more than the Big Once Was.

Player of the game: Pau Gasol, with a near triple double, Pau is showing that he's more than just size with his all around game in and outside the paint and as the focal point of the offense or as the supporter, offensively I don't think there's a better big man.

X-Factor: Ron Artest, defensively he was solid, offensively his 15 points were a nice surprise as Boston gambled and lost in letting Artest get clean looks. To do that while keeping Pierce in check is not an easy task.

Should Have Been Benched: Well actually he was, 'Drew shot 1/4 in limited time and only pulled 4 rebounds, insists in operating from the low block when he should be a cleaner and an enforcer on defense.

Laker Hater: Hard to find in an ass kicking, but I guess Marquis Daniels will do, he saw Finals action for the first time and actually shot well, 1/1 from 3 2/2 from the stripe, damn it Marquis, you shaved points from the lead, hater.

Overtime: This is the 5th 7 game between the rivals, the previous four all won by Boston, most recently in 1984, the famous "Tragic" Johnson series known also for the clothesline by McHale. That was the last time Boston played a game 7 in the Finals, Lakers last played and won in 1988 vs. the Detroit Bad Boys. This is the third time I'll be watching a Finals game 7 in 23 years, I actually didn't see Detroit/San Antonio in 2005, so the last one I watched was in 1004 between Olajuwon's Rockets vs. the Ewing led Knycks.

My first NBA Finals experience in 1988 has some similarities to today. The Lakers split the first 2 games, won game 3, lost the next two, and went back home trailing 3-2. Unlike this year, game 6 of '88 was not a blowout but a very close game that ended in a controversial call allowing Hall of Famer Kareem to seal it at the free throw line. Like Boston now, Detroit got hit by an injury that had significant repercussions on the series. Isiah Thomas severely sprained his ankle, but still returned to set a still standing record for most points in a quarters on basically one foot, he put on a hell of a show. I don't think it's a stretch to say Pistons probably would have won if Thomas had not gotten hurt. Isiah was clearly affected by the ankle and Pistons were not able to overcome the Lakers in game 7, they made a late run, but in the end, Lakers becoming the first team to repeat in 20 years. The Lakers of now are in the same boat only it's an 8 year drought only. Lakers/Celtics Game 7 for the NBA Championship, it just sounds right.

Lakers Head Back Home on a 3-2 Hole

“Beat LA, Beat LA” was the chant thundering at the Garden, “One More” was what Pierce said, as I flash backed to 2 years ago when the Lakers body language looked as gloom as this one. The Leprechauns are 1 win away from claiming their league high 18^th title, 10^th at the expense of the Lakers. The Lakers were out of synch reverting back to their old bad habits of one man team, the game was really not as close as the scores indicates, Lakers had a chance at the end, probably the only bright spot, that considering how bad they played, they had a chance to steal it. Lakers had 12 assists on 31 field goals, Kobe shooting 12 more times than the whole bench combined, sure he had an outstanding 3^rd quarter, but in the end, if it didn’t generate a “W”, that sure was a waste of scoring display. Pierce had his best game making Artest look nothing like the defensive stopper the Lakers pushed to get. Garnett and Rondo also had strong games and now look to get 1 more and solidify themselves in the hallowed halls of Celtic lore.

Leprechauns.

Krypto-nate. Came down to earth a bit, 10 minutes, 4 pts, and 4 dimes.

Tony Allen. Allen contributions are not measured in points, in this case 4, it is in how difficult he makes it for Kobe to dominate, Kobe went off this game 13/27, but never got his teammates involved, for Allen to stay out of foul trouble while playing him has been impressive.

Big Baby. How do you follow up a career game? Lay an egg, Davis took 1 shot missed, 0 points, 3 rebounds.

‘Sheed. Bench played very little, including only 15 mins from ‘Sheed, he did hit 1/3 and finished with 5 points, he continues to wreck havoc when he’s on the floor.

Grumpy. Like Allen, Perk does not have to contribute offensively, his 7 boards are valuable as is his presence in holding down vs. the Lakers bigs, Bynum only got 1 rebound in 32 mins.

Allen. Slowly shooting his way back, still has not made a 3 pointer since game 2, still had 12 pts.

KG. A double double for the ticket, you know that’s not good, KG also had 5 steals on the night to go along with his 18 pts, KG actually has looked pretty good offensively all series, so much for him losing a step.

Rondo. 18 pts, 8 assists, save for his 7 turnovers, this may have been a blow out.

Pierce. The Lie had his best scoring game, totally making the addition of Artest look like a failure, 12/21 shooting, 2/4 from downtown, for 27 points, only 1 / 2 freebies, not bad.

Lakers

Walton. Don’t understand why he doesn’t play more, 7 minutes, no points, 1 assist, oh that’s why.

Farmar. 14 minutes, no field goals 0 /4, again you don’t have to score to contribute, had very little to nothing in the other categories, hey I hear Ridnour will available, what do you think Mitch?

Vujacic. Scored series high 5 pts, now has 10 times more points than last Finals, Machine needs to be over hauled, it’s beyond broken.

Odom. 8 pts, 8 rebounds, decent right? Not enough LO needs to be aggressive but after 5 games it’s clear it’s not going to happen, most disappointing of the series so far.

‘Drew. 1 rebound in 32 minutes, I don’t care if you’re playing with 1 leg, if you’re almost as tall as the goal and weigh as much, surely you should get more than 1 rebound. Fail huge!.

Ron Ron. Had chance to put Lakes in position to steal it, could not hit a freebie. Arggh! Why do you think they call them FREE throws, no one is guarding you! Dammit Lakers you’re gonna give me an ulcer.

Fish. 2/9 shooting, but got more rebounds than ‘Drew, damn ‘Drew are you kidding me? Worried? Nah, he’s got a dagger or 2 to hit still.

Gasol. The Spaniard had a double double but his lowest output so far as KG has put the clamps on him, 5/12 shooting, 12 points, 12 rebounds, you need to get 20 Pau especially when only Kobe is showing up.

Mamba. When MJ’s Bulls were dominating I always figured if team would let him go beserk ,they WILL win, Jordan was not gonna outscore the opposing team, let his team mates get involved and you’re in a world of shit, for MJ can score pretty much at will, no different with these Lakers. Kobe can pretty much scores any time he wants, so what? Boston wants him to take all the shots, if he’s not feeding the rock to his team mates, they become spectators and they lose. 27 shots including 10 from down town, not gonna get it done.

Player of the game. The Lie, with scoring a series high and making Artest look ordinary.

X-Factor. KG, besides continuing to play well offensively, his 5 take aways show he is still a fierce defender.

Should Have Been Benched. Walton, that’s why you don’t play Luke, sometimes you’re way to unselfish, stop thinking and play dammit.

Laker Hater. The Lie, for having good games vs. LA, since he joined the league

Overtime: The last time the Lakers trailed 3-2 and won? 2002 Conference Finals vs. Sac town. Bostn lost a 3-2 lead last year vs. the Magic, of course KG was not available, neither was reserve Powe, don't see this team choking, but they have a tough test as they must win the next two in LA, where Lakers have been dominant for 3 years, of course the ony team to score 2 wins in that span, was of course, most of these Celtics. Expect a fallout like 2004 if Lakers cannot defend their homecourt.

Leprechaun Bench Comes up Strong, Series Tied at 2

I figured if the Lakers need to cross the street, instead of just walking in a straight line, they'll probably, walk in their hands, blindfolded, while skipping backwards to the rhythm of “I Love LA”, why? Nothing is easy when it comes to the Lakers, The Lakers shot 35% from the field, 35% from downtown, hit 18/22 freebies, to the Celtics 44.6%, and 25% from downtown, average performances by the Boston starters, strong games from Gasol and Kobe, even LO and Artest had decent games, and they still blew it. They had it in their hands to take a commanding 3-1 lead, but no, why take command, let’s tie up the series and make a liar out of Pierce, and give the Leprechauns a chance to be 1 game away from the 18^th title. All the champs had to do was hold on to a small lead, but a lead none the less in the 4^th, did I mention all they all they had to do was against the reserves? So what happened? Big Baby came and slobbered all over the Lakers literally. Davis matched the whole Lakers bench output for the game doing massive damage in the 4^th, with help from Krypto-Nate, and ‘Sheed who played solid D and hit a late 3 to give the Leprechauns much breathing room. The Celtics had 6 players in double figures to the Lakers 3, once too often it seems the Lakers are waiting for Kobe to have his usual Mamba moment that has yet to arrive. The Lakers let this one get away from them, now Boston has momentum.

Leprechauns

Tony Allen - 3 pts, 3 rbs in 18 mins, does not have the offensive numbers, Posey had 2 years ago, but no one can question his hustle and great job he has done on Bryant when he is on.

KryptoNate - Combined with Big Baby for 30 pts, he scored 12 in 17 minutes bringing much needed energy that the Lakers starter or bench were not able to match.

‘Sheed - Picked up another technical, made onle 1/5 shots, but played great D, and the lone shot he made gave the Celtics a 9 point lead at the time, you suck ‘Sheed, what happened to the ‘Sheed of the regular season? Hater.

Big Baby - Davis was second in the team in scoring and pretty much won the game for them, totally outplaying the Lakers on the floor and making Lamar look silly. Big Baby energized the team, the crowd, pretty much he just wanted it more, no one on the Lakers matched his intensity.

Grumpy - Logged in only 25 mins, mainly due to Baby having his best game of the playoffs, still chipped in 6 pts, and a team high I rebounds, 7. Perk has not blocked a shot this series.

KG - The big ticket, who now is more a jump shooter, had decent numbers 13 pts, 6 rbs, 3 assists. He has yet to get double figures rebounds, you know I’ve read where Lamar has been critized for not pulling double figures rebounds yet, even though he plays off the bench, and has Gasol and Bynum as team mates, but KG, no critics, just sayin’

Rondo - Terrible from the floor 5/15, only 3 assists, yet his team wins, damn LA dropped the ball on this one, any who, Rondo did have 3 steals and 5 rebounds, a bit of everything.

Pierce - The Lie had his best shooting game 7/12 and led the Celtics with 19 pts, he also pulled down 6 boards, and dished out 5 dimes.

Allen - Bounced back from his horrendous shooting display, only to shoot only 4/11 for 10 points, he also had 5 rebounds. Ray has missed all his 3s since making the 8^th one back in game 2. Weird.

Champs or should I say Chumps?

Broken Machine - 7 minutes, 0/1 from the floor, and ah, hmm, that’s pretty much it, guess that's the reason he stays in the bench, next please!

Farmar - The future PG of the Lakers made 1 shot in 11 minutes, he did have 2 steal though, but 3 pts, and from the perimeter? Farmar does not use his speed and athleticism at all, speaking of which….

Brown - Shannon wants to be known for more than just dunking, well it’s hard to convince us fans, when you keep sucking like this. 2/5 for 5 pts, that’s it, unless you count 1 foul. Fail.

LO - The X-Factor chipped in 10 pts, 7 rebounds on 5/10 shooting, decent right? Not when Big Baby spined around your ass and made you look like the one who carrying the extra pounds. LO’s 4^th quarter defense was embarrassing.

‘Drew - Ah Shit! 12 minutes, 3 rebounds, no show in the 2^nd half, valiant effort by the big man, but Lakers clearly not the same when he’s not on the roster, the depleted bench looks even worse, without ‘Drew, Lakers will not win. Crap!

Ron Ron - 4/10 shooting, 9 pts, 7 boards, no steals, Pierce had his best shooting game so far versus him.

Fish - The hero of game 3 came down to earth or maybe the Celtics did pay attention this time and not let him do his heroics, which were utterly missed, 3/6, 6 pts.

The Spaniard - 21 pts, including 9/10 freebies, only 6 rebounds though, yes, he’s not getting the ball enough, but really he’s not demanding in it, shades of “Softgate” are being heard.

Mamba - 10/22 shooting, 6/11 from downtown, I’m sorry but if you’re taking 10 or more 3s, that better be your forte or be in one hell of a zone. I’ve said it before the Lakers resort to 3pt bombing, that’s what happens they bomb. Worse than his 3pt barrage were the 7 turnover he had, Kobe is too skilled to turn the ball over so much, and most are not missed passes it is defender getting a piece of the ball and Kobe flailing like he’s about to fly, c’mon Mamba, you’re better than this.

Player of the game: Big Baby Davis, 18 pts, 9 pts in the 4^th, came up big, no pun intended.

X-Factor: Now being known as Donkey to Big Baby’s Shrek, both combined for 30 pts, 11/18, 7 boards, 3 steals, 6/6 freebies.

Should Have Been Benched: Jordan Farmar, Perhaps the only Lakers player that can match the speed of Rondo or Robinson, but continues to be consistently inconsistent, that starting job next season is fading fast.

Laker Hater: Big Baby Davis highest point total in the playoffs so far, best game of the playoffs so far, absolutely hating.

Overtime: The only series the Lakers did not tie after 4 games this year was the sweep vs. Utah, Boston has yet to trail after 5 games in the modern big 3 era when they've been healthy.

Fisher King! Derek Steps up in the Fourth, Lakers Take 2-1 Lead

The greatest closer since Michael Jordan, an International Superstar, but who steps up?, the aging, slow, declining but never afraid of the grand stage, 4 time Champ Derek Fisher. The Lakers quiet leader stepped up huge as once too often the team looked to Kobe to bail them out only to see their best player go 1/6 in the fourth, and everyone else hesitant to shoot. The Lakers build a 17 point lead behind a 15-1 run in the first half and led by a dozen at halftime. Typical of Lakers play they allowed the Celtics to comeback despite bad games from both Pierce and Allen. The Leprechaun bench led to the comeback and the lead was cut to 1 before Fisher hit 2 clutch shots to keep Boston at bay. It was not a pretty game, both team shot under 45%, Lakers 13% from 3s, Boston 22% and 67% from the stripe. Both benches contributed well scoring 26 for Boston and 22 for LA and for the third straight game that team that won the battle of the boards emerged victorious.

Krypto-Nate - Power negated since no Superman wannabe with Lakers anymore, still instant offense continues his quick points in short spurts, 5 pts, 6 minutes, but has nothing else the last two games, no assists, steals, nothing.

‘Sheed - Rasheed had more assists than points, pretty much tells you how his shooting went, 1/5, 0/3 from downtown, after 2 productive games, regular season ‘Sheed made an appearance, if he’s still hurting, this every other day games, will not benefit the Leprechauns. Aahh so sad.

Tony Allen - Combined with Big Baby, Allen chipped in 7 valuable points while harassing Kobe Bryant whenever he was guarding him. For as tough as the Leprechauns supposed to be seems one of them is always about an injury, this case it was Allen who got knocked on the noggin.

Big Baby - 4/5 from the floor and the stripe for 12 points, nice contribution, except he is not known for defense against someone like Gasol who scored a big bucket against the shorter grounded Davis.

Perk - Kept his foul count low, pulled down 11 boards, 5 offensive, but got his shit rejected more than once, for as punishing as he’s reputed to be, he sure can’t finish like the big boys in traffic and after entering the final four as second in blocked shots, he has not gotten one since game 4 of the Orlando series. Guess Bynum does make a difference.

KG - Finally joined the Finals, KG turned back the clock with 25 pts on 11/16 shooting, he only got 6 rebounds though and back in the day KG was a walking double double, he needs more rebounds especially against the length of the Lakers.

Ray Allen - Got close to making history for the second consecutive game, but for different reasons entirely, after a awesome display of shooting, Ray Allen did a 180 and missed all 13 of his shots, including all 8 from threes, WTF in 23 seasons I have never seen anything like this, scorching one game, freezing the next. Bizarre.

Pierce - The Lie is in a dilema now, Boston wins 1 more and a trip to LA is guaranteed, where he vowed they would not be returning, or he can save face, keep playing awful and help his team bow down to the defending champs in 5 games, sure Boston loses, but hey he’ll keep his word. No more trip to LA, this series. Pierce was second on the team in points with 15 on 5/12 from the floor, he actually shot better from 3s.

Rajon Rondo - I felt limiting Rondo to 7 or less assists was key, well I was wrong, Rondo dished out 8 assists to go with 11 points, but cannot shoot from distance to save his life, 1 / 4 from the free throw, 5/10 overall, I cannot remember a worst shooting PG since I’ve been following the NBA.

LAKERS

The Machine - Sasha now has 5 times more points than last year. Still think he should be used more, if he's not contributing sit his ass down, but give him a chance Phil!

Farmar - Played 7 minutes, scored 2 points, not making a case to be the future quarterback for the reigning champs.

Walton - Luke made a rare appearance and actually had the largest +/- of the game, +13, who knew? It’s amazing how effective he is without any meaningful stats, I really think he should play more.

Brown - Played the second highest of the bench and scored second most points of the bench, unfortunately that number was only 4, still Brown played better than in game 2.

Odom - X-Factor LO, had by far his best game so far, 12 pts, 5 rbs , more importantly he was perfect from the field, 5/5 including 1/1 freebies, and 1/1 from downtown, as mentioned before when he plays well, Lakers are hard to beat.

Artest - Captain Ron followed up his bizarre game 2 of 10% shooting with 25% shooting on 1 / 4. Look like his offense make Phil so nervous he only put him in while Pierce played. As horrendous as he was he continues to make Pierce work for every point.

‘Drew - Only 9 pts, but got 10 rebounds and continues to show his mere presence even at less that 100% has really made a difference from 2 years ago. If ‘Drew was healthy this series would be over.

Gasol - Ordinary 13 and 10, 2 blks, hit a huge bucket over under size Big Baby, missed too many shots, and was not as aggressive, still anytime Gasol gets a double double it’s good news for the Lakers.

Fisher - The man of the hour, Fish was huge in the 4^th quarter when all Lakers playing seemed to not have the sac to shoot the ball, Fish scored 11 of his 16 pts in the 4^th in a variety of ways adding to his playoff legacy. He may not have get his number retired, but he will always be one of most liked players and one of the most important a la Coop and Scott of the 80s.

Mamba - Took too many shots and if it wasn’t for Fisher’s heroics, that would be the topic of this game, still Bryant was the game’s top scorer, pulled down 7 boards, dished 4 dimes and had 3 rejections

Player of the Game: Derek Fisher, Lakers lose the game and possibly the series without his heroics.

X-Factor: LO, only 5 rebounds, but contributed in double figures in points, not much is asked of his talents, just consistancy.

Should Have Been Benched: Farmar did not play much and when he did was a non-factor, won't be surprised if Lakers don't pick up his option, good player, but once too often seems hesistant.

Laker Hater: Big Baby, shot 80% from the stripe and from the floor, had not scored double figures since game 3 of the Least Finals.

Overtime: The Lakers still have not trailed in a series these playoffs. Only 2 players, Chick Reiser, waaay back in '48 and fellow Leprechaun great DJ in his Seattle days in 78 missed more shots than Allen in a Finals game without making a single one, 0/14. Phil has not lost a series when up 1-0, Doc has not lost a series when tied 1-1, one of these streaks will not survive this season.