***LAKERS -vs- CELTICS 6/03 NBA Finals Game 1 Thread***

[Luca Brasi]

[City_Dawg]

[srm90]

[K24E]

lets goooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

[Isaiah]

Will LG's server be ready for the Finals?

[srm90]

[Wolverine]

Boston wins by 3 points in overtime (Artest misses a 3 at the buzzer).

[DocK36]

[lalfan2]

it happened two years ago also, Celtic green were very visible among the Staples crowd. i will bet with anyone, most of them are not even real Celtic fans, they're just the typical LA attention whores, who wants to be different, wants to be shown, sort of like the Clipper "fans".

[ishi331]

They want attention? Give it to em in the obit.

[DaMuleRules]

[tgf5]

Their bench core is Davis, Sheed, Tony Allen, and Nate Robinson. A farcry from Davis, Powe, Brown, Cassell, and House.

Nate Robinson can easily shoot them out of a game, Sheed can go haywire, and Perkins is a T away from a suspension. Davis is also a (bleep) sometimes. I think Tony Allen has been solid for them though.

Not to mention with Bynum in the lineup, we now have Odom in off the bench. We also had Rad/Luke playing SF then rather than Artest. Completely different scenarios. KG is also a shell of his former self, and we pretty much don't have to double team anyone now.

Oh, and, homecourt advantage too. Hopefully Vujacic clears his head and Walton can do something useful. We need more size because of the Celtics' size so I'm sure at some point Powell or DJ will get minutes. They have 4 legit bigs (although Davis isn't exactly an inside player, he shoots jumpers) and Sheed also likes to stand at the 3 point line. KG is also a jumpshooter. We have to worry more about what they bring defensively. Odom has to use his speed vs Sheed or Davis.

[10scott10]

I think this game, just like the entire series, is going to be a close fought affair. I think we will win, but the Celtics won't go down without a fight.

I really don't see Perkins making it through this series without picking up another technical, and I think Rasheed will be over-matched when he has to take his spot. We do need to worry about his shooting, since he has gotten hot recently, but I think Lamar could keep Frye more or less in check, we should be fine.

One large difference between our team in 2008 team and now, was that back then, we relied heavily on our fast break to score, even in the early round of the play-offs. This year we far better prepared to play a strictly half-court game. In fact, it is in those types of games that our offense and defense shines.

One key lesson that we have hopefully learned from the Suns series is that we can't just launch threes all day. Not only becuase it is a bad offensive strategy, but becuase it also allows for the opponent to get into the fast break, which where our defense is the weakest. To control the games, we have to play smart ball and make every possession count.

Remember that the Celtics are similar to us in that they can play at any speed, so we should keep the game slow which is where we can be the most effective. In a slow game, we can feed the bigs, set good screens, and penetrate into the paint. If we're just passing the ball around the perimeter for 15 seconds, we aren't playing our game. We have to remember to cut through the paint and to use the triangle to its fullest, as this will be when we need it to most.

When we keep things slow, we also allow our defense to play to its full potential. When we slow it down, Bynum is able to be effective on defense. He can get in position and protect the paint, or at the least just be a big body to force a tougher shot. We also give Artest his best chance. More than any player, he will be the key to our defense this series. We can't expect the same abysmal percentages that he forced Durrant to shoot, in this series. While Pierce isn't the same level of talent, he has far more tricks and abilities. If we keep the game slow, we take away his transition game, which he frequently uses to hit daggers. Remember that Kobe isn't the only one who can take over games in this series, so we can't let pierce do his things.

There is also the other two parts of the big three: KG and Ray Allen. Of the two, we need to worry about Ray allen much more, at least offensively. Ray Allen has been making 2.6 threes a game this post-season at a very high rate. We have been the best three point defensive team in the league this season. Paradoxically, our defensive scheme also gives up a lot of threes. This is becuase we force people who aren't shooters to shoot the threes. We have to continue to do this. Rondo might be shooting the three "well" these play-offs, he doesn't take many and is still unsure on them. We have to force him to take their kick-outs and not let Ray Allen. We can't stop Ray all the time, but we can try to make it hard for him. We have to help on Perkins' illegal screens, to make sure he doesn't get open shots when our guy gets hammered.

KG, on the other hand, is cold coming into the series. While Reshard is a poor defensive player, the scheme used by the Magic of fronting Kg and having another big cheating towards him to help was very effective. We have to be smart about this, since both Davis and Rasheed can hit long jumpers. But returning to KG, his jumper has been very hit and miss recently, but we can't let him heat up. Pau is a very good match-up for him defensively, but we have to make sure that Bynum or Odom is back there to lend support. Team defense is key, make them shoot long 2s and don't give up offensive rebounds. I can't overstress that part enough. Offensive rebounds will kill a defense.

TL,DR: We are in a much better position to win this year, but we have to remember to keep the game at our pace and run the triangle well.

[Dumhead]

Game 1 will be interesting. I would not be surprised if at some point in the game, the Celtics give the Lakers a good scare before the Lakers pull out the win.
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"We got a new universe coming and he's going to control all our universes. We're going to put our universes together" - Metta World Peace

[ViolaMB]

ok here we go!!!

Pau Pau Pau, it's all on him! he absolutely has to play with balls, Gastrong and not Gasofty, we have to attack! if we will brick shoots all night we'll lose, im telling you. second most important thing is that bynum has to do something as well, not just collect foul after foul we will also lose if we play no D, we have to hustle everything! we have to play smart! lamar has to attack the paint for crying out loud! ron ron he's always a mistery, he can go for 25 if he makes 3's or 4 when bricks open ones, he also has to give Paulina a hard time! serioulsy, a couple of our players will have to MAN UP for us to win this...
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ANOTHER WIN IN LA! BOSTON SUCKS!

[jordanplusone]

Just win!

[9-0-9]

Honestly, I hope the hell we beat the (bleep) outta these green and white homos....I just made a bet with a buddy of mine, former USC wide reciever now NFL Seattle Seahawks wide reciever Mike Williams that if the Lakers win, he'll fly me out all expense paid trip to Seattle to chill with the Seahawks, meet Pete Caroll ect....but if I lose, then I'll have to wear a green speedo, body painted green and a Celtics jersey advertising SaveFans.com at a McDonalds Drive-Thru....
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[10scott10]

I'm writing a large breakdown of the series, and I am going to post the first half of it. SO far I have broken down how both teams have changed from the previous finals and some of our offense. I still need to write a breakdown of our defense as well as just general thoughts about the series.


Lessons from 2008:

In 2008, we had a very different team. Personnel wise, it might look similar, with the only notable changes to the roster being Artest and Shannon. However, dig deeper and you see that many of the key players that we used in the past are now bench warmers for us. Sasha was a for much of the play-offs one of our closers, playing over 20 mpg and spacing the floor. He was very good for that run, until the finals when his shooting ran dry. Now he is pretty much glued to bench, although he may or may not make an appearance this series depending on match-ups, but I think he will be used sparingly. In that same vein is Luke, who is well Luke. We all know his faults and skills, so not much else needs to be said, other than he was playing 15 mpg back then. I like you Luke, but your not made to play championship level defense.

One of our key issues back in 2008 was our lack of offensive execution against the Celtics match-up zone. Back then, this defense was brand new and a complete novelty. Our players were blindsided by its pattern. However, two years later this defense has become a staple of elite teams. Infact, we even run a modified version of it. While it is still a good defense, it no longer has the shock factor it once held. We know what type of weaknesses it has, and we need to be willing to exploit those with surgical precision. On the topic of zone defenses, I will also address the Suns recent zone defense. They for the most part played a 2-3 zone with the occasional 2-2-1 mixed in. Both of these zone defenses are designed to inhibit driving and to crowd the paint. However, there is a reason why they are used infrequently. It is because they are in fact very weak to these offensive attacks. All it takes is good ball movement to crack a Zone wide open. And don’t that the triangle defense is based on the concept of rapid ball movement and cutting to the basket. The zone is also very weak to offensive rebounding, which is where Bynum and Odom shine.

While analyzing our 2008 team, we also have to consider how much change was taking place. For the entire first half of the season, we played an extremely fast paced game based around Kobe and Bynum pick and rolls. We weren’t the Suns, but we ran a lot. Then when Bynum got injured, with only Kwame there, we had to go back to the Bryangle and let Kobe win everything for us. And towards the end of the season, we got Pau. In one season, we ended up playing three very different styles due to necessity. Roles weren’t well established and Pau was playing on pure instinct. Two years later, we have found an identity and a cohesiveness that wasn’t there.

There are many lessons to be taken from 2008, but the most important is play like you have all season. We know where our bread is buttered: Kobe and Pau Pick and roll with Odom/Bynum ready to score if the defense leaves them to help. We have to remember this when things breakdown. When someone is doubled, someone is left open. That doesn’t mean the open player should shoot it automatically; frequently, a pass from that player can lead to an open lay-up. We have to remember that we are a team based on post play, whether it is Bynum, Pau, or Kobe. Go inside and force the defense to help.

While some might wonder why I haven’t addressed defense yet, there are many reasons. Firstly, the biggest change in our defense is personnel. Remove Sasha, Vlad, Luke, and Ronny from the equation and replace them with Shannon, Artest, and Bynum. Secondly, we also play a different scheme. As I said earlier, we now play a match-up zone similar to the one the Celtics play. There are now systems in place to direct and deal with people getting around their man. Finally, we are tougher. This is the section I hate the most since it is so cliché, but I think it still should be addressed. Odom has really matured over the past few years into a tough player. He might not always be dependable, but he won’t back down anymore. Then we take him out of our starting line-up and replace him with Bynum. Drew might be injured and hobbled, but he is large and strong and will f you up if you mess with him or his knee. The dude is not afraid to swing elbows, and I think since he is expected to only play 20ish minutes due to his knee, expect to see him work hard defensively and try to discourage Rondo from driving. Finally, we have Artest, who is quite frankly, utterly insane. While he has mellowed from his brawling past, this is a man who will fight tooth and nail against who he is defending. He has every trick in the book, and a few too dirty to be published. He might not go out there and throw punches anymore, but don’t expect to see him back down from a challenge.

[10scott10]

Looking at the Celtics:
While we have changed greatly from 2008, so have the Celtics. When we played then, Rondo was considered a liability, and was frequently out of the game when the Celtics made their runs. They frequently used Sam Cassell or Eddie House in his place, and they killed us with their shooting. Both of them are gone, and in their place is combo-guard Tony Allen and the infrequently used Nate Robinson. While their bench has bee downgraded that the PG, Rondo has improved greatly. Considered by some to be the best player on their team, Rondo has become great at getting into the paint and making plays.

At the shooting guard, you have Ray Allen. In 2008, he was extremely cold coming into the series, where he heated up and shot over 50% from three for the series. Coming into this series, he is shooting well. The key change for the Celtics between these series is the back-up SG. Gone is pest that was James Posey. For those who weren’t traumatized by him enough, I will recap him. He played the defense on Kobe that forced him into help and was their “enforcer.” He was also huge offensively, spacing the floor and making clutch shots. He is now gone, and in his place is the infrequently used Michael Finley. He is well past his prime offensively, and was nothing to write home about defensively back in his prime. Expect to only see him during blow-outs or extreme foul trouble.

At small forward is still Paul Pierce. Last time around he murdered Vlad and Luke, forcing Kobe to help off of Ray Allen. He might be a bit older, but don’t expect much difference in his skills. He is still a very good player, and needs to be defended well.

At the bigs are KG and Perkins. Perkins is pretty much the same he was two years ago, a very large strong guy in the paint who sets admittedly illegal screens. He is really only a threat within a few feet of the basket on offense. He has added a jumper to his game, but it is pretty undependable. KG has probably degraded more than anyone on the Celtics. He is still a very good player, but age and injuries have hampered him greatly. Expect him to play hard and still make an impact, but I doubt he will terrorize us like he did back then. The back-ups have changed greatly as well. I think we all remember Leon “I shot more freethrows than the entire Lakers team” Powe. He is gone now, off on his couch now that Cleveland has been eliminated. Gone too is the steady Veteran presence of PJ Brown. He didn’t have a ton of stats, but he added to the Celtics “toughness” and didn’t make mistakes. These two are replaced by Rasheed Wallace and Glen Davis. Glen Davis is a very streaky shooter whose fatness earned him the nickname Big Baby. While he could be dangerous from outside, he is also liable to make dumb mistake as he did with multiple offensive fouls in game 6 against the Magic. And finally, there is Rasheed. I think any long time Lakers fan remembers him from his time in Portland. Rasheed is frankly dynamite. Used right, he can help the Celtics with threes and good defense, but he could also explode on them picking up dumb technical fouls and moping.

An offensive Breakdown:

The Lakers play a very precise brand of basketball, noted by its fast passes and cuts to the basket. While many people might dispute the truth of this statement, this is how our offense is played at its best. I’m going to break down our offense by discussing various units played by Phil and what they must do to be effective.

Fisher/Kobe/Artest/Pau/Bynum

Our starters. These guys play an interesting brand of basketball. Pau and Bynum have shown varying levels of ability to play together. Last series was probably the low point. We need to keep Pau from hanging out at the three-point line like he was much of last series with this line-up. Our offense can, and frequently does, work well with both Pau and Bynum posting up on opposite sides of the paint. We need to also make the effort to get Artest involved and taking shots other than threes. When Artest is moving, he is dangerous.

Fisher/Kobe/Artest/Lamar/Pau

With this line-up, we have better spacing with Odom in place of Bynum. Odom must continue his assertiveness that he displayed during the Suns Series and the previous title run last year. Like Artest, when Odom is moving he is dangerous. This line-up also uses Kobe is the post quite a bit. Whether it is Kobe or Pau, we need to work the post, and then make the quick pass if the a double team comes.

Farmar/Shannon/Artest/Lamar/Pau(or Bynum)

This is really our worst line-up, although it is necessary as Kobe and Fisher need to rest. This unit all to frequently forgets about the man in the post, and instead just takes a lot of bad jumpers. This unit must run the triangle and play smart. Get the ball to Lamar or Pau/Bynum and let them make the play for you. Farmar and Shannon can hit the spot-up three, but too frequently, they just shoot the quick three. Shannon, you have explosive legs for dunking on people, not for shooting threes.

[9volt]

Kobe is foaming at the mouth for Boston.

It's over, Johnny!

[McSassy]

I...........can't............wait
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LG -- We know drama.

[srm90]

And the Oscar goes to.....
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[Omarkb24]

damN!! 2 pages already and we still got 4 days till the game????

I see this game low scoring, until the end of the 2nd quarter where the lakers take a commanding lead. it gets cut down a bit in the 3rd but the lakers will blow it up back to a huge lead and win BIGGGGGGGGGGGGGG



BOOOK IT AND COPY AND PASTE THIS WHENT HIS HAPPEND...NORTRO omARS HAS SPOKEN

[golaker]

I believe the stat is Phil Jackson is 47-0 in series when winning game 1.

GO LAKERS!!!!!!!!!!!!

[limchrc]

Let's win.