NBA Finals: Lakers (1) vs Celtics (4)

[Sauru]

gasol has to be the guy got it written all over his face. seriously though its gotta be odom. then again he might be yelling it in the mirror

[Sauru]

lol pierce and artest already going at it

[benji]

To celebrate the start of the Finals we should fix the seed of the Celtics in the title.

[JaoSming]

lol did Rondo just try a windmill? that was sick *disappear*

[puttincomputers]

whats with rondo and the upside down headband? is he mad at west?

[shadowgrin]

Rondo has been doing that upside down headband thing since last year.

[Sauru]

this game is stressing me out

[puttincomputers]

Rondo has been doing that upside down headband thing since last year.

strange. how did i not notice that.

[shadowgrin]

Members have been complaining about that in the 2K9 patching section, how the game is unrealistic because they cannot make the headbands upside down like that of Rondo.

[benji]

They can't flip the texture?

[Andrew]

I wonder who he berates by calling them a "faggot" daily.

Vujacic.

Awesome shot by Rondo to finish the half, but the Celtics haven't looked particularly sharp at times. Hoping this one doesn't degenerate into a blowout.

[NovU]

So here is a random question. How many time did Kobe score/assist off the post up so far in this game?

Anyways, this was an awesome first half for the LAL. But given how mch the LAL failed in 3rd quarters of 2008 finals, I wouldn't count Celtics out yet.

[Fresh8]

Lots of fouls being called tonight... Lakers hold a 9-11 point lead. I don't really feel like we will lose. Just have that good vibe...

EDIT: Great sequnce from Kobe just then. Block + alley oop dunk.

[NovU]

That was an awesome block.

Rather I am surprised at Gasol's toughness. He's a force downlow.

[Andrew]

I don't think the Lakers are losing this one either, not the way the Celtics are playing. That flop by Gasol rivaled Divac's best though, glad to see the referees didn't bail him out and called the blocking foul. I'd like to see that call made consistently throughout the league moving forward.

[Fresh8]

It's so subjective though, to call a flop... I agree that they should to stamp it out of the game (like soccer) but it's risky for the league to enforce it I guess. What do you think?

[Sauru]

i sleep screw this game and this shitty performance by the celtics

[Andrew]

It's so subjective though, to call a flop... I agree that they should to stamp it out of the game (like soccer) but it's risky for the league to enforce it I guess. What do you think?

I think what Gasol did is a pretty good example of what constitutes a flop, selling very minimal contact that should be a non-call as a cannonball in the chest. I'd personally like to see the league define offensive fouls in a way that makes them a little harder to draw, simply because too many players are rewarded for not bothering to challenge the ball and just be willing to get knocked down or put on a Oscar-winning performance.

Meanwhile, this one's quickly becoming awful for anyone who isn't a Lakers fan.

[Andrew]

Garnett just put up what might be two of the worst missed layups in the history of the NBA Finals. A few years ago, that first one would've been a dunk.

[NovU]

Garnett just put up what might be two of the worst missed layups in the history of the NBA Finals. A few years ago, that first one would've been a dunk.

It was like watching KG with Kwame's small hands. The gmae I think is over though the Celtics somehow cut the lead to 13.

[shadowgrin]

Well this is a stinker.

They can't flip the texture?

Haven't really paid attention to that. I think they somehow patched it when some patching tools came out. They also manage to correct the position of the NBA logo in LeBron's headband. So all was well in 2K9 realism.

[The X]

Garnett just put up what might be two of the worst missed layups in the history of the NBA Finals. A few years ago, that first one would've been a dunk.

I'm keen to see them. Surely it couldn't be worse than Jason Terry's missed dunk/layup in the 4th quarter of Game 3 of the 2006 NBA Finals, which I still consider being the pivotal reason the Mavs lost the title (not the Heat did not win the title, the Mavs lost it).

[JaoSming]

They can't flip the texture?

Haven't really paid attention to that. I think they somehow patched it when some patching tools came out. They also manage to correct the position of the NBA logo in LeBron's headband. So all was well in 2K9 realism.

The Rondo CF I have has it flipped, they just flipped the headband part of the 3d model for his face.



And that sucked....

[benji]

Jordan with a long range shot delivers again over the injury fakers.

[Andrew]

Given how Phil Jackson used to apologise when Stacey King took three pointers in the closing seconds of blowouts on the 1991-1993 Bulls teams, I wonder if he'll do the same this time around? Probably not. Not a big deal I guess, but like LeBron's refusal to shake hands last year it's one of those things that irks me a little. Oh well.

The far more important story here is the Lakers taking Game 1, with the Celtics disappearing in between the odd spirited run. Way too many turnovers and blown opportunities, they never really regained momentum after the Lakers finished the first quarter strong and then pushed the lead out to nine early in the second. They had Kobe and Fisher off the floor with two fouls in the first quarter, that's an opportunity you can't afford to let go to waste. Credit the Lakers' defense of course, the Celtics seemed a bit tentative at times and the Lakers just took advantage. Still hoping they can get the split in Game 2, but another effort like this one isn't going to cut it.