Game 4 Loose Balls

Even the oldest of old timers loved last nights win. For once, Paul Pierce can proudly proclaim "Oh yeah, (insert name of Celtic legend here) NEVER did that in the Finals!!!" The Celtics were down 24 at different times in the first half and trailing 58-40 at halftime. Rajon Rondo's ankle was gimpy and left him rather ineffective (5 points and 2 assists in 17 minutes). Kendrick Perkins may have seriously reinjured his shoulder. I could have played better than Sam Cassell. I never expected this team to rally to win this game. Rondo has been the key to their wins and he was out. Perk, who has played well against the soft Lakers post players, was out. They have struggled tremendously on the road. Hope was lost. Hope returned in the form of Doc Rivers. Doc went to the best possible lineup he had: Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, James Posey and Eddie House with a little bit of PJ Brown, Leon Powe and Tony Allen off of the bench. This group defended, rebounded and scored as if the Lakers could care less about what the Celtics were doing. The C's closed the third quarter on a 21-3 run to cut the deficit to two points going into the fourth. Every Laker, from Kobe and Phil to Sasha and Pau, looked scared. At one point, as the C's blew three opportunities to take the lead, it looked like the Lakers would survive. But then Posey knocked down a three pointer from the corner, Pierce and Garnett established themselves offensively and Ray Allen (more on him later) closed the game out. While this was happening, Kobe (more on him later) and the rest of the Purple and Gold watched their season fade away. 97-91, Celtics... Ray Allen, the often forgotten member of the "Big 3", certainly reminded us all of why he is a great basketball player last night. In Game 3, Ray showed flashes of his ability to take over a game in the third quarter but then disappeared behind the curtain of the "Wonderful Traveling Pierce & Garnett Pick and Roll Show" during the fourth, when the Celtics choked away the game. Last night the man known as Jesus Shuttlesworth would not allow himself to blend into the background when the game entered crunch time. Allen came up with important rebounds, a crucial steal and three turn-back-the-clock-to-1997 drives to the hoop, including the one that sealed the game against a hopeless (and, obviously, defenseless) Sasha Vujacic. It has been said and written countless times this year about how, out of the "Big 3", Allen has sacrificed the most for this team to succeed. I tend to agree with that. Pierce was the alpha male on the perimeter and Garnett became to the go-to guy inside. Many nights, Allen sat and waited from the corner. Since Game 2 of the Detroit series, it seems almost as if Allen decided that he would never forgive himself for watching and waiting if the season went down the tubes and the C's failed to win a title. Including that Game 2 loss to the Pistons, Allen has scored 25, 14, 11, 29, 17, 19, 17, 25 and 19 points (19.6 points per game). He has elevated his play at an absolutely crucial time, giving the C's a much needed second option from the outside. He is also about to finally win a championship... On the other side of the superstar spectrum, can the debate about Kobe Bryant being the next Jordan officially end? Kobe is the best player in the NBA these days, there is no question. But Jordan's Bulls would never have lost a lead like Kobe's Lakers did last night. Jordan could have played with me, you and two drunks from Murphy's Bleachers in the second half to win that game last night... Is Doc Rivers winning the NBA championship over Phil Jackson the equivalent of Zach Johnson beating Tiger Woods at the Masters last year? I say that the Johnson win is more of an upset. You know Red Auerbach, after releasing a mouthful of cigar smoke, would certainly agree... PJ Brown. Wow... The 2007 Draft Lottery ping-pong ball nightmare is nothing more than a distant memory and funny antecdote at this point...