Game 2 Thoughts
POWE!
Leon was truly The Professional tonight against the Lakers. His aggresiveness was the key. I loved that in the post-game interview, Phil Jackson complained about the officiating and that Leon shot more free throws than the the Laker team and then one queston later was asked about how Leon Powe was somehow able to drive down the lane for a wide open dunk. Eventually Phil admitted that his team wasn't aggresive enough and also wasn't even taking charge when they were available.
No doubt, the officials were terrible. It was very one-sided (and yes, I know the C's didn't get ALL the calls but they got more than their fair share) and featured one of the worst sequences I've ever seen in a basketball game, playoff or not. Pierce pulled Kobe's arm off during a drive, then on the other end Derek Fisher was tackled, followed by Vlad Rad stealing the ball next time down and taking three or four steps on a lay-up.
As for the fourth, the Celtics played poorly as they did in stretches in game 1: leaving people open, not starting the offense until late in the shot clock, lazy passes, etc. Doc Rivers commented that the Celts were running down the clock and playing the score rather than playing the game. While I don't like the shot of confidence it gave the Lakers, I am happy that the Celtics aren't heading into LA with big heads. They now know that no lead is safe and that if they let up for an instant that this Lakers squad will be able to beat them.
Right now, the Celtics just need to keep playing their game until the Lakers alter their defense to stop them. Radmanovic on Pierce is a disaster and could get the Lake Show swept. On defense, the C's are doing a good job forcing Kobe into tough shots. Hopefully the Lakers will continue to ignore Pau Gasol who made the defensive player of the year KG look silly on a couple of post plays.
And Paul Pierce continues to make a bigger name for himself with some key shots, drives, and one huge block.
