Even if you’re not a huge sports fan you probably know that the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics have one of the most intense rivalries in sports history. And last night’s game definitely did not disprove this as the Lakers (15-11) were able to grind out a one-point victory over the Celtics (14-11), 88-87.
Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 27 points, five rebounds, and four assists, and the Lakers’ big men Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol came up huge at the end.
Bryant was nothing short of amazing, hitting tough shot after unbelievable shot time after time in this game. However, it was the Lakers’ big guys who had some of the biggest plays down the stretch.
With under three minutes left in regulation, Bynum (16 points and 17 rebounds, seven offensive) converted on a three-point play, putting the Lakers up 80-79. Ray Allen (22 points on 9-20 shooting) would eventually fire back with a three-pointer to put the Celtics back up, 82-80. Down by two with under 20 seconds remaining, Steve Blake attempted to throw a lob into Andrew Bynum, which was deflected. Blake managed to get the ball back and pass it to a cutting Bryant who raised up and took a jumper along the baseline and missed, but Pau Gasol (25 points and 14 rebounds on 12-20 shooting) was there to tip it in with 9.8 seconds left. Mickael Pietrus’ 30-foot jump shot wouldn’t come close, and the game was set for overtime.
Bryant would remain aggressive in overtime (when is the Black Mamba not aggressive?) and score the first basket of the overtime period, followed by a long two pointer by the just-back-from-injury Steve Blake (5 points on just 2-7 shooting, but the second make with great timing). Paul Pierce (18 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists) scored the next five points of the game, placing the Celtics up by one. Bryant would miss again after pulling up along the baseline, but this time it was Andrew Bynum who came through with a huge tip-in, overpowering the Celtics’ defense to take an 88-87 lead with 1:30 left in OT. After misses by Kevin Garnett (12 points, 12 rebounds on 6-23 shooting) and Kobe Bryant, the Celtics had a chance to win with just six seconds left on the clock. Pierce missed, Allen got the rebound and had a chance at a tip-in, but Pau Gasol immediately put his long arm up and blocked the shot as time expired, and that was all she wrote.
In addition to the “Big Three” for the Lakers (Bryant, Gasol, and Bynum), Matt Barnes was the fourth leading scorer, tallying 11 points on 3-5 shooting from the field, while also grabbing 4 rebounds (3 offensive). Steve Blake, making his return from injury, scored 5 points in 30 minutes, but the Lakers didn’t get much else offensively from the rest of their players. Metta World Peace scored just two points on 1-6 shooting, as did Troy Murphy. Murhpy, however, snatched 9 rebounds and played solid defense throughout. Derek Fisher and Andrew Goudelock were scoreless on a combined 0-9 effort for the Lakers.
As for the Celtics in addition to their “Big Three” (Garnett, Pierce, and Allen), Rajon Rondo scored 14 points and dished out seven assists. Mickael Petrius added nine points, and Brandon Bass added eigh.
Now, let’s break down this Lakers win.
Next Page: The Breakdown
With the Lakers and Celtics both much older–in basketball terms–than they were just two years ago when they met in the 2010 NBA Finals (which resulted in an epic Game 7 victory for the Lakers en route to their 16th championship), there isn’t much added value to this victory compared with any other win. Both teams are struggling with mediocrity this season (record-wise, anyway).
However, the Lakers have been struggling on the road this season (just 4-10 thus far), and a road win in a tough arena could be just what they need to get going.
So, let’s see what we should take away from this great road win.
The Tough Win – The first thing we should take away is the fact that the Lakers won in a hostile arena against a hostile team. Maybe this game isn’t going to be a preview of an NBA Finals match-up like it has been in years past, but the fact remains that these teams do have history, and hate losing to each other. To them, it had to mean something.
Pau Gasol – Next is the play of Pau Gasol. Gasol finished with 25 points, 14 rebounds, and had arguably his best game of the season so far. He took 20 shot attempts, and was aggressive throughout the game. Perhaps it was his desire to beat the Boston Celtics, but it was definitely good to see the type of performance Lakers’ fans love and expect from Pau Gasol in big games. He helped the Lakers win back-to-back championships in 2009 and 2010, and we have all been waiting to see if/when he would play at the same level again.
Last night, his head seemed to be completely in the game as he was coming up with huge plays such as his game-tying, put-back tip-in at the end of regulation, as well as his game-defending block on Ray Allen at the end of overtime, which was arguably the “play of the game.” Hopefully last night’s performance can spark his play for the rest of the season. However, he may still be proverbially looking over his shoulder after almost being traded at the beginning of the season. Perhaps if he doesn’t get traded by the trade deadline, he will truly feel safe and be able to focus solely on helping the Lakers win basketball games.
Let’s not forget about Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum, however. As mentioned, Kobe Bryant managed to make several remarkable shots to keep the Lakers close most of the game. As for Bynum, he continued his All-Star level play, and has proven himself to be a consistent difference maker down the stretch, as also described with his offensive rebounds and put-backs.
The “Big Three” were definitely in full effect last night, and hopefully Gasol can maintain his aggressive play.
There are still two other factors that we should examine after last night’s victory.
Next Page: Bench & Boards
The Bench – The reserves continued to struggle last night, scoring just 18 points. Luckily for them, the Celtics’ bench only scored 19. However, there were some positives to take away from the game.
Matt Barnes scored 11 points in just 17 minutes, and had three big offensive rebounds. His hustle and mentality to slash to the basket have given the Lakers something they sorely need. His athleticism and ability to finish at the basket are huge positives for the Lakers, as they are lacking this type of play. Whether he is cutting to the basket off-ball and finishing at the rim, or crashing the offensive glass and getting second chance points, his hustle is a definite plus.
Steve Blake returned, and played a crucial role down the stretch for the Lakers. No, he didn’t take over the game or hit a game winning shot, but he stepped in when he was desperately needed. Derek Fisher, who normally plays in crunch time, had a horrible shooting night. Had Steve Blake not suited up tonight, Mike Brown likely would have had to stay with Fisher as Andrew Goudelock is too inexperienced and still makes mistakes throughout the games, despite his recent success. Blake hesitated on an open three-pointer in overtime (something Fisher never does) and missed, but shot the ball with confidence on the very next shot and made it (resilient!). His return allowed Mike Brown to have a different option at the point guard position down the stretch.
Blake played his part in crunch time, allowing Kobe to set the table, but what was also encouraging was his play with the second unit. He appeared very aggressive with the reserves, looking to create shots for others instead of just standing on the perimeter as a shooter. He didn’t get a single assist, but he had the correct mentality. He had a good run last night (30 minutes), but perhaps after a few games back, he will get back to where he was before he went down and perhaps even better.
Consequently, with Steve Blake back, Andrew Goudelock saw limited time (eight minutes) and Jason Kapono saw none. Hopefully the return of Blake can actually help Goudelock. The Mini-Mamba (the nickname given to him by Kobe) was getting used to handling the ball and creating his own shot, and was becoming relatively good at it. With Blake back, he won’t be handling the ball as much. However, this can help him as he will no longer have the responsibility of trying to get other guys involved, and can focus on what he does best: score. If he can learn to play off of Blake, he can get some of his minutes back at the expense of Kapono.
Troy Murphy scored just two points on 1-5 shooting, but made up for it with nine rebounds and several solid defensive plays. Murphy was able to get a couple steals, deflections, and overall was able to help disrupt Boston’s defense. He kept his head in the game, and made a positive impact on the outcome of it.
Rebounds – Speaking of rebounds, the Lakers out-rebounded the Celtics 55-45, and 15-12 on the offensive glass. Led by Andrew Bynum (17) and Pau Gasol (14), the Lakers’ superior rebounding proved to be a difference maker for the Lakers. As Kobe said after the game, “It’s the glass, we’ve been horrible giving up second chance points and opportunities to the opposition and tonight we did a much, much better job” before stating that if they can continue to rebound as they did last night, they’ll have a much better chance of winning on the road.
In the large scheme of things, last night’s win over the Boston Celtics doesn’t mean much in terms of the rivalry, as those moments can only be scripted and forever cemented in the playoffs when it comes to these two teams. However, for the Lakers, in this season, and on the road, this win can be significant. They were able to battle and outlast a formidable opponent on their home floor; something they can’t say of their previous two games.
Maybe it just took seeing their old rivals to bring out the fire.