"It's a hard way to fall. And this ain't the easy way down."
-Ryan Adams
I can't help myself. That game last night was too much for me. Every possession was agonizing, every shot missed felt HUGE. Probably what was most upsetting for me was not that the Celtics lost, but that the Lakers won. I'd picked the Celtics to lose the series they played over a month ago...against Cleveland. I haven't forgotten that they stunk for the second half of the season. They disregarded the regular season, and it really only bit them in the butt once...last night. Had they had home court advantage, there is no way the C's lose that game. But they are responsible for that, they mailed in the regular season (claiming they needed the rest and maybe they're right). What I hope is noted is that the winner of last night's game was going to be remembered as one of the weakest NBA champions in history. Put either of those teams against the '03 Spurs, you think they win? They don't. How bout the Bad Boy Pistons? No. The Bulls of the 90s would have swept both of these teams. Hey, I grew up on the Celtics-Lakers Finals, so I love that these are the two teams, but this was an ugly, sloppy series that, if it had been between the Jazz and Magic would be talked about as the worst in history.
Things that happened last night:
Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Rajon Rondo came up small.
I wish it wasn't so, but had any one of them played 20% better, the C's pull that out.
Pau Gasol, Derek Fisher, and Ron Artest rescued Kobe Bryant's reputation. They delivered him from what would have been tatooed on the forehead of his career, "crapped himself in the NBA Finals Game 7." I hate Gasol, but he made huge plays for them and got every rebound. And for all the hype about Kobe's closing ability, just remember that the Lakers went to Gasol for every big possession down the stretch. Fisher once again hit the biggest shot of the Finals (no one remembers that he sent a missile through the net to tie the Magic at the end of regulation last year), when he tied up the game in the 4th.
Then Ron Artest, who killed Pierce all night on defense, hit the kind of shot that makes an opposing player feel like they've been stabbed in the chest - a 3 with less than a minute in a one-possession game.
The Celtics got the style of game they wanted, and then they blew it. When the game got tight at the end, the C's shrunk from the moment. That is one of the toughest parts to swallow here. It is one thing if the Lakers had taken this game away. But really what happened was that the Celtics gave it to them. They went scoreless for 7 minutes, they stood around waiting for someone else to make a play, and they never rebounded...not at all. The saddest part is that rebounds are all about heart, and the one thing I felt the Celtics had on the Lakers was their heart. Just a miserable way to lose.
It's a shame you never showed up tonight, Ray. We could have used you.
This version of the Celtics is over. As unlikely as this run was, it would be more unlikely if they got back together and did anything like this again. They're too old, they're now mentally fried, and there's no guarantee that they will have their coach back. It's over. I loved it while it lasted, but this now needs to be a rebuilding project around Rajon Rondo. I'm going to miss this team. They pulled a lot of crap that I didn't like so much, but they were a fun bunch to root for on most days.
Things that didn't happen last night:
The refs costing anyone the game.
And thank goodness because they had been awful for most of the series. But they let them play and decide the game for themselves. I would have liked a call here and there to have been different, but nothing that dramatic. And anyone that mentions the foul shot discrepancy without mentioning how aggressive the Lakers were going to the rim is manipulating the numbers.
Kobe Bryant proving anything.
He didn't start "trusting his teammates." He didn't "let the game come to him." He didn't really affect the game positively for the Lakers beyond hitting three big free throws that were a gift from Joey Crawford (ok, they missed that one, but they were mostly good). Look, it is well documented that I don't like the guy. He's the most selfish athlete on the planet. But I won't say he's not an incredible player. He is. What upsets me is when people say things like, "He's got one more to go until he ties Jordan." Kobe was Shaq's sidekick for three of those, not the other way around. Kobe was Pippen, not Jordan. This would be like saying that Robert Horry is as good as Jordan because he has as many rings. Ludicrous. But the best way to decide where Kobe belongs in this conversation is to ask what would have happened if you switched him out for Jordan last night. Did anyone ever say, "The Bulls won last night despite Jordan's effort." How about Bird? You think he would have played like a mental midget in Game 7 last night? Magic? Nope. The names that come to mind are: Karl Malone, Chris Webber, Jon Starks, Patrick Ewing, and Tracy McGrady.
Kobe's earned the right to a few bad games, I will concede (just not a Game 7). I am not saying he's not a superstar. He's a top ten all time player. He is good enough to win most NBA games by himself. But ranking him ahead of one of those guys in the last paragraph is crazy. It cheapens what they were more than it builds Kobe up. Unfortunately, the stories you will hear coming out of this series will be about the number of his titles, instead of the stinker he layed in a big game. If the Celtics had just delivered the knockout blow when they had the chance, Kobe would take his rightful place in history and we could finally put this foolishness about him and MJ to rest.
All that said, at least our loyal 6 readers don't have to worry about reading anything about basketball for a while. I know I don't want to right now.
