My brother told me if Ray Allen goes off and have a great game, the Celtics would win Game 2, but I didn't expect Ray to go off like this last night. He drop 32 points and an NBA Finals record eight three-pointers in a game to help the Celtics defeat the Lakers 103-94 and even the series at a game a piece. That was the Lakers first home playoff loss since last season's Western Conference Finals. Ray may have been the star, but Rajon Rondo, who recorded his fifth career playoff triple-double, that took control in the fourth quarter and determined the outcome of the game. Take a look at what I think of last night's game while Celtics fans continue to celebrate while the Lakers fans are hating at the moment.
Ray Allen destroys LA with a three-point performance of a lifetime!!!!!
What a difference a game makes for Ray Allen. In Game 1 of the series, Ray's five fouls limit him to play only 27 minutes and only drop 12 points. In this game he dropped 32 points on 11-for-20 shooting and 8-for-11 at the three-point line. Ray hit his first seven three-pointers and help the team shoot 11-for-16 from three-point range, unlike the last game when they were only 1-for-10. He scored 27 of his 32 points in the first half to set the tone for the game. What was so amazing was that most of his three-pointers weren't even contested. He took advantage of some screens and had so much space to make his three-pointers it was insane. I don't think he'll drop 30 again in this series, but I would not count him out in the next three games in Boston.
Rajon Rondo's 4th quarter gave the Celtics a victory!!!!!
Ray may have been the star, but Rajon Rondo was the reason for this victory. Even though Ray had a great game, he only drop five of his 32 points in the second half. With the game tied 72 in the start of the fourth quarter, you would think Kobe Bryant would take over this game. With Kobe in foul trouble, Rondo took advantage of the situation. Rondo scored 10 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter while Kobe was too hesitent to defend him. Rondo's biggest plays came with more then 2:00 left in the game. When the Celtics were only up 93-90, Rondo blocked Derek Fisher's 25-foot three-pointer and then hit a jumper on the next Celtics possesion to extend the lead to five. Then when the Celtics were up 99-93, with 46 seconds left, Rondo runs up behind Kobe and steals the ball to put the Lakers away for good. Rondo finished with 19 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists to record his fifth career playoff triple-double. The Lakers better figure something in Game 3 or else we'll have a future NBA Finals MVP on our hands.
Kobe Bryant's foul trouble cost the Lakers a victory!!!!!
Kobe Bryant's foul trouble played a huge role in this basketball game. I have to admit his third foul, when he barely touched Ray Allen with 3:20 left to go in the half, and his fourth foul, when Rondo fell down while going after the ball, was pretty bad calls and it change the momentum of the game. While Kobe was on the court, the ball movement was great, but the Lakers looked a little scared at times to make plays while Kobe was on the bench. The Celtics were up 42-28 with more then 7:00 left in the half, but Kobe led the Lakers with a second half charge and hit a big three-pointer to cut the lead to six at the half. Then the Lakers started the second half with an 11-2 run to take a 59-58 lead. Then Kobe's fourth foul and fifth foul in the second half hurt him on defense and allowed Rondo to look like the best point guard in the league. Kobe finished with 21 points and played 34 minutes in the game. This was the first time he didn't scored 30 points in five games.
Lakers frontcourt was better then the Celtics frontcourt!!!!!
The Celtics may have won the game, but Doc Rivers has to be concerned on how Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Kendrick Perkins played on the offensive end. They combined for only 28 points and just 8-for-23 from the field. Pierce did draw some fouls and went 6-for-6 at the free throw line, but there's no way they will continue to win games that way. Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum, and Ron Artest combined for 52 points on 14-for-30 shooting. Gasol and Bynum's size plays a big role in this series. They combined for 13 of the Lakers 14 blocks while the Celtics only had three blocks in this game. The Lakers have to continue to take advantage in the paint and defend the post very well.
Celtics bench came up big in this game!!!!!
The Celtics bench came up huge in this game. They outscored the Lakers bench 24-14 and came up big when the team's starting frontcourt struggled. Glen Davis came up huge, while KG continues to struggle in this series. Davis was huge in the start of the fourth quarter with a two-handed jam to give the team a 76-72 lead and a big hook shot to tie the game at 78. He finished the game with eight points and seven rebounds in 18 minutes of action. When Rondo needed a rest on the bench in the start of the 4th, Nate Robinson was ready to explode. With the Celtics down 80-78, Nate Robinson hit a big three-pointer to give his team the lead. Then on the next Celtics possesion, Nate made a lay up to extend the lead to lead. He wasn't even scared to get physical with Andrew Bynum to draw a foul. He finished the game with seven points in six minutes. Where was Lamar Odom in this series? Odom has only scored eight points on 3-for-9 shooting in this series. Lamar better get it together soon or else the starters are going to have to step it up a notch.
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