FIRST NAIL IN THE COFFIN

All you can say is "wow." The Celtics were trailing by 21 points after the 1st quarter, by as many as 24 points, and by 20 points halfway through the 3rd. But from that point on, they outscored Los Angeles 47 to 21 and took game 3 97-91.



The series isn't over by any means, but no team has ever come from 3-1 behind in the Finals to win the series. But we here in Boston remember what happened in the 2004 ALCS. Anything can happen. But in order for such a catastrophe to unfold in 2008, the Lakers would need to win on Sunday, then win two games in Boston. Detroit was the only team besides the Celtics to win two games in Boston this season. So it's possible, but highly unlikely.

The Celtics and Lakers had two different games last night. The Lakers played out of their minds in the first half. They drained threes seemingly at will, and Lamar Odom started 7 for 7. The Celtics, on the other hand, only managed 14 points in the 1st quarter. Pierce's struggles continued, and the offense was as lost as they were in the 4th quarter of game 3.



What was scary about the 1st half was that Kobe hadn't yet gotten it going. The Lakers lead hovered around 20 points, but once Kobe started playing like the one-man-wrecking-crew/god ESPN declares him to be, it was going to be lights out for the C's.

But Kobe never reached top speed. He finished 6 of 19 for only 17 points. He was outscored by: Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Lamar Odom, and James Posey!!!



Meanwhile, Lamar Odom remembered that he's Lamar Odom. He was 1 for 4 in the 2nd half. The three pointers stopped falling for the Lakers. And on the other side of the ball, Paul Pierce and the rest of the PGA (Pierce, Garnett, Allen) Tour woke up. They got stops, forced bad shots, didn't screw around on offense and went on some big runs. To end the 3rd, the Celtics went on a 10-1 run, cutting LA's lead to 2 points. In the final 5 minutes of the 4th, the Celtics went on a 21-3 run.

Pierce recovered from a sluggish 1st half to finish with 20 points and 7 assists. Ray Allen had 19 points. He's been the most consistent player in the Finals, averaging 20 points per game. He also had 9 rebounds. KG recovered from a dreadful game 3 with a 7 for 14 shooting night and 16 points, to go along with his 11 rebounds.



James Posey came out of nowhere and put up 18 points. He hit four 3 pointers and was huge. Eduardo Casa a.k.a. Eddie House also came up big in support of the injured Rajon Rondo. Rondo only played 17 minutes, still nursing that ankle. House played 25 and had 11 points. Combined, the Celtics' bench had 35 points. The Lakers' bench had 15.

Game 5 awaits the Celtics and Lakers on Sunday. It will be a long, long two days in Boston. And if I have to hear anyone declaring their desire that the Celtics lose game 5 so they can win the title here in Boston, I'm going to dry heave.



Source:
ESPN.com

Photo Credits:
AP Photo/Mark Avery
AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian
AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill

L.A.=LUCKY A-HOLES

Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett each had their worst games of the playoffs, Kobe Bryant exploded for 36 points, and Sasha Vujacic came off the bench with 20. Yet the Lakers only beat the Celtics 87-81. As far as game 3 losses in the NBA Finals, this one ain't so bad.

I'll ease up a bit from my sensationalist headline. The Lakers weren't lucky, they were the better team last night. I'm not Phil Jackson, I won't make excuses. The refs had a solid game too, so no complaints there.

So what went wrong for the Celtics? For starters, Pierce had an atrocious night. He was 2 of 14 for 6 points. He got in foul trouble early. He turned the ball over. His passes lacked crispness, and sometimes lacked sense.



Kevin Garnett didn't look sharp either. He was 6 for 21 with only 21 points.

Ray Allen was on fire, though, nailing 5 three pointers in 5 attempts. He led the Celtics with 25 points.

Rajon Rondo's departure due to an ankle sprain hurt the Celtics a great deal. Although Eddie House played well in Rondo's absence, when Rajon returned, the Celtics offense sputtered and stalled. Unfortunately, this was down the stretch in the 4th quarter. It's no coincidence that this was also when LA took the lead back.

I wouldn't be too worried out there, Celtics fans. The Lakers needed Kobe to put up 36, and Vujacic to light it up with 3 pointers. They also got a little tiny bit of luck. Remember Pau "Missing an L" Gasol's "tip-in" in the 4th? He tried clamping both hands on it, the ball popped out, then fell in the hoop. This was Gasol's humble reaction to the gift given to him by the basketball gods:



Things will be different in game 4 on Thursday night. Once again, the Sox game has been moved up to 6.

Source:
ESPN.com

Photo Credits:
Juan Ocampo/NBAE/Getty Images
Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images
AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill

MANNY PASSES EDDIE MURRAY, NOT ENOUGH FOR SOX TO BEAT O'S

JD Drew and Manny Ramirez went back-to-back in the 5th, but it wasn't enough. Beckett once again looked mediocre, but didn't pitch horribly. He scattered 8 hits, but only allowed 4 runs in his 6 innings.

Hideki Okajima has been nowhere near as good as he was last season. He got his 6th blown save last night. He only had 2 in '07. His ERA isn't bad at 2.89, but factor in the amount of inherited runs scored he's allowed and it's safe to say he's been a bit of a disappointment in 2008.

Bartolo Colon goes against 5-1 Garrett Olson Wednesday night.

Source:
ESPN.com

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/Elise Amendola

ROGER CLEMENS TAKES VIAGRA

A Yankee clubhouse official has alleged that Roger Clemens took Viagra as a performance enhancing drug. No, not that kind of performance. On the field performance.

NY Daily News story

Apparently Viagra helps build endurance for athletes and increases the flow of oxygen to muscles. It also gives you wood, which can help some athletes tackle the side effects of other performance enhancers.

This Roger Clemens stuff keeps getting better and better.

WHAT'S PHIL JACKSON COMPLAINING ABOUT?

Phil Jackson got fined for whining about the officiating in Sunday night's 108-102 loss to the Celtics. The Celtics got to the line many more times than the Lakers did, Kobe had a few soft fouls called on him, and the Celtics played a physical game down low. Then again, the Lakers aren't exactly a hard-nosed team that will draw a lot of fouls.

But any bad officiating wasn't one way. The lack of a travelling call on this play is simply grotesque. Travelling isn't like a foul or pass interference. There's no opinion in travelling. Too many steps is too many steps. Radmanovic took too many steps, the call was never made, and had the Lakers come from behind, maybe Doc Rivers would be the one complaining.

But Phil Jackson needs to shut up. Can't he just say "We were outplayed?" For as much crap as Bill Belichick takes in the national media, he's never copped out of a loss or used excuses like Jackson has. Phil Jackson, you'll never be even on the same level as Red Auerbach, so quit with the token LA excuses and admit that the Celtics were the better team in games 1 and 2.

NUMBER ZERO BECOMES A HERO

The Celtics rode a roller coaster last night in Game 2 of the NBA finals. After leading by as many as 22 points in the 4th quarter, their lead evaporated, getting as close as 2 points. But the Celtics were strong down the stretch and prevailed 108-102.



Leon Powe had the game of his life. Any question marks surrounding the Celtics' bench in this series were answered with exclamation points thanks to Mr. Powe. In only 15 minutes of playing time, he had 21 points. He was 6 of 7 shooting (that one miss was actually an alley oop gone awry), and got to the line 13 times. He was simply unbelievable as he sparked the Celtics run that put them 20 ahead of the Lakers.



Powe wasn't the only one who answered questions. Paul Pierce clarified a great many things about his health last night. He had 28 points, 8 assists, and was 4 for 4 from 3 point range.



Kevin Garnett had a decent night, although he struggled early. He started the game 3 for 12 from the field, before finishing 7 for 19. Defensively he was a beast, and under the glass he hauled in 14 rebounds.

Ray Allen continued to shoot well. He was 2 of 3 from beyond the arc, and 6 of 11 overall. He once again finished with 17 points.

Rajon Rondo didn't put up many points (only 1 of 4 shooting for 4 points), but he did have 16 assists. The Celtics as a team had 31 assists for their 36 field goals. About the only knock on Rondo's night was that he was 2 of 6 at the charity stripe, and late in the 4th he got a little bit crazy with the unnecessary alley oop passes that wound up as Laker rebounds.



The big story of the game will probably be the way Los Angeles came back and made a game of things down the stretch, but to be honest, I don't think it was that big of a deal. Both teams slowed down when the Celtics were up by 20. Suddenly, Los Angeles couldn't miss three pointers. The Lakers started the 4th shooting 7 of 9 from behind the arc. That's insane. And it helped bring them back into the game.

The officials also deserve an assist. The Celtics weren't the only ones out there who lost focus. With 1:31 on the clock, Paul Pierce was mugged, but the refs didn't blow the whistle. Sasha Vujacic runs down the court, nails a 3, and it's a 104-98 game.

On the very next play, Vladimir Radmanovic took a stroll through the paint - a 4 step stroll - before dunking the ball. No travelling was called and the score was 104-100.

The Celtics put themselves in a bad position by losing their concentration and not properly finishing off the Lakers. But the refs were a big reason why the potential for a close game became a reality. Thankfully, the C's turned it back on, Paul Pierce nailed some clutch free throws, and so did James Posey.

Even though they allowed 102 points, the Celtics defense had one of their best games in the post-season, at least for 4/5 of the night. They smothered Bryant, forcing him to take near impossible shots. They kept Kobe out of the paint and held him to 11 of 23 shooting and 30 points. He only had 9 points in the 1st half and Ray Allen had already gotten him into foul trouble.



The series now heads west to LA. The Celtics proved in Detroit that they can win big games on the road. Now it's time for another test. Tuesday night, 9 PM



Source:
ESPN.com

Photo Credits:
AP Photo/Charles Krupa
Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE/Getty Images
Elsa/Getty Images

MASTERFUL

Justin Masterson improved to 3-0 with yet another solid outing. He went 6 innings, allowing just 1 run off 3 hits. Craig Hansen pitched another scoreless inning, earning his 4th Hold of the season. Okajima and Papelbon pitched a perfect 8th and 9th, respectively. Papelbon only threw 5 pitches, all of which were strikes.

JD Drew provided all the offense that Masterson and company would need. He was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the 3rd, then hit a solo homerun to center in the 6th.

The Sox have Monday off, then continue their homestand when the Orioles come to town. Beckett goes against Daniel Cabrera on Tuesday, which will start early due to the Celtics game.

Source:
ESPN.com

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/Michael Dwyer

MANNY TIES MURRAY, SOX MAUL M'S IN MATINEE

The Red Sox offense, which had been stymied by King Felix Hernandez on Friday, came alive Saturday afternoon, scoring 11 runs off 13 hits. Six of those hits were for extra bases. Manny Ramirez hit homerun #504 in the 1st, tying Eddie Murray for 23rd on the all-time list.

Fortunately for the Sox, neither Manny nor Ellsbury missed much time with the injuries they suffered in Thursday night's game. Ellsbury would replace Ramirez as a pinch runner in the 8th inning.

JD Drew continued his 7 game hit streak. He was 3 for 5 with a homerun, a triple, 2 RBI, and 3 runs. Drew now leads the Red Sox in batting average and OBP. He's raised his average .035 points since May 28th, and is 5th in the AL in batting average.

Dustin Pedroia got the day off. He's been struggling mightily as of late, going hitless in his last 12 at-bats. He's 1 for his last 17. His average has plummeted from .301 on May 21st to .266.

Kevin Youkilis committed an error at first base in the 9th inning. He seemed to lose sight of a ball thrown to him by Alex Cora. The ball dropped, Willie Bloomquist reached, and eventually came around to score. It was Youkilis' first error as a first baseman in 238 games, an MLB record.

Wakefield pitched superbly, allowing 2 runs in 7 innings. Eight of his 13 starts this year have been Quality Starts (6 innings or more, 3 earned runs or fewer).

Craig Hansen hasn't allowed an earned run in 5.2 innings, an impressive stretch for him. During that period, his ERA has deflated from 7.20 to a more tidy 4.60.

The Red Sox face the Mariners this afternoon in the rubber game. Justin Masterson faces Erik Bedard.

Source:
ESPN.com

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/Mary Schwalm