Hollywood Drama

I for one, can admit that I went to sleep early in the 2nd quarter when Luke Walton made a three to put the margin up by….too much! I thought it was going to be one of those nights where nothing would go right for Boston and I had stayed up late just to see my team being shot down by terrorizing Lakers. Therefore, I went to sleep early feeling really pissed off and put my cell phone on silent so I wouldn´t see the teasing text messages from my friends/family members that are Lakers fans (stupid family!). How dead wrong I was! Thank God they are showing the game again today where I will definitely not miss! And what hurts the most about missing this win was to see Eddie House playing a big part in it, a player that I had desperately been missing. HALLELUJAH, BOSTON FANS! Let´s finish this off now preferably home in Boston!

great games enable great writing- i can’t add much to what you have spoke, but if the c’s win, and they have to pick an mvp-right now it would probably be pp…but this is such a team effort and every game there are so many mvps. never say die. never lose focus. and doc it starts with you. hats off to you.

I think this game exemplifies why the Doc-rump swabs (like myself) usually stick up for him. His critics have great points to make about his often baffling rotations or his high post offense that takes the ball out of his point-guard’s hands within the first 3 seconds, etc. But, the criticism usually begins with “Doc’s a great guy, and he seems to be a great motivator BUT…”

This game shows why those first statements are more important than anything that follows. You can staff a head coach’s deficiency on defense (Thibodeau) or offense (Tex Winter for Phil Jackson all those years). But what both Jackson and Doc excel in is the very thing that a head coach cannot outsource – getting the players to buy into the system and to each other. Major props to Doc for this game.

Now, I’ll feel really dumb if he makes a boneheaded tactical decision to lose game 5!

Can we agree that anyone who wrote off the Cs in the first half should be given a self-imposed moratorium on criticizing the team for the rest of the Finals?

So I have a question. I watched the game with the sound off. Was Mike Breen still pimping the Lakers in the 4th quarter, or did the Celtics’ performance in the 2nd half finally shut him up?

If you weren’t a little misty eyed at the end of this game, you have no heart.

I guess I have no heart, then, because I was in full gloat mode at the end of the game. But I was certainly close to tears at the end of the first quarter.

in 02, the celts came back from 23 to beat the Nets and take a 2-1 series lead. They lost the next 3 games.

Let’s not forget the Celtics put themselves in a very bad position last night which they were very fortunate to climb out of. Championship teams don’t come out and get pushed around and beat for every loose ball. This last game only takes them 1 step closer. When they win the 4th game, that’s when I’ll look back fondly at Game 4. Until then they haven’t done jack

Your article condenses very well the almost uncondensable for a Celtics fan. I haven’t missed many games over the last ten years and that was the best. You are right about Doc and each player. Pierce gave Kobe nothing. I’m on board with Big Game James. He has been phenomenal on both sides of ball. Just the best!!

Even with Perk and Rondo out of the game the C’s mounted the greatest comeback in Finals history. Again, a tribute to how tight knit this team has become over a long season and grueling playoffs. Being a die hard Boston fan in the Bay Area is TOUGH. One local station went as far as to say the Lakers fans are “better” and more “real” fans than Celtics fans. I know those are subjective terms and it’s tough to actually compare, but come on, Staples went dead silent in the 3rd. I don’t know who looked more lost, the fans or the Lakers. Anyone else acutally amused by how smug Phil Jackson and Kobe have been, especially Phil in the 3rd to Michelle Tafoya and Kobe post game.

And another thing, GET WILL SMITH OFF THE SCREEN! What’s up with the Hancock commercial while THE GAME IS ON. That drew me more crazy than Farmar’s lucky buzzer beater at the end of the first half.

A few things we knew, that are even more clear today. Boston is Better. Kobe isn’t Jordan. Pierce and Allen are awesome. The jumping huddle with mom and dad at the end of the 4th was too sweet. Boy I love this Celtics squad.

The key differentiator – Celts got it squared by the end of the third and then had time to recover from LAL pushing it out (to 5 or so). LAL didn’t get squared till the very end fo the fourth in game 2, so when the C’s pushed it out, LAL had to foul and the C’s hit em.

Unreal. I was strangely calm in the first half. “Odom?” I thought. “That won’t last… When was the last time he played for 4 quarters..?”

I switched the channel at halftime because I didn’t want to hear the negative comments.

Incredible 3rd & 4th quarters.

Amazing comeback. I have to give Doc credit for sticking with House (not that he had options with Rondo hurting & Sam fading). Eddie was able to bring the ball up under pressure and get them into their sets.

Fantastic game!

Brick,
A 24pt comeback would never stop Breen. His laker love is undying. towards the end of the game (i want to say 2ish mins left) PP drove left around Kobe & a KG screen and drew a blocking foul on the golden boy. Breen, ‘ohh, not much contact there…..he really sold it’. If you watch that play again there was plenty of contact to get a foul and he didn’t have to sell it. Breen’s watching a whole different game out there than we are.

Like Lebron, the more Kobe does, the less dangerous his team is.

Nice to see House get such significant [playing time and remind everyone what a valuable asset he is both in terms of scoring and intensity.

Nice to see Ray Allen prove to his detractors that he is A. still very very dangerous and B. healthy and not broken down (offensively he has been the most consistent threat for the team during the finals).

Jeff,

I wrote a comment on here and it’s gone, did you delete it? I saw it here and when I came back it was no longer here?

UBUNTU!

Can anyone confirm what Plaschke said about Kobe below? That is selfish of Kobe if true.

“You know how Los Angeles fans are famously criticized for leaving games early.Add Kobe Bryant to their list. He walked off the court with three seconds remaining as the Lakers were bringing up the ball for a final shot. It was a most egregious act for a most valuable player.”
Bill Plaschke – http://www.latimes.com/sports/columnists/la-sp-nuplaschke13-2008jun13,0,4253121.column

Hi Jeff,
Been reading these forums at work for the last couple of years, first time commenter. I watched the game alone last night b/c the girlfriend was over, and screamed by myself, first in disbelief and then in joy as that unbelievable game went down.
This was the first thing I checked this morning along w/ESPN. Great write up, great community. Thanks for it. I feel the same way about this game. One to remember, one to be inspired by. Go Celts!

Not only did Kobe walk off the floor with 3 seconds remaining but apparently he has a PHD in Bed Wetting. How else would he know that one towel wouldnt be enough to cover up the big wet spot?

Do you think Kobe left a big wet spot in Colorado? Maybe that explains his intimate knowledge of the subject.

I predicted the Celtics in 6 and I think this is how it will end. Knowing games 6 and 7 are in Boston, it will be difficult for the Celtics to generate the urgency needed to win game 5. In this respect it reminds me of the 87 finals when Magic’s last second baby hook beat Boston in Boston for a 3-1 Laker advantage. The Celts prevailed in game 5, but when the series moved back to LA the Lakers romped in game 6 to win the title.

So I have a question. I watched the game with the sound off. Was Mike Breen still pimping the Lakers in the 4th quarter, or did the Celtics’ performance in the 2nd half finally shut him up?

he almost canned it, but then when Kobe fouled Pierce out on the perimeter he kept saying “not a lot of contact”.

This booth would be so awesome if they just didn’t do play by play. Let JVG and Mark talk basketball when it’s needed, otherwise just crowd noise during most of the game flow. Would be so awesome. Breen is terrible.

kobe talks to will smith. garnett talks to bill russell.

Would it kill ABC to have Michelle Tafoya interview some of the Laker celeb fans as they are exiting the arena after these losses? Example: “Oh Mr. Timberlake, what did you think of Gasol’s defense in the second half?”

While shocked into disbelief (and feeling guilty about my giddiness)) isn’t this game just another reminder that “it’s not over until it’s over”? I can think of other games where the outcome seemed assured only to witness a different kind of outcome. I missed RED with the cigar lighting finish….

Big leads seem to have a curse of their own, especially when scoring comes easy and the other team can’t seem to find the rim….But runs are just that and the Celtics need to hammer the nail into the coffin to “exhale” the demise of this daunting rival. Great write-up!!!

Great read Jeff…I thought for sure that the fix was in …was about to shut off the TV but…couldn’t…one more thing, refs should be tested for crack before every game…. so many bad calls…early on LA got all the breaks..we got some later in the game..the league really needs to get this under control

This season and team has certainly eased the pain suffered by Celtic fans around the world for the past decade plus.
Ubunto resides in Boston. As one of Doc’s biggest critics since his hiring, he has certainly showd that he is the right coach for this current team. I am glad that I was wrong and that Doc has done an outstanding job this year.

The Celtics simply refused to lose this game.