LA beat the Boston Celtics last night by a score of 83-79 and it was Boston's game for the taking, if they could find the bottom of the basket. The Lakers waited until the fourth quarter to pounce on what looked like a tired, worn out and beat up Celtics team that was missing their defensive stalwart in the paint, center Kendrick Perkins.
Perkins missed Game 7 due to a knee injury he suffered in Game 6, which was a huge blow to not only the team but the man who went from being the weak link in the starting five to arguably their toughest cog. He most notably frustrated Orlando Magic star center Dwight Howard in the Eastern Conference Finals with his wide frame and stubbornness to giving up prime positioning in the paint. The Celtics clearly missed his energy and front court presence in Game 7 when Pau Gasol took over the offensive boards in the fourth quarter.
A 13 point lead is what the Celtics had with 8:23 to go in the third quarter when Rajon Rondo made a lay-up to put Boston up 49-36, but the difference between this game and other games in the 2010 playoffs for Boston is that no one could close this championship out for the Celtics.
The C's would frequently go minutes at a time between baskets and this happened in the fourth quarter as well when the Celtics went without a field goal for five minutes in the fourth quarter. A stretch of time in which the Celtics went from having the lead at the 8:26 mark to trailing by four with 3:45 to play and that was a lead that the Celtics never got back.
People talk about Kobe Bryant getting his fifth championship ring and at this point in his career maybe surpassing Michael Jordan, but if you really watched the game last night and listened to Phil Jackson's comments following the game about Kobe trying to do to much and being nervous, then you would realize that Kobe was nothing but a role player last night, something that MJ never was when he was winning his six rings.
Bryant deserves a lot of credit for what the Lakers have been able to accomplish over the last decade-plus, but when looking at the role that he's played on the Lakers' championship teams, you could argue that on four out of the five teams and maybe with all five that he wasn't the most integral part of the lineup for the Lakers.
Last night, Bryant scored 23 points on 6-24 shooting from the floor and went 0-6 from three point range and pulled down 15 boards while committing four turnovers, I wouldn't call those numbers MJ-worthy. I think Bryant deserves alot of propz and respect for being one of the best in the game, but the comparisons to Michael Jordan need to stop now because no man will ever compare, period.
But, I wanted to give an "ill Take" on Game 7 of the NBA Finals and sound off so to speak on the people that are foolish enough to compare one of the greatest ever to a great player in the NBA currently. Stay tuned for more NBA talk soon, with my take on the trade of Samuel Dalembert and the possibility of adding the former Ohio State star Evan Turner to the Sixers. Yes, there will be Sixers talk. Everyone rejoice.
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