The Three Point Play 06.17.08: Celtics Hold 3-2 Lead Heading Into Game 6

Posted by Blake Lovell on 06.17.2008

And it all comes down to this. The Los Angeles Lakers have their backs against the wall heading into Boston for Game 6, as they must now find a way to win two straight in order to become NBA Champions. It will not be an easy task at all for the Kobe and the rest of the Lakers. A Game 6 preview inside this edition of the Three Point Play!



Hello everyone, and welcome to another edition of the Three Point Play, right here on 411mania! The NBA Finals march on, as the Lakers found a way to send the series back to Boston. The Celtics now have to games to win one, which will be much easier than the Lakers trying to win two in that same span. There are several interesting questions to take a look at as we head into Game 6.

1. Is the Series Over?

The NBA Finals continue, as the Boston Celtics now hold a 3-2 advantage in the best of seven series. Game 6 takes place tonight in Boston, where the Celtics look to close out the Los Angeles Lakers, in quest for a championship. As I said before, I didn't think this would be the situation right now. I thought the Lakers would be the ones looking to close the series out in Boston. But that is not the case, as the Lakers have blown several chances, and have to almost do the impossible in order to win the NBA crown this season. At this point, it's just hard to see them winning two games in Boston, and finding a way to pull out this series. So the big question is, can the Lakers do it? Is it really impossible?

The answer is no. But it's going to take a tremendous effort from the Lakers. Or more importantly, a tremendous effort from Kobe Bryant. Kobe has and will continue to be what makes this team go. Kobe got out to a great start in Game 5, which was exactly what the Lakers needed. However, the Celtics mounted a comeback despite giving up 39 first quarter points, and made it a game. The Celtics defense has been the obvious factor that has kept Kobe from completely going off in this series. Doc Rivers and his coaching staff have put together an effective plan, and they've somewhat executed that beautifully. They haven't played perfect defense on Kobe, but he's had his fair share of struggles. If Kobe wants to find himself on a higher level than he ever thought he could be in this game, he's got to find a way to bust out a 40 point game. I've always believed that the team would be better off with him not taking a ton of shots, but perhaps that all goes out the bag at this point in time. It's now or never. Kobe has to find a way to score if he wants his team to win a championship. They don't get another mulligan. They must win the next two games if they want to win the title. It's that simple.

Kobe has to get help from his teammates, no question about it. But this is his team, and it's his time to shine. It's much easier said than done considering the excellence of the Celtic defense, but if anyone in today's game can do it, it's Kobe. The Lakers will need a big game from not only Kobe, but from the bench. When the bench has played well in the series, the Lakers have had ultimate success. Sasha Vujacic needs to make a contribution in Game 6, because he gives the Lakers the type of energy they need in certain situations. Jordan Farmar and Luke Walton need to find some way possible to help the team as well. It's going to take the entire roster for the Lakers to win two straight in Boston, so they better figure it out if they want their postseason to continue.

2. What Is The Impact Of The Perkins Injury?

I think this is where the Lakers have hope. The Lakers are in it until they are eliminated, but they're going to need to play almost flawless basketball if they want to extend the series. And unfortunately for the Celtics, Kendrick Perkins' injury gives the Lakers a slight edge. As of right now, Perkins is a game-time decision heading into tonight's game, but it seems as though he is little more towards doubtful than probable. It's safe to say that he probably won't be 100% of he does in fact play. Not having Perkins at his best down low to use his physicality and his rebounding presence is going to hurt the Celtics. This gives guys like Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol a better chance of scoring and rebounding. I think Gasol has had trouble early in the series, mainly because Perkins has been down there to give him some trouble, as Perkins has the strength advantage over him. Gasol definitely isn't playing his best ball of the season right now, but with Perkins out, this can maybe allow him to go back to his finesse-like game, and be able to get by with it without worrying about getting completely pushed around.

Of course the Celtics have turned to Leon Powe in the absence of Perkins, and although Powe had a huge game early in the series, I'm not sure he is going to consistently have that type of production. The Lakers can use this to their advantage in Game 6, as they need to try and establish an inside game early. And this relates to Kobe's ability to take over a game. The Lakers have to get their inside scoring so that they can allow Kobe to get his outside scoring. By scoring on the inside, the Celtics will have to take notice of that, thus maybe allowing Kobe with many more one on one situations outside the paint without a lot of help coming at him. This will certainly be beneficial for the Lakers in their quest for extending this series to a Game 7. Odom needs to find some type of offense early on, as that is usually when he is at his best. He doesn't have a great game when he starts off bad, but when he starts well, he can usually ride that on out until the end of the game. Same thing goes for Gasol. While Kobe is the major factor heading into this game (as he always is), the inside scoring of the Lakers is going to provide another tale of how this series will eventually play out.

3. Has This Lived Up To The Hype?

This is an interesting question, although it's hard to really answer that at this point. If the Celtics were to win Game 6, and finish off the Lakers, I would have to say that ultimately, this didn't live up to the hype. But again, we have to remember all the hype surrounding this game. All the flashbacks to Magic vs. Bird, and the success of the Celtics in the days prior to Bird, McHale, and Parish. This was the matchup that the league wanted from the very beginning (no, I'm not implying a fix, although we'll discuss the Tim Donaghy situation in a moment), and they got it. You've got the MVP of the league on one side leading the Lakers, while you've got three spectacular players on the other side leading the Celtics. These are clearly the two best teams in the league, and although it's been a competitive series thus far, it just seems like something is missing.

And all of that could change if the Lakers find a way to force a Game 7. While it won't live up to all the tons of hype that has been put into this series, it will still be one of the better series in recent memory. The Lakers collapse in Game 4 will forever be remembered if they were to be finished off in Game 6 or Game 7. It was the turning point of the series without a doubt, and it was that make or break moment. It made the Celtics for real, and put them in the drivers seat. It was a breaking moment for the Lakers, simply because with that win, they could be looking at a 3-2 lead right now instead of a 3-2 deficit. That is the moment that the Lakers will look back on and wonder what might have been.

But on the other hand, if the Lakers somehow win two in a row in Boston, it will make their championship even that more special. It would definitely be pulling off a semi-miracle, even though they were the best team in the Western Conference this season. The Celtics have been rock solid at home in the postseason, and it's going to be interesting to see how they handle the pressure. While all of the pressure if clearly on the shoulders of the Lakers right now, there is still a little bit of pressure on the Celtics. There has to be something in the back of their minds wondering what would happen if they dropped two straight games on their home floor in the NBA Finals. That's not really a large factor heading into Game 6, but if the Lakers find a way to win Game 6, it's going to be a pressure-packed situation for both teams heading into Game 7. Surprisingly though, all the pressure may very well be on Boston if it goes to seven games. A whole lot of people don't believe the Lakers have a shot to win it still, but you can bet that Phil Jackson will have this team ready for this enormous challenge.

THE BONUS

- Carmelo Anthony has joined the U.S. Olympic team for Beijing. There is absolutely no chance that this team does not win the gold. It would be the biggest disappointment in the history of sports if they somehow lose the gold.

- On a positive not in the city of Los Angeles, Clippers guard Shaun Livingston has been cleared for basketball activities after suffering a knee injury in 2007. Chances are, if you saw the this injury you'll never forget it. It was pretty gruesome looking to say the least.

- The Tim Donaghy scandal continues to heat up. Until we get much more information, I'm not sure you can completely believe or not believe this guy. His claim that the Lakers-Kings series from several years ago was fixed has started a lot of debate in the sports world, and although David Stern may want this to go away, I don't think that's going to happen any time soon.

- On a side note, if you missed Tiger Woods on Saturday and Sunday, you missed a simply amazing event. The guy is the Michael Jordan of golf, hands down. Every time he steps up to the ball, something spectacular may happen. Same thing happened when Jordan was on the court. I don't watch golf every single weekend, but if Tiger's playing, I'm watching. And while he didn't have any shots in Monday's playoff against Rocco Mediate that equaled the drama of the ones in rounds three and four, it was still another excellent golf event. Having the U.S. Open in primetime, and having Tiger's great shots did nothing but help the game of golf.

That's all for this edition of the Three Point Play. Tune in next time for more NBA Finals coverage, including what to look for heading into the draft.