Body, guess my 4-1 prediction is out the window. Hat's off, if I did not show due deference, please write it off to being an enthusiastic lifelong fan. Don't get me wrong . . . we're coming after you at Staples!
Don't worry about it. You were not way off base in your prediction. I don't think anyone is the national media gave the Celtics much of a shot in this series. Having watched the Celtics all year, I know how ridiculous the defense can be, if they play to their capabilities. At the start of this series, I said the Celtics were going to be very physical, and I didn't think certain lakers could handle that type of play. The Celtics own the boards, own the lakers inside, and they are forcing Kobe to work for every single shot he takes. Also, Kobe can't get into the paint, which keeps him off the line. He will make some perimeter jumpers, and he will miss some, but he won't do the severe damage that everyone was predicting. This is the fourth time Kobe has struggled vs the Celts, and I think that they can contain him.
Last night, the Celtics just kept attacking and drawing fouls from a reeling lakers team. I saw Allen cause Kobe make two blatant fouls, while chasing him down. The lakers are not used to an ultra physical brand of ball, and when the Celtics d is swarming like that, and the scorers are attacking and drawing fouls, they are going to win ball games. Also, the Celtics bench was underestimated by the media. As I said before, the second Jackson tried to ride his bench for an extended period of time, the Celtics went up by ten points. I thought the Celtics controlled the games last night, and pulled away several times at will. Unfortunately, they also fell back into the trend of playing the score, which allowed the Lakers back in it. Hopefull they learned their lesson. I fully expect the lakers to win 2 our of the three games at the staples center, but in the end the Celtics will win the series IMO.
