The LA Lakers are one hell of a team. And that’s how they won game seven against the Boston Celtics….as a TEAM. Early on, it looked grim for the Lakers. The media and every basketball expert had already handed the Lakers the 2009-2010 Championship, even before the ball went in the air for the opening tap. Only 3 teams in 64 years have managed to win a game 7 on the road in an NBA Finals. The Celtics were up against it, but it didn’t look that way early on.

With Kendrick Perkins out of the starting lineup with a season-ending knee injury, Rasheed Wallace stepped in and took it to the Lakers in the first half with a series of post moves that looked like someone had wound the clock back to 2001. Kevin Garnett looked strong, Ray Allen hit threes and Big Baby Davis stepped in and made shots. But for the Lakers, Kobe Bryant shot terribly, Andrew Bynum was playing on one leg and the bench wasn’t contributing on the offensive end. And strangely, the Lakers seemed surprised that the Celtics, after 105 games since they started their 2009-10 campaign…weren’t going to just bend over for the Lakers? Um….what Celtics team do you think you are playing, LA?

The second half started the same and with Rajon Rondo’s lay-up with 8:23 left in the third, Boston were up 49-36. But LA would string together a handful of baskets, with some clutch play by Lamar Odom, the ever-dependable Pau Gasol and even Kobe Bryant would hit only his 3r d& 4^thfield goals of the evening to bring the score to 57-53 at the end of the third. Even though they were still being outlplayed by this tough Celtics squad, the LA crowd were energised enough for the Lakers team to ride that momentum into fourth where it was a completely different game.

The Celtics were scoreless for the first 3 minutes of the fourth quarter and following three free-throws from Kobe and a three-point play from Ron Artest, the Lakers had tied the game up at 61-61 and you could feel the pounding the Lakers were taking had ceased. Ray Allen would hit a series of free throws to push it to 64-61, but then with 6:11 left in the game, Derek Fisher, clutch as always, nailed a high-arcing three-pointer to tie it back up 64-64. The LA crowd went crazy, and the Lakers would go on a 12-6 run courtesy of Bryant and Gasol. Gasol’s layup with 1:30 left gave the Lakers a 76-70 edge and a Boston timeout.

Straight out of the time-out, Rasheed Wallace hit a three. Then at the end of the shot-clock, Artest hit a three for the Lakers. 9 seconds into the next Boston possession, Ray Allen nailed a three-pointer. Two possessions later, Rasheed Wallace would collect his 6^thfoul and send Kobe Bryant to the free throw line where he’d make both and give the Lakers an 81-76 lead.

With 16 second left in the 2009-10 season, Rajon Rondo would get the offensive rebound off a Ray Allen missed three pointer, dribble out to the corner next to the Lakers bench and nail a three to make it a 2 point game, 81-79. Sacha Vujacic would then be sent to the line, and hit possibly the two biggest free throws of his career to seal the 83-79 victory.

The Lakers have won their 16^thNBA Championship of all time, and they did it as a team. Fisher, Odom, Vujacic, Brown, Odom, Gasol, Farmer, Walton, Mbenga, Bynum, Powell and Bryant. All of them at some stage over the last few weeks have stepped up and made a difference. And especially in game 7, where Kobe shot a dismal 6-24 from the field, he needed his team more than ever and they all contributed. Kobe would still finish with 23 points and an impressive 15 rebounds, but Pau Gasol (19 points & 18 rebounds), Ron Artest (20 points) and Derek Fisher (10 points) all featured heavily to help Bryant win his 5^th NBA Championship and coach Phil Jackson’s 11^th coaching championship. For Kobe, this was the toughest of any of the Championships he’s been a part of, and for coach Phil Jackson, this victory will only make his summer even more interesting as he grapples with the option to return to the Lakers.

We are all very lucky…we’ve just witnessed something that has happened now 4 times in 30 years.  And between the two most successful franchises in NBA history, no less.  Congratulations to the LA Lakers, the 2009-10 NBA CHAMPIONS!

You gotta love home court in the NBA Finals. Game 6 saw a return to the west coast and a return to form for the LA Lakers. Away from the Garden in Boston and back in the Staples Center, the Lakers had their crowd behind them and dominated the Celtics from the get-go. Kobe Bryant scored 11 first quarter points on 5/6 from the field. Then as if it wasn’t going to be tough enough for Boston, Celtics centre Kendrick Perkins went down with a knee injury after only 7 minutes of action and would not return. The Lakers Derek Fisher then picked up two quick fouls and the Lakers went to Shannon Brown who chased Rajon Rondo around the court, helping to force him into a series-worst 5-15 from the field. Brown would also feature heavily in the games highlight reels , including an amazing alley-oop dunk that he caught from outside the backboard. Even the Celtics fans around the world oohing & aahing.

Perkins’ injury would force Rasheed Wallace & Glen Davis to play extended minutes, but unlike games 3, 4 & 5 in Boston, Wallace & Davis would not step up. They combined for 0-10 from the field. Boston’s starters also shot poorly with Ray Allen as the sole performer, scoring 19 points on 7/14 shooting.

Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 26 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists and four steals. Pau Gasol would near a triple-double with 17 points, 13 rebounds and 9 assists and Ron Artest hit some big threes in the first half on his way to 15 points.

The Celtics may not be as deep a team as the Lakers, they may not match up with the Lakers talent…but Boston are easily the TOUGHEST team in the NBA. This Boston team may even be one of the toughest teams in NBA history, up there with the ‘Bad Boys’ Detroit Pistons of the 1980s. But by only midway through the first quarter in this one, the C’s were already hanging the hanging their heads and trudging up the court, looking beaten. Lakers were up 51-31 at the half and kept the pressure on for a 89-67 victory to force a final game.

And now…..game 7 is upon us. GAME 7! Do you know how often we get to see an NBA Finals go to seven games? 3 Man Weave does….this is the 5^th time in the past 30 years that the NBA Finals has gone to a seventh game. In fact, since the 1946-47 season, there have been 16 finals series go to seven games. And now, in the 2009-2010 season we have the two most successful franchises in NBA history dueling it out in game seven for the 17^th time.

Thursday night (Friday midday in Australia) will see the Boston Celtics step onto the Lakers home floor and attempt to do what only 3 teams in 64 years have managed to do. Win an NBA Finals in game 7 on their opponents home floor.  Whether you’re a Celtics fan or a Lakers fan…..you could be witnessing one of the greatest games in NBA history.

No-one on the LA Lakers team can guard Rajon Rondo right now.  Rondo seemed to make play after play in the Celtics 92-86 game 5 win, and there was nothing the Lakers could do.  The Lakers tried Derek Fisher, Jordan Farmer, even Kobe Bryant & Ron Artest at times tried their hand…but Rondo kept making big plays and big shots.  Rondo’s tip in over three Laker defenders with 3:56 remaining would put the C’s up 87-75 while the Lakers were scoreless from the 6 to 3 minute marks in the fourth.  Rondo finished with a solid 18 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds on 9-12 shooting.  Whilst he was forced into 7 turnovers, it hardly seemed relevant considering how much pressure Rondo was putting the Lakers under.  And the Lakers DID look under pressure.  The Lakers looked overwhelmed on both ends of the court, but especially on the offensive end, where they shot a dismal 39.7% from the field.  Kobe Bryant was the shining light for the Lakers again, pouring in 38 points to go along with 5 rebounds and 4 assists.  None of Kobe’s shots were easy, either.  Ray Allen & Tony Allen made life difficult for Kobe all night, forcing Bryant into hard shots that kept finding the bottom of the net.

“I would say they were the toughest shots that I ever seen somebody hit while I was on the court,” Paul Pierce said. “He was shooting fadeaway 3s, fadeaway jumpers off the double team.”

It was an incredibly impressive display, but once again….Kobe had no help.  Pau Gasol (12 points, 12 rebounds) was the only other Laker in double figures whereas the Celtics had Rondo’s 18 points, plus great games from Pierce (27pts), Garnett (18pts) and Ray Allen (12pts).  And as a team, the C’s shot 56.3% from the field.  All of this mounted up to a 92-86 scoreline.  Only a 6 point game, but much like the Celtics game 4 victory, it looked a lot more convincing than that.  It was the first time in the series that the C’s big 3 ALL had great games and they also had good bench support.  Even Kobe putting on one of the best offensive displays in recent NBA Finals history couldn’t overcome the well-oiled machine that Boston have become over the past month.

Not to take away from the Celtics solid win, but attention LA Lakers & Boston Celtics!!!  Just play basketball, will you?  We’ve seen some great NBA Finals basketball, but it’s seemingly being scripted and at times overshadowed by aspects that the game can do with a lot less of.  From Nate Robinson taunting every player on the Laker team, to Rasheed Wallace’s tantrums after every foul call, to Kevin Garnett continually showing why he’s the biggest jerk in the NBA, to Kobe Bryant abusing his team-mates and Sacha Vujacic being…well, Sacha Vujacic. 

And let’s not get started on the flopping. Paul Pierce, Pau Gasol, Derek Fisher, Ron Artest and Ray Allen have all starred in this award winning drama to the point now where the players have lost all credibility with the referees and we are seeing some physical, ugly basketball while the refs stand by and let the game play itself out.  Some might argue that it’s all part of the big dance that is the NBA Finals.  That controversy is somewhat unavoidable to an extent.  But wouldn’t you rather see two teams battle it out on their own merits rather than headlines, technical fouls, flopping & poor sportsmanship taking the limelight?  And it’s a shame that these parts of the game are dominating the headlines & seemingly influencing the referees when there have been some great performances in the first 5 games.  Ray Allen’s NBA record 8 threes in game 2 and Kobe’s 38 point offensive explosion in game 5 are just the tip of the iceberg. 

So………… 3 Man Weave is asking you, LA Lakers and Boston Celtics.  Cut the rubbish out, quit flopping, think about what Bill Russell & Kareem Abdul Jabbar would expect from you wearing the jersey of the team that they built before you, and play the damn game. 

Game 6 is Tuesday in the USA, Wednesday 11am here in Australia.  Let’s hope they listen to us.

Championship teams have stars.  The biggest names on the biggest stage in basketball.  But stars don’t win championships on their own.  Teams win championships.  The difference is the guys who step up and raise their game to get their team over the line.  In game 3 of the NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and the LA Lakers…..that person was Derek Fisher.  The 35 year old Fisher showed that the old man still had it.  Fisher scored 11 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter with jumpers and drives to the basket, everytime getting beaten on by the tough Celtics defence.  Kobe Bryant had some tough shots and tougher shot-selection, shooting only 10-29, but still finished with a Kobe-esq 29 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists.

For the Celtics, Ray Allen’s NBA Finals record shooting disappeared completely in game 3 as he shot 0-13.  But Glen Davis would have 12 points off the bench and Kevin Garnett had possibly his best game of the 2010 playoffs.  KG scored 25 points on 11-16 shooting, and added 6 rebounds and 3 assists.  Garnett’s jumper with 8.03 left in the fourth brought the C’s within one, 70-69.  But everytime the Celtics would put together a run, the Lakers seemed to be ready to respond.  Fisher’s three point play on a breakaway layup with 48 seconds left in the game would put the Lakers up 87-80 and the Celtics would never recover.

Lakers hold off the Celtics for the 91-84 win, stealing game 3 and going up 2-1 in the series.  Game 4 is in Boston on Thursday (Friday Australian time).