17 June 2010 workout notes

Workout: yoga class, and a routine 4 mile walk. Tomorrow morning I walk with my yoga teacher in the early morning; perhaps swim over lunch. Shoulder: getting better.

Personal: making progress on my math paper. It is almost ready for the proofing process.

Celtics-Lakers Game 7

Well, if forced at gunpoint to pick, I’d take the Lakers based on being at home and Perkins being out. But the Celtics have rebounded after very bad loss and Wallace and Davis are better scorers than Perkins.

So, in effect, I consider this to be a toss-up.

The spread is Lakers -6.5.

Opening: Lakers got multiple attempts at the basket; they hit a 3 (Fisher) for a 3-0 lead.

More multiple rebounds by the Lakers; 5-2. Wallace hits again, 5-4.

The Celtics are getting murdered on the rebounds. Still, some good shots by the Celtics, all inside.

Yes, it is only 7-6, ok, 8-7 Celtics, but the rebounds look terrible.

Pierce’s shot rimmed out; Garnett missed everything. Gasol got rejected and is whining about no call.

Still, it is 10-9 Celtics half way through, but rebounds are 14-4, Lakers. The Lakers have taken 17 shots, the Celtics only 8.
Gasol has 5 rebounds and 4 points; Rondo and Wallace have 4 each for the Celtics.

17-13 Celtics with 2:58 left in the first; still very competitive. I like the Celtic defense but worry about the rebounding. The Lakers have an obvious edge inside, though Bynum’s minutes will be limited by his knee.

Gasol has 2 fouls..Pierce got the charge.
Oh no, Celtic fast break waved off due to a moving screen and Garnett has 2 fouls. Nate Robinson in the game; 21-14 Celtics with 1:20 in the quarter.
The first quarter ends 23-14 Celtics. Davis leads with 6, Rondo, Garnett and Wallace have 4, R. Allen has 3, Pierce has 2.
Lakers: Fisher 5, Bryant 3, Gasol 4, Bynum 2. Rebounds: 18-13 Lakers.

So far the Celtics have been doubling and tripling Bryant and no other Laker has stepped up. That can change though.

Second quarter; Lakers have started stronger; Bryant a basket and now 2 free throws. 23-17, Celtics.
Celtics have gone cold. Another rebound, 23-19. That is a 5-0 start in the second quarter based on offensive rebounds. Rivers wisely calls time out.

Too many outside shots. Too many second chances for the Lakers. One and done for the Celtics.
23-21. Celtics throw it away, tie game at 23.
The Celtics are playing horribly again.
Another missed shot, another offensive rebound, 25-23 Lakers another turn over. 25-25 on a Rondo lay-up.
Allen throws up a brick. Gasol throws up a brick. 25-25 with 6 minutes left in the half. Rondo throws up a brick.

Lakers: shooting 28.2 percent; Celtics 40.7 But the rebounds are 28-20, Lakers. The Lakers have 39 shots on the basket to the Celtics 27.

Celtics: TWO points in the second quarter. Count them: TWO.

Allen, missed. Garnett now has 3 fouls.

Celtics: another turn over (Allen out of bounds when he caught the ball)

Artest buries a 3 and it is 29-29.
Allen buries 2 free throws, Celtics get the stop.
2:48 in the half; 31-29 Celtics; people are diving all over the floor for balls, etc.

38-31 after a Pierce 3; a foul now a double technical situation coming up?
38-33 but the Lakers shooting 2. Artest is having an excellent quarter.

Another Celtic turn-over. They had the stop. 40-34 at the half.

Celtics: Pierce has 11, Garnett, Rondo, Davis and Wallace have 6, Allen has 5.
Lakers: Artest has 12 (all in quarter 2), Bryant 8, Gasol 6, Fisher 5.

Second half I love the score but I don’t see the Lakers shooting this poorly for another half. The Celtics either need to play a good offensive game OR rebound better.

Third Quarter

Good start; 42-34 Celtics after a high lob to Garnett; second chance again for the Lakers 42-36.
Dang…Garnett’s shot didn’t count.
Ray Allen is not shooting well at all.
Garnett gets another lob from Rondo; hits the lay-up and gets the foul.
45-36 Celtics.
Stop, Rondo a shot in the paint, 47-36 Celtics!

Pierce has drawn another charge!

Rondo a put back, 49-37. Celtics another turn over; Pierce goes out with a sore shoulder?

Now 49-49. Rondo hustling…Pierce back in the game. Still, the Lakers have cut into the lead.
49-41…Lakers making a run.
But Garnett abuses Gasol again. Fisher responds…more scoring now.
It is back to 51-45; the Lakers have made up 7 points. But this was the half-time lead.

Pierce hits a big 3 after a crappy possession.
Now it is 56-49 with Gasol shooting 2 shots; Wallace’s back looks gimpy.
2:31 left in 3′rd quarter.
Fisher had a bad break when he slipped and possibly got injured. Celtics have had some sloppy possessions.
OMG, Rondo hit a free shot. Davis got the rebound but lost it. But the Lakers turn it over.
Allen misses another shot. He has sucked on offense, though his defense has been excellent.
ANOTHER rebound; another putback, 57-53. The Celtics have gotten killed on the boards.

The Celtics get a 24 second violation, another crappy possession.
57-53 with one quarter to go. Celtics: 41.5 percent, Lakers 31.3 percent. But the Lakers lead in rebounds 49-36.

Odom has come on strong and has 7 points.
Artest 14, Bryant 13, Gasol 10.
Pierce 14, Garnett 13, Rondo 11.

Fourth Quarter.

Bryant is resting for the final bit. Gasol hits a jumper and goes to the line. Oh boy. 57-55.

Celtics threw it away again. Sloppy pass by Pierce.
But the Celtics get a big stop.
Another sloppy pass; the Celtics are not taking care of the ball.
My goodness the Celtics are playing horrible on offense. Another missed shot. Bad possession.

Finally, a score. 59-55. Garnett a lay-up. 3 minutes into the 4′th quarter; each team has two points.
Bryant draws a 3 free throw foul. What a flop. 59-58.

Boston has Tony Allen and Robinson in the game. Ray Allen finally hits a shot.
The Celtics are rebounding better this quarter. But Robinson misses the high lay-up.

Artest a basket in the paint with a foul. Oh boy…will this tie the game? Yep; 61-61.

But on the subsequent possession, Ray Allen draws a foul. Oh no…Allen misses a free throw…his first miss of this series.
62-61.
Gasol gets rejected and the referees don’t buy the flop. Wallace has 5 fouls on the rebound. Gasol could give them the lead. Well, he missed the first. Brutal game. Davis in the game.
Celtics have the ball and lead by 1. Allen fouled while shooting. Allen hits both, 64-61 with 6:30 to go.
Fisher ties it with a 3. Bryant goes to the line on a loose ball foul with a chance to take the lead.

I don’t like the way this is going. It sure looks as if the Lakers will pull away in the last 6 minutes.
The Celtics have 7 points in the first 6 minutes of this quarter. Now the Lakers have taken the lead.
Will the Celtics even score again?
Allen, a brick.
Bryant a shot…this one is over. 68-64.
Pierce misses a 3. Gasol to the line…this lead is about to go to 6.

The Celtics are shooting so, so poorly; they are not executing on offense. 70-64.
They miss a lay-up. My goodness, they suck on offense.
Finally, Pierce hits a shot.
The Celtics need to get some stops and make some shots.
Still it is 71-68 after a Garnett dunk.
Garnett fouls Gasol.
73-68, Celtics miss another close shot…blocking foul.
20-11 edge to the Lakers in the 4′th.
74-68. Normally, winnable but not today.
74-70 after two Pierce free throws.
Pierce a drive but a blocked shot. Good effort to try to get the ball back.
Gasol makes 76-70 with 1:30 to go. The Celtics have gotten outscored 23-13 in the 4′th quarter.

Bottom line: younger legs have more left late in the game; when your legs go, your shots don’t fall.

Wallace cuts it to 76-73. Artest hits a 3…dagger…
Allen hits a 3. 79-76.
Bryant drives in but doesn’t get a charge.
Rebounding kills the Celtics AGAIN. Wallace fouls out.
Big free throw…81-76 with 25 seconds to go.
This one is over.

Rondo with a big 3, 81-79 with 16 seconds to go.
Lakers shooting free throws….and hits both (83-79 with 11.7 to go).

It ends 83-79. Heck of a good game and series though.

(photos from yahoo)