NBA Playoffs: Celtics vs. Pistons - Game 6

Although Detroit played a good game last night, they were not as hungry as Boston was to win Game 6 as the Celtics won, 89-81, and became the 2008 Eastern Conference Finals Champions. The Celtics overcame a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter to beat the Pistons and now await the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals.

I thought since Detroit was playing at home in Game 6 that they would at least force a Game 7, but the Boston PGA (Pierce, Garnett, Allen) Tour was not going to let that happen. Pierce lead Boston with 27 points, Allen scored 17 points and Garnett added 16 as they scored 60 of the Celtics' total 89 points.

Before the Eastern Conference Finals began, Boston had not won a single game on the road and Detroit had lost only one game at home during the playoffs. The Celtics showed they didn't care about what happened in their previous two rounds when Boston won 2 games on the road in the series (Game 3 & 6) and sent Detroit home without a trip to the NBA Finals for the third-straight year. I don't know if the Pistons are getting old or if their head coach Flip Saunders is not getting the job done, but if Detroit doesn't find a way to get past the Eastern Conference Finals soon, that All-Star starting line-up will just be a waste of talent.

When Garnett got his fourth foul halfway through the third quarter, I thought by the time he would come back in the game Detroit would put up such a big lead that Boston could not make a comeback to win the game. Instead Detroit only put up a 10-point lead and when Garnett came back in the fourth quarter, Boston went on a 19-4 run that eventually ended the Pistons season. It was so unlike Detroit because there is no way a team goes to the Eastern Conference Finals for six-straight years without a killer instinct to finish teams off, but they didn't have that in Game 6 and that was a key part of why they lost the series.

It's interesting because last season Boston was one of the worst teams in the NBA and even though they had a good chance of getting the 1st-pick of the 2007 NBA Draft, they got robbed by getting the 5th pick. Instead it was a blessing in disguise because Boston traded their pick and a few players to get Allen. Then when there were rumors that Garnett wanted to be traded, Garnett approved going to Boston because he figured with Pierce and Allen on his team, he had an excellent chance win a championship. Because of the off-season moves by GM Danny Ainge, Boston had the best record in the 2008 regular season (66-16) and are now in the NBA Finals for the first time since 1987. Congratulations to the Boston Celtics by getting to the NBA Finals but they better be prepared because when June 5th comes, the Los Angeles Lakers will face the Celtics determined to beat their biggest rival and win a championship. This is going to be a great series, I can't wait to see what happens.

NBA Playoffs: Lakers vs. Spurs - Game 5

San Antonio started off the game with a 17-point lead determined to force a Game 6 and stay alive, but Los Angeles would not let that happen last night as they won Game 5, 100-92, and became the 2008 Western Conference Finals Champions. This is the Lakers 29th time in franchise history that they have made it to the NBA Finals and will now have to wait for whichever team that comes from the Eastern Conference: the Boston Celtics or the Detroit Pistons.

I know I predicted that Kobe Bryant would have a monster game in Game 4, but I guess he wanted to have that special game in Game 5 instead. Last night the Spurs could not stop Bryant as he scored 39 points and literally picked apart the defending champions' defense all game long.

I know that the Lakers deserve to be in the NBA Finals, but what happened to the San Antonio Spurs? If someone told me that Los Angeles was going to get there in just 5 games against the defending champions, I'd say they were crazy. Manu Ginobili was San Antonio's x-factor if they were going to beat the Lakers in this series and he did not play well at all. He scored just 9 points in Game 5, averaging only 12.6 points a game in the Western Conference Finals when he averaged 19.5 during the regular season.

The Lakers definitely surprised me because when the Spurs get a big lead in a game like they did in Game 5 (17 points) and Game 1 (20 points), San Antonio usually come away with a win but that was not the case in this series. It really shows how confident the Lakers' players are in each other, because to be so calm in pressure situations for such a young team and believe they can overcome the biggest leads against the best teams like the Spurs, thats impressive.

Its funny because at the beginning of the regular season, it looked like the Los Angeles Lakers organization was falling apart. Bryant was demanding to be traded, the Lakers hadn't made it out of the first round in the playoffs since 2004 and they had no chemistry as a team. You really have to hand it to head coach Phil Jackson to keep this young team together and owner Jerry Buss to not trade Bryant and to make the the trade for Pau Gasol. In doing so, Buss changed the Lakers from an 7th or 8th seed playoff team to a championship contending team. Now Los Angeles is in the NBA Finals and prepared to win the 15th World Championship in their franchise history. Congratulations to the Los Angeles Lakers, they are now the 2008 Western Conference Finals Champions, now go play like champions.

NBA Playoffs: Celtics vs. Pistons - Game 5

Although Detroit played a great game, Boston defended their home court with a close win in Game 5, 106-102, putting them up 3-2 in the series. It was by far the best offensive game for both teams where it came down to the free throws and clutch shooting of Ray Allen at the end of the game to put the Celtics one win away from the NBA Finals.

I said that if the Celtics were going to win Game 5, Allen had to find his shot again and each of the players in the Boston PGA (Pierce, Garnett, Allen) Tour had to put up big numbers to beat the Pistons. Well Allen definitely got out of his shooting slump scoring 29 points, shooting 9-15 (60%) from the field and the Boston PGA Tour did their share (Garnett 33, Pierce 16) as they scored 78 of the Celtics' 106 total points.

I also said if the Pistons were going to win Game 5, Chauncey Billups, Tayshaun Prince and Detroit's bench had to play their best game to beat Boston on the road. Billups did have his best game of the series with 26 points and Rodney Stuckey scored 13 points off the bench, but Jason Maxiell (6 points) did not follow up to his impressive performance in Game 4 and once again Prince did not play a good game with scoring just 8 points.

This is Detroit's sixth time in franchise history that the Pistons have been down 3-2 going into Game 6 in the Eastern Conference Finals, and they have only come back to win a series once. So if history repeats itself, the Celtics will be seeing the Lakers or the Spurs at home on June 5th and Detroit's season will be over after Game 6 for the third straight year coming so close to the NBA Finals. Detroit will not win 2 games in a row against Boston and now that Allen has found his shot, it looks like Detroit is finished even if they win at home in Game 6. I don't think that Prince is going to come out of his shell in this series and now that Detroit's leading scorer, Richard Hamilton may not play in Game 6 with an injured right elbow (shooting hand), I don't see the Piston's winning this series.

The 3 veterans in the Boston PGA Tour will not let themselves lose the last 2 games because they know they are one win away from getting to the NBA Finals and have a chance for the first time in their careers to becoming World Champions. I'll just say it ahead of time, the Boston Celtics will be the Eastern Conference Finals Champions very soon.

NBA Playoffs: Lakers vs. Spurs - Game 4

Last night the Lakers proved why they were the best team in the Western Conference and arguably in the NBA with a win on the road in Game 4 against the Spurs , 93-91. San Antonio was undefeated 7-0 at home in the 2008 playoffs, but after last night's loss to Los Angeles that may be the last home game of the Spurs' season.

After the Lakers' embarassing loss in Game 3, it looked like they played more aggressive in Game 4 right from the beginning of the game with a 22-8 run and they never looked back. Although Kobe Bryant (28 points, 10 rebounds) didn't have that monster game like I predicted he would, it was Lamar Odom's performance with 16 points and 9 rebounds in Game 4 that was the x-factor in the game, responding well after playing so poorly in Game 3.

The Lakers did give their fans a little scare after being up 93-86 with 50 seconds left and almost blowing the game. With the game practically in the bag, the Lakers' Pao Gasol misses 2 free throws, Bryant turns the ball over and before you know it the Spurs score 5 quick points and have the ball to win the game with 2.1 seconds left. The call of the night and maybe of the series happened next where the Spurs' Brent Barry pump-faked a 3-pointer causing the Lakers' Derek Fisher to jump in the air. Fisher did bump into Barry but instead of drawing the foul, Barry took one dribble to the right to get a better shot and missed it. There was definitely some contact from Fisher, but the referees said it was a no-call and although every fan in San Antonio thought there was a foul, I believe the referees made the right call.

If Barry would have leaned into Fisher to draw the foul instead of trying to get a better shot, then the referees should have blown the whistle but since he didn't, there was no foul. Also, I believe that when there is less then 3 seconds left and the game is close, the referees should not make a call that could determine whether a game is won or lost. Since Barry took a 3-pointer, if the referees called a foul on Fisher, Barry would have had 3 foul shots to maybe win Game 4 for the Spurs and go back to Los Angeles tied up 2-2. If it was a regular season game then it wouldn't have mattered as much if there was a foul, but this is the Western Conference Finals where each game is crucial and a referee's call should not determine such a big game.

San Antonio should not blame a referee's no-call for why they lost Game 4, they just did not play good enough to beat Los Angeles. Once again Manu Ginobili had a disappointing game off the bench with only 7 points, and even though Tim Duncan (29 points) and Tony Parker (23 points) played well, to beat the Lakers who were at the top of their game last night the Spurs needed more from Ginobili. I'm not saying the series if over yet, but very few teams have won a series in the playoffs being down 3-1 and I don't think Bryant and the Lakers will let that happen being just one game away from the NBA Finals.

NBA Playoffs: Celtics vs. Pistons - Game 4

The Pistons knew after losing Game 3 if they didn't win Game 4 at home their season was practically over, but they came through with an impressive win over the Celtics, 94-75, tieing up the series 2-2. Right from the beginning, Detroit came out more aggreessive and played with more passion with their tough defense forcing Boston to shoot only 31.8% from the field.

Richard Hamilton has been Detroit's leading scorer the entire series, but if someone told me that the Piston's next leading scorer in Game 4 were Antonio McDyess, I'd question if they had been drinking. McDyess had 21 points, 16 rebounds and surprisingly outplayed Kevin Garnett (16 points, 7 rebounds), giving an unexpected spark that Detroit definitely needed to win last night.

The unsung hero last night for Detroit was Jason Maxiell. He played like a beast scoring 14 points off the bench and caused huge match-up problems for Boston's defense all night long. If Detroit's Maxiell and Rodney Stuckey can be consistent being productive off the bench and Chauncey Billups along with Tayshaun Prince can put up big numbers, Boston's hopes to make it to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1987 will probably come to an end.

If Boston is going to make it to the NBA Finals, they have to get more production from Ray Allen. After Game 2 when Allen scored 25 points, I thought he was out of his shooting slump but after shooting 7-24, (29%) and averaging 12.5 points in Game 3 & 4, I don't think he is completely out of his slump. Boston needs all three guys of the Boston PGA (Pierce, Garnett, Allen) Tour to play well to beat Detroit, because if Allen doesn't find his shot in Game 5 the Celtics will not be playing in the NBA Finals, they will we watching at home on their couch instead.

Boston must win at home in Game 5 because if they don't win, Detroit will finish the Celtics on their home court in Game 6. Detroit blew a excellent opportunity to go 2-1 on Boston in Game 3 on their home court after stealing a win at Boston on the road in Game 2, and now really regret it because they would be up 3-1 instead of tied at 2-2 in the series. Detroit will not make that mistake twice in Game 6 if they are up 3-2, so I think Game 5 is much more important to Boston than Detroit. I believe that Allen will have a big game and the Celtics will win Game 5, forcing Detroit to win Game 6 or go home without a trip to the NBA Finals for the third straight season.

NBA Playoffs: Lakers vs. Spurs - Game 3

It was a must win game for the Spurs last night being down 0-2 to the Lakers and they came through like defending champions do with a 103-84 win to get them back in the series down 1-2. San Antonio was not going to be beaten at home in Game 3 after being embarassed on the road at Los Angeles in Game 1 & 2 in the series and kept themselves undefeated at home through the playoffs with an 8-0 record.

The Spurs trio (Duncan, Parker, Ginobili) had been outplayed in Los Angeles, but on their home court in San Antonio they came through combining for 72 of the Spurs 103 points and totally shut down the Lakers' Lamar Odom by holding him to just 7 points and making him cause 5 turnovers. It was especially good for the Spurs to see Manu Ginobili back to his old self in Game 3 scoring 30 points off the bench, with 22 in the first half. Ginobili only scored 17 points in the first 2 games combined, and was that spark last night that the Spurs have been waiting for all series.

Kobe Bryant got his 30 points for the Lakers, but the next highest scorer was Pau Gasol with 15 points, a huge compliment to the Spurs defense. Bryant had been scoring at will all series and like all great scorers, he got to the foul line many times but that was not the case last night only getting to the foul line once. The Lakers need more production from Lamar Odom, Derek Fisher and their bench to win Game 4 on the road because San Antonio was down 0-2 against New Orleans last round and still won the series in 7 games.

The big difference in this round is the Lakers have the 2008 NBA Most Valuable Player in Kobe Bryant and their head coach Phil Jackson is 40-0 after winning their first 2 games in a playoffs series so San Antonio needs to play all their games like they did in Game 3 if they want to get to the NBA Finals again. Bryant still has a lot to prove since he was the main reason that Shaquille O'Neal was traded and hasn't done anything since then but now that the Lakers are in the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2004, don't be surprised if Bryant scores 50 points to win Game 4.

Bryant knows how important Game 4 is because the Lakers don't want to make this a 7-game series with San Antonio. The Spurs are not only the defending champs, they always play big in big games which is why they have won 4 championships in the past 9 years. If Bryant ever wants to live up to the hype being compared to Michael Jordan, he will have to win 3 more rings by the end of his career to match Jordan's 6 rings. Bryant knows this is a golden opportunity to get his fourth ring this season so I believe Bryant will put up a performance next game to do whatever possible to come out with a win and spoil the Spurs hopes of becoming back-to-back champions.

NBA Playoffs: Celtics vs. Pistons - Game 3

After Detroit stole a game from Boston on the road in Game 2, I thought the Celtics were in trouble heading off to Detroit being 0-6 on the road in the 2008 playoffs. I have to hand it to Boston though, they really impressed me last night by embarassing the Pistons on their home court, 94 -80, in Game 3 going up 2-1 in the series. Coming into the game last night it seemed like Detroit found a solution on how to beat the Celtics from their win in Game 2, but that was not the case in Game 3. Boston was dominant the entire game with their tough defense and clutch shooting proving why the Celtics were the best road team in the NBA during the regular season with a 31-10 record.

The Boston PGA (Pierce, Garnett, Allen) Tour did their share combining for 47 points, but the x-factor in Game 3 was the production from Kendrick Perkins and Rajon Rondo. They did not play well at all in Game 2, but last night they were both looking for their shots and stepped up their game scoring 12 points each making Detroit pay for double-teaming KG and Pierce.

You can't take away how well Boston played, but what happened to Detroit last night? After being the only team that has beaten the Celtics on their home court in the playoffs this year, you would think they would make a big statement and take the lead in the series on their home court. Where was Chauncey Billups and Tayshaun Prince? In both games that the Pistons have lost in this series, Billups and Prince have been outplayed which is so unlike them since they are known for playing big in big games with Prince's shut down defense and Billups' clutch shooting.

The Celtics didn't just beat the Pistons, they dominated Detroit from the opening tip and even though Boston beat them by 14 points, the score was much closer than how Detroit played. If it wasn't for rookie Rodney Stuckey's 17 points off the bench, Detroit would have been blown out. Detroit has made it to the Eastern Conference Finals for six straight seasons from 2003-2008, but if they don't start playing with some heart in Game 4, Boston will end their season in Game 5 at home.

Detroit needs to wake up because the Boston PGA Tour has 3 future hall-of-famers that each have not only not won a NBA championship, they haven't even been to the NBA Finals. Boston knows they are 2 wins away from the NBA Finals, they can taste it and played like it last night. Boston and Detroit are very similar when it comes down to tough defenses and even match-ups, so it mainly comes down to who wants that championship more because its obvious that Boston wants it more after their performance in Game 3.