Play.it Usa Forum

Redondo15 wrote: In tutta sincerità, credo che Boston passi, in 6 gare o, addirittura, in 5. So che molti crederanno che sono scaramantico ma cerco di vedere le cose come stanno. Insomma, noi abbiamo fatto fatica contro la "difesa" dei Suns mentre Boston ha buttato fuori senza grossi problemi due pesi massimi come Orlando e Cleveland. I Lakers poi soffrono le difese fisiche e se teniamo conto che Bynum, il quale poteva essere un'arma in più, manco riesce a fare canestro contro Lopez, allora le speranze si affievoliscono.
Uniche condizioni con le quali i Lakers possono vincere sono:

- Kobe e Gasol che giocano all'altezza della loro fama... e se sul primo non ho grossi dubbi sul secondo diciamo che ho le mie riserve. :lol2:

- Odom deve giocare come sa fare lui, andare a rimbalzo, difendere e cercare di sfruttare le sue possibilità in attacco, dove avrà i suoi spazi.

- Artest deve rompere le palle a Pierce, Bryant a Rondo, e Fisher deve inseguire Ray Allen su ogni blocco.

- Dobbiamo difendere bene la transizione di Boston, cosa che generalmente non siamo in grado di fare.

Le mie uniche speranza da Lakersino si ripongono nel fattore campo ma, ripeto, non mi sembra che Los Angeles abbia giocato dei gran playoffs. Staremo a vedere e spero vivamente di essermi sbagliato.

Ben wrote:

Ultimo(ma non meno importante) dettaglio: secondo voi quanto conterà la voglia che ha Kobe di riprendersi quell'anello che gli anno tolto i verdoni due anni fa?

guglielmo wrote: what do you think ?? cit   :lol2:
pensa a come ce l'aveva con i Suns che lo fecero fuori al primo turno..

Goppas wrote: E' evidente comunque che il discorso vale più per Boston che per i Lakers.

Radiofreccia wrote: Io parlo per cio' che ho visto, di Boston ho visto poco ma credo si possa dire che siano superiori ai Thunder ed ai Suns, squadre contro cui abbiamo rischiato di subire la rimonta completa.

aeroplane_flies_high wrote: Direi che è difficile fare paragoni così superficiali.
Sicuramente Thunder e Suns hanno messo in difficoltà i Lakers, ci mancherebbe altro, trattasi di signore squadre, ma a mio parere per motivi diversi:
Oklahoma City ha messo in campo grande atletismo e stazza fisica, che hanno sorpreso i gialloviola dopo il 2-0 iniziale.
I Suns invece hanno messo in difficoltà difensive i Lakers con la capacità di aprire il campo dal pick&roll: in gara5 e 6 i Lakers han fatto qualche aggiustamento che è servito per raddrizzare una serie che anche grazie alla zona di Gentry era diventata complicata.

Ora i Celtics metteranno altri aspetti e caratteristiche sul tavolo: interessante rilevare che rispetto alla serie di due anni fa c'è un Rondo in forte ascesa che obbligherà coach Jackson a sacrificare per molti minuti Kobe. Ma anche un Garnett che ha perso quello strapotere di due anni fa.
Per i Lakers ci sarà il contributo di Bynum, seppur a mezzo servizio meglio di quello di allora. Ma soprattutto Artest che sarà fondamentale contro Pierce.
il fattore campo stavolta è gialloviola

La domanda è: quanto inciderà la difesa biancoverde?

Francesco81 wrote:
Questo ragionamento secondo me inquadra la serie (che nell'alternanza 2-3-2 favorisce leggermente i Celtics) che sarà una delle più belle della storia soprattutto per una questione di motivazioni.

Francesco81 wrote: Gasol a dir poco molle nei momenti chiave.

Redondo15 wrote: Non vedo perchè il 2-3-2 debba favorire i Celtics... anzi. Teoricamente siamo noi quelli avvantaggiati. 2 gare in casa consecutive si possono anche vincere... 3 è mooolto più difficile. Poi a statistiche non so come siamo messi ma, così a naso, non credo esistano molte squadre che siano riuscite a vincere 3 gare consecutive in casa nelle finali NBA.

Redondo15 wrote: Non vedo perchè il 2-3-2 debba favorire i Celtics... anzi. Teoricamente siamo noi quelli avvantaggiati. 2 gare in casa consecutive si possono anche vincere... 3 è mooolto più difficile. Poi a statistiche non so come siamo messi ma, così a naso, non credo esistano molte squadre che siano riuscite a vincere 3 gare consecutive in casa nelle finali NBA.

Behind the Box Score, where the Celtics are going to the Finals

By Kelly Dwyer



Boston 96, Orlando 84; Boston wins series, 4-2

Inspired, near-perfect, basketball. You're going to need it, tossed in with a whole lot of talent, to take down a team as great as the Orlando Magic four games outta six.

And inspired, near-perfect, basketball is exactly what the Boston Celtics gave their fans in moving on to the team's 21st NBA Finals, capping off a remarkable turnaround that took the team from also-rans to championship contenders within the course of six weeks.

This was Boston's 12th playoff win in 17 tries, with eight of the victories coming against the two expected to battle most royally for the Eastern Conference crown. Turning the tide on a second half of the regular season that saw the team barely muster a .500 record from January to April, the C's have reworked things with an exacting, attentive offense, and brain damaging defense. They had the Magic scared in this deciding Game 6. Scared to be themselves.

The C's will do that to you. Well, they used to do that to you, but stopped for a spell both in the second half of the 2008-09 and 2009-10 regular seasons. By the time this postseason started up, some analysts (good ones, not just TV talking dopes) were flipping a coin to decide the Boston pairing with the Miami Heat, based on Miami's distinct go-to guy in Dwyane Wade(notes), and the Heat's hot end to the regular season.

Something happened with the C's in the first game of that opening round series, however. Almost anonymously, on a Friday night road game amongst several others on tap that night, Boston remembered that great teams tend to take the third game of a series after winning the first two at home. And they seemed, with Paul Pierce(notes) leading the way, to find a way to become great again, even with the eyes of the league focused elsewhere.

By the first game of the Cleveland series, it was obvious that Boston was convinced that it could beat the Cavaliers, no worries, and make themselves a contender again. Even in initial defeat, that confidence was back. Five games later, they had the series; tossing the Cavalier franchise into a chaotic state, and surprising the settled Orlando Magic, who had planned since last July on a third round rematch with LeBron James(notes) and his set of well-compensated minions.

Then the Magic.

Boston knew they had an opponent that would take a good half and a half to overcome the cobwebs, and the C's took advantage. Knew that, in spite of what the script usually says ("the Magic are to right the ship, here"), that they could still win that coin flip contest in Game 2 if the energy and trust was there. Knew that the Magic were feeling a bit sassy, proud of their previous work up in Massachusetts both in last year's playoffs and this year's regular season, and took advantage in Game 3. Then relented a bit, as the Magic went all Magic on them. Acted as they should, for two games.

Then, Friday night. The deciding Game 6, Boston decided, was to be more or less decided early on. Orlando had its chances to get it down to single digits midway through the second and third quarters, but the Celtics never let up. The ball movement was too good, and that defense was so strong.

Paul Pierce was brilliant, without making the ball his own. 31 points and 13 rebounds, five assists, with 60 percent shooting to his credit. Nate Robinson(notes) was the all-over hero in the second quarter, scoring 12 points, doing what Nate Robinson can do. Kendrick Perkins(notes) showed expertly on screen and rolls, Glen Davis(notes) hedged well as, um, well; and the Magic just picked the wrong side of the 50/50 choice all night. Zigged when they should have zagged, and vice versa.

Mainly Jameer Nelson(notes). The guy didn't shoot, and the guy didn't drive. He's had Orlando's fortunes in his hands, all year, and when it counted the most he seemed unaware. Three first half fouls helped, but Nelson had his chances in the third quarter to help his team make a game of it, and he just wasn't feeling it, for whatever reason. Orlando, also for whatever reason (probably because they were shooting from 25 feet away) missed a goodly amount of open looks from long range. It could have been different.

"Could have." Because it's hard to see any amount of sound choices and successful slings from the outside taking these Celtics out. The team was just too focused. Too focused.

This is a team that really feels comfortable playing within its own confines. Really feels comfortable playing with the rotation in place, working with each other, sharing the ball, sharing the credit, working the right roles and doing its best to create an atmosphere the allows for the possibility for others to create. It's a joy to watch.

And it's not over.