NBA Endgame: Questions for Game 2

So far, this series has been as exciting and drama-filled as we could ask for. Game 2 is tonight in Boston, let's get a little roundtable action going again. Your panelists are Matt Moore, Brett Edwards, and Tom Ziller.


Q: In your mind, what was the biggest surprise from game 1?

MM: For me it was definitely Phil Jackson getting outcoached by Doc Rivers. Even though Rivers made his fair of customary Doc Rivers mistakes (leaving Sam Cassell in far too long, pulling Pierce for too long of a stretch in the late third, early fourth, even with four fouls, not going to Powe soon enough), Jackson undercut him. That seems to be one of the storylines I'll remember from these playoffs. From Jordan, to Brown, to Saunders, it's not that Rivers necessarily outcoaches the other guy, it's that the opposing coach manages to come up with far worse maneuvers. In Game 1, there are a handful of moves that were absolutely baffling. While you can attribute the late-game non-fouls as Jackson throwing in the towel on a lost cause, there were a number of other baffling moves, such as the extensive use of Fisher when his tank ran out in the second half, going time and time again to the pick and roll even after the Celtics had adjusted, and keeping Sasha Vujacic in for approximately three thousand years with the "fire at will" order. Compare that with Rivers who immediately realized that the Lakers were being hyper-aggressive on the double-team in the block and moving Pierce to a wing set, calling appropriate timeouts, and clamping down on Gasol in the second half, and you've got yourself a score of Rivers 1, Jackson 0. And that kind of makes my head explode.

BE: Phil Jackson admitted that he played things differently in Game 1 by not giving the bench the minutes -- especially as a unit -- that they had been getting all year and throughout the playoffs. He said he did this because of the three days recovery time between Games 1 and 2, which might have explained Fisher playing 41 minutes when he clearly wasn't producing, especially in the second half. Phil had planned it that way before the game started, and it is surprising that he refused to go away from that when it wasn't working in the fourth quarter.

I don't know if stubbornness counts as being outcoached though, especially when Rivers wasn't exactly perfect himself. Sam Cassell's early hot shooting fooled Doc into leaving him in the game too long, especially during that three and a half minute stretch in the fourth quarter when Sam made just one of four shots. Talk about a "fire at will" order! Rajon Rondo definitely should have gotten those minutes where Sam was doing his best to shoot Boston out of the game.

As far as the surprise, I would have to say the fact that Kobe (in the second half) so quickly went away from the team concept that worked so well in the first half. Kobe took 10 shots in the third quarter alone, after taking just nine the entire first half. For some reason, he came out with a shoot-first mentality after halftime, even though his team was leading at the break with a balanced scoring attack.

Say what you will about Kobe Bryant, but I've followed this team very closely, and he typically won't go into that mode if the team concept has been working, especially if it's only the third quarter. Maybe it was the pressure of being in the Finals, or the fact that Pierce scored his team's first eight points of the second half and the Celtics were able to grab the lead so easily. But whatever it was, Kobe lost patience with his teammates extremely quickly in Game 1, and based on what I've witnessed from him this season, that was surprising.

MM: Interesting. The notion that Kobe trying too hard and being too self-centric is surprising. That's not sarcastic, I can see you having that take on it, just interesting because it goes against what is probably considered the common perception.

Q: What is the biggest adjustment you feel each team needs to make going into Game 2 tonight?

MM: Doc needs to recognize that the three-headed center is a better tactic than leaving Perkins out there. Perkins can be brilliant in stretches, and ineffective in others. The Celtics need Kendrick Perkins, Leon Powe, and Glen Davis to all put in solid minutes so there's not dead time in between. Especially considering the Celtics surprisingly, and to Gasol's credit, found that they were better off with Perkins or Powe guarding Pau Gasol than with Kevin Garnett.

For the Lakers, they need to find a way to create and take advantage of seams in the Celtics double on dribble penetration. The Celtics have faced dangerous slashers through the entire playoffs and have done a great job of shutting them down. But unlike the other teams they've faced, the Lakers have multiple attackers in Gasol and Lamar Odom that can slip in between and behind those doubles the Celtics are employing on Bryant. Kobe was trying to get his teammates involved until things got desperate in the second half, and they weren't putting themselves in the right position. They can make the baskets, they just need to get their timing and spacing down.

BE: Offensively, the Lakers need to use Pau Gasol and Kobe in more post-up situations, instead of trying to force things off the dribble into three defenders in the middle of the lane. They'll get better shots I think running the offense from the post than they did in Game 1 from other spots on the floor. I also think the Lakers need to use their bench much more this time around, which should help because the bench seems to be most productive when multiple players are getting extended minutes at the same time, playing together as a unit.

Boston needs to cut back Sam Cassell's minutes, and give them to Rajon Rondo who isn't looking to shoot first and ask questions later. And I agree with your assertion regarding the Celtics' bench getting more minutes to help out Perkins, especially considering Perk's ankle injury will likely limit his effectiveness tonight, at least a little bit.

Q: Who's going to be the key bench performer for either team?

MM: For the Lakers, I think Ronnie Turiaf needs to get some run. He's (seemingly out of nowhere) developed a mid-range J, puts in serious energy minutes, and has gotten better as the year has gone on. Countering Boston's bruising big guys with size and energy could neutralize the matchup and make it Pierce on one leg vs. Kobe with a vengeance. I think LA likes that one.

For the Celtics, Boston needs a three point shooter. Rondo doesn't have the range, and Cassell is Machine-like. So that means James Posey needs to get knock a few down. They need to be able to force the Lakers defense out of the lane to open it up, and Posey can be a big part of that, if he can get his shot back on track.

TZ: I was shocked at how ineffectual Luke Walton was on Thursday in his limited run. Such a solid, versatile offensive player ... and he looked hopeless. I wonder if more run (even in a biggish lineup with Fisher out) might help him contribute more.

Regarding Boston and threes: it amazes me that Eddie House doesn't look like he'll get any minutes. House's career 3P% is above 38%. Cassell has shot over 38% in exactly one of his 153 NBA seasons. It'd be one thing if Cassell actually played point guard or defended anyone, but House does those things just as well as Sam these days.