The Celtics largely dominated the Lakers in their 108-102 Game 2 victory, but it didn't start out that way. Early in the contest, Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom were aggressive, and the Lakers jumped out to a quick 15-7 lead. But questionable calls from the officials sent Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom to the bench with two fouls each by the end of the first quarter, and even though the Lakers had a two point lead, it was definitely a sign that the Celtics were about to start rolling.
By the time the first half had come to an end, the Celtics had themselves a 12-point lead, and had outshot the Lakers at the free throw line 19-2. I really hate when officiating becomes the story in an NBA game, because it's rarely the sole reason that a team loses, and it wasn't even the only reason the Lakers lost Game 2. But when you give such a strong defensive team like the Celtics a big lead (which largely came from undeserved free throws), or make questionable calls away from the ball that effectively send the league MVP to the bench, it's tough to leave it out of the discussion. The Celtics finished the game by shooting 28 more free throws than the Lakers did.
I said that the free throw disparity wasn't the only reason the Lakers lost, and I meant it. Paul Pierce was stellar, dropping 28 points and eight assists, while showing no signs of being slowed by that Game 1 knee injury. Leon Powe -- who we found out at halftime was at one point in his childhood homeless, for God's sake -- had a career game off the bench, scoring 21 points in just 15 minutes, and shooting more free throws by himself (13) than the Lakers did as a team (10). His performance was so impressive that it caused one of the announcers to completely lose it by comparing him to an all-time great.
After falling behind by 24 points with under seven minutes to play in the game, the Lakers made a furious run, and were able to cut the lead to two with 38 seconds remaining. But you never really got the feeling that Boston was going to lose the game, and two free throws by Pierce on the following possession effectively sealed it for the Celtics. The run might have given the Lakers some momentum to take with them into Game 3, but because it came at the very end of a game that had long since been decided, I think they'll be cautious in their optimism.
The good news for the Lakers is that the Celtics simply did what they were supposed to do, and that's hold serve by winning the first two games at home. Now it's the Lakers' turn to do the same, but it's going to be very difficult, especially the way that Boston won these first two games. They moved the ball well, played stifling defense at times, and didn't allow Kobe to take the game over as we've seen him do this entire season. The way the Celtics are playing right now, it's going to take the Lakers winning all three games in L.A. for them to have a legitimate shot at winning this thing. And based on what we've seen so far in this series, that just doesn't seem very likely.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
6-09-2008 @ 9:56AM
Los Angeles Lawyer said...
The Celtics take a 2 - 0 lead thanks to the Referees. Kobe and Gasol gets hacked. No calls. Lousy officiating.
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6-09-2008 @ 2:49AM
ADC said...
I HATE bringing up officiating after games, and in all the years I have played organized basketball (high school and college), and watched (20 years), I never blame a loss on officiating. There is too much the players do in fact control. However I will say that this game was so heavily influenced by the officials that it became laughable. Kobe seems like he hasn't shot a ft in months. It's not only that though, and it was on a much larger scale. The officials allowed the Celtics to play one type of defense, while the Lakers were getting called for fouls on the same Sh*t. It goes beyond the ft discrepancy, which is the obvious quantifiable part of this equation. Kobe's 1st foul was legit, his second and third were outrageous calls. He gets fouled and bumped and held EVERY FREAKING TIME he touches the ball. I could go on and on. I hate the Celtics. I hate the God damn fugazi Bostonians that have invaded the westside of LA, wearing their green shirts and red sox hats. I hate the sports guy. Mike breen can go to hell. Pierce is fugazi. Ray Allens best career moment was when he had those 2 twins on that recruiting trip. I hope Red Auerbach is burning in hell.
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6-09-2008 @ 3:54AM
joemagana said...
worst officiated game ever.
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6-09-2008 @ 1:57AM
George said...
The Lakers only committed 7 more personal fouls than the Celtics, so it wasn't really that one-sided. The Lakers just fouled at the wrong times. And a 7 foul disparity is understandable, as the Celtics were driving hard to the lane consistently and the Lakers were jump shooting and throwing up soft layups. They weren't creating any contact.
They needed to do a better job at driving the lane instead of bitching when things didn't go their way. How do you expect to get calls to go your way when you basically yell in a ref's face after a "missed call" (kobe). Just STFU and play ball. The reason why the Celtics won was not because of free throws. It's because they CLEARLY wanted it more. For the first 3 1/2 quarters, the Lakers were completely outplayed and outclassed. At the end of the game, they had a chance to come back, but how was it decided? Free throws? Nope. A clutch block by Pierce.
The first thing Phil Jackson pointed out in his press conference was the officiating. I don't remember him bitching after the complete game-winning NO CALL at the end of Game 4 against the Spurs. That was okay, of course.
Even if the Celtics did have a slight edge on a few calls, that's the home court advantage. Nothing new there. This is what the Celtics worked so hard all season long to secure. Chauncey Billups laughed at them at the end of one of their regular season bouts, saying that the Celtics played like they were in the playoffs...now Billups is watching from his couch.
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6-09-2008 @ 1:58AM
George said...
The Lakers only committed 7 more personal fouls than the Celtics, so it wasn't really that one-sided. The Lakers just fouled at the wrong times. And a 7 foul disparity is understandable, as the Celtics were driving hard to the lane consistently and the Lakers were jump shooting and throwing up soft layups. They weren't creating any contact.
They needed to do a better job at driving the lane instead of bitching when things didn't go their way. How do you expect to get calls to go your way when you basically yell in a ref's face after a "missed call" (kobe). Just STFU and play ball. The reason why the Celtics won was not because of free throws. It's because they CLEARLY wanted it more. For the first 3 1/2 quarters, the Lakers were completely outplayed and outclassed. At the end of the game, they had a chance to come back, but how was it decided? Free throws? Nope. A clutch block by Pierce.
The first thing Phil Jackson pointed out in his press conference was the officiating. I don't remember him bitching after the complete game-winning NO CALL at the end of Game 4 against the Spurs. That was okay, of course.
Even if the Celtics did have a slight edge on a few calls, that's the home court advantage. Nothing new there. This is what the Celtics worked so hard all season long to secure. Chauncey Billups laughed at them at the end of one of their regular season bouts, saying that the Celtics played like they were in the playoffs...now Billups is watching from his couch.
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6-09-2008 @ 2:13AM
DM said...
Quit whining! The Lakers are done, just deal with it! The Celts have yet to lose 3 straight games in the playoffs, so losing 3 straight in L.A. is very unlikely, not to mention the fact that L.A. has yet to beat Boston this season alone. The worst case for Boston is to win this series by 6, there will be no game 7. Boston will go for the kill and make it a sweep or 5 game sweep. At this point, Kobe can now decide what trunks to wear in Bora-bora.
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6-09-2008 @ 10:00AM
Boba Gonoush said...
This game was pitiful. The announcers were terrible, and the game was marred by the worst officiating I have ever seen. David Stern (perfect last name) should be investigating this travesty of justice. It looks to me that the one crooked ref they caught may have some accomplices. How do you explain the free throw disparity? How about a seldom-used Celtic looking like the second coming of Dave Cowens? There were several times where the Celtics steamrolled the Lakers and set illegal picks and never a call against them to be found. I guess if Kobe Bryant is not bleeding he is not being fouled. If he breathes on a Celtic they call a foul. As Jim Rome says "I am out" I will never watch another NBA game. Thank You very much.
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6-09-2008 @ 2:21AM
DM said...
lol. Laker fans are becoming like Mavs fans, blaming everything on the refs. Pathetic!
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6-09-2008 @ 2:24AM
McLean said...
Who is watching this series anymore?
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6-09-2008 @ 2:42AM
RH said...
It has been a very disappointing post season for officiating. This year, more than any I can remember (since I started following basketball in 1958), the home team is "getting all the calls." Also, for some reason, the visiting teams are being called for everything, no matter how small. The Lakers were truly screwed in Boston. I guess we'll have to see how if plays out in L.A. Maybe the refs will continue with this "home team bias" system. 13 free throws for LEON POWE??? You've got to be kidding.
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6-09-2008 @ 2:48AM
m. paxton said...
It is a fix. I am done with the NBA. They had on crooked referee last year. It seems there are more.
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6-09-2008 @ 2:49AM
George said...
RH: You think it's ridiculous that Leon Powe got 13 free throws? I think it's ridiculous that the Lakers let him dominate the paint in the first place. The Lakers put him in that position. Every call that I saw on Powe was legitimate. I realize that this is a star-dictated league, but that doesn't mean Powe shouldn't go to the line when he is fouled.
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6-09-2008 @ 3:27AM
RH said...
A bit defensive, aren't you, young man? The crux of my observation was about post-season officiating, in general. The Powe comment at the end was just an exclamation point, not to be taken out of context. FYI, I didn't use the adjective "ridiculous."
1986 must seem like a very long time ago to you.
By the way, don't continue to direct your comments toward me. I'll extend the same courtesy to you.
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6-09-2008 @ 4:48AM
Ron Petralia said...
Shouldnt' the greatest player in NBA history be able to overcome a few bad calls or no calls? Anybody ever see how often Kobe uses his free hand to push off a defender? Celtics took the ball to the hole and
that is why they got calls. Plain and simple. Lakers
are soft inside and slow on defense and have been exposed by a quicker and smarter team. Instead of
crying about officiating mayber Faker fans should
question why the greastwest coach ever did not make
adjustments sooner and why many players have simply
disappeared the first two games. There is a reason
Celts won 66 games and why they are now 4-0 vs. LA
this season. They are a better team.
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6-09-2008 @ 5:35AM
FNA said...
It really is incredibly hypocritical of Jackson, the Lakers and particularly their offensive fans to be getting all bent out of shape about the officiating at this point. All throughout the playoffs, while winning, LA fans arrogantly disparaging anybody who questioned the officiating. "Play the game and quit whining" was pretty much the (cleaned up version of their) mantra. If the Fakers lose even once in LA, I'll bet you anything Kobe will be making some major drama. If they get swept (which would be sweet) then the real drama will begin between Kobe and the rest of the Faker team and organization. Look out!
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6-09-2008 @ 6:22AM
alan said...
OK lets recap the lakers game 1st we need to teach gasol to rebound,Sasha the machine needs an engine over haul lamar needs to learn how to slam dunk on a regular basis,derek fisher is to slow to guard anyone farmer should start. i know alot of people will be upset but think reality. I have never been a fan of vlade but whatever. I am a laker fan but they are in trouble
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6-09-2008 @ 6:27AM
alan said...
to powe. nice game you will have fun telling you family and friends where you grow up at the homeless shelter and group homes And foster families
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6-09-2008 @ 7:31AM
Chris said...
This story is bull. Celts are simply the better team. Stop the whining!!!
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6-09-2008 @ 8:07AM
lk said...
The smell of fear is in the morning air. Let the excuses begin.
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6-09-2008 @ 8:22AM
john said...
WOW
There are only a few people who know how hard it is to officiate a game of that calibur. I know these guys get paid well to do it, but a game that powerful and that high up on the rim is brutel to call and these guys have their hands full. I ref at the college level and when your only 6'0 and are trying to see everything from under and around the basket from guys 6'5-7'2 it isn't easy. Yes I know these guys are experienced, but we all get a diff view from in front of the 42 inch Plasma.
I saw House get ambushed and pierce get thrown down on a lose ball. Rondo got swung and floored near the end on a loose ball...so the game had its questionable moments, but to say LA got the short end of the stick is wrong. The guys did miss some calls, but they do every game.....Kobe is the Sidney Crosby of basketball...
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