Only 3 teams in the NBA history have made it back from a 2-0 deficit in the Final Series to win the National Championship. Celtics head coach Doc Rivers and his man were all well aware of this situation. And that is why they went all out on game number two, last night in the Staples Center to take a 103-94 win over the LA Lakers. The star filled arena was host of one of the best games played so far in the season. The Celtics comeback from a mediocre and disappointing game 1 had two key-players under the spotlight. Rajon Rondo proved to be as agile and consistent on both the defensive and the offensive end of the C’s game as a point guard can get. And then there was the great Ray Allen and his sharpshooting skills who dominated the Celtics scoring. No other player since the three-point line was instated in the NBA had scored more then 7 three-pointers in an NBA Final’s game. Last night, Ray Allen had tied the record by halftime. Rumor has it Ray was out in the court three hours before game time, shooting from the distance. And his extra effort paid off. He was absolutely flawless in his first five 3’s. He scored 27 of his 32 final points in the first half. Allen was just a complete nightmare for the Lakers offense. In one way or another, this was his way of coming back from a very ineffective game one. He was 0-2 from the three-point line and only completed 12 points on his first game at the Staples Center. But it was a whole different Ray Allen on game two. The Lakers defense couldn’t find a way to stop him. First they sent Derek Fisher, and he had nothing to stop Allen. Laker’s coach Phil Jackson then sent Kobe Bryant to keep Allen from punishing them from the perimeter. And the veteran player still managed to find space and set up his shot. If the first half was all about Allen, the second half belonged to Rajon Rondo. As Allen cooled off in the second half, Rajon Rondo had to step in. He completed his fourth triple-double of the NBA postseason (19 points, 12 boards and 10 assits) and just kept been the dominant force for the Celtics. You have to take into account that either Kevin Garnett or Paul Pierce were having their best night ever. They scored 16 points between the two and really couldn’t quite find their game all night long. Matter of fact, right after break, the Lakers were able to take a 63-61 lead, and for a moment or two, with Pau Gasol and Kobe at their best, it seemed as if the Lakers might just keep up the difference until the end. But Kobe Bryant got into foul trouble in the third quarter. In a quick play Rondo was able to push Byrant into his 4th foul of the night. After a good run the Celtics manage to catch up with the Lakers and they ended the third quarter 72-72. Just a minute and a half into the 4ht quarter, Kobe gets his 5th foul. Nate Robinson comes in for Rondo and shots a nice three-pointer followed by a nice layup after an offensive fast break. Ron Artest and Kevin Garnett can into foul trouble. Artest would be fouled out with 5 minutes to go on the game. With 33 seconds to play, Rondo makes one heck of a steal from Kobe Bryant’s blind side, and takes away the Lakers chance of tying the game. Despite the good numbers by Pau Gasol (24 points, 8 rebounds 4 blocks) and Kobe Bryant, the Celtics resist the Lakers late run and took the victory 103 over 94.
Please Rate this Article 5 out of 54 out of 53 out of 52 out of 51 out of 5
Not yet Rated
