Mountain summit may be too high for Lakers
As the NBA Finals head to Game 6 back in Boston with the Celtics leading the Lakers, 3-2, a couple of thoughts occur following L.A.'s 103-98 win yesterday.
The first is prompted by Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant's observation about having to win two games at the Boston Garden (OK, it's the TD Banknorth Garden but I can't imagine Norm at Cheers calling it that). Bryant said after yesterday's game: "In training camp if you told us, 'We'll give you two games that you have to win to win a world championship,' we would have taken it in a heartbeat. This is a great opportunity for us."
So as daunting as winning two in a row on the road appears to be, Bryant sums it up nicely. The Lakers have climbed a mountain to get where they are and two more steps don't seem quite so impossible when put in that perspective.
However ... The Celtics have proved they are an incredibly, incredibly resilient team. Overcoming a 24-point Laker lead to win Game 4 in L.A. Then coming back from 19 down early in the second period to finally tie it, 90-90, with about four-and-a-half minutes left yesterday. If Boston can do that on the road, imagine how tough the Celts will be at home.
So maybe those final two steps for L.A. really are impossible.
Comments
Will be interesting to see how the absence of Kendrick Perkins affects this series. I believe that he is not expected to play in Game 6, though who knows what happens between now and then.
I find it interesting how it is the Lakers' bench that received so many accolades this season (deservedly so), with articles in publications like Sports Illustrated last month, while it is the continued contribution of Boston's bench players that have brought them to the cusp of a championship.
Posted by: Jay Maduro | June 16, 2008 12:49 PM