CELTICS -at- LAKERS - 6/15 - Thoughts and :-)) Ratings

[DancingBarry]

Killer Instinct... The city waits in anticipation. They line the city walls -- every able body -- and they wait to make their final stand.

An intensity permeates the air and is felt deep in the bones. You stand among the masses, ready to take on whatever comes. Once again, it begins with that familiar toxic stench.

Instead of fear, the stench is met with a roar. It is the Horsemen as they rush from the city gates and charge into battle. The screams of Leprechauns soon follow.

Forget this. You jump from the wall and throw yourself into the fight. Leprechauns scramble in all directions. The first Leprechaun that spots you charges. You punch the green bastard in the mouth. Boom! Out cold.

Who's next? You start throwing haymakers left and right. Down goes one. Down goes another. It's on.

Moments later, fifteen bells chime throughout the city. The Horsemen have won. You wish they could have gone for the kill today.

As you return to the city, you see a sign at the gates. DancingBarry:

"The Horsemen were here. They fought with a single-minded determination that no Leprechaun shall breech the defenses. The only blood that was spilled tonight was green. Just one battle now to determine the fate Little Larry O'Brien.

I will continue to track them..."

Behind a roaring, raucous, intense Staples crowd, the Lakers played some of their best smash-mouth, aggressive basketball of the series. Their collective lives were on the line for the first time in the playoffs and they responded with an 89-67 blowout win.

When was the last time a team scored 89 points and blew out their opponent? It doesn't happen often, but great defense can do that. The Lakers held the Celtics to the second-lowest point total in an NBA Finals game and just 33 percent shooting.

They owned the interior on both ends. Pau Gasol had a near triple-double. Kobe helped clean the glass with 11 of his own. Lamar Odom got into double digit boards.

"When you're looking at yourself and you're looking at your grave, you are going to fight and you are going to fight in a different way," Lamar said.

"It's really important that we work as a group and a team in rebounding," Pau said. It also helps when the Celtics can't get away with shoving under the hoop. One of their biggest culprits, Kendrick Perkins, was lost to a knee injury in the first quarter. This leveled the playing field with Bynum's knee injury limiting his action. It will make for an interesting subplot to the final game of the season.

The Lakers met the challenge in their first elimination game of the playoffs. The Celtics didn't show the Killer Instinct. If there is one thing L.A. has done very well is go for the kill.

Time to display that Killer Instinct and close.


Kobe -- -- Kobe and his teammates were of one mind tonight. They were going to control the glass on one end and attack with aggressiveness and make the extra pass when the D collapsed on the other. We didn't see Kobe settling for jumpers. He wanted to get back into the paint again like game one. He did just that and the offense clicked at a high rate. The tempo the Lakers played at favored this. They didn't stop the ball and they didn't let the Celtics D gear up for him. Did this help on the defensive end? Hard to say, but the attitude carried over there. Kobe was aggressive on the defensive glass. They have to get that team rebounding. Kobe said they gave up too many points in the paint in Boston. He helped prevent that from happening by battling in there tonight. Rondo had just 10 points on 15 shots. Way better numbers than we gave up in the last one. Lamar said a key was to keep giving Rondo different looks. Kobe shrugged off any comments about pressure in the next game. "No different to me. I hate to be a buzzkill, but it's not." One more game, Kobe. Go for the kill. The Stats: He scored 26 points on 9-19 shooting (1-4 from three, 7-7 from the line) to go with 11 boards (3 offensive), 3 assists, 4 steals, 2 turnovers and 2 fouls in 39 minutes. He was a +13. The Action: He missed a long jumper on the first possession. He attacked, took contact and scored a layup on the next possession. He sank a turnaround in the middle of the lane. He lost the ball trying to pass in the lane, got it back and flipped it in over a defender. He sank a hanging 18-footer off the dribble. He swiped a pass and then outlet to Pau who pushed it up and scored on the break. He drained a three off the high screen with Pau. He missed a layup on a step-through. He had 11 points on 5-8 shooting in the first quarter. He wanted a foul on a backdoor lob pass. He missed a tip, got it back and missed a baseline turnaround. He drew FTs when Farmar dove, flung a ball to him in transition and Kobe attacked, he made both. He crossed over Pierce, hung and scored the early offense layup. He was fouled on a step-through with no call and lost the ball. He missed a twisting bank, but LO tipped it in. He had 15 points on 6-12 shooting, 7 boards and 2 steals. Second Half: He attacked with aggression, took contact from KG and scored the And-1, he made the FT. He scooped up a loose ball and made the extra pass to Shannon on the bustout to get him a dunk. He attacked baseline, drew all kinds of contact and FTs, he made both. He missed a long step-back jumper. Poor D letting Rondo go backdoor for a layup (why overplay the pass to him?). He had 5 points on 1-2 shooting in the third. He missed a sideline three. He picked up a tech when a man held him to steal an entry pass (it saved a breakaway bucket). He worked off the high Pau screen and scored the layup. He was tied up by Tony Allen and drew FTs on the drive, he made both. He got tapped on a wing three. He up-faked to lose a bigman and scored the layup. Phil sat him with more than 3 minutes left.

Gasol -- -- We mentioned the importance of Pau fighting for position and becoming the hub of the offense again. He did just that. A near triple-double from Pau, just one assist shy. He was back to being himself. We even saw that baseline lefty jumphook which had been MIA because he wasn't getting the kind of position he needed. We also saw him get into the middle of the paint, take passes from Kobe and set up teammates for open jumpers. Defensively, the Lakers were hustling and rotating. When the ball got into the paint, Pau was there to challenge. KG didn't get off. He was relegated to perimeter jumpers. With Perkins going down, Pau was able to match up better with the absence of weight out there. They weren't getting shoved or pushed under the hoop on boards. Bynum's status looks very iffy, Perkins does as well. Keep playing like you are the best in the world, Pau. The 9 assists were a playoff high. The Stats: He scored 17 points on 6-14 shooting (5-6 from the line) to go with 13 boards (5 offensive), 9 assists, 1 steal, 3 blocks, 2 turnovers and 2 fouls in 40 minutes. He was a +21. The Action: He missed a tip-in. He up-faked to lose KG, attacked and drew FTs, he made one. He swatted Perkins. He took the outlet, pushed it up and scored a layup past KG on the break. He drew a shove foul by Sheed on the offensive glass. He kicked to Ron for a three. He was hit by KG in the post. He grabbed an offensive board, backed down Sheed and hit the turnaround. He lost the ball when Wallace pulled the chair. He had 5 points on 2-3 shooting, 6 boards and 3 assists in the first quarter. He crashed the glass and cleaned up a Sasha miss in transition. He missed a tough fade across the lane (looked like he was tripped with how quickly he moved on that play). He attacked the lane and kicked to Sasha for three. He wanted a foul on a jumphook, he missed. He had 7 points on 3-6 shooting, 8 boards and 5 assists. Second Half: He missed a tough fade from the wing. He swished a 17-footer. He missed a short turnaround. He matched up on Pierce in early offense, got up on him and forced a turnover for a Laker breakaway dunk. He missed a short lefty jumphook. He lobbed to Shannon for a dunk out of a timeout. He posted up Baby and drew FTs, he made both. He backed down KG and hit his lefty baseline jumphook (we haven't seen this for a few games). He missed a tough turnaround at the end of the third. He had 6 points on 2-6 shooting in the third. He drew FTs on the pass from Lamar in the lane, he made both. He missed a lefty jumphook. He grabbed a Farmar miss and slammed it back in.

Bynum -- -- "He wasn't able to move very fluidly in the second half," Phil said. There was swelling in the back of his leg and Bynum asked to be taken out because he couldn't run the floor. They got a decent first stint from him, but Perkins going down really evened things up. Now, perhaps, the Celtics will understand how important it is to have a healthy big like that. Perkins knee will likely swell up and make things very difficult in the next 24-48 hours. Lamar and Pau are going to have to cover for Drew. It appears he can give them just one stint a game, but the Celtics are going to go after him to start the next one. They will look to work that screen-roll and see if they can get off to a better start. Maybe the light minutes tonight for Drew will carry over and help in the next one. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 1-4 shooting to go with 4 boards (3 offensive), 1 steal, 1 block and 1 foul in 12 minutes. He was a +10. The Action: He hit a jumphook off the two-man game with Kobe. He got tapped on a jumphook after pulling down a miss by Ron. He blocked KG on help D. Slow help reaction when Kobe was matched up with Perkins under the hoop and Bynum was called for an over-the-back foul (Perkins went down in pain and went to the locker room as his right knee gave way). He couldn't finish a putback attempt. He had 2 points on 1-4 shooting, 4 boards, 1 steal and 1 block in 12 minutes. Second Half: He went into the locker room after just 2 minutes. He returned to the bench with a huge ice wrap on his knee and didn't play again.

Artest -- -- If someone told you Ron would outscore Paul Pierce in a critical game 6, you probably wouldn't have believed them. Ron scored 15 points while keep Pierce in check with just 13 points on 6-14 shooting. He also bloodied up Rondo who had a collision with Ron's elbow. Ron's elbow will win any collision. So what worked for Ron offensively? "We tried to simply some things for him tonight," Phil said and added that Ron's scoring didn't always have to come out of the offense, so that he could get comfortable. Ron hit a few threes, usually when Kobe drew a double and found Pau. Pau then got it to Ron for the wide open three. He didn't hesitate and knocked them down. Ron can be a very streaky shooter. Hopefully, the streak continues for just one more game. He got a huge cheer from Staples on that first make. Keep supporting him, Laker fans. That home crowd behind you can make a big difference. The Stats: He scored 15 points on 6-11 shooting (3-6 from three) to go with 6 boards, 1 block, 2 turnovers and 3 fouls in 31 minutes. He was a team-high +24. The Action: He missed a three. He swished an open corner three off the Pau kickout (huge cheer). He attacked off the three line and hit a fade in the lane with the shotlcok low. He missed a wing jumper. He attacked, was stripped and then fouled a Celtic on a reach (can't afford to take those). He drained a corner three on another Pau kickout. He missed a drive (Pau got it and scored). He had 8 points on 3-6 shooting in the first. He iso'd and swished a wing jumper standing on the three line. He missed a transition three on the next possession (heat check). He picked up his second foul on another loose ball reach on the offensive glass. He had 10 points on 4-8 shooting. Second Half: He lost the ball on a drive. He got tapped on a three with the shotclock low. Pierce hit a three on the other end. He worked the give-and-go with Pau and scored a layup over Pierce. He dropped Rondo when Rondo shot a runner and bounced of Ron's forearm after the shot. He rattled in a three off the Pau kickout. He had 5 points on 2-3 shooting in that third.

Fisher -- -- Not a lot of minutes for DFish as he was strapped with foul trouble all game. When he was out there, he fought hard. He hit the floor for a couple of loose balls. That kind of scrappy play is contagious and teammates (and the crowd) will feed off it. Fish's fourth foul to start the second half was extra soft. If the refs call that, Kobe should get plenty of trips to the line again Ray. Fat chance, right? The Stats: He scored 4 points on 1-1 shooting (2-2 from the line) to go with 2 boards, 2 steals, 3 turnovers and 4 fouls in 15 minutes. He was a +1. The Action: He attacked baseline, was tripped and thought he was in the act, but hte refs said no. He swiped a pass, took it up court and reversed in front of Rondo. Too high on a lob to Bynum in transition. He picked up two fouls and had to sit midway through the first quarter. He hit the floor to tie up KG. He picked up his third foul trying to help under the hoop (he didn't agree with the call). He had 2 points on 1-1 shooting. Second Half: Wow, cheap bump foul to start the half (Kobe would go to the line all day on those calls). He had to sit. He was stripped for a layup. He dribbled a ball off his foot, another turnover. He was fouled grabbing a loose ball, he made both FTs.

Lamar -- -- He seemed to bring more activity from the start. "Just constant effort, constant energy," Kobe said of LO's game. Lamar said that Kobe wanted him to focus on pushing up the ball. It is mission critical. We've said it all series. Get the Lakers into their offense early, get them going before the Celtic D can zero in. It wasn't always the most effective effort. There were a lot of jumpers from Lamar. He even took some long ones in early offense, not what you want. But his motor was going and the bench dominated the Celtic bench (they outscored them 25-13). Without Perkins in there shoving under the hoop, Lamar was able to grab double-digit boards once again. He got a good ovation when he sat with 4 minutes left for Powell as Staples appreciated the effort. "He made some plays, he made some baskets that were important," Phil said, despite thinking Lamar looked a little fatigued. There was a subtle play in this game where KG did his usual swat of a shot after the whistle. Lamar picked up the ball and went up to dunk it on him and KG shoved him. That's the aggressive, in-your-face LO that doesn't back down from the bully. The Stats: He scored 8 points on 3-9 shooting (0-2 from three, 2-2 from the line) to go with 10 boards (1 offensive), 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 28 minutes. He was a +14. The Action: He drained a 17-footer off the inbounds pass. He missed a layup. He attacked Wallace in transition and drew FTs, he made both. He missed a layup. He missed an early offense three (you can get that anytime you want, Lamar). He was tied up by Rondo in the post (and didn't win the poorly thrown jumpball). He crashed the glass and tipped in a Kobe miss with 7 seconds left in the half. He had 6 points on 2-5 shooting and 6 boards. Second Half: He swished a 20-footer. Nice feed on a drive to set up Pau for FTs. He missed a step-back jumper from the left side. He missed a baseline jumper. He missed a wing three.

Brown -- -- He came in for Fish midway through the first quarter to cover both the Allens and later to practically start the second half when Fish picked up his fourth. Despite Allen going off last time we were here, Phil let him get some run in front of the home crowd. Phil even set up the back-screen alley-oop lob for him. The result was a massive one-handed throwdown. Those are the kinds of things that help a ton on the home court. Much better job defensively by Shannon recovering to Allen and fighting through those screens. The Stats: He scored 4 points on 2-4 shooting (0-1 from three) to go with 2 boards, 2 assists and 1 foul in 19 minutes. He was a +8. The Action: Nothing to report. Second Half: He missed an open sideline three. He slammed getting out on the break with Kobe. Spectacular dunk off the back-screen lob out of a timeout. He was blocked in the paint.

Farmar -- -- "Jordan made a big recovery," Phil said of a loose ball that Farmar dove for in the first half to set up Kobe. Those are the kind of plays that inspire a crowd and inspire a team. From the ground he flung it over to Kobe who was able to attack for FTs. Maybe you don't shoot well or have a tricky match up on the defensive end, but nothing should ever stand in your way in the hustle category during a big game. Farmar also had a big throwdown over KG on the break. Inspiring ball at times. He wasn't clean, however. There were a couple of sloppy, telegraphed passes by Farmar to initiate the offense in the second half. He just needs to execute cleaner and understand the Celtics The Stats: He scored 4 points on 2-6 shooting (0-1 from three) to go with 1 boards, 3 assists, 2 turnovers and no fouls in 17 minutes. He was a +9. The Action: He missed a drive, but we got it back. He dove for a loose ball at midcourt and flung it Kobe who drew FTs. He attacked from the corner, hung around KG and scored a layup. He slammed on KG on the break. Second Half: He missed a layup on the break. Horrible initial Tri pass to Shannon who was obviously being overplayed, turnover to start the fourth. He missed a wing three. Another telegraphed entry pass (granted Kobe was held and fouled with no call, but Farmar needs to recognize how much the Celtics are anticipating that initial pass).

Luke -- -- He came in for Ron late in the first half to save from foul trouble. Pierce was held in check. Later, he got some run in garbage time. The Stats: He didn't score on 0-2 to go with 1 block in 5 minutes. He was a -3. The Action: Nothing to report. Second Half: He missed a baseline jumper. He missed a wing jumper.

Vujacic -- -- Sick Jumpers of Death have made their return to Staples! Who knew Sasha would lead the bench in scoring? He picked an excellent time to do it and will likely get some action in the next one if he can keep spreading the floor like this. His shot had looked like it's had a little more arc to it and isn't get to the rim quite as fast as it used to. (It's been that way for a couple of months.) Defensively, he scrapped with everyone else and was never a liability. When you get that combination from him, that will cause the Celtics a lot of issues. Kobe can play the SF and they can't help off our two other perimeter players without paying a price. The Stats: He scored 9 points on 3-6 shooting (2-4 from three, 1-2 from the line) to go with 1 board, 1 assist and 1 foul in 14 minutes. He was a +10. The Action: He drained a long sideline jumper working off the screens. He missed a baseline jumper in transition, but Pau cleaned it up. He swished a three off the Pau kickout. He somehow airballed a three straight away. Second Half: He sank a baseline jumper. He was fouled while bringing the ball up court, he made one FT.

Powell -- -- With Bynum limited and Perkins not available for the remainder of the gmae, Phil dusted of Powell and gave him some run. He stole a couple of minutes in the first half to rest Lamar. The Lakers struggled to secure the defensive glass, but held the line in that stint. He got some more run later in garbage time. Some good rotations and team D on the screens. He didn't connect on his shot, offensively. The Stats: He didn't score on 0-2 shooting (0-1 from three) to go with 1 board in 7 minutes. He was a +2. The Action: He missed an open baseline jumper. Second Half: He had another stint in the rotation for Bynum, before coming back in for garbage time. He missed a three.

Mbenga -- -- How sweet to get some Mbenga time in during a blowout win? Not a lot of time for him to really make an impact, but he managed to foul and shoot once in his couple minutes. The Stats: He didn't score on 0-1 shooting and had 1 board and 1 foul in 2 minutes. He was a -1. The Action: He did not play in the first half. Second Half: He came in for Pau with 2 minutes left and quickly picked up a foul. He missed a jumper in the paint, almost looked like he was hit on the arm.

Phil -- -- "Share the basketball," Phil said prior to the game. "It will all work out."... Phil sat DFish for Shannon with L.A. up 14-12 when Fish picked up his second foul. Maybe he felt Shannon might play better at home (instead of going with Sasha). Allen already had 8 points on Fish... Perkins went out with the Lakers up 18-12... The Lakers led 26-18 with 2 minutes left in the first when Phil sat Bynum for Lamar... The Lakers won the first quarter 28-18... Phil started a Bynum, Lamar, Kobe, Sasha, Farmar lineup... Kobe sat for Ron up 36-23. They quickly extended to a 40-23 lead, forcing a Celtic timeout... After a couple of Pierce layups, Phil called a timeout leading 45-27... Phil brought in Powell for Lamar with 4:44 left. He brought back in Lamar 2 minutes later... He brought in Luke for Artest to try to save fouls, then Sasha for Fish who picked up his third... Despite going dry for the last couple of minutes, the Lakers won the second quarter 23-13. They were aggressive, moved the ball, pushed the tempo and locked down on D... They led 51-31 at the half. The Lakers shot 47.7 percent (21-44, 4-9 from three, 5-6 from the line). The Celtics shot 34 percent (14-41, 2-10 from three, 1-3 from the line). The Lakers won the offensive glass 9-3. The Lakers had 5 blocks... Fish went out for Shannon on the first possession with his fourth foul. Lamar came in for Drew after 2 minutes... The tempo was slowing a little bit during the third, but the teams traded hoops... Phil sat Kobe up 70-51 with 2:03 left in the third. He brought in Powell for Lamar... The Lakers won the third 25-20. Good close to the quarter, including another three by Ron... The Lakers led 76-51 to start the fourth. Phil went with a Pau, Lamar, Kobe, Shannon, Farmar lineup... They cruised most of the quarter. Phil sat Lamar, then Kobe with a few minutes left... "Both of the teams ran out of gas in the second half and we struggled through that ball game," Phil said. He added that "the defense was good, our rebounding was better."... It was truly a team win today on both ends. The Lakers found their team game last year in the Western Conference Finals and rode it to victory. Let's hope the same holds true in game seven...

Game Flow -- LINK -- Three straight runs by the Lakers over the course of three periods that weren't countered by the Celtics.

[mhan00]

great win. one to go.

[thurloly]

Now I can sleep.

CUT THE HEAD OF THE COCKROACH ON THURSDAY.

COCKROACH IS DIRTY AND NEED TO BE STEPPED ON.

[PopcornMachine]

In an act of shameless self promotion, I'd just like to add some lyrics I posted earlier today. Inspired by several threads mentioning TONIGHT and the music of Westside Story, I'm happy to say most of this came true.

Oh, yeah, thanks DB.

Tonight, tonight,
There'll be Mamba tonight
And Pau and Andrew too!

Tonight, tonight
Lamar will be alright
And swoop unto the hoop!

Tonight, tonight
We all like Fish tonight
And usually I don't like fish (in the food sense).

Tonight, tonight
They'll all rebound tonight
And grab loose balls on the first try (with two hands please)

Tonight, tonight
Defense will be played tonight
Because that's what really wins playoff games!
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I'm with COCO!

[DancingBarry]

^ Team effort and Good D. Sums it up.

[PopcornMachine]

[City_Dawg]

Thanks DB.
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*sighs*

!...

[AllorNothing]

Maybe sharing the ball doesn't necessarily mean a great offensive game but it sure makes everybody active on defense.

[ABynum17]

Some keys to the next game:

1) Will we be able to make our free throws in game 7? Recall that the Kings pretty much choked away game 7 of the 2002 WCF, by missing half of their free throws. Obviously, we're not going to shoot like that. In fact, I'd say we should strive to be perfect, a sort of reverse psychology, so to speak. Make our free throws and we win, it's that simple.

2) We should pretty much run our offense through Kobe and Pau exclusively at this point. The Celtics can't defend well Pau enough at Staples. And if they get tired, we could sneak in that three-guard lineup here and there. I think Phil paying close attention to Doc's substitution and countering with a "random lineup" can give us an advantage.

3) Foul trouble. So far, Pau hasn't been in foul trouble, but you never know what might happen in the next game. I think both Pau and Kobe have to be careful, because we may need them both for 46 min(at the very least, 22-23 min for the 1st half.)

4) Tell the bigs to get back on defense as hard as they can, instead of assuming anything. The guards should also try to challenge as many shots as they can. You never know when they'll miss a layup and we'll need someone to rebound.

5) If necessary, I would call whatever timeouts is necessary, in order to maintain momentum, or God forbid, we fell behind. Build a sufficient lead and we can afford some breakdowns defensively. The way the refs are calling it, it seems to me that 2 points in the 2nd quarter are just as important as 2 points in the 4th. There is no need to save them for a close game(unless the refs are calling the game such as saving their energy for a close game is required), as there is no need to worry about a carry over to another game, though, once again, I'd probably have some plays memorized, just in case.

We have the two best players in this series, so maximizing their minutes gives us a very distinct advantage.

6) If we can sneak Sasha in on their dumb players, as in guys who didn't pay attention to him this game, and so like to sag, we could probably get some cheap threes from him again.

7) If necessary, run multiple guys at Pierce and/or Allen, and if that doesn't work, fall down. That seems to distract the shooters, though I doubt the game will be close enough for us to resort to this tactic though.

[Jeffs]

Thanks DB! Perfect game 6, as far as I am concerned. Best part is that we blew them out without any 1 player having a completely out of the world game like Allen in Game 2. The Lakers can still play better than this.
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Jeffs

I feel like I just watched someone TRULY give 100%. Not the BS I'm-gonna-give-a-110%-just-like-everyone-else-says platitudes, but someone that went until he just....broke. - GT

[Qsmiff]

Thanks again DB for all your time and effort, this was a big time showing up by the crowd, the starters, the bench, and the coaches.............now let's do it ONE MORE TIME!!!

[hellsling]

Sad to see Perkins go out like that, but anyone else glad Rondo took an elbow from Artest? He's been a bit of a dick throughout the series with his constant whining, shoving, and fouling after the whistle was sounded. Furthermore, Paul Peirce flops in this game were downright embarrassing...

[ABynum17]

nt

[Ray_Gonzoles]

One more win.

This is why they play for HCA.

Thanks for the recap DB!
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"Just show up ready to work, ready to play, Have your big boy pants on, leave your diaper at home." Kobe Bryant
Anything less than a championship is a failure. Period.

[Texas_Pete]

Thanks DB. I just need one more championship write up from you!

[John O]

Effort, effort, effort! That's what gave us the W.

Lakers always scrapping for every ball, battling on every possession and loose ball. We won the first game that way but forgot about it afterwards. I'm glad we remembered still on time and I'm sure they will not forget it for the last one.

[ABynum17]

[magic_bryant]

DB- I'm soooo glad you mentioned the LO dunk attempt after KG's BS swat-the-ball-after-a-dead-ball thing. My brother and I looked at each other when he did it an screamed at each other, "SENDING A MESSAGE!!!"

Lovely.
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Stephon Marbury on Kobe: "He's the only person on 'dis earth that can do 'dat. He guards people, like shuts 'em down. Then, to do 'dat on 'da offensive end. It's like 'Damn, I can't score on him AND he about to bust my ass."

[George W Buss]

I agree that the Lakers played great D in this game, contrary to what Doc said that the Celts are simply missing great looks.

[Tanlentueux]

[heatseeker08]

[limchrc]

Thanks, big win. Let's win game 7.

[waterman40]

Thanks DB

Just one more win, baby.

Punk the nasty Celtics.
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LAKERS 2019-2020: NBA World Champions!

[TooMuchMajicBuss]

Thank you DB for all your time, effort, analysis, imagination and creativity in bringing these T&Rs to us all season. Just one more time -- Thursday is what this whole season and playoff run, more than 100 games, comes down to. One more victory Lakers!!!!!!!

[prisma8slg]

great win last night. we need to bring the same energy and intensity into game 7...and the trophy is ours

thanks DB...always good to see Sasha get a dancing tomato
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"I define success by championships, by winning..." Kobe Bryant

"I've seen it all. Sasha dunked on somebody," Kobe Bryant said. "I'm ready to retire now."