Bury my heart at wounded knee
It gets no rougher than the NBA Finals
Losing is a part of winning, and both are a part of the game, be it basketball, baseball, football, or life. Sometimes when you lose, you can learn how to dig deep and win. This philosophy works for both the Lakers and the Celtics. 3 members of the Lake Show have the bitter taste of Finals defeat at the hands of the Detroit Pistons, while the C’s Big Three have never stepped upon the NBA’s largest stage. Sometimes when you lose, you win.
The biggest loss in the opener wasn’t the 10-point deficit endured by the purple and gold it was that eerie sound of a pop within the right knee of Paul Pierce. I know about losing within the black lines of a 94′ by 54′ court. From the 1994 embarrassment at the 33rd and Diamond league, to the 1999 Atlantic-10 Championship (Lamar Odom’s 3-point buzzer beater) it hurts, however I’ve never been injured, slightly or otherwise.
The point I’m trying to make is, that this series depends on how the Lakers adjust to the Celtics, and the health of Paul Pierce. If it sounds simple, that’s because it is. Basketball and life are in some cases easy to explain, and difficult to carry out.
The Finals make you want to holler
The next few games are like what Jake said to his son Jesus, “It’s not the skill of the man, it’s the will of the man!” This is all about who wants it more. There is no opportunity to step up, as this is the championship, the final frontier.
There is no tomorrow.
NBA title number 62 is now, and either LA will shake off the rust, or Boston will finish what they started on June 5th.
The only time work comes after success…is in the dictionary.
Peace.
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June 8th, 2008 at 7:27 pm
Kobe won’t go down 2 games today. He has the will. Kobe will carry his team on his back if he has to.
June 8th, 2008 at 7:52 pm
I would be very surprised if the Lakers lose this series, however this is the NBA and they have to play the games. Once that basketball goes up, anything can happen.
June 8th, 2008 at 9:03 pm
AXG,
I agree. I think Gasol needs to be more aggressive. He’s crashing the boards but he needs to score more. I think Phil J. will have his boys ready.
June 9th, 2008 at 11:41 am
Don’t look now but r the Lakers in trouble?
June 9th, 2008 at 1:44 pm
I think it’s too early to say the Lakers are in trouble. I picked them to win (even though I’ve never rooted for them since the hire of Phil “Where can I get a Championship Ready team?” Jackson. The Celtics held serve and were greatly assisted by the referees decision to call touch fouls early in the game. According to Pat Riley, the series hasn’t even started yet. He always said that series began in earnest after someone lost at home.
Holding serve for two games is no guarantee of a series win. With that said, the experience of the Celtics bench is really paying off. The Celtics play as if Garnett, PJ Brown and Cassell (among others) really take the job of mentoring younger players very seriously. When the Celtics are rolling, they look like a family - not just a team. When the wheels fall off, they look absolutely awful.
We’ll see how they hold up on the road.
June 9th, 2008 at 9:21 pm
The one thing I worried about when this series started was Garnetts intensity and how they would guard Pierce. It was unfair to question him for faking an injury since no one should ever question something like that, but that has provided a big emotional boost for Boston and it shows.
I still expect LA to turn it around, but they need to get the hunger they showed in the 4th of game 2 and sustain that for 48 minutes. The Celtics have fueled off the energy of their homecrowd and their bench and hopefully the Lakers can get back to this being at home for 3 games.