5:54: Yes Laurence Tander. Yes. As much as I have hated the Lakers over the years, your silky smooth monotone voice has always made me smile. I wonder what would happened if you locked him in a room with the Pistons PA announcer. One of them would not come out alive.
5:55: The current American Idol sang the National Anthem. David Cook. That show went downhill after Carrie Underwood won, you and I both know it.
5:55: That damn podium is still there..as a road player there is no way I would just awkwardly stand there like Kendrick Perkins did. C’s are a lot more calm during intros at home….not a good sign.
5:56: Bonus points to the Lakers for incorporating Jay-Z into their intro. Trust me…give a basketball player some Jay-Z in their headphones and they’ll play great.
5:58: Negative points for the rest. Lakers officially have the worst intro in the NBA. Bar none. I don’t even know what that song was. You can’t compare that with the Pistons or ‘LET ME HEAR ITTTTTTTTTTTT!’ They should lose off principle.
6:02: Mark Jackson makes me want to vomit with his first comments. Take the pressure Kobe, score initially? Have you not seen the first two games? What did Kobe do early in both quarters. He attacked. What else did he do? He missed shots. Layups, jumpers, you name it. Don’t put up a stat sheet showing the difference between the first and second halves. Unbelievable. “Carry them”. Yes he should really carry them against a defense that wants him to do exactly just that. I swear give me a microphone, I might stutter a few times but damnit I’ll say something intelligent.
6:07: Kobe comes out and forces up a fadeaway. Celtics on the other hand execute their offense and get a layup from Kendrick Perkins. Silence from Mark Jackson.
6:09: Seriously, MJ never begged for calls. He got in refs faces…but he never begged and whined like this. Stop looking at the refs everytime you go to the hole and there is no whistle.
6:10: Just like the first two games, Radmonovic with an early foul on Paul Pierce.
6:10: Also like the first two games…Kevin Garnett jacking up a midrange jumper. He missed.
6:11: Kobe attacks the basket. He gets a layup. This is a good sign for the Lakers.
6:12: KG attacks the basket, gets by Gasol, misses the layup. He will not do this again tonight. Bad sign for the Celtics. Radmonovic makes a three and it’s 6-2 LA.
6:13: Kobe is in complete attack mode. He wants layups and dunks, he’s being the aggressor and is trying to get it done in the paint. Terrible sign for Celtics fans, if he gets easy buckets and free throws…he can beat you on his own.
6:14: The combo of Kobe’s aggressiveness and Boston settling for jumpers is not good for the C’s. Doc has to find a way to make an adjustment and not let Kobe play a zone. Cassell could be the answer but he’s not the answer, eventually you’re going to have to make Rondo effective again.
6:16: Kobe is not going to let the Lakers lose. Also, don’t want to hear anything about the refs hedging towards the Lakers. Tonight, Kobe Bryant is being the aggressor. The aggressor times ten. Basketball 101 says if you’re being aggressive you’re usually going to get the calls. So don’t call the refs out when Kobe shoots 20 points, look at his eyes.
6:19: 9-2 LA…both teams are shooting terribly. The difference is Kobe. Kobe is attacking and shooting free throws. The C’s are jacking up jumpers.
6:23: Lamar Odom is already on the bench with 2 fouls and no points. Yucky.
6:25: Rondo is clearly rattled by Kobe being on him. Not only did he turn it over but he was pointing to Posey to guard Kobe. Meanwhile, Derek Fisher hit a midrange jumper.
6:26: And as I type that Rondo nails a jumper. Brilliant.
6:28: I was about to say where is Kevin Garnett…but then he swatted Pau Gasol and then missed a dunk. Kobe may not pass to Pau for another few minutes. Also, Radmonovic is in foul trouble again. What. A. Shock.
6:29: Is it bad that sometimes I confuse the guy from Coldplay with the guy from House? I’ll take your silence as yes. Thanks to Apple for at least flashing the name of those catchy songs they use in the commercials so I can put it on my iPod while it’s still fashionable.
6:31: “You don’t have to win it all to win a champion.” – Mark Jackson. Ummm I’m pretty sure you had to win a CHAMPIONship to be a CHAMPION. I know what he’s trying to say…but still. Come on now. Reggie Miller is not a champion. He’s a legend. But he’s not a champion.
6:33: So…should Boston be happy that they are only down one with KG and Pierce scoreless, Rondo as their #1 scorer, Kobe having 11 and the Lakers shooting 10 free throws? Or is it all downhill from here.
6:33: Sam Cassell is going to have to show up offensively in this game. That’s right Boston you’re now depending on him to score.
6:35: Cassell hit his first jumper. We know a lot more are coming so there is really no reason to say anything.
6:39: End of the first quarter and it’s 20-20. Seriously. Have to wonder if Boston took the Lakers best shot right there. Boston can’t play much worse (KG and Pierce scoreless, Rondo and Posey combined for half the points) and Kobe can’t play much better (11 points, 8 free throw attempts). Like I said earlier…it’s coming down to that supporting cast. They currently have 9 points and have gotten next to nothing from Pau and Odom.
6:43: Lamar Odom quickly picks up his third foul. Is he point-shaving? Can we investigate this?
6:53: Where is Kevin Garnett?
6:55: Underrated fact about Boston. They’re jumpshooting is leading to transition buckets for the Lakers. More importantly…transition chances for Kobe Bryant. Kobe + transition = trouble.
6:58: I hate anything and everything associated with High School Musical except for Ashley Tisdale. I thank them for giving me an additional reason to hate Nick Lachey.
7:00: Does KG really not get it? Your jumper isn’t falling. Hasn’t for about two games now. Try. Something. Else.
7:03: Vujacic is making up for Pau and Lamar’s absence. Pau meanwhile just missed two free throws and Lamar Odom’s basketball skills are in Rhode Island.
7:12: Vujacic is really giving Ray Allen buckets this half. Unsung hero?? Y’all know I was money on that.
7:17: Big playcall from Doc to get the three-ball for Ray Ray. Bigger play from Kobe to draw the fall and push that lead back up to 8 before the half.
7:18: Except he missed both. LA is up 43-37 at halftime.