OPEN THREAD: 2008 NBA Finals Game 4

by dj fuzzylogic on Jun 12, 2008 2:24 PM PDT Comment 7 comments

With all the referee scandals going on and the alleged fixed games from the 2002 and 2005 playoffs, it makes you wonder even more how 'home court advantage' plays into this whole thing and the corporate NBA in shaping the outcomes of games and series. 38-10 free throw advantage for Boston in game 2? Lakers win in game 3 despite getting poor production from Gasol and Odom in games 2 and 3? More annoying Lakers flags hanging from cars when weeks ago didn't even exist?

All these conspiracy theories aside, the Lakers don't look as dominate as I once thought they were before the playoffs even started. Odom and Gasol look clutch-challenged as they've been accused of in the past. But it didn't matter because Kobe put all 20,000 + fans and Odom and Gasol on his back -- thanks to some love from those referees -- fading, shaking, and shimmying away from defenders like an older, wiser 3, 4, 5 rings deep Jordan. He needs more help against the Boston 3 party; Vujacic and Walton need to turn into Michael Cooper and Byron Scott or at least Brian Shaw and Rick Fox.

Predictions:

* Kobe goes Jordan and gets 47 points

* 3 highlight worthy moves from Kobe that we'll be seeing years and years and years from now on ESPN 2 and ESPN classic.

* KG matches Gasol's clutchness.

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Fuzzy....

KG matches Gasol’s clutchness? The next time Gasol is clutch will be his first time.

And KG loves to beat his chest, rant, cuss and rave after big buckets…in every quarter but the 4th.

Oh, wait…maybe that was the joke? That WAS a joke, right?

Lakers in 6.

"Oooh, watch yo biceps Buk, watch yo biceps Bukie."

by tobin on Jun 12, 2008 4:18 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Ironically

I think it wasn’t a joke. A player can either have good clutchness or bad clutchness (though the spellchecker doesn’t think “clutchness” is a word… it also doesn’t recognize “spellchecker”, but I digress). KG is known to have bad clutchness (i.e. he takes 20 foot fadeaways, passes the ball to Rondo for the big shot, etc.). Gasol, as you said, likewise doesn’t have great clutchness either. Thus, it is a comedic statement. Not quite a joke.

by Dubs fan in Boston on Jun 13, 2008 7:29 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

This

League is FIXED guys. Mark my word, they will do whatever they can do push it to game 7.

brb, going to ORACLE

by warrior510 on Jun 12, 2008 7:57 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

hah

pretty good game aye?

let’s go celtics! make kobe cry

by disguy on Jun 12, 2008 8:48 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Amazing game

What a comeback by the Celtics. The NBA finals are back.

by IQofaWarrior on Jun 12, 2008 8:50 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

crying Vujacic

awesome!

by sam23 on Jun 12, 2008 11:06 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Two quotes I loved

“We just wet the bed,” Kobe said. “A nice big one, too. One of the ones you can’t put a towel over. It was terrible.”

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs2008/columns/story?columnist=stein_marc&page=Gm4-080613

and

“The whole game, from the minute I came in, they called fouls on me. He fell down, foul. I was trying to find a way to guard him for 48 minutes, and everything I did was a foul. He got me. He went to the basket, and it was a good basket. I don’t know what else to say,”

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/dailydime?page=dime-080613

I particularly remember the time he and Allen fell down and when Allen tried to get up, Vulajcic tripped him. Whiny man, go play soccer… err… futbol.

by Dubs fan in Boston on Jun 13, 2008 7:33 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs