Luka’s Corner

Last night in game 3, Kobe Bryant attempted 18 free throws, more than the amount he attempted in the first two games in Boston. While Kobe obviously came out more aggressive, trying to attack the rim instead of shooting contested jumpers, he received help from the officials more often than not.

It seemed that last night, whenever Kobe decided to drive and enter the painted area, the whistle would be blown every single time in his favor. No matter what the defense did to the guard, the referees either responded to him flailing his arms or actually arguing for the call. It was as if the defender only needed to touch him for a foul to be called and the referees consistently gave the superstar the benefit of the doubt. This has to be very frustrating to the Celtics, considering that their goal is never to foul Bryant, but to merely contest every shot that he takes. However, if he can get to the line only on reputation, even if their is no actual foul, that is demoralizing. On several drives by Paul Pierce and even Kevin Garnett on the other end, they did not get the benefit of the doubt. The same drive by different players did not get the same reward. Considering that Boston was in a close game throughout, every call helps, and all of the calls helped the Lakers when they needed them.

I am not saying that Kobe did not come out more aggressive than in games 1 and 2, but he received many calls that would not have been called for Paul Pierce. It is impossible to win a game like that. Add in the fact that the referees always favor the home team (like they favored Boston, I have to admit) and that the league obviously wants the series to be stretched as long as possible for the ratings, the NBA has a serious officiating problem. It is now very rare that you do not see a game affected by the officials in a negative way.

The NBA desperately needs to improve its officiating. It can do so by simply calling the foul, not by looking at the player’s jersey to see if he is a star or not. How often do you see a Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, or even a Dwyane Wade get a foul call that should have been either a clean block or jump ball? The refs must also change that attitude where the home team gets the breaks, because it makes it twice as difficult to win on the road. To win on the road, the road team should only have to go against the home crowd, not the officials.

Especially in an era that has experienced the likes of Tim Donaghy, the NBA has to change league officiating, and do so fast. In most of these games now, especially the all-important postseason games, the head official really seems like he is in some way connected to Donaghy.

Last night in LA, the Celtics had a great opportunity to steal their first game in LA and guarantee themselves an NBA championship. Both Kevin Garnett (6-21 FG) and Paul Pierce (2-14 FG) were dismal from the field, yet the Celtics managed to stay close with the Lakers for the whole game. Ray Allen was huge, making 5 of his 7 threes and carrying the Celtics through the first three quarters. Considering that KG and Pierce had their worst combined game of the postseason and the Lakers won by only 6, Boston is my pick to win game 4.

Some may say that Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol also shot dismally from the floor, but they have done so in every game so far in this series. Gasol’s shooting will not change because Kendrick Perkins will still be covering him. Perk is simply too strong and dominant defensively for the European, not even allowing Gasol to work his way into the painted area. His only field goals were off of putbacks where the ball bounced his way in the final minutes. Odom may shoot better in the upcoming game, but it does not seem likely. He seems to be mentally out of the game, getting into foul trouble in each game and not playing at his potential when he is on the floor.

Kobe played well for his team last night and he will probably keep it up, especially since he is in LA, but Boston can still win with him going off for forty. The C’s simply have to limit Vujacic to 10-12 points and find a way for their big three to shoot higher then 40% combined. Both Pierce and Garnett combined will never shoot the ball as poorly in their career and even Eddie House will shoot better than his 2-8 performance last night. Considering all of this, all signs point the way for a Celtics victory tomorrow night and an almost guaranteed series win.