Luka’s Corner

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.