Wednesday, June 18, 2008
The Boston Celtics have won their 17th NBA Championship with a 131-92 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. Ray Allen shot 7-9 from beyond the 3-pt line and scored 26pts despite being scratched in the eye early in the game by Lamar Odom while driving to the hoop. Allen had his son, who was ill, to worry before the game but managed to shake it off to concentrate on the game, sharing the game high points with another of the Big 3, Kevin Garnett. The defensive player of the year, who also scored 26 points, recorded another double-double, pulling down 14 boards and blocked 1 shot. The Big Ticket scored a miraculous shot after being fouled by Odom with 47.3seconds left in the second quarter, putting the free throw in for a 3-pt play.
The Celts went on the crush the Lakers with a 23pt lead during the half and a 39pt victory at the end of the game. Lakers struggled with the ball, turning it 11 times during the first half, recording 19 turnovers for the game, which they fell as many as 43pts.
Kobe Bryant started out the game well shooting in threes for his team. However, he wasn't able to keep his momentum running and shot 7 of 22 field goals overall in Game 6. The biggest lead for the Lakers was only 4pts.
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June 17th + 17th Championship = #34 Paul Pierce", the perfect equation for the Boston Captain, Paul Pierce, who got the Finals Most Valuable Player award. Coming out from the locker room after a knee injury in Game 1 shooting back to back 3-pt shots, PP never failed to motivate his team throughout the Finals series. His hard drives to the bucket and his excellent defense on regular season MVP, Kobe Bryant has helped him secure a Championship Ring that he has waited for well over a decade, and a Finals MVP.
The Big 3 has been the stars of their own team, Celtics, Sonics and Timberwolves respectively, but haven't got any Rings, until now. Pierce has been in the green jersey all career long, despite being a Celtic hater when he was young.
All the big talk about the Big 3, have we now forgotten those beyond them? The likes of James Posey, Leon Powe, veterans PJ Brown and Sam Cassell, Eddie House and star point guard Rajon Rondo, they have contributed well.
We'll start with Posey. Terrific hustle defensively, excellent 3-pt range shooting, that's what 1-time NBA Champion has done for this Green Team.
Powe. 2 words, "GAME TWO".
PJ Brown. Another great defender of Boston. The 38-yr-old veteran has contributed well with his minutes offensively and defensively.
Sam Cassell. Also another 38-yr-old and former NBA Champion, he has proven all these years that he can shoot as he will and didn't fail to continue to show his offense here.
Eddie House. Quick release shots from anywhere ranging from mid to perimeter helped Boston offensively off the bench.
Rajon Rondo. Good looks, quick hands, that's the starting point guard of the Boston Celtics. Ankle injury from LA? What Ankle injury, played terrific in Game 6. He has also shown he can rebound the ball as well as any centers or forwards can. Can't shoot as well? No problem for the team because he feeds his teammates when they need the ball. Well done to the young point guard.
Now, that the wait is over, the rings have gone to those who have worked hard for it. Boston Celtics are indeed the world champions of basketball, and they deserve it. KUDOS TO THE GREEN TEAM! LIVE ON THE TRADITION!
i kind of like this post, did it all by myself with stats courtesy of NBA.com. and the Paul Pierce picture i editted. added the words 'where MVP happens'. plain, simple, but LOOKS GOOD!
11:34 pm
