• dEDGE Post Scriptum •

This is the one. Handicapped parking signs for Paul Pierce. Artest with the MMA takedown. Pierce running away like a little biyaaatch. What do all of these fouls accomplish? Artest pays $18k for courtside seats, then gives then away to a pair of fans. Jerry West, looking extremely nervous as usual while watching the game. Gasoftnomore. Sheed, a time-bomb ticking down to a technical. Where’s Lamar? KG looking pathetic on the tip-in attempt. Glen Davis almost gets knocked out again. Chris Rock talking to Kobe’s hand. A beat-down on the boards, in the paint and off second chance points. Free tacos. 47-0. Laker Girls.

All together now. Foul trouble for everyone tonight. Drew and Pau swatting away shots like flies. Jesus has cometh. Rondo with the windshield wiper move, Bynum as the bug on the glass. Glen Davis; rebound, miss, rebound, swatted, rebound, swatted again. Eight 3-pointers and a new NBA Finals record. Where’s Lamar? Too much reality, not enough passion. Beat by the Big 3 + 1 consisting of Allen, Rondo, Perkins + Davis. No rebounds, no rings. Jon Barry is a chip off the old block, he’s an ass just like his old man. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Walton honoring John Wooden was more important than the game itself. “Winning takes talent, to repeat takes character.”

Spero Dedes, here today, gone to the NFL, back again today. Bob Cousy, John Havlicek, Casey Jones. Ray Allen gets hit by a truck with the license plate that reads Artest. Hello LO! Nice bank shot. Kobe with the steal and the save, Bynum with the lay-in + one. Kobe pumping his fist. Where’s Paul Pierce? Oh, he’s over there sitting on the bench. Nice stat line for Jesus, 0-13. Oh no, he’s limping again… Artest in his Rock Star pose. Instant replay without coaches throwing out the hankies. Fisher driving around Rondo. Fisher with the pull-up. Fisher drains the bank shot. D-Fish clobbered by three Celtics on the drive, but not before making the layup and one. “Nothing means more to me than helping my team win.” Celtics co-owner confronting David Stern brings back memories of classy Red Auerbach chasing Earl Strom in 1987.

Was it just me or was Anita Baker lit?

Big Baby needs a big bib…

The Shrek and Donkey Show…

Was it just me or was Anita Baker lit? The refs will not be a factor… will not be a factor… will not be a factor. Sorry Sheed, the refs missed that one. Can someone stuff a towel down Nate’s big mouth? Kobe, showing Ray Allen how it’s done from long-range. Glen Davis getting into Lamar’s face. Bynum limps to the locker room and doesn’t make it back after halftime. Laker fans poised for the team to go on a run. Still waiting after three periods… Davis, Robinson, Tony Allen and Sheed outplaying the Laker starters in the 4th. KG subbing in, then not, then again, then not again. Big Baby needs a big bib. Ouch, that last turnover hurt. We didn’t lose, we gave it to them. The Shrek and Donkey Show. Bynum, a question mark for Game 5. Lamar Odom, a question mark the entire series.

Kobe’s mom sitting directly behind the Boston bench. Purple and gold representation in the stands. Bynum giving it a go, but limping along. Phil answers Doris Burke’s questions unlike Craig Sager. Why is Pau starting out on the perimeter? Kendrick Perkins looks like Bubba from Forest Gump. I H8 N8. Artest with the hard foul on KG. Rondo with the finger push that sends Ron-Ron flying. Kobe playing 1-on-5 all game long. There’s no Kobe-stopper in this one. Missed free throws. Missed opportunities. More missed free throws. I repeat, the ball did not hit the rim. Pierce with the Tom Brady pass. Rondo with the “see-ya” reverse for the win. Heads down, asses up because this one stank. Backs against the wall. Do-or-die. Back to LA for two straight.

Christina Aguilera’s got pipes. Perkins goes down for the count. Jordan with the head-first dive and tap to Kobe. The Machine is back. Farmar stares down KG after the facial dunk. Spike Lee enjoyed that one so much, he’s dancing. Shannon Brown elevating to another level on the throw down. Out of the timeout, into outer space with the alley-oop slam. “What can Brown do for you?” The First Lady is in the house, or so we hear. I bet there’s a sniper in the rafters with his crosshairs focused on Vic the Brick. Rondo running into Artest’s elbow. Bench Mob, 24-0 through three. Jack signaling the choke sign to the Boston bench. See you Thursday.

The Road to the Rafters. It’s all or nothing, baby. There’s no tomorrow. It’s for all the marbles. Leave it all out on the court. It’s now or never. Christina Aguilera, our new good luck charm, and hotter. The refs are letting them play and this favors the Celtics. The Lakers are lacking any championship poise. Artest is carrying the Lakers offense and defense. Missed free throws… Rebounds are keeping us in the game. D-Fish to the rescue again. The Lakers finally take the lead on Kobe’s free throws. Boston is gagging on their own fist. Pau with the double-pump bucket. Artest with the game sealer three. Jubilation. Celebration. Redemption. This one is better than all the rest. “The Black Mamba passed me the ball, he never passes me the ball. He passed me the ball…” A ring for Ron-Ron and another for Queensbridge.

Will Ferrell. Charlize Theron. Adam Sandler. Chris Rock. David Spade. Steven Spielberg. Kourtney Kardashian. Snoop. David Duchovny. Hilary Swank. Kevin James. Sylvester Stallone. Alison Sweeney. Chris Tucker. Adam Levine. Ice Cube. Mark Cuban. Jason Bateman. Terrell Owens. Stacy Keibler. Kim Kardashian. Rob Lowe. Kevin Connolly. Justin Timberlake. Ray Romano. Chris Bosh. Kevin Love. Kurt Rambis. Rick Fox. Eliza Dushku. Akon. Kenny G. Will.I.Am. Josh Brolin. Diane Lane. Diddy. Tom Arnold. Brendan Fraser. Karissa Shannon. Spike Lee. Michelle Obama. Laura Dern. Ellen Pompeo. Fergie. Timbaland. Usher. Courtney Cox-Arquette. Ryan Seacrest. George Lopez. Jake Gyllenhall. Leonardo DiCaprio. David Arquette. Penny Marshall. Anthony Kiedis. Dustin Hoffman. Andy Garcia. Dyan Cannon. Jack Nicholson.

Say it slowly, “2010 NBA World Champions.” And then in a booming voice similar to that of Lawrence Tanter, proudly announce, “your Los Angeles Lakers.” Game 7 at Staples Center was billed as the renewed rivalry between two storied franchises. With Boston taking the title against LA in 2008, then the Lakers claiming the top prize in 2009, to today, where the Los Angeles Lakers made it a repeat performance, defending their title en route to their 16th overall championship with a 83-79 win over the resilient Boston Celtics. Game 7 had all the makings of a high drama, full of subplots, untimely injuries, redemption, and in the end, a win for the good guys. And on a night when the biggest stars had a difficult time shining through, the newest member of the Lakers came through big-time.

Boston, put away the champagne, and break out the bottled water, because that’s all you’ll be drinking on your way home.

Ron Artest’s (20 points on 7-18, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 5 steals) 3-pointer with 1:00 to play all but guaranteed the win, pushing the lead to 79-73. Free throws down the stretch sealed the deal as confetti floated down from the ceilings and the players celebrated wildly on the court. Kobe Bryant (23 points on 6-24, 15 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal) was named the Finals MVP, but he had a difficult time trying to find the bottom of the basket. Credit a stingy and determined Celtics defense, as they constantly double- and triple-teamed Kobe. But in the end, Kobe made enough free throws and secured a handful of rebounds to claim the title. Pau Gasol (19 points on 6-16, 18 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocked shots), also found the going tough on the offensive side of things, but his double-pump baseline jumper after blocking Paul Pierce’s shot at the other end, was huge. Every single play in the 4th quarter was huge because the Lakers had suffered through a terrible three quarters of play.

Boston’s strength and perseverance immediately pushed the Lakers back on their heels. Even without injured big man, Kendrick Perkins, the Celtics defense was much improved over their Game 6 blowout loss. The Lakers had problems just getting a decent look at the basket and from the get-go, this game was ugly. The Lakers managed only 14-points in the 1st quarter, shooting a horrid 6-27 (22.2%) from the field. But they did manage to control the boards, out-rebounding the Celtics, 15-10 (10 offensive). Meanwhile, the Celtics shot a decent 10-17 (58.8%) but only led 23-14 at the end of one. Glen Davis (6 points on 2-4, 9 rebounds, 1 steal) recorded all 6 of his points in the opening stanza, while Rajon Rondo (14 points on 6-13, 8 rebounds, 10 assists, 1 steal), Kevin Garnett (17 points on 8-13, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 blocked shots) and Rasheed Wallace (11 points on 5-11, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocked shots) all chipped in with 4-points apiece.

The 2nd period started much better for the Lakers although missed free throws would be a constant theme throughout the game. They were displaying good energy, and this was rewarded in the number of offensive rebounds that they were grabbing. The Lakers rolled to an 11-0 run to open the quarter, giving them their first lead at 25-23 since early in the game. And in the center of it all was Artest, making steals, grabbing rebounds and hitting his shots. While Gasol and Kobe were putting up blanks, Artest was the only reliable source for any offense. Rondo and KG would score to give the lead back to the Celtics, but Artest’s 3-pointer knotted the score at 29-29 with 3:57 left in the half. Paul Pierce (18 points on 5-15, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 blocked shot) would score 7-points the rest of the way, securing a 40-34 lead at the conclusion of the first half. Artest led the way for the Lakers with 12-points, all in the 2nd quarter, followed by Kobe with 8-points and 7 rebounds. Pierce led Boston with 11-points and 6 rebounds. The Lakers ended the half with a miserable 13-50 (26%) and only 6-12 (50%) from the free throw line. Boston recorded 15-34 (44.1%) and 8-8 (100%) from the line, but committed 8 turnovers and trailed in the rebounding battle 29-23.
With the Lakers seemingly lost and confused on offense, Boston pounced at the opportunity to start the 3rd quarter. A 9-2 run catapulted the Celtics to a 49-36 lead, forcing Phil Jackson to call a time-out 9:45 into the period. Kobe continued to clank away from outside, unable to find any rhythm on his shot. And as the Staples Center crowd moaned with each miss, the Celtics grew more and more confident. But a 9-2 run the other way found the Lakers narrowing the lead back down to 51-45, forcing Doc Rivers to call his own time-out. Pierce’s 3-pointer pushed the lead back up to nine as the Lakers tried to stay within striking distance with multiple trips to the charity stripe. Lamar Odom’s (7 points on 3-8, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 blocked shot) follow-up of a missed Artest layup drew the Lakers to within 57-53 at the end of three. But the Lakers were still shooting a paltry 31.3% and only 9-16 (56.3%) from the line. Rebounding remained the only bright spot with the Lakers holding a 43-31 (20 offensive) advantage while Boston’s defense completely shut down their ability to attack. Both Kobe and Pau were having little success generating any type of sustained offensive firepower. But for all of their difficulties, the Celtics had yet to run away with the lead or the game.

Pau started the 4th with a 9-footer and drew the foul. But he missed his free throw, leaving the Lakers tantalizingly close at 57-55. The Lakers would then go the next 3-minutes without registering a point. Fortunately, the Celtics could muster little offense themselves as both teams stopped the other from scoring. KG’s layup around Gasol made it 59-55 with 9:00 left in regulation. Kobe got Allen to bite on a 3-point attempt and sank all three free throws but Allen responded at the other end with an 8-footer. Artest’s 3-point play tied the game at 61-all as the crowd erupted in pandemonium. But it was short-lived as Allen would convert 3-4 free throws to give the lead right back to the Celtics. Derek Fisher (10 points on 4-6, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 1 steal) made his presence felt with a 26-foot, 3-pointer for the 64-64 tie. After a Rondo miss, Kobe was fouled and sank both free throws for the 66-64 lead with 5:56 left in the game. Allen missed an open 18-footer, then Kobe came upcourt, made a quick dash to the right, pulled up and drained a 17-footer for the 68-64 lead. Boston was forced to take a time-out to set-up a play. Pierce was forced into a poor 3-point attempt as Kobe secured the rebound. Pau drew KG into a foul and he finally made both free throws for the six-point lead.
Pierce would connect on a mid-range jumper but the Lakers continued to march to the free throw line. Kobe and Pau would combine for 4-6 leading up to Gasol’s big double-pump shot over KG and Wallace. With the game drawing to a dramatic close, Sheed would connect on a 3-pointer to bring the Celtics to within 76-73. Artest’s 3-pointer would push the lead back up to 79-73, but Allen responded with a trey of his own to make it 79-76. Kobe’s two free throws made it a 5-point lead, but Boston got lucky as Allen’s 3-point attempt went long, falling into Rondo’s hands. Rondo would pull back and nail another 3-pointer for the Celtics, trimming the lead down to 81-79 with 0:13 to go. The Lakers called time-out to set-up a play to make sure the ball got into the hands of a decent free throw shooter. Sasha Vujacic (2 points on 0-2, 1 rebound in 5-minutes) got the inbounds pass and was promptly fouled by Allen. Sasha calmly drained both free throws for the 83-79 advantage with only 0:11 to play. Boston set-up their play for Pierce in the time-out, but the Lakers defense switched on everything, forcing him to pass off to Rondo in the corner. His 3-point attempt fell well short as Gasol plucked the rebound and passed out to Odom. LO heaved the ball the length of the court and Kobe chased it down as time expired off the clock.

The Lakers won the battle of the boards, 53-40 with 23 coming off the offensive glass. They narrowly outscored the Celtics, 38-36 in points-in-the-paint, while shooting only 32.5% for the game. But the Lakers enjoyed a 25-37 (67.6%) compared to 15-17 (88.2%) advantage at the free throw line. In the 4th quarter, the Lakers registered 30-points, almost surpassing their entire first half performance. Boston managed only 6-points from their bench, while the Lakers could only provide 9 themselves. But it was the play of Artest throughout the game that gave Kobe and Pau the opportunity to close it out at the end. The championship parade is set for Monday morning at 11:00 am where we can all thank Ron Artest and the rest of the squad personally.

Faced with a must-win situation, the Los Angeles Lakers responded with a resounding 89-67 victory over the Boston Celtics at Staples Center to even the 2010 NBA Finals at 3-3. A seventh, and final contest will take place at Staples Center on Thursday evening. The Lakers wasted little time in returning
to a semblance of the team that utilized its vast depth and size to overpower its opponents. And now, the once confident Celtics face the harsh reality of a rejuvenated and re-energized Laker squad on their home court in a deciding Game 7. Kobe Bryant (26 points on 9-19, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals) set the tone from the tip-off, attacking relentlessly and staying aggressive on defense, and as a result, the Lakers fed off of their leader’s energy. Ron Artest, (15 points on 6-11, 3-6 from behind the arc, 6 rebounds, 1 blocked shot), much maligned for his wavering offense back in Boston, took it to the Celtics early, taking his defender off the dribble or stepping back for his corner three. Ball movement was good for the Lakers, as were the hustle plays that had them coming up on the short end for the past two games. Pau Gasol (17 points on 6-14, 13 rebounds, 9 assists, 1 steal, 3 blocked shots) bounced back from a disappointing Game 5 one assist shy of a triple-double. But the difference tonight was the Lakers’ bench.

With Derek Fisher (4 points on 1-1, 2 rebounds, 2 steals in 15-minutes) saddled with two early fouls, Shannon Brown (4 points on 2-4, 2 rebounds, 2 assists in 19-minutes) was forced into immediate action. Brown, who only registered one minute of play in the previous contest was assigned to the hot-shooting Ray Allen (19 points on 7-14, 2 rebounds, 3 assists), who had already scored 8-points in the opening minutes of play. And the high-flyer did not disappoint. He effectively helped shut down Allen and the rest of the Celtics as the Lakers defense amped up. With the Lakers holding an 18-12 lead, Kendrick Perkins (0 points in 7-minutes) landed awkwardly on a rebound attempt and appeared to injure his right knee. Perkins was assisted off the court and taken to the Boston locker room where he underwent x-rays. Perkins reportedly suffered a sprained knee and did not return. LA subsequently went on a 14-6 run to take total control of the game. Kobe paced the Lakers with 11-points, followed by Artest with 8, and Gasol chipping in 5 points to go along with 6 rebounds. The Lakers held a 12-5 rebound advantage, led 4-0 in blocked shots, and shot 12-20 (60%) from the field for a 28-18 lead after one.

The 2nd period saw a return of the long forgotten Bench Mob. Sasha Vujacic (9 points on 3-6, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 steal in 14-minutes) drained a 21-footer to open play. After an Allen trey, Lamar Odom (8 points on 3-9, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 blocked shots) hit a 19-footer on the curl as the Lakers built a 32-21 advantage. Jordan Farmar (4 points on 2-6, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 3 steals in 17-minutes) dove head-first to track down a loose ball, then instinctively tapped the ball forward to a streaking Kobe. Kobe was fouled on his layup attempt, and his free throws extended the lead to 36-23. Farmar’s dive ignited the Lakers, catapulting them on a 11-2 run capped off by his slam dunk over Kevin Garnett (12 points in 6-14, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal) on the fast-break. His bucket gave the Lakers a 45-25 lead, the momentum, and the opportunity to play a Game 7. The Lakers closed out the first half with a 51-31 advantage after limiting the Celtics to 14-41 (34.1%) from the field. The bench provided 15-points as the Lakers outscored Boston 23-13 in the period.

3rd quarter play opened with neither team being able to score. And as Staples Center took a collective breath of concern, it was coach Doc Rivers of the Celtics that was left shaking his head in disbelief. Boston had opportunities to cut into the lead, but missed two relatively easy layup attempts. And with Fisher picking up his third foul seconds into the second half, things looked to be turning in the Celtics favor. Paul Pierce (13 points on 6-14, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal) drained a 3-pointer to make it 55-38 but Boston continued to be sloppy with the ball, allowing the Lakers to get out in transition. Pierce’s turnover led to Kobe feeding Brown for a thunderous slam that brought the house down.

Similar to Farmar’s head-first dive, Brown’s dunk electrified the crowd and instantly recharged the Lakers and gave them a 60-40 lead. But if that wasn’t enough, the Lakers drew up a play coming out of a time-out that saw Gasol take the inbounds pass and throw a perfect lob pass to the cutting Brown for the tomahawk jam. Again, Staples Center exploded in unison just as the players on the Lakers bench fell over themselves in complete awe. A rattled Celtics squad managed to exchange baskets with the Lakers over the next few minutes, but with 2:13 remaining in the quarter, the Lakers still enjoyed a 70-51 lead. Boston went the final two minutes of the period without scoring another point while the Lakers’ Vujacic and Artest pounded the nails into their coffin with back-to-back 3-pointers and a 76-51 lead.

Boston was unable to make a dent in the 4th quarter and soon cleared their bench. The Lakers, for all of their success in forcing a Game 7, had one possible, major set-back. Andrew Bynum (2 points on 1-4, 4 rebounds, 1 steal 1 blocked shot in 16-minutes) pulled himself from the game after he re-tweaked his injured knee early in the third quarter. Although he returned to the bench with his knee wrapped in ice, his status for Game 7 is still up in the air. Perkins, for all intensive purposes, appears to be out, potentially leaving both teams without their starting big men. But tonight was a night of redemption for the Bench Mob after two consecutive poor outings by them. They now stand poised with renewed confidence for a showdown on Thursday. To illustrate the domination of this game, at the conclusion of the 3rd period, the Lakers bench had outscored that of Boston’s, 24-0. Points-in-the-paint also favored the Lakers, 40-32, with the majority of the Celtics points coming after the game had already been decided. The final rebound tally was 52-39, 8-4 in blocked shots, and 13-8 on steals, all in favor of the Lakers. And for a couple of more days, the champagne stays in the frig, but only until Thursday.