Lakers 1, Celtics 1
Posted: Monday, June 07, 2010 by Travis Cody in
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It's not a series until the home team loses a game on it's own floor. That happened last night.
Kobe Bryant was in foul trouble all night, and although the Lakers stayed tough, they just couldn't overcome a 32 point outburst from Ray Allen. Allen shot 8 of 11 from the 3 point line. Although LA was more effective defensively against Allen in the second half, they played from behind most of the evening and couldn't overcome Kobe's foul trouble.
Pau Gasol and Anderw Bynum played outstanding on the offensive end. But the Lakers as a team didn't shoot the ball that well, and they did not control the boards as effectively as they did in game 1. In fact, the Celtics out-rebounded LA slightly, 44-39. The Lakers also had trouble defending slip screens and getting to the third pass off the pick and roll.
Boston was much more aggressive and attentive to detail than in the first game. They made the key defensive plays in the 4th quarter that ended up being the difference.
So now the series shifts to Boston for game 3 on Tuesday, and then games 4 and 5. The Lakers must return the favor and win at least one game on the road to take back the home court advantage. We'll see if they are up to the task.