Mitch Kupchak
(via @basketballtalk)
15 Second half assists for Rondo, who adjusted extremely well to what the Lakers were trying to accomplish defensively. Nine of those dimes came in the fourth quarter.
16 More total points + rebounds + assists for Kevin Garnett (18, 13 and 5) than Pau Gasol (12, 7 and 1) in a matchup that always defines Lakers – Celtics games in the past four seasons.
18 Fast break points for the Lakers, compared to only five for the Celtics, making Boston’s 60 percent shooting even more remarkable as most of the points came in the half court.
41 Points for Kobe Bryant, who started the game hot from the field before cooling while trying to carry the team in the fourth quarter. “I didn’t think anybody else wanted the ball,” said Phil Jackson. Bryant still finished over 50 percent at 16-of-29 (55.2 percent).
60.3 Boston’s shooting percentage for the game, fantastic execution even for the league’s best shooting team (50 percent on the season). Paul Pierce made 11-of-18 shots, Kevin Garnett 9-of-12 and Ray Allen 8-of-12.
Kobe Bryant exploded with 41 points but the Lakers fell 109-96 to the Celtics at STAPLES Center on Sunday. Lamar Odom had 15 points and Pau Gasol tallied 12 points. Next, the Lakers play the Rockets at home on Tuesday at 7:30. (from Lakers.com)
Normally I would write my own recap but I’m pissed over the loss including, but not only, Pau’s softness which makes Kobe take more shots than he should and is healthy for the team. Geez. How does a 7-footer disappear so easily …
THE CURSE OF HENRY ABBOTT.
Okay, we can’t blame this one on our favorite statistician, the Lakers played pretty flat. They had their chances at the end to steal the game (sad that they would would have to steal a game from the Kings), but couldn’t put together enough plays. Or stops.
Good news though is that Kobe passed Hakeem the Dream for 8th All-Time on the NBA scoring list. He finished with 38 points, 21 of those coming in the first quarter.
Pau Gasol finished with 9 points and 11 rebounds. Normally I’d say Kobe’s high numbers contributed to him only scoring 9 points, but he shot 4-11. Bynum had 12 points but only 4 rebounds which speaks volumes because the Kings really went to work on the boards. Carl Landry had 7 offensive boards which is pretty embarrassing for the Lakers.
Like NBAOffseason said, this was a trap game … and maybe the Lakers had their eyes towards the Celtics game on Sunday, who knows.
