Game 2: It's a Rondoful Life

It was a typical Los Angeles Sunday where it was beautiful enough to go to the freeway and take a dip in the cool Pacific Ocean. Yet, for the Celtics it has been a weekend of stormy criticism as they were told that the Lakers were a different ball club. Tonight, the question was can the Celtics respond from the shellacking they received in the biggest stage?

After Game 2, that answer was a resounding, Yes. The Celtics played like the tried and tested team everyone saw in their run to the Finals. They were aggressive on defense and it was a record-setting night on both sides. They out-rebounded the Lakers 44-39 and outscored them 11-4 on the fast break. They outscored the Lakers 36-26 on the paint, which was a reversal from the Game 1 drubbing they were handed. The Lakers had a record 14 blocks while Ray Allen had a first half for the ages as he nailed 7 three pointers and nail another to have the all time record in a NBA Finals Game. His shot was sublime and nobody not even Kobe could cover him. Although, he cooled off in the second half his damage was too much for the Lakers to overcome.

Yet, the big story was the performance of Rajon Rondo as he took over the game and may have swung the series into Boston's favor. He made the big plays on both the defensive and offensive end. He made the big shots especially an open jumper that put the Celtics up by 5. His performance was the catalyst for a game ending 16-4 run that has this series tied rather than a 2-0 Lakers heading to Boston.

He scored 19 pts. 10 assists and 12 rebounds. Let me repeat that: 12 Rebounds!!!! He was everywhere and was Havlichekesque as he did everything that made this Celtic victory possible. Rondo and Ray Allen were the two players who did the most damage and left the Lakers spinning as well as their fans.

As for the Lakers, they came out flat and looked like the Celtic team in Game 1. Their defense was shell-shocked by the shooting of Ray Allen and shredded by Rondo's passing, penetration and scoring. Their offense was stagnant as the Celtics forced the Lakers to shoot from the perimeter. In addition, the Lakers were 5-22 from three point distance. They frustrated Kobe and took him out of his game, which explains why he got 5 fouls. They shot 39 free throws but that was moot by their poor execution and timely defense of Rondo.

Pau Gasol had a great game with 25 points and 8 rebounds. He was effective in the post and punished the smaller Celtic big men. In some stretches, he was dominant. Yet, he was never heard from again during the final Celtics push in the fourth quarter. The Lakers never got him the ball and he did not get as many rebounds as he did in Game 1. Amazingly, he was on the bench for 7 minutes and should have been in the court the whole fourth quarter.

Andrew Bynum was spectacular as he scored 21 points as well as 6 block shots which contributed to the record 14 blocks. Unfortunately, he only got 5 rebounds. He was a destructive presence in the post and a terror for anytime the Celtics came into the paint. He played 39 minutes which is considerable because he usually plays 20-25 minutes a game. Yet, he needs to pick up his rebounding just like Gasol.

Ron Artest was awful in this game as he made dumb foul after dumb foul. He jacked up unnecessary three point shots. Artest was 3-8 from the Free Throw stripe and 1-6 from three point land along with 1-10 shooting. He was a liability on the offensive end and on defense as he stalled the Lakers attack which led to their undoing in that 16-4 run by the Celtics.

The rest of the Lakers could not shoot the side of a barn and Lamar Odom has yet to appear in this series. Like Game 1, he was invisible and that is bad for the Lakers going forward as the series progresses. It seems that the Celtics control Lamar both mentally and physically.

For Game 3, the Lakers must move the ball to the post with impugnity just like they did in Game 2. They must play intense defense and crash the boards like there is no tomorrow. In addition, they need to be aware who has the hot hand and continue to ride it just like Boston did with Ray Allen the entire 1st half. It's officially a series and now the Lakers must respond in an arena where the fans will be on them all game along. Don't believe me? See this twitter link: http://twitter.com/celticschant. Will it be a Boston Massacre or a Hollywood ending? I don't know but it's so fun imagining all the possibilities heading to Boston.