Another one for the record books
Wow. Two Celtics posts in a row. This is getting disturbing. Not having watched or cared about basketball before last month, I feel a little odd being so excited about this team and this series. But it’s hard not too. I mean, it’s historic.
Jenn watched the first few minutes with me, and it did nothing to change her feelings about basketball. The Celtics looked like they couldn’t hit the side of a barn –nothing was going in, and meanwhile the Lakers were absolutely on fire. Everything was working for them. After just a few minutes, one of the announcers was already calling the game and setting the series at 2-2. Apparently, he’d forgotten that the Celtics had nearly blown a 20-point lead in the fourth quarter of game 2. In my limited basketball experience, even I know that anything is possible, especially with this team.
Anyway, the only ones blowing leads last night were the Lakers. Things looked dismal at half-time, when the Celtics were still down by 18 (after a ridiculous, buzzer-beating 3-pointer by some Lakers bench guy) and clearly getting outplayed. At the beginning of the game, I had commented to Jenn that I didn’t really like seeing the locker room speeches by the coaches, but I loved hearing what Doc Rivers had to say during half-time — focus on your defense, and the points will come. And that’s exactly what happened. The Lakers, who had scored 58 in the first half, struggled to score 33 in the second, and the Celtics confidence and play got better and better. The points came.
They finally tied it with ten minutes left, and took a lead for the first time with four minutes to go. They never gave it up. Final score, 97-91.
Wow. I can’t wait for Father’s Day.