Sports 'N Stuff: NBA Finals Game 1 — Did We Learn Anything?
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I was hoping the nostalgia of the rivalry would somehow reignite the old fire I had for those great NBA teams.
Well, after watching the game, I have come to the conclusion that it didn't really do that much for me. The game itself was pretty even: the Celtics grabbed a win over the Lakers by 98-88.
However, that doesn't really tell us anything. Neither team succeeded in setting the tempo for the best-of-seven championship series nor did either prove they are the BETTER team.
True the Celtics won but had that game been in Los Angeles, the Lakers probably would have. Lakers head coach Phil Jackson and his star player Kobe Bryant are the best in the game. That gives them an advantage. Jackson is 9-1 in championship series' for his career. That gives them an another advantage.
The Celtics are 8-2 against the Lakers in the NBA Finals. Advantage – Celtics. The Celts are bigger and playing on their home court for the first two games. Advantage – Celtics. See where I'm going with this?
Folks, it looks like we are going to actually have a series on our hands here. The best in the West versus the best in the East and both seemingly evenly matched. Kobe had an OK game for LA and KG (Kevin Garnett) had a few spurts during the game that gave the Celtics what they needed to win the game.
Here is the part that will have Celtic fans screaming at me when I drive down the street. Paul Pierce seemed to have gotten injured by one of his own players after scoring 8 points to open the third quarter. The question in my mind is this (here we go Celts fans): Did Pierce really get hurt or what is a ploy to get that crowd behind them even more?
After being carried off the floor and carted to the locker room in a wheelchair, he emerged just minutes later and went on a tear to put the Celts over the top for good. The crowd was crazed and destiny for Game 1 was set. Great tactic Pierce and kudos for making it work.
The rest of this series will be worth watching. I can't tell you who will win and, quite honestly, either one would be OK with me. I think Kobe is the greatest player in the game and I love to watch KG and Paul Pierce and Ray Allen work together whipping that ball around the court to get an open shot. It will be a six- or seven-game series and bring the ratings back for the NBA. They deserve it.
Great start guys. Keep it going.
Brian Flagg was co-host of "The Sports Page" on local public access stations for nearly five years. The North Adams resident has been coaching girls' basketball and softball for 16 years. His column usually appears every other Monday.
