NBA GAME FOUR ANALYSIS

How the Celtics made the comeback

The Boston Celtics teamwork both in offense and defense really impressed me. At least four Celtics would crowd out the lane whenever Kobe tried to attack it. Paul Pierce defended Bryant very well even blocking him once to lead off a fastbreak. Garnett also had several blocks from the low post (in the entire series) and still an intimidating presence in the shaded lane. In offense, all Boston players would look for the open man and pass the ball to him. It happened several times with Posey and House becoming recipient of those assists and nailing the shots down. Celtics passing is still crisp – sometimes their passing confuses the Lakers resulting in unchallenged shots in the process. One great thing about the Celtics is Allen, Garnett and Pierce could suddenly take over the game and finish off their opponents

I noticed Lakers have a weak post defense. In addition their guards like Sasha Vujacic couldn’t stop the likes of Ray Allen. Their inability to properly execute the triangle offense also cost them dear.

One would think it was Lakers’ day yesterday even commentator Van Gundy thought so. Despite being down Boston coach Doc Rivers motivated his crew and constantly kept their morale up saying “Never stop believing!” He cheered on his boys and gave them the impression that Game Four was still up for grabs even when they were 24 points down. His team believed him and worked hard to chop off the huge lead. Belief plus positive action resulted in one of the biggest comeback in NBA playoffs history. Today’s Celtics are no different from the Celtics of yore – still a tough team with a strong winning mentality. This is the view from the sugar island.