The Dependables
Derek Fisher is about the most anyone can count on in these Finals
Writing after 3 NBA Finals games, I refuse--vehemently refuse--to dignify the officiating by making this post about how bad the reffing situation is in the NBA.
In a series full of up-and-down rollercoaster inter-game performances, I instead want to highlight a couple of the very few consistencies that have impacted all three games. There are a lot of obvious players you can look to that might fit the bill, so let's systematically eliminate some of the more popular choices.
Undependable: Kobe Bryant
I'm shooting to kill. Cutting the head of the snake. (Insert cliche to the same effect here). After scalding the net in the Phoenix series, Kobe is shooting just 39% from the field on nearly 24 shots per game through the series first 3 games. Along with his steep decline in scoring efficiency is a rise in turnovers, over 3 per game in the Finals. His other per game stats have not noticeably slipped; he's just taking a lot more shots to get to his 26.6 a game. Further, his 5 fouls in Game 2 dictated that he change his attack dramatically, and can be partially credited with the Laker choke at home. In Game 3, Kobe nearly shot the Lakers out of another win, hoisting at least ten ill-conceived shots out of 29 total and completely stifling any offensive life in his teammates. Also, let's not overlook Kobe's defensive lapses while guarding Rajon Rondo for some crucial stretches in the Celtics' Game 2 steal. No excuse for allowing that triple-double while collecting 5 (phantom) fouls.
Undependable: Kevin Garnett
By virtue of his no-show in Game 2 and par Game 1. Let's face it, if KG is locked in like he was in Game 3 (25 points, 11-16 FG), the Celtics are infinitely tougher to beat than when he's not. Even more, having to focus on stopping Garnett in turn helps Garnett stop Gasol and Bynum from getting going offensively.
Undependable: Lamar Odom
Everyone knows Lamar Odom is inconsistent and undependable. I couldn't resist tossing him into this list anyway.
Undependable: Ray Allen
The award for Biggest Rollercoaster Finals Performance Through Three Games goes to Jesus Shuttlesworth. After going for 32 points in Game 2 en route to breaking the Finals record for converted three-pointers with eight, Allen threw up a near-record for shooting futility. Just two nights after implanting the fear of God into the Staples Center, Ray could be seen shooting an unfathomable 0-13 FG and 0-8 3PT on his home floor in a tie series. He essentially undid any good from Game 2 with his off night in Game 3. Ray is one of my favorite guys in the NBA and a real stand up, class act. In spite of my elation as a Laker fan, I was truly pained to watch him struggle like that as one of the best humans and shooters to ever bless the NBA.
Undependable: Paul Pierce
PP hasn't been himself all series long--and that's coming from a guy who mortally detests him since The Fakeout (the foreign dialog adds about 35% hilarity to the comic value of the clip). He had a good Game 1, but he hasn't shot the ball well since then, and has struggled mightily to get his high post game going.
Why the pained face Paul? Did you miss a jumper or just get carried off the court?
When those four guys aren't the constants in a playoff series, you know you're watching something peculiar. If four of the 5 best players in the series are disqualified from being dependable, then who the heck is qualified?
Dependable: Rajon Rondo
He's officially grabbed the torch as the best player on the Celtics. Two years removed from the enigmatic, inexperienced version of himself, Rondo is now the most dominant player on the court every night. No question that he's been the best player in the series through Game 3. His triple-double in Game 2 is the only thing that has preserved any drama in this series, not to mention Boston's chance of winning. With even 90% of what he did in Game 2, the Celtics probably lose that game and are down 3-0. They need every bit of brilliance that Rondo provides. Is it amazing that this guy still doesn't have a nickname after 2 straight incredible seasons? Were it not for his complete defensive absence down the stretch in Game 3, the Celtics could possibly have the 2-1 lead. More on that defensive lapse in a minute.
Dependable: Abhorrent Reffing
I promised at the start that I wouldn't dignify this. Hold.....strong.....stay..... ............................. ............................. ............................. .....................strong
Dependable: Ron Artest
That is, you can always depend on Ron to be historically bad (39% for the playoffs) from the perimeter. He has shot over 50% from the field in only 6 games this postseason, and if you remove the totals from those games, he's shooting a robust 31%. If you can depend on Ron to be an offensive life-sucker, you can count on him to be just as good on defense. If the Lakers can win the title, the confusion/frustration/physica lity against Paul Pierce is worth all the trouble he creates on offense.
Dependable: Lamar Odom
You can always depend on Lamar Odom to be the most inconsistent player over 7 games in any series. He'll score 8 points in 36 minutes with ten fouls over two games, then come back and give you 12 huge points on 5-5 shooting with a deceivingly-important-for-mom entum banked three. I continue to assert that when Lamar Odom has it going off the bench, the Lakers are darn near unbeatable.
Dependable of Dependables: Derek Fisher
I have been one of the blogosphere's most passionate advocates for Fisher to be benched in favor of younger, more athletically gifted guards Shannon Brown and Jordan Farmar. During the regular year and into the playoffs, the Lakers are always mismatched at point guard. It's one of the defining characteristics of the team: weak point guard play. I have complained that Fisher misses too many open shots and cannot stay in front of bigger or quicker scoring guards like Deron Williams, Steve Nash, Russ Westbrook, and Chris Paul. When Phil Jackson opts for Farmar or Brown in end-of-game situations, I always feel more confident.
Apparently, my memory is short and fickle regarding Playoff Fish.
After Game 3, what can we say about Fish? The box score is unimpressive: 16 points on 6-12 FG, 1 AST, 3 REB, 5 fouls, 0 STL. The truth is, the impact of Fisher's clutch cannot be quantified by any box score line. With his team's offense sputtering and going into Stand-And-Watch-Kobe-Hoist-Te legraphed-Jumpers mode, Fisher did what he's built a reputation for in recent years: take and sink a few gigantic shots. After checking in at the 9:45 mark of the fourth quarter and his team's lead down to just one, Fisher went 5-7 for 11 of his 16 points, including two floaters in traffic and the game-clinching layup plus foul inside one minute to play. Kobe's numbers in that 4th quarter? 1-6 for 4 points. Look again, the Lakers survived a close NBA Finals game on the road against their most hated rival when Kobe scored one basket in his favorite time to close out games. It was as if Fisher was following Kobe around and saying after his bad misses, "Don't worry man, I'll pick you up. I got this." The Lakers 18-point lead was whittled down to one, but Boston never grabbed the lead after Fisher re-entered the game.
No more will I be so mercurial in my attitude toward Fisher. All the regular season ineptitude and ugliness is unequivocally worth his clutch dependability in the playoffs. His list of game-changing/game-clinching playoff shots is too long to list, most notably, .4. Frankily, I can't even remember a lot of them. Like Fish, these shots seem to blend into the background of Laker success, their impact never fully appreciated for how vital they are. I will say this for certain: the Lakers are nowhere without several big jumpers from Fisher in each of the four rounds in 2010's playoffs. His postgame interview betrays a man who seems to constantly keep life and basketball in perspective, which is part of what makes him arguably the best human being in the NBA.
(For those of you eager for me to gripe about the refs, I'm still processing the futility and incompetence we've seen thus far. I'll try and touch on it later or sometime after the Finals end)
