The Game I Can't Forget
June 13th 2009 00:48
My intention for this blog is to talk about trends and issues in sports, not news stories. I aim to stay away from recapping regular season games because that seems to represent a very narrow scope and I want to focus on the big picture instead.
That said, I have to reset my take on Game 4 of the NBA Finals last night. It was fantastic; one of the top 5 basketball games I have ever seen, college or pro. It had everything: shot for shot, back and forth action, cold blooded clutch shots, bad coaching, missed calls, and a few iconic moments provided by the forgotten Derek Fisher.
I have to concede that I have been leading the mob for Fisher's head this entire postseason after he went into a coma for the first 12 games. I pleaded for one of his teammates to take a lead pipe to the back of his head and drag him into a corner of the locker room where no one could find him. Fish made me and countless viewers feel like an idiot last night with his unbelievable shooting in crunch time. I forgot that he's been through thick and thin with this Laker team and that even though he has declined steadily this season, he is a 3-time indispensible champion.
This game had Kobe Bryant's unrivaled competitive drive forcing shots in an effort to beat the Magic by himself. On a side note, his postgame interview cooled me down because he was visibly upset with himself for his horrendous play down the stretch. I covered Kobe extensively in my previous post, but he brought his eyes up just in time to allow his teammates to shoulder some of the load in escaping Game 4.
This game had strategic paralysis by Stan Van Gundy. Personally, I really like SVG; he's candid, honest, bold, and I think he and GM Otis Smith have done a great job assembling this squad. However, the Magic's epic Game 4 choke job rests largely on him. He inexplicably played Jameer Nelson over the more cohesive Rafer Alston for the entire 4th quarter and OT when Nelson had repeatedly interrupted team chemistry early in the series. With a 3 point lead and 10.8 seconds in regulation, he opted to not put Fisher on the line for two free throws. Fisher canned that epic 3 over Nelson to tie the game and the Magic never recovered.
This game featured a massive choke by the Magic mixed with more ... officiating. (Still haven't found the right word to describe it). The Magic missed more free throws than the Lakers made, which highlights the fusion of Orlando's and the refs failures. In one 17 minute period, the Magic attempted 18 free throws. The Lakers? Zero. Hedo Turkoglu, an 83% to this point in the season, missed 3 out of 4 in the last five minutes of regulation; not to mention Dwight Howard's pair of missed freebies with that three point lead in the final minute. Aside from the free throw disparity, the officials made some repulsive calls against the Lakers (like Derek Fisher's foul on Dwight Howard when Howard had just put Pau Gasol on the floor with a forearm shiver to the lower back on a rebound).
This game had Trevor Ariza's ironic destruction of the team that traded him to the Lakers in 2007 in one of the underrated grand theft trades in recent years. With the Lakers coming out of halftime trailing by 10, Ariza rattled off a 13 point third quarter to help the Lakers to a stunning 16 quarter. His ice-cold, shot-clock-winding-down 3 from the top of the key with 2:53 left in the 4th quarter instantly erased Orlando's momentum and its 3 point lead. He had a critical hustle play late in OT on an offensive rebound that helped the Lakers retain possession and the lead.
Ariza finished with 16 points, 9 rebounds, and 6,321 intangibles in Game 4 and continued to do all the thankless things that no other Laker is willing to do while never opening his mouth, calling for the ball, or demanding a contract extension. Between Game 4 and a few other fantastic performances, Trevor Ariza earned himself a boatload of money in free agency this summer.
Finally, this game had some great unintentional comedy that could only be noticed with a DVR tuner. Right before Stan Van went into a momentary coma with 10.8 left in the 4th quarter, ABC cut to a shot of its stellar broadcast team to discuss strategy out of the timeout. Right behind them in the first row were the typical fans screaming and waving into the camera. One woman, clearly intoxicated, leaned forward to get into the picture and took a fat digger. She just completely missed her seat and went into a heap on the floor. After laying there stunned for a second, she was helped to her feet by the large man next to her. My crew rewound it 3 times. Pure gold.
Game 4 had everything, which is why I can't stop playing it over in my head. On one hand, it was a colossal choke by an Orlando team that doesn't look quite ready yet. On the other hand, a previously gutless Laker team overcame massive disadvantages in free throws and general referee incompetence to grind out Game 4. They earned the win. This series is incredible because two shots have the Lakers up 3-1 when they could just as easily be down 3-1. ABC has to be drooling over the ratings numbers for this series.
On the heels of incredible overtime Games 2 and 4, I can only sit back and wish for another rollercoaster ride in Game 5.
That said, I have to reset my take on Game 4 of the NBA Finals last night. It was fantastic; one of the top 5 basketball games I have ever seen, college or pro. It had everything: shot for shot, back and forth action, cold blooded clutch shots, bad coaching, missed calls, and a few iconic moments provided by the forgotten Derek Fisher.
This game had Kobe Bryant's unrivaled competitive drive forcing shots in an effort to beat the Magic by himself. On a side note, his postgame interview cooled me down because he was visibly upset with himself for his horrendous play down the stretch. I covered Kobe extensively in my previous post, but he brought his eyes up just in time to allow his teammates to shoulder some of the load in escaping Game 4.
This game had strategic paralysis by Stan Van Gundy. Personally, I really like SVG; he's candid, honest, bold, and I think he and GM Otis Smith have done a great job assembling this squad. However, the Magic's epic Game 4 choke job rests largely on him. He inexplicably played Jameer Nelson over the more cohesive Rafer Alston for the entire 4th quarter and OT when Nelson had repeatedly interrupted team chemistry early in the series. With a 3 point lead and 10.8 seconds in regulation, he opted to not put Fisher on the line for two free throws. Fisher canned that epic 3 over Nelson to tie the game and the Magic never recovered.
This game featured a massive choke by the Magic mixed with more ... officiating. (Still haven't found the right word to describe it). The Magic missed more free throws than the Lakers made, which highlights the fusion of Orlando's and the refs failures. In one 17 minute period, the Magic attempted 18 free throws. The Lakers? Zero. Hedo Turkoglu, an 83% to this point in the season, missed 3 out of 4 in the last five minutes of regulation; not to mention Dwight Howard's pair of missed freebies with that three point lead in the final minute. Aside from the free throw disparity, the officials made some repulsive calls against the Lakers (like Derek Fisher's foul on Dwight Howard when Howard had just put Pau Gasol on the floor with a forearm shiver to the lower back on a rebound).
This game had Trevor Ariza's ironic destruction of the team that traded him to the Lakers in 2007 in one of the underrated grand theft trades in recent years. With the Lakers coming out of halftime trailing by 10, Ariza rattled off a 13 point third quarter to help the Lakers to a stunning 16 quarter. His ice-cold, shot-clock-winding-down 3 from the top of the key with 2:53 left in the 4th quarter instantly erased Orlando's momentum and its 3 point lead. He had a critical hustle play late in OT on an offensive rebound that helped the Lakers retain possession and the lead.
Finally, this game had some great unintentional comedy that could only be noticed with a DVR tuner. Right before Stan Van went into a momentary coma with 10.8 left in the 4th quarter, ABC cut to a shot of its stellar broadcast team to discuss strategy out of the timeout. Right behind them in the first row were the typical fans screaming and waving into the camera. One woman, clearly intoxicated, leaned forward to get into the picture and took a fat digger. She just completely missed her seat and went into a heap on the floor. After laying there stunned for a second, she was helped to her feet by the large man next to her. My crew rewound it 3 times. Pure gold.
Game 4 had everything, which is why I can't stop playing it over in my head. On one hand, it was a colossal choke by an Orlando team that doesn't look quite ready yet. On the other hand, a previously gutless Laker team overcame massive disadvantages in free throws and general referee incompetence to grind out Game 4. They earned the win. This series is incredible because two shots have the Lakers up 3-1 when they could just as easily be down 3-1. ABC has to be drooling over the ratings numbers for this series.
On the heels of incredible overtime Games 2 and 4, I can only sit back and wish for another rollercoaster ride in Game 5.
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