| Phil Being Outcoached? Authored by Brandon Hoffman - June 13, 2008 - 5:54 pm
The Los Angeles Lakers built a 58-40 lead at halftime last night, only to have the Celtics rally from what was once a 24-point deficit and shock the Lakers 97-91.
It was the largest comeback in NBA Finals history.
The Celtics now have seemingly insurmountable 3-1 lead on the Lakers heading into Sunday’s Game 5 in LA.
How have things gotten to this point for the Finals favorite Lakers?
Let’s take a look.
The Zenmaster Has Been Outdone
Doc Rivers has made several adjustments and counter-adjustments. Phil Jackson’s decision to defend Rajon Rondo with Kobe Bryant was instrumental in the Lakers Game 3 victory and their first-half lead in Game 4. Bryant was free to roam the paint and double-down on Pierce and Garnett in the post. When Kendrick Perkins went out of the game with an injured shoulder with 9:34 left in the 3rd quarter, Doc substituted PJ Brown for Perkins.
Brown missed one 11-foot jumpshot and Doc had seen enough. He replaced Brown with James Posey at the 8:22 mark of the 3rd quarter. The addition of Posey and the replacement of Rajon Rondo with Eddie House at the 7:05 mark of the 3rd forced the Lakers to stay home on their assignments and opened the floor up for KG, Pierce, and Ray Allen.
Posey and House combined for 29 points in the comeback.
The Celtics cut the lead from 18 to 11 before Jackson burned his first timeout with 2:58 left in the 3rd quarter.
The Zenmaster’s solution: to send Jordan Farmar in for Derek Fisher and to replace Lamar Odom with Sasha Vujacic.
But the bleeding didn’t stop. The Celtics would cut the lead to 2 by the end of the 3rd.
Derek Fisher wouldn’t return to action until the 2:10 mark of the 4th quarter and promptly buried a 23-foot jumper to cut the lead to 3 with 1:04 left.
There’s no excuse to have Derek Fisher – a guy who has hit countless clutch baskets in his career – on the pine in the closing minutes.
Doc Rivers has his team believing they can win and defensive mastermind Celtics assistant Tom Thibodeau has orchestrated a defensive effort that’s second to none.
Rivers and Thibodeau haven’t won the war yet but they’re winning the battle.
Bryant’s Two Dismal Shooting Performances
Kobe shot 9-of-26 (35%) in Game 1. The Lakers lost 98-88.
Bryant shot 6-of-19 (32%) in Game 4. The Lakers lost 97-91.
Kobe also struggled in the first half of Game 2’s loss before leading a furious comeback in the 4th quarter.
Bryant was big in the 4th quarter of Game 4 (4-of-8, 10 points, 3 assists) but it was too little, too late.
Boston’s ‘Big 3’ Has Been Bigger
Much was made of the Bryant-Gasol-Odom trio before the NBA Finals but they’ve been outplayed by Garnett, Pierce, and Allen. Boston’s Big 3 is averaging 57 points per game to the Lakers 53 – a negligible difference on the surface but significant when considering the last 3 games have been decided by 6 points or less.
Derek Fisher Has Struggled
Fisher is shooting less than 45% from the floor and 22% from the 3-point line. The normally steady playmaker is averaging a turnover (2.5) for every assist (3.3).
Shooting Forward Oxymoron
Vladimir Radmonovic is shooting 38% from the field. Luke Walton is shooting 20%. Both players have been torched by Paul Pierce.
Kobe Can’t Cover Everyone
Coach Phil Jackson’s decision to switch Bryant to Rondo paid immediate dividends. It essentially allowed Kobe to play basketball’s version of defensive strong safety. Kobe is an excellent helpside defender but that assignment is a tiresome one since Bryant is forced to cover so much of the floor.
Due to the extra activity, Bryant was clearly fatigued in the closing minutes of Game 4.
Rondo, Allen, and Pierce have deferred to one another based upon their match-ups. If Kobe is guarding Pierce, Paul defers to Ray. If Kobe is defending Allen, he defers to Pierce.
Fisher, Radmonovic, and Walton have been defensive liabilities.
Boston Is Up 3-1
No team has ever come back from a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals. But 8 teams have come back from a 3-1 deficit in the playoffs. The Lakers have been in this type of situation before. Unfortunately for them, they were on the other side of the loss column. In 2006, the Lakers were defeated by the Phoenix Suns after going up 3-1 in that series.
If the Lakers are to extend this series or accomplish the unthinkable it will require three consecutive near perfect performances from Kobe Bryant. For that to have a chance to happen, Phil Jackson has to find a way to give Bryant a rest on the defensive of the ball.
If I were Jackson, I would give Trevor Ariza significant minutes in Game 5. Ariza played 9 minutes in Game 4 and knocked down both of this shot attempts (5 points), grabbed 5 rebounds, and had an impressive block on Ray Allen. The Lakers have been at their best when they’ve gotten stops and advanced the ball before the Celtics can set-up their defense. Defensive Player of the Year Kevin Garnett will not beat them. Pierce and Allen can and have. Trevor could change the complexion of this series if he can contain one or the other.
After Game 4, Coach Jackson said, “This is not over. The series is not over."
Prove it Phil.
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