Who forgot to invite momentum to this series?

Wednesday, June 09, 2010

Mike Parente, GoLocalProv Sports Editor

I used to think the only sport immune to momentum was baseball because teams change pitchers each day.

Perhaps it’s a myth in basketball, too.

How else do you explain the Boston Celtics stealing home-court advantage from the Lakers by winning Game 2 of the NBA Finals in Los Angeles on Sunday, only to give it right back with a deflating loss last night at home? And can someone please figure out how Ray Allen set a Finals’ record with eight 3-pointers in Game 2 – including a 7-for-7 start – and then shot a woeful 0-for-11 in Boston’s Game 3 loss.

celts

Celtics

So much for Sunday’s victory being the turning point in this series. Even a skeptic such as myself began believing in this team’s chances of winning an 18th title following Rajon Rondo’s epic fourth-quarter surge in Game 2, but whatever momentum they packed when they left Los Angeles must’ve gotten lost on the flight home. The Celtics gave it all back in disheartening fashion last night in a 91-84 loss to the Lakers at the TD Garden.

Los Angeles leads the series two games to one and is assured of a return trip home, provided it doesn’t win the next two games in Boston to wrap up the title. Here’s the real kick in the stones: At some point, Boston will need to win back-to-back games if it wants to win the championship; the Lakers don’t have to, even if it’s highly recommended they do.

Through three games, this series has thrived on unlikely heroes and unexpected plot twists. We had no idea what kind of impact Pau Gasol would have in the paint until he answered those questions with 23 points and 14 rebounds in Game 1, setting the tone for what has been a severe mismatch under the basket. The Lakers were well on their way to another win in Game 2 before Rondo took over with 10 of Boston’s final 16 points as the Celtics rallied to even the series at a game apiece.

You had to figure Game 3 would unfold a certain way. Boston got absolutely nothing from Kevin Garnett in Games 1 and 2, so we knew there was a chance he’d explode last night. Sure enough, Garnett shot 11-of-16 from the field and finished with a team-high 25 points, perhaps indicating all he needed was some home-cooking.

The same went for Lamar Odom, who had more fouls (10) than points (8) through the first two games of the series before finally chipping in off Los Angeles’ bench last night with 12 points, including a key basket down the stretch.

Those players gave us the output we expected, but what in God’s name happened to Allen, who went from the penthouse to the outhouse in 48 hours? A slight drop in production wasn’t surprising considering he shot so well in Game 2, but this was no “slight drop” – this was a headfirst dive off a cliff with no parachute. Allen couldn’t have bought a basket if he cashed his “He Got Game” royalty checks. Hell, the Celtics would’ve been better off with Denzel Washington launching threes.

And where did Derek Fisher come from? Of all people, it was Fisher who burst Boston’s bubble last night. Not Kobe, not Gasol, not even Andrew Bynum – Fisher did the honors with 11 points in the fourth quarter as the Lakers held off Boston’s furious rally to win the pivotal third game of the series.

At one point, Fisher scored three consecutive baskets to give the Lakers a five-point lead with just under four minutes remaining. The final dagger came with 48.3 seconds to go when Fisher hit a driving layup and converted the subsequent free throw for an old-fashioned three-point play after getting mauled by Glen Davis under the basket.

The commemorative DVD for each annual champion in the four major sports should contain a special chapter for unlikely heroes. The 1978 Yankees had Bucky Dent. Last night, the Lakers had Fisher – certainly not an unknown commodity by any stretch, but a lesser-known face when you consider Los Angeles’ overall star power. The fact he turns 36 in August makes this an even bigger story.

Regardless of whose turn it is for the Lakers in Game 4, the Celtics need more consistency from their “Big Three.” Garnett finally woke up last night, but Allen mysteriously disappeared (at home, no less). The best thing you can say about Paul Pierce is he’s been consistent – consistently mediocre. Pierce got himself in early foul trouble last night and finished with only 12 field-goal attempts in 33 minutes, 57 seconds despite his 15 points.

The bottom line is the overall execution needs to be better for Boston in Game 4 on Thursday. An unlikely hero could step to the forefront and steal the show, but a consistent effort from Allen, Pierce and Garnett would get the night off on the right foot.

Would that really surprise anyone? Given the way this series has gone, neither Boston nor Los Angeles can rest easy. Momentum appears to be on vacation. The Celtics will be in the same boat real soon if they don’t find a way to stem the tide in Game 4.