Time to Get Out the Paddle: We Need to be Punished

If you believe the conventional wisdom (Bob Ryan, ESPN), the Celtics better be prepared to bend over and ready themselves for a spanking in game 3. It seems that the 38-10 free throw differential in game 2 pretty much guarantees an equal and opposite differential in favor of the purple tonight.

Greg Anthony, Tony Kornheiser, and Jon Barry were all speculating at just how large this differential might be. Twelve free throws? Fifteen? More?

Then you combine the expected free throw deficit with a desperate Lakers team and you have a recipe for a rout.

I can accept, if I have to, that we're gonna get abused by the officials tonight. I can even accept the Lakers jumping to an early double-digit lead. But that doesn't mean we have to be grabbing our ankles the entire evening.

Paul Pierce is at home, and usually performs very comfortable at Staples.

KG is due for a monster game, though the Laker double-teams may continue to prevent that.

Rajon Rondo has enjoyed success in exploiting the soft underbelly of the Laker defense, and showed signs of playing well on the road in Detroit.

Leon Powe stands a reasonable chance of contributing again, mostly because the Lakers don't have anyone like him. On the other hand, if Leon is plagued by a large number of no-calls on his moves to the basket, his contributions may get neutralized.

Ray Allen is having a good series, and, like the rest of the Celtics, is starting to taste victory.

Defense and rebounding still win playoff games, and if the Cs do those two things, WITHOUT LOSING THEIR COMPOSURE, they should have an opportunity to win tonight's game.

It says here the C's are still pissed.

They get no respect from the media, either as a team or individually. The Lakers were heavily favored to win the series, and Paul Pierce is only now slowly creeping into a wider discussion about the NBA's elite players. Similarly, the much-maligned Celtic bench is only starting to get some credit, while Doc Rivers is still waiting for his day in the sun. The Zen Master's tasteless jokes about the Pierce injury together with Lakers' players blaming the game 1 loss on the rims and the game 2 loss on the officials surely has left a bad taste in Celtics collective mouth.

Negative emotion, when channeled properly, can improve team focus, and a focused and determined Celtic team can win game three, bad officiating or not.

Speaking of determination and focus, there is the Red Factor.

Red Auerbach and Phil Jackson have each won nine championships. The Celtics have won 16 as a team, the Lakers 14. Both teams know this, but based on what I've seen from the green this year, the 2008 Celtics take this stuff more seriously than do the 2008 Lakers. I get the feeling that Team Green understands what's at stake, they understand the heritage they are defending.
They've played four games now against the purple, and brought their game faces to each one.

Let's see if they can get 'er done again tonight.