BOSTON -- For all intent and purpose, the Celtics played a perfect Game 2. They shot 53 percent from the field and made nine of 14 3-pointers. They had 31 assists on 36 field goals. They outrebounded the Lakers and shot a whopping 28 more free throws. They were given an ongoing boost by favorable officiating (that's an understatement) and a lively, joyous crowd that brought back memories of the old Garden and the Bird era.
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Fortunately, there weren't that many Lakers fans in the crowd, nor were there many suits or pseudo-fans. This was a different crowd from Game 1 -- almost entirely Boston diehards, all of them wearing green or white -- which pushed the atmosphere to old-school Garden heights and unquestionably affected the officiating.
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Of course, I would have said the same thing about anotherLakers-Celtics Finals. Leading by two games, needing only two more victories to clinch a 17th banner, the Celtics took the same things that worked for them in Game 1 (energy, rebounding, home court, some timely 3s) and pushed it to another level. For three quarters, the team peaked as the Lakers seemed frazzled by lopsided officiating and each other. During the first quarter, there was one sequence when Kobe threw a bullet pass through Gasol's hands for a turnover, then shot Gasol one of his patented Michael Corleone, "You disappointed me, don't be surprised if I have you killed later" glares, only Gasol fired right back and told Kobe that he should have thrown a bounce pass, followed by Kobe staring at Gasol intently and trying to make Gasol's head actually explode on the court.
Yeah, maybe it was a minor moment, and maybe these things happen during a basketball game. But it symbolized what happened with the Lakers in these first two games; they looked rattled, they couldn't get calls, they couldn't protect the rim, they couldn't keep Boston off the boards, they shot way too many jumpers and 3-pointers, and on defense they seemed one step behind except for the fourth quarter in both games. For Game 2, they had a valid excuse … an unspeakable 38-10 free-throw disparity that I won't even attempt to defend. At one point, my dad pointed to referee Bob Delaney, who was practically wearing a Celtics jersey and joked, "I like that guy. I want him for every game!"
