Game Four's Energy
Tenacity. Emotion. Heart. Drive and Desire. Intensity. These all lead to the crowning jewel, energy! Between the Celtics and the Lakers in these Finals, the team that has sustained the higher energy level for a longer period of time has won the game.
The numbers do prove it as such, but the eye test is unmistakably correct as well. Boston’s bench clearly outplayed not only the Lakers’ bench, but their starters as well. That’s not just based on the numbers, which were 36 to 18 points in favor of the C’s bench last night, but based on the explosiveness that Glen Davis and Nate Robinson brought to the floor. Big Baby himself equaled L.A.’s bench scoring, but it wasn’t just his numbers, it was his energy.
Doc Rivers was looking for his bench to simply sustain and play level with the Lakers when he inserted the reserves into the game, to give his starters some rest. Rivers was seen repeatedly sending his starters to the scorer’s table to check back in, then calling them back because of the pure enthusiasm the bench was playing with. With help from the performances of key reserves the Celts outscored the Lakers in the paint, 54 to 34, and out rebounded L.A. 41 to 34.
For this Celtics team to win a game they must maintain solid energy, which will lead to out rebounding and out working the opposition. That energy was lost in a majority of both the 2nd and 3rd quarters. When this team needs a shot of energy many times they turn to Nate Robinson. Robinson is a pure ball of energy, a catalyst that can spark an offense with instant scoring. Fortunately, for the Celtics, last night not only was Robinson playing his role as offensive catalyst, but Glen Davis was doing the same on both ends of the floor.
Aside from the energy brought to the floor, this is how the Celtics really beat the Lakers last night: Andrew Bynum could not go for a majority of the 2nd half. With Bynum out, and Davis, Robinson, and Rasheed Wallace in, the floor opened up more. The paint was clear for Nate Robinson to easily take Derek Fisher off the dribble and penetrate deep into the lane. Once in the lane Robinson hit a few short floaters, found the open man, or if he happened to have missed Big Baby was beasting the offensive boards, pulling in 4 rebounds on the offensive end.
One thing that did perplex me as the 4th quarter progressed was the lack of the use of Kobe Bryant. There is no doubt that Tony Allen did a great job covering Kobe as the reserves dominated the 4th, but every time Kobe touched the ball he seemed to have that killer look in his eye that said, “No one can stop me.” As he backed it up with shots in defender’s faces and unbalanced fades wasn’t the general feeling that Kobe was about to put on one hell of a show? That’s how I felt, but as the energy shifted to the Celtics the Lakers seemed to play slightly out of their element. Kobe didn’t touch the ball as much as he should have from a Lakers’ perspective. Their offense began to consist of Lamar Odom becoming a point forward, and looking to take Davis off the dribble. Of course that did work a few times, but when arguably the best player in the league doesn’t touch the ball there is a problem.
The first thing out of my mouth as Game 4 began was, “Thank you Pierce.” Paul Pierce started the game looking for his shot, and not his shot from 25 feet out, but HIS shot. Pierce has always been a slasher, who happened to be able to shoot, but slashing to the bucket was his forte. When Pierce saw a lane early, he took it and went right to the elbow and in. A 15 foot shot for Pierce is virtually a lay up; he was getting a feel for his game the way you’re taught as a child when you first start playing. “Begin close, then work your way out,” was the mantra my father would repeat to me any time I wanted to come out shooting 3’s. A basketball player must get his feel for the game everyday he steps onto the court; just because he was hot one game does not mean that feel will remain for the next, case in point Ray Allen. Need I say more?
Rest assured Phil Jackson will make adjustments for Game 5. The few days off should benefit both teams, as both sides are banged up. With the series tied at 2 games a piece the 2010 NBA Finals are far from over. The Lakers are looking forward to heading back to L.A. for the final 2 games of the series, but they still have to get past the Boston crowd one more time. Consider Game 5 a must win for Boston because the odds of taking 2 in a row in Los Angeles are slim.
It all comes down to the joule. How many joules can this Celtics team bring to the floor? Energy is measured in joules, and with more sustained energy this Boston team can win.
Sean Sendall – follow me on Twitter
Tags: Boston Celtics, Sean Sendall
