Category — Andrew Bynum

As expected, the NBA season will open with a bang.
The Heat will clash with the Celtics in the opener on Oct. 26 in Boston. The Lakers host the Rockets in the second game of the doubleheader. Both games will be broadcast on TNT.
As expected, the Christmas Day extravaganza, which will feature 5 games, concludes with an anticipated meeting of the Heat and the Lakers in L.A.
NBA.com

When a team is playing 1 against 5, it’s usually a losing proposition. Such was the case for the Lakers. They got a spectacular performance from Kobe Bryant, but the Lakers’ star didn’t get any help from his supporting cast.
Paulie Pierce didn’t have those problems. While the Celtics’ guard played his best game of the NBA Finals, he also got a boost from his support network to back up his superb effort.
Pierce led the Celtics with 27 points, 15 of those coming in the 1st half, and Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo added 18 apiece as the Celtics closed the door on a late Laker rally for a 92-86 victory in Game 5 Sunday in Boston to take a 3-2 series lead in the NBA Finals.
Boston shot the lights out against a porous Laker defense. The Celtics shot 56.3%, a sizzling 65.6% in the 1st half, compared to 39.7% for the Lakers, but still needed some heroics down the stretch to clinch the victory.
They also got help from the officials, who missed a crucial call late in the contest when they ruled a Ray Allen air ball hit the rim as the shot clock expired. That call practically sunk the Lakers, who head back to L.A. hoping they can win 2 straight to defend their NBA title. But it wasn’t what beat them, the Celtics again outplaying them and beating them to the punch again.
Phil Jackson said the game was won in the 3rd quarter, when the Celtics bolted to a 13-point lead and forced the Lakers to fight an uphill battle the rest of the way.
“They broke the game open in the 3rd quarter and it was a struggle for us to get back in the ball game,” Jackson said.
Bryant though kept the Lakers within striking distance with a remarkable performance in the 3rd. He scored 19 straight points on 7 of 9 field goals, hitting contested shots on almost every attempt, when the Celtics could have easily salted the game away.
“Kobe struggled in the 1st half, but he was his dynamic self in the 2nd half,” Jackson said.
But he had no help. Pau Gasol, who resorted to his soft shell again, was the only Laker in double figures, finishing with 12 points and 12 rebounds. But Garnett kept Gasol off balance all night, then Tony Allen put another ring around his collar with an outstanding block in the 4th quarter. Derek Fisher, who also resorted to his old ways, managed only 9 points on 2 of 9 shooting and Lamar Odom and Ron Artest performed another disappearing act, finishing with 8 and 7 points respectively. Artest also got torched by Pierce for much of the game.
Andrew Bynum, who had only 6 points and 1 rebound, got off to a good start, but he wasn’t a factor in the 2nd half.

The Young Fella had his knee drained after Game 4, the 2nd time during the playoffs he has had the procedure performed. He says he will definitely play Sunday. How effective he will be remains to be seen. Speaking of wagering, the Lakers are a 3-point underdog for Game 5.
L.A. Times

The officials finally let them play tonight, but the Lakers weren’t ready for the physical nature of the contest. The Celtics were more than happy to oblige, outplaying the Lakers, outhustling them and playing with much more fire and passion. The result was a 96-89 Boston victory, tying the series at 2 games each, in a rough and tumble affair tonight in the Garden.
Boston forced the Lakers out of their offense in the second half and found its own down the stretch. The Celtics’ bench played a major role in the outcome as Glen “Big Baby” Davis and the latest version of the leprechaun, point guard Nate Robinson, keyed a run in the 4th quarter and wiped out a 2-point Laker lead to pull away.
Davis, who finished with 18 points and 5 rebounds, was one of 6 Celtics in double figures, but none exhibited more zeal that the 300-pound forward, who has a habit of slobbering like a mad dog. The emotional Robinson also was a spark plug with 12 points and his short-man attitude.
Davis and Robinson ignited Boston’s 9-0 run to start the 4th and it never looked back.
“This is what legends are made of (and) this is where you grasp the moment,” Davis told the Associated Press.
Paulie Pierce led the Celtics with 19 points, shaking off a sub-par performance in Tuesday’s Game 4 loss. Kevin Garnett (13 points and 6 rebounds) and Ray Allen (12 points) also made crucial contributions when Boston needed it most.
The Lakers were hurt by the limited play of center Andrew Bynum, who played only 12 minutes because of his ailing right knee. He played only 7 minutes in the 1st half and didn’t emerge from the locker room until after the start of the 3rd quarter. His status for Game 5 is unknown.
Bynum’s absence was pivotal. It allowed the Celtics to push Pau Gasol out of his comfort zone inside and forced the Lakers to become a jump-shooting team, negating their effectiveness on offense.
The Celtics also hammered the Lakers on the boards, finishing with a 41 to 34 advantage. But Boston had 16 offensive boards to only 8 for the Lakers with several coming in key moments late when the Lakers tried to rally.
Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 33 points, but he was practically a 1-man show when they needed offense. Gasol finished with 21 points, but he wasn’t a factor with the outcome on the line.

The Lakers might have a major problem on their hands with ailing center Andrew Bynum.
Phil Jackson said Bynum “couldn’t do anything on the court” during a shootaround earlier today. Bynum said Wednesday he’ll play in Game 4, but his effectiveness won’t be known until after tip off tonight.
Bynum, who has a torn meniscus in his right knee that will require surgery when the NBA Finals are over, tweaked the knee during the 2nd half of Game 3 on Tuesday night.
Without him, the Lakers aren’t as strong inside and are at a disadvantage against the Celtics’ frontline. Bynum has averaged almost 3 blocks per game and recorded a season-high 7 in Game 2.
ESPN LA

When the Lakers’ offense stalled down the stretch, an unlikely figure stepped forward and punched the gas pedal.
The much-maligned Derek Fisher added another chapter to his storybook Laker career, scoring 11 of his 16 points in the 4th quarter to lift the Lakers to a 91-84 victory over the Celtics in Game 3 of the NBA Finals tonight in Boston.
Fisher’s 3-point play with 48.3 seconds left was the difference as the Lakers held off a late Boston rally to prevail. For Fisher, it was sweet redemption from Game 2 on Sunday, when Ray Allen torched him and the Lakers’ defense for an NBA Finals’ record 8 3-pointers in a Celtics’ victory.
“We work hard in this game,” said a teary-eyed Fisher after the win. “Sometimes things don’t go your way, but you just have to keep working at it.”
Not much worked for Allen or Inglewood native Paulie Pierce, who boldly proclaimed (he would be right if the Lakers win the next 2) after Sunday’s win that the series wouldn’t return to L.A. Allen missed all 13 of his field-goal attempts, including a humbling 0 for 8 from 3-point land. He managed just 2 points in 42 minutes.
Pierce finished with 15 points, but 9 of those came on 3-pointers. Foul trouble limited him to 34 minutes and his inconsistency on offense seriously hurt the Celtics.
The Celtics jumped on the Lakers early, taking a 12-5 lead as Kevin Garnett, who finished with 25 points, provided much of the spark. But after a time out, the Lakers went on a 21 to 5 run to take a 26-17 lead at the end of the 1st quarter. They never looked back.
They built a 17-point lead in the 2nd quarter, but Boston cut it to 12 (52-40) at the half.
In the 4th, Boston closed the gap to 1 on a couple of occasions, but it never was able to grab the lead.
Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 29 points, but missed 19 of his 29 shots.
The Lakers also got another strong outing from their big men, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. Though they weren’t as dominant as they were in Game 2, they provided key contributions during crucial runs. Gasol finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds, while Bynum also pulled down 10 boards (5 on offense) and scored 9 points.
There also was a Lamar Odom sighting in Boston. The Lakers forward, who had been a non-factor in the first 2 games of the series, played well and finished with 12 points, hitting all 5 of his shots. He also had 5 rebounds.
Game 4 is Thursday in Boston. Pre-game coverage starts at 5:30 p.m. (PT) on ABC.

As much as Pau Gasol dominated tonight against the Celtics, Andrew Bynum played well too. He finished with 10 points and 6 boards. Nothing to write home about, but he dropped some dunks and altered some shots on the defensive end. The numbers don’t tell the whole story of his impact. Gasol benefitted from his play too.

It’s bad enough we have to suffer without the TNT crew, but Doris Burke instead of the lovely Lisa Salters on ABC for the NBA Finals? Who goofed?
The tone was set early. Twenty-seven seconds into Game 1 between the Lakers and Celtics, Ron Artest scored a takedown of Paul Pierce. The officials, particularly the infamous Joey Crawford, called the contest like a high school game after that, but it hurt the Celtics most.
With Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol leading the offense and Ron Artest earning his money again on defense, the Lakers opened defense of their NBA championship with a convincing 102-89 victory Thursday night in L.A.
Bryant finished with 30 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists while Gasol dictated inside with 23 points, 14 boards (8 of those were offensive) and 3 blocks. Artest added 15 points, but he was more effective slowing Pierce. Though Pierce finished with 24 points, half of those came on free throws.
“He solidified our defense,” Phil Jackson said of Artest. “He made some big baskets for us too.”
Foul trouble limited Ray Allen, who played only 27 minutes. It hurt the Celtics in a big way since Allen and Pierce are the only consistent outside shooters. Allen missed 5 of his 8 field goal attempts and finished with only 12 points.
The Lakers’ defense also kept a lid on Rajon Rondo, who managed 13 points and 8 assists, but was never a factor in the outcome. He didn’t have the same zip he had against the Magic either, which surely will bring up questions of whether he’s hurting more than he’s led on.
The Lakers outrebounded the Celtics 42-31.

Just adding to the sideshow called the NBA Finals. Or passing on what we hear.
“Fame whores” is a frequent reference directed at the Kardashian women. They’ll be courtside for the Show in L.A., but Boston might be another story. Does some drunk Celtic fan accidently drop a beer on Khloe, Kim or Kourtney? Not even Celtic fans are that crazy. Seriously, what would you dump a beer on one of them or any other honey in the arena?
Oh, and Lamar says Khloe isn’t pregnant. Or as he says, he would be the first to know.
Game 1 of the NBA Finals is 6 p.m. (PT) on ABC.
ESPN LA

Lakers in 6 seems a popular pick, but we aren’t dating Miss Popularity.
We’ve soaked up plenty of sports-talk radio (with a West Coast bias), online stories, newspaper ink, the talking heads on the tube and whoever else has hyped this NBA Finals. And why not? It’s Celtics vs Lakers. The best rivalry in basketball. Their 12th meeting in the NBA Finals. Hoop heads know the Celtics have owned the Lakers, winning 9 of 11 of the finals’ meetings. And then there’s the 2008 beatdown Boston gave the Lakers, which remains a sore subject in L.A.
Several plots will play out in this series, and Laker fans are hoping Phil Jackson doesn’t suddenly fall in love again with Sasha and take valuable minutes away from Shannon Brown. He might be smoking some good shit, but we’re guessing Brian Shaw will pull his coattail on this one.
Pau Gasol will be the biggest factor. He’ll avenge his disappearing act of 2 years ago and handle KG with no problems. Gasol knows everyone, including a lot of Laker fans, calls him soft. But this time he delivers in a big way. He’ll also help Bynum be somewhat of a factor inside.
Of course Kobe is the ultimate equalizer. Next to killing someone or maybe robbing a bank, he’s got some serious Celtic hate in his heart.
We won’t overanalyze. Everyone has an opinion. But revenge is best served cold. In the Garden. Lakers in 5.