TUESDAY, JUNE 15, 2010


KLMNO PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL NBA FINALS NOTEBOOK Lakers aren’t worried as they return home facing elimination by Michael Lee


boston — Los Angeles Lakers Coach Phil Jackson took his team’s Game 5 loss in stride, showing the same calm that he does during difficult stretches of games, sitting in his cushioned seat on the bench, refusing to call a timeout. “If you look at it, they’ve come home and carried the 3-2 lead back,” Jackson said. “It’s basi- cally home court, home court. Now, we’re going to home court to win it. That’s the way it’s sup- posed to be, isn’t it?” Since the NBA went to the 2-


3-2 format in 1985, the team with home-court advantage has re-


turned home trailing 3-2 five times. Only twice has a team won the final two games at home to claim the championship — the 1988 Lakers beat Detroit and the 1994 Houston Rockets defeated the New York Knicks.


Boston Celtics Coach Doc Riv-


ers was a member of the Knicks team that failed to close out the Rockets. He said he spoke re- cently with former teammate John Starks about that collapse. “You know that’s a bitter memo- ry, obviously, for me,” Rivers said. “I was injured, sitting on the bench. So it just felt like you couldn’t help individually. You know, as a team, we had a lot of great opportunities in that se- ries, in Game 6 and 7, if you re-


As series cruises out West, Celtics are in driver’s seat


nba finals from D1


sing home-court advantage. It would also include vanquishing the three best perimeter players in the game, Dwyane Wade, Le- Bron James and Kobe Bryant — the latest superstar to realize that a one-man outburst cannot stymie the Celtics.


Pierce used his absence from


the discussion about the league’s best player to fuel his run to the 2008 NBA Finals, but he realizes that he cannot make this series a duel between him and Bryant — and he doesn’t have to try, with the Celtics proving time and again that the collective group is always superior to an individual. The Celtics rode Ray Allen’s hot hand and Rajon Rondo’s all- around game to a victory in Game 2 and let Glen “Big Baby” Davis and Nate Robinson spark a second-unit uprising in Game 4. In Game 5, Pierce did his part to somewhat counter Bryant, near- ly matching Bryant shot for shot in the third quarter, scoring 11 points to Bryant’s 19. But he scored just one point in the fourth, with Kevin Garnett and Rondo providing hustle and de- fensive tenacity. Garnett throttled Lakers for- ward Pau Gasol and finished with five steals and two blocked shots, while Rondo stole the ball from Bryant leading to one fast- break layup, fought off Bryant and Lamar Odom to tip in a Pierce miss, and made a game- clinching layup after making a difficult catch and pass with 35 seconds remaining. “We want to give it all we have, and when one guy doesn’t have it going, it seems like each game someone else is stepping up and making plays for our team,” Ron- do said after scoring 18 points with eight assists on Sunday. “We have great camaraderie on the team and we’re very close off the court, and guys are always supportive of each other.” While the Lakers appear to cower under Bryant’s angry glares and shouts, the Celtics seemed galvanized, as evidenced by Rondo stepping up to push back Lakers forward Ron Artest after Artest shoved Garnett to the ground in the first half. The Celtics have their disagree-


ments, like an incident near half- time when Pierce walked out on a play, pouting because Rondo didn’t give him the ball. “We’ve got spats on our team all the time,” Pierce said. “But the good thing about it, we always clean it right up.” The Celtics lost their way alto-


gether in the final months of the regular season, slipping to the fourth seed in a top-heavy East- ern Conference, but rediscov- ered the defensive intensity and teamwork needed to win in the postseason. Celtics Coach Doc Rivers said the key to the turn- around was not looking ahead. “We have a lot of veterans and we just look at one game,” he said. “We got off of that early on, looking at the whole picture and all that stuff. That makes if fuzzy for us. I think our team has a very good ability to just focus on the next game. Through the playoffs, that’s been very good for us, and that’s the way we have to stay.”


Boston has never lost in the Finals after leading a series, 3-2, winning in each of its 11 previous occasions. The Celtics have won nine of their 17 championships against the Lakers, winning in five different buildings — the Minneapolis Auditorium, the old Boston Garden, the Los Angeles Arena, the Forum, and TD Gar- den. They now stand one victory away from adding another championship at the Lakers’ ex- pense at Staples Center. And for Pierce, the longest- tenured Celtic with 12 years in Boston, the game also represents an opportunity for him to secure a spot as one of the all-time greats for a franchise he grew up despising. “I had dreams of wearing a Laker uniform,” Pierce said of his childhood. “I didn’t want to be a Boston Celtic but I am a Boston Celtic, and I’ve en- joyed every moment of it. I’ve had a chance to learn the history, been around the great players. I don’t think it’s going to soak in until my career is all said and done and I can really, really look back at it. “The thing for me, when I step on this court, NBA Finals, I don’t want to have no regrets at the end of the series,” Pierce said. leem@washpost.com


“When one guy doesn’t have it going, it seems like each game someone else is stepping up and


making plays for our team.” — Rajon Rondo on the Celtics’ methodical approach to teamwork


MICHAEL WILBON Celtics’ path to title is clear, while Lakers appear to be stuck in the mud wilbon from D1


ask. Center Andrew Bynum, whom the Lakers desperately need to shut down the middle defensively, is hobbling and struggling to log anything more than sparse minutes the past two games. Rivers’s strategy, to employ a rope-a-dope defense that encourages Kobe to punch himself out while his teammates have zero impact, is working like a dream. Ron Artest, if he can’t stop Paul Pierce, is a liability; the Celtics pray he’ll swish a three-pointer early in the game so he’ll take the bait and keep firing, ill-advisedly. The biggest of these problems


may be what to do about the scoring imbalance. For consecutive games, Kobe and Pau Gasol have been the only Lakers to score more than 10 points. Lamar Odom took only six shots in Game 5. Derek Fisher is 0-for-the-series on three-pointers. We’re back to a


familiar place with the Lakers: Is Kobe being too selfish (27 shots in Game 5) or are his teammates shrinking from the moment? Privately, the Celtics thought a non-supportive performance in Game 5 would have Kobe fuming at his teammates and they were right.


Whether Kobe is shooting too much or the others not enough, the bottom line is: It doesn’t work for Kobe to score 44 percent of the Lakers’ points, as was the case Sunday night. Not against a defense this good. People with short memories don’t remember how much more effortlesslyMichael Jordan got easier shots against tough defenses than Kobe does. While there’s no designated defensive ace playing for the Celtics (well, maybe Tony Allen), the Celtics do have several players (Ray and Tony Allen, Pierce) willing to take on Kobe on-one-one, so the defense isn’t compromised by excessive double-teaming.


RONALD MARTINEZ/GETTY IMAGES


Lakers Coach Phil Jackson has little time to fix a struggling offense before Game 6.


Rivers has been superb at


finding one significant weakness in an opponent and then exploiting that weakness to death. The great soloists seem to have no chance against the Celtics defense in the playoffs, from Dwyane Wade to LeBron James to Dwight Howard to Kobe Bryant. And the same way Rivers convinced his team that guarding those players with one man in order to more easily


smother their teammates was the best approach, he’s gotten them to understand that Kobe going for 38 or 40 points means nothing if the other Lakers are choked off. So while Jackson was trying to rally his team around an out-of-date point, that the Celtics choke on big leads, Rivers was rallying his around the fact that Kobe can’t score enough by himself to beat the Celtics defense, which suddenly looks like the 2008 defense. And even if Phil Jackson can


fix his offense in the precious little time the Lakers will have had to prepare between coming home from Boston and Game 6 tip-off, he really would have to be awhiz to do that and get the Lakers to refocus on defense after allowing the Celtics to shoot 66 percent the first half Sunday night and 56 percent for the game.


If the Celtics get decent or


better performances from three of the Big Four (Rajon Rondo,


Pierce, Kevin Garnett or Ray Allen), Boston is going to win its second championship in three years and 18th overall. The Lakers simply don’t seem to have that many players to count on at once; they’ve been content to ride two: Kobe and Gasol. Rivers said at the start of the series that the back-and-forth of the competition would not lead him to a bunch of adjustments and adaptations, that “doing what we do smarter, doing it harder” would provide whatever answers the Celtics would need. It was Jackson who said he thought on-the-fly adjustments would be necessary, and here he is, one game from elimination. His opponent is absolutely certain it has found the path to a championship, leaving Jackson and the Lakers to strategize and counterpunch as they try to figure out what they have to do to stay alive at least one more night.


wilbonm@washpost.com


member. It just didn’t happen. “For me, obviously, it was a learning experience, but I can’t use that experience for the play- ers on this team. Half of them are too young to remember, and half of them probably don’t care.” The Lakers haven’t trailed in a


playoff series since the Western Conference semifinals last sea- son, when they lost the opening game before beating Houston in seven games. Neither Jackson nor Kobe Bryant has ever faced a Game 7 in the NBA Finals, but would need to force one against the Celtics in order to win. Bryant hasn’t fared well in


elimination games in the NBA Finals, averaging 23.6 points on


34.4 percent (22 for 64) shooting and going 1-2 against Detroit and Boston in 2004 and the Celt- ics in 2008. But he said he doesn’t have to say anything to his teammates to explain the sit- uation. “If I have to say some- thing to them, we don’t deserve to be champions,” Bryant said. “You’ve got two games at home that you need to win. You pull your boots up and get to work.” Jackson sounded confident about his team’s chances in Game 6. “We’re upbeat going into this game,” he said.


Rough Rondo?


Game 5 became a little testy in the second period, when Kevin Garnett came charging toward


the basket and Ron Artest shoved Garnett to the ground. Point guard Rajon Rondo took exception to Artest’s unneces- sary roughness and pushed Ar- test with his left hand. The 260- pound Artest stumbled back- ward and nearly fell down as Rondo shouted at him and col- lected a technical foul. Rondo joked afterward that


Artest’s time in Hollywood has helped improve his acting skills. “I’m not that strong,” said Ron- do, who weighs 171 pounds. “He’s probably the strongest guy on the court this series. I’ve been hitting the weight room a little bit, but other than that, I didn’t push him that hard.”


leem@washpost.com


S SCOREBOARD


BASKETBALL NBA Finals


Best-of-seven; x-If necessary Celtics lead Lakers, 3-2


Game 1: at Los Angeles 102 ..................... Boston 89 Game 2: Boston 103 ..................... at Los Angeles 94 Game 3: Los Angeles 91 ........................ at Boston 84 Game 4: at Boston 96 ....................... Los Angeles 89 Game 5: at Boston 92 ....................... Los Angeles 86 Tuesday: Boston at Los Angeles ............................. 9 x-Thursday: Boston at Los Angeles ....................... 9


NBA Playoff Leaders Entering Tuesday’s Game


SCORING AVERAGE


Player,Team .................... G FG FT Pts. Avg. Wade, MIA ........................ 5 62 27 166 33.2 Anthony, DEN .................. 6 64 50 184 30.7 Bryant, L.A.L. ................ 21 219 136 622 29.6


Sunday’s Late Game


CELTICS 92, LAKERS 86 SCORING


L.A. Lakers Boston


20 19 26 21 — 86 22 23 28 19 — 92


L.A. Lakers Min FG FT O-T A PF Pts. Artest 34:15 2-9 1-4 1-2 2 4 7 Gasol 38:05 5-12 2-3 7-12 0 4 12 Bynum 31:38 3-6 0-1 1-1 0 3 6 Fisher 34:13 2-9 5-5 2-4 2 3 9 Bryant 43:53 13-27 8-9 2-5 4 5 38 Odom 26:17 4-6 0-2 3-8 2 2 8 Farmar 13:47 0-4 1-2 0-1 1 0 1 Brown 0:19 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 Vujacic 10:22 2-5 0-0 0-1 0 1 5 Walton 7:11 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 0 0 Totals 240 31-78 17-26 16-34 12 22 86


Percentages: FG .397, FT .654. 3-Point Goals: 7-19, .368 (Bryant 4-10, Artest 2-5, Vujacic 1-2, Farmar 0-1, Fisher 0-1). Team Rebounds: 9. Team Turnovers: 14 (15 PTS). Blocked Shots: 1 (Bryant). Turnovers: 13 (Bryant 4, Odom 3, Fisher 2, Artest, Bynum, Gasol, Wal- ton). Steals: 9 (Gasol 2, Odom 2, Artest, Bryant, Far- mar, Fisher, Vujacic). Technical Fouls: Fisher, 7:07 third.


Boston Min FG FT O-T A PF Pts. Pierce 42:41 12-21 1-2 0-2 2 4 27 Garnett 36:09 6-11 6-7 1-10 3 4 18 Perkins 31:38 2-2 0-2 4-7 1 4 4 Rondo 38:24 9-12 0-0 1-5 8 1 18 RAllen 40:10 5-10 2-2 0-3 2 5 12 TAllen 13:09 2-6 0-0 0-1 0 2 4 Davis 13:09 0-1 0-0 1-3 1 2 0 Wallace 14:45 2-4 0-0 0-4 0 0 5 Robinson 9:55 2-4 0-0 0-0 4 1 4 Totals 240 40-71 9-13 7-35 21 23 92


Percentages: FG .563, FT .692. 3-Point Goals: 3-12, .250 (Pierce 2-4, Wallace 1-2, Robinson 0-2, R.Allen 0-4). Team Rebounds: 13. Team Turnovers: 17 (18 PTS). Blocked Shots: 7 (Garnett 2, Pierce 2, T.Allen, Rondo, Wallace). Turnovers: 16 (Rondo 7, Garnett 3, R.Allen 2, Perkins 2, T.Allen, Robinson). Steals: 8 (Garnett 5, R.Allen, Pierce, Rondo). Technical Fouls: Rondo, 4:42 second. A: 18,624 (18,624). T: 2:43.


WNBA


Eastern Conference W L Pct GB Atlanta ......................................8 3 .727 — Connecticut .............................6 3 .667 1 Indiana ......................................6 4 .600 1A Washington ..............................6 4 .600 1A New York ..................................4 5 .444 3 Chicago .....................................4 6 .400 3A


Western Conference W L Pct GB Seattle .......................................9 1 .900 — Phoenix .....................................5 5 .500 4 San Antonio ..............................3 6 .333 5A Tulsa ..........................................3 6 .333 5A Los Angeles ..............................3 7 .300 6 Minnesota ................................2 9 .182 7A


Tuesday’s Game Atlanta at Chicago...................................................... 8 BASEBALL


NCAA Division I Super Regionals Monday’s Results In Charlottesville


Oklahoma 11 ......Virginia 0 (Oklahoma advances) In Clemson, S.C.


Clemson 8 ............Alabama 6 (Clemson advances)


MLB All-Star Fan Voting American League Leaders All-Star Game to Be Held: Tuesday, July 13 At Angel Stadium, In Anaheim, Calif. Released Monday, June 14


First Base: 1. Justin Morneau, Twins, 1,402,496 First Base: 2. Mark Teixeira, Yankees, 1,221,457 First Base 3. Miguel Cabrera, Tigers, 1,009,822 Second Base: 1. R. Cano, Yankees, 1,784,896 Second Base: 2. Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox, 983,716 Third Base: 1. Evan Longoria, Rays, 1,958,855 Third Base: 2. Alex Rodriguez, Yankees, 1,271,831 Shortstop: 1. Derek Jeter, Yankees, 2,108,659 Shortstop: 2. Elvis Andrus, Rangers, 999,455 Catcher: 1. Joe Mauer, Twins, 2,617,822 Catcher: 2. Jorge Posada, Yankees, 822,865 Catcher: 3. Victor Martinez, Red Sox, 518,608 DH: 1. Vladimir Guerrero, Rangers, 1,743,946 DH: 2. Hideki Matsui, Angels, 825,752 DH: 3. Ken Griffey Jr., Mariners, 603,820 Outfield: 1. Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners, 1,231,950 Outfield: 2. Carl Crawford, Rays, 1,123,132 Outfield: 3. Nelson Cruz, Rangers, 1,093,099 Outfield: 4. Josh Hamilton, Rangers, 1,006,364 Outfield: 5. Nick Swisher, Yankees, 808,871 Outfield: 6. Curtis Granderson, Yankees, 766,088


TENNIS AEGON International


At Devonshire Park; In Eastbourne, England Purse: ATP, $553,000 (WT250) Purse: WTA, $700,000 (Premier) Surface: Grass-Outdoor


Singles— Men— First Round


G. Simon, France, def. E. Korolev, Kazakhstan, 6-3, 6-7 (7-4), 6-4; S. Robert, France, def. L. Mayer, Argentina, 7-6 (7-4), 6-4; D. Istomin, Uzbekistan, def. E. Schwank, Argentina, 6-0, 6-3; M. Llodra (8), France, def. M. Emmrich, Germany, 6-0, 6-3; A. Kuznetsov, Russia, def. K. Nishikori, Japan, 6-4, 3-1, retired; H. Zeballos (6), Argentina, def. L. Lacko, Slovakia, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5; D. Sela, Israel, def. K. Anderson, South Africa, 5-7, 6-3, retired; J. Ben- neteau (4), France, def. J. Blake, USA, 7-6 (7-3), 7-5; F. Fognini, Italy, def. G. Lapentti, Ecuador, 7-6 (13-11), 6-7 (7-3), 6-3. Singles— Women— First Round


D. Hantuchova, Slovakia, def. A. Keothavong, Britain, 6-4, 6-2; S. Stosur (3), Australia, def. M. Oudin, USA, 6-4, 6-4; M. Bartoli (8), France, def. V. Dushevina, Russia, 6-4, 7-5; M. Jose Martinez San- chez, Spain, def. V. Zvonareva, Russia, 6-3, 3-6, 7-5; L. Safarova, Czech Republic, def. A. Pav- lyuchenkova, Russia, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4; A. Szavay, Hun- gary, def. O. Govortsova, Belarus, 3-6, 6-2, 7-6 (7-2).


PAUL J. RICHARDS/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE VIA GETTY IMAGES


As Paul Pierce, who led the Celtics with 27 points, exited the court after the Game 5 win put his squad on the cusp of another title, he shouted to the raucous Boston fans: “One more, baby. Just one more.”


UNICEF Open


At Autotron Rosmalen; In Den Bosch, Netherlands Purse: ATP, $544,500 (WT250) Purse: WTA, $220,000 (Intl.) Surface: Grass-Outdoor


Singles — Men— First Round


A. Clement, France, def. S. Stadler, Germany, 6-1, 3-6, 6-1; X. Malisse, Belgium, def. R. Ram, USA, 6-3, 6-2; H. Kontinen, Finland, def. D. Brown, Ja- maica, 7-5, 2-6, 7-6 (7-5); D. Brands, Germany, def. R. Junaid, Australia, 6-1, 6-3; I. Sijsling, Nether- lands, def. T. de Bakker (6), Netherlands, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (7-4).


Singles — Women— First Round


R. Vinci, Italy, def. B. Zahlavova Strycova, Czech Republic, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5); K. Barrois, Germany, def. M. Czink, Hungary, 7-5, 6-2; S. Bammer, Austria, def. S. Errani (6), Italy, 6-1, 6-3; M. Kirilenko (3), Russia, def. I. Raluca Olaru, Romania, 6-4, 6-1; S. Zahlavova, Czech Republic, def. E. Vesnina, Rus- sia, 7-5, 6-2; A.Ivanovic, Serbia, def. S. Arvidsson, Sweden, 4-6, 6-0, 6-1; A. Rodionova, Australia, def. T. Tanasugarn, Thailand, 1-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-3; A. Ku- dryavtseva, Russia, def. A. Brianti, Italy, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4; A. Dulgheru (5), Romania, def. J. Coin, France, 4-6, 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-4); A. Rus, Netherlands, def. A. Medina Garrigues (8), Spain, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3; K. Flip- kens, Belgium, def. V. King, USA, 6-1, 6-2; J. Henin (1), Belgium, def. A. Kerber, Germany, 6-4, 6-2.


RESULTS


SUMMER BASKETBALL Men


Falconers League


Flowers 58, Fairmont Heights 41 Crossland 48, Robert E. Lee 34 Riverdale Baptist 36, Southern 33 Fairmont Heights League


Fairmont Heights 38, DuVal 36 Suitland 39, Spingarn 29 Wise 29, Oxon Hil 26 Eastern 69, Forestville 45


The Rock


Georgetown Prep 54, DuVal 41 Arundel 50, Laurel 48 (OT) Springbrook 70, Good Counsel 45 Carroll 54, Bullis 46 KIMA 80, Friendship 64


MCRD League Men


Big M Basketball 47, Hawks 36 Cougars 79, Los Suns 45 Northwood 36, Walter Johnson 34 Rocket Pride 64, Wheaton 19 Women


Glenelg 43, Quince Orchard 18 Churchill 54, Rockville 23 B-CC 38, Stone Ridge 20 Visitation 46, Whitman 33


D5


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