Celtics just won their 18th Championship*

[MyInsatiableOne]

what a brain-dead loser at life...he's cut and pasted the same (Please Use More Appropriate Word) post in at least FIVE threads on our board...this mouth-breather can't even celebrate the Lakers title, he has to troll like a mentally handicapped baboon (aka a typical LA fan) on an opposing team's board...classic!

[heretic]

Refs didn't take away ****. If you feel that way then you still have yourselves to blame. Maybe next time the Celtics won't take the regular season so lightly. Home court is big in the finals.

[Mamba Venom]

I don't understand how anyone can be blaming the refs.

This was the best officiated game of the series by far.

My only complaint is they called the game differently in the last 7 minutes or so.

A slug fest in the first half

A few more whistles in the 3rd

4th they started calling it more

Its what the fans asked for w/ let em play and we want more than 65 points but it was a hard game to watch just like a slugfest football game dominated by physical D.

If Allen Pierce Kobe ... whoever got hot the game would have been over but these guys were just to drained and evenly matched

[Geoffrey P]

I just wished they'd call every game evenly. If you're calling it tight, do it for ever game and for every quarter. Changing it from quarter to quarter forces teams to play differently. Celtics are physical on D and that's what they're good at, but obviously they had to change that last night after the half. You just can't start calling that **** in the NBA Finals, ON **** GAME 7!

[magicfan1989]

*But it was taken away by the refs.

This was the most one sided called game of the series for a nba finals game 7 I have ever seen. Yes, I have seen worst called playoff games but this was game 7 with the nation watching. And the game was clearly taken away from the Celtics. The refs got the Lakers back in the game and kept them ahead.

Sure some Celtics had bad games shooting but the Lakers were brutal as well. The major difference was 20 more free throws. And yes some of those free throws were from the Celtics fouling at the end. If it was just the Gasol walk at the end before he scored 2 points, I wouldn't be upset but the refs were biased towards the Lakers.

Anyways congratulations to real Laker fans. They DO have a great team and clearly in my opinion the better team over the course of a regular season. And their injury to Bynum probably affected them more then the Celtics various injuries. But this game as far as I am concerned was stolen from the Celtics. (I thought the Celtics had a 25-30% chance of winning this game...if they lost I just hope it wasn't going to be decided by the refs but I have a hard time believing it wasn't when points were so hard to come by for both teams)

Both teams played their hearts out and Gasol deserves to be series MVP. He is a legit top 15 player in the nba.

Kobe had a bad game but he is clearly a great player as well. It isn't fair to compare Kobe's stats in the finals against this Celtics defense and some other good defenses verse the not so good defenses that Jordan often faced.

Wanna cry about it? It's ok, we won't make fun of you.

[Tekkenlaw]

what a brain-dead loser at life...he's cut and pasted the same (Please Use More Appropriate Word) post in at least FIVE threads on our board...this mouth-breather can't even celebrate the Lakers title, he has to troll like a mentally handicapped baboon (aka a typical LA fan) on an opposing team's board...classic!

What can you expect when you're complaining about the refs after getting outplayed in a 7 game series. Obviously you're going to get backlash from LA fans.

[Ad Hominem]

To the OP,

Please post video of you sitting along whatever street your celtics victory parade happens at next week. Would really enjoy viewing that, almost as much as I'll enjoy your organization finally moving that empty white banner you've had in your practice facility all season long into the TD Garden this November, when Ainge hands out empty ring boxes to all the players.

Thanks!

[mr_sunshine]

I hope Stern has them make 3 extra rings for Foster, Crawford, and Crawford. They deserved them more than anyone on the Lakers did last night.

[Ad Hominem]

I hope Stern has them make 3 extra rings for Foster, Crawford, and Crawford. They deserved them more than anyone on the Lakers did last night.

+ 1

The way the tandem of Crawford and Crawford's amazing defense held Pierce to 5/15, Ray to 3/14, and the whole team under 80 points, that was just UNREAL defense. And Foster pulling down those 23 offensive rebounds, just insane. Those dudes TOTALLY deserve rings.

[jsimon]

What can you expect when you're complaining about the refs after getting outplayed in a 7 game series. Obviously you're going to get backlash from LA fans.

I still have yet to hear one Laker fan explain how their team shot 65 more free throws in a seven game series when they were outscored in the paint by a wide margin all series long. Further, explain how the Lakers, after being unable to mount any kind of a charge for three quarters last night, found themselves at the free throw line more in the 4th quarter than we were all game. Explain how the Lakers shot more free throws in the last quarter of a hard fought game than they shot in the first three quarters combined?

Call us babies all you want, the Lakers were crowned Champions and any self respecting Laker fan should feel a little ashamed deep inside today.

[Tekkenlaw]

The Thunder shot more FT's than the Lakers in round 1. Was the league rigging that series against the Lakers?

[jsimon]

The Thunder shot more FT's than the Lakers in round 1. Was the league rigging that series against the Lakers?

If it came down to it, yes, they probably would have. Never got to that point.

[Cqc_Nastyn8]

What can you expect when you're complaining about the refs after getting outplayed in a 7 game series. Obviously you're going to get backlash from LA fans.

I still have yet to hear one Laker fan explain how their team shot 65 more free throws in a seven game series when they were outscored in the paint by a wide margin all series long. Further, explain how the Lakers, after being unable to mount any kind of a charge for three quarters last night, found themselves at the free throw line more in the 4th quarter than we were all game. Explain how the Lakers shot more free throws in the last quarter of a hard fought game than they shot in the first three quarters combined?

Call us babies all you want, the Lakers were crowned Champions and any self respecting Laker fan should feel a little ashamed deep inside today.

um naw i feel kinda great to be honest You guys wouldn't be saying this if it was the other way around and you know that's true. Just accept the fact the better team won.

[grimjay]

Celtics were just flat out exhausted in the 4th. Doc said it himself that he had to go away from Sheed in the post due to fatigue/injury. LA started helping on KG later in the game. Boston started settling more for the outside shot. That happens when you are physically drained. You stop moving and start reaching and slapping defensively.

LA was tired as well except for Artest and Odom. Those two guys looked as if they could have played another half of ball. Their energy was a shot in the arm for LA.

120% agree.

Watch it 4Q again, look how tired Boston players.
Those 3Q of tremendous efforts worn down in 4Q.

[Cqc_Nastyn8]

Celtics were just flat out exhausted in the 4th. Doc said it himself that he had to go away from Sheed in the post due to fatigue/injury. LA started helping on KG later in the game. Boston started settling more for the outside shot. That happens when you are physically drained. You stop moving and start reaching and slapping defensively.

LA was tired as well except for Artest and Odom. Those two guys looked as if they could have played another half of ball. Their energy was a shot in the arm for LA.

120% agree.

Watch it 4Q again, look how tired Boston players.
Those 3Q of tremendous efforts worn down in 4Q.

The way i saw it was they slowed the game down to their pace and just tired out and went flat out cold.

[mr_sunshine]

Celtics were just flat out exhausted in the 4th. Doc said it himself that he had to go away from Sheed in the post due to fatigue/injury. LA started helping on KG later in the game. Boston started settling more for the outside shot. That happens when you are physically drained. You stop moving and start reaching and slapping defensively.

LA was tired as well except for Artest and Odom. Those two guys looked as if they could have played another half of ball. Their energy was a shot in the arm for LA.

120% agree.

Watch it 4Q again, look how tired Boston players.
Those 3Q of tremendous efforts worn down in 4Q.

The way i saw it was they slowed the game down to their pace and just tired out and went flat out cold.

And the Lakers stayed cold too....yet they were gifted free throw after free throw after free throw. No one has provided any valid response to as to why the Lakers shot more FTs or anything. All I see is LOL U GUYS R BABIES STOP CRYIN PUSSIES! Why don't you try and explain logically how the free throw discrepancy makes sense, when all signs point to the contrary? Oh wait you can't, so just like the rest of the Lakers fans hanging around here you result to poo flinging and calling us whiners.

My suggestion: Leave now and don't come back.

[jsimon]

um naw i feel kinda great to be honest You guys wouldn't be saying this if it was the other way around and you know that's true. Just accept the fact the better team won.

Actually I made a point after game 6, win or lose, this series was tainted. Game 7 was just the cherry on the sundae. But you enjoy your coronation, I mean Championship.

[ConnorHenry]

I'm just going to repost this for the third time because there really isn't much else to be said...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
They just couldn't do it could they? They just couldn't let the game play out on the court. So let's break this down...

After calling a fairly good game for three quarters, all of a sudden the whistles come flying left and right. Not for both teams mind you, just for the Lakers. And it's not just the continued absurdity of total FTA, in this game a comical 35-17 (adjusted for the intentional), but they almost all came in the fourth quarter. The Lakers shot something like 19-21 of their free throws to our 6 or so in the 4th. What??? Are you saying that all of a fuc*k*ing sudden the Celtics started fouling uncontrollably? But of course the Lakers just played shut down defense in the 4th. right? Just locked us up. They weren't shoving and grabbing and holding for the entire quarter...

For three quarters Gasol and Odom and Bynum were coming over our backs with no calls. In the 4th Gasol picks up a key foul on Wallace on a questionable over the back. Gasol then gets his usual throw the arms up flop call on KG who is defending him no differently than Artest was defending Pierce the whole quarter. Kobe gets the bogus three shot foul on Allen. Gasol goes up and down with the ball and scores, but of course no call.

The Lakers trailed this game for three quarters until the refs came to the rescue, like they've done all series. The worst part is I actually thought for a while there they were going to let them play, you know, make it seem like the refs haven't been carrying the Lakers all series long. But when the puss*y Lakers showed up for the 4th quarter trailing they couldn't hold back any longer. Kobe is well defended and cold all game, don't worry we'll put you on the line. Gasol can't score consistently all game, no problem here's a parade of free throws for you big fella.

Only a 16 year old fan boy would be proud of this win. If there are any Laker fans reading this post you should be embarrassed right now. Yes, you did out rebound us all game, but you shot like crap and jumped over the back on almost all of them. Yes, Ray Allen was ice cold, but so was Kobe. There is absolutely no way you win a 7 game series without the refs carrying your sad flopping puss*y asses all series long.

That fourth quarter was the final nail in the NBA coffin for me. And you know what's the worst thing? Even though they let 'em play for about 38 minutes, I fuc*k*ing knew it was coming...

Gawd Dam*n you to hell David Stern!

Final free throw tally adjusted for intentionals, 198-133 Lakers. 19-6 in the 4th quarter of game 7.

Total - Fuc*k*ing - Joke.

You are soooo on point........

the over the back was going on all series with no calls......

I almost put the remote through the TV when they called over the back on Sheed. Gasol did the same thing three times on LA's first possession of the game...no call. He went on to do it about another 20 times, but hey it's not a foul. He's too tall, and too good.

The Lakers have gotten away with numerous over-the-backs in the games between them and Boston after Game 6, 2008. Most notably Pau. It's like the NBA felt it owed the Lakers something after that series. It was an over the back by Bynum that knocked out Perk; I am not saying Bynum deliberately hurt Perk, but that LA does it, does it often, and knows it can, so Bynum just did it and came down on Perk.

I have bitten my tongue since game 7, reading much and looking over stats before I weighed in. I cannot 100% blame the refs in this series. The Celtics played uneven ball during the season and even in the playoffs. They shouldn't have fell so far behind LA in game 3; they should have played much better in game 6 to try to avoid facing a game 7 in LA. I don't care how good a road team you are, that's not a favorable situation.

That said, though, I'm sorry but I do have to say that reffing still was a major reason Boston lost game 7 and the series. In each of the first 3 games, the refs took out a member of the Big 3 for huge chunks of the game. And it those fouls always seemed to take place when one of them was heating up, with the exception of Ray in Game 2. No surprise LA took 2 of those 3 games. As I just mentioned, it's seems like after Pau's terrible 2008 Finals, that Stern ordered the refs to assist him in looking tougher; I guess if he was going to have the guy traded to LA to keep Kobe happy, he had to make sure Pau could make an impact. Pau started getting so many calls his way and started getting away with so much contact while he flailed around trying to look tougher after the '08 finals.

No matter how you slice it, the refs robbed Boston in game 7. Yes, the Celtics' rebounding was abominably bad; however, this was largely negated by the Lakers' abysmal shooting from not only the field but from the charity stripe. Seriously, everyone who harps on the rebounding deficit as the reason the Celtics lost fails to explain then how the Celtics still managed to still take a lead and hold it much of the game until the Laker onslaught of foul shots in the 4th.

Thus we get to the 4th quarter and the Lakers didn't have much of an advantage in FTAs. Also, they were in danger of possibly losing. They weren't making shots; even Kobe wasn't. Only Artest really was hitting his shots. The refs had given a few fouls to minor Laker players like Vujacic to give the appearance that the game was being called evenly. But no more trying to be discreet. Kobe's legacy and the Kobe brand were at stake. What would happen if Kobe choked under pressure and failed to lead his team to victory on his own home court in game 7? So they started to call fouls on everything the Celtics did. Did you see when Garnett actually pulled back from Gasol and had his hands crossed over his chest yet still drew the foul? That was Gasol-instigated minor contact but the foul went on KG, though he actually probably didn't defend effectively because he was trying to avoid drawing the foul. Yet Gasol got his forearm into KG's lower back on a couple of KG's shots under the rim. And let's not even go into Gasol's up-and-down that went uncalled.

The Celts outscored the Lakers 17-12 in the 4th from the floor. This was wiped out by a 16-5 Laker advantage at the line. This in a game where so few points were scored? Those 16 points were nearly a quarter of all points scored by LA. Amazing that could take place in a game 7 of the playoffs, much less the Finals. A 37-17 final advantage in FTAs for the Lakers. That's 44% as many FTAs as FGAs.

No matter how much you spin it, reffing was a huge component of why the Celts lost. And what a coincidence that the worst and most blatant awarding of free throws to the Lakers in the series occurred when they faced elimination and were not able to hit shots from the field. There is a good post by "theman" on this board, too, under the "Biggest Story in the finals is the refereeing" thread that puts a good dent in the "Celtics weren't driving" during this series argument (see viewtopic.php?f=8&t=1018400&start=225, 4th post). Pierce and Allen were driving; KG was going inside. They couldn't draw fouls. Furthermore, even Bill Simmons' rather timid game chat pointed out that the Lakers took 20 three point attempts out of 83 total attempts to the Celtics 16 out of 71, so you can't say that the Lakers weren't taking jump shots.

I really think Stern is a one-trick pony. He lucked out with Magic and Bird and then really lucked out with MJ. He knows no other way to market the league than with a superstar. So with LeBron not keeping up his end of the bargain, Stern has to keep up Brand Kobe. I really think the goal is get Kobe 7 titles so he's "better" than MJ and indisputably GLOAT over Magic. Finally, it's not like this sort of gifting of free throws to the Lakers in the playoffs is unprecedented. Just ask the 2002 Sacramento Kings.

[soxfan2003]

The unfortunate thing is perhaps the Celtics sans Rondo were somewhat to blame since they barely complained about the bad calls in game 6. The bad calls in game 6 clearly did not swing that particular game but if you don't really publicly challenge them, then I don't think the referees and league will get the message to be consistent in game 7. And the same biased officiating can show its head in game 7. I don't necessarily think there was a league conspiracy to tell the refs to favor the Lakers but then again I thought there was at least a 50% chance the Lakers would get a big benefit from the refs and close to a 0% chance the Celtics would.

As for Stern, he has been a poor commissioner. Yes, basketball revenues have gone though the roof before falling down but realistically the league would be more valuable today if they didn't dilute the importance of the regular season so much. Stern presided over the coming of the television age in sports and the growth of cable so of course revenues will grow.

Have less teams in the playoffs each year so the regular season means a bit more. I'd even consider going to a shorter season since it's not like the history of basketball is like baseball. And even baseball changed the length of its season.

The NFL doesn't need 82 games to be the most popular sport in the US.

[tfmiii]

The Lakers have gotten away with numerous over-the-backs in the games between them and Boston after Game 6, 2008. Most notably Pau. It's like the NBA felt it owed the Lakers something after that series. It was an over the back by Bynum that knocked out Perk; I am not saying Bynum deliberately hurt Perk, but that LA does it, does it often, and knows it can, so Bynum just did it and came down on Perk.

I have bitten my tongue since game 7, reading much and looking over stats before I weighed in. I cannot 100% blame the refs in this series. The Celtics played uneven ball during the season and even in the playoffs. They shouldn't have fell so far behind LA in game 3; they should have played much better in game 6 to try to avoid facing a game 7 in LA. I don't care how good a road team you are, that's not a favorable situation.

That said, though, I'm sorry but I do have to say that reffing still was a major reason Boston lost game 7 and the series. In each of the first 3 games, the refs took out a member of the Big 3 for huge chunks of the game. And it those fouls always seemed to take place when one of them was heating up, with the exception of Ray in Game 2. No surprise LA took 2 of those 3 games. As I just mentioned, it's seems like after Pau's terrible 2008 Finals, that Stern ordered the refs to assist him in looking tougher; I guess if he was going to have the guy traded to LA to keep Kobe happy, he had to make sure Pau could make an impact. Pau started getting so many calls his way and started getting away with so much contact while he flailed around trying to look tougher after the '08 finals.

No matter how you slice it, the refs robbed Boston in game 7. Yes, the Celtics' rebounding was abominably bad; however, this was largely negated by the Lakers' abysmal shooting from not only the field but from the charity stripe. Seriously, everyone who harps on the rebounding deficit as the reason the Celtics lost fails to explain then how the Celtics still managed to still take a lead and hold it much of the game until the Laker onslaught of foul shots in the 4th.

Thus we get to the 4th quarter and the Lakers didn't have much of an advantage in FTAs. Also, they were in danger of possibly losing. They weren't making shots; even Kobe wasn't. Only Artest really was hitting his shots. The refs had given a few fouls to minor Laker players like Vujacic to give the appearance that the game was being called evenly. But no more trying to be discreet. Kobe's legacy and the Kobe brand were at stake. What would happen if Kobe choked under pressure and failed to lead his team to victory on his own home court in game 7? So they started to call fouls on everything the Celtics did. Did you see when Garnett actually pulled back from Gasol and had his hands crossed over his chest yet still drew the foul? That was Gasol-instigated minor contact but the foul went on KG, though he actually probably didn't defend effectively because he was trying to avoid drawing the foul. Yet Gasol got his forearm into KG's lower back on a couple of KG's shots under the rim. And let's not even go into Gasol's up-and-down that went uncalled.

The Celts outscored the Lakers 17-12 in the 4th from the floor. This was wiped out by a 16-5 Laker advantage at the line. This in a game where so few points were scored? Those 16 points were nearly a quarter of all points scored by LA. Amazing that could take place in a game 7 of the playoffs, much less the Finals. A 37-17 final advantage in FTAs for the Lakers. That's 44% as many FTAs as FGAs.

No matter how much you spin it, reffing was a huge component of why the Celts lost. And what a coincidence that the worst and most blatant awarding of free throws to the Lakers in the series occurred when they faced elimination and were not able to hit shots from the field. There is a good post by "theman" on this board, too, under the "Biggest Story in the finals is the refereeing" thread that puts a good dent in the "Celtics weren't driving" during this series argument (see viewtopic.php?f=8&t=1018400&start=225, 4th post). Pierce and Allen were driving; KG was going inside. They couldn't draw fouls. Furthermore, even Bill Simmons' rather timid game chat pointed out that the Lakers took 20 three point attempts out of 83 total attempts to the Celtics 16 out of 71, so you can't say that the Lakers weren't taking jump shots.

I really think Stern is a one-trick pony. He lucked out with Magic and Bird and then really lucked out with MJ. He knows no other way to market the league than with a superstar. So with LeBron not keeping up his end of the bargain, Stern has to keep up Brand Kobe. I really think the goal is get Kobe 7 titles so he's "better" than MJ and indisputably GLOAT over Magic. Finally, it's not like this sort of gifting of free throws to the Lakers in the playoffs is unprecedented. Just ask the 2002 Sacramento Kings.

great, great post, too bad it is at the end, where few will read it