It's Almost Time to Fire Up The Duck Boats

In game two of the NBA Finals, the Celtics nearly blew a 22 point lead, which would have been the largest deficit ever overcome in an NBA Finals game. Luckily, the Celtics never relinquished the lead and held on for the win. Following that game, everyone was saying how the Lakers' ability to make game two close at the end would provide them momentum heading home to LA.

Well, in a battle of showmanship, the Celtics decided to try for the biggest comeback in NBA Finals history last night. And you know that if you're going for the biggest Finals comeback in history, you've got to give the other team a huge lead. And the Celtics did just that- they gave the Lakers a 24 point lead and then stormed back for a shocking 97-91 win. Is this the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history or the greatest collapse? Perhaps a little of both? Here are just a few thoughts on the game:

· I wrote in my NBA Finals preview column that the NBA and David Stern were fools for starting these games so late on the East Coast. I wonder how many people missed seeing the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history because these games are simply on too late. I can suck it up and go without much sleep but how many kids missed seeing this? That's a whole generation of potential NBA fans that missed one of the most exciting games in NBA history.

· You would think that in light of the officiating scandal that the NBA would tell the refs to call the game a little more even. I don't care if you call fouls on hand checks but call it evenly on both ends of the court. I think a Celtics player had to be bleeding in order to get a foul called. My favorite non call was during the fourth quarter when Ray Allen is bringing up the ball and Rodmanovich has both his hands on Allen's chest. That play isn't even legal in the NFL, let alone the NBA. I love how Doc and the Celtics have handled the officiating in LA- they've said nothing and have persevered in spite of an obvious Laker biase.

· Congratulations to Sasha Vujacic for being the first person to never commit a foul. What a cry baby. I loved the play where he and Ray Allen got tied up, fell to the floor and then Vujacic kicks his feet and tries to trap Allen's legs. Apparently that's a legal play in Vujacic's home country. Nice defense in the final minute, too. Was it his strategy to just let Allen blow by him?

· I'm not sure what to think of Kevin Garnett. He's obviously not putting up huge offensive numbers but he's been a beast on the defensive side. It would just be nice to see him have another way to score than his fall away shot. I just feel like he should be able to dominate on the offensive end and either go in for some easy layups/dunks or kick it back out to an open shooter. Having said that, he's averaged a double double for the first four games.

· It's nice to see that Doc Rivers has finally figured out the Sam Cassell is The Mole and has since cut his playing time. That guy is terrible.

· Absolutely terrible job by ESPN/ABC on the coverage of this game. They never showed any replays of possible fouls, except when it involved Bryant. Any close call was never shown, which has to be a direct order from the league. In addition, they had the cameras on the announcers during several plays, including one with less than a minute left. And is my eyesight going bad or are their graphics impossible to read?

·Can we stop comparing Kobe Bryant to Michael Jordan? This type of collapse would never have happened to Jordan and the Bulls. Never. And to top it off, Bryant talked about going out and having beer and 20 shots of vodka after the game. Look, Jordan was no angel, either, but Bryant is a pure loser. And in the interest of my readers check out this site, www.kb24overrated.com to see the career stats of Jordan and Bryant. Those two should never be compared in the same sentence again. On a side note, I love how the Lakers fans are chanting MVP when Bryant goes to the line. Do they know he already won the MVP award?

· I wish the TV timeouts were just a little longer so that I could cut my lawn during a timeout. Maybe take a quick trip to the grocery store, too.

· Has anyone seen Paul Gaso?

· I have no faith in Rajon Rondo, the Celtics point guard. I know he's injured but he also looks like he's afraid to take a shot. There were at least five occasions last night where he had a clear path to the basket and never shot the ball. On one play, he drove right under the hoop and kept running.

· I know this is typical sports talk, but I think Paul Pierce wants this more than anyone else. He played phenomenal defense on Bryant in the second half and had the energy to be a force on the offensive side, too. I still have no idea how he blocked Bryant's fall away jumper and was still aware enough to grab the loose ball and hit Ray Allen streaking down court.



· I know that Phil Jackson's whole persona is built around that Zen thing but it might be nice if he acted like he cared about his team blowing the largest lead in NBA Finals history. Going into this series I thought the Lakers had a huge coaching edge. Jackson has been here before and this was a first for Doc. This sort of reminds me of Tom Coughlin outcoaching Bill Belichick in the Super Bowl.

· Counting the regular season, the Celtics and Lakers have played six times. The Celtics have won five of those games. Do you really think it's conceivable that the Lakers are taking the next three? Fire up the duck boats!