The Jello’s Jigglin…For The Lakers – Game 4 2008 NBA Finals

Published by lakers-fan.com on June 13th, 2008 | Tagged lakers vs celtics

If Chick Hearn was still alive, I am sure he would agree that last night was one of the worst, most embarrassing losses in the history of the Los Angeles Lakers franchise. Even this morning there are still sharp pains echoing in my stomach.

In Game 4 of the 2008 NBA Finals, within three minutes of the first quarter, it seemed as if the Lakers were unstoppable. Everything was working for them. Lamar Odom started 5 for 5 and Boston seemed unable to put the ball in the hoop. The Lakers defense was tight, the fans were on their feet, and everyone thought that this series was on its way to being tied up. To put the nail on the coffin for the Celtics, Jordan Farmar even made a buzzer three-pointer to end the half, just as the Celtics showed signs of a comeback
Then came the 3rd quarter…

Since game 1 of the finals, The Lakers have shown their weak side in the 3rd quarters. This game was no exception. The Lakers were demolished in the 3rd quarter and Laker fans were stunned to be going into the 4th quarter as a close game. It seemed as if a whole different team came out to play in the 2nd half.

Kobe started the 1st half in single digits for scoring, but his team picked up the slack. What happened to the Kobe we saw in Game 3, driving to the hoop and going to foul line? Every play seemed to be the same one after another, Lakers come down, Kobe burns 20 seconds, trying to juke Pierce, and then gets caught and either misses a tough jumps shot, or tries to pass it off to a teammate, who is then suppose to make a prayer with 2 seconds left on the shot clock. As Kobe tried to take over, the rest of the Lakers team sat around and watched.

But even with the 3rd quarter slump, everyone still felt the Lakers had control of the game, even Phil Jackson, who confidently declared that The Lakers would regain momentum and win the game during a timeout. But when under the 4 minute mark in the 4th quarter came and Boston took their first lead, the air was sucked out of The Staples Center. Phil Jackson’s teams have always had a struggle with rotation on defense and last night was no exception, with having James Posey and Eddie House drain 3 pointer after 3 pointer from the corner on them. In the end, the Celtics prevailed to be the stronger, more mature team beating the Lakers in their home court for one of the most critical games in the series.

Is it the end of road for the Lakers? History says so with having no team to come back from a 3-1 deficit in NBA Finals History. If there is going to be a miracle, these are MUSTS for the Los Angeles Lakers.

1. Kobe Bryant must remain reliable. He needs to always be ready to take over the game when his team struggles. Something Michael Jordan was always good at. Sure, he had his bad games, but it seemed that during big games, when his team needed him, he came through. Kobe cannot have another game like he did last night!

2. Lamar Odom needs to play like he did in the first half ALL GAME. Last night, Lamar showed that he can be one of the toughest players to guard in the NBA, when he wants to be. He needs to play that kind of basketball the entire game to spread out the Celtics defense and create open shots for the Lakers.

3. Paul Gasol needs to show up to The Finals. As of now, Pau Gasol has been NAF (Not a Factor) in the NBA Finals. He is playing good defense on Garnett, but needs to become aggressive on offense for The Lakers to win. Ever since game 1, he has looked nervous, timid, and scared to do anything offensively, and quite frankly is not living up to the status the Lakers bargained for.

4. Bench Support. It seems as if Phil Jackson always likes to play a player that doesn’t belong in the game. Whether it’s Luke Longley from the Bulls, or in this case, Vlade Radmanovic. Yes, Vlade has been known to hit a few three pointers in the first half, but makes up for it by his almost non-existent defense. Trevor Ariza came in the first half and showed Phil Jackson that he deserved to be in the game, scoring 6 quick points (one three pointer), a block, and a couple steals. However, Phil barely played him in the second half. He needs to go where the energy is on his team.

As a Laker fan, I’ve got to be with them to the end, but last night sure took its toll. The Lakers will have to play 3 flawless games if they are to beat the Celtics, especially if and when they return to Boston. Hey, history was made last night, maybe it will be made again. Only time will tell.

- Chris Marquis

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