Boston Ties it Up

Last night was a great game, not a classic, but still a great game. The Celtics and Lakers brought out the best in each other I felt.

Early in the game it seemed as if LA had complete control. They weren't scoring much, but their transition defense was solid and they controlled the ball on offense. Boston, on the other hand, was looking rough. They had a number of missed lay-ups and a number of missed shots from the field. Their brightest moment in the first half was KG's buzzer beater before half.

In the second half i expected LA to continue what they were already doing, and they did to an extent. Kobe caught fire from downtown and it looked as if he was starting to have "one of those nights," but Boston was able to persevere. The big reason Boston was able to persevere you ask? Their bench. And more specifically Glen "Big Baby" Davis.

Davis was incredible last night. Their was no stopping him in the paint. He took it to Odom, he took it to Gasol, and he even through Kobe to the ground. Davis looked possessed out there. He was the leader of the Celtics team that essentially won the game. Along with Robinson, Wallace, and Tony Allen the Celtics bench was able to put the game away. Each player made key plays. Nate hit a clutch floater in the lane after a stupid technical foul he received. Rasheed put in a big 3-pointer after a stupid technical foul he received and Tony Allen did well against Kobe.

I give Doc Rivers a lot of credit for leaving his bench in. Most coaches in the league want to win or lose solely with their stars. Doc took a different approach though. He rode the hot hands and it was the right decision. Games like this establish trust within a team. Boston's starters and coaching staff probably feel a lot more comfortable today than they did yesterday and rightfully so. In LA's defense though, they weren't at full strength.

Andrew Bynum played only 12 minutes last night. Reports say his knee was swelled up more than it had in about a month. He was held to only 2 minutes in the entire second half, which put a lot of pressure on Gasol and Bryant. Without Bynum the Lakers aren't the same team. In fact, Kenny Smith called them "The Lakers of 2008 without Bynum," which is true. Bynum brings LA toughness on the boards and some easy buckets on offense. Bynum going down or not being healthy for the rest of the series could change things in a big way.

Going into game 5 I think Boston has a slight edge. They are going to be at home and they are going to be ready. The Lakers are going to be ready too,but with Bynum at anything less than 100% I am worried for them. Its impossible to count out any team with Kobe Bryant on it, but it can't just be him and Gasol. The Lakers are going to need a third scorer if Bynum can't do it. They had it in game 3 with Derek Fisher, but they didn't have it last night.

Keys for game 5: Lakers- Get Bynum healthy, be more physical, bench production.

Keys for game 5: Boston- Win the battle on the boards, tempo, big play from the bench.