Finals: True to Form

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After tonight’s Finals game one showing, I doubt anyone is typically shocked at the Lakers’ success in defending their home court at Staples and winning the game with an enthusiastic statement that only defending champs on their home floor could make. But there was still a sense of confusion in the air about how decidedly Kobe and company kept control over a habitual underdog-turned-vanquisher Celtics squad. While tonight’s game may have held true to our accepted and expected form, and undoubtedly gave us all a lesson in just how important home court advantage is, it also marks the first occasion in these 2010 playoffs that the Boston Celtics were seemingly outplayed in the first game of a series. We’ve all, even Boston fans, underestimated what their core five guys, team defense, bench players and pure grit brought to the table. By game three of the Orlando series, the entire basketball world had realized that the Celtics were for real. Anyone not convinced was on another planet. With the Celtics’ losing effort tonight, I think we would all be remiss, however, to make too much of the game. I’ve already been hearing this morning about Boston being done, the Lakers being too good, and that game one is an indicator of the entire series. And while this may very well be true—only time will tell—it’s also still based on the Lakers winning a game they should have won. That’s what home court is for. Defending champions in the Finals with home court advantage have always been expected to win. The fact they have is not a mark that Boston is any less of the team we’ve seen in other series throughout these playoffs. Sloppy defensive efforts, poor transition play, horrific ball control, sad rebounding/box-out efforts, brick-a-thon three-point shooting on the visitor end, and an inspired Lakers offensive effort at home, completely made the game one sided. Even still, the Celtics lost by only 13 in what should have been a repeat of game three of the Celtics-Cavaliers series – crushed by 30-plus. Boston never seemed to be in this game at all as far as the competitive nature and king-of-the-jungle swagger they’re famous for bringing. But it seemed more due to the fact that Boston was shooting itself in the collective big toe and not that the Lakers were just that much more dominant. Contrary to a lot of popular belief tonight, I believe this game one is a sure sign that this series is going to be ridiculously exciting. Boston has been known to have games like these, albeit not in game one. Granted. I’m certainly looking forward to game two on Sunday night. How about y’all?