LOS ANGELES — Things don’t look great for an aging Boston team after the Los Angeles Lakers’ decisive victory in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, but given the Celtics’ experience and toughness, expect them to do a little more than just show up for Game 2 today.
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When the going gets tough, as when they lose Game 1 knowing the other coach is 47-0 when his teams win the opener, the tough get going.
Either that, or the tough say, “This is still a best-of-seven, right?
“That game counts as one, right?”
“That means they still have to beat us three more times, right?”
“WE CAN DO THIS!!!”
Not that the Celtics are approaching Game 2 that way.
They’re not only not worried about Phil Jackson’s streak, they thought it was funny when the subject came up Friday.
Actually, the Celtics think it’s pathetic, even if they didn’t come out and say it the morning after when nothing looked too funny.
“I’m going to guess that you know Phil’s record when he wins Game 1,” someone asked Coach Doc Rivers.
“Uh-huh,” Rivers said, without enthusiasm.
“Do you know what it is?”
“I don’t know the record,” Rivers said. “I’ve just heard about it… .
“The last time we were in the Finals, no team had ever come down from 24 in the second half.
“At some point, it happened.”
For Lakers fans who have repressed the memory of that point, the Celtics came from 24 down in Game 4 in 2008 when the Lakers, who were about to tie the Finals, 2-2, then found themselves down, 3-1, instead.
If a 1-0 lead is preferable to an 0-1 deficit, no Laker with a memory can feel safe, even if it goes back only two years.
Remember Game 1 in 2008 when the favored Lakers led, 51-46, at halftime, having just gone on a 27-17 run, and jumped around excitedly in the locker room when players asked:
Is that all they’ve got?
Remember the Lakers’ bemused reaction to Paul Pierce’s wheelchair ride and dramatic return, after which Pierce got 28 in Game 2 and the Celtics stomped them, leading by 22 after three quarters?
Friday it was a chagrinned bunch of Celtics squinting into the harsh light of a new day after getting pushed around by the team they were supposed to push around.
After Game 1, the Celtics have plenty of real stuff to worry about rather than waste time on Phil’s Killer Aura:
n The Lakers. They’re bigger and tougher than they used to be.
n The Celtics. They’re older than they used to be. They’re also sick of hearing about it, as they did all season, amid their injuries, and last season, amid their injuries.
Nevertheless, it’s true.
“We’re not a young team,” Rivers said. “I can’t say that Ray (Allen, who’s 34) is 29 and lie… .
“Whenever we lose a game, we’re too old, and whenever we win a game, we won because we have great experience. I tend to lean on the second part of that more than I do the first part.”
n Kevin Garnett. After averaging 11 points in the East finals, he scored 16 points Thursday but missed three dunks.
The Celtics rode the 34-year-old, oft-injured KG hard against the Cavaliers when he averaged 19 points in a mismatch with Antawn Jamison, making up for Pierce’s struggles.
n The referees. They called it tight and Allen and Pierce were in foul trouble all game. Pierce played 45 minutes but Allen only 27.
Asked Friday if they could win that way, Rivers said: “No. Ray has to play. We have to get Ray the ball. We have to get Paul the ball more. But they have to be on the floor to do that.”
Aside from that, the Celtics think they’ll be OK.
No, really.
It’s true, too. If they’re definitely old, they’re definitely tough, so they’ll show up today.
As if things aren’t bad enough for them, no Jackson team has never lost a 2-0 lead, either.
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