With the Clippers’ acquisition of Baron Davis and the outrageous amount that Golden State put up for him, Elton Brand seems to be out of the question. While Josh Smith remains our one and only target, and seems to be gaining interest, I decided to take a look at “Plan C” in my eyes- Corey Maggette.

The 6′6 swingman out of Duke averaged 22 points and 5 rebounds per game last season. He is a scorer so don’t ask him to do much else. He gets to the free-throw line maybe better than anyone in the league. He is a decent shooter with a career percentage of 45% from the field and 33% from deep. The 9-year vet can provide leadership to guys like Thaddeus Young and Rodney Carney and is still in the prime of his career at 28 years old.

The unrestricted free-agent is being pursued by many teams such as the Jazz, Spurs, Magic, Celtics, Heat and Hornets. Besides Miami, teams are looking to add another piece to make a run at the title. To my knowledge, all of these teams are offering Maggette part or all of their mid-level exception (5.5 million). The Sixers can easily offer Maggette $6 million (or more depending on if he wants money or a championship) and still have $5 million to spend on a shooter (Kareem Rush?) or big man (Chris Wilcox?).

I think the person that would benefit the most from this move would be Andre Iguodala. I’ve said all along that Dre will probably never be a great #1 option or ever average more than 22+ points a night. However he would be a great “option 1b” if you paired him up with another 20+ point scorer. This would allow Andre to score without taking a guy off the dribble from 30 ft. away. We all saw what happened when the defense focused just on him in the playoffs.

Maggette would have to play the 2-guard spot leaving Thaddeus, Reggie or the rookie to play PF for another year. This signing and the addition of a shooter would leave Willie Green the odd man out. Let’s hope we don’t get to that stage and Josh Smith is our guy this coming season.

Reportedly, the Sixers contacted the restricted free-agent right after free-agency started, showing immediate interest. Atlanta offered Josh a $45 million contract extension during the season that was shot down. It will probably take the entire cap space but the Sixers can offer up to $66.7 million for 5 years. The Hawks would like to sign resticted free-agent Josh Childress to a deal as well.

The only thing the Hawks can play against the Sixers is the “loyalty card” or give him the, “this is your hometown” pitch. The Hawks have said that they will just sit back and match any offer that is given. In this egotistical NBA, that could send a bad message to the player and rip up that loyalty card in a flash. Hopefully that happens.

Josh Childress, the former no. 6 pick, is also set to meet with Sixers reps. later this week. Personally, I like Childress. He’s a good, smart player that would fit into our system well. He can run, rebound very well and shoot a little despite his nasty form. He was a key contributor off the bench and gave a spark every time he stepped on the court during their playoff run against Boston. He was in a bad situation with management drafting people at his same position year after year (similar to us drafting Thaddeus, Rodney and Andre).

Elton Brand is probably nothing more than a dream now. It is unlikely we get both players out of Atlanta due to cap restrictions. I suspect the Hawks management (whoever that may be) are not big fans of ours at this point.

• The Sixers’ dream came true when the Elton Brand notified the Clippers he was opting out of his current deal. Before you get too excited his plans are to stay in L.A and receive a new long-term deal this year instead of next year when the deal runs out. Elton wants to play for a contender and would like the Clippers to add some pieces. As Depressed Fan explains in great detail, this goal was deterred when Corey Maggette decided to opt-out as well. The Clippers have a busy schedule ahead of them.

• With Elton Brand’s intentions clear that he wants to remain Clipper, Josh Smith has become Ed Stefanski’s main focus. Josh was offered a 45 million dollar contract extension during the season but turned it down. The Sixers seem to be the front runners in that race, possessing more money than maybe the Hawks can offer. Josh Smith’s people and Sixers’ management are set to meet later this week.

• One name got scratched off the list when Antawn Jamison reached a new deal with the Wizards. His buddy Gilbert is also expected to re-sign for a unfathomable 100+ million dollars.

• Baron Davis shockingly opted out of 17.8 million dollars he was set to receive next season. He reportedly had problems with Don Nelson in the past. Reason number 1 was probably him being number 3 Chris Mullin’s “to-do” list, behind Monta Ellis and Andris Beidrins. Depending on the Clipper situation, he could possibly end up there.

We are in the final and maybe most important phase of Billy King’s 3-step process. Players are allowed to come to an oral agreement but not a finalized contract until July 9th. Philadelphia and Memphis are the only two team with money so there is no rush. Ladies and Gentlemen, get ready for an exciting summer.

Atlanta Hawks- No picks in either round. Not good when you might be losing a player or two this offseason.

Boston Celtics- Well, they got younger. The Champs picked up two freakish athletes in J.R Giddens (New Mexico) and Bill Walker (Kansas State), but I don’t think either will crack the rotation.

Charlotte Bobcats- They seem to be making no progress in their drafts. Last year, they traded for Jason Richardson, but where in the world is Adam Morrison? This year, they drafted 2 point guards including D.J Augustin (Texas). What does that say about Raymond Felton? What Larry Brown wants, Larry Brown gets.

Chicago Bulls- They won the lottery with 1.7% chance and picked their hometown kid. Lovely story. They still have a glut of guards that can’t do much but shoot and Jay Bilas said Derrick Rose (Memphis) is better than everyone on that team. Ouch! More moves are on the way.

Cleveland Cavaliers-They took PF J.J Hickson (N.C State). I like this kid and think he can become a solid player in their rotation. Again, LeBron doesn’t exactly get the help he needs but another team may have made a move to clear room for him (see N.J. Nets).

Detroit Pistons- After making 6 straight conference finals and only 1 championship, they have a new coach and Joe Dumars is looking to make moves. They got PF Walter Sharpe out of UAB. Jason Maxiell has the role of bench PF squared away but if ‘Sheed is moved he may see time.

Indiana Pacers-  Indiana got the person I wanted most Brandon Rush (Kansas) and Senior Roy Hibbert (Georgetown). Prior to the draft, Indiana received T.J Ford and Rasho Nesterovic from Toronto in return for Jermaine O’Neal. They also sent Ike Diogu to Portland for Jarrett Jack and Josh McRoberts. I think T.J Ford is a great PG when healthy and they finally got rid of injury-prone JO. Plus they have a budding star in Danny Granger.

Miami Heat- Pat Riley took Michael Beasley (Kansas State) with the #2 pick, stole Mario Chalmers (Kansas) in the second round and got a sleeper in Darnell Jackson (Kansas). Shawn Marion is expected not to opt out so they have a superstar SG and superstar SF and a possible superstar at PF. They had a great draft, unfortunately they lack the two most important positions.

Milwaukee Bucks- The athletic big man, Joe Alexander (West Virginia) went #8 to Milwaukee. The problem is earlier, they traded for Richard Jefferson. Their styles of play are pretty similar unless Joe can develop some low-post moves. With Mo Williams, Richard Jefferson and Michael Redd, I think the Bucks have a shot at the postseason if they can stay healthy. I feel like I say that every year.

New Jersey Nets- Rod Thorn had a pretty good day. He drafted Brook Lopez (Stanford), who I think is the same as Krstic if he he could’ve stayed healthy, and Ryan Anderson (California) the shooting big man who I really like. He actually led the Pac-10 in scoring, over O.J Mayo, Jerryd Bayless, Kevin Love and Brook Lopez. They also stole Chris Douglas-Roberts (Memphis) late in the draft.

In return for Jefferson, they received Bobby Simmons and Yi Jianlian. When Bobby Simmons’ big contract comes off the books in 2010, that opens the possibility for Dwyane Wade or Jay-Z’s good friend LeBron James to go to Brooklyn with the team when their contracts expire.

New York Knicks-  Of course, the Knicks fans booed the pick. The pick was Danilo Gallinari who has the potential to be great, but guys like Andrea Bargnani make you think other wise. The Knicks have a new coach, new president but same ego-filled team.

Orlando Magic- I really like Courtney Lee (Western Kentucky). It’s not the sexiest pick, but they needed a SG and he is a good one. He could possibly start this season over Keith Bogans, but I don’t think it was much of an upgrade.

Toronto Raptors-  The Raptors traded away their first-round pick in the Jermaine O’Neal trade and got back a second-round pick to select Nathan Jawai. Toronto made themselves a top 4 team in the East with the trade. A front-court of Chris Bosh and a healthy Jermaine O’Neal is scary, but his health is a big question. Moving the disgruntled T.J. Ford secured Jose Calderon as their starting point guard and their three-point shooting style will only get better with O’Neal and Chris Bosh drawing double-teams.

Not many teams made big, world-changing picks but it was a draft filled with freshmen that have the possibility of becoming stars.

The 6′10″, 245-pounder out of Florida is a power forward in every sense of the word. In his first and only collegiate year playing substantial minutes, he averaged 14.5 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.36 blocks in 24 minutes per contest. The 20-year old kid is one of the most versatile “bigs” in the draft, along with Kevin Love and Darrell Arthur. His game includes being able to finish well around the basket with both hands, a solid back-to-the-basket game and a very good mid-range jumpshot. Mo’s one of the best running big man in the draft as well.

Why isn’t this guy a lottery pick? While all those things are true, he still is pretty raw and needs time to develop. His conditioning and “motor” has been questioned in the past, but obviously management didn’t see it as a problem since this is a running team. Speights isn’t expected to be a major contributor just yet. The Sixers GM said, “He needs to be nurtured. We don’t need him to come in and be a star of the team. He has a very big upside.”

Tony Dileo, Sixers senior VP and assistant GM, broke down the pick into 5 reasons why this kid “fits us like a glove”.

“First of all, we’re a running team and he’s one of the best running big men in the draft. Second of all, we need some post-up presence. Third, we need some outside shooting; not only can he score inside, he can score outside. And fourth, we like versatile players And fifth, he’s a good person; he fits in with his character…He fits our team like a glove.”

My thoughts on the selection? I’m just happy we didn’t pick Donte’ Greene or DeAndre Jordan (over-hyped). I really like our pick. It was safe with a chance to be great. I don’t buy into the idea that he won’t play this year. One, being because of how much Thad played last year when they said the same exact thing. When you are still dumping into Reggie Evans in the post, your only low-post player is going to see the court.

If nothing else, this gives this team depth in the middle. He can play center and power forward and hopefully keep Calvin Booth DNP’d for an entire 82 games. If he does pan out, this moves everyone down in the lineup. The Andres would be in the backcourt, Young at SF and Speights and Dalembert manning the frontcourt.

That doesn’t sound like a contending lineup, I know, but the draft was only the first step in this exciting offseason. Players have to decide if they are opting out of their contracts by Monday and talks can start July 1st. Memphis and Philly are the only two teams with money to burn, so if the if Ed wants somebody, he’s probably going to get him. The big prize, Elton Brand, is unlikely to opt out and reports are that he would only be willing to play for Miami.

Josh Smith could opt out and according to Chris Broussard at ESPN, it’s a strong possibility number 5 would be wearing red and black next year. He is a restricted free agent and the Hawks have the right to match any offer. He had this to say on his blog,”Elsewhere, some say Atlanta doesn’t want to go above $11 million per year to sign restricted free agent Josh Smith. If that’s the case, look for Smith to end up in Philadelphia.”

I’m happy that the Sixers didn’t do anything stupid in last night’s draft trying to move up. They stood pat and got their man. In order of importance, we need a big time player (preferably PF), shooters and maybe a point guard this summer. Hopefully, I’ll be able to find a list of players who have opted out later next week then you guys can decide who would be a good fit for Philly.

**Stay with Passion and Pride throughout the off-season as the weather and Sixers news starts to heat up.**

The Pacers deny that a deal has been reached, but not that there isn’t a deal in the works.  Jermaine O’Neal confirmed that he was going to Toronto. Ford can’t be traded until July 1st due to contract issues. All players have to pass their physicals.

Still, O’Neal had a poor season last year and there are injury concerns with his left knee. Some feel that his best years are behind him and that he’ll never reach 20 and 10 again. Although, I wonder if Ed put together a proposal for the Pacers. O’Neal’s supposedly been on the trading block for the past few months.

If the Sixers were to acquire him, they would have to send back a lot of salary and use up their cap space to clear the difference. When you’re under the cap, you don’t have to take match salaries within 80%.

If the deal would have been Willie Green, Reggie Evans and the 16th pick, do you make the trade? I don’t know. That seems like a high price to pay for a guy who is looking to rebound off a season where he averaged 13 and 6, especially if you have to pay him Webber money. I’d leave that pick out of it, which figures to be a deal breaker for the Pacers.

No, I don’t think Ed was napping at the wheel on that one. The trades that have me concerned are the Nuggets giving the 20th pick to the Bobcats for a future number one and the Trail Blazers outright buying the 27th pick from the Hornets. Why can’t we get in on that action?

I think a very good player will be available at 16, but to help you pick the best player on the board, here are my top 16 choices for the Sixers if they stay true to form and stand pat.

1. Michael Beasley

2. Anthony Randolph

3. Brook Lopez

4. Kevin Love

5. JaVale McGee

6. Darrell Arthur

7. Joe Alexander

8. Mareesse Speights

9. Serge Ibaka

10. Danilo Gallinari

11. Robin Lopez

12. Donte Greene

13. Richard Hendrix

14. J.J. Hickson

15. Jason Thompson

16. Roy Hibbert

Kevin Love is probably the best post player in the draft right now, but I see him more as a high post player than low post. Love is also lacking in athleticism, which will give him problems when facing shotblockers. However, since he is such a great passer, he should hit the open man when the double team comes. For some reason, visions of Jeff Ruland come to mind when I watch Love. Scary.

Of course, if we want to go with the most polished low post player in the draft, you’re talking about the most NBA ready center prospect in Stanford’s Brook Lopez. He conjures up images of Brad Daughterty, which is a sore spot for Sixers fans. After all, didn’t we pass on that guy for Roy Hinson? Man, how low can I go here? First, Ruland (our savior from the Bullets for Moses Malone) and now Daughterty (#1 pick in 1986) - this draft is shaping up to haunt me already. Lopez will be a solid NBA player, but not dominant.

One guy in this draft who is drawing a favorable comparison to Chris Bosh is LSU’s Anthony Randolph. He’s extremely raw and could stand to gain about 30 pounds as well. With LSU’s recent track history of power forwards, many people see Randolph as a potential bust. So, here come the negative comparisons! Fellow LSU players Stromile Swift and Tyrus Thomas haven’t exactly set the Association on fire, although the jury is still out for Thomas.

After Love, Lopez and Randolph, the next tier of post players are Florida’s Marreese (with Sixers greats Malone and Cheeks, can we change it to Mo?) Speights and Kansas forward Darrell Arthur. My pal Adam at RaptorsHQ is a little soured on Speights though and I’m getting repeated stories that he’s not as NBA ready as previously thought. Right now, Arthur has the edge. He reminds me of a young Antonio McDyess. Dice put together some great years for the Denver Nuggets until injuries reduced him to a role player.

There are a few interesting prospects shaping out to land in the middle of the first round. One little kept secret is a 19 year old forward from the Congo named Serge Ibaka. For some reason, to see him move reminds me of a 6′10, 230 pound version of a hybrid Iguodala-Carney-Dalembert. In fact, he might be a better prospect then Anthony Randolph. Check out this YouTube of Ibaka:

Then there is a seven footer from Nevada who has some midrange game and is oozing with potential. He’s a late bloomer though. Meet JaVale McGee…

Ibaka and McGee are risky, but have so much potential that it’s worth rolling the dice. Another guy who might be available is DeAndre Jordan, a seven footer that disappointed after his lone season at Texas A&M. Many are questioning Jordan’s work ethic and attitude. While he’s been compared to Dwight Howard in terms of talent, try Jerome James in terms of production. If we get Jordan, I might have to kill myself.

There’s one more big who has been linked to the Sixers pick and his name is Kosta Koufos. He’s essentially a European Jason Smith. Like Smith, Koufos plays more like a forward. He might be good down the road, but the best possible scenario for him is to become like Utah Jazz center Mehmet Okur. How did Okur make an All-Star team, by the way? Koufos tends to get outmuscled by opposing centers. I’ve never been too keen of 7′1″ forwards. It didn’t work for Jonathan Bender, although it seems to have worked out well for Kevin Garnett (and I don’t care what he’s listed at, he’s 7′1″). Just like getting Jordan, acquiring Koufos would also get me fitted for a straitjacket.

Let me regain my sanity for a moment and steer clear of the bigs. The problem there is that the forwards not named Joe Alexander scare me. Danilo Gallinari? Better than Bargnani, maybe…but he’ll only be about as good as Mike Dunleavy was last year. Nicolas Batum = Marcus Vinicius. Donte Greene has a lot of talent and might be a good complement to Thaddeus, but he prefers to stand out on the perimeter and shoot, shoot, shoot. Jason Thompson was too inconsistent against inferior competition at Rider. Alexis Ajinca is another 7′1″ forward, but he’s too skinny even for power forward.

There is one guy I really like as a sleeper pick. Alabama’s 6′8″ center, Richard Hendrix, will be as good as Carlos Boozer if given the chance. Worst case scenario, he turns into a Paul Millsap, Jason Maxiell, Leon Powe type of player. By the way, Craig Smith also fits that mold and will be a free agent after getting pushed out of the rotation in Minnesota. He should be a solid pickup and somebody worth going for.

So, who is the answer to my post presence problem? Hendrix might be a bit of a reach at 16, but we could trade into the late first round to get him. There’s that rumor of us trading up with the New York Knicks to draft sixth and get Zach Randolph. If that’s the case, then somebody better get a straitjacket fitted for Ed Stefanski as well. Didn’t we just go down that road with Chris Webber? If there was any way to persuade Elton Brand to opt out of the Clippers and come to Philly, then that’s the answer for me. Save the draft for McGee or Ibaka. Resign Iguodala and Williams as your backcourt of the future.

There are soooo many options this summer, especially with all that wonderful cap space, that it’s conceivable for us to pull a few moves that put us in contention with the Celtics next year. Well, maybe I’m getting carried away with myself. After all, save that precious cap space for next summer and you could be looking at a free agent class that would totally reshape the landscape of the NBA. For now, let me echo the sentiment of most Philadelphians when I say, “Just don’t screw it up!”

PREVIOUSLY ON PASSION AND PRIDE: “Where does Lou Williams stack up against this year’s draft?“

As I was watching YouTube videos of the top guards in this draft class, I couldn’t help but think to myself that fan favorite Lou Williams was right on par with these guys. The talent is there. Decide for yourself!

DERRICK ROSE & JERRYD BAYLESS

O.J. MAYO

ERIC GORDON JR.

Those are all high school videos. After one year of college, all four are looking to take the NBA by storm. Hold on a second…

LOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Williams made major improvements in his game this year and emerged as the sixth man by the end of the season. The highlight of the year for me was when he froze D-Wade and went left on him, came off the baseline and threw down a ferocious slam over Udonis Haslem. Of course, now we know that the Heat were tanking. There’s no way Wade reaches like that and doesn’t move his feet if the Heat are actually playing for something…

Lou Will showed signs late last year as Andre Miller’s backup, but really emerged in his third season. He averaged close to 12 points in 23 minutes a game. Come July 1st, he’ll be a restricted free agent.

Resigning the young gun is a priority, as he has the potential to be right there with Rose, Mayo, Gordon and Bayless (add in UCLA sophomore Russell Westbrook as well). In fact, Williams might even be better than all of them next year. If you consider that Lou came straight from high school as well, then take away a year and the half of a season where he didn’t get much burn until Iverson was traded, and Williams is one year ahead of this year’s class of the draft at point. In fact, Lou’s birthday of 10-27-86 is almost exactly one year before Mayo’s 11-5-87.

Another interesting tidbit about this year’s class is that the point guards, other than Derrick Rose, are mostly combos like Williams who play with the ball in their hands and generate their own offense. Viewing the YouTube videos of all four guys, there really doesn’t appear to be much of a difference between the pure point and the combo. That is to say, Rose can look for his own offense in the same manner as the other guys and the other guys can set up their teammates like Rose can (although the argument can be made that Gordon is strictly a shooting guard).

So, while we didn’t land a lottery pick this year, we do have lottery talent in the wings. Remember the name - Lou Williams. It’s almost a guarantee that we will match any offer for him. What isn’t guaranteed is how good these guards in the draft will be. Rose is as close as they come to a guarantee, but for the other guys, I’d take my chances with Lou.

BONUS: Rumors have been circulating that the Sixers are looking to leverage their cap space to move up in the draft. One scenario has them switching picks and power forwards with the Knicks. We’d get the sixth pick and Zach Randolph for the 16th pick and Reggie Evans. If you ask me, I say no thanks. With Lou Williams, the guards available at the pick would be redundant to me (and especially with Willie Green under contract). Getting back Zach Randolph would make it redundant to select a guy like Kevin Love. Somebody like Anthony Randolph might be on the radar with that pick, but how would he fit with Thaddeus Young? Z-Bo is a player I want no parts of. This video pretty much sums it up…

Game 2 of the NBA Finals starred two of the holdovers from Pierce’s previously poor supporting cast. Leon Powe came off the bench to score 21 points in 15 minutes of action to steal the show as the game’s best player. His contributions reminded me of Reggie Evans in the Pistons series, only Powe is much more talented offensively and can make his free throws consistently. He actually went to the line 13 times in those 15 minutes - more than the entire Lakers squad in the full 48.

Image details: NBA Finals Game 2: Los Angeles Lakers v Boston Celtics served by picapp.com

I always liked Powe back when he was putting up averages of 20 and 10 at Cal in college, but somebody thought he ran funny so he wasn’t a first round pick. I don’t remember where I read that at the time, but it was an “expert” at one of those NBA draft sites. Now, Dennis Rodman ran funny, but he won a few rings. Powe’s run doesn’t seem peculiar to me at all, but it isn’t his agility that makes him special. His power overwhelmed the Lakers. While his contribution might have surprised a lot of people, I can’t say that I’m surprised at all. The Lakers only have one guy who can handle Powe and he doesn’t play near enough. That guy is Roni Turiaf.

The other Celtic who shined in this contest was Rajon Rondo. He made a slew of hustle plays and ran the offense flawlessly. While his shooting was off and he only made 2-for-6 from the line, Rondo finished with a whopping 16 assists. He has a knack for setting up his teammates. I remember back when he played for Oak Hill and tallied 32 assists in one game. People expected big things from him when he went to Kentucky, but he had a disappointing career under Tubby Smith there. However, the skills were there to translate to a solid pro player. He might not be an all-star type player, but he’s the type of point guard who plays a solid floor game, great defense and creates for his teammates. He played a gritty game Sunday night and reminded me of when we had Eric Snow running the point here in Philly. Snow might not have been the best player on the floor, but he made the best players on the floor even better. The same can be said of Rondo.

Of course, the Lakers had to put a scare into the Celtics at the end of the game. This will give them the momentum to take over the series as the next three games are in L.A. Paul Pierce had a huge block on Sasha Vujacic’s three point attempt to seal the victory.

Early in the year, I recall people criticizing the Celtics bench as being one of the weakest in the league. In fact, ESPN’s John Hollinger categorically called the bench the worst in the NBA. So much for the experts, I guess. That was before signing P.J. Brown and Sam Cassell, but James Posey and Leon Powe have been doing it all season long (as has Eddie House, who we haven’t even seen in this series). Powe averaged around eight points a game in 14 and a half minutes this year. If you project his contributions to 29 minutes a night, Powe would average 16 points and 8 rebounds. I really hope a starters role awaits him. He showed what he could do if given extended minutes. Of course, this has been the story of the Celtics bench all season long. Whenever a guy’s number is called, they’ve been taking turns stepping up. John Hollinger, eat your heart out!

Magic said, “If we didn’t play the Celtics in the Finals, we were disappointed.” Ah, he must be referring to 1983 when the Sixers swept an injured Lakers squad. The great teams of the 80s most definitely included the Sixers, who had their own storied rivalry with Boston.

As a Sixers fan, I’m happy to see Boston in the Finals, but the respect goes as far as Magic describes. Yes, you want them to be there so you can beat them and ruin their summer. There’s a healthy respect in the rivalry where you can balance the hatred of the opposition with the admiration of the competition.

I’m rooting for the Lakers to win it. I lost a lot of respect for Kobe back when his sexual assault scandal broke, but his journey and maturation as a person with an understanding of the human condition reconciled my perceptions of him. Both Kobe and I are the same age, married with kids and love basketball. What I love about Kobe is his passion.

Let’s get it started…

Halftime: Forget Kedrick Perkins, Kevin Garnett is a beast! He had 16 points and 6 boards to lead all players in the first half. The Lakers led by five, 51-46. Here are my first half impressions…

This game was being played more at the Lakers pace. The Lakers offense was beating the Celtics defense. They were working for the open shot and knocking them down. Pau Gasol scored the game’s first two points on a midrange jumper and he had 12 points in the first half. He also had four assists, but no rebounds.

The giant O’Brien trophy logo on the floor at center court caused a halfcourt violation when Gasol passed the ball back to Bryant. Good ol’ Red must have had a hand in that one.

The guy who I really feel could be a killer for the Lakers is Derek Fisher. He scored 13 in the first half and hit his share of big shots. He’s got the playoff experience and makes the most of his open looks. Fisher is dangerous.

Kobe didn’t force anything, but stuck with the game plan. While he only had 8 points at the break, he will be poised to make his run in the clutch with plenty in the tank for the fourth quarter.

Sam Cassell gave the Celtics some big minutes off the bench, including drawing an offensive foul on Kobe. They definitely were looking for some points from the point guard position. Cassell’s six off the bench with Rondo’s 10 gave them 16 points at the point. I have to question this strategy if the Celtics go on to lose this game. They were down five and Paul Pierce was only 1-for-4 for three points (he got in foul trouble). Ray Allen was 2-for-8 and 1-for-4 from deep for six points. They need to get Paul and Ray going to force Kobe to work on the defensive end. Rondo might be making some plays, but they were losing the game and Kobe wasn’t lighting it up.

For the series, Rondo needs to work the shot clock, slow down the pace, and stay in the flow. Garnett needs to stick with his strong play and not become complacent. Paul and Ray have to get to work in the second half. After one half, I see the Celtics playing right into the Lakers hands.

Forget about all the talk about history, Bird vs. Magic, Russell vs. Wilt, and so forth. History is being made right now. If the Celtics don’t turn it around, they can kiss Game 1 goodbye.

Third quarter: Right on cue, Paul Pierce attacks Vlad Radmanovic and scored eight points early. Of course, Kobe predictably picks up his pace and keeps the pressure on Pierce to guard him. Midway through the quarter, Kedrick Perkins injured Pierce on a fluke play where Kobe hit a fadeaway.

On a sidenote, I can’t stand Jeff Van Gundy as an announcer. His clamoring for Shane Battier over Kobe as a third team defensive player is admirable, but doesn’t belong in the flow of the game. He’s disruptive and I can’t stand him. Will some team with a coaching vacancy hire him so we don’t have to listen to his rants during a game? I’d much rather have the TNT crew doing the finals than this collection of buffoons, with apologies to all those not named Van Gundy.

Of course, Paul Pierce didn’t stay out for long. He waited too long for this. Moments later, the Celtics captain emerged from the tunnel to spark his team. Pierce isn’t letting his team go down without a fight.

So, Kobe and Paul went at it in the third. Kobe had 12 in the quarter and Pierce came out with 15. His back-to-back threes at the end of that quarter really stopped the Lakers momentum. The Celtics scored 31 in that quarter and led 77-73 going into the fourth…

Fourth quarter: Lamar Odom did a great job cleaning up loose balls in the second half. He caught a Kobe airball (uh…I mean, pass) for an easy two and was active around the hoop.

As for that Larry O’Brien trophy logo, it powered Garnett to save a ball 10 feet beyond the halfcourt mark that ended up in the hands of P.J. Brown, leading to a Sam Cassell jumpshot. Amazing! No doubt, Red’s eyes were on that ball as it made it’s way from no man’s land to the bottom of the net.

Ok, so this whole reference to Red’s spirit is going to get old real quick if I keep this up. These guys can win on their own. Red’s legacy lives on.

I wonder how many bad shots and bad decisions Sam Cassell can take before Eddie House finally sees some action? I have always been an Eddie House fan. I like his offense off the bench.

P.J. Brown continued to give big contributions late in playoff games for the Celtics. His banging down low and hustle plays kept the momentum with the Celtics. Just think - when the season started, this guy was unemployed!

It was the Lakers who ended up breaking off their game plan, with the Celtics taking control late and closing out the Lakers. Kobe Bryant was held to 35% shooting. Garnett led the way with 24 points and 13 boards. Pierce had 22 points and Allen finished with 19. The final score was 98-88, Celtics. They held the Lakers to 15 points and 25% shooting in the fourth.

Celtics take Game 1. Game 2 is Sunday night. Will the Lakers respond? Stay tuned…