Mediate showed us a better way to play

It was over.

Deep rough, just in front of the grandstand. His hopes of winning the most important tournament in his life crushed, Rocco Mediate still had a smile on his face.

And a joke up his sweater vest.

Mediate, who pushed Tiger Woods harder in any major championship ever — 16 holes further than Bob May — was facing a drop zone and an impossible chip. A miracle par would extend the sudden death U.S. Open playoff to a second hole after Mediate had already matched Woods’ even par 71 on the 18-hole playoff.

Through the entire day, whether he was up by one shot or down by three to the greatest player golf has ever known — and he was both — Mediate carried with him a jovial grin and an aw-shucks attitude in his golf bag of tricks, which included three straight birdies on the back nine to take the slightest edge on Woods with three holes to play on Monday.

When it was over, however, Mediate was without the glass slipper on his foot. 

You’d have hardly known it by watching him.

Before his 20-foot par attempt on the seventh hole stayed high and trickled past, staying at sea level and handing Woods his incredible 14th major title and first on a reworked knee, Mediate made one more indelible impression on what we can hope was a new legion of up-and-coming golfers watching.

Facing the deadly pitch with virtually no green to work with, Mediate picked his ball up from in front of the grandstand, and before his free drop, mocked a throwing motion to the green, drawing laughter from the gallery. He mimed an underhand approach to get a smile out of USGA director Mike Davis before finally plopping the ball down on his destiny.

The miracles had run out on Mediate, adding to the lore of Woods, who certainly deserves this major championship, maybe moreso than many others. He definitely had to work for this title — the 30 on his second nine on Friday, the improbable 13-to-18 stretch on Saturday and the clutch 12-foot birdie on 18 Sunday, not to mention the hardest push from a playing partner in his career on Monday.

But while we would all love to have Tiger’s game and would love our kids to emulate his work ethic and drive, it is Mediate who taught us all a lesson this week.

In a sport where so often four-letter words are not just acceptable, they seem encouraged (who can forget the “highly technical golf terms” line in Tin Cup?), Mediate, like his short draw off the tee, showed us all another way to play. 

While Woods could be seen throwing his club not once, but twice after his layup on 18 from the fairway bunker — a whole 15 minutes before his double-fist-pumping birdie — Mediate was still Bill Murray-lite as his championship dreams were being crushed like a Woods tee shot.

Mediate’s game was in top form this week — two weeks actually; he won a playoff in sectional qualifying just to make the Open field —  and by listening to the players and commentators this week, his demeanor is always in great shape. It is why is he so well-liked on Tour. So how much his attitude has to do with his golfing success is probably something that can’t be measured.

But one could imagine how much it would help the kids competing out there on the local links, or any of us. If Rocco Mediate — the man who was in contention at the 2006 Masters until taking a 10 on the 12th — can stare down five-plus rounds of the U.S. Open, the last 19 holes of which come pushing the world’s best player, lose the tournament with a loose bogey, and yet still laugh, then just why in the heck are we taking this game so seriously?

Thanks, Rocco. Tiger Woods won the U.S. Open, but you won our hearts.

So who will win the Open?

I do this with every major championship. But this time, I’m coming off a win of my own, having picked Trevor Immelman correctly to prevail at the Masters.

Immelman won’t win the U.S. Open, but there are plenty of others who won’t either. Here’s a look at who I think can win, who won’t win, and who will win.

Who Won’t Win

Phil Mickelson +9 Duh.

It doesn’t matter how many Colonials or Hartford Opens or even Players Championships Lefty wins, he’s simply not the same player in majors since his disaster at Winged Foot.

This was the U.S. Open that wasn’t supposed to get away. Tiger Woods is coming off knee surgery, it’s Lefty’s home course and he’s thrived on Torrey Pines in the past.

But then, like he has almost every major lately, Lefty overthought things. 

Two years ago, it was two drivers at Augusta, though that led to a win. This year at the Open, it was five wedges and a 3 wood.

And a 9 on the 13th hole.

You know what, Phil? Play the darn golf course. Play golf. Just play. Leave the weirdness at home, and get back to where you were when you decided to scale back your game, not change how it’s played.

Brandt Snedeker +4 He’s become my favorite player on Tour, and even though he had the low round of the day on Saturday, he’s just too far back — and too late starting in the afternoon now — to make a charge.

Sneds would need another 68 to get into the thick of things, and maybe his experience at the Masters this year helps. He did go from tied for 65th and making the cut on the number up to tied for 16th to start Sunday, but it won’t happen. Nice run, though.

Davis Love III +3 At one point Johnny Miller said Love was “swinging really well.” The problem was, Love really wasn’t. He was missing fairways and greens and making a bunch of 5-footers for pars.

Then he stopped making them. That’s what the Open does to you after a while. 

D.J. Trahan +1 He’s right there, nobody’s talking about him and he keeps hitting all the shots.

But even though he’s won on the PGA Tour this year, he hasn’t faced this kind of pressure yet. 

Camilo Villegas +2 Not yet, but maybe soon. I don’t think this guy’s a flash in the pan.

Hunter Mahan +2 See above.

Who Can Win?

Rocco Mediate -1 The Open means more to him than any other tournament. Outside of Woods and Mickelson, he’s been the crowd favorite. And at 45, he’s been around and knows this is a lark. 

He’s stayed loose, even when things were going bad. He was 4 over on on a three-hole stretch late in his round on Saturday, but came back with a big birdie on 17 to right the ship. He’s right there, and he’s not supposed to win. Sometimes that can go a long way.

Miguel Angel Jimenez +2 He seemed to play better than his 74 on Saturday. The consummate grinder on the golf course, it’s no wonder Jimenez seems to pop up in majors. Another guy who’s been around a while and won’t get rattled. He could be this year’s Angel Cabrera, but he needs an under par round to do it.

Sergio Garcia +3 He’s had back-to-back rounds of 70 and he won at The Players and contended last week in Memphis. That all suggests that his first-round 76 was the aberration.

Garcia has melted down on Sundays in majors before — including just last year at Carnoustie — but eventually he has to get it figured out. Few will talk about him coming into Sunday’s round, which should help him. He may need a 68 to do it, but it’s in front of him.

Geoff Ogilvy +1 He double bogeyed the 14th but came right back with a dart on 15 for birdie, completing a stretch in which he birdied three out of four holes. He’s streaky enough to get it done, just like he did at Winged Foot when Lefty served it up to him on silver platter.

Lee Westwood -2 He’s one shot back of the lead and he’s a big-time player. Westwood ascended to No. 4 in the world ranking in 2000 before his game collapsed, but he’s built it back up and he’s a solid round away from possibly winning his first major.

Westwood has the game — he’s straight, he has a solid putter and his short game on Saturday was impressive. He’s kind of reminiscent of Colin Montgomerie. Westwood has won 27 times around the world, 18 times on the European Tour. His winning would not be a surprise.

Well, except…

Who Will Win?

Tiger Woods -3 Of course.

What a round. His second double bogey on the first hole to start a round. His second eagle on the par-5 13th. He rips four straight drives wildly to the right — and eagles one of the holes and birdies another on a ridiculous chip. He limps after bad holes, strides after good ones.

And still he’s going to win.

After his second knee surgery, Woods came to Torrey Pines for the Buick Invitational and won. He’ll do it again after his third scope.

Maybe it’s karma — how else do you explain the 70-footer on 13, the one-bounce chip-in on 17 or the bomb on 18? 

By saying he’s the best to ever play the game, that’s how.

Looking hard at it, the course is made for Woods, which is why he’s won there six times. Two reachable par 5s in the last six holes give him a huge advantage. Unless he misses every fairway, it’s his tournament to lose.

Remember, he’s never lost a major when holding at least a share of the lead after 54 holes.

He’ll make it 14-for-14 today.

And he’ll make me 2-for-2 this year.

Call it — Tiger Woods has won the U.S. Open

It’s over.

I don’t care about the knee. I don’t care about the 9-week layoff. I don’t care about the toughening conditions. 

I don’t care.

It’s over.

Tiger Woods is two days away from winning his third U.S. Open and 14th major championship of his career.

He was sluggish to start his round on Friday, falling to 3 over for the tournament and was left for dead after blocking a drive under a tree  near a cart path on the first hole.

So what does Woods do, his tournament hanging in the balance?

He blasts a beauty of a rocket pin high on the green and drains the putt. He birdies four out of five holes and fires a 30 on his second nine for a 3-under 68 to leave him one shot out of the lead heading into the weekend.

It’s over.

Will he get fatigued? Will the knee bother him? Will he struggle as the course gets harder.

Maybe. 

Probably. 

Heck, no.

Who’s gonna derail Woods from what will be his most impressive major win since he lapped the field at Pebble Beach? Stuart Appleby? Maybe, but not likely. Robert Karlsson? Please. Rocco Mediate? No.

Phil Mickelson?

Don’t make me laugh.

Lefty was just that on Thursday and Friday — left. He can’t even hit a 3 wood straight off the tee. Hit it in the fairway and Mickelson can compete. But he ain’t doing it, so it doesn’t matter. Now, at 4 over, he’ll need two rounds in the 60s to win. Good luck. He’ll need it, but he may have used most of it up with the chips that saved him only from double bogeys on Friday.

This is a done deal. Tiger’s driving. Tiger’s throwing darts with his irons. Tiger’s making everything on the greens. 

Tiger’s in control.

Call it a day. Call it a tournament.

Call it for what it is.

Over.

Ramblings from Game 4 of the NBA finals

Thoughts from Game 4 of the NBA finals.

Eventually, we have to get a great game, right?

Game 3 was choppy, poorly officiated and downright ugly, especially for a tilt between the two best teams from each conference, which is what they were all season long.

That said, it was still a close game, even with Kobe Bryant glaring at every one of his teammates, a big first-half foul shot disparity and basically nothing from Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce for the Celtics.

Game 4 should be better, if only because now we’ve heard what Curt Schilling thinks about Bryant, which you can check out from Schilling’s blog, 38pitches.com, here. And — and this is a big AND — the NBA has to have a fairly officiated game. Has to.

But — and to me, l think this is a big BUT — if the Celtics’ Rajon Rondo can’t be effective, all bets are off. The Lakers hit on something in Game 3 that Cleveland was doing in its series against Boston in round 2 — pressure Boston’s guards full court. The Celtics don’t take great care of the ball (enough with the lazy backcourt lob passes already!), and by pressuring them, the Celtics’ offense begins 35-to-40 feet from the basket. That’s why Boston’s offense looked so bad in Game 3 — it was rushed as the shot clock was winding down.

So if Rondo is out of there or ineffective because of the bone bruise on his ankle, and if Doc Rivers insists on a lot of Sam Cassell in his place, look out. 

As good as the Big Three have been for the Celtics, Rondo might be their most valuable player in a pure team basketball sense. Game 4 could tell us a lot about that, as well as where this series might be headed.

The tip is coming. Here we go.

First Quarter

9:04 The word is that “the Lakers look sharp early,’ taking a 9-2 lead.

But you know what? Three fouls charged to the Celtics already, including a technical called on Rivers and a “foul” on Boston’s Kendrick Perkins on boxing out for a missed foul shot. C’mon.

No whistles for L.A.

That’s a joke.

6:31 The Lakers are rolling. Absolutely rolling, getting eight early points from Lamar Odom. They lead by 10, 16-6.

Seriously, though, is Boston the worst fast-breaking team in the history of the game?

3:20 This is starting to take on Kansas/UNC proportions. L.A. is making everything and is in a flow while the Celtics are 3 of 15 from the field and have missed their last eight attempts, none of which were even close.

Why doesn’t Pierce try to take Vladimir Radmanovic to the hole? This is close to being one of those 25-point laughers, especially with Garnett on the bench with two fouls. 24-7, Lakers.

:00 And so the Lakers keep pouring it on against a sluggish Celtics team. It’s 35-14 at the end of the period, setting a new NBA Finals record for biggest lead after the first quarter.

Certainly the Celtics can’t keep playing this badly, and surely the Lakers can’t keep this pace up.

Then again, Bryant only has three points. 

Another thing, Garnett is on the bench looking like it’s over already. OK, so maybe it is, but show a little life. There are three quarters left. Get it to 10 by the half and who knows?

That said, I’ll check back in if something interesting happens.

And dammit, 15 foul shots for the Lakers to just two for Boston?

Answer that, Stern.

Second Quarter

8:13 Lakers by 21. Yawn.

5:36 Lakers by 24. Rondo hasn’t played since being lifted early in the first. The Celtics have one assist.

If he doesn’t come back healthy, the C’s won’t win another game.

And then I’d be right — Lakers in six.

3:02 What do we have here? Pierce hits a jumper and it’s a 12-0 Celtics run. The lead is down to 12, 45-33.

2:36 But a ticky-tack foul on James Posey on a ludicrous runner from Derek Fisher, and now the lead has a chance to go back to 15.

:00 That’s the kind of night it is for the Lakers. The Celtics appear to be getting themselves back within shouting distance, by then Jordan Farmar hits a runner that banks in at the buzzer.

Oh, it gets worse for Boston. After looking at the replay, the officials rule Farmar’s shot was a 3. 58-40 at the break.

Ballgame.

Third Quarter

7:06 Wake me if the Celtics get closer than 12, because each time they do, the Lakers come back with a run of their own. 

I just can’t believe this is the same Boston team that was so good defensively in Games 1 and 2. 68-48, L.A.

3:14 Stop the presses! It’s under 12.

It’s 11, 72-61, as the C’s go small again and try to swarm and poke balls free for turnovers.

Here’s the thing though: if Phil Jackson, with all nine rings, will call a timeout when he’s still ahead by 11 and his team has just given up a mere 7-0 spurt, why does Roy Williams sit on his TOs?

2:01 The move of the series — an incredible dipsy-doo scoop, plus the foul, from Pierce, and it’s a 14-3 run and a nine-point game, 73-64.

Get this thing a little closer, and Pau Gasol and Odom will start to shrink.

1:41 Like I said, they’ll shrink. Gasol just missed a dunk.

1:25 And a 3 by Eddie House! It’s 73-67!

41.2 Allen is fouled, hits ’em, and it’s a four-point game.

1.7 Unfreakingbelievable! A bad offensive set by the Lakers leads to an air ball by Farmar, and P.J. Brown dunks it home to make it 73-71.

Are you kidding?

The Lakers had 35 points after the first quarter. They’ve had 38 since. Bryant will have to shoot now, and he may lead them to victory, but he’s far from in a rhythm right now, so there’s a chance he could be cold or force stuff.

Who could have seen this coming?

And it’s no coincidence that a lot of this has come with Rondo back on the floor and running the offense. It’s so subtle, but he’s a difference-maker.

Just incredible. We have a ballgame.

Fourth Quarter

10:15 Leon Powe backs in Odom and kisses it off the glass. 73-73.

Read that last sentence again.

6:06 79-77, Lakers. Gasol hasn’t played a second of the fourth quarter.

5:48 Drive and dunk for Kobe. It’s 81-77. Celtics have to careful here. The next team to go on a run will win.

4:10 Um, Doc? This is why you shouldn’t play Cassell over House. Pretty J from the wing, and the Celtics inexplicably lead, 84-83.

Ten huge points from House and 15 bigger ones from Posey, who hit a 3 earlier to keep the Celtics’ hopes alive. We could be watching history tonight.

3:13 Reverse from Allen — after he had skied for an offensive board. 86-83, C’s.

2:10 OK, skeptics. THAT was a big-time move from KG, putting the ball on the deck and shooting over Gasol. 88-83, Celtics.

No way. No friggin’ way.

1:13 No, Posey. No, Posey. No, Posey. No, Posey. No, Posey.

YES, POSEY! A 3 drifting to his left — 92-87, C’s.

39.0 A quick bucket for the Lakers, 94-91.

32.0 Allen dribbling.

29.0 Allen dribbling.

25.0 Allen dribbling.

23.0 Allen dribbling.

21.0 Allen blowing by Sasha Vujacic like he’s standing still.

20.0 Allen scoring an easy lefty layup. 96-91.

15.0 Vujacic miss.

11.0 Kobe trying to draw a foul on a 3. No call.

5.0 House rebound.

Ballgame. I think I said that once already tonight.

Final 97-91, Celtics.

The Celtics were down by a record 21 after the first quarter, down still by 20 in the third quarter, and by getting huge contributions from everybody — Pierce, Posey, Allen, Garnett, House — they somehow win. Just an incredible night of basketball.

On the other end, a look at the boxscore will tell you that Odom and Gasol were huge. But what did they do once the game got close? They shrunk offensively — Odom should’ve owned Posey in the fourth quarter, especially with Posey having five fouls — and were worse defensively.

Give the officials credit, too. It was a evenly called game in the second half, and the better team won, not unlike what the Celtics did in the fourth quarter in Game 6 of the Eastern finals against the Pistons. Once the whistles were fair and going both ways, the more complete team won.

Day 1 at the Open

A few thoughts on the first round of the U.S. Open.

You know how when the NCAA tournament rolls around and everybody jumps on the back of a potential sleeper to make the Final Four? Take Clemson, which stormed into the ACC tournament finals and gave UNC three tough games. Almost overnight, the Tigers became the trendy pick and everybody made way for the bandwagon.

That’s the feeling I get about Phil Mickelson this week. 

Again, I know he knows Torrey Pines like the back of his hand and I know he’s had success there and I know he’s contended deep into U.S. Opens before, with as many runner-up finishes as the Golden Bear.

But everybody seems to be picking him this week to win, and after his first eight holes, I felt like my trendy pick idea was holding to form. Lefty was 3 over through eight, couldn’t even keep a 3 wood in the fairway (he’s not carrying a driver this week) and was getting his doors blown off by a gimpy Tiger Woods, who was spraying it all over but scoring.

Then, all of a sudden, Lefty, despite the occasional hybrid out of the deep rough, started throwing darts, and finished his round in 3 under over his last 11 holes. He’s at even and right there after the first round.

But he had 33 putts on his round. That has to change.

As for Woods, a lot is going to be made about his wince after his drive as he closed his round, but while he wasn’t sharp — he hit just 6 of 14 fairways and only 11 of 18 greens — he rolled the rock well, finishing with just 29 putts. For an Open, that’s not bad. He scrambled beautifully around the greens, which shouldn’t be surprising because he probably got a lot of work in on his short game while rehabbing the knee.

Still, the wayward drives could catch up with him, and how long can he stare bogey after bogey in the face and get away with it? That said, if the two double bogeys were instead limited to bogeys, Woods would be 1 under and be the story of the first day.

Justin Hicks led during the afternoon after an early 68. Can he last as long as Jason Gore?

The top 10 leaves a little to be desired, doesn’t it?

Actually, check that now. Geoff Ogilvy, Ernie Els and Luke Donald join Stuart Appleby. Not bad.

Kevin Streelman? See “Hicks, Justin”.

Speaking of trendy picks, Sergio Garcia was a disaster. Six over through eight? Wow.

My sleeper pick? Pat Perez and his first-round 75. I think I’ll go lay down now.

Anybody else expect the golf course to get much harder by the weekend? The greens will be rolled for sure and won’t see a drop of water unless the Good Lord deems it necessary. I still think even could win.

A look before the U.S. Open

I keep hearing the same thing coming into the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines:

If Phil Mickelson is ever going to win the Open, this is it.

Oh really, doctor?

While it’s true that Torrey Pines is essentially Lefty’s home course, while it’s true Lefty has as many runner-up finishes in the Open as Jack Nicklaus (four), and while it’s true that Tiger Woods is an unknown in his return from knee surgery, Mickelson simply can’t be a shoe-in favorite this week.

Yes, he’s won at Riviera and at Colonial this year. But yes, in his win at Colonial, he blocked another tee shot on 18 way, way, waaaaaaaaaay left and needed the shot of the year to win the tournament.

It was eerily reminiscent of Lefty’s colossal meltdown on 18 at Winged Foot two years ago, only this time he got out of it.

So while Mickelson should be in contention, I’m of the opinion he comes oh-so-close again and rips his fans’ hearts out again with another disastrous ending. 

I hope that doesn’t happen, because he’ll be the legitimate rival to Woods should he win. 

But he needs to win first.

Then I’ll go back to picking him.

 

As for Tiger, he’s Tiger. So if anybody can come back with barely a full round of golf under his belt and win the U.S. Open, it’s him.

But if Woods were able to actually play and walk a full 18 by now, wouldn’t he have? Hard to make the call on him.

Hard not to, though.

Here are a few other guys I think have as good a shot as anybody to win this week:

Geoff Ogilvy — With a golf course that is listed at more than 7,600 yards, you need to be long, real long, to win. While the USGA is saying it won’t set the course up to play more than 7,400-7,500 yards any day, it’s still going to be a haul, especially with the foggy mist by the ocean, which could keep things slightly damp. Ogilvy has all the tools and is playing well right now.

Sergio Garcia — It all comes down to how he’s putting, especially on fast greens. But he’s striking the ball as well as anybody in the world, can go on runs of being impossibly straight, is strong as a bull and is creative. The win at The Players is a big boost, as was his performance at a U.S. Open-like St. Jude’s in Memphis, where he finished a shot out of the playoff. I like him this week.

Jim Furyk — Actually, the course is probably too long for him. But if he is in contention on Sunday, he’ll make some sort of inexplicable decision on the tee with two holes to play and throw it away — just like he has done the last two Opens.

Pat Perez — My sleeper pick. He’s never won on the PGA Tour, but he grew up working at Torrey Pines. Maybe he’s the unlikely hometown hero — if he can keep his tempter in check.

Stewart Cink — I just think he’s an Open-type player. As long as he isn’t paired with Woods…

Justin Rose — He’s better than his late-round finishes in the Masters, and he was the European Tour’s Order of Merit winner last year. 

Brandt Snedeker — He hasn’t played very well since his grueling coming-out party at Augusta, but his game is tailor-made for the Open. While he isn’t excessively long, when his putter is right, he’ll make everything, including those gut-wrenching 5-footers to get up and down for par.

Andres Romero — The 27-year-old Argentinean has been a pro for 10 years. He almost stole the British Open last year and was eighth in the Masters. He’s emerging on the biggest stages. 

The Artist Formerly Known as Ernie Els — This guy has won three majors, as many as Mickelson and Vijay Singh. Remember that? 

The Artist Formerly Known as Retief Goosen — You know how I think about Lefty after Winged Foot? That’s how I think about the Goose after Pinehurst. Lefty just lost his majors’ edge after that double bogey. I think Goosen lost his game after that 81.

Ramblings from Game 3 of the NBA Finals

When the NBA finals between the L.A. Lakers and the Boston Celtics opened, I figured Kobe Bryant would be a waiting assassin and lead the Lakers to a championship in six games.

Obviously, things haven’t worked out that way, but I’m guessing few pundits would have figured that the C’s would be up 2-0 after the first two games.

The Lakers appear to be in trouble, but like they’ve been saying the last couple of days, all Boston did was hold home court. And as we’ve seen in two of the last three finals, the home team is capable of winning all three games in the 2-3-2 format. 

And if anybody thinks the Lakers won’t shoot more than 20 foul shots than the Celtics tonight after the 38-10 edge Boston held from the stripe in Game 2, well, you haven’t watched much of the NBA over the last  two decades. (And if you don’t think that kind of thing happens, click here.)

The made-for-TV miniseries begins anew tonight. Here’s a diary of Game 3.

First Quarter

10:55 Down 0-2, you knew Phil Jackson and the Lakers were going to make adjustments. One of them is having Bryant guard Rajon Rondo, which allows Bryant to essentially be a rover. The Lakers don’t trust Rondo’s jumper, so Bryant can leave him and double down or shade over to the wings. Plus, he won’t have to work as hard on defense, which should free up his offense.

7:32 Bryant already has five points, he’s heading back to the line and Vladimir Radmonivic is picking up where he left off in the fourth quarter with a 3. L.A. is rolling to a 9-2 lead as Boston can’t buy a field goal.

Meanwhile, the Lakers have already shot more foul shots — six, soon to be eight — than they did in all of the first half in Game 2.

This is why the extra Tim Donaghy revelations tonight are all the more damning for the league.

2:29 Lakers lead 17-14, but the C’s would be in a world of hurt if not for Rondo, who, though he’s thrown the ball away a couple of times, has hit a jumper, fed James Posey for a 3 and then hit a runner. Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett haven’t even scored, yet Boston is in it early.

And then there’s this. Mark Jackson just said, “You don’t have to win it all to be a champion.”

Huh? 

Actually, that’s awesome. I’m Alex Podlogar, NBA champion!

Cool.

:00 Celtics close the period on a 13-3 run to knot the game at 20. And this can’t be said enough — Boston is tied without a single point from Pierce and KG!

Second Quarter

11:19 Four times Sam Cassell has touched the ball, four times he’s shot it without another player touching it. He’s missed three of them — badly — and all within seconds of him getting it. Get him out of there. He’s killing Boston.

7:70 Kobe drives hard inside and makes a tough lefty layup to give L.A. a 31-25 lead. Bryant has 17 already and may be on pace for a truly special night. 

Jordan Farmar then hits a 3 and the Lakers are on a 14-5 spurt with a nine-point edge.

And Cassell is still on the floor, the time span of which corresponds with the Lakers’ run. Hello?

2:43 This is Bryant carrying the Lakers on his shoulders. He has 19 points while the rest of the Lakers have 21. 40-31, L.A.

As for foul shots? In Game 2, Boston had 19 first-half foul shots to L.A.’s two. Game 3? Lakers 18, Celtics 2.

You can’t just let the recent Donaghy allegations slide. You just can’t, no matter how much of a scumbag he is.

Halftime Lakers 43-37

To take nothing away from Bryant, the Lakers are lucky Sasha Vujacic has shown up with 12 points in the first half. At the same time, the Celtics, with Garnett and Pierce combining to shoot 2-for-16 for four points, are lucky to be hanging around, much of the thanks going to Ray Allen and his 12.

And so we have a first half with a total of 80 points. Um, can we put the Lakers/Celtics comparisons with the past series between the two to rest now?

Third Quarter

11:16 Rondo twists his ankle on the break and has to go to the bench, which means Cassell again. Oh wait, Doc Rivers goes to Eddie House, who was great for two-thirds of the season before the Cassell signing. Good move.

4:43 A 12-2 Boston run capped by a pretty baseline J from Garnett, who’s come alive. The Celtics lead in a game in which they were flat-out awful in the first half.

3:02 Another long jumper from Garnett, who now has nine points, 11 boards and five assists. If he were a golfer, we’d be talking about how well Garnett is grinding out there. He’s toughing it out.

:00 The C’s end the period with a 62-60 lead, which should mean an entertaining fourth quarter with the Lakers’ championship hopes on the line.

Credit Doc with going with House, who hits a 3 and has three boards in place of Rondo. Granted, we all could’ve seen that Cassell was a liability out there, but at least Doc finally caught on. One other thing: the Celtics have finally gotten away from settling for jumpers all night and are pounding the post more. Pau Gasol has been as soft in this series — particularly tonight — as he was in Memphis, and the Boston bigs are schooling him. The Celtics are getting nice lifts in waves from Kendrick Perkins, Leon Powe and P.J. Brown.

Fourth Quarter

10:37 OK, we’re less than 90 seconds into the fourth and Boston has three team fouls, all of them away from the ball. C’mon.

8:56 Pierce draws his fifth foul, which is bad for Boston, but he does only have two points tonight. 

And Bryant is just 9-for-16 from the foul line. He’s 9 of 16 from the field. Unbelievable. Celtics still lead, 66-64.

6:57 Dribble penetration…blah…blah…blah. 

Whatever. How does Kobe get that wide open? Lakers lead after the 3, 69-68.

6:05 And here it comes. Two foul shots by Derek Fisher and two more from Bryant, and it’s 73-68, Lakers. Look out.

4:26 Even though it’s only a five-point game, it might be over. The Celtics are settling for jumpers again, aren’t driving or using their advantage on the boards. Lakers feel like they’re in control.

3:22 Bryant’s chirping after getting whistled for a foul on Pierce, who can’t even seem to dribble tonight. Still, Lake Show leads by six, 78-72. Time running out on Boston.

2:01 Vujacic, who’s been brilliant tonight and has given the Lakers that second go-to guy they’ve been dying for, buries a huge 3 after the Celtics had trimmed it again to two. Vujacic has 20 big points.

57.0 House hits a long 3 for Boston, seemingly to get the C’s back in it, but here comes the assassin. Bryant hits two clutch jumpers. Silk. That’s it. 87-82.

Final

Lakers win 87-82 after the Celtics inexplicably don’t foul, but as it is, L.A. is back in the series thanks to Kobe’s 36 and Vujacic’s 20. 

Still, just like the Lakers in Games 1 and 2, the Celtics couldn’t have played much worse. Give the Lakers credit — they did a much, much better job defensively, but we have to expect both teams to play better basketball in Game 4 Thursday.

At least we can hope.

The Celtics are back in my life

4 years old. A carnival. Or a fair. Is there a difference?

That part’s shady. What happened next isn’t.

Dad takes the ball. Eyes the basket. Release. Rotation. Splash.

Repeat.

Two buckets equals your choice. His choice. Not mine.

I wanted the Philadelphia 76ers pennant. I could already see it on my wall. Red, white and blue. I’m 4. All I know about basketball is Dr. J.

His choice, though.

He picks the dark green one. The Boston Celtics.

“Who?” I ask.

“They just got Kevin McHale,” Dad responds. “And he’ll play with Bird.”

What’s a McHale, I think. And Bird? What?

8 years old. 1984. I know now. Bird is my hero. McHale is another. Parish, too. DJ. Ainge.

My guys now. My team.

Against them.

The Lakers.

Bird’s the MVP. But Magic. Man, Magic. Showtime. It’s cool, but I hate it.

There are other things, though. Mom’s a diabetic. We’re in Atlanta. She needed eye surgery.

Patches over her eyes, drugs to dull the pain coursing through her system, she can’t see and probably can’t make out the drama unfolding on the hospital room TV.

I don’t know it yet. Don’t know how many do. But on that floor there’s Bird, McHale, Parish. There’s Magic, Worthy, Kareem, McAdoo. That’s seven Hall-of-Famers on the same court in the NBA finals.

This is the Bird calling his teammates “sissies” series. Gerald Henderson’s steal. McHale’s clothesline of Rambis. This is Game 5 in the Garden with no air conditioning, 97 degrees inside and the Lakers needing oxygen on the bench.

Mom needs oxygen, too. This is tough for a 9-year-old to see.

But the Celtics win.

Thank God the Celtics win.

9 years old. 1985. Rematch.

Lakers win.

I cry.

10 years old. 1986. Dad tells me again about Walton, about how good he was.

I see bushy red hair and huge knee pads. This guy was the best college player ever? The one waving the towel?

Right, Dad.

Another Celtics title. Everybody’s using the word, including me.

Awesome.

But it came against the Houston Rockets. Too bad.

10, still. 1986 still. They say Len Bias only did cocaine once. I go to bed and he is alive, ready to make the Celtics even better.

I wake up scared to death of drugs. Bias is dead.

11 years old. 1987. C’s need a win in Game 6 at the Garden to stay alive. Please don’t lose to them twice.

It’s late. Pat Riley calls for time.

I’m 11. But I know.

Magic’s getting it.

Oh God, Magic’s getting it.

He’s got it, on the left side.

He’s dribbling into the paint. Time’s running down. He’s gonna baby-hook it.

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooo…

15 years old. 1991. Bird’s near the end. But I get to see him, thanks to the Charlotte Hornets.

He has a nice game, but one play stands out.

Bird’s on the left wing. My eyes never leave him. I’m 20 rows up, foul line extended. He’s right in front of me.

Dee Brown running the point. Dee Brown. Reebok pumps. He’s nothing like DJ.

Brown passes toward Bird.

He never catches it.

Instead, he redirects it. In midair. To Kevin Gamble on the left baseline.

Twenty feet from an assist, one that will leave mine and 24,000 other mouths wide open.

Gamble bricks it.

McHale woulda made it.

17 years old. 1993. Bird’s gone. McHale’s knees are shot.

It hurts, but I see the writing on the wall. Reggie Lewis is a good player, but these aren’t my Celtics.

And the Hornets are close to where I live. They wear teal. Muggsy Bogues has become my new favorite player.

Zo makes the shot from the foul line and falls back as the buzzer sounds, his arms raised toward the rafters of the state-of-the-art Charlotte Coliseum. The Hornets win their first playoff series.

They upset the C’s.

And I cheer.

32 years old. 2008. Helping clean out my Dad’s house, I go through one of my boxes from the attic.

Creased after decades stuffed in a box, I find it.

The pennant.

I bring the box home, the pennant inside. It’s in my attic now.

Safe.

32 years old. Thursday night.

It’s late. They’ve done a brilliant job on Kobe.

It’s another Big 3. Not THE Big 3, but three pretty big ones.

Posey’s shot is too soon in the shot clock. Up six, they should’ve run it down 10 more seconds.

But Kevin Garnett is there. You know what’s about to happen even as the ball is caroming off the rim.

It’s his. Nobody else’s.

Jam.

Take that, Lakers.

 

 

A lesson learned — one can hope

I know I’m a jerk.

I’m a jerk because I wasn’t rooting for Big Brown on Saturday at the Belmont.

I didn’t want him to win. I didn’t want Big Brown to be the first horse in 30 years to win the Triple Crown.

And so I took a little more than just small delight in his pulling up and finishing last. I’m happy the horse is OK and that he’s not injured. That’s great.

My problem wasn’t with Big Brown, his jockey or even the incessant hype of the thing.

My problem with Big Brown’s trainer, Rick Dutrow Jr.

The blowhard was everywhere the last three weeks, even insisting just a few days ago that Big Brown winning the Triple Crown was a “foregone conclusion.”

He didn’t stop there, blasting the other horses in the field, basically saying at every turn that none of them had a chance against his unstoppable creation. Maybe he wasn’t intending to do so, but his overconfidence was a slap into all of his competitors’ — and colleagues’ — faces.

And so as his horse came up slow across the finish, Dutrow and his sweat-stained shirt took a long walk back into the bowels of the Belmont, refusing at first to even acknowledge the very same reporters whose notebooks and tape recorders he couldn’t wait to fill up the five previous weeks.

Dutrow stood for a long time with his head down as he leaned against a rail the Belmont’s test barn, his dreams shattered. One could only wonder what was going through his mind.

One can hope it was some humility.

NBA Finals Game 1 ramblings

A few thoughts from Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics.

Before the series starts, I guess I should go ahead and let it be known  my prediction for the whole thing.

Lakers in six.

Let’s just say I’m not going way out on a limb here.

Check back for my thoughts during the game.

I look back at my prediction and I can’t help but notice the warning signs:

Boston has a deeper frontcourt and should control the boards.

Boston can play defense; the Lakers are 54-10 when they score in the 100s, 3-15 when they don’t,

The Lakers are small.

Do we really think Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom will come through on a big, BIG, stage?

Can’t Paul Pierce, guts personified, match anything Kobe Bryant does?

This could be a really good series. Really, it could.

But Bryant could go for 40 a game against Ray Allen. Kevin Garnett could keep passing up runners in the lane by passing to a  scared Rajon Rondo for 20-footers. Phil Jackson could make Doc Rivers look like me on the sideline. 

So why Lakers in six?

I think Kobe kills ’em.

First Quarter

5:58 Two rusty teams, but I like Garnett’s aggresiveness and willingness to take shots instead of shying away from them. He’s not making all of them, but he’s active and a presence.

Four different Lakers have scored and not one of them is named Kobe. In fact, Allen has done a nice job on him early, forcing Bryant into tough jump shots that the bigger Celts are rebounding. 10-all.

3:19 Silky. Allen makes a nice runner off the glass and then rips a 3 with a flick of the wrist. Six points from him and eight from KG, and the Celtics are keeping a hand in Kobe’s face. 19-14, C’s.

Second Quarter

10:12 Celtics lead 27-23, but Mark Jackson just said that Doc Rivers told him that Doc “has big plans for Sam Cassell.”

Boston fans can’t like hearing that.

5:49 Garnett is just owning Gasol. Granted, Garnett is hot, but he’s doing it facing up, driving to the rack, on faders. It’s nasty. He’s got 16 points and five boards already.

Gasol doesn’t even have a rebound yet.

Still, in watching the game it looks like Boston is playing better. Yet it leads by only five, 40-35.

4:17 Rivers and the C’s have to be careful here. Pierce just picked up his third foul (why was he out there?) and now Allen gets his second. These are two of the guys charged with chasing Kobe, and they’re in foul trouble. And the Lakers lead, 43-42.

Halftime

Lakers 51-46.

The game is being played at L.A.’s pace as the Lakers, against the best defense in the NBA, are shooting 50 percent from the field. Gasol has come alive and Kobe is distributing, and it’s an entertaining ballgame.

Rondo looks both afraid and like a veteran; his array of floaters is going to be fun to watch over the next few years. Pierce needs to get on the floor and be effective, though, if the Celts are going to win a must-have Game 1.

Third Quarter

10:50 And there’s Pierce. Four-point play as Boston goes on the build a 56-53 lead.

6:49 Bryant, after a dazzling pass to Gasol — those two really do work well together — hits on a pretty fadeaway to push the Lakers back up by four.

But our hope for a great series is writhing on the floor as Pierce is grabbing his right knee in pain.

5:17 HERE COMES WILLIS REED!

Actually, it’s Pierce, bouncing out of the locker room. The report is a sprained knee and he’ll be back.

46 seconds I don’t know what to say here. Pierce hits back-to-back daggers, deep 3s to give the Celts a four-point lead, 75-71. Brilliant stuff.

But with the crowd going bananas, Pierce commits a stupid foul on Bryant, his fourth of the game. What?

Fourth Quarter

77-73 Celtics.

Quick, before the final period starts — how many times do you think we’ll see the Bryant/ KG half-face commercials over the next two weeks? I’m putting the over/under at 5,246,738.

8:42 Two bad shots by Cassell, but he’s picked up by a bad pass by Lakers’ backup point guard Jordan Farmar. Cassell hits one and then Garnett finds James Posey for a wide open 3. 86-78, biggest lead for the C’s.

2:57 Celtics rebuild their lead back to eight before a questionable blocking foul on P.J. Brown on Odom’s layup. Lakers can cut it to five. Brown has really given Boston some life after Kendrick Perkins had limped off earlier with an ankle sprain. But that’s the kind of frontcourt depth the C’s have.

1:28 Bad shot. Bad shot. Bad shot. Bad shot by Posey with 10 on the shot clock, but KG comes in untouched and dunks home the offensive board. 94-86, Celtics.

Final Celtics 98-88

For all the static KG gets for not being a big-time player in the postseason, maybe this season will put those doubts on the back-burner. 

Garnett has now gotten to the finals, but more than that, he’s been better in the postseason than he was as a viable MVP candidate during the season. KG’s averages are up across the board in the playoffs, and his 24 points and 13 boards in Game 1 were all huge. He had a big start to set the tone, then made a big-time move on Gasol late to draw the foul and hit two foul shots to make it a three-possession game. And don’t forget the crash and dunk.

Pierce and Allen were really good, too, and so was Rondo, who brought back visions of Dennis Johnson with a 16-6-7 performance. That’s big stuff.

More importantly for the Celtics was their swarming of Bryant. Sending Allen, Pierce and Posey smothered Kobe, forcing him to shoot off-balance jumpers with hands in his face. Boston kept sending fresh defenders at him, giving each guy a break, and Kobe finished 9-for-26 from the field for 24 points. 

All that said, all L.A. wants is a split, and Boston will need a lot of the same to win Game 2 on Sunday. This was a well-played game that was close throughout, with a ton of ties and lead changes. These are two very evenly-matched teams, and it could be awhile before the series is settled.

But it’s a good start for Boston, and a tougher win in six for the Lakers now.