By KEVIN McNAMARA
LOS ANGELES - Lamar Odom still hasn’t played well in the NBA Finals but he insists he’s not getting frustrated.
Odom fell into foul trouble for the third straight game. He had three fouls in a first half that kept him on the bench for all but seven minutes. Odom finished with four points on 2-of-9 shooting but he still made some big plays to help his team win. Odom passed for two key fourth quarter assists, one on a feed to Sasha Vujacic in the final two minutes that led to a critical 3-point shot.
“He’s going to keep shooting, keep shooting,” said Odom. “He played well. You know our guys off the bench have been the strength of our team all year. Tonight he got really hot. We want him to keep shooting.”
Odom was asked by a large media throng why his production hasn’t been up to par this series. “I didn’t get to play. Foul trouble,” was his response. “It takes you right out of the game. Every basketball player’s worst enemy is to come out of the game nine minutes to go in the second quarter. It’s tough. I just have to stay focused. We won. I just have to put it behind me.”
(RIVERS HOLDING OUT HOPE)
Doc Rivers kept looking up at the scoreboard and wondering just how his team was staying in last night’s game. Paul Pierce was missing shots and kicking the ball away. Kevin Garnett wasn’t himself either. Kobe Bryant was being Kobe Bryant, the baddest man on the planet.
“When Paul has a night like tonight and Kevin has a night like he had and it was a two and four-point game all night,” said Rivers. “We had a chance to steal a game here where our guys were off. I thought Ray was fantastic tonight.”
Trailing by two inside three minutes, the Celtics had their chances but defensive breakdowns late cost them a chance at a 3-0 series lead.
“I liked our position. I liked our position the whole game,” said Rivers. “I thought we went to that `I’m going to win the game for us’ mode instead of just trusting the offense and continuing to move the ball. They made some big shots. Kobe made some big shots, bottom line.”
(FOUL THOUGHTS)
After being out-shot from the foul line 38-10 in Game Two, Phil Jackson made it a point to call out the officials. Doc Rivers wasn’t ready to do the same last night.
The Lakers finished 21-of-34 from the line while the Celtics went 15-of-22. That’s not a monstrous difference but was enough to sway the flow of the game.
“I’m just surprised (Jackson) didn’t whine about the fouls tonight,” Rivers said with a smile. “I told our guys, `listen, you had a chance to win but don’t be delusional. That team attacked you, they were the aggressor. That’s why they went to the foul line. They deserved it.”
“I told them I didn’t want to hear about Coach Jackson complaining and that’s why. No that’s not why. They played harder, they drove to the basket and they desrrved to go to the foul line.”
(RAJON'S ANKLE LOOKS FINE)
Rajon Rondo turned his ankle early in the third quarter leading a fast break and had to leave the game. He went to the locker room and had the ankle re-taped. After Eddie House did a solid job stepping in for him, Rondo returned to the game and played 3:34 in the fourth quarter.
“I don’t know if I stepped on someone’s foot or not. I rolled it,” Rondo said of his ankle.
Rondo scored six of his eight points in the first quarter but was limited to only 4 assists after piling up 16 in Game Two. He says the inability of Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to get going offensively hurt his numbers in that department, “but they’re going to play bad sometimes. Other guys have to step up. It came down to defense. We couldn’t get some stops when we needed them,” he said.
(KG DOWN)
Kevin Garnett admitted he ``had a pretty awful game’’ after shooting 6-of-21 from the floor. He did pile up 12 rebounds and pass for five assists.
“I think at times myself, (I was) hyped about the game, composure. I don’t make any kind of excuses for bad games. I think for the most part, shooting-wise, I had a pretty awful game. But as far as energy and grabbing rebounds and trying to block some shots, I thought I was active. But for the most part, it’s not a perfect game.”
(HERE AND THERE)
Ray Allen is averaging a team-high 20.3 points in the Finals. Paul Pierce came in leading the team with 25 points a game but he finished with six last night…The Lakers are now 9-0 at Staples Center in the playoffs. That is one win shy of the NBA record for most consecutive home playoff wins in a season (five teams, including the `86 Celtics)….Kobe Bryant now has 3,622 career playoff points. That’s fifth in Laker post-season history but only one point behind Elgin Baylor. Jerry West (4,457), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (4,070) and Magic Johnson (3,701) are 1-2-3 in the team’s list.
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