Finals Game 3

I was busy covering a rodeo last night, so I missed the entire Lakers/Celtics game.

After I got home and checked out the box score, I felt better about that.

What an ugly, ugly game.

Kobe, Allen and Vujacic played well. Lakers-2, Boston-1. Lakers pull out the ugly win. Simple math.

Pierce was 2-14? Garnett shot 6-21? Odom and Gasol combined for 5-18 for 13 points. Good golly, the spirits of Detroit/San Antonio 2005 were strong last night.

Kobe was apparently brilliant. 60% shooting from the field and seven rebounds is a good line. Of course, his 18 free-throw attempts are completely fair, despite the fact that KG took two free throws and Pierce only took three. Kobe is entitled to take 18-30 free throws in any given game. For him to take less than that is a travesty.

And as Section F Sports says, The Machine should be starting over Vlad the Impaler, and it's not even close.

In essence, Laker fans should be extremely worried. In a game that was essentially do-or-die for L.A., only two of their players showed up. They only scored 87 points. At home. And you're not going to see a Boston team where KG and Pierce both stink up the joint.

So keep looking forward to next season and the return of Andrew Bynum, heir to the throne of Wilt Chamberlain. Then you'll be unstoppable.

But this just isn't your year, dirty Gasol trade notwithstanding.