Vancouver Metro Basketball League

Game Seven Keys to Victory

By Andrew ‘Soda’ Wadden

What could be better than a game seven NBA Final? Well, I can think of a few things, but in terms of basketball, it doesn’t get any better. The latest edition of the Boston – LA rivalry has been nothing short of amazing with a game seven finale that could go to either the resilient Celtics or to the reigning champion Lakers. LA proved last night that they’re the champs and that they wouldn’t go out without a fight, jumping on the throats of the Celtics from the opening tip. Boston will need to regroup for Thursday night’s final as the Staples Center will be rocking. Can the Celtics take the Lakers on their home floor in a one game showdown? Are the champs just too much for Boston?
Here are my keys to winning game seven for both LA and Boston.

Lakers Keys

Kobe Must Be Kobe

He’s been doing it all series long and can’t stop now. It’s a must he sets the tone early for himself and his teammates. Count on this happening.

Supporting Cast

Not the bench (I’ll get to them next), but the co-stars, Gasol, Artest & Odom. Gasol has to be relevant on the glass on both ends of the floor. This is the biggest game of Pau’s NBA career, even bigger than last year. He must step up.
Artest had a brilliant game six, hitting shots and doing his job on the defensive side. Ron must do this again for the Lakers to win.
Odom get’s this consideration over Andrew Bynum because Bynum is not 100%, not even close to 100% for that matter. Odom will play big minutes and must do what he does best. Chip in for 8-10 points and nab 8-10 rebounds. That’s Odom’s game, and when played efficiently, it usually results in a Lakers win.

The Bench

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This key get’s a mention for both teams. The benches were the key for LA’s win last night and for Boston’s win in game four. Odom (though he may start in game seven), Sasha Vujacic, Shannon Brown and Jordan Farmar all need to contribute in some sort of way, be it hitting open shots, grabbing boards, diving for loose balls or jumping out of the arena like Brown did last night. All the intangibles need to be executed by these glue players. It’s the small things that win ball games.

Celtics Keys

Pierce Must be the Truth

More than Allen and more than Garnett even more then Rondo, Paul Pierce is the main factor to a Celtics victory. Like Bryant, Pierce get’s his teammates going and when he’s going so are they. Paul must be aggressive right from the tip for Boston to win.

Make Them Pay Ray

Ray Allen must make shots. It’s that simple. Ray will get his looks, that’s for certain. Whether he buries them is not that certain. Allen is shooting less than 40% from the field and less than 30% from the land beyond in the series. It’s doubtful that Allen will repeat his game two heroics nor does anyone expect another dismal shooting performance like we saw from Ray in game three, however, he needs to be effective from outside early in the game. If Allen makes less than 40% of his shots for the game, the Celtics lose. It’s that simple.

Bench

Just like for the Lakers, the Celtics bench could very well be the key to another Celtics championship. Glen Davis, Rasheed Wallace and Nate Robinson may seem on paper as the most unlikely three players you would need to step for you on the most important game of the season, but they very well could be. Davis is an enigma. Undersized, out of shape, no hops, not super long arms, but somehow he’s effective in the trenches, scoring, rebounding and even blocking shots. Big Baby may possibly start this game with Perkins looking to be sidelined for game seven. Whatever the case may be with Davis, he must perform.
Wallace just has to do the small things to be effective for the Celtics. Sheed can’t take dumb fouls or useless techs. Plus, he must hit shots. That’s his job, seeing as he sits on the perimeter most of the game. Hit those shots Sheed!
Robinson just needs to bring a small dose of energy when he gets on the floor. When little Nate has the energy going it flows through his team. When he makes shots, then it really gets him going. Robinson has to be the spark plug for the Celtics bench. It’s now or never Nate.