Kristin Tuivaiti's San Diego Chargers Fan Profile

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The Last Stand? posted on 06/18/2008

One word describes the performance I witnessed last night for Game 6 of the Lakers and Celtics....UNREAL. I couldn't believe my eyes as the second quarter unraveled into a murderous slaughter dealt by the hands of the Boston Celtics. There are many things I could say to defend the Laker massacre last night, but none of them would justify the loss the were handed. Yes, the referees turned a blind eye to some fouls. Yes, the Celtics played a little more physically than the league allows. Yes, the environment was loud and distracting. But where was the Laker passion I had seen so many games before? Where was the spark that fueled the fire of their triumphant victories? Where was the aggression and pure dominance I had seen attached to their performance in the first series? Where were the Lakers? I know they weren't on the Celtic home court last night. Maybe they didn't make the trip to Boston, because I know those weren't the Lakers I saw last night.

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On To Game 6 posted on 06/17/2008

I'm tired of all these sports analysts who are still unable to give the Lakers credit for being as far along as they are now. They are still saying the Lakers didn't belong in the finals, that it was an improbable run they made to the playoffs. I can't believe there are that many Laker haters in the professional industry. What is it about them that makes people not recognize them as a championship caliber team? What do they have to do to prove to people they got where they are from their sheer talent and abilities?

I recently read an article about the Lakers where the columnist claimed that only a delusional fan would believe the Lakers would be the first team to rally back from a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals. My response to that is only an ignorant columnist would write something to that degree. No one game is ever guaranteed, and it's statements like that which make the writer a fool if ever proven wrong. Every sports analyst and columnist knows they should never guarantee anything, whether it be a game, series, championship, etc. They know that any one team can beat any other team on any day. It's never a guaranteed possibility with sports.

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After A Disappointing Loss posted on 06/15/2008

Are they Lakers finished? Is there any way for them to come back from this? Can they dig themselves out of this hole that they dug? Can they come back from a 3-1 deficit? Or is it all over for our golden team? These are some of the questions I mulled over the days that followed Game 4. I have complete faith that the Lakers can still win the championship, but words can't express how difficult it will be for them to bounce back from this tragedy. It's improbable, but not impossible.

Before I talk about my issues with this game, I would first like to congratulate the Boston Celtics for finally beating the Lakers this series. They won Game 4 after they were down by 24 points in the third quarter. They did a really good job locking down the Lakers. But they also had help from the Lakers. they practically handed the game over. They had a 24 point lead halfway through the game, but just lost that Laker fire that they always had at their arsenal. I couldn't believe what was happening as I watched them slowly but surely lose that comfortable advantage they managed to place themselves in the first and second quarter. One of the issues that haunted the Lakers in the last couple of years was their inescapable ability to lose a very comfortable lead. I haven't seen them do much of that this year, especially after acquiring of Pau Gasol, but the moment they felt they had the win, they just as quickly lost it. I still don't fully understand how they did it, but it hurt me tremendously as I sat there and watched them bury themselves in a 3-1 hole that is very hard to get out of.

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So The Lakers Are Down 2-0? posted on 06/09/2008

I could easily say the Lakers struggled last night in Boston, again. But this couldn't be much further from the truth. I know people use the excuse of referee favoring, but anyone who watched this game could point out the strict favoritism shown by the referees. I don't know if the association doesn't want Kobe to win another championship, or if they just want to make the series interesting, but I need a little more cooperation out of our "black-and-whites".

The announcers for Game 2 emphasized time and time again that the Lakers only shot 2 free throws against the Celtics' 22 free throws. It wasn't until the end of the second quarter that the Lakers attempted another free throw. The weird thing about this was that the Lakers were opposite themselves in their Game 1 performance. In Game 1, they were too afraid to drive to the basket, while in Game 2, they attacked the middle. I saw many fouls that were conveniently overlooked. There were many complaints from the Lakers because of this, and those complaints were well deserved. Even Kobe, foul-receiver extrordinaire, got slapped and tackled but still could not encourage the referees to blow their whistle. Maybe the referees' whistle-blowing "powers" disappeared after they crossed over to the Laker side of the court.

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Lakers Have To Step It Up A Bit posted on 06/08/2008

The Lakers struggled some in Game 1 in Boston. The Celtics are not as strong as I assumed before I saw them play last Thursday. They are definitely beatable, especially by the Lakers. The good news from what I've seen so far is, the Celtics didn't win Game 1, the Lakers just lost it.

Kobe Bryant got a late start in Game 1, and after he did start to shoot, his shot was somewhat off. He finished 9 for 26 by the end of the night, those are not traditional Kobe Bryant shooting numbers. I expect him to have a better impact in Game 2. He's an extraordinary player, and there's no one on the Celtic squad who can seriously pose a problem for him defensively.

The Lakers had a hard time knocking down free throws, open jumpers, and open three-pointers in Game 1 as well. They missed seven free throws as a team, which is not like the Lakers I've seen as of late. They were 3 for 14 in three-pointers, and I recall some of those being uncontested. Sasha Vujacic and Vladimir Radmanovic, our two best three-point shooters, only had one a piece. Three-pointers have been a big part of the Lakers scoring the past couple of months. They need to get back to their gameplan, and stop letting the Celtics control the tempo.

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