It’s not as sexy or interesting to talk about Boston’s defense on LeBron James — as opposed to LeBron passing up a game-winning shot — but as the ladies of Denver can attest to, I’m neither sexy nor interesting.
Let’s praise the Celtics’ efforts last night, shall we?
Now, Twitter and Facebook and MySpace have been blowing up about LeBron, once again, hiding from the big shot (with tied and just a few ticks left in regulation Sunday night, the MVP dribbled sideways and then passed out of a triple-team to Udonis Haslem, who hoisted a silly fadeaway that missed badly. Boston won in overtime, tying the Eastern conference finals at two).
But what about Mickael Pietrus? His name didn’t even show up in the main Associated Press game story, but the scoreless Frenchman’s gritty sideways shuffle kept James from penetrating the paint. Though one wonders if James, who has shot 63 percent from the line this series, was afraid of getting fouled. Kevin Garnett and Keyon Dooling — yes, Keyon Dooling was on the floor — each emerged on James, fogging up LeBron’s window. And so, James quickly dished to the open Haslem.
Now we’ve seen James do this before. Even early in his career, back with Cleveland, James passed to a wide-open Donyell Marshall for a potential game-winning 3 (which he missed). But here are your three choices for what could have happened at the end of regulation Sunday night:
1. James shoots a tough 2-point jumper with three guys near him.
2. James bulldozes toward the basket and tries to get fouled.
3. Udonis Haslem attempts the game-winning jump shot.
WHO WOULD POSSIBLY CHOSE OPTION 3? EVEN MRS. HASLEM WOULD CHOOSE 1 OR 2!
But LeBron wouldn’t have been in the situation if it weren’t for Boston’s timely defensive surge, which surely impressed Boston spectator Bill Belichick.
What a story
What does hockey have to do? A No. 8 seed from a major market is now up 2-0 in the Stanley Cup Finals – and I bet some of you are trying to figure out which team I’m even talking about.
It’s the Los Angeles Kings, but many sports fans don’t seem to be aware of what awesomeness (yes, that’s a word) that is occurring with the L.A. We Once Had Greztkys.
It was an “If A Tree Falls In A Forest” moment when a fellow named Dustin Penner scored an overtime goal to send an eighth seed to the Stanley Cup Finals. There was little buzz on the Internet and the story wasn’t even the main feature on . (If a dude from an NBA eighth seed hits a game-winning shot in overtime, sending his team to the Finals, people in Guatemala would probably now know his name).
The Kings then proceeded to win the first two games of the Finals with overtime goals, both on the road. (L.A. is now an astonishing 10-0 away from Staples Center this postseason).
Look, I don’t know whose fault it is. Does the league not promote its sport well enough? Is it a case of the average American sports fan being reluctant to root for athletes from other countries with tricky names? Is it an indictment on the American sports fan’s savvy for not appreciating what the Kings are doing? Or, to quote every athlete ever, is hockey just an “it is what it is” situation — a sport that a lot of people adore but a lot of people will always push aside, even if there’s a bunch of awesomeness going on.
Perhaps if L.A.’s Kings win it all and the sport grows in that major market, then the sport itself will grow. But the odds are against L.A. for winning back-to-back titles (and shoot, they haven’t even won this title, yet). No NHL team has repeated as champion since Detroit in 1997 and 1998.
A sign of the times
I was walking near 20th and Blake last night and I spotted that one of the “O” lights in the big COORS FIELD sign had gone out. Looked pretty tacky. Then again, makes sense, because fans haven’t been able to see the “O” at Coors for much of the season (Hey-yo! Zing! I’ll be here all night, please tip your waitress!).
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Benjamin Hochman: 303-954-1294 or bhochman@denverpost.com
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