Hey It Could Always Be Worse: The Celtics Are Way Better than the Lakers

Just like in life, sometimes in sports you need the occasional reminder that as bad as things may temporarily appear, there is always another player/team/fan base/city that has it much worse. That truism was on display tonight at TD Garden as the NBA's former greatest rivalry played not on national TV (when does that ever happen?) as the Celtics (6-11 overall, 4-7 home) beat the Lakers (5-15 overall, 3-7 away) 113-96.

It is easy to get depressed regarding the Celts, believe me that's why I rarely write about their soul-crushing defeats, but seeing LA up close was a reminder that they are in much worse shape both this season and going forward. Love him or hate him, I think most would have to admit that Kobe Bryant (22 points) is one of the greatest players of all-time in the NBA. In his 18th season and at age 36, he's still very good but the issue is that Los Angeles has surrounded him with a bunch of stiffs and nobodies, many of whom would be better served playing in the NBDL or on the Sixers.

LA's next highest scorer was Nick Young who had 16 points off the bench. Harvard's Jeremy Lin added 14 points, Jordan Hill notched 13 points and Wayne Ellington came in with 11 points off the bench. That's it, Carlos Boozer and Wesley Johnson who both started combined for two points. Haha how is that possible? The Lakers are stuck with Kobe for next year but other than rigging the lottery (miss you David Stern!), it's hard to figure how they'll work themselves out of this pickle.

Every Boston starter had at least 12 points led by Tyler Zeller with his career-high 24 points and 14 rebounds. Rajon Rondo barely missed out on a triple-double (12 points, 16 assists, 8 rebounds), Jared Sullinger had a double-double (17 points, 13 rebounds, 2 steals), Jeff Green scored 19 points and Avery Bradley rounded out the group with 16 points. The Celtics only got 25 total points from its bench but it obviously didn't cost them.

Coupled with Wednesday's overtime win vs. Detroit, this is only the second time this season that the C's have won two games in a row. The Celts got off to a good start, leading 30-20 after the first quarter. The Lakers cut it to 53-48 by halftime but then Boston hit them with a third quarter similar to the first (33-22). Normally, no lead is safe when the Celtics are in front but the Lakers are the rare exception where you can overlook them. Boston outscored LA 27-26 in the fourth.

When you see the final numbers, it is kind of amazing that the Lakers were even able to keep it relatively close for a while. Boston shot 9.8% better from the field (51.1-41.3%), grabbed 16 more rebounds (54-38), dished out more than twice as many assists (29-14) and made three times as many steals (6-2). As if that wasn't enough, the Celts also scored 20 more fast break points (27-7) and eight more points in the paint (54-46).

The next game for the Celtics should look way different since the Wizards (13-5 overall, 1st in Southeast Division) come to the Garden on Sunday afternoon (1, CSN) as one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference. If it inevitably gets ugly, the C's should take heart in the fact that nobody but their friends and family will be watching on an NFL Sunday and with the Revolution in the 2014 MLS Cup that same afternoon (3, ESPN).

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Celtics Lay Absolute Stinkbomb Against Lakers On Eve Of NBA Trade Deadline

As everybody knows by now, the Celtics have a flair for the dramatic (which is not always a good thing) so I guess in some bizarre way they had to go down as hard as they did tonight in Los Angeles. Boston (28-26, 8-17 away) lost their second game in as many nights, 113-99 to the Lakers (26-29, 17-11 home) in a game that truthfully wasn't that competitive. This only adds to the anxious feelings until 3 p.m. (EST) tomorrow when another NBA Trade Deadline mercifully passes.

The C's are 0-7 on the road this season against Western Conference teams and they fell to 1-4 in their last five games against the Lakers. The loss wasn't that surprising, since they are awful on the road, they played last night and LA is decent at home. The shocking part was how easily the Lakers rolled since Boston beat them like a drum 116-95 on February 7 at TD Garden.

Wrapped up like a mummy, the ghost of Dwight Howard stopped by to get 24 points and 12 rebounds. Kobe Bryant had 16 points and seven assists, Earl Clark put up 14 points and a career-high 16 rebounds (really), Steve Nash added 14 points and seven assists while Ron Artest notched 12 points. Even Antawn Jamison (15 points, 5 rebounds) and Steve Blake (10 points, 5 assists) had memorable nights off the bench for Los Angeles in the year 2013, not 2003.

If not for Inglewood, CA native Paul Pierce (26 points, 5 assists) this could have been uglier. Courtney Lee was the only other bright spot for the Celts with a season-high 20 points. Kevin Garnett had 12 points while Jeff Green (15 points, 7 rebounds) and Jason Terry (12 points) reached double-figures off the bench.

Just like last night in Denver, the Lakers owned the three most important hustle stats: made free throws (22-12), total rebounds (49-34) and points in the paint (54-30). Hey, at least we got to see Terrence Williams' (2 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists) Celtics debut and Fab Melo (2 points, block) threw down a garbage time alley-oop, woo!

As fans, we're all sick and tired of reading the endless rumors of unlikely trades so I can only imagine what it's like for the players and coaches in the middle of all this crap. I'm sure for most of them, tomorrow is the worst day of the season as they try to get through what could be an insane afternoon. We shall see, at least by tomorrow night we won't have to read anymore false reports.

Boston's next game is Friday (9 p.m., CSN) in Phoenix (18-37, 5th in Pacific Division). The Celts have three games in four days (Phoenix, Portland on Saturday and Utah on Monday) to get something positive out of this West Coast trip (0-2). So far, it's been depressing and forgettable. Still, they play three teams now that they should beat assuming they keep this team intact.

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Celtics Destroy Lakers 116-95, Win Their 6th Straight Game As KG Goes Over 25,000 Points

For Celtics fans, tonight was basically a perfect night. Not only did Boston (26-23, 18-9 home) stomp the Lakers (23-27, 8-17 away) 116-95 at TD Garden but the Celts tied a season-high with their sixth straight win and Kevin Garnett (15 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals) made NBA history in the process.

KG went over 25,000 points for his career, becoming only the 16th player ever to accomplish that. He's such a humble and team-first guy but it was nice to see him enjoy it for a brief moment as the Garden gave him a well-deserved standing ovation. Nobody else has ever had 25,000 points, 10,000 rebounds, 5000 assists, 1500 blocks and 1500 steals. The crazy thing is that even at 36 and with 17 years in the NBA under his belt, he is still playing at a very high level.

116 points was one off their season-high as the Celtics absolutely shredded the Lakers abysmal defense. Paul Pierce (24 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists) continues to make a case to be an All-Star (should somebody get hurt or have to miss it). The speedy and dynamic defensive backcourt of Courtney Lee (13 points, 5 rebounds) and Avery Bradley (10 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals) continually harassed LA. Jeff Green was terrific off the bench with 19 points, Jason Terry added 15 and Chris Wilcox (8 points, 9 rebounds) had his best game of the season.

Times are tough in Lakerland with Pau Gasol out for 6-8 weeks and Dwight Howard (9 points, 9 rebounds) crippled. Kobe Bryant (27 points, 7 rebounds) can only do so much. He was the lone starter in double figures with Jodie Meeks (13 points) and Antawn Jamison (11 points) both making a case for more minutes.

Like Game 6 of the NBA Finals between these teams (also at the Garden) in 2008, this one was never really close and got out of hand rather quickly. Boston led 27-23 after one quarter and 58-44 at halftime. An outstanding third quarter (37-25) by Boston ensured that nobody went over 33 minutes (Bradley) and KG was limited to 23.

The Lakers get one more crack at the Celtics-February 20 back in LA-but that team is a disaster so I wouldn't worry in the least bit about that. Boston shot 11.4% better from the field (52.9-51.4%), grabbed five more rebounds (48-43), dished out nine more assists (25-16), had eight more steals (10-2), two more blocks (5-3), 18 more fast break points (22-4) and 22 more points in the paint (58-36).

The C's can chill the next few days as New England gets pounded by a blizzard but they have a serious challenge awaiting them on Sunday night (6 p.m., CSN) as the Denver Nuggets (32-18, 2nd Northwest Division) stop by. Nobody is talking about them but the Nuggets are one of the hottest teams in the NBA. They've won eight in a row including a 128-96 blowout against the Bulls tonight (on TNT after Celtics-Lakers) to move up to fourth in the Western Conference. Denver can really get up and down the court which is a tough matchup for the Celts: they're third in the NBA in scoring per game (104.7), second in rebounds per game (45.4) and third in assists per game (23.9). The good news for Boston is that they don't play much defense either, allowing 100.6 points per game (23rd in the NBA).

UPDATE 2/8: Fab Melo, fresh off his first NBA basket last night, was sent back to Maine today. To say he's raw and not quite ready yet for the NBA would be too kind. Keep working Fab.

UPDATE 2/10: Melo was recalled from the Red Claws. In other Syracuse products news, Kris Joseph was traded from the Red Claws to the Springfield (MA) Armor for power forward James Mays who is a D-League all-star this season.

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Lakers Close On A 8-0 Run To Steal Another One From The Celtics

For the second time this season, the Boston Celtics had a great opportunity to knock off the Los Angeles Lakers. Sadly, this afternoon's game ended the same way-with a Boston loss-although this one turned out to be even more bitter.

The Celtics (21-19, 5-11 on the road) went scoreless for the final 2:41 and as a result, they choked away a 94-89 lead. The Lakers (25-16, 18-2 at home) scored the final eight points (four points by Kobe Bryant and four points by Andrew Bynum) to snatch a 97-94 win at the Staples Center.

This would have been such a meaningful victory for the C's based on the opponent and the fact that it started a pivotal eight-game road trip.

With a severe lack of big men due to the fact that Jermaine O'Neal (possible wrist surgery) and Chris Wilcox (heart problems) could be out for the season, the Celts deserved better since they rallied from a 15-point deficit (37-22) midway through the second quarter.

Bryant (26 points, 7 assists), Bynum (20 points, 14 rebounds) and Pau Gasol (13 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists) had their usual big games against Boston but I would say the key for Los Angeles was Ron Artest. He had 14 points including three 3-pointers and he seemed to be fully engaged for once especially after him and Paul Pierce (13 points, 9 assists, 3 steals) got into a shoving match for old time's sake.

Rajon Rondo (24 points, 10 assists) toasted the corpse of Derek Fisher (9 points) but what else do you expect? Ray Allen (17 points, 6 assists), Kevin Garnett (14 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals) and Brandon Bass (15 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks) all did enough to win.

You can't say Boston didn't have its chances down the stretch as Garnett, Allen (twice), Bass, Pierce and Rondo all missed shots during that fatal dry spell that ended it.

In front of Tom Brady sitting courtside in hipster glasses-it is LA-the Lakers jumped out to a 24-14 lead after one quarter. Miraculously, the Celtics cut it to 44-42 at halftime. Boston trailed 72-70 heading into the fourth.

Los Angeles shot a little better (50.7%-47%), they hit two more 3-pointers (8-6) and seven more free throws (17-10), they also grabbed eight more rebounds (42-34). Boston stayed in it by playing more unselfishly. They had eight more assists (33-25), three more steals (11-8), five more blocks (8-3) and five less turnovers (17-12). Somehow the Celtics had 13 more fast break points (21-8) but the Lakers had 12 more points in the paint (42-30).

It's a shame that the NBA's best rivalry won't be revisited this season barring a very unlikely meeting in the Finals. I hate the NBA but it doesn't get any better than Celtics-Lakers, today was very entertaining despite the fact that I was worried it would carry over into the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament selection show (it did).

The Celtics don't have to leave their hotels for their next game as they face the Clippers (23-16) tomorrow night back at the Staples Center. If you've turned on ESPN in the last three months, you know all about them. With Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, they're fun to watch plus with a collection of talented role players (DeAndre Jordan, Mo Williams, Reggie Evans, Caron Butler, Kenyon Martin) around them, they have quickly become a solid team. Boston will have its hands full even though the Clippers lost tonight 97-93 to the Warriors.

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Lakers beat Celtics on Ray Ray's big night

The fans that packed the TD Garden last night got what they wanted: Ray Allen broke Reggie Miller's NBA record for 3-pointers with a pair in the first quarter but the game (an afterthought) didn't turn out as perfectly as the Lakers won 96-92 in their only regular season visit to Boston.

It was a nice moment even though they didn't stop the game right away which was puzzling. The usually emotionless Ray got to hug Miller (commentating for TNT) and his family who were all courtside.

Buoyed by the momentum of Allen's (20 points) memorable night, the Celts (38-14) got up by as many as 15 points in the second quarter but LA (37-16) eventually wore them down with their big bodies.

More than ever (which is saying something), the Celtics have so many injuries. Nate Robinson went down in the second quarter with a knee injury (don't think it's too serious) while Shaq, Delonte West, Jermaine O'Neal and Marquis Daniels are still out.

Boston dressed only 10 players which leads to wacky things like Avery Bradley covering Kobe Bryant (23 points) for a couple minutes in the third quarter.

Pau Gasol had 20 points and 10 rebounds, Andrew Bynum scored 16 points with nine rebounds while Lamar Odom (10 points, 12 rebounds) and Shannon Brown (12 points) were superb off the bench.

Paul Pierce had 15 points, Rajon Rondo notched 12 points and 10 assists, Kendrick Perkins put up 12 points and nine rebounds while Kevin Garnett had a quiet 10 points and 11 rebounds.

Von Wafer was great off the bench with eight points while Glen Davis scored nine but struggled shooting (3 of 10).

The Cs were up 27-20 after the first quarter and 53-45 at halftime. LA worked them in the third quarter (27-15) and Kobe helped finish it off in the fourth (20-18).

For the game, the Lakers shot 47.9% to 40.2 for the Celtics. Boston hit two more 3-pointers (5-3) but LA made four more free throws (19-15). LA grabbed 11 more rebounds (47-36) but Boston had five more assists (25-20). The Lakers pounded it inside to the tune of 50-32 points in the paint while the Cs didn't get to run much (9-2) fast break points.

This gauntlet of games ends on Sunday as the Celtics host the Miami Heat. Boston has won both matchups so far this season but truth be told, those were very early in the season.

Ain't no party like a West Coast party, cause a West Coast party don't stop

Can we just fast forward to June and the trilogy finale of the Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals for the third time in four seasons?

It seems only fitting. Yes, if the Celts get to the Finals this summer, I'm not going to complain about who they're playing (San Antonio would also be fun) but come on, you have to want the Lakers. Unfinished business, right?

The teams met yesterday afternoon at the Staples Center in LA for the first time since last June when the Lakers beat the Celtics in seven games.

This being the NBA, regular game meetings mean zilch (see Boston losing to Phoenix on Friday and the Lakers falling to the Kings-think they both were looking ahead?) but it's always nice to get a win in front of the beautiful people and frauds of LA.

Boston (36-11) came out on top of Los Angeles (33-15) 109-96.

Kobe Bryant scored a game-high 41 points but he also did it without recording one assist. Props to him, that's pretty hard to do.

As the Celts did in 2008, they used more balance and defense (something the Lakers are still allergic to) to take this one. The teams meet again in Boston a week from Thursday and from then on, we have to hope and pray that they do it one more time in June.

Paul Pierce led Boston with 32 points, Ray Allen had 21 points, Kevin Garnett put up 18 points, 13 rebounds and five assists while Rajon Rondo notched 10 points and 16 assists.

The Celtics bench was great mainly thanks to Glen Davis (13 points) and Nate Robinson (11 points).

With the way the Lakers have struggled at times this season, it was still interesting to see it up close. They seem to be in the same boat as the Celtics, they coast through the regular season because it doesn't really matter (except for home court).

When Lamar Odom (15 points) is your most consistent second option, you're probably not going to win a championship, sorry Khloe. Pau Gasol (12 points) looked too European as usual and Andrew Bynum (11 points) is just wasting time until he suffers another knee injury.

Ron Artest (3 points) appears lost and Derek Fisher (5 points, 4 assists) might finally be washed up, those look like the biggest issues for LA since they don't have anybody to pick up the slack in those positions.

The Cs were up 22-21 after the first quarter but the Lakers took a 52-50 lead into halftime. For once, Boston came out strong in the third quarter (27-18) and capped it off with an even more impressive fourth quarter (32-24) as they withstood LA's pathetic comeback attempt ie. getting out of Kobe's way while he took every shot.

Boston shot a season-high 60.3% to Los Angeles' 44.4%. Thanks to Pierce, Allen and Robinson who all made three 3-pointers, the Celts made five more 3-pointers than the Lakers (9-4). LA hit eight more free throws (20-12) which is a no-brainer at home but Boston grabbed 13 more rebounds (43-30). The craziest stat is assists, which the Celts won 34-10, not a misprint. The Cs had seven more turnovers (15-8) and the Lakers scored 13 more fast break points (18-5).

Don't you wish there were more regular season games like this? Ah well. Boston concludes its West Coast road trip with a game in Sacramento tomorrow night. It has trap game written all over it but with such a superior team, the Celts should be able to survive and come home 3-1 on a tough trip.

Celts lose Game 7 of the NBA Finals, 83-79 to the Lakers

If I told you that the Celtics held the Lakers to 32.5% shooting as a team and Kobe Bryant shot 6-of-24 from the floor in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, you would think Banner 18 is being fitted for the rafters as we speak right?

It wasn't a classic game, especially given the outcome, but in the most hotly-contested game of the series, the Lakers found a way to get it done and came away with the franchise's 16th championship.

Off the top of my head, I can't remember being as proud of a team in defeat. Not to get all Little League parent on you but the Celtics completely maxed out for the last two months in the playoffs and they nearly won another title because of it. There's absolutely no shame in the way they lost even though they went back to LA up 3-2.

I'd love to see the Big Four get one more season to try to win a title with a few key free agent pickups but who knows what'll happen next season? Doc Rivers seems to be out the door, Rasheed Wallace will probably retire and Ray Allen is a free agent. Other than that, it should be a pretty quiet off-season.

Kobe was named Finals MVP (for the second time) but offensively he was awful tonight: he had 23 points but more impressively he had 15 rebounds. Therein lies how the Lakers won a game in which their offense was completely locked down. LA owned the glass, to the tune of a a 53-40 overall rebounding edge (23-8 in offensive boards).

Pau Gasol was a strong second banana with 19 points and 18 rebounds while the ultimate wild card, Ron Artest came through in the biggest game of his life with 20 points and five steals.

With Kendrick Perkins out with a knee injury, Sheed started (11 points, 8 rebounds) and all five Celtics starters were in double figures: Paul Pierce had 18 points, 10 rebounds, KG scored 17 points and blocked four shots, Rajon Rondo nearly had another triple-double with 14 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds while Ray Allen added 13 points but struggled all night with his shot going 3-for-14. Ray gets a pass though since he was the one shutting down Kobe.

The C's were up 23-14 after the first quarter and 40-34 at the half. The Lakers tied it up early in the third quarter like you knew they would but the Celts rallied to go back up by nine and as much as 13. Boston led 57-53 going into the fourth but they couldn't hang on.

Only one bench guy from either team really played and subsequently did anything: Big Baby had six points and nine rebounds while Lamar Odom had seven points and seven rebounds.

The Celtics shot 40.8% from the floor but the Lakers took 20 more free throws and made 10 more of them. It's not worth arguing about that though since the rebound numbers tell you all you need to know, the Lakers earned those trips to the line by going hard inside. Boston had seven more assists (18-11) and four more blocks (7-3).

All I can think is that I feel like one of the players, I'm physically and mentally drained and I couldn't be happier to be getting out of dodge this weekend and going to my cousin's wedding in Upstate NY aka the end of the Earth. It will take plenty more time to fully digest this loss.

Lakers stomp Celtics, force Game 7

Conventional wisdom was that the Lakers would win Game 6 back at the Staples Center and make the 2010 NBA Finals go the full seven games like David Stern and his lackeys want.

Still, nobody could have expected the complete no show from the Celtics as they scored the second lowest total in Finals history in a 89-67 loss.

Making matters worse, Boston center Kendrick Perkins left early with what looked like a fairly serious knee injury. He's getting an MRI today but even if he suits up for tomorrow night, he'll be no better than Andrew Bynum (2 points, 4 rebounds in 16 minutes).

Kobe Bryant led the way with 26 points, 11 rebounds and four steals. Pau Gasol almost had a triple-double with 17 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists. Even Ron Artest was hitting 3-pointers (two) on his way to 15 points and six rebounds.

It didn't take long to realize this wasn't the Celtics' night. Between Artest hitting shots for once, Gasol running a fastbreak and finishing it and scrubs like Jordan Farmer, Sasha Vujacic (8 points) and Lamar Odom (8 points, 10 rebounds) making plays, well it wasn't meant to be.

Ray Allen was the only Celtic on offensively, he had 19 points, including a pair of 3-pointers. Paul Pierce had 13 points, Kevin Garnett scored 12 and Rajon Rondo had 10.

LA was up 28-18 after the first quarter and 51-31 at the half, game over.

Game 7 is great for the NBA since this highly watched series will get one more monster rating. I honestly don't know what to expect; it should be close either way, hopefully the C's have one more good game left in them.

Celtics withstand Kobe's 38 points, one win away from Banner 18

Throughout the 2008 NBA Finals and now the 2010 Finals, everyone has always waited with baited breath saying "well Kobe is going to go off in one of these games."

Last time I checked 38 points is a huge game but still the Celtics were able to pull off their second straight must-win, this time in Game 5 last night at the Garden, 92-86.

Boston takes a 3-2 lead back to the West Coast where they can close out the Lakers either tomorrow night in Game 6 or (fingers crossed) Thursday in Game 7.

It was a classic Kobe game-from one of the years the Lakers didn't win a title. He made ridiculous shots and was 13-of-27 from the floor but he had as many assists (4) as turnovers with five rebounds.

The only other Laker to score in double figures was Pau Gasol (12 points, 12 rebounds) but he's not nearly the threat he was early in the series with Andrew Bynum (6 points, 1 rebound) working on one leg.

After two stinkers in a row, Paul Pierce (the MVP of the 2008 Finals) was on with 27 points. The difference for the C's was it wasn't all about him. Kevin Garnett (18 points, 10 rebounds, 5 steals) and Rajon Rondo (18 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds) were great. Ray Allen added 12 points.

This series is not over by any means, especially since the Lakers will host the next two games (if necessary) and you know the NBA wants this going seven.

Boston led 22-20 after the first quarter and 45-39 at the half. Even with Kobe dropping 19 in the third quarter, the C's outscored LA 28-26. The Lakers won the fourth 21-19 but it wasn't enough.

It's probably my bias but it seemed like the Celts made all the winning, hustle plays. None better than the inbounds from KG to Pierce who found Rondo for a ridiculous layup.

For the game Boston shot 56.3% to LA's 39.7%. Los Angeles made four 3-pointers and eight more free throws (17-9). Just like in Game 4, the Celtics had way more assists (21-12), 11 more fastbreak points (14-3) and 14 more points in the paint (46-32).

Oh right, our bench is better too

Another thing that the national media completely overlooked or ignored when forecasting the 2010 NBA Finals, was the fact that the Celtics' bench is about 10 times better than the Lakers.

Game 4, the biggest game of Boston's season, was all you needed to see for that to be proven for once and for all.

Glen Davis scored 18 points and Nate Robinson had 12 points off the bench as the energetic duo sparked Boston's bench (36-18) which doubled LA's output. The Celts won 96-89 in a game it had to win at the TD Garden.

Game 5 is Sunday night at the TD Garden, the final one there in the series.

Kobe Bryant had a game-high 33 points and six rebounds (with six 3-pointers) but seven turnovers proved how much he tried to take over single-handedly (sound familiar?) but couldn't do it against Boston's great team defense.

Pau Gasol added 21 points but without a healthy Andrew Bynum (2 points in 12 minutes), the Lakers are in Kenny Smith's words "the 2008 Lakers." And we all remember how that one ended.

Four of the five Celtics starters scored in double figures: Paul Pierce finally got untracked with 19 points with six rebounds and five assists, Kevin Garnett had 13 points, Ray Allen scored 12 and Rajon Rondo was held to 10 points.

Lamar Odom, off the bench, was the only other Laker in double figures with 10 points and seven rebounds. I like our chances if he gets even more minutes, him and Ron Artest (9 points, 7 rebounds) are completely useless.

Boston was up 19-16 after the first quarter but Los Angeles recovered to go up 45-42 at the half despite Garnett's buzzer beating jumper.

Again, the C's eeked out the third quarter (18-17) but the fourth, thanks to their bench, was one of the best of the first four games (36-27).

Its hard to quantify hustle sometimes but not in Game 4. LA made four more 3-pointers (7-3) but the Celts had eight more offensive rebounds (16-8) and rebounds (41-34). Boston also had more assists (15-13) and steals (12-6). Finally, they had 13 more fastbreak points (15-2) and twenty more points in the paint (54-34).

The teams know they're going back to the Staples Center for Game 6 but Boston needs to win Game 5 regardless. They can definitely win one more in LA but two more, down 3-2, would be a very tough task.

KG returns from the dead but Derek Fisher says not so fast Big Ticket

It might have been the fact that I was watching it late at night on DVR by myself (since I went to a concert last night) and already knew the final outcome but Game 3 of the 2010 NBA Finals was even stranger than Game 1.

Kevin Garnett played out of his mind with 25 points and six rebounds but it wasn't enough as the Lakers won 91-84 behind Kobe Bryant's 29 points (10-for-29 shooting) and seven rebounds while Derek Fisher was the real closer with 16 points.

Los Angeles took back the homecourt advantage and leads 2-1 with Game 4 tomorrow night at the TD Garden.

Boston came out on fire and led 12-5 as the home crowd was going crazy but it was fool's gold as the Lakers led by 17 in the second quarter and controlled the rest of the game, even though the C's whittled it down to one point or two points numerous times in the fourth quarter.

After setting an NBA Finals record with eight 3-pointers in Game 2, Ray Allen looked completely lost, shooting 0-for-13 overall and finishing with two points on two free throws.

Joining him on the milk carton were Paul Pierce (15 points) and Rajon Rondo (11 points, 8 assists), who had decent numbers but didn't leave their imprint on the game by any means.

Other than KG's resurgence, Glen Davis (12 points) and Kendrick Perkins (11 rebounds) were the only other Celtics that stepped up in the pivotal game.

LA's twin towers of llama Pau Gasol (13 points, 10 rebounds) and Tracy Morgan's half-brother Andrew Bynum (9 points, 10 rebounds) weren't nearly as effective as they had been in their dominant Game 2 performance.

The Lakers were up 26-17 after the first quarter and 52-40 at halftime. Boston recovered with a 21-15 third but thanks to Fisher's clutch plays, including an And-1 where he got hammered by three Celtics, LA won the fourth 24-23.

Los Angeles made five more free throws (21-16) and once again they owned the glass (43-35) but the Celtics had seven more assists (20-13).

Game 4 is a must-win and the most important game of Boston's season. These teams are so even that it seems like it'll go seven games either way but the Celts can't go down 3-1 and hope to win three straight including two at the Staples Center.

Allen and Rondo too much for Lakers

The Boston Celtics got the job done in LA by getting the split, winning Game 2 of the NBA Finals last night 103-94 at the Staples Center.

On the outside, the Celtics were a two-man team: Ray Allen set a Finals record with eight 3-pointers (32 points) and Rajon Rondo added a triple-double 19 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists for his fifth career triple-double in the playoffs.

Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett were completely shutdown offensively, shooting a combined 4-for-16 but both made numerous other contributions: screens, defense, passing, free throws.

Kendrick Perkins had 12 points and Boston's bench outscored LA's 24-15. Glen Davis had eight points and seven rebounds, Rasheed Wallace had seven points and seven rebounds while Nate Robinson notched a quick seven points in six minutes.

The Lakers size was out in full force as they set a Finals record with 14 points while Andrew Bynum (21 points, 7 blocks, 6 rebounds) and Pau Gasol (25 points, 8 rebounds, 6 blocks) were both unstoppable.

Kobe Bryant wasn't his usual clutch self, dropping only 21 points on 8-for-20 shooting.

Despite tons of foul trouble on both sides, this was a scintillating game with great plays and runs. Boston closed with an 11-0 run, fueled by Rondo who seemingly did everything.

The Celts came out strong, winning the first quarter 29-22 and 54-48 at the half. It only took a few minutes into the second half for the Lakers to take the lead back (24-18 third quarter) but Boston closed the fourth (31-22) in style.

With Games 3-5 in Boston, all the C's needed was one game in LA. They seemed to quickly forget their no-show in Game 1 and it doesn't matter now. If they can get two at the TD Garden, chances are great they'll get banner 18.

Thanks to Ray, Boston made six more 3-pointers (11-5) while LA had 11 more free throws (31-20). The Celtics had five more rebounds (44-39) and most importantly 10 more assists (28-18). They also had 10 more points in the paint (36-26).

Boston is deeper, plays better defense and they have more late-game options than the Lakers.

Game 3 is tomorrow night.

Lakers push around Celtics in bizarro Game 1 of 2010 NBA Finals

Seeing the Lakers win Game 1 of the NBA Finals was predictable since NBA rules dictate the home team always has to win at least one game in a playoff series.

Much more surprising was the fact that LA pushed Boston around and was the aggressor in a 102-89 romp.

With two days off before Game 2 Sunday night, the reactionary media (cough ESPN) will say how this is a new Lakers team that's tougher while the Celtics are old and weak. Some of that may be true but I reserve judgment for another few games. As long as the Celts win Game 2, they'll have gotten the necessary road win before they go home for three straight.

Kobe Bryant led LA with a game-high 30 points, seven rebounds and six assists but the story of the game was that big llama Pau Gasol who had 23 points, 14 rebounds, three assists and three blocks. Kevin Garnett had 16 points but Gasol and his teammates completely owned Boston on the glass (42-31 rebounds) and inside (16-0 second chance points; 48-30 points in the paint).

For whatever reason, it never felt like the Celtics were ever really in this one. Los Angeles led 26-21 after the first quarter and 50-41 at the half despite a long two-pointer at the buzzer by Rajon Rondo.

LA started the second half on fire and opened it up to as much as a twenty point lead. Boston couldn't seem to cut it to a closer deficit than nine points.

Paul Pierce (24 points, 9 rebounds) was the only Celtic to bring anything close to a B- game or above. Rondo had 13 points, eight assists and six rebounds. Ray Allen was saddled with five fouls and that made his 12 points nearly invisible. Kendrick Perkins had eight points and Rasheed Wallace had nine points off the bench.

Ron Artest scored 15 for the Lakers, Andrew Bynum had 10 and Derek Fisher notched nine points.

LA shot 48.7% and Boston shot 43.3%. The Lakers only made four 3-pointers but the C's had just one. The only real positive number for Boston was on the free throw line (30 for 36) vs. LA's (24 for 31), an indication of how ugly this game was with countless players in foul trouble.

With the dumb format of Games 3-5 in Boston, I wouldn't term Sunday night a must-win but being down 2-0 and giving the Lakers more confidence is a much different scenario than being tied 1-1 heading back to the TD Garden.

Kobe and the Lakers steal one from the Celts

With a national audience tuning in on ABC, the Celtics had a chance with a full roster (other than Marquis Daniels-is he still alive?) to show the NBA that they're a dominant team.

Results were mixed as they played well at times (second and third quarter) and fell on their face at the start and in the end when it mattered most.

The Lakers (37-11) walked away with a 90-89 win at the TD Garden yesterday afternoon as Kobe Bryant (19 points, 8-of-20 shooting) hit a contested jumper with 7.3 seconds left to put LA up one and Boston (29-16) could only muster a fadeaway 3-pointer attempt by the buzzer from the ice cold Ray Allen (7 points, 2-of-10 shooting) that bounced harmlessly off the rim.

Kobe is a superstar and even during a bad performance, he still rises up when it matters most and hit the biggest shot of the game. Ray on the other hand, a possible Hall of Famer, is nonetheless rapidly losing his game (shooting) and yet the Celtics seemed to be blind to that fact.

Paul Pierce (15 points), Eddie House (9 points) or Kevin Garnett (10 points) should have taken that shot. Rajon Rondo (21 points, 12 assists, 5 rebounds) was another option since he can get to the basket and was having a great game.

One of the most frustrating parts of the NBA is the late-game reliance on 3-pointers and impossible shots. Why not take it to the basket and force the slimy refs to make a call?

Anyways this turned out to be a much more exciting game than it looked like it would be in the first quarter. The Lakers are at the tail end of a long road trip but you couldn't tell as they jumped out to a 30-19 lead. Andrew Bynum (19 points, 11 rebounds) was a beast inside.

Strangely enough, the Celtics received their biggest spark and stayed in the game based on the contributions from its most up and down player, Tony Allen. His roller coaster game was at its best as he scored 14 points, continually taking it to the hoop against LA's suspect defense.

Rondo also got going with nine points and eight assists in the second quarter alone as the Celts cruised to a 52-47 halftime lead.

Boston outscored LA 21-19 in the third quarter and looked like they had the win in hand after House drained a three to put the Celtics up 11 early in the fourth quarter. However, since its Christmas day win in Orlando, Boston has not been able to handle fourth quarter leads and yesterday was no different as Pau Gasol (11 points, 11 rebounds), Ron Artest (11 points) and the Lakers took the fourth 24-16.

Other than Kobe's clutch shot, a shaky offensive foul on Pierce with the Celts up one and with under a minute left was the second biggest play of the game. It was a weak call at a critical moment but you have to expect that in the NBA and furthermore, the Celtics didn't deserve to win since they crumbled in the fourth quarter.

After losing all three games to Orlando, Atlanta and Los Angeles, the Celts go to DC tonight for what is basically a must-win. The Wizards are bad and Boston needs some type of positive momentum to build on before the All-Star break.

The rivalry that the NBA desperately needs, continues to get better

It pains me to say it but for the second time this season, the Lakers beat the Celtics when Boston came in with a double-digit win streak.

LA (40-9) came to the TD Banknorth Garden last night for its third game in four nights and escaped with a 110-109 overtime win. It snapped Boston's 12 game win streak, earlier in the year they had won 19 straight before choking at the Forum.

It was surely one of the best regular season games in the NBA and unfortunately, it enabled the Lakers to sweep the season series after they also beat the Celts on Christmas day in Los Angeles.

Boston (41-10) had to a chance to win it at the end of regulation but a sloppy possession ended with Eddie House (16 points) firing up a prayer of a 3-pointer.

At the conclusion of overtime, Ray Allen (22 points) attempted a three that was blocked by Pau Gasol (24 points, 14 rebounds). Allen and the Celtics' bench wanted a foul but there wasn't enough contact to make that call.

Two games after dropping 61 on the Knicks at Madison Square Garden, Kobe Bryant struggled to find his shot but still finished with 26 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Lamar Odom (one of the NBA's most up and down players) added 20 points and six boards while Derek Fisher scored 13 points.

The Celts got plenty on the offensive side, they just couldn't get any stops when it mattered. Paul Pierce had 21 points, eight rebounds and five assists while Kevin Garnett (in his first game back after missing two with the flu) posted 16 points and 12 rebounds before fouling out on a shaky (at best) call in the fourth.

Rajon Rondo almost had a triple-double with 16 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds. A bright spot was Leon Powe, who had his best performance in a while with 10 points and eight rebounds.

The Lakers led 23-20 after a defensive first quarter. The Celtics started to run in the second quarter which worked well with Andrew Bynum out. Boston outscored LA, 32-28 in the second as the Green took the slim 52-51 halftime lead.

The Celtics continued the strong play with a 29-26 third quarter but the Lakers made enough plays in the fourth (24-20) to send it to overtime.

Odom's two free throws late in overtime sealed it as it put LA up one.

The best thing for the Celtics is that they can quickly forget about this loss since they go to NYC tonight to face the Knicks. In a perfect world, Boston will jump out to a big lead and get their starters some rest in the fourth ahead of Sunday's big showdown with the Spurs.

There is nothing like Christmas in LA

It was bound to happen sooner or later. The Boston Celtics can't win every game but did it have to end in Los Angeles against the Lakers?

Playing at the Staples Center yesterday afternoon, in front of a national audience on Christmas day, the C's (27-3) had their worst effort in weeks (maybe months) and as a result, lost 92-83 to a fired up Lakers (24-5) team.

Boston's 19-game win streak was snapped as well as their 10-game road win streak.

Boston was only down 71-67 heading into the fourth but LA led by Pau Gasol (20 points, 5 assists, 3 blocks), who scored seven points late, took over when it counted and came away with the big win.

The C's were sloppy all day and committed 17 turnovers as a team. Second in the league in getting to the line, Boston only went 6-for-8 on free throws in the physical game.

Kobe Bryant led all scorers with 27 points, nine rebounds and five assists and for once, he passed the ball in late game situations. Lamar Odom and Sasha Vujacic scored 10 points apiece off the bench.

Kevin Garnett (9 of 11 shooting) led the Celts with 22 points and nine boards while Paul Pierce had 20 points and 10 rebounds in his return to his hometown. Ray Allen added 14 points.

Rajon Rondo struggled shooting the ball (3 of 11) but he had 12 assists. It was a performance reminiscent of many playoff games last spring when teams didn't have to respect Rondo's scoring ability.

Boston led 24-23 after the first quarter but LA took a 51-45 advantage into halftime. The C's took the third 22-20 before the choke job in the fourth.

There is no time to cry about the loss as the Celtics travel to Golden State tonight to take on the injury-depleted Warriors. Defense will be an issue but Boston should have no trouble hanging 110+ on Golden State.

a championship will be that much sweeter at home

Did you think Kendrick Perkins was the difference between the Celtics winning and losing a championship? I would have laughed at that crazy question a few days ago but not after watching the Lakers beat the Celtics, 103-98, in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.

Boston leads the series 3-2 and now comes home for two (if necessary) chances to pick up their first title since 1987 and 17th overall.

This one had the distinct feel of Game 4 as the Lakers got out to a huge first quarter lead (39-22 at the end of one) and as high as 19 before the Celtics cut it to three at the half (55-52).

The Celts grabbed the lead in the second half but quickly lost it as LA built it back to 14 before Boston came back one last time. It was not meant to be though as the Lakers continually got to the basket (since Perk was out with an injured shoulder) and either scored or drew a foul.

Five Lakers found double figures, led by Kobe Bryant (25 points, 7 rebounds, 5 steals, 4 assists). The inside combo of Lamar Odom (20 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists) and Pau Gasol (19 points, 13 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 blocks) were the difference as Boston couldn't stop them as they rotated an overmatched group (P.J. Brown and Leon Powe) while Kevin Garnett (13 points, 14 rebounds) was never much of a factor since he had five fouls.

Derek Fisher added 15 points and Jordan Farmer (owner of the biggest ears this side of Mitch Albom) notched 11.

Still, the game was there for the taking as the Lakers continually bumbled and couldn't put Boston away. The biggest plays were a Kobe strip of Pierce and dunk while KG missed three of four free throws in crunch time.

Paul Pierce (again) was the best player on the court by far. The Truth imitated Ray Allen from the last game by playing all 48 minutes. Pierce had 38 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Ray Allen had 16 points while Sam Cassell had nine points off the bench.

Other than Perk, the C's other big worry is Rajon Rondo. Is he hurt? Is he simply playing bad? The second-year point guard was 1 of 7 from the floor, finishing with three points and three assists in 15 minutes.

History is completely on Boston's side as no team has come back to win a championship after being down 3-1, the C's have also never lost in the Finals when they're up 3-2.

However, with the health of Perk and Rondo in mind, the C's would be best served to end this on Tuesday. You don't want to let a team hang around that has Kobe Bryant-who's only had one real superstar game so far. I don't have to be bias (even though I am) to say that the Celtics are the better team, I really don't see them losing twice in a row at the Garden. Stranger things have happened though, meaning that Game 6 is supremely vital.

Where were you when the Lakers submitted one of the great choke jobs in sports history?

Down 24 points on the road in the first quarter and 18 at the half, the Boston Celtics looked dead in the water in Game 4 of the NBA Finals at the Staples Center last night.

The horrific start by the Green only sweetened the win as the Celtics outscored the Lakers, 57-33 in the second half to take the game, 97-91.

Boston now leads the series 3-1 with Game 5 on Father's Day (Sunday) back at the Staples Center.

It was a hallmark win that will be talked about forever (assuming Boston can win one of the next three games).

Both teams had five players score in double figures but the Celtics were the ones stepping up in the third and fourth quarter. Front-running LA resembled the team that dominated the Western Conference playoffs in the first half as their passing was crisp and everyone was hitting their shots. But when things started to fall apart in the second half, not even Kobe Bryant (17 points on 6 of 19 shooting, 10 assists and 4 steals) could save them.

Paul Pierce shook off another slow start to finish with a game-high 20 points, seven assists and four rebounds. Ray Allen (who has been Boston's most consistent player through the first four games) had 19 points, nine rebounds and three steals. James Posey had 18 points and Kevin Garnett totalled 16 points and 11 rebounds.

Lamar Odom came out on fire (making his first five shots) and finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Pau Gasol had 17 points and 10 rebounds. Derek Fisher had 13 points and Vladimir Radmanovic added 10 points.

Everything went the Lakers' way in the first half, including a traveling, buzzer-beating 3-pointer by guard Jordan Farmar to end the second quarter.
Boston couldn't possibly play worse as they were down 35-14 after one (the NBA record for biggest deficit in a Finals game after one quarter) and 58-40 at the break.

The story of the game so paralleled the setting, it was uncanny. The flashy Lakers came out and played their best basketball of the series for two quarters. Their botox-injected, clueless millionaire fans cheered (most likely cause the scoreboard told them to) and all was right in Tinseltown. However, like a bad movie (which Hollywood has been known to turn out from time to time), Los Angeles completely unraveled in the second half.

Phil Jackson-the slobbered over coach-was outclassed by Doc Rivers (HA!). Rivers chose to space the floor with a small, shooting lineup and LA never really adjusted. Eddie House (11 points, 4 rebounds in 25 minutes) played most of the second half as Rajon Rondo (5 points, 2 assists in 17 minutes) was clearly not himself with his ankle injury. Kendrick Perkins popped his shoulder out of its socket in the third quarter and didn't return.

A 21-3 Celtics run cut it to 73-71 going into the fourth. By then, Los Angeles had fell apart as all their finesse, offensive-minded clowns shied away from the moment. Sure Kobe had no hesitation to take the tough shot but on this night, it wasn't falling for the Black Mamba.

House's jumper gave Boston its first lead of the night with four minutes left and the Celtics never looked back. Pierce made key free throws, Posey hit a 3-pointer, Ray collected an offensive rebound (along with two clutch hoops) and Garnett had a great assist to House.

The Celtics are a better TEAM, one who thrives on the defensive end and that's why they find themselves one win away from a championship.

There are two days off between games as Game 5 won't happen until Sunday night but you can't underestimate the psychological damage of the loss on LA. They are a team that had seemingly come into its own during the second half of the year and one that wasn't tested much throughout the playoffs. The Celtics stumbled big time coming out of the gates in the playoffs but seemed to have found their rhythm in the Detroit series and carried it over to the Finals.

The close-out game is always the toughest but I like the Celtics' chances of winning one more game out of a possible three (with two if necessary at home).

Utterly predictable with a few slight tweaks

If you were a slightly knowledgeable and objective fan of the Celtics, you had to know in your heart of hearts last night that the Celtics' chances of winning rested somewhere between slim and none.

Give the Celts credit as they somehow hung around and almost stole it (even though they played pretty bad) before falling, 87-81, to the Los Angeles Lakers at the Staples Center in game 3 of the NBA Finals.

Boston leads the series 2-1 with the next two games remaining at the Staples Center.

The C's cut the Lakers' lead to two points late in the fourth quarter but Eddie House missed an open jumper that would have tied it. From there, Kobe Bryant (36 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist) did his thing by making two clutch hoops. The Lakers wouldn't have pulled it out though if Sasha Vujacic hadn't produced the game of his life with 20 points. He hit a 3-pointer late in the fourth that was the shot of the game since it followed House's miss.

Paul Pierce had one of the worst games of his NBA career, six points on 2 of 14 shooting with six boards and three assists. To compound that he had five fouls and thus had to miss significant minutes in the second half. Kevin Garnett struggled to get 13 points (6 of 21 shooting) with 12 rebounds, five assists and three blocks. The only reason the C's had any hope of winning was Ray Allen, who scored a team-high 25 points and grabbed five rebounds.

Rajon Rondo (8 points, 4 assists in 22 minutes) sprained his ankle at the start of the second half and missed almost the whole final two quarters. Kendrick Perkins had eight points, six boards and three steals. James Posey was great off the bench with nine points and seven steals.

It was a forgone conclusion-right or not-that since the series shifted back to LA and the Lakers didn't get to the line at all in game 2, they would be there all night in game 3. This was true at the start as they had as many attempts (10) in the first quarter as they did in all of game 2.

Boston hung around and eventually it was tied 20-20 at the end of one. The Lakers picked it up in the second quarter and took a 43-37 lead into the extended break.

As has been the case in the previous two games, Boston owned the third quarter (25-17) to take a slim 62-60 lead into the fourth. The Lakers closed the fourth with a 27-19 advantage that felt closer than that.

Lamar Odom (4 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 5 turnovers) played about as bad as he could ever play and Pau Gasol (9 points, 12 rebounds) wasn't much better. If you were a betting man (or woman), you'd have to guess that collectively Pierce and KG would respond better than Odom and Gasol in game 4.

The Lakers did get to the line a ton (21-34) but didn't really take advantage. The Celtics were 15 of 22 from the line.

Game 4 will be a turning point in the series. Either LA ties it up (which means it's going seven in all likelihood) or Boston wins, meaning it could end at any time. Thoughts of a Celtics sweep were flat-out stupid. The Lakers have looked more vulnerable than you could have expected but they still haven't lost at home (9-0) in the playoffs.

Celtics take 2-0 lead to the land of frauds

The Celtics played one decent quarter, two exceptional quarters and one awful quarter but it all added up to a tighter-than-it-should-be 108-102 win over the Lakers in Game 2 of the NBA Finals.

Boston takes a 2-0 lead to Los Angeles, Games 3 and 4 are at the Staples Center as well as Game 5 if necessary.

Paul Pierce was the best player on the floor with an efficient 28 points, eight assists and four rebounds. The surprise star of the game was Leon Powe, who scored 21 points in 15 minutes. Kevin Garnett struggled with his shot but still posted 17 points and 14 rebounds while Ray Allen scored 17 points. Rajon Rondo had four points, six rebounds, 16 assists, two steals and only two turnovers.

Kendrick Perkins had seven points and three rebounds in 14 minutes and P.J. Brown contributed six points and three rebounds.

Up by 24 in the fourth quarter the Celts put it on cruise control and the Lakers almost came all the way back. LA cut it to two with under a minute left but Pierce clinched it with two clutch free throws and a block of Vladimir Radmanovic's 3-pointer. James Posey (8 points, 3 rebounds) corralled the rebound, was fouled and iced it with two more free throws.

The great defense and ball movement (31 assists on 36 buckets) disappeared for Boston as LA made 7 of 10 threes in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Celts 41-25.

Kobe Bryant scored 30 points (13 in the fourth) with eight assists, four rebounds and three steals. The Mamba was noticably frustrated with teammates and the officials for most of the game. He even drew a technical foul for arguing. Pau Gasol had 17 points, 10 rebounds and four assists but the Lakers stopped going to him in the second half which was a mistake since he was great in the first half.

Radmanovic had 13 points and 10 rebounds, Lamar Odom scored 10 points with eight boards while Derek Fisher and Jordan Farmer each had nine points. Sasha Vujacic added eight points.

LA led 22-20 but Boston stormed back with a 34-20 second quarter sparked by Powe's inspirational play.

The Lakers by nature are a finesse team and while they have size, they don't want to battle under the boards like a Cleveland or Detroit. LA is still a great team but when Boston decides to work it down low, they dominate. Powe was relentless on the boards, he made 9 of 13 free throws.

LA only took 10 free throws (and made all of them) while Boston was 27 of 38. It wasn't a factor since they held on but if the Celts had lost this one, missed free throws would have been one of the main culprits.

The Celts came out flying in the third quarter (including two thunderous slams from Powe), outscoring LA 29-19 as it looked like they had wrapped the game up. The 24-point lead was with seven minutes left in the game so that shows you how fast the Lakers can make up ground.

Other than free throws, assists were the difference for Boston. Behind Rondo's career-high tying game, the C's had 31 dimes to LA's 20.

Switching the format to 2-3-2 only for the Finals is pretty dumb but what can you do? The Celts only have to get one win in LA to give themselves two chances to finish the Lakers off in Boston. LA is unbeaten at the Staples Center (8-0) in the playoffs and we've still seen only glimpses of the great Lakers team that ran through the Western Conference playoffs. Game 3 is a must-win for LA (everyone's pick to win the Finals), if they lose that there will be no miracles even in Hollywood.