Game Six: So. Many. Records.
"Let's not just win. Let's win by thirty." - Doc Rivers before Game Six.
Final score: Celtics 131, Lakers 92
Highest point differential in an elimination game (surpassing the Celtics win over the Lakers in 1965.) Biggest turn around by a team in one year: winning 24 regular season games last year and 66 this year. Rondo tied the record for steals in a Finals game with seven. Ray Allen tied the record for three pointers, also with seven. He now holds the Final Series record of twenty-two three pointers. Doc Rivers is the first black coach to win the NBA Championship in twenty-two years (the previous coach was also a Celtic, KC Jones.)
There are no doubt more records. There are so many stats. I was worried going into this game. Ray Allen was in the hospital every night this weekend with his seventeen-month-old son during what had to be the terrible, worrisome first days before any infant is diagnosed with diabetes. He didn't sleep. He had also played all forty-eight minutes of Game Four, the first man to do so, probably just before his son started presenting whatever symptoms ultimately put him in the hospital. Fatigue. Pierce played all but two or three seconds of Game Five playing intensely every minute of the way. But they lost and had that five hour plane ride back to Boston with one day rest between games. They were supposed to take a late morning flight but plane problems kept them on the ground (in the plane) for four hours before taking off. They got into town late Monday night, no doubt jet lagged and sore. The team was tore up.
They're not feeling it now.
