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FirstCuts: Lakers Win NBA Finals In EA Sim

Jun 5, 2008, 8:30 PM UTC

After what feels like forever, the NBA Finals get under way this evening. There’s no shortage of predictions – and I’ll throw my worthless one out there: Lakers in six – but few of these looks ahead give you stats and a story.â†µâ†µAccording to a sim on NBA Live 09, the Lakers will win the NBA Finals in seven games. Somewhere, David Stern is doing his best Mr. Burns “Excellent” just hearing this prediction. Kobe Bryant leads the way with 29 points and six assists in this series.â†µ

â†µâ†µThe real thing starts tonight at 9 p.m. ET on ABC. To get all the details on the make believe series, follow me to the jump.â†µ

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â†µâ†µGame 1: Celtics strike first over Lakers, 105-99â†µ

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â†µâ†µPoint Leaders
â†µKevin Garnett - 20 Points, 9 Rebounds, 4 Blocksâ†µ
â†µKobe Bryant - 25 Points, 10 Rebounds, 7 Assistsâ†µ
â†µField Goal Percentage
â†µBos – 47%
â†µLA – 45%
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â†µâ†µRecap – The TD Banknorth Garden erupts after an exciting Game 1 of the NBA playoffs. Kevin Garnett leads his team in scoring and offensive rebounds. Also a monster on the defensive side of the ball, Garnett’s blocking rampage is reminiscent of the Bill Russell era.â†µ

â†µâ†µGame 2: Lakers quiet Celtic fans at TD Banknorth Garden, 96-90â†µ

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â†µâ†µPoint Leaders
â†µPaul Pierce - 24 Points, 9 Assists
â†µKobe Bryant - 30 Points, 4 Three-pointers
â†µField Goal Percentage
â†µBos – 47%
â†µLA – 47%
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â†µâ†µRecap – An uncontested Kobe Bryant slam dunk sets the tone early in the first quarter. Kobe and the Lakers never relinquish the lead resulting in a 6-point victory and more importantly, a split of the first two games in Boston.â†µ

â†µâ†µGame 3: Lakers dominate at home Game 3, 109-101â†µ

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â†µâ†µPoint Leaders
â†µPaul Pierce - 23 Points, 4 steals
â†µKobe Bryant - 36 Points, 9 Rebounds, 10 Assists
â†µField Goal Percentage
â†µBos – 46%
â†µLA – 49%
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â†µâ†µRecap – Paul Pierce has a big game but didn’t match up to Kobe’s near triple-double performance. Kobe’s dazzling dunk rejuvenates the Lakers and the fans at the Staples Center. The momentum shifts towards the Lakers after taking Game 3.â†µ

â†µâ†µGame 4: Celtics get comeback victory over Lakers, 91-88â†µ

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â†µâ†µPoint Leaders
â†µRay Allen - 29 Points, 6 three-pointers, 4 Assists
â†µPau Gasol - 19 Points, 14 Rebounds, 3 Blocks
â†µField Goal Percentage
â†µBos – 49%
â†µLA – 44%
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â†µâ†µRecap – Ray Allen leads the Celtics to an important victory in the Staples Center. Allen’s strong perimeter play gave the Celtics a strong lead early in the 4th quarter and ties up the series.â†µ

â†µâ†µGame 5: LA leads series by winning Game 5, 95-92â†µ

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â†µâ†µPoint Leaders
â†µKevin Garnett - 21 Points, 10 Rebounds, 4 Blocks
â†µPau Gasol - 25 Points, 12 Rebounds, 5 Blocks
â†µField Goal Percentage
â†µBos – 47%
â†µLA – 50%
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â†µâ†µRecap – The battle in the paint was the focus for much of Game 5. Rebounding was the key to the Lakers victory. Gasol outrebounded Celtic muscle-man Kendrick Perkins. Gasol also took a page from Garnett’s Game 1 performance by blocking five shots, and kept his number one rank as the leading shot blocker in the 2008 NBA Playoffs. â†µ

â†µâ†µGame 6: Celtics force Game 7, 98-97â†µ

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â†µâ†µPoint Leaders
â†µPaul Pierce - 28 Points, 6 Steals, 8 Assists
â†µKobe Bryant - 28 Points, 8 Rebounds, 6 Assists
â†µField Goal Percentage
â†µBos – 46%
â†µLA – 44%
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â†µâ†µKevin Garnett hits a fade away jumper in the dying seconds of game 6 to pull the Celtics to a 98-97 victory.â†µ

â†µâ†µRecap – The Celtics, led by a strong performance from Paul Pierce, overcame the Lakers to force a Game 7. Pierce went shot for shot with Bryant, tying him in points, and rounded out his game with four defensive steals.â†µ

â†µâ†µGame 7: Lakers win NBA Finals, 106-101â†µ

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â†µâ†µPoint Leaders
â†µKevin Garnett - 29 Points, 7 Blocks, 10 Rebounds
â†µKobe Bryant - 38 Points, 10 Rebounds, 11 Assists
â†µField Goal Percentage
â†µBos – 48%
â†µLA – 51%
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â†µâ†µRecap –The Lakers win their 15th NBA Finals Championship. After a quiet first half, Kobe scored 29 of his 38 points in the second half in an astounding triple-double performance cementing himself as this year’s NBA Finals MVP. The Lakers beat the Celtics in the NBA Finals for the third time in a row. The life-long rivalry now stands at 10-3 in Boston’s favor.â†µ

â†µâ†µRecaps courtesy of EA Sports.â†µ

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This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.

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