So far in these NBA Finals, every single game has been more important than the next. Headed into Game 1, it felt like a must-win game for the Celtics, not the least of which stems from L.A. coach Phil Jackson's 47-0 career record in playoff series where he wins Game 1.
NBA Finals, Game 4: Can The Lakers Go For The Jugular?
Heading into Game 2, after Los Angeles won Game 1 easily, we had a case of two teams desperate for a victory. For the Lakers, winning Game 2 meant taking full control of the series, while the Celtics simply had to win in order to give themselves a chance coming back to Boston for Games 3, 4, and 5. And they did.
And that brought us to Game 3, a back-and-forth slugfest of a game, where Los Angeles jumped to an early first half lead, and Boston spent the bulk of the second half trying to claw their way back into the lead. And they almost did... But ultimately, Los Angeles was too good. Or, maybe, Boston’s offense wasn’t good enough. Whatever the case, it means that tonight will be more of the same for Celtics. They absolutely must win; it’s that simple.
If the Boston loses tonight, they’d have to beat the defending champs three straight times to win the NBA Title, two of which would happen on the road, in Los Angeles. That’s not happening. On the other side, though, the tenor changes a bit for Game 4.
Los Angeles doesn’t need this game. A win tonight would be convenient, but coming into this three-game set in Boston, the only “must” for Los Angeles was that they win one game, ensuring themselves a chance to go back to L.A. They did that; now, the pressure’s on Boston, and the Lakers have two chances to try and steal one more game on the road.
That’s why this game should be interesting. On paper, it’s not as crucial a game as Game 3—at least in the sense that we don’t have both teams treating this as a must-win—but it’s also likely to reveal a lot about the character of each of these teams.
The Celtics have already responded once with backs against the wall; can they do it again?
But even more interesting, what will the Lakers look like tonight?
If they’re truly the best team in the NBA, there’s a good chance we could see L.A. run the Celtics off the court tonight, using Game 4 as a statement game to the Celtics, the rest of the league, and maybe even themselves. They don’t need this win nearly as much as the Celtics, but this is the sort of game that championship teams win, just on principle. The same way Boston blew out L.A. in Game 6 of the Finals in 2008, Los Angeles has a chance to go for the jugular tonight, staking claim to ultimate supremacy among these two, and rendering the final three games a formality.
If the Lakers can do that, they deserve to win the NBA Championship.
But if the Celtics can weather their injuries, fatigue, and size disadvantages to somehow get a win? Well, if they do that, then they could be just as deserving, and the NBA Finals turn into as fascinating a three game series as we’ve seen in a long, long time.
Tip off is at 9 o’clock on ABC.
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