NBA Finals Game 7 Live Blog: Two Teams Tied As We Enter Winning Time

-Phil Jackson just told Doris Burke that they’re “talking” to Kobe Bryant about dribbling too much. He should have said “pleading.”

-Mark Jackson believes Kobe Bryant will step up because he’s played with a lot of great players, and great players get it done. Excuse me sir. The best players you played with are Patrick Ewing and Reggie Miller. Kobe Bryant is better.

-Boston has gone to a lot of isolations for Paul Pierce. This is usually when they get in trouble.

-You can definitely fault Pau Gasol’s offensive effort. You definitely can’t fault his rebounding effort.

-Boston is really laboring right now. You can tell how tired they are by how long they take to get into their set. That time, they took a long time.

-My goodness: Kobe just literally lost the ball for no reason on the perimeter. This is brutal.

-As great as Pau Gasol is on the glass, is it really that big of an accomplishment to grab 14 rebounds in this game?

-Speaking of Gasol, he fronts Garnett again for no reason, and Garnett got another layup. Finally, a goal in this lacrosse game. Oh ... wait.

-It’s never too early to ask, so I will: who wins the Finals MVP? If the Lakers win, can you really give it to Kobe? If the Celtics win, do any of the Big 4 make sense? Can you give the Finals MVP to an assistant coach (Tom Thibodeau)?

-Good call by Doc Rivers to put Nate Robinson in for Rondo right now. It would have been nice if he showed the same dedication to his bench earlier in the game.

-On the other hand, as much as that decision is gutsy, it also might be because he has no choice. Boston’s starters are probably gassed.

-Wow, some actual offense! Pau Gasol got a touch out of a Triangle set, hit a cutting Artest down the lane, and Artest converted the AND-1. Tie game.

-Derek Fisher still hasn’t returned to this game, which means Kobe Bryant has been switched back onto Ray Allen. The Celtics attacked Kobe and got Allen a couple free throws. He missed one. Celtics by one.

-Rasheed Wallace just flipped out for picking up an obvious over the back foul call on Gasol. He whacked him in the face. IN THE FACE!

-If the Lakers lose tonight, blame free-throw shooting. They look like the 2002 Kings right now.

-Well, that was fitting. Derek Fisher just hit a game-tying three off a post-up for Gasol. Nice to see the Lakers actually posting up Pau Gasol. SOMETHING THAT COULD HAVE BEEN BROUGHT TO THEIR ATTENTION IN THE FIRST QUARTER.

-So ... yeah, buckle up. This should be good.