Who's Got the Edge With Lakers-Celtics Tied

There's already two games down in the NBA Finals and it's still a toss up to many on who's going to win this series.

The first game was dominated in almost every way by the Lakers, but last night's game proved to be a little different. The Lakers had every opportunity to take a commanding two games to none lead, but in a shocking turn of events Kobe Bryant actually found himself in foul trouble. That almost never happens to the superstars of the league.

With Bryant being in foul trouble he couldn't be as aggressive as he normally is, which helped the Celtics increase their slim lead to a deceiving nine-point win.

Don't be fooled by the road win. The Lakers are still in great position to win this series in as little as six games. Sure, the Celtics are going home for three straight games in Beantown and can win another championship on their home floor if they don't slip up at home.

Home-court advantage may be a slight edge in this series, but it doesn't matter where the game is being played, the Celtics will not beat the Lakers three straight times. They barely got by the Lakers last night with Kobe Bryant in foul trouble, Ron Artest playing like he should be on a junior varsity team, and Lamar Odom being virtually invisible on the court. With all that, the Lakers still had a chance to win last night.

There were a few questionable calls at the end of that game as well that really swayed the momentum. One call being the out of bounds call that ruled Pau Gasol last touched the ball. Instant replay proved that Kevin Garnett last touched the ball. At that point every possession was of the essence.

The other horrible call was the foul called on Artest as he was trailing Rajon Rondo. Artest hardly even grazes Rondo and a foul was called.

This is suppose to be playoff basketball where physical play is suppose helps your team, not handicap it.

However, Ray Allen does deserve a lot of credit for setting the record for most three-point field goals in an NBA Finals game.

He had eight and seven of those came in the 1st half. Chalk up another great adjustment by Phil Jackson because the Lakers held Allen to only five points in the 2nd half, including an air ball that looked like a shot you would see in a YMCA pickup game.

Also, as I've been saying all postseason long, Rondo is the straw that stirs the drink for the Celtics. His stat line is down right remarkable and once again he leads his team in rebounds with 12. It's not like the Celtics are full of small interior players. We're talking about Rondo out-rebounding the likes of Garnett, Kendrick Perkins, Glen Davis, and Rasheed Wallace.

That shot he hit on the elbow to seal the game was just icing on the cake to a great individual performance. It may not have been as flashy as Allen's three-point extravaganza, but it was just as effective.

He'll be the Finals MVP if the Celtics figure out a way to win this series.

The bottom line is the Celtics still have way more adjustments to make than the Lakers do. We all know Bryant will come back with avengence in Game 3, and until the low post defense of the Celtics can figure out a way to slow down both Gasol and Bynum then the Lakers will win their second-straight NBA championship.

Notable Game 3 Stats

• Rondo record 5th career triple double (19 points,12 reb, 10 ast)
• Gasol and Bynum combine for 46 points, 14 rebounds, 13 blocks
• Garnett held to just 6 points and 4 rebounds in 24 minutes
• Bryant plays less minutes than any of the other four starters (34 minutes)