Game 6 Predictions: Revisited

So with a drubbing that NO ONE saw coming in the books -- how did my predictions fare? Hey, anything's possible!

Prediction: Paul Pierce drops a 32/8/5. Garnett a 15/10. Ray Allen a 25/8.
Actuality: Paul Pierce 17/3/10. Garnett 26/14. Allen 26/4. Well. All series, all playoffs long we've been watching one member of the Big 3 step up in every game, and combined with another hot shot performance from a role player, we were able to pull it out. Well, when the Big 3 ALL step up and score a combined 69 points? Yeah, we win by almost 40. It was late in coming, an absolutely spot-on performance by everyone on the team, but can you think of a better time?

Prediction: Kobe is the game's leading scorer with 38 points, 30 of them in the second half.
Actuality: Kobe, actually only the third leading scorer, scoring a team-high 22 points on 7-22 shooting. This is the first of many predictions I'm not ashamed to be wrong about. In fact, I was pretty much completely wrong, with half of Kobe's points (11) coming in the first quarter, where he was draining threes overtop outstretched hands and Celtics nation was nerrrrrrrrrvous. Those three threes he hit in the first frame were the only threes he would hit all game.

Prediction: The Lakers will shoot under 80% at the free throw line.
Actuality: Well, I was right about this one, but it didn't have the kind of consequences I thought it would when I wrote it. The Lakers shot a shade under 74% for the game on 28-38 shooting. Didn't matter if they went 100%. It wasn't a factor last night.

Prediction: Mike Breen says "hard foul" 14 times, with none of those actually being a hard foul.
Actuality: Just one. Not bad, Mikey, not bad.

Prediction: Posey comes up big again -- let's say four threes.
Actuality: I supposeeee, James Posey! Posey did come up big again, but his biggest impact wasn't on offense despite the fact that he shot 4-for-4 from the field (and 3-for-3 from downtown). The way Posey played Kobe when Allen was out of the game, and beyond that, was a MAJOR factor in the win. Kobe never got in a rhythm and the hapless Lakers followed suit. It was genius defense and fun to watch. He should release a cheesy instructional video." James Posey: How to Play Defense Like the Pros."

Prediction: I will confuse Ray Allen and Sam Cassell (by looks from afar only) for the 500th time this season.
Actuality: Sam Cassell = DNP. Thank goodness. He was the only Celtic not to see playing time. He stayed on the sidelines, with the towel, and that's all I needed.

Prediction: PJ Brown throws down 1 dunk, and three fouls in four minutes.
Actuality: As much as I would have liked to see the old man throw another one down, it didn't happen. Six points, four fouls. He wasn't a force in this game, but he wasn't a liability. Turned out to be a pretty decent pickup didn't he?

Prediction: Sasha Vujacic fouls out and openly cries on the bench.
Actuality: Wouldn't you have loved to see this? Instead the Lakers as a team openly wet themselves on the court. It's the first time they played as a team. Together in Epic Faildome -- The Story of the 2008 Shaq-less, Kobe-full Lakers. (I dedicate this scary picture to the rightto the 2008 Lakers)

Prediction: Van Gundy moves from calling Doc Rivers 'brilliant' to openly questioning his line-up switches 5 times.
Actuality: You can't criticize Doc Rivers Finals performance. I'm the kind of sports fan where I can cut you some slack if you got us here and laid an egg in the playoffs (KG -- for the most part) and also if you laid an egg all season but showed up for the playoffs (Doc Rivers). Great job, Doc.

Prediction: Having rotated through all the other pastels, Michelle Tafoya wears a light yellow pantsuit.
Actuality: My most disappointing miss of the night -- dark blue. Poor Michelle Tafoya -- I uttered that phrase no less than 100 times this playoffs. Just watching her, stretching her mic to catch all of KG's insane rambling, you have to respect her a little. It's not an easy job to be good at something so pointless and so thankless, but she's one of the best at it.

Prediction: Mark Jackson says "You talk about..." for the millionth time, causing me to bitch about it for the millionth time.
Actuality: You talk about this tired cliche... Well, he didn't. Or maybe I was too excited all game to care.

Prediction: The ratio of Kobe Bryant smiles and winks to Kobe Bryant scowls and yelling at teammates shown on tv will be 100:1. The actuality will be 1:100.
Actuality: You couldn't hide the Kobe scowls tonight. Especially in the press conference. Kobe just showed how unlikeable he really is.

Prediction: Tony Allen will see no playing time. Good Lord, please.
Actuality: Any time Tony Allen wants to enter the game, lay down a thunderous dunk, and exit gracefully without signaling an epic collapse -- he can.

Prediction: Derek Fisher will be the only Laker who won't be ashamed of himself after the game is over.
Actuality: This was a complete swing and a miss. Fisher had been the player throughout the Finals for the Lakers that I thought handled himself with any pride or dignity. But he was as stone silent as the rest of the Lakers last night, scoring just 7 points, and racking up 5 fouls.

Prediction: The refs will cast a shadow of doubt on whoever wins this game.
Actuality: How glad are we all that this prediction was completely wrong? After the negative luster the refs had laid on every finals game before last night, they "Let them play" last night -- 38 FTA for the Lakers, 37 for the Celtics. Not perfect, but good enough.

Prediction: The Celtics win 108-100.
Actuality: Hahaha. HAHAHAHAHA. Hahaha. Ahhh.... not so much. The CBS scoretracker couldn't even handle the score -- it topped out midway through the fourth quarter.

Prediction: Paul Pierce is named Finals MVP.
Actuality: Obviously not much of a stretch on my part to make this prediction. Even with an average performance (for his Finals standards) Pierce was a shoo-in. Obviously, not a stretch to say I am thrilled with this outcome. I'm thrilled that Pierce got a lot of "mea culpa" from the media for overlooking his potential in the past. I'm thrilled with the way he handled himself among it all, staying humble with a childlike wonderment and enthusiasm through the upswing. He deserves this win more than anyone on the Celtics -- here's hoping he can get one more.