"LEON"

All you need to know about game two of the NBA Finals is that Leon Powe went Teen Wolf and scored virtually every time he touched the ball. Leon (I propose he go to one name like Beyonce or Madonna) scored 21 pts on 6-7 fgs, 9-13 fts, which at one point was more points than Kobe had until about 6 minutes left in the 4th while Powe was on the bench with 4 fouls. Speakin of, why does Leon sit for the remainder of the 4th quarter even though he was the biggest spark of the night with 4 fouls? He is not the star so why not play him until he keels over? Leon had a magical run of unorthodox hooks and runners and basically dunks the rest of the time. It was like they didn't expect him to score so he was running free. Throw that in with Rondo trying to do his best Kevin Johnson immitation, especially now that he has tried to posterize Jason Maxiell, Radmanovic, and Odom in the playoffs. Amazingly, Rondo had 16 assists and 2 turnovers. Throw in Jesus Shuttlesworth getting his groove back against his nemesis and foe Kobe Bryant, this series sure looks interesting heading to LA for 3 games.

Even more interesting than the Paul Pierce injury, is the fact that the Lakers appear to wait until the last few minutes of the game to actually take it serious. They get out of the gates pretty good but never have consistency in the middle quarters. Multiply that with some pretty significant hometown calls, some serious defense, and Boston's bench playing lights out, this series is still not over. The Lakers play 3 games at home, where their bench is supposed to be one of the best in the business. You have to imagine that the whistle will be screaming purple and gold Tuesday night and you can expect at least one 45 pt outburst by Kobe in the next 3 games. But is that enough to save the series?