Artest's Physical Play

In the 2008 NBA Finals, the Lakers lacked toughness and were outhustled by the Celtics. This time around, the Lakers have a key new piece in the line-up: Ron Artest. We all knew that the Artest - Pierce matchup would be an important factor in the Celtics-Lakers series. Only 30 seconds into game 1 of the NBA Finals, Artest set the tone of the game and sent a message to Pierce – the game would be physical and points would not come easily. In a 13 point victory, the Lakers were +26 with Artest in the game. He brought defensive intensity and his aggressive play led to fast breaks and easy points for his teammates. With 6:26 left in the game, Artest blocked Glen Davis’ shot and kept the ball in play by tipping it to Jordan Farmar. This play led to a fast break where Farmar was credited with both a rebound and an assist, and Pau Gasol with 2 points – the crowd erupted and the Celtics were forced to call a timeout in attempt to stop the momentum. The reason this play happened was because of the aggressive play of Artest, but because the player that puts his teammate in a position to make an easy pass that leads to a dunk does not get credit in the box score, it is hard to measure the value of his presence on the floor. Kobe Bryant recognized the value of Artest - Bryant ran over to hug Artest after the timeout was called by the Celtics - he knows that Artest brings a toughness to the Lakers that the team lacked two years ago. If Artest and the Lakers continue to outwork the Celtics ( Lakers were +16 in second chance points and +11 in rebounding), the Lakers have a good chance of repeating.