Foil in the Oven: The Forum Blue and Gold Interview

Well, the day has finally arrived, and I can't wait for tip-off. We're all very excited about today's Foil in the Oven. We are interviewing Kurt of Forum Blue and Gold in an attempt to get our finger on the pulse of LA as we count down the hours to what we all expect to be an epic NBA Finals. You should all check out his site, it's the best Lakers site out there. And, compared to his site, we are hugely obscure, so we're very happy that he agreed to talk with us.

Just as will be happening here in Boston, people in LA will hop right out of bed this morning, they will go to work with a little extra spring in their step, and they will most likely be less than half as productive as they might otherwise be because most of their collective energies will be given to talking about and thinking about tonight's game and this series. Like us, they are confident. Like us, they believe that they are rooting for the team with the best chance to win.

Thousands of miles separate the two cities, and yet today we will all be going through the same routines. Of course, the weather will be better in LA, as it is all year. Warm and dry, with virtually no humidity. It is also three hours earlier there, so I imagine most of the city is still asleep. They will have the opportunity to get to bed at a reasonable time after the game because it starts so early out West. Wherever they order their food today, it will most likely come with avocado (possibly in the form of guacamole) for no extra charge. As will be the case here, many of them will be planning outdoor barbecues at which to watch the game. The difference is that many of them have probably been watching the games outside all season long. Someday, when I can afford the NFL, NBA, and MLB TV packages, I would like to live in the land of cheap avocados and 10 AM kickoffs. Regardless, the whole point of this is that we interviewed Kurt from Forum Blue and Gold because he is an expert on the Lakers, and we thought it would be a cool perspective to have. Here it is:


ROOMOFZEN: First of all, how excited are you? I'm in my early 20's, so I don't remember any of the classic Lakers/Celtics series from the 80s. My earliest memories of Larry Bird are of seeing him with a bad back. But, those years are so cherished here that everyone understands the importance of these series.


KURT: This is the most excited I have been about a trip to finals in a long time (and we’ve been a few times recently). Part of that is a season of success that seemed to come out of nowhere — back in October we were worried about Kobe being traded, then we started to get our hopes up as Bynum exploded on the scene, then we were down due to his injury, then came the Pau Gasol steal, er, trade and we were right back on top. Combine that with getting to play our biggest rival in the playoffs, and this is the most excited Lakers fans have been in a long, long time.


R: In my mind, Lamar Odom is the big X factor in this series. If he plays well, the Celtics could be in trouble. When he's at his best, he can impacts the game in a big way. What are your thoughts on how the Celtics will match up defensively against Odom and Gasol, and do you see any players on the Celtics who you view as the "X factor" in this series?

K: I think you are dead on about Odom — if he is having big games the Celtics are in trouble. Not because of the matchup, KG is a great defender, but because of his role in the offense. Odom is thriving in the role of the guy who gets his offense without having plays run for him often. I’ll give you a picture of what Lakers fans hope to see: Kobe drives past Allen into the lane and KG has to slide over to help, which allows Odom to slip in to some open ground, get the pass and hit his open look. Or, KG rotates off him to help and Odom grabs the offensive board and gets a putback. Those are just a couple of scenarios, but you get the idea. If he is having a big game it will be a big problem for the Celtics.

The Celtics X-factors will likely be Rondo or Perkins. If Rondo can get into the lane and not be tempted to take jumpers, if Perkins can be a beast on the boards, they are the ones the Lakers will have the hardest time containing.


R: I was at the game in Boston the day after Thanksgiving, and I really thought the game was more lopsided than the score indicates (The Lakers were completely out of it for the first three quarters). Then, in late December, the Celtics won by 19 in LA. So, my question here is twofold:

A) Obviously Gasol arrived, but Bynum also went down. What has happened to this team between then and now to cause such a drastic improvement?

B) Why do you believe that things will be different between the Lakers and Celtics this time around?


K: If there is one thing I would want Celtics fans to take away from this interview it is this — the Lakers team you saw in November and December and the one you face in the finals are very different teams. Bynum benefited from being in the triangle offense, but Pau Gasol makes it hum and sing in a way it hasn’t since Jordan took the court in Chicago. Gasol has a very diverse game, he can score from the post, hit the 15-foot jumper and is an excellent passer. Really, every Lakers player is a very good passer, and that has spawned a team that moves well off the ball and hits the open man. If you choose to double Kobe or Gasol a lot, they will hurt you with passing, single cover them and they can score. This is by far the best offensive team you will have faced in a long time. The last team you saw that moved and passed like this was Utah in March, and they won that game and got a lot of layups in the process.

Also, know that the Lakers play pretty good team defense (much like the Celtics D, it is more about the team aspect than the individual defenders). The D isn’t as good as the Celtics, but it’s not bad.



R: What is the key to beating the Lakers?


K: The key is not to let the Lakers run their offense from the inside-out, meaning you have to stop Kobe’s penetration and not let Odom or Gasol become a force on the block. When that happens things open up for the offense. If you force the Lakers to be a perimeter offensive team they are not as effective. The other thing to do is to beat them on the boards, without Bynum they are susceptible there.


R: Do you expect Radmanovic to be on Pierce, and are you concerned about that matchup?


K: Pierce is the one really tough matchup for the Lakers, so yes he and that matchup scare me. Two things of note here. First, Radman is very long, plus he is quicker and a better defender than his reputation. He can’t stop PP, but he can at times make things a challenge for him. But the main reason I’m not that concerned about this matchup is that Radmanovic only plays 20 or so minutes a game. In crunch time Sasha Vujacic will be in and on Ray Allen (and Celtics fans will grow to hate Sasha this series) and Kobe will get the key minutes on Pierce. Kobe can’t stop him totally, but he is a good defender.


R: How do you think the benches match up in this series? (keep in mind that Doc hasn't yet established a consistent bench rotation outside of Posey and PJ Brown. I like Eddie House, Leon Powe and Glen Davis coming in).

K: The Lakers bench, and the fact that their depth allows Phil to tinker with matchups, is one of the Lakers biggest strengths. Jordan Farmar is fast and will push the tempo and the pressure on the Celtics subs. Luke Walton is solid and fits the triangle well. Like I said you’ll see a lot of Sasha. And Turiaf is by far the best dancer on either team. I’ll tell you I love Powe, so I hope Doc keeps him on the bench. And while you’re at it, can you tell Doc to play Cassell more?


R: Before I let you go, I want to reminisce for a second. February 26, 2006. A sunday night game in LA. I can't say this with 100 percent certainty, but I believe it was the only nationally televised Celtics game of the 2005-2006 season. Kobe gets 40 , Pierce gets 39, Celtics win 112, 111. This was just a great game, and it was far and away the highlight of 05-06 and 06-07 for me. I just remember feeling like I was watching something significant for the first time all season. The two stars played so well. That was Pierce's best season by far, and it was really too bad that the Celtics were so poor because he got hardly any media attention outside of New England.
Did that game stick with you at all, or did you have more important things to worry about since the Lakers were a playoff team?

K: I do remember that game, and that was a very entertaining regular season matchup. Remember, PP is an LA guy and so there is still a lot of love and respect for him around here and his game. He knows how to perform and LA fans love that. But the biggest games that stick out to me those seasons were the playoff games against the Suns. As you all understand, it is the playoffs that create the best memories. (Well, one 81 point game excepted.)



R: Finally, our whole goal here is to get our finger on the pulse of LA right now. I would imagine that the anticipation there is nearly unbearable, as it is here. We're obviously all very confident, as I'm sure you are. Make the case for me right now. I want the Laker fan perspective. Why will the Lakers win this series?


K: Simply put, the Lakers play the style of motion offense that will give the Celtics defense fits. That is your strength, you need to stop us because you can’t outscore us. Lakers fans are confident that the offense, while slowed some, will still be too much for the Celtics D. Plus, as the series wears on, we have Phil Jackson making adjustments and you all have Doc Rivers. That said, we are all excited because we know this is the biggest test on the biggest stage, and you can ask for more than that.







Ok, a few thoughts from what Kurt said:

First of all, I thought that those were great answers. I completely agree that the Celtics have a huge rebounding edge in this series (although I guess that's not exactly how he put it). Cleveland and Detroit were both strong on the glass, so this will be a nice change. I think that I may already hate Vujacic. I was just saying yesterday to someone that I liked him, but after reading that and imagining him defending Ray Allen, I now suddenly hate him. I guess these are the changes that you go through on the morning of the game. Perhaps the most menacing and potentially ominous quote that Kurt gave us in this interview came in his last answer, "as the series wears on, we have Phil Jackson making adjustments and you all have Doc Rivers."



Look, in my mind this is all about the Celtics coming out and playing the way that we know they can. It can't be KG picking up the slack for Ray. It can't be Pierce going off for 41 while everyone else fades into the background. Pierce, KG, and Ray all need to play well. On top of that, Rondo needs to penetrate and Perk needs to stay out of early foul trouble. Basically, all I'm saying is that the Celtics have managed to get here despite the fact that they haven't been playing their best basketball consistently throughout the playoffs. We need their best now, and we need it for the whole series.

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Watch this:


And this (check out how young Doc ((Glenn)) is):



Stay tuned for tommorow, when Foil in the Oven begins a weekly tradition of Friday 90's rock talk.