By now, you certainly already know the seemingly insurmountable statistics staring back at the Celtics:
- Only seven times, out of the 44 occasions, has a team trailed 2-1 in the NBA Finals and come back to win the series. That gives the Celtics just a 13.7% of winning.
- Phil Jackson has won 27 of the 28 best-of-seven series in which his team has led 2-1 (96.4 percent).
- And of course, Phil Jackson is 47-0 when his team wins Game 1 of the series.
But wait! Seven times before, the Celtics have found themselves down 2-1 in the NBA Finals, and on four occasions they have come all the way back to win the title (57.1%), with three of those titles coming against the Lakers. It's almost as though all these stats use a small sample size!
Which is exactly why CelticsBlog says everyone needs to just calm down.
You think you can tell me what's going to happen based on cherry picked statistics and bogus hypotheticals? Okay. I will see you and raise you. According a recent survey of actual historical events, Kobe and Phil Jackson are win-less in NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics. Also, according to those same actual historical facts, Kevin Garnett has never lost an NBA Finals series. Neither has Ray Allen or Paul Pierce. Or Rajon Rondo. Doc Rivers has never lost a Finals series as a coach.
I got some more numbers for you. It took the Celtics six games to beat the Lakers in 2008. In 2010, in every series they've played up until this point, they've won at least three consecutive games. Games 4, 5, and 6 are next.
Head over to CelticsBlog for a comprehensive preview of Thursday night's Game 4, including a look at the Matchup Of The Night and Three Keys To The Game For The Good Guys.
Tip-off is set for 9 p.m. EDT.