June 17th: What You Missed

Now that the Celtics and Lakers have battled to a 3-3 tie so far, tonight’s Game 7 is for all the marbles – and we’ve got it covered from every angle today on “The Kevin Calabro Show.” This game marks only the second time in the last 16 years that the Finals has reached a Game 7 – and the other time was Spurs-Pistons – so it’s probably safe to say America is a little more fired up this time around.

You know all the storylines. The rubber-match between the champions of the last two seasons, Kobe’s legacy, and the storied history between these two franchises. On today’s show we got a unique perspective on tonight’s game from four-time NBA Champion Will Perdue, former head coach P.J. Carlesimo and Frank Hughes of Sports Illustrated. Here are some of the highlights from those interviews.

Will Perdue on Kobe Bryant:

You look at these two teams and say who’s got more gamers, guys you can depend on? Well, obviously Boston does because they’ve got three. And how many do the Lakers have? They’ve got two, Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant. But, one of those two is Kobe Bryant. And he’s probably not only the best player in the league right now, but he’s also the best finisher. … He knows that as much as he wants to take over he has to do it from a team aspect.

On Loss of Kendrick Perkins:

I think it’s huge. It’s more of the defensive presence he provides for the Celtics as far as providing a big body. We don’t know what Bynum’s going to do, but being able to bang on Pau Gasol, being able to bang on the guys when they drive to the basket and also getting rebounds and taking up space.

Check out the full audio from Perdue’s interview here

P.J. Carlesimo on how tonight’s game will play out:

You know Kobe is going to do it but you kind of like the veteran experience, the Finals experience of (Boston’s) three guys. They’ve done it, they’ve stepped up when it matters. … Usually to me in these situations somebody steps up. Maybe it’s Rasheed or maybe it’s Lamar Odom. I think the big guys are always going to play. You expect the great players to play well in situations like this. Sometimes it’s not those guys that make the difference, it’s somebody else. … I think LA is going to win. I just think they are the better team.

Check out the full audio of Carlesimo’s interview here

Frank Hughes on Rasheed Wallace starting for Boston:

My worry is Rasheed starts, he goes out and pops one three, you know in his crazy head he goes, ‘hey, I’m going 8-9 from three.’ And all of a sudden he starts jacking threes from all over the court, and the ball’s taken out of Paul Pierce’s hand.. … There’s always the intangible with Rasheed. But if he gets them in trouble Doc can go to Shrek.

Check out the full audio of Hughes’s interview here