Celtics-Lakers: Thoughts before Game 3

Similar to what I said after Game 1, Lakers fan need not to panic. The biggest factor in game 2 besides Rondo was Kobe's foul trouble. Two of his five fouls were a joke. As much as it advantaged the Celtics, it sucks for basketball. The Celtics suffered from this in game 1 with cheap fouls on frontliners (and this continued in game 2), so you have to sit the players that affect the game the most because of foul trouble. Lame.

I hate the foul-out rule. I think it's antiquated and ridiculous. Fouls count double against your team: once against the player, and once against your team fouls total. But why? Why do players foul out with usual infractions? This doesn't happen in football or hockey, team sports with player flow and stoppage. Why in basketball?

Here is my half-baked foul proposal for the NBA. Something similar could be adopted for NCAA basketball:

• There would be no limit to the individual number of fouls
• Once a player reaches 6 fouls, for each foul beginning with the 7th foul, the other team gets a shot and the ball.
• In OT, the +1 and the ball would start on the 9th individual foul
• Regarding technicals, on the first one, the other team gets a free throw (like now) and the offending player has to sit out for 5 minutes of game time (like a penalty box). On the second technical, the other team gets a shot, and the offending player gets a personal foul and gets 10 mins of penalty box time. The third technical would be an ejection and an automatic one-game suspension. Flagrant fouls would act the same, but would start at Technical Level II.
• Before a technical would becomes official, it must be ratified by another official on the floor.

This would keep star players on the floor, but still punish lots of fouls. One other possibility: only team fouls, and eliminate penalties for individual fouls all together.

Now, on to thoughts on the series:

• Rondo does not look very healthy to me. I know injuries have been mentioned, but he's not as explosive, and his defense is not as sharp as it has been.
• Speaking of Rondo, I love it, as Celtics fan, when Kobe guards him. While I wouldn't guard him tight at the 3-point line, I wouldn't sag into key either. It allows Rondo to set up Ray Allen easily. I think Jordan Farmar and Shannon Brown are doing the best job defensively on Rondo.
• Does anyone on the Celtics besides Rondo want to rebound? He had 12 rebounds, and Glen Davis and Rasheed Wallace combined off the bench for 14 more. Where are Perkins and KG? Grab a rebound please.
• Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol humiliated the Celtics interior players. They combined for 46 points and 13 blocks. I think if Kobe avoids foul trouble the Lakers win with those performances.
• Where is Ron Artest? And what did this impostor do with him?
• Lamar Odom has cemented his legacy: very good player who disappears against really good teams.

Celtics in 6.